Advance Booking

BBC came out with a few adaptations of Shakespeare's plays a while back, called ShakespeaRe-told, and I spent much of this week watching them on Youtube. These are a set of four movies which take four of Shakespeare's plays and retell them in a modern setting, without losing the essence of the plays. I watched The Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado About Nothing, and I really enjoyed them a lot. Macbeth is up next, and I'm looking forward to it, since it has James McAvoy in the lead, who is one of my favorite actors.

I really love the BBC adaptations of the classics, though I haven't seen too many to be a critical judge. The first one I ever saw was Pride and Prejudice, and that was the biggest motivation for me to read the novel. A long time after that, I watched North and South, which, other than giving me a huge crush in the form of Richard Armitage, made me realize that there are a lot of Victorian authors I have never even heard of. ShakespeaRe-Told was a big boon for me because I haven't read any of the original Shakespeare plays, even in abridged form (*gasp), and this really helped me a feel of what they were about. And they introduce me to a lot of great actors, actors whose work I'd love to see more of. BBC TV serials are so great for people like me who, let's face it, are too lazy to read the original novels, and want something more concrete and memorable than a Wikipedia summary.

So, what's your favorite BBC adaptation?

And here are this week's giveaways

Peeking Between the Pages is giving away The Girl who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen till April 17
Alaine-Queen of Happy Endings is giving away a choice of three books till April 30

I've been catching up with my favorite series all week, and reading the fantastic Samit Basu, so there hasn't been much activity on the blog. Just a reminder, my giveaway for Beth Fantaskey's Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side is open internationally till February 21!

So, a look at the NYT best-seller list.

HARDCOVER FICTION:
1. WORST CASE- James Patterson and Michael Lewitz
Snippet: New York detective raising 10 children alone investigates a string of kidnappings and killings of teenagers by a villain with unusual motives.
My View: I've lost count of the number of books Patterson has written and the number of times he's topped this list.
2. THE HELP- Kathryn Stockett
Snippet:A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s ­Mississippi.
My View: There are a lot of good reviews of this book all over the blogosphere, and Beth of Beth Fish Reads has an Amy Einhorn perpetual challenge going on, to mark the books published by Amy Einhorn Books.
3. FLIRT- Laurell K. Hamilton
Snippet: Anita Blake, vampire hunter, and the men in her life. 18th book in the series.
My View: My roommate read like 7 or 8 books in the series, then got frustrated (and a little weirded out) by Blake's love life.
4. WINTER GARDEN- Kristin Hannah
Snippet:After their father’s death, two sisters must cooperate to run his apple orchard and care for their difficult mother.
5. THE LOST SYMBOL- Dan Brown
Snippet: Robert Langdon among the Masons.
My View: Read my review here.

HARDCOVER NON-FICTION:
1. GAME CHANGE- John Heilemann and Mark Halperin
Behind the scenes at the 2008 election with Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, John and Elizabeth Edwards, John McCain and Sarah Palin.
2. THE POLITICIAN- Andrew Young
A tell-all by John Edwards’s closest aide.
3. ON THE BRINK- Henry M. Paulson Jr.
The Treasury secretary during the autumn of 2008 describes the decisions that were made during the financial meltdown.
4. I AM OZZY- Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres
Recollections of heavy metal’s “Prince of Darkness.”
5. THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS- Rebecca Skloot
Race, poverty and science intertwine in the story of the woman whose cancer cells were cultured without her permission in 1951 and have supported a mountain of research undertaken since then.

