Everyone has had their share of news to report, their accounts, and their observations and quickly arrived upon conclusions about the Jaipur Literature Festival 2011, so far called the biggest literary extravaganza happening this side of the hemisphere, and being compared to cult festivals like Woodstock. Given it’s been a good 5 days since the fest ended; I thought it’s time I put down my two cents worth of experience. Once the festival kicked off...
When my child was born I promised myself that I would consider myself a good parent only if I am able to gift my child a love for books. At a time when console video games, television and school homework claim all of a child’s time, making sure the child makes time for a good read can be challenging. Considering the kind of advantages reading has on kids, this is definitely not an activity that kids do away with. Here are a few fun (read workable) tips on ...
The market’s flooded with books on parenting – Supernanny: How to Get the Best From Your Children, What To Expect The First Year, How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, Spiritual Parenting, The Rules Of Parenting, Progressive Parenting, Smart Parenting … the list is endless. Just Google – parenting books – and your web page will be flooded with so many options, with the results running into several pages. But are mo...
Last week we spoke about how the author's writing style and character sketches within any given novel enrich the book reading experience. This week we shall touch upon autobiographical traces and visuals, something that again adds greatly to the entire reading experience. Autobiographical traces Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence is a good example of semi autobiographical work. The setting, premise and characters of such novels borrow heavily from ...
A man is known by the company he keeps. And a book is any day good company. It reveals more about your character. It reflects your tastes, your desires, your perspectives, and a bit of the real you. Books have a deeper impact on your mind and heart. They become a characteristic trait. Research shows that most of the successful people, read. And read books that broaden their perspective and their knowledge and their thought process. They have more information; learn fr...
The challenge of raising a child can be reduced a great deal if you have a good parenting book handy. Previously we had shared with you how you could distinguish a good parenting book from the average ones. Now we shall share with you the benefits of laying your hands on them Preparing well in advance One of the advantages of reading good parenting books is that it prepares you for the upcoming challenges and also tells how you could avoid the dif...
The health books being released today target people, who are health conscious, who are trying to lose weight or maintain their current weight. And if not for all this, readers today want to feel fit, active, look and feel good. Every woman wants to look like she is out of a glossy magazine and can carry every outfit she watches on TV. As for the men, they dream of being active and having a well-toned body. So in a series of blog posts we shall examine the kind...
A large segment of our generation today dreams of being a published author. Well, that’s what it seems. And surprisingly it is not really difficult to get self-published, provided you follow systematic (and logical steps) towards getting known. And yes, let’s not forget the (small) amount of money involved. Not many budding authors, today, follow the path of traditional publishing. Given the delays and the snail’s pace of work being delivered, self-pub...
Reading and writing, the two things we had almost lost to Xbox and Playstations and Wii and other gaming gadgets, are seeing the light of day once again. The rising number of readers and new-age writers is amazing. It not only instills faith in the fact that the younger generation is not all that spoilt, but also brings forth new contemporary literature. But my point today is not about honing such talents or praising them. Not today. I recently had a lengthy conversa...
Last week we spoke to you about how health recipe books are the talk of the town and have become a part of everyone’s book shelf. Be it recipes to deal with acidity or healthy juices to help you lose weight or food that goes with your body type, these books have all the knowledge you would require. This week we shall take a closer look at the fitness-related health books being released these days Figure It Out: The Ultimate Guide To Teen Fitness by Na...
We hope you are enjoying the series of health books we are doing. In the last two weeks we spoke about the books that concentrate on healthy food and a healthy fitness regime. This week we shall chat up about the books that concentrate on mental health and well being. Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values by Robert M Pirsig One of the most important and influential books written in the past half-century, Robert M Pirsig's &q...
I like the fact that some young authors are exploring the lost art of humor writing and coming up with funny books. Here are some of the recent few helpings (of books) that I relished. Horn OK Please - HOPping to Conclusions by Kartik Iyengar, is a fun-tastic read. It chronicles Kartik's journey across the country with his friends. The book is hilarious. It has anecdotes from the journey and snippets of randomness that end up instigating brain waves to ponder on...
We all have felt stressed out and emotionally exhausted at one time or the other. In fact, with stress becoming such an integral part of our lives, how can the health books being written these days shy away from speaking about this subject? So in the concluding week of our five-part blog series on health books, we would be talking about the several books that speak about managing, balancing, beating and surviving stress… Stress: From Burnout To Ba...
