Books and Books and Books

My Books-6: "THE WRECK" by Rabindranath Tagore

2011-11-25T11:57:00.001+05:30

I am slowly convalescing after a month-long illness. During the illness, appetite was lost and I could eat only a little. For a diabetic, loss of appetite could be a real problem. Even normally, the energy conversion rate is very much less and the various systems of the body get only a lesser share of energy and naturally, their functions are impaired. Add to it, loss of appetite. You eat less and as a result even lesser energy. So the natural inclination is lie down all the time. As a corollary, you become easily depressed. I realized that if I had to get out of depression, I should do something I passionately loved. So I decided to take up some books and reads. One of the books was "The Wreck" by Rabindranath Tagore. I had read it when I was in school in abridged version. It was crisp and thoroughly enjoyable. Probably my concentration was on the story and I did not pay much attention to other nuances like style, description etc. Now though I have been possessing this unabridged version for a long time, I did not find time to take it up for reading. It occurred to me now I can read it for style, description and other elements.

Incidentally, this was one of Tagore's very popular novels. It has been made into successful film into many Indian languages including Tamil and Hindi. I had seen the Tamil version; the story was slightly modified to suit Tamilnadu. The Hindi version went by the name, "Ghoongat".

I was not taken. The book provided thoroughly enjoyable reading. I loved the description of the Bengal's waterways from Kolkata to Benares. I thought if somebody had made a mega-serial of the novel, I should love to see it, as I can see the many interesting the places the steamer by which the hero and heroine travel, which stops at some village or the other every night. I tried to visualize these places.

But what I did not like was the climax, which is full of twists and turns and beats some of the notorious Tamil mega-serials I have seen and it tested my patience to a great extent. In spite of it, I should consider it a great work of literature.

I decided to record my feelings and impressions without waiting for anything. Probably with time I may ruminate over the novel, and come up with more comments.

Biography of Rabindranath Tagore from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclomedia.

Memorable Passages-22: from THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (4)

2011-09-26T07:18:00.002+05:30

Strive to love your neighbor actively and indefatigably. In as far as you advance in love you will grow surer of the reality of God and of the immortality of your soul. If you attain to perfect self-forgetfulness in the love of your neighbor, then you will believe without doubt, and no doubt can possibly enter your soul. This has been tried. This is certain - THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky - translated by Constance Garnett

Memorable Passages-21: from THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (3)

2011-09-22T20:52:00.000+05:30

“Are you speaking the truth? Well, now, after such a confession, I believe that you are sincere and good at heart. If you do not attain happiness, always remember that you are on the right road, and try not to leave it. Above all, avoid falsehood, every kind of falsehood, especially falseness to yourself. Watch over your own deceitfulness and look into it every hour, every minute. Avoid being scornful, both to others and to yourself. What seems to you bad within you will grow purer from the very fact of your observing it in yourself. Avoid fear, too, though fear is only the consequence of every sort of falsehood. Never be frightened at your own faint-heartedness in attaining love. Don't be frightened overmuch even at your evil actions - THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky - translated by Constance Garnett

Memorable Passages-20: from THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV (2)

2011-09-21T12:32:00.000+05:30

“It's just the same story as a doctor once told me,” observed the elder. “He was a man getting on in years, and undoubtedly clever. He spoke as frankly as you, though in jest, in bitter jest. ‘I love humanity,’ he said, ‘but I wonder at myself. The more I love humanity in general, the less I love man in particular. In my dreams,’ he said, ‘I have often come to making enthusiastic schemes for the service of humanity, and perhaps I might actually have faced crucifixion if it had been suddenly necessary; and yet I am incapable of living in the same room with any one for two days together, as I know by experience. As soon as any one is near me, his personality disturbs my self-complacency and restricts my freedom. In twenty-four hours I begin to hate the best of men: one because he's too long over his dinner; another because he has a cold and keeps on blowing his nose. I become hostile to people the moment they come close to me. But it has always happened that the more I detest men individually the more ardent becomes my love for humanity” - THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky - translated by Constance Garnett

Memorable Passages-19: from THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV

2011-09-19T10:56:00.002+05:30

Fear nothing and never be afraid; and don't fret. If only your penitence fail not, God will forgive all. There is no sin, and there [pg 051] can be no sin on all the earth, which the Lord will not forgive to the truly repentant! Man cannot commit a sin so great as to exhaust the infinite love of God. Can there be a sin which could exceed the love of God? Think only of repentance, continual repentance, but dismiss fear altogether. Believe that God loves you as you cannot conceive; that He loves you with your sin, in your sin. It has been said of old that over one repentant sinner there is more joy in heaven than over ten righteous men. Go, and fear not. Be not bitter against men. Be not angry if you are wronged. Forgive the dead man in your heart what wrong he did you. Be reconciled with him in truth. If you are penitent, you love. And if you love you are of God. All things are atoned for, all things are saved by love. If I, a sinner, even as you are, am tender with you and have pity on you, how much more will God. Love is such a priceless treasure that you can redeem the whole world by it, and expiate not only your own sins but the sins of others - THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky - translated by Constance Garnett.

My Books-5: "The Christ We Adore" by Swami Ranganathananda

2011-09-05T14:55:00.001+05:30

This is actually a booklet, a great one. The swamiji, who was a President of the Ramakrishna Maths and Mission and who lived up to almost 100 years, was a world-renowned scholar. He provides some deep sights into the words of the Bible. For example, 'Love thy neighbour as thyself'; because at the core of being, you and your neighbour are not different and when you hurt your neighbour you are hurting yourself. So when you love your neighbour, you are loving yourself. It is also a good book teaching Religious Tolerance and Universal Love.

