The Five Dollar Smile - Shashi Tharoor
I hadn't been reading for almost 3 weeks and even the much acclaimed Guide by R.K.Narayan wasn't able to hold my attention. I picked up 'The five dollar smile' on an impulse mainly because it was a collection of short stories.. and what an impulse it turned out to be. The best part of the book is not only the range it covers, but the age at which Shashi was able to churn them out. Most of them have been written during his teens and display an high level of maturity and understanding. The small notes at the beginning of each story make them more interesting. One of the best collections and totally recommended.
Show Business - Shashi Tharoor
After 'The great indian novel' and 'The five dollar smile', ' Show business' is a major let-down. There is hardly anything that sounds original in the story. Its more of consolidating and mixing what one reads in the gossip columns and filmi magazines and does not have anything new to add to the whole thing. Disappointing
The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
I seriously don't know what to make out of it. The book basically traces the story of Ashima and Ashoke Ganguli who migrate to US in late 60's and how they are unable to let go of their traditional values whereas their son Gogol Ganguli wants just the opposite. The story as such has nothing new to say, but the flow is very smooth and language very simple. Makes a very leisure read...
Cat O'Nine Tales - Jeffrey Archer
After the disastrous False Impression, Jeffrey Archer is back with a collection of short stories that he picked up during his prison days. Just like his earlier ones (which, I happen to read somewhere were flicked from various unknown sources!!) are smart and have a witty end. I specially liked the one with Pat and the last one with the footballer. Superb and totally recommended.
