The 2008 Man Bookers Longlist for fiction is out, I guess the topmost desirable reads on my list is Sea of Poppies...

http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/stories/1105

Rushdie's Midnight's Children crowned best of the Bookers

For the second time, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie has been judged the best ever winner of the Booker prize. The Best of Booker award, which has been announced at the London literature festival , marks the prize's 40th anniversary. A similar contest - the Booker of Bookers - was held in 1993 to coincide with its 25th birthday, and came to the same conclusion.

Random Clicks during London Trip

London Sky
Interesting depiction of Women of World War II (Clicked near Downing Street)
Tower Brdge...
On the way to London Bridge...
Symmetry...
After Darkness & night.....
Let there be light....

A random church during a Random walk
10, Downing street

The 3 mistakes of my life


It’s been a while since I was waiting for the next installment from Mr. Bhagat’s stable, though this one isn’t as amazing as “Five Point Someone” it doesn’t disappoint completely. Chetan’s characters are always ambitious, young and passionate about what they do which is something youth in India can associate with, he has also shown there confusion when it comes to religion, morals and social issues also currently faced by Youngistan.
The story line again revolves around three friends (Govind, Ish and Omi), and as usual the one falling in love is the narrator and like every Gujju (slang for people from Gujrat) wants to become a successful entrepreneur. I really liked the way Chetan has depicted the involvement of communal parties in aggravating the riot situation in Gujrat and how religion can be used to brainwash people. I am not saying that communal parties are the only one that’s wrong as 84 riots was a handiwork of a secular party but that Chetan has used the popular sentiments well.

His formula in this book i.e., Cricket + Religion + Politics + Love + Business = Hit.

So for the love of the highest selling Indian author or if you have nothing else that’s interesting, read this book.

It's so frustrating when you can't enter Hard Rock cafe (London) with your Nukes on you...what has this world come to?

Unaccustomed Earth -- Jhumpa Lahiri

Yet another Lahiri’s book and yet another beautifully written upwardly mobile Bengali immigrants tale. I love the way she defines her characters and brings them together in the end based on there common cultural or family grounds. All the stories whether it’s the father who discovers a new life after mother’s death, a married woman who experienced happiness only by being with another guy, a sister being a spectator to her alcoholic brothers fall, a girl and a boy coming together after lifetime of struggle (best story of the book) or a young Bengali female who looses her mind over a relationship with a white guy.

The twist and turns that takes place during the stories are totally unexpected and keeps the reader guessing, Jhumpa Lahiri is a great writer and this is a book that may get her few more award nominations.