King Solomon's Mines - H Rider Haggard

This is one of the oldest written books I've read after Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Though its as old as it is, it has not stopped me from enjoying its adventures as any Dan Brown book.

It takes readers on a journey to the uncharted heart of Africa. First published in 1885, this timeless tale has captivated generations with its enthralling plot, vivid descriptions, and memorable characters.

The story follows the protagonist, Allan Quatermain, a seasoned hunter and explorer, who is hired by Sir Henry Curtis to lead an expedition into the unknown African wilderness in search of his lost brother. Along with a diverse group of companions, including the enigmatic Sir Henry and the brave Captain Good, Quatermain embarks on a perilous quest to find the legendary diamond mines of King Solomon.

Haggard's writing style is immersive and evocative, transporting readers to a time and place filled with danger, mystery, and ancient legends. The vivid descriptions of the African landscape, its wild beauty and harsh realities, are exceptionally well-rendered. From dense jungles to treacherous rivers, the author skillfully brings the setting to life, creating a palpable sense of adventure and discovery.

The characters in "King Solomon's Mines" are both memorable and believable. Quatermain, with his rugged charm and practicality, serves as a relatable guide through the story. His companions are equally intriguing, each with their own unique traits and motivations. The interactions and camaraderie among the group add depth to the narrative, fostering a sense of camaraderie and shared peril.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its gripping plot. As the expedition progresses, the tension builds steadily, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. The book is a true page-turner, with unexpected twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. Haggard expertly combines elements of adventure, exploration, and suspense, culminating in a climactic finale that satisfies the thirst for resolution.

While it is an exciting adventure novel, it is important to note that it was written during a time when colonialism and racial stereotypes were prevalent. Some aspects of the story may be problematic from a modern perspective. However, it is essential to approach the book with historical context and appreciate it as a product of its time.

Once you've lived in the mountains - Ruskin Bond

The book is structured as a series of vignettes, each offering a glimpse into Bond's life and his deep connection with nature. He beautifully captures the serene beauty, the rhythm of life, and the subtle nuances of the mountainous region. His prose is simple, yet evocative, transporting readers to the picturesque valleys, lush forests, and snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. 

One of the highlights of Bond's writing is his ability to infuse his stories with a sense of nostalgia and gentle humor. He weaves together tales of his encounters with the local people, the flora and fauna, and the joys and challenges of living in the mountains. 

In this book, Bond's deep appreciation for nature and his keen observations shine throughout. His love for the mountains is evident in every page, and his descriptions of the changing seasons, the sounds of the forest, and the tranquility of the hills are both poetic and enchanting. Readers are transported into a world where the beauty of nature is celebrated and its importance emphasised.

It's worth noting that the book's structure, consisting of loosely connected anecdotes, might not suit those seeking a linear or plot-driven narrative. "Once You've Lived in the Mountains" is more about immersing oneself in the atmosphere and emotions evoked by the Himalayan landscape rather than following a traditional story arc.

"Once You've Lived in the Mountains" is a delightful and introspective collection of Ruskin Bond's experiences and musings. It offers a charming glimpse into a world where nature reigns supreme and the mountains hold stories within their folds. Bond's lyrical prose and his ability to capture the essence of the mountains make this book a must-read for those who appreciate the beauty of the natural world and seek a meditative escape to the serene heights of the Himalayas.

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin

At its core, "Pride and Prejudice" tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet, an intelligent and spirited young woman, and her encounters with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, a wealthy and reserved gentleman. The novel delves into the intricacies of social class, marriage, and the expectations placed upon individuals during this period. Austen's sharp social commentary is skillfully interwoven with her character development, creating a compelling narrative that draws readers in from the very first page.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Austen's writing is her ability to create vivid and multi-dimensional characters. Elizabeth Bennet shines as a protagonist who defies societal expectations and remains true to her convictions. Her wit and intelligence make her an engaging and relatable character, while Mr. Darcy's transformation from a seemingly aloof figure to a vulnerable and passionate man is both satisfying and heartwarming.

Author's skillful use of irony and satire adds depth and humor to the story. Through her clever dialogue and narrative voice, she subtly critiques the societal conventions of her time, particularly the emphasis on wealth and social status. The interactions between the characters are filled with subtle wordplay and layered meanings, making for delightful reading that rewards attentive readers.

