Fiction Lover's Must Read: Jeffrey Archer’s - Only Time Will Tell

It’s been some time since JEFFREY ARCHER released his latest book –“Only Time Will Tell”, but its profuse popularity & widespread readership calls for a mention on the blog.

This is first of the five-book series: The Clifton Chronicles which is acclaimed to be Jeffrey Archer’s “most ambitious work in four decades as an international bestselling author”.

“Only time will tell” is set in 1919 in the backstreets of Bristol & revolves around a certain Harry Clifton’s life. The book starts with Maisie’s (Harry’s mother) side of the story of his father’s tragic but noble death as a war hero. Thereon, the book grips the reader in its ingenious plot of deception & enigma that envelopes his father’s death. However, it isn’t before 21 turbulent years that Harry discovers the truth.

                                                          

What gives it multiple facets is that the different characters give a different picture of the same story. As Harry discovers how his father really died, he is lead on to a bigger question? Is he really the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who worked in Bristol docks, if not who is his father?

Around the destruction of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, Harry must decide whether to take his place at Oxford, or join the fight against Hitlers’ Germany.

                                                              

In Jeffrey Archer’s masterful hands, the reader will be taken on a journey that he won’t want to end, even after he has turned the last page of this unforgettable yarn, because then he will be faced with a dilemma that neither him nor Harry Clifton could even have anticipated….

Special mention to the popularity of the book

This one, like most of Archer’s books climbed to the top of the best-seller charts within days of its release.

Plus, Jeffrey Archer visiting India himself simply helped the skyrocketing numbers that the book sales reached.  On his arrival in Chennai, India, he learned about the overwhelming response that Only Time Will Tell had garnered reaching number one on the bestseller list in India after just two days of it’s release.

A number of articles in leading newspapers and sights only go on to prove the intense regard for the author’s work.

DID YOU KNOW :
The readership of his books is much higher in India, even though sales figures are about the same as in major countries. According to a survey, in India approximately 25 people read one copy of a book, whereas in the Unites States and Europe only 2.5 people read a copy – Thanks to the online book rental services which help more people read.


So, fiction lovers & followers, if you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for!
Follow the link & order it now, from librarywala. 

What kind of a reader are you?

Around the planet, there are millions of people who dig into books every time they get a chance to (glad I’m an active part of that creed). Some are held captive by the likes of The Silence of Lambs, whereas some keep themselves amused by taking a fleeting glance at the picture belts in Tinkle & Archie.

A chunk of readers like to say the dialogues out loud to experience what they read whereas some just manage to grasp the essence of the book by flicking through the words.

Even as a common thread runs through the reader community, so do some traits that differentiate each of us from the rest of us. Librarywala fan, Arshia Dar, tells us about the kinds of readers she has come across and what class she identifies with.

“So well! Getting down writing about the various kinds of readers, I need to first understand the kind of reader I am! After having studied the various kinds and categories, I have identified myself as a ‘skimmer’ and the fiction preferring one!

Beginning with the criteria that measures according to the ‘attention and time lending’ yardstick, we have 3 groups:

Sponges, skimmers and the picture peekers!

With the names being highly suggestive, it’s more than easy to place each!

Those who read every single letter and retain decently well are the sponges!

Those who usually just give a glance and manage to get the hang of it become the skimmers!

Picture peekers, very clearly are those who’re hardly interested in the textual portion of what’s actually supposed to be read! They’ll give as much as a look and move on to the images - these are the ones who generally prefer comics.

Then readers may also be segregated on the basis of their respective reading speeds;

Motor, auditory and visual.

Motor readers are characterized by lip movement or vocalization while reading, enabling themselves to grasp better.

Auditory readers just mentally say the words they read; they are known to be more skillful and rapid.

Visual as can be perceived, would just look at the words and move on! The eyes and minds are at a great point of sync in this case!

Then of course we have the better known category-- the genre readers--who likes what! It differs with age, profession even gender. For every different piece of literary work, there is a corresponding different reader who devours that piece like none other.

