The Books I’ve Read in the Year 2012

Of Books and Reading

The year 2012 has been chock-a-block with numerous book reading expeditions. I really marvel at the fact that each year I get to read around 20 books, but this year turned out to be extraordinary. Perhaps, pulling off such a feat involves a passion for reading books that grew exponentially over the years.

With 20 more additions in my personal library who’s complaining. A Wow! to that. So having completed reading a total of 35 books I sure have bettered last year’s haul of just 15 books – a personal milestone at best.

I invite my friends to have a look at the long list of books I strongly recommend for reading:

1. The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans
2. Can Love Happen Twice? by Ravinder Singh
3. Micro by Micheal Crichton
4. The Rivered Earth by Vikram Seth
5. Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman
6. Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
7. The Night Train at Deoli and Other Stories by Ruskin Bond
8. Geek Nation by Angel Saini
9. Secrets by Ruskin Bond
10. Didi – A Political Biography by Monobina Gupta
11. All Roads Lead to Ganga by Ruskin Bond
12. The Lineup – (The World’s Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives) Edited by Otto Penzler
13. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
14. The Fear Index by Robert Harris
15. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
16. The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi
17. Divine Justice by David Baldacci
18. The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy
19. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
20. There was no one at the Bus Stop by Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay
21. The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
22. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
23. Johnny Gone Down by Karan Bajaj
24. The Audacity of Hope – Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama
25. Days and Nights in the Forest by Sunil Gangopadhyay
26. Calico Joe by John Grisham
27. Max by James Patterson
28. Beautiful Thing by Sonia Faleiro
29. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
30. Maharani by Ruskin Bond
31. The Affair by Lee Child
32. The Racketeer by John Grisham
33. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
34. Love Stories that Touched my Heart Edited by Ravinder Singh
35. Wonderworld and Other Stories by Sunil Gangopadhyay

Following is my personal take on each book I have read this year.

The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans:

The month of January ‘12 became very special for me in terms of reading the book: The Horse Whisperer. In fact, reading Nicholas Evans’ other book titled: “The Smoke Jumper” was such a treat for me that missing out on The Horse Whisperer was most definitely sacrilegious!

I loved reading both the books. Particularly, there is something special about The Horse Whisperer. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my wintry evenings reading this special novel.

Can Love Happen Twice? by Ravinder Singh &

Love Stories that Touched my Heart Edited by Ravinder Singh:

This is one of those Hinglish types and full of Indianisms I have an aversion to. I mean nothing wrong about the book though but the use of Hinglish (in conjunction with pedestrian writing) feels contrite and decadent unless used sparingly!

This inevitably brings one to the recurrent topic of The Chutnification of English, which gets truckloads of bashing and derided by many eminent Indian writers. Of course, all of it is very well-deserved, if you ask me.

Micro by Micheal Crichton:

Micro is the last unfinished novel written by Micheal Crichton before he died unfortunately from a medical condition. Though the novel was later finished by Richard Preston, another famous novelist, it still retains the trademark style of Crichton’s great thrillers and that’s the beauty of it. All thanks to Richard Preston for having done such a great service to mankind by taking up such a huge task of finishing the novel from where Crichton left off. 

A big Thank You to you, Mr. Preston for the yeoman service rendered. What do I say about the great Micheal Crichton? All have been said already in praise of his books: the man who wrote them.

Micheal Crichton was a sparkling genius. A genius like him is born once in hundred years! (Think about Jurassic Park, The Lost World, The Andromeda Strain – the list is endless.) Fiction writers like him have brought enormous reading pleasure for readers everywhere. I have nothing but deep admiration and great respect for him and his profound works. Alas, he is no more alive and it breaks my heart that there would not be any new novel from him ever again, neither would there be a man like him.

The Rivered Earth by Vikram Seth:

Vikram Seth’s poems are a beauty. The Rivered Earth is a collection of librettos/poems that only a god-gifted man like him could write. Read them and you will know the huge talent of the man who also wrote splendid novels like “A Suitable Boy” (I’m yet to read), “Two Lives” and others. He is well into writing a sequel to A Suitable Boy which is tentatively titled A Suitable Girl. I can hardly wait for the sequel, though I know I’d read “A Suitable Boy” first.

Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman:

The New York Times journalist Thomas L. Friedman’s fantastic book serves well for those who care for the environment. The author dealt with numerous issues that concern our planet, our only home. Environmental issues, population explosion, global warming, industrial pollution, migration from villages to cities, greenhouse effect, El Nino, fossil fuels, political issues (including Mutually Assured Destruction – M.A.D. – threats and conflicts), manmade disasters directly contributing to Earth’s peril, habitat destruction, animal extinction, electronic junk, and other immediate and important issues that afflict us and our future on this planet.