PAPERBACK TRADE FICTION:
1. A RELIABLE WIFE- Robert Goolrick
Snippet: Complications ensue when a wealthy Wisconsin widower in 1907 advertises for a spouse.
My View: Sounds like a fun book, but you never know.
2. THE LAST SONG- Nicholas Sparks
Snippet: A 17-year old spends the summer with her father in North Carolina and finds many kinds of love.
My View: After watching A Walk To Remember, I thought of reading the book. Couldn't get beyond 10 pages. Haven't dared to touch another Sparks since then.
3. DEAR JOHN-Nicholas Sparks
Snippet: An unlikely romance between a soldier and an idealistic young woman is tested after 9/11.
My View: See No. 2 above
4. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO-Stieg Larsson
Snippet: A hacker and a journalist investigate the disappearance of a Swedish heiress.
My View: I finished this book a couple of days back, and loved it. Review up this week.
5. THE LOVELY BONES-Alice Sebold
Snippet: A girl looks down from heaven as she describes the aftermath of her kidnapping and murder.
My View: Another book which has received rave reviews all over the blogosphere.

PAPERBACK NON-FICTION:
1. THE LOST CITY OF Z, by David Grann
A New Yorker writer searches for a British explorer who was lost in the Amazon in 1925.
2. THE BLIND SIDE, by Michael Lewis
The evolving business of football, viewed through the rise of the left tackle Michael Oher.
3. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
A former climber builds schools in villages in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
4. A PEOPLE''S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, by Howard Zinn
An account from the point of view of women, African-Americans and others who are often marginalized.
5. ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT'S ME, CHELSEA, by Chelsea Handler
Humorous personal essays from the comedian.

Which of these would you like to read?

And this week's giveaways are:

Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books is giving away a copy of Michelle Moran's Nefertiti till February 15
Steph Su Reads is giving away a choice of ARCs until February 28

I had made a list of blogging goals and reading goals about six months back, and looking at the list, I see that I've fulfilled most of them. Except for the challenges. Honestly, I can't stick to challenges. I'm more of a random, impulsive reader, and whenever I have to stick to lists, my mind rebels. I drag my feet with those books, and ultimately end up not enjoying them, though I would probably have liked them if they hadn't been part of a list. Complicated? Weird? I think so too, but the mind wants what the mind wants. So, no challenges from now on.

And on the same note, no goals either. Goals make it sound like reading is a job to be done, with plans and results and what not involved. I read for pleasure, and goal-setting makes it seem like a task. It jinxes the process of reading. I do want to read more award-winning books, more series, more books in general, but I have found that I do end up reading good books whether I plan for it or not. So, even if the next year finds me reading zero award-winners and 100 Twilight-like books, so be it. I shall not complain.

I just want to list out my ten favorite reads of the last year, in alphabetical order.

1984- George Orwell
Anne of Green Gables- L.M. Montgomery
Artemis Fowl- Eoin Colfer
The Godfather- Mario Puzo
The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini
The Remains of the Day- Kazuo Ishiguro
The Shadow of the Wind- Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Thirteenth Tale- Diane Setterfield
To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee

You can find a full list of the books I have read in the past year here. That's around 71 books. Hmmm...pretty ok, but I hope to do better this year.

One last thing. In celebration of my blogoversary, I'm having a giveaway of Beth Fantaskey's popular vampire romance, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. Giveaway is open internationally till February 21.

The month started off badly when it came to reading and blogging, with me going through a bad reading slump (witness trickle of posts). But things picked up near the end, and I've got a good list of books up for review next month. I realized that I hadn't done a December roundup, so I'm clubbing both months together.

In December, when I was on holiday, I had two great guest posts, one on romance readers by AnimeGirl from AnimeGirl's Bookshelf and another on reading ghost stories by Nymeth from things mean a lot.

I reviewed the following books.
A Christmas Carol- Charles Dickens
Anne of Green Gables- L.M. Montgomery
The Vampire Diaries: The Fury- L.J. Smith
Ice Station- Matthew Reilly
Shadow of the Wind- Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Breaking Dawn- Stephenie Meyer
Second Helpings- Megan McCafferty
The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle- L.J. Smith

In January, I interviewed Gary Stelzer, debut author of The Cost of Dreams. I also reviewed the following books.
Living Dead in Dallas- Charlaine Harris
The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins
Paths of Glory- Jeffrey Archer
The Heretic Queen- Michelle Moran
Charmed Thirds- Megan McCafferty
Life After 187- Wade J. Halverson