Even within the genre itself, there is a scope of sub-genring the books. Lets take romance for instance,  a reader may be inclined only to love stories & feels overwhelmed by Love Story invariably every time, whereas a teenager may prefer dark romance like The Twilight Saga. 

When seen with respect to age, Sweet Valley Junior High series are loved by preteens & early teens, they are conveniently replaced by Harry Potter series when they enter their mid-teens.

A boy’s reading journey probably begins with the comedy genre - “The Catcher in the Rye” & Catch -22 & later they go on to read more of adventurous material like The Hardy Boys”

Hmmm...quite an analysis isn't it? What's your thoughts on Arshia's categories? Which one do you fit into?



Happy Mother's Day :D

‎Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn.
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover.
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn.
But only one mother the wide world over.' - George Cooper‎

These lines by George Cooper so succintly convey the unmatched importance of a motherly figure in one's life. A mother willingly and uncomplainingly undergoes the pain of labour to ensure normalcy for her baby. She claims that all of the pain was worth the joy of the first sight of the baby.

Not a day passes when she doesnt feel thankful for the gift of motherhood bequeathed to her.


Throughout the life of her child, she helps her/him chart through - from easing out her 5-year old's first day of kindergarten with sweets and candy to helping her 25 year old cook a wholesome meal.

On this day that celebrates motherhood, Librarywala takes the oppotunity to wish all the mothers across the planet,
 

An Enchantedly Happy Mother's Day!!

Librarywala recommends "must read on Mother's Day" -

Janani: a fantastic compilation worked on by Rinki Bhattacharya. Janani, as the creator of life, defines this narrative collection. It combines writings of  mothers from many walks of life - stepmothers, single mothers adoptive motherhood. The accounts combine memory and nostalgia in nuanced detail, making each narrative heart-warming and, at times, profoundly challenging.

 

BOOK REVIEW : The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld

‘Death Instinct’ uses a real unsolved mystery as its premise and the author manages to convey a plausible solution to a crime taken place almost a century ago.  In doing this, he also takes us through post World War I Europe – a World where people travelled in horse drawn carriages, lived hand to mouth existences, travelled in planes when the trains were unavailable – A world on the cusp of a huge shift to modernity.

On September 16, 1920, a bomb ripped through New York’s Wall Street killing and injuring many, and also shattering the fragile peace of the World just out of a major war.

The story of ‘Death Instinct’ revolves around this bombing and three main characters - War veteran Stratham Younger, James Littlemore of the NYPD and a French radiochemist Collette Rousseau. If Younger has his sights set on gaining Collette’s affection, Collette herself is striving to solve the mystery of her kid brother Luc’s silence and also the whereabouts of her fiancé Hans Greuber. On the other hand, Littlemore has his energies towards solving the mystery of the bombing. The three stories come together in a climax which reveals the truth about many respected and highly placed individuals of the time.

The premise of the story is fascinating as it has a blend of fact and fiction. As the author’s note in the end says, a lot of the characters in the story, names and all, are real. The situations are also real and in that way, the book is a slice of history. The usage of radioactivity in medicine, the advent of air travel, funnily shaped motor vehicle- all form a part of the tale.

For me, the biggest plus about the book was its being set during the times of World War I. Having read a lot of literature featuring the world around and after the Second World War, this different scenario was refreshing. The glimpses into Madame Curie’s life and her struggle to procure radium for curing people of their diseases is aptly documented as one of the defining events of that era. Also interesting was Sigmund Freud’s analysis of human mind which was gaining prominence during that time. It was he who suggested that humans have two instincts, an instinct to survive as well as a Death Instinct.

JED RUBENFELD

But on the flip side, the book feels inordinately long. Divided into four parts, once can’t help but wish that there were lesser pages to read. The writing is slow at times, thereby testing the reader’s patience. The portions involving Younger and Rousseau are pleasing to read but the parts with Littlemore at centre stage are a little dull. Also, I personally got a little confused at a number of points in the story because there are too many characters to follow.