These issues and others have been given a fair amount of urgency and appeal by stating that if we don’t do anything that progressively helps preserve and sustain our planet’s future then we all have to face a life that not only will be inhospitable, forbidding, and utterly unliveable but also permanently irreversible. Remember E.L.E.? Extinction Level Event? That’s more like it. It’s one of the best books I have read so far on the burning issue of Global Warming.

Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy,

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy:

Tess of the D’Urbervilles is one of the best books ever written by Thomas Hardy. No one could write such a great novel as Hardy did. I first read and wrote about it when I was doing my master's. I remember everything about the story like the back of my hand. 

The story is still afresh in my mind and manages to break my heart whenever I think about the main character of the novel Tess D’Urbervilles and her never-ending hardships. During my college days, Tessy was my muse and wrote several loopy, juvenile love poems. Tess is one of the most tragic figures in the annals of English literature.

Far From the Madding Crowd: 

What could I possibly say about this novel? It is one of the greatest

novels ever written. Thomas Hardy is the god of English literature. I can never forget Bathsheba Everdene and Gabriel Oak and their tragic lives. If you haven’t read this book, then you are probably not of this world!

The English Classics are my all-time favourite books. I know it’s too much to say that none of the contemporary books can match their brilliance and sheer sweep of social history in terms of social values, morals, social culture, etc. In comparison, I find them a million leagues ahead of whatever we come across today. (It’s only an opinion).

The Night Train at Deoli and Other Stories by Ruskin Bond,

Maharani by Ruskin Bond:

The Night Train at Deoli and Other Stories and Secrets is a collection of charming short stories that only Ruskin Bond can write and nobody else. Buy the book and read you will know what I am talking about, especially the title story: The Night Train at Deoli which moved my heart. 

Ruskin Bond still manages to evoke my childhood memories. My stint with Ruskin Bond’s books began when I was in 4^th or 5^th standard and it was with “Grandfather’s Private Zoo”. I’ll never forget the character called Toto. His books are a must-read for everyone – no matter he/she is young or old.

Geek Nation by Angela Saini:

Are Indian scientists a geeky lot? I think yes they are. This is a decent book – a part travelogue part discovery of India’s scientific institutions and its scientific people working in different areas of science. 

The best thing about the book is that it is completely jargon-free and gives you an account that is so easy to read and feel nice about. The question that seems relevant to ask is: Is Indian science taking over the world?

Didi – A Political Biography by Monobina Gupta:

The book gives you a factual account – a biography – of the current chief minister of West Bengal, Madam Mamata Banerjee. 

Altogether, a good study by the author went into writing the book.

Mamata Banerjee rose like a Phoenix from the ashes of her epoch-making political party and the opposition party of CPI(M), but sadly she is now increasingly becoming diffident in her own party and an itinerant offense-taker, which is sad and needlessly unfortunate for the much-harried politically ravaged people she governs. It's a Catch-22 situation for the people of Bengal.

The Lineup – (The World’s Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives) Edited by Otto Penzler:

The book offers the world’s greatest crime writers’ fictional account of their crime busters, their fascinating sleuths. Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, Jeffrey Deaver, Lee Child, and the lot have contributed a short biography of their “greatest crime detectives”. 

The stories and essays give you an insight into how they came about with names of the main characters like Jack Reacher, Harry Bosch, etc. 

Otto Penzler is the famous owner of the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. The Lineup is a delightful omnibus volume.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov:

The first time when I heard about the book was when I was in school but never had a chance to read it through, albeit in bits and pieces from the school library collection. Now after so many years reading and examining one of the toughest novels like Lolita was quite interesting. To be able to say that for the sake of love if one is wanting to demolish one's own set of values, morals and the stated norms of love that one grew up feeling comfortable is, strictly speaking, something of a no-no. Needless to say, it was no less than a struggle to deal with what the novel has to offer me. Above all else, Lolita is a deeply felt and profound novel dealing with the controversial subject of illicit or illegal love: of a middle-aged literature Professor Humbert Humbert obsessed with the 12-year-old lady by name Dolores Haze.

The Fear Index by Robert Harris:

Post-financial crisis, the thriller writer Robert Harris gives us this novel which is filled with the dystopic world of finance and hedge fund tactics. The whole story is so disturbing that a potentially complicated computer software program slowly acquires a mind of its own and runs independently on any computer anywhere in the world, especially those ones at the world’s biggest stock market and can get all kinds of data rigged to its creator’s own evil ends. Monetary loss of billions! Scary! Totally scary!