My Books-4: "Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World" by Louis Fischer

2011-09-04T08:03:00.002+05:30

Gandhiji is a great hero and role model for me. After reading his Experiment with Truth, I picked up six sets of maxims to follow. They are:

Truthfulness in Thought, Word and Deed

Non-Violence in Thought, Word and Deed

Universal Love

Simple Living and High Thinking

Non-covetousness and Non-possessiveness

Selfless Life and Selfless Service

It has not been easy for me and I have not progressed much, still I keep these maxims are guiding lights of my life and my brother, Nellaiappan, has also taken up these for his life guidance.

Now, in this book on Gandhiji, by Louis Fisher, you can a lot of insights into the life of Gandhiji. In the coming days, I shall record some of these.

Quotes on Books-4:

2011-08-01T08:15:00.002+05:30

From your parents you learn love and laughter and how to put one foot before the other. But when books are opened you discover that you have wings - Helen Hayes

Videos to Watch-7: The Lost Books Of The Bible

2010-11-27T07:43:00.000+05:30

Grateful thanks to YAHsLioness3 and YouTube.

Videos to Watch-6: TOP 100 Books Best-Sellers for 2009

2010-11-11T10:56:00.000+05:30

Grateful thanks to bookatalog and YouTube.

Videos to Watch-5: 1001 books you must read before you die

2010-11-10T19:13:00.000+05:30

Grateful thanks to Tem20 and YouTube.

Greetings

2010-11-05T06:45:00.003+05:30

Happy Diwali to all!

Videos to Watch-4: Books, Before and Beyond: Publishing in the 21st Century

2010-11-02T18:00:00.002+05:30

Grateful thanks to the LibraryofCongress and YouTube.

Videos to Watch-3: 100 GREAT LIVES (rare books ep.10)

2010-10-29T07:25:00.002+05:30

Grateful thanks to KFCRIS and YouTube.

Interview-7: Jorge Luis Borges

2010-10-27T20:03:00.001+05:30

For a detailed article on Jorge Luis Borges from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borges

Grateful thanks to Spindlework, YouTube and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Videos to Watch-2: 12 Books That Changed The World - Melvyn Bragg Audio Book

2010-10-25T20:16:00.000+05:30

Grateful thanks to audiobookone and YouTube.

Quotes on Books-3:

2010-10-21T16:47:00.002+05:30

The proper study of man is books - Aldous Huxley

Interview-6: Eudora Welty's "A Worn Path" (interview with author)

2010-10-19T10:29:00.000+05:30

Grateful thanks to Shakespeareandmore, Eudora Welty, Beth Henley and YouTube.

Interview-5: Interview with 2006 Nobel Laureate in Literature Orhan Pamuk

2010-10-16T17:47:00.000+05:30

Grateful thanks to Orhan Pamuk, thenobelprize and YouTube.

Quotes on Books-2:

2010-05-09T20:56:00.001+05:30

Reading old good books is like having a conversation with the finest minds of the past – Dale Carnegie

Quotes on Books-1:

2010-04-27T07:07:00.002+05:30

A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit – John Milton

Book News-30: Lost Booker Prize

2010-03-29T17:24:00.004+05:30

40 years after they missed out on Britain's top prize, the Booker, six writers get another chance at literary glory.

As you may be aware, the Booker Prize is open to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth.

The finalists of the 'Lost' category are:

1. Patrick White's, "The Vivisector"
2. J.G.Farrell's, "Troubles"
3. Mary Renault's, "Fire from Heaven"
4. Nina Bawden's, "The Birds on the Trees"
5. Shirley Hazzard's, "The Bay of Noon" and
6. Muriel Spark's, "The Driver's Seat"

Of the finalists, only Hazzard and Bawden are still alive, but all the books are still in print.

Excerpt from The Hindu, Trichy, of March 27, 2010.

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and AP.

Videos to Watch-1: "The Seven Books that changed My Life" by Suhail Algosaibi - Part I

2010-02-13T13:33:00.001+05:30

Grateful thanks to Suhail Algosaibi, Stephen Covey and YouTube.

My Books-3: "Talks on the Gita" by Acharya Vinoba Bhave

2010-01-19T17:15:00.003+05:30

I bought this great book at the Gandhi Museum, Madurai. Then I met Mr.Devadas Gandhi, who has dedicated his life to Gandhian way of life, teaching yoga and naturopathy. Then he introduced to a worker from Paunar. She very kindly signed the book for me. Unfortunately, I have not recorded the date of purchase and other details.

No spiritual aspirant should miss this book. Vinobaji's lucid commentaries on the Gita are simply wonderful and very easy to understand.

I am reproducing a few passages from the book:

...
...taking into consideration both the beginning and the end of the Gita, it is clear that the removal of delusion is its central message. This is the purpose of the Gita, as well as of the whole of the Mahabharata. Vyasa had said, right at the beginning of the Mahabharata, that he was lighting this lamp of history to dispel delusions in the minds of the people.

This introduction to Arjuna's conditions helps us greatly in understanding the rest of the Gita. We should be grateful for this. It also helps us in another way. It reveals Arjuna's straight-forwardness and honesty. The world 'Arjuna', in fact, means one who is honest and straightforward in nature. He opened out his heart before Krishna, laid bare before Him all that he felt and thought. He hid nothing from Him and ultimately surrendered to Him totally. In fact, he was already his devotee. When he made Krishna his charioteer and entrusted to Him the reins of his horses, he had got ready to give into His hands the reins of his mind also. Let us do likewise. Let us not think that, unlike Arjuna, we do not have Krishna to guide us. Let us not get caught in the fallacy that Krishna was an historical person. Everybody has Krishna residing in his heart as the indwelling Self. He is nearer to us than the nearest. Let us bare our heart, with all its impurities and weaknesses, before Him and say, "O Lord! I take refuge in you. You are my sole guide, my master. Show me the right path and I shall follow it." If we do so, Arjuna's charioteer will be our charioteer too. We shall hear the Gita from His own lips and He will leads to victory.

Excerpt from TALKS ON THE GITA by Vinobaji (2005 - Published by Paramdham Prakashan, Paunar).

