Interview: Anurag Anand

Hi! Today I have on my blog none other than Anurag Anand, whose book I raved about a few days ago. Welcome, Anurag. 

1. I'd like to begin this interview by asking you what kinds of books are there on your bookshelf. What books are you reading right now? Which genre of books do you generally read? Which books do you re-read again and again?
On my bookshelf you would find everything from comic books, light reads to serious fiction. My frame of mind dictates the kind of books I read. Nothing works like a P G Wodehouse or a Tintin/ Archie Comic book to rejuvenate me after a grueling day at work, while the likes of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Milan Kundera, Orhan Pamuk, Salman Rushdie etc make up my more serious reads. I am not much into non-fiction, but a few biographies/ autobiographies (Lance Armstrong, Richard Branson etc) have managed to enthrall me as well. When I read a book, I get absorbed in the story and hence it doesn’t carry the same novelty after I have read it once. However, I can read a comic book again and again and enjoy it all the same.  

2. Tell us something about your work before "The Quest for Nothing"?
My first book, 'Pillars of Success' was published when I was 25 (2004). The book was an assimilation of my experiences with the Youth Development Program of a Delhi based NGO, UNES and talked about the simple things in life that can be the differentiators between success and failure. I followed it up with another book in the self-help genre titled, 'Corporate Mantras'. As the name suggests, the book dwelled upon the vagaries of the corporate world and provided its readers with simple tips for survival.
Thereafter, the storyteller within me took charge and I penned my first work of fiction, 'Tic Toc – A tale of love, hate & terror". The book was launched by the acclaimed filmmaker Mr Mahesh Bhatt and was widely appreciated for its differential treatment of a sensitive subject like terrorism. 'The Quest for Nothing' is my second fiction title and fourth published book.

3. Did you always want to be a writer? How did you get into writing? What inspired you to write "The Quest for Nothing"?
I wouldn’t say I always knew that I would be writing. In fact, when I first started to pen down the manuscript of Pillars of Success, I had no idea that it would eventually culminate into a book. Once the manuscript was ready, I sent it to just the one publisher who luckily agreed to publish it. From there on, it was the high of creating something that could touch a chord with people I did not personally know that propelled me further into writing.
The Quest for Nothing was deeply inspired by what I saw all around me on an everyday basis. Individuals who unabashedly go about chasing an idea called success which does not have a concrete shape or a defined form even in their own minds; the spoils eventually permeating into their personal lives and relationships. Though there are books that have been written with similar settings, they have mostly focused on sensationalism behind the office doors. I wanted to write something that was more relatable and would force people to pause and think about the things that they tend to take for granted in their quest for a successful career.

4. What kind of people do you think this book will reach out to?
The USP of The Quest for Nothing is its realistic setting, story line and characters. The relationships have been treated in an utterly real-world fashion and I hope that a lot of people will find a slice or two from their own lives in the book. As was aptly summarized by a review in the Hindustan Times, 'And as you stream through the pages, you are bound to sit up more than once and exclaim, 'Hey, that’s exactly how it happens with me!'' Thus, I expect the story to resonate with every individual who is sensitive towards people and relationships.

5. What is your favorite thing about books and reading? How have books made an impact on your life?
Reading and books are as integral to my life as possibly my mobile phone and so it is difficult for me to point out one single favorite thing about the experience of reading. It is simply difficult for me to imagine life without books.
In addition to the felt benefits like better understanding of language, knowledge and information gain, reading has a host of other benefits that often go unnoticed. Books play a crucial role in enriching the mind and enabling an individual to view a situation from various perspectives. Not a scientific fact, but I have often noticed that most vociferous of readers are generally the in-control, calm personalities that people enjoy being with.
My earliest brush with reading has been the comic books that I used to sneak between my text books in the numerous unsuccessful attempts at dodging my mother's keen eyes. The impact often left me with reddened ears or cheeks, when I was caught. But since then, I have gained a lot from the books I have read and I would attribute a large part of my current understanding of the human mind and behavior to my reading.

6. Quick take. Answer the following with the first words/phrase that comes to your mind, in five words or less:
-Love: A badly abused word and an indescribable emotion.

-Life: A gift, meant to be cherished.

-Marriage:  A commitment that, when made to the right partner, can make life a heavenly experience.

-Akash (the character): You, me and every other person running in the mad race for success.

-Books: The most willing partner you can ever find.

