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Title: Twelve Read HerringsAuthor: Jeffrey ArcherISBN: 0006490484Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers/1994Pages: 324At one time, I used to read Jeffrey Archer like crazy. I do like the way he writes. I won't call those masterpieces, nonetheless, his books hold interest.Twelve Red Herrings is a collection of short stories. As the name suggests, there are twelve stories, each with a read herring. It is left on the reader whether he can find that out opr not. The stories can all go in a numerous way. Archer has given great endings. But the reader can interprete those in his own way too. The last story has four different endings. All to be read in order.Trial and error has the jury foxed, Cheap at Half Price has a woman getting a diamond necklace fooling two men, Dougie Mortimer's Right Arm is about losing a winning sports for money. Do Not Pass Go is about an Iraqi who is hunted by Sadam Hussain. Chunnel Vision is about novel writing and trying to find a great ending for that. Shoeshine Boy is about a Governer-General and visit by Mountbatten as a dignitary. You'll Never Live to Regret It is about Insurance payout. Never Stop On the Motorway has a suspence which can be called nail-biting. Not for Sale is about a girl who wants to be a well- known artist. Timeo Danaos is a story about a penny pinching banker. An Eye For An Eye is about a woman accused for her husband's murder. One Man's Meat has four different takes, to be read in the order it is given.I liked all but my favourites are Do Pass Let Go and Never Stop on the Motor Way. This book is worth reading. I did like the stories and had a whale of a time imagining different endings. I could discover few odf the Red Herrings. You go ahead and try finding those!Short stories are good to read as one can simply pick and choose, not following any particular order. As I am kind of busy packing as I move to a new house next week, this book suited me fine!
Crossposted from my blog:
Title: Half of a Yellow SunAuthor: Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieISBN: 978-0-676-97812-4Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, a divison of Randon HousePages: 433/HardcoverI have had this book since September 2007. I just never got around reading it. And after finishing it today, I ask myself why didn't I read it sooner? Half of a Yellow Sun is a very well written book. It captures the reader's mind as soon as he/she starts reading it. The story starts with 13 years old boy Ugwu, from the nearby village, being employed as a houseboy for University professor Odenigbo, who is filled with revolutionary zeal. Ugwu calls him master and fascinated by the numerous books in master's house. He is not treated as a servant. Rather his master sends him to the primary school for the children of the Univirsity dons. Ollana comes to live with Odenigbo as his mistress, giving up a life of luxury with her parents, in Lagos. Meanwhile Richard, an Englishman, falls hard for Kainene, Ollana's twin sister who refuses to belong to anyone. Their lives cross, merge and intertwine. Fragility of their relationship is tested by the all-consuming violence.Ollana and Odenigbo share a beautiful relationship despite being not married. Richard loves Kainene but she remains aloof. Ugwu, meanwhile is very faithful to his master and Ollana and Baby, their daughter. The smaller charaters too leave a mark on the reader.This novel is haunting in the sense that it is set in 1960s when Biafra struggled for independence from Nigeria. The violence that follows because of it is very chilling and shattering. There are ethnic wars between class and race.. The descriptions are stark and the reactions are horrific. The ultimate question is who should take moral responsibility for all this bloodshed. Why allegiances has to asked again and again?When Ugwu is conscripted and said to be dead, Ollana breaks down. It is so poignant to see her shouting at Odenigbo in her angst. For Master, Ollana and Baby, Ugwu is more than a houseboy. He is family. In the midst of ongoing war, we see Kainene and Ollana working for the betterment of the refugees intheir own way. There are disappointments but there are promises kept too. We may see death, rape, pillage but we see belief and hope in humanity too. For someone so young, Adichie has good insight. She sure knows what she is writing. Very beautiful prose, it keeps us totally involved. She brings Modern Africa alive for us. That is reason enough to read her. She is a worthy succesor of Chinua Achebe. I truly recommend it for all.
Title: Second GlanceAuthor: Jodi PicoultISBN-13:9781416549192Publisher: Atria Books/2003Pages: 506Genre: FictionSecond Glance was a book beyond my imagination. It took me into an entirely different world. Jodi Picoult makes such a world possible with her words.Ross Wakeman has a death wish since Aimee, his fiancée died. He tries to kill himself in every way conceivable but always comes back alive. He tries desperately to connect with Aimee in some way thus becoming a ghost hunter. Strange things start to happen in tiny Comtosook, Vermont as a developer wants to build a strip mall in an ancient Abenaki Indian burial ground. The inhabitants talk of supernatural forces at work and Ross tries to explain the paranormal phenomena and meets Lia, who reawakens love in him. When he tries to follow his heart, next thing he sees is beyond anything he can comprehend.
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Title: Twelve Read Herrings