Humble prostrations at the holy feet of Vinobaji and grateful thanks to Paramdham Prakashan.

Book of the day-8:

2010-01-13T19:49:00.004+05:30

Swami Vivekananda was born on January 12, 1863 in Calcutta and attained 'mahasamadhi' on July 4, 1902.

To understand the impact of his powerful life, I am reproducing a wonderful passage from the great book, "Eternal Values for A Changing Society" by Srimat Swami Ranganathanandaji Maharaj (Published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai):

The Intensity of Vivekananda's Brief Life

"Swami Vivekananda's span of earthly life was hardly forty years, but within this short period, he lived an intense life, first as a student in school and college, then as the foremost disciple of his great Master, Sri Ramakrishna, then as a wanderer across the length and breadth of India, and lastly as the spiritual teacher of West and East. His public teaching commenced with his speeches at the World's Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893; and he passed away on 4 July 1902. He spent four intense years in the United States and England, and five equally intense years in India delivering his message of a universal and practical spirituality, and setting in motion a movement as an effective conduit for the furtherance of his message.

Everywhere, he taught man to realize his divine heritage. The innate divinity of man was the constant theme of his teachings. This teaching cuts across all divisions based on political or religious affiliations. Its assimilation by man will make for a character at once deep and broad. He held that spirituality was the core of every religion; dogmatic exclusiveness and intolerance are no part of true religion. The more spiritual a man, the more universal he is. He held that the modern age stood in urgent need of this education from religion, by which men will learn to make their love of God flow into the love and service of all men. He worked hard to give this spiritual orientation to the world's religions, so that they may be transformed into wholly constructive forces and become capable of redeeming modern man from his inner impoverishment in the context of external enrichment".

I am also furnishing links to some great books related to him:

Full text of the book, Vivekananda, A Biography by Swami Nikhilananda:
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda_biography/vivekananda_biography.htm

Full Text of the book, Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda:
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/reminiscences/reminiscences_of_sv.htm

Full Text of the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (9 Volumes):
http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/complete_works.htm

Grateful thanks to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math; Advaita Ashrama; and Ramakrishna Vivekananda.info.

My Books-2: "A Better India, A Better World" by N R Narayana Murty

2010-01-07T09:50:00.002+05:30

Yet another book bought at Moore Market, Chennai, during one of my visits to Chennai. N.R.Narayana Murty is one of my heroes. When I saw his name on the book, without hesitation, I bought it. It is a great, inspiring book. Contains his wonderful lectures delivered at various places, covering important topics.

His incisive thoughts, lucid style and brilliant ideas are contained in this book. My admiration for him has been growing with every lecture. It is a book that should be read by every Indian. Our Prime Minister's comments on this book are worth reproducing:

"Narayana Murty is a Role Model for millions of Indians, an iconic figure in the country. He is widely respected and looked up to not only for his business leadership but also for his ethics and personal conduct. He represents the Face of the New Resurgent India to the world. I am sure this collection of his speeches will inform, inspire and guide many in the years to come." - Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India.

Let me also reproduce the views of Bill Gates:

"Narayana Murty overcame many obstacles and demonstrated that it is possible to create a world-class, value-driven company in India. Through his vision and leadership, Murty sparked a wave of innovation and entrepreneurship that changed the way we view ourselves and how the world views India. In this collection of his speeches, he delivers a timely message about the importance of values and leadership in business."

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T06:21:00.000+05:30

Wish You All

a Happy, Prosperous and Purposeful 2010!

- Suri

My Books-1: "The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga

2009-12-21T13:31:00.009+05:30

After my retirement, I slowly started weeding out my books. This is as a result of the realization that some of the books were simply dying out, becoming a prey to silverfish and other tiny insects. Further, I realized that I may never open some of these books and so thought either they had to be weeded out or the ones in good condition to be gifted to friends and relatives, who would love receiving them.

Even after all these, I still have about 3000 books. I find it difficult to part with most of them.

Then I thought at least I should write about them in my blog - at random. Where to begin or with what to begin, was a difficult decision. So finally I have decided to select the books at random.

The first book that has come into my hands on random selection is 'The White Tiger' by Aravind Adiga. I bought this book during one of my visits to Chennai at Moore Market and have completed reading it on March 22, 2009. (I have this habit of signing on the last page with date when I finish a book). Sometimes I record the date and place where I bought a book with its price. In this book there is no such entry. I must have forgotten to record them.

The White Tiger is a debut novel of Aravind Adiga and it won him the Man Booker Prize in 2008. It is a tale of Balram Halwai, the son of a rickshaw-puller from a remote village and his life's journey upward. The disturbing element in the story is Halwai gets away with a murder and goes scot free. "Truth alone triumphs or falsehood and evil always lose; however clever may be the perpetrator of evil gets caught and punished at the end". This is what I have been taught and novels highlight this truth. Nowadays books like The White Tiger, probably reflecting the times, end with the evil-doer or wrong-doer going scot free. All these things happen in 'Kali Yug'. The other book that follows this type of thinking I have read is Paulo Coelho's 'The Winner Stands Alone'. For old fashioned people like me this trend is extremely disturbing.

Otherwise, the narration flows freely and holds one attention. It has been reviewed and discussed widely and has won name and fame for author. As such my writing anything further would only be superfluous.

For an article on The White Tiger from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Tiger

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

New Books-20: "The Charm of Mayavati Ashrama"

2009-12-18T09:38:00.005+05:30

"Shades of Green", excerpt from the book 'Whole Earth Discipline" by courtesy of Conservation Magazine

2009-11-29T07:34:00.005+05:30

To read an excerpt from the book, 'Whole Earth Discipline' by Stewart Brand, by courtesy of Conservation Magazine, click the URL underlined below:

Introduction to the excerpt from Conservation Magazine:

An icon of the environmental and counterculture movements of the 1960s, Stewart Brand created and edited The Whole Earth Catalog (1968–1985). Since then, he has cofounded the Global Business Network, The Long Now Foundation, and the All Species Foundation. Here, we offer you a small taste of his latest book, Whole Earth Discipline - (reproduced from Conservation Magazine).

