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Mario Puzo tells the story of the Corleone family. Fundaax story, narrates how Michael Corleone establishes himself as the Mafia Don. Powerful narration. See the movie too.
This is a very short story; the interesting part is the way of narration. Read it to see what is special in the story-telling...
First part in the great trilogy by CV Raman Pillai. Basically in my parents time, this was included in the regional language study in school. I can't believe Kerala history was so dramatic. People praise so much novels here (like say Gone with Wind or Lord of rings), but according to me, this trilogy is the best. What makes it amazing is that these things really happened in history! U should read it in mallu- the literature, the depiction, is unmatched....
Second in the above trilogy. We had to study this in our regional language study. Amazing series of events in this epic novel...
Conclusion of the trilogy. I could not get hold of the unabridged version. (Well, the complicated language was "smoothened" in the abridged version, so it was easier reading that version :-)) Advice to the readers: read the trilogy and see what gems of literature we have!
I bought the book, but Binoy read this book first. He said it was so disturbing, yet he could not put the book down! Amazing! A true depiction of the life in Calcutta. The timeless narration of the real saints in Calcutta. People who preach "do nice things; serve other humans blah blah" should really read this book and do likewise. The movie is not so good, it deviates from the true story. Read the book to see who really fulfills what Jesus said in the sermon at the mount...
Well I started reading it slowly, but really finished it off when I was having fever in Jan 2001. Everybody knows about Hound of Baskerville, but I like more the Valley of Fear. Read it to see what is so striking in it. Of course Baskerville is fundaax too. The other ones- Study in Scarlet is good, and the Sign of four is ok...
Classics are always N better than the modern junk they write nowadays. Of course the English is bit too tough in the classics :-( But still, the gems of literature they have those days! I like the ending of the story - so touching a story from Charles Dickens...
U would have seen it in TV- so y not read the original? A touching story from Dickens. Should really warm the heart of every person who reads it-guaranteed...
Honestly I read it to see how Pink Floyd got inspiration for their album "Animals". There is really no story- humans are depicted as being in to three categories (I think :-)) What can I say other than to quote Floyd themselves : "Any fool knows, a dog means no harm; a shelter, from the pigs on the wing :-)"...
It took me more than 2 years to finish reading this book (nice devotion eh :-) ? Me- who has only read some 12 books in my entire life!. It all started when we had to study a small portion of the novel in the regional language text book in two grades (wonder if they do it now, though). It depicts Jean Val Jean's encounter with the Bishop and his trial as the mayor. That was enough to make me get the abridged version, and I read it. Then I wanted to read the original version for long time - 980 pages of very very difficult English (and originally it was in French- so I wonder what is the funda of translating it so complicated!), and Victor Hugo is known for known for his minute description of details. So u have to be patient with the book. But according to me, the GREATEST book ever written- a masterpiece! Read the abridged version first - else u may feel so exhausted reading the actual one! Never see the movie - they are zot compared to the novel- moreover they deviate from the story drastically. U may know that the broadway depiction of the story is one of the greatst musicals in the world.
If anyone is interested in reading this masterpiece, here is an advice: read the abridged version first. Then, if you like go for an easy translation - there are many translations, some of the translations are very hard. Pick up the one which is easier to read.
I wanted to read some classics (hey time is limited :-) ); I have seen some of the long stories on
television or read them in Paico Classics . So I decided to read the entire short story
series. Some of them are truly amazing even now (like Speckled Band, Boscombe Valley Murder etc). In fact
I re-read Valley of Fear ad Hound of Baskervilles after finishing the complete adventures collection, since
these two are absolutely amazing. The American story plot in Valley of Fear is just too good. Dont miss it!
Well, what can I say! Every expecting parent should buy this and read it. It shows amazing pictures (fetoscope etc)
of the actual baby at various stages of development, even before-conception through conception, first cell
division etc. Read it fully (mainly pictures). You will appreciate more the wonders of God working in humans.
There are some classic short stories in here. I love the "Selfish Giant", "Young King", "Happy Prince" and
"Star Child". Great stories of sacrifice and redemption. I like the other stories in there too.
The main story is about the 4th wise man to wanted to visit baby Jesus. This is a touching story and conveys the
real meaning of love of God. The other stories are pretty good too. "Christmas Angel" depicts the reason why
God decided to send His son down to earth. A good read.
A very good collection of short stories. Most of these have a twist at the end, and trust me, each one of them is different. Each ending is no novel. I especially loved "Gift of the Magi", "Last Leaf", "After 20 years" and "Retrieved Reformation".
I read this to recite stories to my son, in near future. I had seen the movie a couple of years ago, and fell in love with the story. The book itself is a good read. Excellent narration. "Stuart Little" is also by the same author.