Author's exploration of themes such as pride, prejudice, and the consequences of hasty judgments remains relevant to this day. The novel encourages readers to reflect on the dangers of making assumptions based on first impressions, highlighting the importance of overcoming preconceived notions and embracing personal growth and self-awareness.

Book is in its universal themes, memorable characters, and Austen's unparalleled wit make it an essential read for any lover of classic literature. Whether you are a long-time fan or discovering this novel for the first time, prepare to be enchanted by Austen's remarkable storytelling and to fall in love with Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy all over again.

False Impression - Jeffrey Archer

 

I happened to falsely pick this book to read on an over night journey. The plot is about an art piece from Van Gogh - Self portrait with bandaged ear. The detail of art is plenty. There is a protagonist - Anna Petrescu that is praised by everyone for no heroic reason. There is a villain who loots the art collections of royal families by over lending them money and making them bankrupt. Anna and her friend - Tina are on mission to hand over this villain to the cops and they succeed. 

The other details are too many and too irrelevant. For eg: Anna wears a certain dress on a certain day. The reader is awaiting to have a connection of this fact somewhere in the plot. But there is no mention. Most of the book is like this. 

Personally I tried hard to finish the pages. Plot is weak and the characters lack motive for their actions. Well.. why would someone take  mountainous effort to cross borders and reach out to someone to just alert of an impending danger when she herself is stuck in 9/11 WTC building collapse?.  Jack - who had always been investigating the Fenston drama has no good inputs in the whole tale. What is he meant for?. 

Wrong pick really. Sorry for the bad review and its really my view. 

Holcroft covenant - Robert Ludlum

The Holcroft Covenant is a thriller novel written by Robert Ludlum. The story revolves around a man named Noel Holcroft, who discovers that his father, a high-ranking Nazi official, has left him a mysterious legacy. In order to claim the inheritance, Noel must fulfill a covenant, which involves using the money to compensate the victims of the Holocaust.

However, Noel soon discovers that he is not the only one searching for the inheritance. A group of former Nazis, known as the "Fourth Reich," are also seeking the money to fund their resurgence. With the help of a woman named Helden von Tiebolt, Noel must race against time to fulfill the covenant and prevent the Fourth Reich from carrying out their plans.

The novel is filled with suspense, action, and intrigue, and explores themes of guilt, redemption, and the legacy of the Holocaust. Personally it felt like a marathon I am running during the time I read the book. Usual to the Robert Ludlum theme, the protogonist is always on the run and have someone always following him. An enjoyable ride if you love fast paced story line and Robert Ludlum. 

ಅರಮನೆ ಗುಡ್ಡದ ಕರಾಳ ರಾತ್ರಿಗಳು - ಗಿರಿಮನೆ ಶಾಮರಾವ್

I cant be sure if this is one of the worst books I've read. The story is an adventurous expedition by a set of 2 newly wed couples to one of the treacherous mountains in western ghats. They set out from Bangalore and check in to a hotel in Sakleshpur. Without even having a destination in mind, they dare to go see a hill top. From there, they see another hill top which appears to be close by and they decide to hike on that hill top. On the way, they cross a stream and lose valuable goodies like torch. After spending enormous time hiking, they realise the hill top is nowhere nearby and decide to return.

Now they lose track and lose the sight of the stream as they realise it all looks the same deep in the forest. They encounter some wild animals. They take shelter under a cave during the night and next day, find some jackfruits and mushrooms to eat. They are still unable to retrace and their phones dont work. Their folks from Bangalore are trying to contact them but in vein. 

Then they come across a temple and reside for the night. It rains on and off. One of them hold a gun. They want to kill some wild animals so they can eat them. In this attempt, they get attacked by a pack of wild dogs and one of the persons seem missing. They assume that the dogs ate him. There is no evidence of dogs eating the man but still they assume he is dead. His wife is in fits. She goes out frantically looking for him. The rest of them assume she is also dead. Then arrives the rescue team from the land. They give the 2 food and go out to look for 2 missing people. They realise that both are not dead and by chance of God survived the attacks. 