Conservation Magazine » Blog Archive » Shades of Green

Posted using ShareThis

Grateful thanks to Stewart Brand, Conservation Magazine and ShareThis.

Book Reviews by Judy Wexler from Conservation Magazine » Blog Archive » Book Reviews, Fall 2009

2009-11-29T07:31:00.006+05:30

Book Reviews by Judy Wexler from Conservation Magazine.

Books Reviewed:

1. Elephants on the Edge
What Animals Teach Us about Humanity
By G.A. Bradshaw
Yale University Press, 2009

2. Hope for Animals and Their World
How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink
By Jane Goodall with Thane Maynard and Gail Hudson Grand Central Publishing, 2009

3. No Impact Man
The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process
By Colin Beavan
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009

4. The Jaguar’s Shadow
Searching for a Mythic Cat
By Richard Mahler
Yale University Press, September 2009

5. Climate Change:
Picturing the Science
By Gavin Schmidt and Joshua Wolfe
W.W. Norton, 2009

6. Nature’s Ghosts
Confronting Extinction from the Age of Jefferson to the Age of Ecology
By Mark V. Barrow, Jr.
University of Chicago Press, 2009

7. Extinction in our Times
Global Amphibian Decline
By James P Collins and Martha L.Crump
Oxford University Press, 2009

For reading reviews of all the abov ebooks just click below:

Conservation Magazine » Blog Archive » Book Reviews, Fall 2009

Posted using ShareThis

Grateful thanks to Judy Wexler, Conservation Magazine and ShareThis.

Daily Reads-2: November 19, 2009

2009-11-19T20:29:00.003+05:30

Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda - Volume VII

Though this book is in my Daily Reads collection, I find I am not actually read it daily - so many distractions, disturbances and demands on my time. What to do! However, today I could read it. I generally read only a page or two and savour what I have read.

From today's reading, the following passage impressed me most and hence I am excerpting it here.

"The greatest sin is to think yourself weak. No one is greater: realise you are Brahman. ... Stand up and say, I am the master, the master of all. We forge the chain, and we alone can break it."

Daily Reads-1: October 24, 2009

2009-10-25T19:19:00.008+05:30

1. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by Mahendranath Gupta -
(A beautiful translation from Bengali by Swami Nikhilananda - Published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai)

My Bible. Though read several times, reading again daily at the rate of one or two pages a day. Hence it occupies a special place on my table. It is a present from my dear friend, Dr.R.Janakiraman. He has very kindly inscribed the book for me. It reads: "To Suri, with Love, Signed R.Janakiraman, 07.07.1990.

Nearly for seven or eight years, it was just gathering dust in my bookshelf. A time came when I was going through a very miserable period in my life, somehow I sought out the book and started reading. It acted like a balm and changed the course of my life completely.

Read today pages 325-326. They contain some useful guidance for householders from Sri Guru Maharaj himself:

"Master: It is extremely difficult to practise spiritual discipline and at the same time lead a householder's life. There are many handicaps: disease, grief, poverty, misunderstanding with one's wife, and disobedient, stupid, and stubborn children. I don't have to give you a list of them.

But still there is a way out. One should pray to God, going now and then into solitude, and make efforts to realize Him."

Neighbour: "Must one leave home then?"

Master: "No, not altogether. Whenever you have leisure, go into solitude for a day or two. At that time don't have any relations with the outside world and don't hold any conversation with worldly people on worldly affairs. You must live either in solitude or in the company of holy men."

Probably based on the views of the Master only, nowadays 'Andar Yogam' programs are conducted in the various branches of the Math. I did attend 'Andar Yogam' consecutively for three years at the Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamil Nadu. These 3-day Andar Yogams were conducted just after Sri Ramakrishna Jayanthi. They were unforgettable experiences and will remain ever green in my memory. They made my journey on the spiritual path a little easier.

Actually 'Andar Yogams' are conducted on a regular basis at Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Tirupparaithurai. In case you are interested, you can write to them or get a copy of 'Dharma Chakram', the Tamil monthly, published by them.

Diwali Greetings!

2009-10-17T08:10:00.001+05:30

HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL OF YOU!

With Love

Suri

"Books I have Loved" by OSHO

2009-09-24T16:51:00.001+05:30

OSHO: "To me a book is not just a book, it is a love affair... I have loved reading from my very childhood. My own personal library consisted of one hundred fifty thousand rare books of all the religions..."

Grateful thanks to OSHO International and YouTube.

'Life after Death' by Deepak Chopra

2009-09-03T17:00:00.001+05:30

Grateful thanks to Dr Deepak Chopra and YouTube.

Jesus: Story of Enlightenment by Dr Deepak Chopra

2009-08-27T07:46:00.004+05:30

'New Realities' with Alan Steinfeld interviews Deepak Chopra about his most recent book - JESUS: A Story of Enlightenment.

Dr Deepak Chopra never ceases to amaze me by his breadth of vision, depth of knowledge , benevolent heart and universal thinking. This video interview reinforces my belief that he is one of the greatest thinkers, writers and speakers of the present-day. In this interview, he tells he is planning to write more books in this 'Story of Enlightenment' series, which is a joyous news.

Grateful thanks to Dr Deepak Chopra, Alan Steinfeld, 'New Realities' and YouTube.

The Third Jesus by Dr Deepak Chopra

2009-08-25T13:39:00.001+05:30

Websites to Watch-1: The Pulitzer Prizes Website

2009-08-24T09:11:00.004+05:30

Booklovers eagerly look forward to know the Pulitzer Prize Winner every year. To be included in the short list for the Prize itself is considered to be an honour that is, next to the Nobel Prize. It is the Fiction Category that catches the eye of every booklover. But what many generally don't know is Pulitzer Prize is awarded to 14 categories of newspaper journalism, besides other categories like Musical composition, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Drama etc. The Pulitzer Prizes were instituted to honour excellence in Journalism and Arts since 1917. The awards are presented by the Columbia University, USA distinguished work by an American author, preferably dealing with American life.