I bought the 4 pack hard cover edition (first four Harry Potter books) in 2000, but never opened the cover until late 2008! I read the first book at an interesting period of life. Man, and what a book! This is the first book which I could not put down. I never looked at the page numbers, for the first time. A book meant for all ages, no wonder it started a phenomenon. Tells the story of a kid who learns he is a wizard, and his first year at wizard school. Love the twist at the end of the story. I saw the first 4 movies before I started reading the first book. But as always, the book is totally different experience.
After reading the first book, I wanted to read the second book as soon as I can. Again, what a twist at the end! J.K. Rowling brings a new theme in each book, and something exciting.
I noted that the size of this book is larger than the first two, but as with the other two, I could not put it down. I think this is the first book I read continuosly in a weekend, even not watching TV! I like the character Sirius Black, since it reminds me of someone whom I know very well, who is also misunderstood and crucified by the world.
This is the most complex and twisted Harry Potter novel yet. While reading the last few chapters, you have to go and look back at earlier chapters to finally understand what really was going on! Even the subplots in the novel are complex. As the cover says, this is the pivotal book in the series and is the best of the series.
This is the longest book in the series, and in my opinion, the least interesting compared to the other books. The story could have been shorter without omitting facts. But still, it is a good read.
Again, what an amazing story telling. This sort of completes the insight to past events, started in Chamber of Secrets. There is a big tragedy towards the end, and I was so sad for some days after reading it. The twists may mot be as much as in Goblet of Fire, but this book is very important part of the series, since it paints the history of the villain.
A great finale to an amazing series. The true loyalties of many people are finally revealed in this book. The sorrow from Half Blood prince finally went away :-) The bravest person of the series is finally revealed. I could not put the book down when I was reading the last 200 pages or so.
This is the fictional set of tales in the last Harry Potter book. A great addition to the Harry Potter series. These are supposed to be folk tales that the wizard folks tell their children.
I read this book one day in Barnes and Nobles unexpectedly. This is a cartoon book, and describes life of a middle school kid. It has a very engaging narration, and is very funny. You can finish the entire book in an hour or two.
I had always wanted to read the original version of Winnie the Pooh. A very sweet book, and takes you through the make believe world of Christopher Robin. This book is a collection of the classic short stories.
I had seen the movies Stuart Little 1 and 2 before. I found the movies better than the book. The movies have a richer plot than the book. Neverthless, the book is written in a very witty fashion.
In my opinion, this is the best book by E.B.White. This is an excellent story, from start to finish. It tells the story of Louis, a trumpeter swan, who overcomes his inability to speak, by learning to play a trumpet. There are lot of sacrifices made, and is very touching at some times. But feel assured that the ending is happy. I wonder when they will make a movie for this novel, like for Charlotte's web.
This book will be enjoyed by kids and grownups alike. There are lot of metaphors in the book, and is written in a very enchanting, captivating, yet simple style. The fox, rose, and the people in the six planets have deep, significant meanings.
This is a very well written book. It deals with spirituality, importance of holding on to one's dreams etc, but I liked the story, particularly the ending, above all. This book will be a good inspiration to people who are pursuing their goals.
After Harry Potter, I wanted to read more, and I decided to try out the Chronicles of Narnia. I think the series is bit overrated. I found the story to be good, but not that great. But, the narration is excellent; one can read the book very fast.
This book is slightly better in story than the first book (Lion, Witch and Wardrobe), but I think it is not worth the hype. The narration style is excellent, but story is not as rich as say, Harry Potter.
Ok, for the first time, I liked a Narnia book. Thankfully there are no more children fighting big battles, and the book instead depicts very nice fantasy. At each of the destinations of the ship, the children encounter interesting adventures. I read this book when I was sick over the weekend, and finished it off in a day.
This is a very good story, and describes the two kids rescuing the Prince from the evil witch. You will love the quotes of the character Puddleglum. Again, there are no big battles involving children, and their adventures to find the prince is pretty well narrated. I started liking the series after this book. I read this off also in a day.
This is the best Narnia book, and is different from the rest of the series-this is a story which is not related to the main children of the Narnia series. It is about the escape of a young boy named Shasta and his horse Bree to freedom. They meet the girl Aravis and her horse Hwin, and together they encounter many unexpected adventures. This was the book I read the fastest in my life. I liked the series very much after this book.
This book explains the origin of the magic of Narnia, and of the many intriguing items in The Lion, Witch and the wardrobe. I think one should not read this book first in the series (although chronologically this book comes first), since then one would not enjoy the mystery of say, the lamp post or the ward robe.
A good ending to a great series. Throughout the series, there are lots of allegories, and this book is no exception. The ending of the book was a little bit of surprise.
Pretty good sequel to the first book in series.
Good laughs.
Still enjoyable. Best selling book of 2009.
Author appears in Times 100 list-what does that tell...
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