River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

very good as expected


View all my reviews

Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


carrion comfort

by

dan simmons



I used to be a great fan of horror novels and movies during school and early college days in the eighties so imagine my surprise when i see this book of which i have no idea topping a list of the greatest horror novels of all times on good reads. It was placed above dracula,stand,it etc etc.on the list.

So obviously I had to read it.

It is entertaining and engrossing but not really a horror novel.

It is more on the lines of Robert Ludlum or Alistair Mclean with expected plot twists, stock characters and the obligatory apocalyptic climax.

The pace is also variable with the plot dragging at some points.

I don’t think Dan Simmons is anywhere even near Stephen King.

The redeeming thing about the book is its descriptions of the atrocities in the Nazi concentration camps and it is in these portions that Dan Simmons really shines and that is why I would recommend this book so that new readers can know what cruelty we human beings are capable of.







View all my reviews

hi some photos

a flower in our front terrace

kite runner by khaled hosseini

KITE RUNNER BY Khaled Hosseini

This book is about two boys and their coming of age in war torn Afghanistan.

At one level this is a coming of age book about two boys from different social background,

at the same time it is also about the recent history of Afghanistan as experienced by the main characters.

It is a well written book and the writer is a natural story teller.

Khalid Hosseini's writing style is reminiscent of popular writers like john grisham and tom clancy rather than so called literary writers like Philip Roth , Salman Rushdie etc.

Khalid also seems to pander to the Americans. The main character who is a Muslim does not really show the mindset of a Muslim who has lived in Afghanistan of those times, the character shows a completely American way of thinking.

Though it does describe the Afghan culture and the situation there with the effect on the people, it is from an American viewpoint. Being a Kashmiri myself and having faced a similar situation I suppose that I can tell the difference.

I still recommend the book to everyone and 3 cheers for a best seller with a Muslim though Americanized hero.

KITE RUNNER

REVIEW WILL BE UP IN 3-4 DAYS