It's been pretty quiet over here for the past month, though I've been back to the blogosphere for quite some time. This time, the quiet is not because of pressure or anything like that, but just because I wanted to take some time to visit new blogs and polish my TBR before getting down to reading. Not that I haven't been reading, I have. But all the books I'm reading are in various stages of completion, so reviews are down to a trickle. I'm also celebrating my month-long holiday from the internet by surfing with a vengeance, where I found some interesting things, namely, Facebook founder is not the innocent geek he looks, Lifehacker has some pretty useful stuff for students like me and for readers like you, and discovered lots of really cool lit sites, some of which I'll be writing about in future Salon posts.

So, this is my first Salon post for the year and it's not about anything specific (like you didn't get that from the title!) First thing, it's my first blogging anniversary next month! Yes, I've been blogging for a year! I've managed to shed my lazy skin and keep up a semblance of regular reading and posting for a year! Anyways, I've not yet decided what to do to celebrate this occasion. Well, I'm anyway a last-minute kind of person, so blogoversary eve will probably find me typing away furiously. Another thing is, I'm pretty close to 50 followers. Not as many as some of my favorite blogs have, but it's a start. Actually, I was so scared that nobody would want to listen to what I have to say that I didn't install the Followers widget for the better part of a year. Thanks, J Kaye, for urging me to do so! And thank you to all those who follow via Google Friend Connect and RSS. You inspire me to read more and write more.

And while I'm leaving my blogging goals post for my blogoversary, this is a personal goal I would like to talk about. I've actually been doing a lot of reading about young achievers and I would also like to do something awesome (at least something I think is awesome) before I'm 25. Now, I still don't know what that is, but I'm going to find out. So I'm going to try and explore all my interests this year, to find out what I love doing the most and how I can take it forward. Wish me luck in this!

And here are a couple of international giveaways I'm signing up for

The Eclectic Reader is giving away a choice of 6 books to 2 lucky readers, to celebrate her birthday. Giveaway is open till January 31
Alaine- Queen of Happy Endings is giving away a choice of 6 books till January 31
The Undercover Book Lover is giving away 3 YA books till January 30
Peeking Between the Pages is giving away Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham, open till January 31

I'm thrilled to have Nymeth from things mean a lot, guest post as part of the Christmas special that I've been having. Nymeth is someone everybody in the book blog world knows and loves, and I enjoy her insights into books and reading. Welcome to Advance Booking Nymeth!


I love Christmas. For some odd reason, this always seems to surprise people, who expected me to roll my eyes at the mere mention of the holiday season. Maybe it’s because I live in a very Catholic town and haven’t made a secret of the fact that I’m not, myself, a person of faith. But there’s still plenty that I do love about Christmas.

I mean, I understand why there are people who choose not to celebrate it, for religious or other reasons. And I think that the people who point out that it has become over-commercialized most definitely have a point. But to me – and as clichéd as it sounds, I have to say it – Christmas is about comfort, kindness and warmth.

My boyfriend grew up in the Southern hemisphere, so his way of experiencing Christmas has always been very different from my own. It goes without saying that both are equally valid, but personally I can’t dissociate Christmas from winter. I don’t know all that much about old-times Yule celebrations (note to self: seek a book), but from what I understand, the old Winter Solstice celebrations were in part about celebrating the fact that in the darkest, coldest time of the year, there was warmth, company and food. This might sound small now, when so many of us take comfort for granted, but I don’t think it is. Not at all.

On to what matters, which is the bookish part of this post: one of my favourite traditions is reading spooky stories during the holiday season. I actually started doing it before I learned that it was a real tradition in some parts of the world. It makes perfect sense that it is – what goes better with a warm fire, a cold and dark night outside, and a gathering of people than a spooky story?

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a classic for a reason, of course. I never tire of it, or of its several movie adaptations. Last December I read M.R. James’ ghost stories, and they were absolutely perfect. And right now I’m reading Elizabeth Gaskell’s tales of mystery and the supernatural, which are definitely putting me in the mood for the holiday season.

