The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

After Reading Gone with Wind , I wanted to read some Classic and came across The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough 

The Book is about Meggie Cleary and Ralph di Brisscart. Meggie Cleary is the only girl in a Cleary family dominated by men. When Meggie is 10 the Cleary's move to Austrailia from New Zealand for a great job opportunity. At this time Meggie meets Ralph di Brisscart - a priest. Their love for one another at first seems quiet harmless as she is 10 and he is 28 but as she turns into a women and doesn't understand why she can't have Ralph to herself as her husband their love for one another is tested by distance, time apart, and decisions that they each make in their lives.

Set in the back drop of the Austrailian outback, TTB covers a 25 year time span and 3 generations of Cleary's. The book touches on important world events such as, WWI and WWII in the back drop at points. And also delves into two important issues: religion (and it's roles in society)and philosophy, beliefs, morals (and their role combined with religion in society.)


Once I started to read it I couldn't do anything in my life but to keep reading untill I finish it
you laugh, you cry, you feel bad and you feel happy you feel like you became a part of the story living every single details.what a book !! I would say it was a MUST read.(less)

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Open by Andre Agassi, J.R. Moehringer

"The scoreboard says I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say 

it is what I have found. Over the last twenty-one years I have found loyalty: 

You have pulled me on the court, and also in life. I have found inspiration:

You have willed me to succeed, sometimes even in my lowest moments. 

And I have found generosity: You have given me your shoulders to stand on,

 to reach for my dreams - dreams I could have never reached without you. 

Over the last twenty-one years I have found you, and will take you and the memory 

of you with me for the rest of my life."

I came across this book reading an article about self-development books,

 which was mentioning Open as an inspiring and motivating lecture. I couldn't agree more.

This is one of the most amazing autobiographies that I have read,

 a captivating life-confession that I have enjoyed until the last word. 

Even though I didn't know much about tennis I was fully engaged in each and every match described. 

I could feel all the emotions: the dedication, the anxiety, the fury, the happiness, 

the disillusion. One can identify with this destiny, as we all are struggling throughout our 

lives to find out who we truly are and what we truly want to do with our lives.

I have a lot of respect for Andre Agassi and for the courage

 it must have taken to write this memoir in which he revealed his tough

 upbringing and unhappy childhood. I admire the way he was so open and

honest about his life and this book has to be one of the best autobiographies 

I’ve read yet. Furthermore, I was touched when I read the passage 

in which he dedicated his book to his children and confessed that 

he was late in discovering the magic of books and he hopes that 

his children avoid the same mistake he made. As an avid reader, 

this brought a smile to my face!

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A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

 

A Walk to Remember is my second book by Nicholas Sparks the first  being  the Notebook . The book is about two teenagers who fall in love with each other in-spite of different  of personalities. 

The book helps you realize so much about life. Jamie Sullivan the daughter of the pastor Herbert.
No one really likes Jamie at school they think she is not "normal" she is very quite a sweet to            everyone no matter how or what they say to her.She is very religious. She helps everyone in need.
Landon young man who attends the same school as Jamie he never talks to her. But the day comes when he has class with her and even asked her to the dance. After all the laughs he got from his friends for asking her he was ashamed he didn't even want to talk to her anymore.
A play Jamie was doing was coming up she asked Landon if he would play the main part of the play, Landon didn't want to but he owed her an apologie from the other night when she was very sweet.
He did the play and during spending time with Jamie he fell in love with her. He told her how he felt but Jamie told them that he could like her.He was confused. later on he found out she has Lukima. He was scared of losing Jamie. This was a test for him. He saw how she went through so much pain but he was always beside her.  Landon and Jamie got married, but after a few moths she passed away it was hurtful to Landon.He learned to love her even though she wasn't there by his side.It is a quick read that will have you smiling and in tears all at the same time.

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The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Title:Namesake
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Paperback: 291 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books; First edition (September 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0618485228
ISBN-13: 978-0618485222


Synopsis:
Ashoke and Ashima natives of Calcutta move to United States after their arranged marriage in India.Ashoke is a PhD student at MIT , soon after Ashima gives birth to a son .They are undecided about theirs child’s name , ultimately relying on a postal letter from Ashima’s  grandmother but letter is lost somewhere in transition, and they are forced to choose  a name for their son before his release from Hospital. Ashoke decides to name his son “Gogol” after Russian Author  Nikolai Gogol and in memory of a tragic train accident of his past.
The Novel revolves around the life of Ashoke , Ashima and their son Gogol .The cultural differences and the generation gap between parents and kids. Gogol’s struggle in search of his own identity and his embarrassment that surrounds his name. Ashima's loneliness in a new country and how she adjusts and make it home.
About the Author: Born in London to Bengali parents, Jhumpa Lahiri currently resides in Brooklyn with her husband and two children. Her debut work of fiction, a collection of short stories entitled Interpreter of Maladies, won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. She is currently a member of the U.S. President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Her novel The Namesake was also made into a 2007 film
My Thoughts on the Book: I picked up this on the thought that I would like reading it and was not least bit disappointed. Lahiri’s writing is poetic and descriptive she is able to very well describe the lives of Ashoke , Ashima and their family as Immigrants in USA although a bit slow at times.The book is also made into a movie which I had seen many years ago before reading it.I liked the movie as much I had liked the book. All in all the book is expectedly excellent and a must read.