Review - My opinion is personal and should not bias the reader of this review. Its a very laborious book with repetition of same text for almost 50%. The author seems to cling to some sentences and keep them repeating almost of the pages. The thought process and perspectives of the characters seem to be same and repeat without progression. Still I finished the book to know what would happen to them. The story could be told in a short essay and if adopted for a film, it be over in 20 minutes but its a 180+ pages book. The author intends to educate the dangers of mountains to a non mountaineer. But that intent is lost. I could not imagine why someone wants to dare the nature without a single ounce of knowledge about mountains. 

Pregnant King - Devdutt Pattanaik

Its a book about a king accidentally become the mother of a child. Written by Devdutt Pattanaik, its a tale of maternal adoration and love by a male species as opposed to a woman. It a beautiful tale of a king and his 3 wives trying to conceive a prince for which the king's grand father is awaiting to go live on vaana prasta. The pitrus are waiting to be reborn but there is no conception of the child. When the king decides to call 2 siddhis - Yaja and Upajaya who perform extravagant ritual to create a potion meant to be given to the queens, the king accidentally drinks it. He eventually becomes pregnant and gives birth to happy healthy boy. The 9 months of pregnancy and the child birth is kept secret. 

When the child is born, the only wish of the king is to be called mother by his child. The child refuses. The longing of the king continues till his breath. He keeps wondering "What sounds sweetest, being called Mother or being called Father"

He tries to seek answers from all possible avenues. He is entangled in this dilemma and desperate to find answers. He speaks to Arjuna to whom the king believes Bhishma narrated the story of a man who became a man and then a woman. Arjuna brushes off the query saying he does not remember any such story being told to him. 

The king also bears another child through his second wife. So he wonders "I am not sure that I am a man…I have created life outside me as men do. But I have also created life inside me, as women do. What does that make me? Will a body such as mine fetter or free me?"

The king who is supposed to be the upholder of dharma and embodiment of manhood is in deep confusion whether he is a man or a woman. 

The book is a good narration of king's wild mind and how he sees the world with a definite distinction between man and woman and at the same time he being a man and woman in himself. There are references to Shiva and Shakti both having different forms and how king relates to Illeswar - The patron God of Vallabhi who is God on full moon days and Goddess on new moon days.  

Leap of Faith - Danielle Steel

Not a  great story line and not a great set of characters. The whole thing would've been over in a 20 min clip on a web series. Lol. But definitely I could read the book head to toe without hassle. That is because you dont need to remember anything from the book. Wherever you start or end, you can almost certainly predict what would happen in next few pages. It was a good experience when I read this book during my son's bed time story time and he read his own books without troubling me. 

The story is about a 11 year girl who gets orphaned when her parents and brother die in a terrible accident. She is moved from France to America to live with her great aunt. Aunt treats her badly but there is a very close friend with whom she finds happy times in her distress. She is left with a huge inheritance by her father. She is suddenly millionaire rich. She goes back to Chateau in France where she lived with parents. She meets a very amicable friend who marries her and she becomes mother of his children within a short time. The story from here becomes very predictable and even with the most open ended mind, one prejudices over her stupidity. 

Back in my college days, Danielle Steel's books were entertaining. This book may be looked like the worst of Steel. 

Murder in the vicarage - Agatha Christie

Life has been busy for the last few months. I wanted to read something thats not mind boggling and a simple thriller. This book was the first in a shelf in an abandoned library. So I picked up to amuse myself in a subtle way. 

About 20 years ago, I used to read a lot of Agatha Christie novels. Thats something that helped me with getting along with reading. The general theme is to find the murderer. So, it used to be thrilling. 

The plot is about an extra martial affair and a murder associated with it. There is an old lady character called Miss Marple - is over intrigued with general business of everyone in the village. She proves to be resourceful in solving the murder mystery. 

Most beautiful thing about the book is narration. Its like watching a movie fathom itself. Also there are no crazy twists and turns which you will have to remember. Good book to keep you entertained for a bus/train journey.  