The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi:

This is one of the delightful novels I had read this year. Nothing can get as best as it can. Truly, one of the best talents is its author Amish. 

I loved this novel. I guess this is how an indigenous thriller novel based on one's mythological interpretations should be written. With all Indian mythological characters abound, the story at once becomes very interesting to read.

Good work! Shouldn't miss reading it.

Divine Justice by David Baldacci:

This is my first David Baldacci novel. The novel opens on a train and proceeds to move to the town of Divine where several murders take place. 

The onus is on the chief protagonist of the novel, or the Hero, Oliver Stone, who investigates who the murderer(s) is/are and bring(s) him/her to justice.

A Baldacci novel is quite entertaining and a good read. This one is from his Camel Club series.

The Folded Earth by Anuradha Roy:

The story is set in the Himalayan town of Ranikhet where Maya lives along with Diwan Sahib and Charu, the peasant girl. Everything changes when Diwan Sahib’s nephew arrives to set up his trekking company there. 

Gradually, Maya faces bitter truths and the world is never the same again for her. The descriptions of the Himalayan beauty and life in the surrounding areas are magical.

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes:

There is some magical writing in the book The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes. 

The book has won the Man Booker Prize for 2011. The fact that the book won a Booker prize makes it on my list of must-reads.

Tony Webster and his friend Adrian Finn have decided to remain friends for life. But soon Tony's past catches up with him and begins to reflect on the path he had chosen to tread. Interesting take on life. You'd be treated to some exquisite prose.

There was no one at the Bus Stop by Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay:

A simple yet moving novel of people living unhappy lives. Very true to today’s ground realities and full of melancholy and pathos.

The story is set in Calcutta of the 1970s. It explores how adultery has its consequences for Trina, the heroine of the novel. The slim book has been beautifully translated by India's ace translator Arunava Sinha from its original Bengali.

I enjoyed reading it very much.

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino:

Absolutely brilliant! This is one of the best mystery novels (to have come out of Japan) I had read this year. It knocked me out of my senses for its razor-sharp suspense in the story.

The uniqueness of the story is that you get to know who the murderer is right at the start of the novel, but the fact that the math teacher, Ishigami (Suspect X) is so blind in his sympathetic devotion for the woman who murders that he is ready to go great lengths and do just about anything to save the woman he loves and her daughter from going to jail. The plot is ingeniously constructed and is perfect for thrilling reading. 

The Devotion of Suspect X is a grand treat for mystery novels fans. If Hollywood plans for a movie based on this novel, then why not? Let’s see a movie come out of it. I already have a name for the film version: “Suspect X".

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot:

The novel portrays the life of a brother and a sister by the name Tom Tulliver and Maggie Tulliver, respectively growing up at Dorlcote Mill near the river Floss. The story is primarily about their families and relatives including others from nearby country Mills and farms. In fact, Maggie Tulliver is the central character of the book. 

When the river Floss floods both brother and sister die in an embrace as their boat capsizes. “In their death, they were not divided.” A profound tale of tragic proportions. The Mill on the Floss is a beautiful novel set in 1820s England about a caring brother and his loving sister. Truly a heart-breaking novel; moved me to tears.

The Audacity of Hope – Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama:

If you want to know about the Senator (before becoming the President) Barack Obama’s campaign for the presidency in the year 2008 then you have to read this book.

Barack Obama's cutting-edge political campaign in America in the run-up for the presidency is really an interesting read. 

The book has been a stuff of legend for many months and has sold millions of copies across America. A good political coming-of-age stuff.

Days and Nights in the Forest by Sunil Gangopadhyay,

Wonder World and Other Stories by Sunil Gangopadhyay:

The novels are translated into English from the original Bengali. 

Arguably, Days and Night in the Forest is one of the greatest works authored by the eminent Bengali novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay.

The renowned Satyajit Ray’s film Aranyer Din Ratri is based on this novel. Wonder World is a collection of short contemporary stories.

Calico Joe by John Grisham,

The Racketeer by John Grisham:

Calico Joe is a very simple novel, unlike what he usually writes: full of twists and turns. 

John Grisham is a master of writing thrillers, most especially legal thrillers and this is being called his first "baseball novel". Quiet apt though. The novel is not solely about the game of baseball, it's about what happens off the field that's more intriguing.

I liked the novel for its simple plot and the story of redemption and forgiveness that runs through it like a ray of warm sunshine on a wintry day. Worth all the time and penny.

The Racketeer: 

It's about a lawyer who gets a jail term when he finds himself involved in a legal hassle. While in prison, he inadvertently comes to know who committed the murder of the federal judge and his assistant at a lakeside villa. 