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Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Title :Memoirs of a Geisha 

Author : Arthur Golden

Paperback: 434 pages

Page Numbers Source ISBN: B002LAYWEC 

Publisher: Vintage; Vintage contemporaries ed edition (November 9, 1999) 

Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc

Language: English

Synopsis : Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden is a book about Geisha ( Japanese women entertainer ) who sing, dance , talk and keep men company in order to entertain them.Chiyo (Who is known as Sayuri when she becomes Geisha )  is sold to a Geisha house in Gion after her mother's  death , she does odd jobs there like cleaning and house chores .Later on she is enrolled in  geisha school where she learns singing , dancing and more .An elder Geisha  Hatsumomo is jealous of Sayuri and so her hope of becoming a Geisha comes to a stop until she meets a elder Geisha Mameha who eventually trains her to become Geisha and a successful one at that . Sayuri's life changes after second world war when the man she has always loved becomes her Danna ( A wealthy man, sometimes married, who had the means to support the very large expenses related to a geisha's traditional training and other costs.).

About The Author : Arthur Golden  is an American writer born on December 6, 1956) .Golden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, grew up on Lookout Mountain, Georgia, He spent his middle and high school years at the Baylor School  in Chattanooga, graduating in 1974. He attended Harvard University and received a degree in art history, specializing in Japanese art. In 1980, he earned an M.A. in Japanese history at Columbia University, and also learned Mandarin Chinese. He currently lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The novel Memoirs of a Geisha was written over a 6-year period during which Golden rewrote the entire novel three times, changing the point of view before finally settling on the first person viewpoint of Sayuri. Interviews with a number of geisha, including  Mineko Iwaski  provided background information about the world of the geisha. It has sold more than four million copies in English and has been translated into thirty-two languages around the world.

My Thoughts on the Book:This novel is an amazing read that brings to life, vivid and colorful characters. Being narrated in the first person, the reader feels a sense of reality to the story. Golden’s ability to create clear imagery makes the novel all the more spectacular. The novel uses many different jokes and situations that will make the reader laugh and cry. It also broadens the view of society on geisha and ancient tradition. Being informative, hilarious, and inspirational, Memoirs of a Geisha is a well written book and It's one of my favorite.

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Hope & Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami

"Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits" by Laila Lalami provides a view on a different world. This book narrates the struggles of four Moroccans who attempt the 14-kilometer journey across the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain, to find better employment and better conditions for themselves and their families. I like the way Lalami structured her book, providing glimpses of each person's story both before and after the crossing.

The book opens with the treacherous journey and focuses on Faten, Noura, Halima and Aziz, then moves backwards to the events that brought them there The story follows their lives as they struggle to make their way in a strange land.

 A very short, easy read--definitely recommended!

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The Sculptress by Minette Walters

The Sculptress by Minette Walters  is surely one of the best a fascinating psychological crime thriller.It's been a while I read this book but I still remember that  I was unable to put it down It is so engrossing that I kept on  turning pages as to know what will happen next.

The book is about Olive Martin, a huge obese woman who was found with the dead bodies of her mother and younger sister, she pleaded guilty to murder at her trial. Journalist Rosalind Leigh accepts a commission to write a book about Olive, she finds herself wondering what lies behind all these facts that everyone knows. When Roz first visits her in prison, she finds that Olive is not quite what she expected. Roz is repeatedly warned - Olive lies about almost everything, then why did she confess so readily to two hideous murders? Roz may well wonder. The deeper she is drawn into the shadowy, disturbing world of the Sculptress, the more firmly she is convinced that Olive is hiding something 


One of the best mystery novels I've read.

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Swami and Friends by R.K. Narayan

Swami and Friends by R.K. Narayan is simple to read book set in pre Independence days of India  in a fictional town Malgudi.The author's style of writing is simple , humorous and subtle still so real.

It took me back to my childhood memories of school where in little things used to look like huge problems.

The story narrates events in life of Swami and his friends Rajam and Mani  as how they became friends their mischief at school , strolling in hot afternoon sun , playing games, forming a cricket team and so on.

A must read book.

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The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help  is an amazing first  book by Kathryn Stockett , it was quite engrossing , I loved reading it till the end as the story developed.
The book is about black maids in  Jackson, MS in the early 1960s where the Civil Rights movement was getting  heated.Skeeter Phelan, is a young white woman just graduated from college and wishes to write. She wants to create a novel based on interviews with the black maids .No one wants to cooperate because it's an extremely dangerous task. Soon, Aibileen and Minny,  maids of Jackson, come together to help Skeeter with her project. It turns into something so much bigger than any of them expected.  
This book is one of my favorites and I recommend everyone read it as its  It's complex, deep, entertaining, funny, depressing,  inspirational and well written.Kathryn Stockett manages to make characters come to life with her descriptions.

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The Fall by Ryan Quinn

First of all I would like to thank the author for hosting a Giveaway on Goodreads and for sending me the advanced e reader copy.

The Fall by Ryan Quinn is story of three friends at University in Florence.
Haile wants to break free of her controlling mother and find out what she really wants from life and ability to make her own decisions. 
Ian is a film buff who is struggling with being comfortable with who he is and who he thinks others expect him to be, his father  is a leading football coach. Ian not only has dropped football, and moved away but has also taken up tennis.
Casey is a football jock who seems like the average guy with a girlfriend and who is studying medicine as a backup.


I would have liked for the characters to have had more of a connection. I didn't feel they interacted in a close enough way to justify their friendship and eventual relationship(Casey and Haile) .
Overall it's and easy read and probably you can give it a shot if you like the description.

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