Warped Words for Twisted Minds: A Journalstone Anthology

This book (as might be evident from its title) is a chilling one.

A collection of horror stories, ranging from authors around the world including compiler Christopher C. Payne (whose own contribution was a wonderfully thrilling story with a cool twist in the end), to Chandru Bhojwani (who I recently interviewed on my blog) - the book has a lot of different writing styles to offer. The book has stories that range from scary, to very scary, to don't read alone in your room scary, to nightmare-inducing scary, and each one is a work of art in its own right. In general, the quality of writing in this anthology is quite high, though naturally there were some stories and styles I liked better than the others. The book manages to retain the individual voices of the authors while still maintaining a fairly common tone throughout, which I think really adds to the book as a whole.

The book has stories to please many types of horror fans - stories in this collection range from stories about psychopathy, stories about ghosts, stories about zombies, and stories about tomatoes. (You have to read the last one to believe it. Trust me.) As someone who doesn't read much horror I cannot comment much on the plots, except to say that most of them seemed pretty ingenious to me, with a lot of twists that I found quite unexpected and a lot of different types of stories that managed to grip my attention throughout the collection. Some, like the ending of a story called 'Hips' gave me chills. Others made me re-read the story once. Or twice. Most of the endings in this collection are brilliantly written, actually, and definitely manage to leave you guessing about what happens next (as opposed to 'explaino' or 'tie up everything with a neat ribbon' endings, which I personally don't like and which I feel would never have worked with the style of this particular book.)

The length of the stories is quite well-chosen, and while some stories are longer than others, most are not so long that they turn you off and yet long enough to allow you to get an insight into the story itself. The authors are clever about what they reveal, and also about what they don't - it is remarkable how much of the book is actually about what the stories and characters don't say rather than what they do say. All in all, a book to scare the living daylights out of you, without any of the typical horror gore and violence that seems to desensitize rather than subtly scare you like these stories do.

Final thoughts: All in all, a collection of above par horror short-stories. Definitely a good-read if you are a horror fan.

Others thoughts: I've just finished A Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy and am reaching the conclusion of Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy. Since I'm going on a trip from the 27th to 4th (and will not be coming online in this time) I don't know how much of this I'll be able to review, but we will see. Until then, happy reading! :)

(Financial disclosure: Book source was the author.) 

Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King

Nightmares and Dreamscapes was my first Stephen King book.

(I unfortunately didn't get to pick any of these two covers...mine was plain and green and had a toad on it - unfortunately I only realized it was a tone after reading one of the scariest stories in this book)

Yes, this (along with the term-end examination) has been what has taken me so long. (In the interval, actually, today, I've also read Eva Ibbotson's Which Witch, which is a fun if childish book - I don't know if I'll be reviewing that one, but anyway, I digress) It took me a while to even pick a Stephen King book. I mean I would go to the bookstore, meaning to buy one of the huge books in the Stephen King section (yes, he has his own section) and would always be so overwhelmed by the choices that I would promise myself that I would research a little bit more and come back. Anyway, last time I just decided to take the plunge and buy myself a book, any book (and since I have recently come to like short stories I decided to pick this book) by the "King of Horror and Fantasy".

I had a wonderful time.

I mean, I won't say all the stories were equally appealing. There was story called Fifth Quarter about a map in four pieces and a guy who wanted revenge that I just skimmed through, and there are two stories in the end about baseball that I am finding hard to even start. But its the other stories: the two stories about a mysterious vampire (and one which features his remarkably cool grandson!), the two stories about what the author calls "those mysterious little towns" (one of which is about the toad mentioned above), the Sherlock Holmes story where Watson gets to solve a case (I loved this - Watson is one of my favourite characters ever), Umney's Last Case (which was about the relationship between a writer and a character and just so bloody cool), a story called 'Suffer the Little Children' which actually made shivers run down my spine and so many others in this wonderful collection (if I sit and name all of them, it won't be much of a review, so I'll break off now...)