To get to know some great books by contemporary writers, a visit to this site is very helpful. There is a lot more to learn.

http://www.pulitzer.org/

For example, for the year 2009, the Pulitzer for Fiction has been awarded to Elizabeth Strout (Random House), for her book “Olive Kitteridge”. As it is mentioned in the site, this book is "a collection of 13 short stories set in small-town Maine that packs a cumulative emotional wallop, bound together by polished prose and by Olive, the title character, blunt, flawed and fascinating".

Some other famous winners of the Pulitzer for Fiction are: James A.Michener, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, Norman Mailer, John Updike, John Cheever,Toni Morrison and Jhumpa Lahiri.

Also read "Pulitzer Prize" and "Pulitzer Prize for Fiction" in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize_for_Fiction

Grateful thanks to The Pulitzer Prize Website and Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.

My Scrapbook-1: "I become a member of World Public Library"

2009-06-17T21:19:00.003+05:30

Today is a happy and memorable day for me. I became a member of World Public Library and have started downloading books which I love. Without any planning or thought, it just happened today. Of course, I knew long back that one could become a member of World Public Library and thus get the benefit of accessing 5,00,000 books. All one has to do is pay $ 8.95. But somehow it seemed to be out of my grasp.

Today, thanks to my friends Dr.V.Sundaram, who provided his credit card and Dr.S.Malaikkani, who advanced the money, within minutes I became a member. It was so easy. For one full year, I will have the right to download whatever books I love/like from their collection.

On perusing the catalogs and collections of WPL, I found Project Madurai, which is a treasure trove of classic Tamil literature, Bhakti literature and some modern short stories and novels too. Most of the afternoon was spent in downloading selected books of my choice. I realize now compared to the wonderful opportunity to download and read some great books, the payment involved is almost nothing.

Further, there is another added attraction. Members get free access to more 20 lakh books of World eBook Fair Collection from July 4 to August 4, 2009.

So I am very happy today. I intend to spend a few hours daily at their site downloading the books of my choice. If you are a booklover like me, why don't you also become a member of WPL?

Hope I will have matter to post in this blog more frequently now. I look forward to it.

Reminiscences-1: "Love of Books"

2009-05-06T10:16:00.005+05:30

Lives of the great always fascinate me. I have a good collection of biographies, autobiographies and memoirs. Notwithstanding, I would borrow books from various libraries on the subject to read. At one time, I was a member of Madurai Kamaraj University Library and had three cards to borrow books. As if that is not enough, I enrolled a friend of mine as a member of that library and thus increased the number of cards available for borrowing books to six. Those days the university library used to 8 am to 8 pm all the 365 days of the year. I would go there on a holiday with an empty suitcase. Select 6 bulky volumes covering the above three categories and return home carrying them in my suitcase. In retrospect, I am surprised at my own zest for reading and quest for knowledge. For it meant, taking 6 buses: Home to Karaikudi Bus-stand by town bus; Karaikudi to Madurai by moffusil bus; Madurai Bus-stand to University Library by city bus and then the same in reverse order.

All that zest and quest have been diminishing with the passing of years. My dreams ("impossible and impracticable dreams", my wife would call them) have also started fading after bumping into reality regularly and repeatedly. However, I am glad to inform you that my dreams have not been totally destroyed. Still there is some ray of hope in far corner of my heart.

Nowadays I am more inclined towards spirituality, biography slowly receding into the background. (My son says that is because at last I have accepted the fact that I would be me, notwithstanding reading any number of lives of the great). So be it.

My collection of books amounting to about 3000 has been posing space and health problems. My wife reasons with me: "How many years more are you going to live? Do you really believe you will ever be able to read all the books in your lifetime? As the books collect dust and cause allergic disorders, why not be reasonable and keep only the most cherished books, getting rid of the others?" I had to yield and have started the painful process of decluttering. So far I have got rid of about 1000 books. Then I realized I nearly had a mountain of newspaper and magazine clipping, besides xerox copies of some of my choicest collection. They are even more difficult to sort out and dispose of.

I shall keep you informed how fare in this difficult task. Thank you.

Book News-28: Book turns Bestseller - "Open Veins of Latin America"

2009-04-24T15:45:00.002+05:30

Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent by Uruguayan writer, Eduardo Galeano
A Passionate account of Latin American History

One of the biggest winners at the ongoing fifth Summit of the Americas turned out to be a decades-old book about Latin America's colonial past.

The "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent" by Uruguayan writer, Eduardo Galeano rocketed to bestseller status on Saturday night (April 18, 2009) on the online bookstore Amazon.com after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez handed him a copy of the book to U.S.President Barack Obama on Saturday. Mr.Chavez and Mr.Obama were in Port of Spain to attend the three-day summit between April 17 and 19. The copy had a Chavez handwritten dedicatory that stated: "Para Obama con afecto" - To Obama with affection).

The publicity about the gift helped propel its English version from relative obscurity to No.10 on the Amazon.com list of bestsellers. The book also topped Amazon's "Movers and Shakers", a list of the biggest gainers in its book sales rank over 24 hours. After receiving the gift, Mr Obama jokingly said he thought it was a book written by Mr.Chavez.

First published in 1971 and reissued in several new editions since then, the book is called by one reviewer as a "passionate account of 500 years of Latin American history, written with drama, humour, and compassion." - Xinhua.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, April 20, 2009.

Grateful thanks to Xinhua and The Hindu, India's National Newspaper.

Book News-27: "Man Booker International race hots up"

2009-03-24T14:20:00.001+05:30

Mahasweta Devi and V.S.Naipaul are among the 14 writers from 12 countries who are in the running for this year's Man Booker International Prize.