What about you? Have you ever read spooky stories during Christmas time? Do you think they fit the holiday mood? Anything you’d recommend?

I loved it. I have no other word for it. I just loved this book so much that I read it thrice in two days, and I probably will reread it many more times.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a gull who loves to fly, one who is more interested in flying higher and faster than he is in mundane things such as food and shelter. But his attitude earns him a lot of brickbats from his flock, who throw him out. It is then that he meets a group of gulls similar to himself and learns the essence of flying.

This is a very short book, a hundred-page novella you will finish in an hour, at most. It is essentially self-help, but has none of the tedious morality or preaching that I usually find in self-help books. Its story is so simple yet so profound. Bach's story about a seagull who just wants to do what he loves most has inspired people around the world, and had a profound impact on me as well. Through allegory and metaphor, the story manages to make you experience the sort of diverse emotions that heavy tomes cannot inspire. It moves you and motivates you, exhilarates you and challenges you. Every line has a deep meaning which sinks into you and makes you ponder. This is definitely a book everyone should read.

And here are this week's giveaways.

Page Turner is giving away a Halloween prize pack, open till October 30
B.A.M. Book Reviews is giving away a Sarah Dressen or a Laurie Halse Anderson book, open until November 13.
The Undercover Book Lover is giving away Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick or The Exorsistah by Claudie Mair Burney till November 1.
The Eclectic Reader is giving away a choice of 6 books to celebrate her blogiversary till October 31

I am a TV buff, walking the tightrope between affinity and addiction. This fall will see some of my favorite TV shows returning, and I'm eager to catch them. This, despite the fact that I'm nearing the end of my semester, I have a million projects and assignments to submit and a proposal to write. Maybe I am addicted. But it's not like TV time is a waste of time; I'm usually multi-tasking- writing assignments, researching etc, as the show plays out in the background. Anyways, here are my favorite TV shows for this season, not in any particular order.

Must-watch Shows:

1. HOUSE: I love this show. It has a fantastic cast, great story and lots of sarcasm. Hugh Laurie is great as the maverick Dr. House. The last season ended on a crucial note, with House going to the psych house, and I'm eager to see what he he does there. I haven't managed to catch up with the episodes that are out already, but my friend did and loved it.

2. Big Bang Theory: It's funny, it's goofy, and it has Sheldon. I watched the season premiere a couple of days back, and Sheldon is as cute as ever. If you don't watch this show, you should give it a try, because they make geek definitely chic.

3. Fringe: This is a pretty recent discovery, and I just finished the first season a week back. But I liked the story, it was thoughtful without being too complicated. I found the 50-minute episodes a little lengthy at first, but the script and the performances drew my attention away from the length.

Watch-when-I-have-time shows:

1. Bones: Actually, I like this show, but I haven't watched all the previous seasons. I know I don't need to, but I'd like to.

2. How I Met Your Mother: I like this show, but I'm getting a little irritated at the non-appearance of the "mother". They've been dropping teasers through the last 4 seasons, but there is still no sign of her. I'll still be watching this show, but I'm not eagerly waiting for it.

3. Heroes: This had been one of my favorite shows, and I used to be blown away by every episode, but I found the last season slow and boring. I was in love with Zachary Quinto as Sylar, but now that Sylar has morphed into Nathan, I'm losing interest. If Quinto is back, so am I.

So, what are the shows you are looking forward to?

And here are this week's giveaways.

Brizmus Blogs Books is giving away The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, open till October 28
The Book Butterfly is giving away Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick till November 13
Bibliofreak is giving away a choice of 5 books till October 23

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow- Washington Irving

I love Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, and for a long time, I've wanted to read the story it was based on. I enjoy creepy stories, and this one didn't let me down.

Ichabod Crane is the schoolmaster at Sleepy Hollow, a small glen on the edge of Tarry Town, a common traveller's haunt. He also courts the local beauty Katrina Van Tassel, for the attentions of whom he competes with country hero Brom Bones. Sleepy Hollow has an enduring legend, that of the Headless Horseman, one which the superstitious Ichabod finds fascinating. When fiction becomes fact, it has some unpleasant consequences for the schoolmaster.

