Gone With the Wind

By Margaret Mitchell
"Until you lose your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is"


I read Gone with the wind when i was 14. And the quote that inspired me most was the one above. Others are hopelessly overrated quotes. The above explains volumes about how beautifully Margaret Mitchell could explain big things in a simple sentence - its a pity that she published only one book in her lifetime. But what a book! Either you write it this big or you don't write at all.

A heart wrenching family saga, a romance like no other, background elements that could give Hardy a run for his money and despite all these amazing stuff that makes up this great book, the one that stands out, the one thing that will be unforgettable is the heroine who can take anything in her stride. Life literally throws the biggest challenges to her and she treats it like its a daily household chore.

One critique here mentions that i hardly write a review, so i will not go into details to explain why the quote above inspired me. Rather let me write something about the book itself.

This book should be read when you think that life has been quite unfair. It comes like a whack on the head and tells one to wake up and take charge.

Scarlet O'Hara was not beautiful, but had a gut that could stand the harshest storms, the coldest winds and what have you and still remains an eternal optimist! Albeit in her own style! There is a thing or two we could learn from this bravado.

In your lowest of times, pick this book and you will realize that there are bigger problems and there is always a way to deal with them and that yours is just one of those. Because a problem is one only till a solution comes along.

I know, this isn't quite a review either, but hell i will think about it tomorrow for 'tomorrow is another day'!

Bookless in Bagdad!

By Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor is my favourite Indian writer. Its inexplicable that someone so good looking can be so talented!

Nevertheless I will not write any further on Tharoor’s beauty – rather let me just give a sneak peek on his book – Bookless In Bagdad.

There were many reasons previously for me not to pick up that book. It sounded like one of those books with similar titles. I had been reading Orhan Pamuk and Salman Rushdie and Khaled Hosseini, so I wasn’t ready for this title.

But I picked it up and kept it in my cupboard. One day when I had nothing to read, I had to read this one. And to my surprise, it had nothing to do with Bagdad!

It’s a very easy read on various authors who have made (or not made) a difference to the English reading population. Of course this is from the point of view of Mr. Tharoor.

You get a nice peek into the past writers, the so called classic writers and the real greats. It will inspire you to read some of them but mostly it will give you an overview, an easy way to choose and a look into the past days, the journey of writers over the years.

You don’t have to go by the book but you can go buy the book J