The Pounds 60,000 award, instituted in 2004, is different from the annual and better-known Man Booker Prize. This one recognizes a writer's lifetime achievement rather than judging him or her on the basis of the latest work. It is given every two years to a writer who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is generally available in translation in English.

The previous two winners of the award are the Albanian writer Ismail Kadare and the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe. Kadare won the inaugural one in 2005. This year's contenders were chosen by a panel of judges that included Amit Chaudhuri.

Announcing the list of contenders, who include the Peruvian novelist Mario Vegas Llosa, the chair of judges Jane Smiley - herself a Pulitzer winner - described it as a "rare combination" of some of the world's best writers.

She said: "Judging the Man Booker International Prize has made us all aware of how unusual and astonishing the literary world really is. We have all read books by authors we had never heard of before and they have turned out to be some of the best books we have ever read. I am thrilled with the list we have come up with. It makes me wonder who else is out there untranslated into English. Some of the best writers in the world have come together on this judges list regardless of celebrity or commercial success."

The other contenders are Peter Carey, Evan S.Connel, E.L.Doctorow, James Kelman, Arnost Lustig, Alice Munro, Joyce Carol Oates, Antionio Tabucchi, Ngugi WaThiong'O, Dubravka Ugresic and Ludmila Ulitskaya.

The winner will be announced in May 2009 and the award given in June.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, March 20, 2009.

Grateful thanks to The Hindu, National Newspaper of India.

Book News-26: "More books for Sony e-book Reader"

2009-03-24T14:06:00.004+05:30

Google is making half a million non-copyrighted books available for free on Sony's electronic book-reading device.

It is the first time that Google has made its vast trove of scanned public-domain books available to an e-book device. It thus vaults the Sony Reader past Amazon.com's Kindle as the device with the largest available library, at about 600,000 books.

The scanned books were all published before 1923, and include Charles Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities' and non-fiction classics including Herodotus' The Histories.

The books are already available as free downloads in the Portable Document Format (PDF), which works well on computer screens but not on e-book readers. Google will provide the books to the Sony Reader in the EPUB (electronic publication) format, which lets the lines flow differently to fit a smaller screen.

A Google spokeswoman said the company wants to make the books available as widely as possible.

"Really our vision is: any book, anywhere, any time and on any device. We want to partner with anybody who shares our vision of making them more accessible."

The publishing industry has more or less united on EPUB for e-book distribution, but Amazon uses its own format for the Kindle. However, unencrypted EPUB files can be converted to a format readable by the Kindle using PC software.

Unlike the Sony Reader, the $359 Kindle has a wireless connection directly to its e-book store, which has more than 245,000 titles.

To get books on to the Reader, the user first downloads them from Sony's website using a computer, then connects the Reader to the computer.

There are two models of the Reader, priced at $300 and $350. - AP

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, March 20, 2009.

Grateful thanks to AP and The Hindu, India's National Newspaper.

TED Talk-1: "A digital library, free to the world" by Brewster Kahle (An Audio-Visual Presentation from TED: Ideas Worth Spreading)

2009-03-17T15:59:00.001+05:30

New Books-17: "Glimpses of a Great Soul"

2009-02-27T13:28:00.002+05:30

New Books-16: "Holy Mother" by Swami Nikhilananda

2009-02-27T12:31:00.003+05:30

New Books-16: "Man in Search of Immortality"

2009-02-27T12:21:00.001+05:30

New Books-15: "Life in Indian Monasteries"

2009-02-27T12:18:00.003+05:30

How To-52: "How to Find Free eBooks"

2009-02-26T17:06:00.000+05:30

How to Find Free eBooks

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Some people who love books lack the storage space or the cash to build a real world class collection of books, but there are a lot of resources out there to help readers out.

Steps

Develop a wish list of books you hope to locate electronically.
Go to 'Project Gutenberg'[1]. It is a very good source for books, offering books whose copyrights have expired.
Download the Project Gutenberg list of books. It will open in notepad.
Use the search tool and key in the name of the book. Remember, notepad can only search up to down, not down to up! Don't get discouraged. Gutenberg doesn't only have old books. You can find P.G. Wodehouse, Jane Austen, and all sorts of classics.
Visit FreeBookSearch to search all of the major digital libraries and books sites with one search.
Visit Archive.org. (Also known as "The Wayback Machine") you need to search for old URLs - The Internet Archive does not do keyword searches.
Download a p2p networking program for newly released books, such as bearshare, ares, limewire, Bit Torrent, eMule etc. and search and download your desired books.
Browse the web page of your local public library[2]. Many public library systems now offer online electronic books or electronic audio books that you can listen to in MP3 format. While you can't always keep the book forever, you can at least keep it long enough to read/listen to it.
Check out Children's Books Online for classic old children books. It's free, it's legal, and it's a great cause.
To find Audiobooks (Books on Tape, etc.), try an AudioBook Search.
If you are looking for self help ebooks (books on self improvement or self growth), try SelfMadeEasy.com They have a rotating selection of books that people can download for free.
Here are some additional links to find free book downloads
GetFreeEbooks.com
Ebook88.com
eBookPalace.com
Free-eBooks.net
Virtual-ebooks.com
eBookDirectory.com
eBooked.co.uk

Tips

Use of Project Gutenberg can be somewhat tedious and tiring because a massive selection of books are available, and if you are not searching for something specific you may find the database somewhat daunting. But the database is a zipped, downloadable file, so you can look through it at your convenience.

Warnings

File sharing networks may have file names written wrong. So be sure of what you are downloading.
Using P2P programs carry a certain amount of risk in their use. Keep that in mind.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

↑ http://www.gutenberg.org

↑ http://www.publiclibraries.com

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Find Free eBooks. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-51: "How to Read the Classics"

2009-02-26T17:02:00.000+05:30

How to Read the Classics

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Reading classic novels and other works in school is often difficult when working with a time limit. Here are some helpful tips to fully understand the novel/work of literature as well as getting its full meaning.