Other thoughts: (Let the author inform you of his newest work, out for pre-order already!)
My next title, 'Reality Bites' is expected to hit the stands in June 2011 and if you liked 'The Quest for Nothing', you will simply love 'Reality Bites'.

It is a love thriller set in a co-ed high school hostel with numerous unexpected twists and turns. The protagonist sets out on a pursuit of love, guided not by the callings of his heart but by peer pressure to lose the tag of being single. Amid the clan-esque hierarchy and the curiously bizarre characters that are nurtured within the boundaries of the hostel, will he eventually succeed in finding his true love?

More thoughts: Attended author Shrenik Mutha's book launch for Broken Hearts in Pune yesterday! Quite a showing. Check out my review of his book here along with my interview of Shrenik!

Interview: Prem Rao

Hi, today I have on my blog Prem Rao, author of "It Cant be You" that I reviewed here a few days ago. Welcome to my blog!

1. I'd like to begin this interview by asking you what kind of books are there on your bookshelf? What books are you reading right now? Which genre of books do you generally read? Which books do you re-read again and again? 
You will find heaps of thrillers and plenty of P.G.Wodehouse. I just finished “Aftertaste” by Namita Devidayal- a very interesting book about a business family in India. I have started on “More Salt Than Pepper” by Karan Thapar. The best part of P.G. Wodehouse is that you can read and re-read his books so many times. I grant we seldom do that for a thriller!

2. Tell us something about your work before "It Cant Be You"?
I was a talent management specialist and executive coach. I have worked closely with people for over 35 years. It has been my good fortune to have worked with a wide cross-section of society from manual unskilled labor to sophisticated CEOs and members of the Board. I held top management positions in companies like Wipro, Fujitsu ICIM and Bajaj Auto before I started my own HR consulting firm called People 1st Consulting which I ran for ten years.

3. Did you always want to be a writer? How did you get into writing? What inspired you to write "It Cant Be You"?
Reading Frederick Forsyth, Jack Higgins, James Hadley Chase and Ian Fleming, I had this dream that some day I should write a book and it should be a thriller. This urge stemmed from my days as a voracious reader during my childhood. The national Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo as it is popularly called gave me the impetus to write “It Can’t Be You”. As you know in this competition thousands of people from all over the world write 50,000 words of their novel in the calendar month of November. I did this successfully in November 2009. I then worked on refining this until it was published as “It Can’t Be You” in November 2010.

4. What kind of people do you think this book will reach out to?
The best thing about thrillers is that have appeal for fans across age groups. People are intrigued by suspense. They have the urge to solve mysteries. In this context, I think “It Can’t Be You” will apply to a wide range of readers. Teenagers will like it as much as their grandparents would. The book is at the intersection of two of my major interests, psychology and the military. I guess it will appeal to thosewho like these subjects too. It is set in contemporary India and has a lot of
aspects that I believe most people will be able to easily relate to.

5. What is your favourite thing about books and reading? How have books made an impact on your life? 
I enjoy reading because it gives me new perspectives into the minds of people. This is reflected in the way characters in the book, if not the author himself/herself, think. In addition, books have always been a stress buster for me. I maintain that a few pages of P. G. Wodehouse would do you a world of good in moments of stress. Books have opened up new vistas for me; they have made me far better informed and aware than if I hadn’t been such a voracious reader. Last but not the least; they have in turn inspired me to try to entertain others with my stories.

6. Quick take. Answer the following with the first words/phrase that comes to your mind, in five words or less:

- Relationships – What you make of it

- Life – Be happy with what you have

- Human mind – Nothing is more complex

- Murder – Often the thirst for vengeance

- Books – Quality entertainment at reasonable cost

Hickory Dickory Shock by Sundip Gorai

I think the name Hickory Dickory Shock doesnt do justice to how good this book is.

Quite honestly, on the onset, I had not expected to like this book. "A Tale For Techies" is not on my ideal reading list, and I admit to being somewhat biased. But the book itself, right from chapter 1, forced me to reconsider, and eventually I will say that this book is amazing. Its fun, its intelligent, and it is really well-written. The book is a basically a mystery set within a techno-innovation company called Shivan Computers. You learn at the very onset that things are wrong - they're cooking their books, there is something fishy about the recruitment patterns, and finally this culminates into the murder of two high-ranking officials of the company. One of the major suspects is our hero - 210 (Maninder Tuten Chatterjee, the history of whose name is as fascinating as the rest of the book) - and he must find the actual culprits of this. This is compounded by some odd ciphers that keep turning up everywhere. 

