Tuesday, June 26, 2012

What am I doing now....?

I have gone back to the good old days of my reading (which is why my writing has taken so much of a back seat, as the observant lot of you would have noticed). It is a separate story that I haven't grown much since my days of fiction, detective stories or thriller sci-fis with their nail-biting finishes or classic novels with 'happily ever after' endings . My all time favorite sleuths- the great Sherlock Holmes  (extra ordinary creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle- I love him so much I have read ALL his work) and the very unique Belgian M. Hercule Poirot (master stroke of the inimitable Agatha Christie- still trying hard to complete all her books). I have also spent several comfortable evenings with the likes of Mark Twain, Charles Dickens or the ancient, ancient Jane Austen. I wouldn't disagree, if you call me a juvenile reader,  given the fact that my choice of authors, tends to be pre-historic.


But I very much appreciate the work of modern authors like, J K Rowling with her humorous writing style, and edge-of-the-seat plotting. I'm least ashamed to admit having read all the Harry Potter books and watch the movie versions (so has my 7-year old nephew) and I'm definitely not kidding!

In fact, I've read these authors so many times (and counting) that their plots have become increasingly predictable and have started affecting my writing style! Whatever said and done- haunting, unforgettable and haunting fiction like, 'To Kill a Mocking Bird' (Harper Lee), however ancient it may be... will forever influence my choice of reading and will reclaim my attention repeatedly.

Generations born much later than me have long graduated to more sophisticated reading of non-fiction. But I'm an incurable when it come to the fictional genre of literature. Most recently, Robert Langdon & Lisbeth Salander have captured my imagination. After reading  Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons , I was raring to go for similar work. Somehow his story of extra terrestrial life- 'Deception Point' failed to raise my curiosity and I parted with Dan Brown, at that stage.
Then I bumped into Stieg Larrson on wiki and got intrigued. I'm yet to read the two works  'Millenium Triology' having started with the famous, 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'.  That was superbly exciting, very modern  and made me feel slightly contemporary.  But so many e-books took a toll on my little 'white' cells and my ocular department is on a small vacation now.

For lovers of fiction  like me, I would recommend the following:

To Kill A MockingbirdTo Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Haunting memories created by Lee. The plot is so wonderful, it will be remembered for generations! I will recommend this as a must read for all generations....

Have read it 9-10 times, so far!

View all my reviews

 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot #4)The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Very ingenious tone of writing- Hercule Poirot never retires, his grey cells as sharp as ever!! Highly recommended for all Agatha Christie fans...

View all my reviews

 
Girl With The Dragon TattooGirl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Intriguing...brilliant. Did not like the film, though!

View all my reviews

 
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think it is an excellent read! For those of you, who find history boring- this book is a unique peek into the world of ancient art and culture which definitely keeps you turning those intriguing pages.

1 comment:

  1. You cant do this Swati... Nothing but envy u.. where did u find all the time.. need my life to achieve this.. U r wat u read..
    -Lalitha

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