To sum up, ‘Death Instinct’ is a book which will be liked by readers who enjoy taking a peek into eras gone by. For the more practical readers, it might appear to be long and laborious journey. For me, it is a 3 out of 5 stars book, an average read!

Book reviewed by Srilaxmi Pai

- a Librarywala.com member 

Pink Slips before Publishing

We read books authored by celebrated writers and think they all perfected the art of writing at the very beginning. What we read is incredible, its brilliance hits us the moment we pick up the book.  But do these writers really elevate to this platform without struggling ?  

Let's break the myth. 

You will be surprised to note the number of times, your favorite author was let down before their oh-so-awesome best seller was first published!

Whatever genre the author may choose to weave his book around, there is a need for persistence and resilience to succeed – both essential to an author longing for his work to get its due recognition.
Here are 10 best known authors who treaded this difficult path to success & today, they veritably epitomize the same:

James Joyce

James Joyce's Ulysses was rejected by several publishers given on obscenity basis. It is now proclaimed to be one of the most beautifully written, widely read books.  
       
Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen

The series that has portions with a flavor to suit each section of its audience, Chicken Soup for the Soul received no less than 134 rejections before publication.

Meg Cabot

 

The series most sought after by preteen & teenage girls The Princess Diaries received a mail bag of rejection letters too. Life isn’t a always a fairy tale after all!! ;)

Richard Bach

                                                 

18 publishers thought a book about a seagull was ridiculous before Jonathan Livingston Seagull started conquering the skies with his passion for self - perfection.

James Patterson

The celebrated author, James Patterson humbled the 26 publishers who had rejected him earlier, when his book won the Edgar Award in 1977 .

Rudyard Kipling

In one rejection letter, Mr. Kipling was told he doesn't know how to use the English language. Kipling received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907

J.K.Rowling 

The enchanting series of Harry Potter & his wizarding adventures was submitted to 12 publishing houses, all of who rejected it. From being unbelievable to raking in sales of 400 million dollars is what we would probably call J.K.Rowling’s witchcraft.

Joseph Heller

                                                    

Story after story that he wrote as a teenager were rejected by the New York Daily News. But his work in humor-filled novel Catch-22 Joseph Heller must have given the New York Daily News a run for their money.

Margaret Mitchell

Margaret Mitchell’s popular novel Gone with the Wind was showed the door 38 times before being published. Today, even after 75 years of its first edition, it is one of the most sought after classics.

James Baldwin

Baldwin admitted that his publisher first told him to "burn" the book because of the homosexual theme. However, upon publication Giovanni's Room was ranked number 2 on a list of the best 100 novels compiled by The Publishing Triangle in 1999.

As Flavia Weedn rightly put it “If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again.”  ~, Flavia and the Dream Maker, and that’s the learning curve for the writers & writers to-be fraternity.

Don't give up! If your aspirations are to become an eminent writer one day, the journey is not going to be an easy sail through. Their shall be intense struggle involved. But keep up your chin and you might soon be in the list of best selling authors.
- Librarywala



World Book Day 2011

"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers." - Charles W. Eliot (1834 – 1926)

 

 And it is to celebrate the love of books that we celebrate the World Book Day today.

This quote illustrates the importance that books have always held in our lives for a very very long time. They have eternally been a source of knowledge & the most credible medium to pass down information to the future generations. And to peruse this ocean of information, to read, is a wonderful, very intellectual habit in itself.

The connection between 23rd April and books finds its way back in 1995, when UNESCO declared it as the “World Book and Copyright Day” to commemorate the anniversary of the birth and death of  one of the most renowned personalites of English Literaure - William Shakespeare. 

The cultural eye can also trace it back to 1923 when booksellers in Spain marked it so as an ode to the death of Miguel de Cervantes (the  famous Spanish author of Don Quixote’s Adventures).

