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Is it a historical fiction?
My favorite in that genre is Herman Wouk’s
Winds of War,
and its sequel,
War and Remembrance
Such a prolific writer.
re: Tell us about a book!!!
Currently reading "Maps for lost lovers" by Nadeem Aslam. It was longlisted for The Man Booker Prize in 2004 and winner of the Kiriyama Prize in 2005. It took him eleven years to write.
Was slightly apprehensive about reading it at first as I am getting quite bored of these desi books and theres only so much "relating" one can do. However, this one seems promising, the writing style is quite unique and the humour is subtle but very clever. It's really well written, very descriptive.
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Wicked by Gregory Maguire is incredible. I like novels where the dialogue is crisp. And he does keep the suspense up. I can't wait to read his other novels.
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Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch
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War and peace. tolstoy. once a classic, always a classic.
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i loved da vinci code, angels and demons currently reading the historian.
any others books like the ones mentioned above? ^
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The hero's walk and Tamarind woman (mem) both by Anita rau Badami.
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yesterday finished "are u afraid of the dark" by sidney sheldon....its so good i read the whole thing in one night.....
recommended recommended..
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Sabriel.
The world is being taken over by people returning from the Dead, and a teenage necromancer chic is supposed to save the world by putting the Dead to rest.
A piece of crap, IMHO.
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i just finished historian couple of days ago, its a really good read if you like historical fiction and draculas.
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Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire.
If you liked Wicked, don't expect this book to be of THAT calibre. Mirror mirror is okay. Its somewhat sick, since incest is a big theme. I think GM could have done a lot better. Its a retelling of the tale with the Italian family Borgia's as the villains. So if you know some European history, it might be helpful. I dunno, I think tying in the history was a little too forced. The way they keep bringing up Machiavelli - ok, whatever, that was so unnecessary.
The dwarves are depicted as small creatures that come to life from stone. One of them is a dog-like creature. I didn't see the parallel to the usual Grumpy, Sleepy, etc that we're used to. The characterization focuses heavily on the evil "witch" (Lucrezia Borgia), leaving marginal room for Snow White's character (Bianca). The way the apple is dealt with in the story is also a real dumb exaggeration. 3/4 of the book deals with Bianca's father who runs around across Europe looking for these Holy Apples, as if he's looking for the Holy Grail.
I see what the author was attempting to do, but the way he mixed real history with a fantastical tale...he fell on his face as an author while trying to accomplish that effect.
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Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister by Gregory Maguire is a lot better. The story is more along the lines of Wicked, in terms of creativity and enticing plot.
I’m currently on the last few pages of The Namesake by Jumpa Lahiri.
It’s really not a book that I can relate to since it is about a true, stereotypical, ABCD. Khair, it’s still entertaining. The main character is an American born Bengali man who is caught between western and eastern cultures and simply rebels against anything ‘desi’. It’s definitely entertaining and interesting to read things from a male point of view since most of the books I have read deal primarily with female storylines. It’s a good book. :k:
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Life of Pi was okay, but not as AMAZING as everyone said it was. Most of my 10th grade students didn't like it, tho some did.
I'm in the middle of Kiterunner and really enjoying it so far.
Reread God of Small Things and like it more this time around.
The Things They Carried is a really good book about the experiences of soldiers in Vietnam.
And then of course my favorite classics, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby, and so many more!
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Sahar, I read God of all Small Things before reading The Namesake.
I just did not see what all the hype is about for God of All Small Things. It was quite predictable, very unsettling storyline and just weird. I can understand praising the author's writing style .... but to be honest, I got irritated by it. The storyline could have been much better. I didn't like the way it ended either.
I really enjoyed the Life of Pi. The ending really threw me ... I just did not see it coming.
Wicked is really an amazing book. I need to read the sequel to it.
I'm currently reading Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, a compilation of short stories based on immigrant experiences in America. I am enjoying it so far.
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^ I really enjoyed Interpreter of Maladies.
I didn't particularly enjoy GoST the first time either. After rereading it and teaching it, I think I developed a greater appreciation for it.
The thing with Life of Pi is that the author seems to be playing with the reader a lot, messing with her/him, in a way that I find annoying. I also think that's what turned off a lot of the students (that and they felt the first part dragged, tho some changed their minds after we discussed it). But I did enjoy reading the book. There's a lot to be explored about cannibalism and the mental/emotional response to it.
I really want to read Wicked. I've heard great things.
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Kartography by Kamila Shamsie
The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II by Iris Chang
An Autobiography of a Rebel Princess by Princess Abida Sultan of Bhopal
Sahibzada Yaqub’s "Strategy,Diplomacy,Humanity " by Anwer Dil
The Life of Strangers by Chitra Banerge (sp) author of Mistress of Spices
Such a long journey by Rohinton Mistry
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
i am currently reading all these. Last month I returned, V.S Naipaul's ' A House for Mr. Biswas, and Anita Desai's Fasting and Feasting.
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The Historian is horrible. I don't know how you guys are reading that crap. I'm not bothering to read after chapter 15. Its utterly commercial and exaggerated, but the author makes a nice try to sound culturally sophisticated by sounding like a travel magazine.
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I’m reading ‘Something Borrowed’ by Emily Giffin. So far, I like it a lot.
There are two books, ‘Something Borrowed’ and its sequel, ‘Something Blue’. Each book tells the exact same story but from different point of views, so you have sympathy for one character and then read the second book and see things in a different light and no longer have sympathy for that character but other characters in the plot.
It’s chick lit … 
… and I like it.
I’m going to read The Historian next. 
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i would recommend books written by sidney sheldon. i have read all his books so many times and i still am not bored reading them again.