The short story is completely different from the movie, as Burton had retained only the bare skeleton of the story. The writing is very descriptive, but its archaic nature meant that it was full of words I didn't know; I kept referring to Free Dictionary. That was good, because my vocabulary has improved so much through this short story. I enjoyed Irving's detailed descriptions; I found his elaborate character sketch of Ichabod a very nice read. The ending is left open, but you can make a very good guess as to what Ichabod's fate could be.

[Ichabod's] only study was how to gain the affections of the peerless daughter of Van Tassel. In this enterprise, however, he had more real difficulties than generally fell to the lot of a knight-errant of yore, who seldom had anything but giants, enchanters, fiery dragons, and such like easily conquered adversaries, to contend with and had to make his way merely through gates of iron and brass, and walls of adamant to the castle keep, where the lady of his heart was confined; all which he achieved as easily as a man would carve his way to the centre of a Christmas pie; and then the lady gave him her hand as a matter of course. Ichabod, on the contrary, had to win his way to the heart of a country coquette, beset with a labyrinth of whims and caprices, which were forever presenting new difficulties and impediments; and he had to encounter a host of fearful adversaries of real flesh and blood, the numerous rustic admirers, who beset every portal to her heart, keeping a watchful and angry eye upon each other, but ready to fly out in the common cause against any new competitor.

Have you read any of Washington Irving's work? How did you find it?

And here are this week's giveaways.
The 3R's Blog is giving away an ARC package in celebration of her 1000th post, open till October 14
The Book Butterfly is giving away Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev till November 6
Alaine-Queen of Happy Endings is giving away Unbound, a collection of paranormal short stories till October 17
Savvy Verse&Wit is giving away Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal till October 16

I think you will find a lot of posts across blogosphere as to why banning books is shameful and ridiculous. I won't add my words to the topic, as I think a lot of bloggers have put the message across more eloquently. Instead, I will focus on a couple of authors whose books have been banned in India, and how it reflects on a country trying to make its mark on the world.

Whenever I think of banned books, I think of Taslima Nasrin. She is a Bangladeshi author who has been hounded for her outspoken views on feminism and her critical look at Islam. Taslima Nasrin shot into fame with her novel, Lajja, which details the volatile situation in Bangladesh following the Babri Masjid demolitions in Ayodhya in India. The book was banned in Bangladesh because of the graphic description of the rape of a Hindu woman by a Muslim man. Her autobiography Dwikhandito was banned in India because it offended the sensibilities of Islamic fundamentalists, and she was forced to delete a couple of controversial paragraphs. But still the moral police didn't leave her alone. She was hounded out of her adoptive hometown Kolkata, kept under house arrest in Delhi, and finally forced to leave India under the shadow of death threats and fatwas. There are other instances of religious banning: Satanic Verses is probably the most famous one, but some books banned in the British Raj era remain banned even today.

Nine Hours to Rama by Stanley Wolpert is another book that has been banned in India because it exposes negligences in security of Mahatma Gandhi which led to his assassination. The book is set in the nine hours of Nathuram Godse's life upto the time he killed the Mahatma. Nehru: A Political Biography by Michael Edwards is another banned book which traces Nehru's political and psychological development. Any book that is even faintly critical of India and its policies finds itself on the banned list, which makes me wonder: how progressive are we really?

What I don't understand is the double standards of the Indian government when it comes to banning books. It bans Nasrin's books as it is seen to hurt the sentiments of the minorities, but allows Bal Thackeray's inflammatory anti-Muslim writings in his mouthpiece newspaper to continue. It tells Nasrin that she has to respect the sentiments of the 150million-odd Muslims living in the country, but when Thackeray calls these same Muslims as "cancerous", it takes no stand. The conclusion is obvious: appease the minority vote bank while retaining control over the Hindu majority. Political power pays.