Now I'd say the very best part of this story has got to be 210. He's a great protagonist. He's fun, he's passionate about his work, and he's the kind of IIT guy who finds relationships between random data in restaurants and yet isnt getting good grades - he's nice, he's cool, and he's somewhat geeky - in short the kind of guy I would consider a great protagonist. He's also well-equipped for this sort of mission, with his extensive knowledge. His supporting cast, especially love interest Geetika ("Geeks") and his amazing mother, are all pretty good. At places, it can be hard to keep the cast in Shivan straight, since you meet them all at the same place and they have slightly similar names. In that case, keep that chapter where they are introduced bookmarked. (Trust me, as this web tangles, you'll need it.) 

The plot is refreshing and not predictable (at least not for me), the puzzles are quite interesting and have a Da Vinci-code esque way of getting you interested in the story, and the writing, as I've mentioned above, is above-average to say the least. The author definitely has a way with words and writes in a clean, simple style that makes the book really easy to read. In fact, this book is the kind of book you would love to finish in a day, because it flies forwards at a steady pace and builds up the mystery really well. The skipping of the narrative from past to present to future may not suit all readers, however, I'm quite comfortable with it so it was not a problem with me. 

Final thoughts: This review has come blazing out, because I really enjoyed the book and I could pinpoint exactly what I liked about it - good protagonist, innovative plot, and interesting writing style. A book everyone, but especially techies, will enjoy. 

Other thoughts: Will be interviewing author Sundip Gorai sometime soon, so watch this space. :) Also, this is my (I've lost count) but part of the books for the Book Reading Challenge 2011. 

(Financial disclosure: Book source was the author.)

It Cant Be You by Prem Rao

It Cant Be You is a murder mystery.

The premise of this book is really interesting - I love how the plot is weaved and the story structure. The story begins with a scene where Col. Belliappa, a major character, is killed. Then we go into flashback mode and are told about the lives of three family members of his who were in his house at the time of the murder - Shefali, his daughter, Pritam, his son, and Elena, his second wife - and we are told, in the next three chapters, that all of them may have reasons to kill him. After this the story deepens into a character sketch of each of the main characters as we trace all their lives (from childhood to the point of the murder) - and each of them reveals the deepest part of their psyche in the form of first-person narratives. Finally, we get to see who committed the murder. 

I love the plot. I like the way it is, and I found the ending really shocking (it was by the character I least expected, but then my friend says I dont read enough suspense and I should always expect the one I'd never expect). I also love the characters. Actually, I dont love the characters, I just like how they've been etched, they are deep and have loads of flaws, and frankly they're all immensely unlikeable, but also really well-etched. I like how they're deep and have loads of psychological disorders (especially Col. Belliappa, but frankly you can see it in all of them) which seems to be a strong point of the author who is highly interested in Psychology. 

For me, the lows of the book are all on technical aspects. I do not like how the book doesnt use punctuation before quotes, with all text ending up like this: "I don't like this" said Character 1. This might not be a problem for most people, but for people like me, it can be very jarring. I also feel that the book involved too much telling (ie, summarziing stories) instead of showing action - which will not appeal to all readers. Also I did not find all the parts equally interesting (I'm sure most people wont) - I liked the stories of Pritam and Shefali more than the Col. and Elena, for example, but this might just be a generation gap. But even in the stories that were less appealing, some aspects, like Belliappa's relationship with Dinaz (with such chilling implications later on in the story) - and more importantly how the childhood development of the character affected later behavior - were very interesting indeed. 

Final thoughts: A deep, moving, thrilling book with an unexpcted ending. Really interesting read. 

Other thoughts: I'll be posting an interview with author Prem Rao soon. Also, this is another book for the Book Reading Challenge 2011!

(Financial disclosure: Book source is the author.) 

Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Size 12 is Not Fat is a chick-flick disguised as a murder mystery.

The book follows the adventures of Heather Wells (who also later stars in a sequel, Size 14 is Not Fat Either). Heather is a washed-out pop star - robbed by her mother, cheated on by her famous boyfriend,  dropped by a label owned by the aforementioned boyfriend's father, living with (and quite in love with) her boyfriend's elder brother...and of course, size 12. Heather is plagued by problems like whether or not walking ten minutes is exercise, how people keep recognizing her randomly without having any idea who she is (or being told 'you look just like Heather Wells')  or whether or not her landlord likes her, and by 'vanity sizing' in stores...until, of course, some girls in the dorm she works in start falling down elevator shafts (believed to be doing something called 'elevator surfing') and Heather smells a rat...and then goes straight into the investigation.