How he (the lawyer that is) brings all his legal skills into use and gets out of jail is the crux of the whole novel. 

John Grisham is at his best.

Beautiful Thing – Inside the Secret World of Bombay’s Dance Bars by Sonia Faleiro:

An eye-opener of a book. I came upon the book at an annual sale at one of the bookstores I visit regularly. As I started reading it I could not believe what I was reading: Mumbai city’s sleazy dance bars and the bar girls, and whole families living off their girls’ “income” that they get from dancing and soliciting their “customers” at the dance bars! They make a dangerous living behind closed doors of various dance bars and in the patli gullies where they live a life of constant refusal, not to mention living in constant danger of getting kidnapped by local mafias and the hoodlums looking for extorting money and pleasure!! There are plenty of descriptive images of their strange psyche that controls their human behaviour, their weird worldly sense, seedy lifestyle, filthy personal attitude, crooked mind-set, and the like. The author of this book shows superb journalistic skills in portraying the shady and ultimately pathetic world of Mumbai's dance bars. A dreadful tale.

Eat Pray Love – One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert:

One of the fantastic books I have read in the recent past. The book is very well-written and voluminous in its approach to life and its demands and necessities.

Nothing short of a flamboyant memoir it is; on the lines of personal discovery. A woman's journey across Italy, India, and Indonesia after her divorce.

A film version of the book has also been made starring Julia Roberts.

The Affair by Lee Child:

A suspense novel from one of the masters of crime writing. Jack Reacher is now well known as an adrenaline-pumping, high-voltage action Jackson. He truly is.

What is unique about Lee Child's books is that its main character Jack Reacher is a good strategist, a strategic genius to say it best. Most of the time he (the character I mean) finds himself working things out with clinical precision to find the truth or solve the mystery. He is gifted in that sense. That's a great specialty I really enjoy reading and discovering. A good read.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson:

The book is a wonder really. Never in my life have I read such crime fiction that took my breath away! Stieg Larsson, the late Swedish author, is, without doubt, the best of the best.

One can easily say that the world is divided into two, the first one who read the book, the other who hasn’t. Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander are the two main characters of the novel. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first book of a trilogy. 

If you haven’t read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, then you haven’t read any good crime fiction novels.

The other books I have read this year are:

Secrets by Ruskin Bond,
All Roads Lead to Ganga by Ruskin Bond:

I really can't say enough about how much I love reading Ruskin Bond books. They are a gem; all of them. The book Secrets is a collection of seven short stories and all of them are set in the quaint little hill town of Dehradun of the 1940s. All Roads Lead to Ganga is a collection of his travel writings.

Ruskin Bond, a Sahitya Akademi Award and a Padma Bhushan winner, gives you a vivid portrayal of the times gone by. What is more important for me personally to say here is that the author evokes a sense of deep nostalgia in such an old-world delightful English language that it leaves you craving for more. I think it's an innate liking we have for the power of good writing that flows freely from the pen of Ruskin Bond. Secrets is a must-read book if you know the pleasures of reading good stories.

Johnny Gone Down by Karan Bajaj:

It's a time well spent reading this book. I'd think it's pretty unusual for a young writer like Karan Bajaj to be adept at writing a good story. At least, he not like Chetan Bhagat's contrived navel-gazing at best, riding on the waves of the chutnification (or currification?) of English writing.

Johnny Gone Down is about the hero of this novel. Johnny, a fall guy, goes down with his meaningless life in the doldrums. Ditching his promising Ivy League career at NASA must have been one crazy decision to make, but who cares when you have that old urban angst bugging you day in and day out. You go kiss the world's dark side and live to pay the price for it. He prefers travelling cattle-class to violence-ridden, mafia country Columbia for a vacation that would have almost killed him. Miraculously, our Johnny returns to his country of birth for good, leaving all his crazy deeds behind; ultimately, to become a man he has come lately to be so desirous of. Quite a read this! A good second novel.

Max by James Patterson:

I find some of the books by James Patterson quite overrated. The book Max is most certainly one of them as it has nothing to offer. Millions of fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii, ships getting destroyed, etc., etc. - all bunkum.

There's no plot here or if there's a plot I did not find it, far less thought if there would be any. I mean, writers should have a sane mind before throwing up such tosh on the publisher's table and demand to have it published. James Patterson didn't have any brains left with this one. Whatever happened to the James Patterson of the old Alex Cross's fame? Hello? Anybody home? Knock Knock!!

Max is one of his crappiest works that they thought fit to publish. I pity them all.

By Arindam Moulick

Pix courtesy: Internet