Another ban topic is Mahatma Gandhi. Any book or other work that has tried to depict Gandhi as Mohandas rather than Mahatma, that tries to put forth Nathuram Godse's side of the story, is instantly buried by the censors. Books like Nine Hours to Rama have faced this, as have plays like Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy (I am Nathuram Godse Speaking). These works don't take anything away from the greatness that is Gandhi, but just serve to provide an all-round view. I have no doubt that Gandhi himself would be quite angry with the web that has been spun around his name.

In the U.S., books are banned from the educational curriculum if they are considered to be blasphemous or filled with profanities. I don't think such measures are taken in India, mainly because our education system is different, and we don't have prescribed reading books. But in India, book banning takes an ugly and intolerant stand, often leading to book burning. It almost always has political undertones, and I hate to say this, but I don't see it changing anytime soon.

And here are this week's giveaways.
Misfit Salon is giving away an Amazon gift card or a choice of three books till October 5
Alaine-Queen of Happy Endings is giving away 6 books as part of her birthday celebrations till October 31 as well as Marked by PC and Kristin Cast by October 7

It's been a really hectic week, what with exams and all. I really did not manage to participate in my first Book Blogger Appreciation Week as much as I wanted to, but I did enjoy what I managed to take part in. BBAW has been a way for me to see how huge and how interconnected the book blogging community really is.

I used to see the BBAW buttons on a lot of blogs, and heard a lot of good things about it too. So when I heard about this year's BBAW, I thought I had to be a part of it. I haven't been a book blogger for long, so I wanted to use this opportunity to get to know the whole book blogging community. I was really surprised as to how many passionate bloggers there really are, and how prolific their reading is. It was so good to read their diverse opinions and interests, something that is one of the highlights of book blogging.

My favorite part of the BBAW is the interview swap. I had a blast thinking up questions and writing down the answers for the interview. It was really cool to meet a really fun fellow blogger in the process, and finding a blog I will regularly visit in the future. Another meme I really enjoyed was the reading meme. It was fun to read all about other book bloggers' reading habits, and know that I'm not the only one with the quirky tastes. I'm still visiting some of the blogs I missed, though I'm afraid I may not be able to read all of them.

I really wanted to thank all the people behind BBAW for organizing such a major event so smoothly, for making this experience a really memorable one for me and and everybody else who participated in it.

I've got my mid-term exams going on right now, so I don't have much time to blog. That's why I thought of combining my Sunday Salon and Author Feature posts together. Today is Roald Dahl's 93rd birth anniversary, and I hope you all will join me in remembering this literary legend.

Brief Bio: Dahl was born in Wales to Norwegian parents. When he was three, his eight-year old sister died of appendicitis, and his father died of grief weeks later. He attended many boarding schools, but his experiences there were not pleasant ones. After finishing his schooling, he joined the Shell Petroleum Company and was posted to Dar-Es-Salaam in Tanzania. When World War II broke out, he joined the Royal Air Force, ending the war as Wing Commander. His first children's book was The Gremlins, about mischievous little creatures that were part of RAF folklore. The book was commissioned by Walt Disney for a film that was never made, and published in 1943. Dahl went on to create some of the best-loved children's stories of the 20th century, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda. He also had a successful parallel career as the writer of macabre adult short stories, usually with a dark sense of humour and a surprise ending. Dahl died in 1990 of a rare blood disease, aged 74.
For more about him, you can visit his official website www.roalddahl.com.

Selected Bibliography:


Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Matilda
The BFG
James and the Giant Peach
The Witches
The Twits

My Reviews:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

My Views: When I decided on doing Author Feature, the first author who came to my mind was Roald Dahl. I loved his books so much while growing up, and while re-reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory sometime back, the magic started to weave itself around me again.

The reason I love Roald Dahl so much is because of his inventiveness. I remember reading Matilda and going "Whoa! What an idea!" The same with all the other books I've read. Actually, when I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I pestered my dad to buy me all the chocolates that Dahl described. And all my dad's explanations about fiction and imagination cut no ice with me. That is the impact Dahl has on you; kids are drawn into his fantastic world, and wish that our own world was just as magical as the one woven by his words.