Of late, I’ve noticed quite a few online and offline book clubs spring up. But not many takers. So I got thinking as to why someone should (or not) join a book club. Come to think of it, there are quite a lot of advantages of being an active book lover. 1. Freedom Of Expression Oh, this sure ranks #1 for me. The freedom to express your opinions about the book, the characters, the plot, the author –to a larger audience is quit...
There was a blog by Rosemarie Urquico on “Date a girl who reads” that created ripples. That was a response to Charles Warnke’s “You should date an illiterate girl”. Since I was almost facing a “writer’s block” and couldn’t think of a blog idea, I thought, why not jot points for people who wish to date. So we can take a look at pros and cons of dating people who are well read, vs. others who disregard books....
For years together man has found great company in books. Books are known to narrate a story, surprise readers and also make them laugh. But a good book can do a lot more than this. There is a thin line of difference between a good and a great book. Here’s how you can differentiate between them. You know you have found a great book when… Every time somebody turns on the TV set, you go in the other r...
There are a lot many distractions nowadays for everyone. Work, Internet, Playstation, Xbox, or simply the idiot box. Who has the time or patience to read? Right?? But if you put your mind to it, you’d see it’s not that difficult. Here are some pointers to help you: Gather good reading material: There is no dearth if you just look around. With so many books stores, book stalls (those small road-side vendors have to make a living too and more often than ...
The Macmillan Dictionary describes the word “controversy” as: a disagreement, especially about a public policy or a moral issue that a lot of people have strong feelings about. Now to think that a book can cause a disagreement about social or moral issues is not all that astounding. Don’t get me wrong, but the multitude of such books has only risen with time. I know we say we don’t need reassurance from anyone regarding our selection of reading...
Audio books have been used extensively in schools and public libraries to help children read. Though audio books were invented around 1930s it was only in the 80s that people began using it as a substitute and/or a supplement to reading books.
It is no surprise that the concept of audio books was brought about to get more and more people into reading or listening – literary materials. The plus point here was that such books cater to more than one person at a...
Books have known to entertain, express and educate. Once bitten by the reading bug, there are very few people who can be tempted to not take refuge in books. Be it science fiction, self-help, romance, fantasy, short stories or chick-lit there are just countless books written in each genre. When you soak yourself in this treasure (world of books), it is up to you to fish out pearls, corals or just pebbles. Would you like to become an avid reader? If yes, here’s a...
Amongst the very many habits, the one that I would certainly like my daughter to inherit is the habit of reading. Seeing her seated in her own private corner devouring good books, being able to use the most fitting words, discovering the importance of pronouncing words rightly and making use of the right punctuations and pauses as and when necessary, would make me a happy mother . But for kids to inculcate such a skill set, it is important for parents to step in and br...
Some authors write after calculating how commercially successful a subject would be, while some write for the pleasure of expressing and sharing their feelings/observations. For some, writing is as natural an activity as eating or sleeping. And one such contemporary writer is Sweta Srivastava Vikram.
Sweta began writing chapbooks titled Because All Is Not Lost, Kaleidoscope: An Asian Journey of Colors, and Beyond the Scent of Sorrow and has now released her...
Having a family of voracious readers is an absolute blessing. And setting up a library at home not only makes better readers, but it can help develop interest of family members in a completely different genre of books. So here are a series of blog posts that will help you build a personal library that you would be proud to own.
To begin with you just need not fret about developing a library. A home library is simple to develop, does not involve too much expenditur...
Last week we told you how you could go ahead and build your own enviable personal library. This week we shall take the series on personal libraries ahead and share the positives of having a personal library in your home.
Kids more likely to pick up ‘other’ books
If you have a reasonably large collection of books at home, kids and other members of your family will be exposed to newer authors, genres and styles of writing. And if there is a reading cult...
Tartan Noir’s Origin
The Tartan Noir genre can be traced to Scotland and Scottish authors: right from James Hogg’s book, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824) and RL Stevenson’s novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886). While Hogg’s novel is an eccentric blend of the gothic, crime, horror, and psychology, Stevenson wrote about a split personality with a major twist-in-the-tale and metamorphosi...
