Its about Books ..

Life has become hectic..either I am in the office working or at home sleeping... It has become very rare to meet even my room mates... But the work is exciting enough ..and does make me feel that I am finally a part of the world of Networking professionals.There is a long way to go in terms of learning ..But I feel that I have taken the first baby steps towards what I want to achieve...

Apart from work there are other quality things that I feel very strongly for ... for example .. Books ...

The times that I stay home are usually spent reading.. Reading has been the greatest passion in life so far... and it has been like that for quite some time.. Even though writing is my new love.. nothing can take away the pleasure of curling up in bed with a good book...& it is an added pleasure if you are the proud owner of the book...The most beautiful thing about financial independence I have realised is ..you can lay your hands on any book you want & buy it too without feeling guilty that you are throwing away dad's money.

I don't recall as such when this craze started..but my sister used to visit the local library & bring back an 'Asterix' or 'Tintin' for me.These were such enjoyable moments at that time that I used to yearn for more ..Then came the time of the Nancy Drews,Hardy boys and the magic of Enid Blyton.The Famous five & Secret Seven series are still fresh in my mind.Most of my friends confess that at that age of 10 or 12 Enid Blyton was the most favorite pastime.

Both Mom & Dad and all my sisters are avid readers and Dad's collection is literally a treasure trove of so many variety of books - autobiographies,biographies,Shakespeare's original works,the rare Gulliver travels and many Tamil novels.Reading these were great moments of discovery for me then. The Tamil novels were unique.In his impressionable age ,Dad used to collect the weekly magazines in which every week a chapter of the novel was published.Then once the novel ends , he used to arrange only the relevant pages & bind them together to form a book.Some really wonderful novels were in that collection.

One such novel 'Ponniyin Selvan' by Amarar Kalki considered by all Tamil literature lovers as the greatest was my favourite.It is a masterpiece describing a leaf out of the life of the great king RajaRaja Chola.There were other beautiful novels in that Tamil novel collection and my parents used to find new pleasure in their daughters enjoying something so much which they themselves had liked so many years back..

The library supply of books were endless & I had my share of reading the romances..till came a time when I was saturated with it..and I could not differentiate one from the other... But even now I would enjoy a light romance if it comes my way.. Then there was the venture into thrillers and adventures of the Jeffrey Archer,Alistair Maclean,Robert Ludlum,Tom Clancy,Wilbur Smith,Robin Cook,Ayn Rand and some serious emotions of Danielle Steele & Erich Segal. They are amazing authors each unique in their own way & make you spellbound with the magic they weave with words.

But there were some special books that have changed the way I perceive things in life.One such book that I can never forget is 'Exodus' by Leon Uris about the life & struggle of the Jewish people in the World Wars & henceforth.It shook many of my complacent beliefs. Another author who has affected me deeply with her writing is Ayn Rand. Her 'Fountainhead' & 'Atlas Shrugged' affected me in a very profound way. The moral code of the true businessman & the celebration of Love and Life as depicted in the 2 books will maybe change the world we live in if ever put into practise.

Even though I have always been a fiction lover I used to read the odd biographies then and there.Recently one of my confirmed nonfiction friend introduced me to the world of nonfictions.Thanks to him I am currently reading 'India Unbound' by Gurcharan Das which I have not been able to put down since the day I started. It throws out the window so many perceptions you have about India and its tortuous path in history. It has opened up a new dimension in my knowledge & made me open to completely fresh ideas.With my appetite for non fiction kindled, am looking forward to some quality reading in future. But the love affair with fictions will continue..

Please do write to me with suggestions on any good books that you have enjoyed...

Signing off

Sundari.