I don’t know if anyone’s ever going to read this, but when books are concerned, I just cant resist putting down a few words, however unwanted they may be:). I have always been an avid reader, have tried books on every subject - from facts to fiction, from arts to the sciences, and so on and so forth. So as I am sure everyone has said, choosing a list of favourites is a pretty tough decision. However, I am going to list the books that pretty much changed the way I used to think before I, er, read the book.
The list is not in any order of preference - they cover quite a few genres- hence have affected different parts of my brain, hehe. And I KNOW the title’s 5 best books, but hey! 5’s too small a number;)!
1.’It’ - Stephen King: Now this book really gave me the creeps. Stephen King is a great writer, great imagination. The story is set in a small town called Derry, Maine - not very far from where I presently stay. It starts off with a string of murders - the creepiest part being that the victims are all kids - slain in horrific fashion, limbs torn asunder, etc. The plot revolves around a bunch of kids who try to combat the source of the horror. Their characters are very endearingly sketched, you easily fall in love with all of them. You tend to laugh along and jump out of your skin with the characters as you follow the story, from the circumstances that cause them to meet to their encounters with’It’. It involves a lot of flashback which some of you might find a tad cumbersome. The climactic scenes require some imagination which I found to be highly enjoyable. The book pretty much reset my standards on horror!
2.’The White Dawn’- James Houston: An eye opener into the other side of civilization. Its written in form of a first hand narrative - about the experiences of an eskimo native. It starts off when a few survivors of a whaling ship accident are rescued by the narrator’s tribe. The story follows their acceptance into the tribe and the consequences that arise. Beautifully written.
3.’Hunting the Ghost Dancer’ - A A Attanasio: The author crafts an imaginative tale about the evolution of modern man. The Ghost Dancer is the last of the Neanderthals hunted to extinction by the rapidly proliferating Cro Magnon man. Filled with magic, emotion and enough suspense to keep the reader hooked throughout.
4.’Shockwave’ - Clive Cussler: This is for those who love action adventure yarns. Clive Cussler is one of my favourite authors and his main character, Dirk Pitt has been an inspiration to me for a really long time now. His novels are filled with loads of facts. Shockwave has Dirk Pitt and his best friend Al Giordino battling a Diamond Kingpin. It contains the usual’end of the world’ scenario, but is highly enjoyable. It has all the right stuff in the right places - evil guys, beautiful women, witty retorts, cool gadgets and a giant sea serpent! I wouldnt want to reveal more of the plot and spoil the fun for any of you;). And oh yeah, just dont try to analyze whats possible and whats not, its just plain good fun:).
5.’Lord of the Rings’ - J R R Tolkien: I obviously don’t have to say anything about this masterpiece. Amazingly moving in its entirety - a great stimulus to a bored mind! One should read the Silmarillion only after he/she has read LOTR, more fun that way.
6.’Aghora II - Kundalini’ - Robert E Svoboda: Now this is truly one of the books that has redirected my train of thoughts to more useful things. The entire Aghora series is’shocking’ to say in the least to the uninitiated. The books explain the very essence of the Hindu way of life in its extremes - the Aghora sect of rishis. The book is primarily a biography of Swami Vimalananda, the author’s guru and mentor. And you thought you knew what God was about! A must read.
7.’Men of Men’ - Wilbur Smith: A great author! Now this is a guy who knows how to hold a reader spellbound. One of the later novels in the Ballantyne series by the author. All of his books are based in Africa and revolve around the white man’s intrusion and its following effects. Read’ A Falcon Flies’ before you read this one. Great characters, thrilling, with quite a bit of romance involved.
8.’Pillars of the Earth’ - Ken Follett: Great plot - very imaginative. The whole story is based on the lives of people who are associated with the building of a great cathedral. Right from the Mason to the King. Moving!
9.’Jurassic Park’ - Michael Crichton: Forget the movie! Read the book. Filled with lots of scientific facts. It introduced me to chaos theory and renewed my interest in mathematics. The Lost World is just as good. Only Michael Crichton can transform an encyclopedia into a fast paced thriller! Dan Brown’s only a shadow in comparison.
10.’All things bright and beautiful’: This is actually a collection of three books by James Herriot(pseudonym of James Alfred Wright). All his books are equally enjoyable actually. They involve humourous first hand accounts of the author’s experiences as a vet in Yorkshire Dales, England. The greatest parts are when the townsfolk give him advice on how to treat their animals - really weird remedies:). His boss, Siegfried Farnon and his pack of dogs, not forgetting to mention Tristan Farnon(Siegfried’s brother) are real treats! Very funny and heartwarming - in the league of Wodehouse.