After we have discussed how to accommodate a personal library at home and what are the advantages of a personal library, we shall take the series forward by discussing how you could go about enriching your collection of books.
Checking up what parents have
A wholesome library is put together after years of reading and appreciating books. And when you are just starting out, along with buying collectables, you could also check what you or your family already have. ...
For Prakash Iyer, the CEO of Kimberley Clark Lever, there is a winner inside every one of us. It is just a matter of realizing and acting upon. And to help Iyer share his experiences, he first began blogging and then contributing motivational and inspirational columns in Careers 360. Eventually, when Iyer realized that he was doing a good job at improving people’s success rates, he came out with a book titled The Habit of Winning that has some great stories on visi...
In the concluding part of the series on setting up a library at home, we shall now look at a comprehensive list of 10 must haves in your personal library.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The novel describes the wartime experiences of an Army Air Corps Captain John Yossarian. Captain John Yossarian, a bomber pilot is trying hard to make it through WWII alive. But the only excuse the Army accepts for refusing to fly a mission is insanity. So Yossarian constantly devises...
A reading log (or a book journal) is a great way of keeping a track of what you have read, or are and will be reading. And truth be told, not many of us make or maintain a reading log.
It is in fact good practice that helps you record your reactions to a book, and its characters. You can note your thoughts and gain further insight about the theme, the plot, the appeal and even its relevance. This will help you expand your overall enjoyment of reading and going ba...
You know a book has lived up to its promise when it engulfs you in a world of its own and keeps you there till the very last page.
This is especially true for Mystery, Suspense, Thriller and Crime novels. If they keep you captivated for hours together and give you goose bumps, rest assured that your time was absolutely worth it.
The mesmerizing “who-dunnit” reads, or the old fashioned mysteries complete with red herrings, or the more contemporary puzzle ...
Continuing the list of top mystery / suspense novels, here are the remaining ones that make up for a thrilling read.
A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes makes his debut in the mystery of a corpse found in a run-down, abandoned house. He encounters a strange clue, the word RACHE written in blood on the wall near the body. Only the astute mind of Mr. Holmes can make sense of such a cryptic clue.
...
Romance, Love, Passion. What more do you need on cold winter days as you snuggle up in bed, enjoying your vacation with a warm mug of hot chocolate and a lovely romantic book?!
Sometimes I feel the characters have come alive with each line of intimacy and desire, making each romantic read an unforgettable one.
The sometimes unconventional settings, the moods and the description of the scene evoke the senses.
The hero, I believe, is all out to get her lady love. ...
Continuing the list of romance novel, here are a few more to keep you engrossed this weekend!
A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
Vacationing in England with her lover, Robert, and his spoiled teenage daughter, heroine Dougless Montgomery is abandoned by them in a remote country churchyard near the tomb of Nicholas Stafford, an earl who died in 1564. Almost immediately, an armor-clad swashbuckler materializes--Nicholas himself, reincarnated in the ...
Good children’s books have wooed many adults. The story, well-etched characters, marvelous imagination have compelled many individuals to stack their classics and chick-lit right at the bottom and pick up the rich collection by revered authors like Anant Pai, RK Narayan, JK Rowling, Christopher Paolini and Ruskin Bond.
Interestingly Dr Louise Joy, a Cambridge University academic, had reasoned that traditional children's tales are popular among older readers ...
Technology has always given us proud moments that have turned our lives around many pivot points. And the advent of ebooks has been one such turning point in the lives of avid readers/writers.
Storage
Duplication and storing data is a lot easier than ever. The ability to hoard gigabytes of information (books) has brought around the ability to store and reflect upon every book you’d have ever read – as a child, as a teenager, as a c...
All it really takes to hook a person to a good book, is the opening line.
Though they are stand alone sentences, they lure and entice (sometimes quite literally) the readers to discover more.
I recently happened to glance at the opening passage of Gary Shteyngart’s forthcoming novel, Super Sad True Love Story and it read,
“Today I’ve made a major decision: I am never going to die. Others will die around me. They will be ...
“Books make great gifts because… [they don’t] come in any particular size, so you don’t have to be embarrassed if you bought somebody the wrong size.” –Valerie Bertinelli, actor
With Christmas and New Years being just a few days away, it’s time to show your loved ones how much you care. Be it a parent, spouse, child, friend, in-laws (yes you should gift them too!!! LOL) a thoughtful and useful gift is sure to touch everyo...