What I love about Stephen King is his characters. His characters are all very distinct and they tell their stories their way, and they think in complicated ways (and sometimes speak in complicated ways, too) but the reader is not pampered...and by throwing you into the minds of these people (half of which, in this book, are remarkably disturbing minds) makes you sympathize with even the horrible guy who kidnaps children to sell them or the guy who plans to bury a few people alive in a cadillac under the desert (this is the first story in the book and sets the tone - its a highly, highly creepy story about a highly odd man, except that he's avenging his dead wife and you can't argue with a motivation like that). King's characters are all very human (even the non-human ones) and you just get immersed into their lives - and what interesting lives they are, too.

This book has been described as 'horror' (and often with a disdainful tone at that). I don't know if I would call it that. I mean, some stories are definitely scary (once, while reading, I woke up at 2:00 am in the night thinking about the vampire story and almost freaked out) and most border on the supernatural and all of them are slightly off-center (I don't know how to put this better - but they're different, though according to me in a good way) but they're not your typical horror books (there are no buckets of blood and floating eyeballs as far as I remember) and I think they would be enjoyed by readers who like all types of books.

Final thoughts: Most of the stories (I think this depends on your personal taste) in this book are absolutely brilliant. They're deep, layered, fascinating - the character's are so real and the plots to original that I can't help but recommend this collection to any lover of fantasy and/or horror. (And any open-minded lover of books).

Other thoughts: I forgot to mention my favourite story - it was The House on Maple Street, where King writes the perspective of children so brilliantly that I loved it. I also loved the Notes, though, as the author says himself, they're not for everyone.

I'm going to start on the first book of the Millenium Trilogy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo soon. Looking forward to it. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

P.S. - If you've read and liked this book, read Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things (reviewed here). It reminded me a hell lot of this book.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

There are few books as iconic as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

So I admit I went to this book with a healthy doze of expectation. I first thought of reading this book because my little brother decided to dress up as Sherlock Holmes in her 'become-a-book-character' contest, and I had to find some good quotes for him to use - because the quotes that I saw, on this page, were so interesting that I just had to read it. And of course, with my great classics read (and re-read) project already on, I decided that it couldn't hurt to read this book.

My verdict: It was pretty good. Not mind-blowing. But not bad, either.

The first thing that irked me about this book were the size of the stories. This book contained roughly fifteen stories, each about 10 pages in length, which I felt did not do justice to the innovative plots, the characters, or the detective skills of Sherlock Holmes. In fact, the impression which I got was that the books, though the adventures of 'Sherlock Holmes' did more justice to the schemes of the villains (which were, quite frankly, quite, quite different - I mean, 'red-haired league', anyone?)than the detective skills of the main hero. In so many instances Holmes does not even explain how he comes to his miraculous conclusions, and I'm left with the feeling of 'there should be more to this'. I found this unsatisfying, which is why I don't think I'll be rushing to pick up the next Sherlock Holmes book from the library.

What did I think of the stories themselves. Well, I think I'll borrow the words of Dr. Watson for this (who, by the way, was just brilliant. I liked him more than Holmes) - "In the many adventures of Sherlock Holmes I have chronicles, there are many which are tragic, some which are humorous, but all that are fantastic or different." (paraphrased) I don't think I've read any mystery series (I don't speak as a mystery buff, but I used to be an ardent fan of the Hardy Boys, I used to read a lot of Nancy Drew, and I've recently begun to enjoy Agatha Christie) with so many interesting plots. The motives are the most basic of all human emotions - mostly money, sometimes love or jealousy - but the characters think of such interesting ways to get what they want (for a teaser - an organization that sends five orange pips to a person before killing them) that you really want to read these stories. This is what, in my opinion, separates a Sherlock Holmes novel from any old book.