Steps

Read up on the author (where they lived, what happened in their life that is significant, family information, etc.). Make sure to take notes and don't forget to make a working bibliography!
Obtain a brief overview of the work of literature so you know its main idea. This way, you can spend more time while reading the novel looking for symbolism, imagery, allusions, foreshadowing, etc.
Read the novel. After each chapter write down key information about the plot, characters, and figurative language. After you're done with the novel of make a list of the characters in detail. Since you have already read it, you should have a great understanding of the characters.
Look up any literature critiques on the work. By getting someone else's opinion through a critique, you can obtain a better analysis of the book.

Tips

It helps to keep a notebook for each novel. This way, you can have all of your information for that novel in one place.
Always make a bibliography! When you write down any information from a source, make sure to add that source to your list of bibliographies. In doing this, you will always have a list of the exact sources you visited to refer back to.
Don't forget to reflect on what you've read throughout the work. If you wait until the end, you risk forgetting what happened.
Remember that classics are hard to understand for most people. Just take your time and you will get it! Good luck!
Circle words you don't understand and look them up in a dictionary. Even if you believe you know the definition, it doesn't hurt to double check.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Read the Classics. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-51: "How to Start a Roald Dahl Fan Club"

2009-02-26T16:58:00.001+05:30

How to Start a Roald Dahl Fan Club

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Do you love Roald Dahl's books? Does his life interest and inspire you? If so than start a Roald Dahl fan club?

Steps

Gather some friends together that like Roald Dahl too and decide who'll be leader.
Find yourself a notebook and write done some basic things about the fan club.
Now that you have started a club, you can do all sorts of things related to Roald Dahl (For example, Read his books, find out about him, write book reviews etc).

Tips

Wear yellow clothing because it was his favourite colour
You could start a website for your club

Warnings

Ask parental permission before starting a club or making a website.

Things You'll Need

Yellow clothing (Optional)
Notebook
Roald Dahl books
Writing equiptment
Website creator (Optional)

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Start a Roald Dahl Fan Club. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-50: "How to Read Shakespeare - For Beginners"

2009-02-26T16:53:00.001+05:30

How to Read Shakespeare for Beginners

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Reading Shakespeare can initially be a confusing and frustrating experience, especially since most of us find little emotional connection with poetry written 400 years ago. But with a little common sense and a few general guidelines, you'll be equipped to expertly communicate the political backdrops and emotional motivations of "Hamlet" in no time. With the right tools, the process can be incredibly rewarding and you can always pride yourself in the knowledge that you now possess an understanding of some of the most successful theatrical sensations to have ever been written. You can even impress your dates by dropping in a few appropriate quotations here and there.

Steps

Decide on a play. It is generally helpful to choose a play that is highly popular. Reading "King Lear," for instance, can give you greater motivation to understand the text than reading "The Merry Wives of Windsor." It is also helpful to choose a play with themes in which you are interested. Does a tale of "star-crossed lovers" appeal to you? Then "Romeo and Juliet" is right up your alley. Remember that understanding Shakespeare can be a tiring experience for the novice and can easily discourage readers. Most editions will have a brief synopsis printed on the back cover. If the play sounds intriguing, it might make for a good selection.
Choose a good edition. There are several to choose from. The textual differences are generally minute, but they will differ drastically in their explanation of the text. The Arden is highly regarded as being the most detail oriented edition and providing the most historical information pertaining to the play. The New Folger Library edition, if it is available is a nice choice, as are the Spark notes treatments.. Each page of text provides simple notes and explanations on the opposite side to give you a more accessible understanding of the language.
Find a synopsis. This might sound like cheating, but is highly valuable to understanding the play. If you possess the New Folger Library edition, a synopsis is provided before each scene. They are written to provide just enough information. Read it. You will then be able to match each character's lines with your understanding of the plot. In addition, because you are not burdened with the effort of "figuring it out," you will be more receptive to the nuances of language and character. Remember, it is difficult to appreciate anything when you have a puzzled look on your face.
Read the play out loud. Shakespeare's plays were meant to be performed. Do not fall into the trap of intellectualizing the material before you've had a chance to experience it. The reason Shakespeare's works have survived for as long as they have and with such popularity is because we, as an audience, have understood the connection with the human experience. Read aloud. Have fun and act it out if you can. Make it a living experience. You will then reach an understanding that is far greater than what any scholar can say about the subject. You will also have more fun.
Attend the play. Or watch the movie. After you've finished reading it, of course! It can be a real treat to see a performance of the piece once you've already imagined it in your head. How does the performance compare with your perceptions of the play? Was there something the actor provided that you did not consider? Was there something you would have done differently? Generally speaking, having read the play makes you a much better audience member as you are not struggling to understand the words. If you have finished reading one of Shakespeare's more popular plays as prescribed above, there is a very good chance it is currently in live production or has been produced into a film, often several times.

Tips

Many of the Bard's plays are now available for listening on CD, audio tape or iPod download. Listening to these may help you become familiarized with the language and make it easier for you to do the reading.
A basic rundown of some of Shakespeare's more popular plays:

Romeo and Juliet Romance Tragedy. A tale of star-crossed lovers. One of the simpler plays due to its straight plot structure, highly recommended for the beginner, but if romance isn't your thing, you may want to put it off until later. Highlight: Mercutio's death speech alone is well worth the cost of admission.
Twelfth Night Romantic Comedy. A woman cross-dresses in order to fit into a male-dominated career (which was, well, all of them, at Shakespeare's time) and falls in love, causing confusion and hijinks to occur.
Taming of the Shrew Romantic Comedy. A rather temperamental woman is "domesticated" by the man who becomes her husband. Warning: May insult modern sensibilities.
Richard III Historical. Full of murder, insanity and a strive for power. A bit more advanced but well worth the effort since so much is going on. Highlight: The conversation between the pair of assassins who go after Richard III's brother (who is in jail at the time).
The Tempest Fantasy. A Shakespearian equivalent to "Lost" or "Survivor" with a bit of wizardry tossed in for fun.
A Midsummer's Night's Dream Fantasy. Fauns, and pixies and magical creatures galore.
Macbeth Tragedy. A Scottish warrior meets a trio of witches who prophesize that he will become king. He tells his wife, who urges him on in his quest to become king. He quickly becomes obsessed, and blood shed and betrayal ensues.

