To write which are the 5 best books I have read is somewhat like trying to recall 5 strangers in a party of thousands of people . In fact it is just that. However, there are some books which have left an indelible impression in my mind . long after they have been read.
So, on a rainy day, when I wish to curl up and read some good book, I invariably take them down from the bookshelf and start reading them all over again.
Some of my favourite books are: Fountainhead by Ayn Rnd, The Firm, The Client and The Pelican Brief by John Grisham, Twelve Red Herrings by Jeffrey Archer and many more which cannot be listed here.
But the books which I consider unputdownable(in random order) are as follows:
*The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams *
A satirical and comical look at the happenings of the workplace through the cartoon character Dilbert, most of the so-called principles in this book can be applied to our own workplaces as I realised much to my astonishment. With topics covered like Business Communication, Performance Reviews, Business plans, meetings, projects etc. and advice on topics like Pretending to work and How to get your way in office, this book is a must-read and must-implement for betterment in the workplace.
*The Runaway Jury by John Grisham *
This book is entirely based on a very big tobacco trail where the mighty tobacco companies are sued by the widow of the deceased Jacob Wood. There is a detailed account of how potential jurors are selected / rejected by the lawyers of both sides which is incredibly fascinating. In the jury selected, there is a young man called Nicholas Easter who sways the opinion of the jury without them realising it.
At the same time, a mysterious woman called Marlee informs the lawyer of the tobacco companies, certain details of the jurors and leads him to believe that she can get Easter to deliver the verdict that he wants if they are willing to pay for it. How the jury are sequestered, how the lawyers try any means possible to get the tobacco companies off the hook and how Nicholas Easter gets a groundbreaking verdict forms the rest of the book.
*The Godfather by Mario Puzo *
One of the most fascinating books on the Mafia, this book is the story of the Corleone family led by Don Corleone. Don Corleone is a Sicilian, a mafia don who loves his children and relatives and his people and will do anything to protect them. He willingly helps out everybody who comes to him on the unsaid promise that they will do the same when he asks for their favours.
There is a war between the five mafia families and the Don is gunned down when he refuses to lend his protection for the drugs business. His youngest son Micheal Corleone has to go into exile for gunning down the Don’s attacker, the eldest son Sonny is killed and even Micheal is made a target of an assassination but he has a lucky escape and his wife is killed. How Micheal returns back to his father, how he becomes the next Don and how he eliminates all his enemies is the rest of the book. This book is often referred in Management courses because it gives tenets in business and management like’ Make him an offer he can’t refuse’ and others. This has also been made into a fantastic movie but the movie doesn’t do adequate justice to the book.
*If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon *
Intense, absorbing and tautly written, this is the best book of Sidney Sheldon. The main protangonist Tracy Whitney has everything going for her when she is falsely implicated in a murder and sent to prison. Here, she comes under the lecherous eyes of the other inmates and wants to escape by any means possible. She succeeds in saving the life of the jail warden’s son and becomes a local heroine and is granted the Governor’s pardon. But, once out of prison, she realises that the world is unwilling to accept her due to her past. She plots revenge against the men who falsely implicated her and successfully carries it out. Then she becomes a con-artist and is involved in some major heists against Jeff Stevens, another charming scamster and thief, whom she eventually falls in love with. The last line of the book makes you wish you knew what she would do next .
*Les Miserables by Victor Hugo *
Les Miserables is set in the Parisian underworld. The protagonist, Jean Valjean, is sentenced to prison for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. After his release, Valjean plans to rob the bishop Myriel of his silver candlesticks and he is caught but the bishop tells the authorities that he gave the candlesticks as a gift to Valjean and thus saves him. However, he forfeits his parole by committing a minor crime, and for this crime Valjean is haunted by the police inspector Javert. Valjean eventually reforms and becomes a successful businessman, benefactor and mayor of a northern town under the name of Monsieur Madeleine.
However, he is recognized by Javert and to save an innocent man, Valjean gives himself up and is imprisoned in Toulon. He escapes and adopts Cosette, an illegitimate child of a poor woman, Fantine who was nursed by Valjean before her death. Cosette grows up as his daughter and falls in love with the revolutionary Marius, who is wounded during a fight. Valjean rescues Marius by means of a flight through the sewers of Paris. However, he is still hunted by Javert who will not rest in peace until he has revealed Valjean’s past. Read the rest in this fantastic book spread over two volumes. This book has also been made into a movie with Liam Neeson as Valjean and Geoffrey Rush as Javert.
Hope you like my choice .