 ಓಂ ಶ್ರೀ ಪರಮಾತ್ಮನೇ ನಮಃ

ಅಧ್ಯಾಯ ೯

ಶ್ಲೋಕ ೪

"ಮಯಾ ತತಮಿದಂ ಸರ್ವಂ ಜಗದವ್ಯಕ್ತಮೂರ್ತಿನಾ ।

ಮತ್ ಸ್ಥಾನಿ ಸರ್ವಭೂತಾನಿ ನಚಾಹಂ ತೇಷ್ವವಸ್ಥಿತಃ" ॥೪॥

ಅರ್ಥ

ಮಯಾ- ನನ್ನಿಂದ; ತತಂ-  ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತವಾಗಿದೆ; ಇದಂ- ಈ; ಸರ್ವಂ- ಎಲ್ಲ; ಜಗತ್- ವಿಶ್ವ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯು; ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತ ಮೂರ್ತಿನಾ- ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತ ರೂಪದಿಂದ; ಮತ್ ಸ್ಥಾನಿ- ನನ್ನಲ್ಲಿ; ಸರ್ವ ಭೂತಾನಿ- ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಜೀವಿಗಳು; ನ- ಇಲ್ಲ; ಚ- ಕೂಡ; ಅಹಂ- ನಾನು; ತೇಷು- ಅವುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ; ಅವಸ್ಥಿತಃ- ನೆಲೆಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ.

ಅನುವಾದ

"ನನ್ನ ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತ ಸ್ವರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಇಡೀ ವಿಶ್ವವನ್ನು ವ್ಯಾಪಿಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ. ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಜೀವಿಗಳೂ ನನ್ನಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ನಾನು ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲ"

(ಈ ಎಲ್ಲ ಜಗತ್ತು ಮೈದೋರದ ನನ್ನಿಂದ ತುಂಬಿದೆ.ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವವೆಲ್ಲ ನನ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ನೆಲೆಸಿವೆ. ನಾನು ಅವುಗಳ ನೆರವಿನಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ)

ಭಾಷ್ಯ

ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾನೆ - “ನಾನು ಇಡೀ ಜಗತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ತುಂಬಿರುವ ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತಮೂರ್ತಿ” ಎಂದು. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬಳಸಿರುವ ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತಮೂರ್ತಿ ಎನ್ನುವ ಪದದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತ ಮತ್ತು ಮೂರ್ತಿ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಪರಸ್ಪರ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ಪದಗಳು. ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತ ಎಂದರೆ ಕಾಣದ್ದು, ಆಕಾರವಿಲ್ಲದ್ದು. ಮೂರ್ತಿ ಎಂದರೆ ಆಕೃತಿ ಮತ್ತು ರೂಪ. ಭಗವಂತ ಆಕಾಶದಂತೆ ಎಲ್ಲೆಡೆ ವ್ಯಾಪಿಸಿರುವ ಅವ್ಯಕ್ತ ಆದರೆ ಆತ ಜ್ಞಾನಾನಂದಮಯನಾಗಿ ಎಲ್ಲರೊಳಗೆ ತುಂಬಿರುವ ಮೂರ್ತಿ. ಒಂದೊಂದು ವಸ್ತುವಿನಲ್ಲೂ ಒಂದೊಂದು ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ತುಂಬಿರುವ ಅನಂತ ರೂಪಗಳುಳ್ಳವ ಆ ಭಗವಂತ. ಕೃಷ್ಣ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾನೆ “ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ವಸ್ತುವಿಗೂ ನಾನು ಆಧಾರ, ಈ ಇಡೀ ಪ್ರಪಂಚ ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಅವಲಂಬಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ ನಾನು ನಿರಾಲಂಬನಾಗಿ ಎಲ್ಲೆಡೆ ತುಂಬಿದ್ದೇನೆ”. ಎಂದು.

ಭಾಷ್ಯ ಕೃಪೆ

||ದಿ|| ಶ್ರೀ ಬನ್ನಂಜೆ ಗೋವಿಂದಾಚಾರ್ಯರು

Translation

"This  entire  universe  is  pervaded  by  Me,  in  an  unmanifest  form.  All  beings  abide  in  Me,  but I do not abide in them"

Commentary

This  entire  universe  —  composed  of  both  sentient  and  insentient  beings,  is  pervaded  by  Me — the  inner  controller  whose  essential  nature  is  unmanifest.  The  meaning  is  that  all  this universe  is  pervaded  by  Krishna  the  Principal  (śeṣi)  so  that  He  may  sustain  and  manage  it. This  [doctrine  of]  universal  pervasion  by  an  inner  controller,  who  is  invisible  to  all  beings, is  taught  in  the  Antaryāmi- Brāhmaṇa. So  also  Krishna’s  primacy  over  everything  is  taught.

Commentary by Shree Rāmānujāchārya