This became a part of the celebrations of the Saint George's Day  in Catalonia, where men of the medieval era gave roses to their lovers and the women to give a book in exchange. 

Although, the UNESCO declared World Book Day is on the 23rd of April, various countries celebrate this occasion on different days in assorted ways.

Check out the pictures & links to get a glimpse of how colourfully it is rejoiced.

Spain:

To celebrate this day Cervantes' Don Quixote is read during a two-day "readathon" and the Miguel de Cervantes Prize is presented by the King in Alcalá de Henares.

Gozo

The Gozo Public Library celebrated World Book Day for the fourteenth consecutive year, this time.  

To see more events in in Gozo, visit http://gozonews.com/17319/world-book-day-2011-events-celebrated-in-gozo-last-week/     

United Kingdom & Ireland            

Every year various events are organised in schools, bookshops, libraries of UK & Ireland to celebrate World Book Day.  The variety and number are impressive, demonstrating how big the celebrations are all over the country.

   
www.worldbookday.com

India:

The Library Media Centre at Kendriya Vidyalaya Pattom celebrates each  World Book and Copyright Day with colossal events.  There are competitions, author meets & exhibition of books authored by Shakespeare. 

Christopher Morley once said when you give a man a book you don't give just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you give him a whole new life. There's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book.

Librarywala takes this opportunity to celebrate the World Book Day 2010 in a unique way of sorts.  At Librarywala, we plan to spread the joy of reading among the underprivileged by distributing books among them. 

How you can get involved?

http://www.librarywala.com/WEB/BookDonation.aspx

DONATE your old books to the less lucky & put them to good use. We are open to comics, novels, classics - any suitable reading material.                             

Books bring delight which grows manifold when its shared especially with someone who may not have a chance to read if not for you.

Dont forget to tell us how you plan to celebrate this World Book Day. 

- Librarywala

 

And the Pulitzer Prize goes to....

The Washington Post was recently quoted "It's time to welcome a new star in the constellation of great writer-doctors," Days later, this star “new star in the constellation” bagged the Pulitzer Prize, 2011 in the "general non-fiction" category.

It was talking about none other than Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, the Indian–American, who received one of the most coveted awards in the United States for his work - The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
 





For information on Pulitzer 2011 winners,  see  http://www.pulitzer.org/

A Columbia University cancer researcher and a physician, Dr. Mukherjee, embodies his work in a nearly  600-page book that is part history, part memoir, and part the story of cancer research over the last few decades.

The Pulitzer citation called the book, 'An elegant inquiry, at once clinical and personal, into the long history of an insidious disease that, despite treatment breakthroughs, still bedevils medical science.'

 

One reason the book hit the bestseller list is that it talks about such an unusual topic in such an intriguing manner. Also, that many readers know someone who is fighting cancer or has someone in the family who is undergoing treatment for it.



As Mukherjee writes in the first chapter, while describing his initial encounters as a physician with cancer patients  - "Cancer was an all-consuming presence in our lives. It invaded our imaginations; it occupied our memories; it infiltrated every conversation, every thought. And if we, as physicians, found ourselves immersed in cancer, then our patients found their lives virtually obliterated by the disease."

Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee

He also makes a reference to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's novel Cancer Ward : "The diagnosis of cancer-not the disease, but the mere stigma of its presence- becomes a death sentence for Rusanov (the protagonist of cancer-ward).

He looked at cancer from the very early recordings of the disease, some 4000 years ago & thus began to trace the history of cancer from its first recorded description.

All this as he struggled to answer questions from his patients, "Where are we in the war on cancer? How did we get here? What happens next?" A grueling year in a cancer training program left him 'in stunned incoherence.'

The book may not provide any breakthrough in medicine to cure cancer, nor is it any sort of counseling for the cancer patients. But we still hold it in high regard for the mere audacity of the author to write about so tabooed a topic. It definitely provides a deeper understanding of cancer as a disease & thus stems the compassion for the cancer patients.

We give a hats off to the concept & the spirit that it is written in. What about you?