Most of Dahl's stories have a common premise: there is a hero/heroine who usually suffers a lot, a villain who antagonizes the lead character (and the reader) at every step, culminating in the hero teaching the villain a lesson he/she will never forget. But the way the characters are described makes each story unique. Whether it is Ms. Trunchbull or the BFG or Willy Wonka, each character comes alive before your eyes, and it's like seeing a movie running through the pages. It's not all hunky-dory; some characters are scary, mean or flatly unlikeable, but that's what makes his books interesting.

Dahl also subtly inserts many morals throughout his stories. Through the behaviour of the people in the tales, he leads the reader to understand what qualities he/she should develop to become as loved as their favorite characters. One major theme is reading vs television. Dahl makes the case very strongly against television, whether it be through Mike Teavee in Charlie or the Wormwood family in Matilda. But there is no preachiness; the message naturally springs out from the story. I want to share with you a verse from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where you see this coming in effect.

So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks —
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something good to read.
And once they start — oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean.
Repulsive television screen!

Dahl's greatest gift is his style of writing. His descriptions are just so amazing, so creative and sometimes so utterly ridiculous that it's brilliant. His ideas are eccentric and completely original, yet so simple that you wonder how nobody could have thought of it before. Dahl also doesn't talk down to the reader; you feel like you're listening to a story your friend is telling you. That's why it transcends all boundaries of age; whether you are 9 or 90, Dahl's storytelling enchants you.

I have never experienced a dull moment while reading a Roald Dahl book; he is, and will remain, one of my all-time favorite authors. What books of his have you read? Which is your favorite? Do you agree with me when I say his writing is unparallelled?

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Yes, Sunday Salon is back! This Sunday, I thought I'd focus on a genre I enjoy, but haven't reviewed much of- the short story. After watching the movie (watch out for the review on Monday), I thought I'd read the story. I liked it, and I look forward to reading more Fitzgerald.

The story focuses on Benjamin Button, born as a wizened old man. It follows his "childhood" at the Button household, his adult life as a businessman and then a soldier, and his "old age" as a Harvard footballer. Don't expect any of the drama of the movie; Benjamin is neither abandoned by his father nor does he have an epic romance with Daisy, but his story is gripping anyways. Fitzgerald is witty as he paints the picture of this man aging backwards; there were touches of Oscar Wilde in the telling.

A few people who were unfailingly polite racked their brains for compliments to give to the parents--and finally hit upon the ingenious device of declaring that the baby resembled his grandfather, a fact which, due to the standard state of decay common to all men of seventy, could not be denied. Mr. and Mrs. Roger Button were not pleased, and Benjamin's grandfather was furiously insulted.

But there was an underlying sense of pathos to the whole story. Benjamin desperately tries to live a full life, even as others look at him in pity and disgust. He doesn't really have anyone close to him, someone he can speak to regarding this condition he cannot control. His father, wife and son believe that it is somehow his fault he ages backwards, and that he should just give up the tomfoolery and be normal again, so that their reputation remains intact; their callous attitude enrages you. Fitzgerald has us empathize with the character, and draws us into Ben's world. I liked this story a lot, and I enjoyed Fitzgerald's style of writing and his ability to connect with the reader.

And here are this week's giveaways:
The Eclectic Reader is giving away Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins or Fire by Kristin Cashore till September 30
Alaine-Queen of Happy Endings is giving away Fire by Kristin Cashore or Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger till September 30
Wrighty's Reads is giving away one copy each of Cleopatra's Daughter and Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran till September 10
Peeking Between the Pages is also giving away one copy of Cleopatra's Daughter till September 10

Well, the news that the book world has been buzzing with is Neil Gaiman's winning of the Hugo for The Graveyard Book. Now I really want to have to will read the book, after months of procrastination. I'm also super happy that Wall-E has won, I really loved the movie. Here are all the Hugo winners.