As a chick-flick, this book is fine. Cooper makes an adorable hero and Heather makes a heroine who is slightly less annoying than the majority of the heroines of romance books these days, and the entire premise of being a washed up pop-star (while completely unbelievable in so many issues - like how she still talks to her mom who robbed her and fled the country) is fairly interesting to work with. In fact, the book might have been quite passable if this had just been a regular love story of the guy and girl who have issues (like the fact that she's his little brother's ex-girlfriend) falling in love and having a happily ever after somehow. However, this gets mucked up (spectacularly) by the introduction of the so called 'mystery'.

The 'mystery' of the book - of the dying girls - is ridiculously done. Not only is there no suspense built up or any sort of feeling built for the girls who die but the resolution of the mystery is also terrible. The major part of the mystery lasts on a single point that no one even thinks about mentioning until the author suddenly puts it in to explain how in the world her heroine came to a conclusion about the identity of the killer. Also, the motivations of everyone, including the so called 'bad-guy' killer, are absolutely crazy, illogical, and based on some kind of weird perception of the world. In fact, the entire mystery is poorly plotted and seems tacked on rather than a natural evolution from the plot, and in fact it spoils the book completely.

Final thoughts: Reach it for chick-flick value if you like such books. If you're reading for mystery, or really for anything other than passing some time, give it a miss.

Other thoughts: I recently finished American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. Its amazing. Expect a review sometime in the next week. Until then, happy reading. :) 

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.

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side is what I'd call a poetic mystery.

When I was young, despite the fact that I used to love mystery novels (Blyton's Adventure Series and Famous Five series, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys being my favorites) I was quite opposed to Agatha Christie, having tried to read but failed at reading the only Christie novel I could find easily in my house, namely Elephants can Remember. As a eleven-year old it is easy to get bored by a chapter on the hats a lady owns, and I never went very far into the book. However, since then I've finished Elephants Can Remember, and read a few more of her books, like N or M? and They Do It With Mirrors, and I really enjoyed them, so when my brother brought back this book from the library, I was looking forward to reading it.

It was about this time that I read Tennyson's Lady of Shalott in school and realized where Agatha Christie had gotten the title:

Out flew the web and floated wide-
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott

These four lines have a significance again and again in the book, and so do these lines, whose significance does not become apparent until the very end:

He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."

This is not the only thing that makes me call this book poetic, even though it is a major reason. It is just the way this book is structured, and the way it is filled with the life and love of the small town and its residents, and especially the ending, that give this book a poetic resonance for me. In this book, you will see why Agatha Christie is often called the queen of mystery - because of the way she can blend tragedy with beauty, mystery with the ordinary, and base human passions with larger ones.

Yes, I loved this book.

Here's why - well written, compelling characters, including Ms. Marple, who is now vying with Poirot for the top spot in my favorite-detectives list, mostly because of how sharp and fun and sweet she is. Despite being old (very old) she's not beyond 'unraveling' a mystery, and anyone in the town will tell you that 'she's as sharp as needles' and 'I'll believe she's gotten soft when I see her'. She's very progressive. She's the kind of old lady who ditches her nurse and goes for a random walk into the 'Development' (only to get mixed up in a mystery) and stubbornly refuses to call the taxi service anything but the 'Inch' much to the puzzlement of anyone but an old-timer. She's seriously fun to read about.

A basic premise of this story? Well, the whole town's abuzz where Mariana, an old film-star, decides to buy a house in the town. Suddenly, at a party at her house soon after the arrival, silly Heather Badcock is murdered by a lethal overdose put into her glass. About twenty people could've done it easily, but the question is, who would've had a reason to kill the poor lady? Of course, things become quite tangled when people start to suspect that it was Mariana the killer meant to kill, and it's up to Ms. Marple, the town's resident detective, to unravel the tangles and figure out who killed Heather - and what exactly made Mariana's face look like the Lady of Shalott.

Final thoughts: Amazing plot, great writing, very believable characters. Christie does it again, and again, and again. And then once more for good measure. Go read this book.