Here are some more opening lines of certain books that i've liked in the recent past.
"Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun. Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty n...
When I had just started off as a writer I would hear these admired editors say: “Your writings style is different… Your style is now like that of a professional writer… “ Okay, now I knew this was something positive and something I could be proud of, but what does ‘writing style’ mean is something I could never exactly gather. Maybe it is the words you choose, maybe it is your unique style similar to your fashion sense or maybe it is...
No. I am not an aging granny who cringes and lectures students to stop creating a nuisance. Nor am I that lady who sits in the reading hall and continuously does a tch tch when I hear people discussing recipes or boyfriends or the TV soap… But not adhering to norms of social decorum definitely irks me beyond measure. I am not against enjoying or having fun, but doing so in a library in a way other that devouring books is a heinous crime. Here’s a checkl...
Some books leave an everlasting impression. And they are enjoyed more every time you read them. I always find something new to admire in the books I read after a span of time. Sometimes I notice a different aspect of a character or sometimes I think about the story development from an entirely new perspective. Whatever the case, I enjoy the company of books the most.
Here are some books I find most intriguing.
The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
Pride and Prejud...
Even if you are an avid reader, you are sure to come across some books that are extremely difficult to complete. The reasons can be many. You may find the books too descriptive or the subject may not interest you much. Also, at times the language or the word usage by the author can be very difficult to comprehend, or in some cases the plot could be too convoluted with too many elements introduced every now and then. But since you have begun, you should do all that you ca...
Here are some more books that you shouldn’t miss.
A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
Nineteen Eighty-Four – George Orwell
War And Peace – Leo Tolstoy
Clan of the Cave Bear – Jean M. Auel
The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Secret History – Donna Tartt
Possession – A. S. Byatt
Perfume – Patrick Suskind
The House...
Most How To books have writers telling us how to go through life in a more efficient manner, with the aid of the tips and guidelines on a specific topic or subject. So what have been the bestselling how to books lately? The American list, for instance, includes The 17 Day Diet by Mike Moreno, which is a book on diet and burning fat on a daily basis. Every Day a Friday is another self-help book by Joel Osteen, the book is presented as a daily happiness guide, wi...
Through our lives we all attempt selling in some form or the other – selling your tale to your mother after robbing your neighbour’s guava, or selling a proposal of a coffee date to that interesting girl, or selling your product to your client, or selling yourself to get that attractive salary package. There are a lot of marketing skills each one requires to use to get the very best in life.
BookChums looks at the top options you have with respect to boo...
In a repressive country like ours, where even the mention of sex education is considered as some sort of crime, the overwhelming interest in erotic fiction is understandable. After all, the more you block the expression of what is natural in you, the more it will reveal itself in awkward ways. Anyway, we talk here of erotic fiction and its unrivalled popularity when it comes to eBook downloads on the BookChums site.
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The BookChums eBooks section is very popular among the visitors of the site. Several free ebooks have been downloaded or read by countless readers. We chronicle here the most popular and the most downloaded among these books. The section that we are looking at here is Body and Mind.
The most d...
Love is an emotion of exultation, of extreme happiness, bordering on delirium and superficial onlookers may term it as insane, as many things of the heart are so readily termed. As far as books are concerned, the most popular of the love stories are the oft-repeated boy-girl romance sagas.
Look at the most downloaded book of love st...
Love stories continue to stimulate us, and if we go by the number of times Thomas Bailey Aldrich’s Rivermouth Romance has been downloaded, you would get an idea of the hold love has over us. The book has been downloaded 394 times within a month of its availability on the BookChums eBook section. Aldrich (1836-1907) was an American poet, novelist, traveler, and editor.
...
With Women’s Day fast approaching, there is a bunch of books that stand out as an inspiration for people. Generations come, and generations will pass, but certain human qualities shall always be appreciated, like courage, freedom, self-expression, calmness, and other positive aspects of the human nature. Let us look at some books that make our list of inspiring books for women.
...
Writer, trekker, mountaineer, motivational speaker and philanthropist, Bear Grylls is an individual who dons several hats and he inspires today’s teenagers. Synonymous with the popular television series, Man Vs. Wild, he was the youngest Briton to climb the Everest and he has narrated his dare-devil climb and experiences in The Kid Who Climbed Everest . His believes, “The difference between ordinary and extra-o...