• Best Novel: The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
  
• Best Novella: “The Erdmann Nexus”, Nancy Kress
  
• Best Novelette: “Shoggoths in Bloom”, Elizabeth Bear
  
• Best Short Story: “Exhalation”, Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two)
• Best Related Book: Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008, John Scalzi
  
• Best Graphic Story: Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones, Written by Kaja & Phil Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright
• Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director
  
• Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon, & Maurissa Tancharoen, writers; Joss Whedon, director
  

Another bookish article I found was this one about bookshelf etiquette. A witty look at how to arrange your books, especially if you keep adding to the pile at a phenomenal rate. A big thank you to Susan at You Can Never Have Too Many Books for directing me to this article from the New Yorker, about seven essential fantasy reads. It's a fantasy treasure trove, for people like me who have read the standard fantasy authors and want to discover new ones.

On the giveaways side, here are a few I have found:
All About {n} is giving away Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. Winners drawn Aug 29
The Lateiner Gang is giving away Alvor by Laura Bingham and The Maze Runner by James Dashner till Sept 6
The Neverending Shelf is giving away Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater till Aug 21.
Suzanne McLeod is giving away Fire by Kristin Cashore

I have been a little lazy posting this up, so here goes. The annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week is going to be held from Sep 14-18, 2009. There is a dedicated website you can visit, lots of giveaways and contests, and many bookish memes too. Here's what the official pitch is.

WHO Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week!
WHAT A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recogonizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways.
WHEN September 14-18, 2009
WHERE Here at the new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.)
WHY Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word. I, Amy, the founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week love this community of bloggers and want to shower my appreciation on you!

This is my first BBAW and I'm looking forward to participating in it. I have really no clue as to what it involves, but I see a lot of enthusiasm among past bloggers. If you are a book blogger, and you haven't joined the BBAWwagon, what are you waiting for? Go check out the site, and join up.

And also, starting this week, I shall be posting on Sunday Salon about different international giveaways and contests across the blogosphere. I've found some great blogs through the giveaways they have held, but I often forget to check back. So the Sunday Salon posts will help me keep track of my giveaway entries, and thus, the wonderful blogs hosting them, so that I can visit again, and help you readers find giveaways you probably missed.

At Home with Books is giving away The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
One Persons Journey through a World of Books is giving away The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
Peeking between the Pages is giving away Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Update: I just found out that our mid-term exams are scheduled for the BBAW week. Talk about bad luck! But I will nevertheless try to drop in on BBAW, however short the visit may be.

I was a little unsure about what to do for my first Sunday Salon post, so I thought I'd borrow a meme from Booking Through Thursday. It's all about reading preferences, quick answers to some questions.

• Reading something frivolous? Or something serious? Ans:I like reading serious stuff, but usually I throw in something frivolous to lighten the mood
  
• Paperbacks? Or hardcovers? Ans: Paperbacks. They're easy to hold while lying down
  
• Fiction? Or Nonfiction? Ans: Fiction, mostly.
  
• Poetry? Or Prose? Ans: Prose. I haven't read much poetry.
  
• Biographies? Or Autobiographies? Ans: Biographies. I find the life of someone told through a third person's perspective more interesting
  
• History? Or Historical Fiction? Ans: Both actually
  
• Series? Or Stand-alones? Ans: I love series, because you can follow the characters in a variety of adventures.
  
• Classics? Or best-sellers? Ans: I read a lot of best-sellers, but I'd prefer a classic anyday.
  
• Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose? Ans: Depends on my mood actually. Sometimes I like a lot of description, but again wordiness puts me off at times.
  
• Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness? Ans: Plots.
  
• Long books? Or Short? Ans: I don't really care about the length of the book as long as the writing and story can hook me.
  
• Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated? Ans: Non-illustrated. I prefer the words to create the images.
  
• Borrowed? Or Owned? Ans: Owned. Actually I'd first like to borrow the book and read it, and then if I really, really love it, I want to own it.
  
• New? Or Used? Ans: Used. Though I love the smell and feel of new books, used ones are kinder on the pocket, and have a charm of their own.