So Ive been nominated for the #10BooksChallenge by several of my friends. Why Im doing it this late is because asking a former book worm about her favorite books is like asking a mother of four about her favorite kid. Also, the list is very limited. I mean, just 10 books? Anyway, because Im sick of the political drama, Ive decided to finally take this. Man, this is going to be more difficult than the Ice Bucket Challenge! First, the rules: Heres what you are supposed to do: List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don’t take more than a few minutes and don’t think too hard – they don’t have to be “right” or “great” works, just the ones that have touched you. The idea is to instill the nostalgia of vintage books on the online community. Oh and do comment below even if you want to post it as a status or whatever. 1. God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy A book that bravely explores taboos of the South Asian society. A book where the story is told in the first few pages yet you never lose interest. You never want to put it down. You read and re read particular passages because theyre just that beautiful. And once youre done with it, you pick it up at random times. Times when you get the writers block. Times when you are depressed. It gives you this strange power to laugh about your troubles. To see the irony in situations and get amused at your troubles. I love Roys poetic expression. Short sentences. Vibrant words. Mind blowing philosophies. She speaks of how the world sets laws about who to love, and how, and how much. What a book, what a book! 2. Beloved - Toni Morrison For some inexplicable reason, I find myself hooked to African American literature. I guess it is because Im a (guilty)sadist and Morrisons work is full of pain. Of oppression. Of resilience. Of feminism. Page after page, the heart wrenching tales of slavery wink at you and pierce your heart straight away. By the end of Beloved, youd realize that the African blood that drips through the pages of this book has somehow made its way into your eyes. I caught myself hysterically sobbing many a times during the read and I believe that is the reason its so dear to me. 3. A thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini Oh boy, oh boy. I did my thesis on this novel and every time I remember my thesis statement, I feel pangs of conscience for not doing it the justice it required. Things werent so bad then. And I had some sympathy for the Afghan Taliban. I accused Hosseini of being true to his diaspora,(The American community, basically where hes been living) and not to his homeland (Oh God, no). I argued about the facts he stated and that he deliberately overlooked all the rights done by Taliban. However, I still loved the book then, despite having a different opinion. The book tells this blood curdling tale of two females whose lives cross each others simultaneously. P.S. I was such a foolish Taliban apologist. May God forgive me for that :p 4. Animal Farm - George Orwell Well, well, well. Satire at its best! All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. This epic allegory perfectly portrays how power corrupts and how absolute power corrupts absolutely. Orwell has successfully executed a rather dark theme in a light, almost humorous tone. Its a must read for people who enjoy political satires. 5. Frankly, my dear. I dont give a damn. If theres a love story Ive enjoyed, it is Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. However, it isnt just a love story. The love triangle of Scarlett OHara, Rhett Butler, and Ashley Wilkes is only one of the many themes the novel explores. We have a South American setting of the time when slavery was still practiced in the South. Yet unlike Morrisons novels, we see happy, contented, very faithful slaves in Mitchells work. It is the war afflicted by North to abolish slavery is where Mitchells concerns lie. One sees a civilization uprooted from its peaceful abode and hurled towards a dark, deep pit whose depth is unfathomable. Mitchell has, however, succeeded to resurrect the civilization in this fat book. Another something I absolutely adore about this novel is Rhett Butler, the protagonist, who is not your usual Mr. Darcy stereotype, but a rather villainous figure during his introductory appearances. He has his personal demons but they are the reason you remember and love him more than the oh-so-righteous Ashley. In colloquial, Butler is the kind of a protagonist one would call badass. Another must read! 6. For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway To be honest, my first impression of Hemingway wasnt a very pleasant one. We had his Old Man and the Sea as a part of our syllabus in Bachelors. And God, isnt the book a drag! It was the second and last (till now) book in my entire life that I found boring and monotonous after Tolkeins Lord of the Rings. However, unlike LOTR that I left unread after a few chapters, I had to finish this one. So when we were told to read Hemingway in Masters, I automatically assumed it would be a dreadfully dreary read. Yet here we break away from the cliché that first impressions are the last ones, as I was absolutely mind blown by the book and had an amazing week of reading about war, about violence, about complicated relationships, about bullfights, about mountains, caves, liquor and what not. If youre planning on reading this one, please read Donnes poem No man is an island first. 7. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer + The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain What a delight these books are, what a perfect delight! A treat for people who want to read for entertainment. Whats remarkable about Twain is his use of colloquial in such a way that the work ends up being a masterpiece. I loved the different dialects that peeped through the pages of both books. Also, the philosophies of life explained through everyday situations make you fall in love with Twains expression. If you cant read the dry philosophy books and yet you have a craving for it, Twain is the one for you. 8. Bahao - Mustansir Hussain Tarar QIve been lucky enough to be exposed to Urdu Literature at an early age (thanks to parents). Urdu poetry, I must say, is matchless. Ive never enjoyed English poetry as much as Ive marvelled Urdu verse. But keeping poetry aside, I find English prose at a much greater height than Urdu. Oh well, Im drifting off topic I guess. So yeah, despite having read lots and lots of Urdu writers, I havent still found anything as absolutely astonishing as Bahao (Flow). I have a thing for language and expression, the reason I adore Austens ordinary, domestic plot based novels. Bahao is written in a language extinct now, and yet every unique word can be understood in the context. Every. Single. Word. I kept wondering how Tarar came up with all those stone age words. Did he dream them? Does he possess a time machine? How, just how! Now Im of the view that the vocabulary came from Sanskrit, yet it is remarkable how it is so easily understandable. If you like reading about fall of civilisations, this is your book. 9. Ice Candy Man - Bapsi Sidhwa Many of you probably dont know that Sidhwa is our very own lady. A Parsi Pakistani writer who has actually made a difference in the world of literature. The said novel has been made into a Bollywood movie starring Amir Khan under the name Earth 1947. Sidhwa has explored the blood lust that sprang to life on August 14, 1947 and the events following it across both borders. If youre sick of the prejudiced tales your text books tell you, Sidhwa is a neutral voice, observing things from a window in the ceiling and reporting as it is. 10. After all this time? Always. Ladies and Gentlemen, it would be absolutely unfair if I do not mention Harry Potter series here, for Ive mentioned all classics, and HP is no less. At least not for me. I remember watching Chamber of Secrets when I was a 7th grader and thought of it as a stupid movie. I didnt even understand it that much. And hence, I never touched Harry Potter books until college, believing them to be useless. When I was in my 2nd year of FSc though, I once discovered Chamber of Secrets at my friends place. I borrowed it from her only because I had finished reading a Sydney Sheldon book and was utterly disgusted with myself and wanted to get over the feeling. So Chamber of Secrets for me was a liberating experience and it also lead me to the first part, The Sorcerers Stone. I was already in love with HP because of COS despite missing out on Harrys history and The Sorcerers Stone, stoned the love deep into my heart. Forever. I cant forget the craziness! I used to save my lunch money for a week and then would go to the old book shop on my way back from college for the next part. And then next. And another. Year five. And dang! Half Blood Prince was short! I felt like a drug addict who hasnt been able to get his hands on weed for a month. Frantically, I scanned every frigging bookstore of Lahore and still no Year Six. With a heavy heart, I trudged on towards the final part and the first chapter told me we had lost Dumbledore last year! I learned that day why ignorance was considered a bliss. Although Id been reading all Potter books in a single night, it took me days and days to finish the last one. I just didnt want it to end. Ever. For six months after it or maybe more, my imagination stayed ablaze. I kept thinking of the magical world that was so very dear to me. I kept waiting for the next part to be made into a movie so I could cling to Hogwarts for a little more time. It was a pleasantly nostalgic hangover I found myself caught in during those days. I even found a community on Orkut where this Indian girl used to post her version of HP. It was a kind of a prequel. The story of James and Lily and Severus. Her expression was good but I got bored after a while. She was no Rowling after all. Anyway, I can talk and talk and talk about my Potter memories but this status is now annoyingly long. So yes, my 10 precious jewels, people! I shall, however, like to add Shahab Nama, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Talash (Mumtaz Mufti), Mill on the Floss, Goosebumps series, Fear Street series, Things Fall Apart, Inspector Jamshed series, Umru Ayyar,Sheikh Chilli, Peer e Kamil, Muhammad bin Qasim, Akhri Chatan, Khaak aur Khoon, Safaid Jazira, Pyar ka Pehla Sheher, Raja Gidh, Mom ka Sheher and what not to this list too. They make up my fondest memories! Books
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 14:32:00 +0000
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