My favorite Books and authors

Saturday, June 26, 2010

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I read the Sinhala translation of this book when I was 12 years.
It was a book for kids. Later I read it twice.
Both times with each of my two daughters.
Oh! my God. How can a little child understand what this eccentric has written.
Read and see for yourself.

About Exupery: He was an aviator. Whaaat?? Yes a pilot.
He did not like the more controllable aircraft like P-38 which he was flying when he disappeared.
He was an old school spy before James Bond.
Then he was a novelist.
A very colorful character.
Read about him after reading the Prince.

If this is not available with any book sellers download free from Gutenberg.

You can download more than 32,000 books free from Gutenberg.

 

Friday, June 25, 2010

Chesapeake : James A. Michener

Chesapeake   by James A. Michener
This book I read when I was 33. Iwas in bed for a couple of years that gave me the opportunity to read  lengthy books including the Bible (both testaments and apocrypha). This book I read twice more later. In my view it is not a novel. It is history disguised as a novel. History of the Chesapeake bay area for the period 1583 to 1978. Main character is the area of Chesapeake bay. One can feel the personality of the Chesapeake Bay area rising above all the different personalities who lived in the area during this period. It allows you to study how the religion, slavery, poverty, and  industry changed during the four centuries covered in the book. I could not keep the book without finishing, though it ran to about 1,000 pages.

Happy reading!!


                                    


 

They called me the bookworm.

Yes, they called me the bookworm. from the days in the primary school I used to read anything I could lay my hands on. I had three elder sisters and I read the books they were reading. Those were mainly the  abridged versions  of books like Sinbad the sailor, Gulliver's travels, and La Petite Prince translated to my mother tongue. Though I read the books written in Sinhala I did not like them much, maybe because i liked to know things that were strange to me. My reading habits change when I started studying English. Little by little I started to read English books, that made a whole world open to me. From those days I have read many books that I cannot recollect how many. Some books I have read many times over. Though it is the same book I see a wholly different picture and understand  everything in a very different perspective. During my time at the University and the graduate school I had access to four very good libraries that made me read books written on almost any subject. The books I read were from the field of Engineering, Science, Politics, International Relations, Economics, Management, Philosophy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Mythology etc. Internet was available only about a quarter century later. My daughters also became bookworms and net-addicts inheriting my habits and the grand children too are showing sames signs. This also have given me a very rare opportunity. Reading kid's books at your thirties and sixties.

Talking about opportunities, I get them in very strange circumstances. At 32 I met with an accident and was bed-ridden for a couple of years, that I used to read a lot of books, thanks to my wife and many friends who kept me supplied with books, books and books. Ok! without boring I have to tell you what is this all about.  My daughter suggests that I start a blog. i said I don't know to write the things they write in their blogs. She says that I must write what I know the most. The Books!!! I agreed.

Book Worm