The Reading List - 4

Completed:
11. Tales from Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry (collection of Short Stories)
12. Chicken Soup for the Writer's Soul by Mark Victor Hansen/Bud Gardner (non-fiction: collection of motivating essays on writer's lives)
13. The Age of Kali by William Dalrymple (Collection of travel essays on the Indian subcontinent)

Currently reading:
1. The Bar on the Seine

Mosquito and Other Stories

Mosquito and Other Stories by Premendra Mitra was a surprise find in the library. I didnt know anything about the author but the blurb sounded very interesting so I held on it.
I am glad I picked it up - otherwise I would have lost such an opportunity to read some brilliant writing by this Bengali author.
The original short stories are in Bengali; however, the translated stories give us a glimpse of how and why the protagonist "Ghana-da" was a cult hero in Bengali literature.

Ghanashyam Dass, known as Ghana-da to his friends in the hostel, lives in the hostel, where he mysteriously disappears during the end of the month when it comes to paying food bills and, borrows countless number of cigarettes from his friends. As the book clearly says, every story is a tall-tale so brilliantly narrated by Ghana-da to his friends who double up as listeners. Although we as readers and them as listeners are clearly aware of the reality, it does not stop us from enjoying these stories and looking forward to more of them.

I loved the book. It is surprisingly interesting and later I found out, factually accurate. The book is made-for-the-young-minds. I hope that the future generation gets hold of this amazing book and enjoys it as much as I did.

The Reading List - 3

Completed:
7. The Shipping News - Annie E. Proulx (literary)
8. Birthday Stories - Selected By Haruki Murakami (Short stories by various authors)
9. Diamond Dust - Anita Desai (Short stories)
10. Mosquito and Other Stories - Premendru Mitra (Short stories)

Another good thing that has happened to me is that I have come across a wonderful library 'Just Books' - I relish borrowing books; reading them at a nomical cost - this way I can separate the wheat from chaff (except the first one in the above list, all were borrowed from the library). I get to choose from a wide variety; I can afford not to complete a book although I dont use that option much (I usually HATE not finishing a book no matter how horrible it is). If I get lucky, as I did with 'On Beauty', I will go and buy a copy for my bookshelf. What a wonderful arrangement!
I know, this is what is supposed to be with libraries. And it is no secret by any stretch of imagination, yet, I feel good about it.