The books that changed my life..

Books. An old love. Paperback or hard-cover, squeaky-clean from a bookstore or dog-earred from a thrift store- i love em all. From the time i first devoured an Enid Blyton (i believe it all started with Mr Noddy back then) to today's Ladies Detective Series, not too much has changed. As a kid I could stay curled up on bed forgetting homework and read a Five Find Outers mystery from start to finish. I still can sit for hours (when time permits) in a coffee shop reading a tome from cover to cover, but taking time to people-watch in between! So i got to thinking about all the books that made a difference to my life in one way or another. And from a whole sea of names, i came up with the following:

The Enchanted Wood series by Enid Blyton.
You gotta bow down and accept this woman as the demi-goddess of fairy tales . I mean-hello, i had myself dreaming about climbing the faraway tree and actually hoping (against hope) that it might really exist somewhere in a thick wood in England. What a magical time it was. My favorite bit about the book remains the Slippery Slip down the trunk of the tree. Wah twouldnt i give for a ride like that!


The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
I read this book primarily to understand what the hype was all about (and yes there was a big noise about this one). I am glad i did. This book was my first experience with 'pretty words' and intense dramaticization that left you feeling like you just survived an earthquake. Since then- i have grown to like books in the same genre (Notes on a Scandal, On Beauty, Atonement, Amsterdam) but i will remember this one as the first. Oh-and did mention: talking about this book also got me through an interview to B-school. Pretty darn significant then!

Marley and Me: life and love with the world's worst dog by John Grogan
Put your hands together for Marley-coz you are going to love him (despite the fact that he could potentially swallow your gold chain or chow down your pay check). I have cried buckets at the end of this book, laughed till my sides hurt all the way through and essentially felt warm and fuzzy all over. And let's face it-you can't find a better companion than this lovable lab on a flight from the east coast to the west. I never travel long distance without this guy. and i am cheering for the movie whenever it comes.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Mark Darcy. Mark Darcy. Mark Darcy. Enough said.
(P.S: And then Colin Firth came along and hit the ball out of the park. Even a feminist would melt)

The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie
I admit-this one was a little eerie. But it got me through some lonely days (and even longer, lonelier nights) in a strange village in Rajasthan where i did not speak the local language, and was alone and miserable, working on a disconcerting, totally-out-of-my-comfort-zone (but in hindsight grounding and humbling) corporate social responsibility project as part of management training. And for that reason- it made this list. And yes-it had a whole dictionary full of pretty words. More intellectual gratification, eh?


Two Lipsticks and a Lover by Helena Frith Powell
A funny narrative of an English woman unraveling the mystery behing why French women can look unbelievably gorgeous in jeans and an old jumper-this book reaffirmed my faith in being lazy and still looking good. And that's the dream, isnt it? I think all vain women (which means ALL women really) who aspire to look and feel beautiful always need to read this one. It's not to be missed.

The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer
This is a scary one. It makes you wonder-what if this were really possible? What must it feel like to live your life backwards? Well- you get to know up, close and personal with this one. It's an intense love story at heart really-but in the most unusual setting.And yes-it did get me hooked to reading life-spanners as i call them: books that take you through the entire life of a character. And there is something very final about these stories. There is nothing left to imagine-because there isnt an ever after at the end. But you still wonder -what if?
(Others in this type that i enjoyed: The Stone Dairies, Water for Elephants)

I am sure there are many more fictional worlds that i love or will love. but for now-these rule the roost. I'll come back in a few years and make an update:)

Some lessons learnt living the American dream

-It does not take long for it to switch to a nightmare esp. when your laundry piles up, heating bills give you mini heart-attacks and the tax man comes and swoops away a good chunk of your bank account as end-of-year dues .
-As long as you don’t own a gas-guzzling SUV (or worse, a Hummer)-the big deal folks make about rising gas prices is just a case of over-blown hysteria.
-You can never go wrong with the following safe conversation topics: the weather, Monsoon Wedding (everyone and their next-door neighbors have watched it) and the current state of the economy.
-All bills get split. In the middle. There are never those uncomfortable moments at the end of a meal when everyone is wondering who will pay. Restaurants happily accept up to 6 credit cards sometimes!
-You always walk on the right side of the road. And you thank folks if they give you way. Otherwise you’re a boor having a bad day.
-Television here sucks. Most days anyway. Unless you enjoy hearing about how a lost cat made national news.
-If you do not like the weather here, wait ten minutes.
-The sales here are REAL sales. Not a gimmick to get rid of lousy stock that no one was buying anyway. Nor are they ‘marked-up mark-down’ events. It’s worth waiting for a sale here. They rock!
-When in doubt, stock up on frozen food. It can be a life-saver.
-The portion sizes in restaurants here are sometimes enough to feed a small country. You are NOT supposed to eat it all. That’s why they have ‘boxes’. Use them.
-Everyone travels on the few (and therefore highly revered) long weekends. Make travel plans way in advance, unless you have too much of the green stuff to throw around.
-Indian grocery stores always play songs from an era you probably never saw/care to remember. Be prepared for painful songs from forgettable movies. It’s just how things work.
-A parantha here is just a nan masquerading under a new name. Grin and bear it.
-It's easy to forget that you have neighbors. If you see them once in the course of your stay, its probably enough.