Holmes himself is a fascinating character who should have more screen space. Although I can see why someone reading an abridged (read 'sanitized') version of this book might find him highly perfect and hard to emphasise with. His major flaws, which include drug addiction and an extreme arrogance, when shown serve only to complete his character, but when glossed over leave us with nothing to sympathize with. Some of his ways of inspection are still timeless - like the iconic scene where he tells a person where they're from and other details about them through observing their appearance, and then demonstrates this as the easiest thing in the world - still don't fail to impress. Others, though dated, still hold a certain charm. It seems clear to me that Holmes was way, way ahead of his time and therefore still manages to appear fresh and interesting even today, many decades after this novel was first written.

Final thoughts: I definitely don't regret reading this novel. I think everyone should read at least one Sherlock Holmes novel in their life, just to get a taste of how good this genre of books can get. For people who like mysteries, of course, these books are a must-read. But I don't think I'm going to return to this detective anytime soon - for now, I'm satisfied.

Other thoughts: My great classics read (and re-read) festival continues. I borrowed Frakenstein from the library today, and I'm quite excited to complete it. On the other hand, I have recently re-read Meg Cabot's Airhead and How to be Popular (because my friends were reading them and me, being me, couldn't resist) so I might give myself (and everyone) a break from the classics by reviewing one of these today or tomorrow.

Arranged Marriage by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Arranged Marriage, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, is what I'd call heart-breakingly beautiful.

(I prefer the cover of the book which I had, the red variant of this cover.)

This is a collection of short-stories, mostly about Indian women living in America. I wanted to buy it as soon as I saw it in the bookstore, because Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is one of the two Indian english authors whose new books I pick up at the bookstore without even looking at the back cover. (The other is Jhumpa Lahiri, who is another brilliant author.) This is a rather old collection, written sometime around the time that I was born (it is, in fact, her first collection of stories), and still these stories have not become outdated or any less touching. This book, like almost every other book by this author, has not failed to deliver.

I really enjoy the style in which the author writes. She has a way of writing with a peculiar rhythm, which I remember one reviewer describing as giving the impression of being translated from another, more exotic tongue. Her writing can transport you far, far away, and her writings have a way of blending fantasy with realism in a strange way. Her writing style is so distinctive that for at least a few days after reading a novel by her I can neither write or think without doing so in the same, definite rhythm in which she does. Somehow, her words give you a surreal experience, while remaining, at their roots, grounded in reality. She has mastered the art of giving the reader a 'powerful emotional experience' (coined by writer Randy Ingermason and believed by him to be the key of writing successful fiction) and she can take you from elated to crushed in a matter of minutes. In fact, one of her stories had me almost hating one character for having an affair, and then simultaneously hoping that the other would have one under almost identical conditions, which is quite remarkable in itself.

Her characters are all very well-written. Most are women, most are Indian, and most are living in America. And yet they all come out from the page as different, some accepting their circumstances, some rebelling, some even liking the way they are living. There are stories about the cultural shock between India and America (which exists even now), stories about important life changes, stories about morals and values, and with her masterful writing Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni makes all her characters gray in their morality and still very, very understandable and like-able.

The plots of the stories are ones that everyone can empathize with. Drawing nourishment from basic human emotions like love, duty, and anger, the roots of these stories are very deeply set in the human heart, and the trees that grow out are able to reach the stars that the author aims for. You are left with the feeling that there is more to this story, that this world is dynamic and these characters will continue on with their lives, which I feel really adds to the story experience. (Also, at least one of these stories goes on to become the novel that hooked me on to this author in the first place - the book I consider to be her masterpiece - The Sister of My Heart).

Final thoughts: I think you might love this book if you're Indian, love it if you are a woman, and love it even if you are neither. Tragic, gorgeous, well-written - definitely worth a read.

Other news: Almost finished with Of Human Bondage, by Maugham, and I'm looking forward to writing a review on it, but I may go with Marr's Ink Exchange first.