Now what does it take to inspire man? Tales of heroes, men who stood their ground in the face of death for freedom, singers, directors, leaders who broke convention to make the world a better place. So are men inspired, and these traits are universal.
The unconventional owner of the Virgin Group Richard Branson shares his life story and how he took the risks to become what he is today. The book ...
There is nothing like a business venture to change your life drastically. You could either end up down at the dumps or be soaring high with amazing profit margins. Or, you could be doing just about okay. Anyway, there is a hoard of business books out there that is sure to inspire you. When you get an idea that how people found their way out, they are are sure to be inspired.
...
In a world of finances, savings, salaries, recession, bulls and bears, economics plays a huge part in our daily lives. Over the last century many important books on Economics have been published and here we try to zero in on the best of this lot.
...
Investment has been a reluctant favourite with several of the general public; it has been looked at as a risk, but no longer. People are now investing more than ever, be it in shares, property, mutual funds, or just at the pretext of saving taxes, but they are certainly doing so. So here is a list of books that are to do with investment.
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BookChums
Investing money is a very crucial decision that each earning member should take. It is indeed very important to have retirement plans, save for unforeseen, unforgiving circumstances and also invest rightly to generate more wealth. Here are a few books that will guide beginners to invest smartly.
The Intelligent Investor
This is one of the most influential books ever written on the subject of investing. First published in 1934 by Ben Graham, this work h...
In a corporate set up leaders are always rewarded. Being a good leader calls for visualizing your goal before time and sharing your vision effectively. It also calls for getting people together and motivating them to share your dream. Here are a few books that will tell you in great detail what it takes to be a good leader.
Leadership Is An Art was first published in 1989, and it sold more than 800,000 copies. This revised edition looks at leadership as a kind o...
“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”
By Confucius
Among all the jargons and gimmicks in today’s highly competitive world, we thrive on management skills. And management is not just about mere conquering of the rat race and receiving the standing ovation in an industry. It is about su...
The book summary on the back cover of the book can deceive. It has deceived people, many-a-times. Books can appear fun, educative, appealing, coherent and grammatically correct in that one page or online book summary (if users prefer to buy online). But when the reader finally opens the book, he/she can often be flabbergasted by incoherent, innovation-free, boring, substandard content and experiences. Now given that books are expensive and demand an investment of t...
Nayana Currimbhoy’s first work of fiction, Miss Timmins School for Girls, elevated this non-fiction writer and journalist’s repertoire of work. In fact, her boarding school descriptions were compared to Enid Blyton’s writing style! Currimbhoy’s account of this all-girls British boarding school in Panchgani where rich Indian girls studied in the 1970s was applauded for the wonderful world that it created.
Nayana Currimbhoy talks to BookChums ...
Economics as a social science benefits academic and learning enthusiasts with a vista of knowledge. It is one of those streams that should be inculcated early in schools. It is not just mere rhetoric but takes a student or a reader across the dynamics and equilibrium of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services; it is pragmatic knowledge. Previously coined, Political Economics, economists in the 19th century decided that the subject be changed ...
Business books add a flavor to a reader’s thought. These books stir imagination, entrepreneurial insights, and leadership skills and inspire to take a first step towards self-realization in terms of business aspirations. The market has showcased some of the best business books that drive individuals towards innovation; after all it is business and innovation that drive the world today.
In this blog, we make an attempt to highlight some of the best business...
Primarily associated with theatre, teaching and writing, Hina Siddiqui's story 'Making Out' made it to the recently released story story collection: Urban Shots: The Love Collection. Here is the interview of the writer who is currently based out of Pune.
How did writing come to you?
I don't know... it's like an instinct really... when in doubt reach for the pen... or keyboard nowadays. Stories are important to me and they are always buzzing ar...
Kapil Sibal’s decision to direct NCERT and wholesalers to hold back textbooks featuring cartoons is a move that has stirred attention. The committee set up by the government is to submit its report on June 15, 2012. The discussion in Lok Sabha has touched the topic that impressionable minds of students may not be the best to interpret and understand political humor like cartoons.
HRD Minister Kapil Sibal found many of the cartoons in the textbooks offensive an...
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