Sometimes, when you are unfamiliar with Shakespeare, you find yourself reading a bunch of lines and have no idea what is being said, what's going on, or even what has happened. The best way to remedy this is to just keep reading. Eventually (even if you are already halfway) you will find that suddenly you can read the script! It just means that you are a beginner, and don't worry if you have trouble understanding. It will come.

Warnings

"Shakespeare Made Easy." Is a book in which Shakespeare's plays have been translated into modern vernacular. Each page of text is paraphrased into easily understood sentences on the facing page. Although a nice idea to help make Shakespeare more accessible to the masses, this edition is not recommended. Most people who pick up this edition end up only reading the "modern" text and completely ignoring the original writing.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Google Shakespeare

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Read Shakespeare for Beginners. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-49: "How to Start an Author Fan Club"

2009-02-26T16:44:00.001+05:30

How to Start an Author Fan Club

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Sometimes one writer can amaze you so much you want to start a fan club for him or her. Although some, such as J.K. Rowling or C. S. Lewis, are indeed 'stars' and probably have fan clubs already, what if you want to start one for an author of less renown?

Steps

Get together a few friends, especially those you are really close with. See if they have read the author's books yet. If they have, great. If they haven't, loan them yours and see if they like them.
Contact your first 'members' and see if they'd be interested in meeting for a discussion. It doesn't need to be many people, actually 4-6 might do for a primary fan club. If you want to aim for something fancy, get your parents to help you make laminated 'membership cards', make fan club t-shirts, or publish your own website/newsletter.
Find a place to meet. It could merely be a room of one of the members or a local park. Anywhere where you can discuss this author's fantastic writing style and have a snack while you pour over her/his latest book.
Build a network. If you plan for something bigger, try doing blogrings (Xanga etc.) on the net. There you can meet people all around the world, and you can be joined to people by your special bond!
Consider including an adult. This might be a parent, a librarian or an elderly grandmother who loves the writing as much as you do. You can get her to supervise meetings once you get more members.

Tips

Don't create a fan club for authors that you craze about only for 3 seconds. Create a club for a writer you really respect and admire, because for a successful fan club, time strengthens the members' bonds.
Make a logo! That way you can create a special "secret sign" that you can use.
Remember, fan clubs rely on communication. If your members live across the street, fine, just go over and talk or send secret messages for fun. But if they're living really far away, the web can come in handy.

Warnings

Make sure the 'friends' you meet on the net don't know too much of you private info. If you give them a name, it's best to do a fake one, such as Iluvjkrowling instead of Mary Smith.
Don't meet your online members without your parents' permission.
If these online members provoke you in any way, stop contacting them and tell someone you trust.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Start an Author Fan Club. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-48: "How to Choose a Good Reference Book"

2009-02-24T16:46:00.004+05:30

How to Choose a Good Reference Book

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Although it may be hard to believe, not everything can be found in Google and wikiPedia. In fact, some forms of information are only available in print. This means that sometimes, in order to find what you need, you have to turn to a reference book.

Steps

Walk into a bookstore or library[1] with a specific ideal in mind. This ideal should be based around exactly how detailed you want the book to be. Do you want it general and simple (a general overview of globalization, a definition of a computer term etc.)? Or are you searching for a more verbose manuscript (The Encyclopedia of Internal Medicine, Complete History of China, etc.)? Once you've decided on the level of detail you are looking for, you may move on to the next step.
Do a keyword search of your library's Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) and/or a website such as amazon.com to see if you can find a resource that matches your needs. Additionally, the Online Computer Library Consortium's WorldCat[2] can help you search for books at a library near you (including reference sources).
Perform "foot patrol" of the reference shelves. Browse around and see if you can find what you want. In libraries, it helps to have a general idea of the classification systems used (Library of Congress, Dewey Decimal etc.). If you can't find what you want during your "foot patrol", ask a librarian or bookstore employee.
Begin from the end. Go directly to the index of a book that looks sufficient along the lines of the topic you're interested in -- ignore the fancy cover and how many pretty pictures it might have. What truly defines a good reference book is its rear.
Think up a few questions that you know the answer to. Ask the book these questions. (Not literally or you'll get some strange looks from other customers and possibly be asked to leave when you get angry because the book won't answer you directly.) Scan the index for the answers and follow it through the book.
Read the passages and decide for yourself whether it seems knowledgeable or if it's too vague on the topic(s). Ideally, chances are if it couldn't answer something you already knew, it won't be able to answer any of the other questions you will eventually have.

Tips

If you decide to use the library to find reference materials, ask a librarian for help.
Before starting with the index, you may want to look at the introduction for a reference book (if there is one). An introduction will usually tell you the kind of material covered in that book. It can also be a clue as to what the book's biases are-- things that you might not be able to tell from looking at one or two entries. For example, the book may only cover things from a Western point of view.
Take advantage of bibliographies. A good reference book will have bibliographies for its entries. Use the materials mentioned in the bibliography to further your research.

Warnings

Don't believe everything you read. The nature of a good student is derived from skepticism and ultimately this is what reference books are for, distilling fact from filler and expressing knowledge where there was little to begin with.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

↑ http://www.publiclibraries.com/

↑ http://www.oclc.org/worldcat/

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Choose a Good Reference Book. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Book News-25: "Romantic Novel 2009"

2009-02-13T12:20:00.005+05:30

East of the Sun, set in 1920s India, by Welsh author Julia Gregson, 61, has been chosen Romantic Novel of the Year 2009.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, February 13, 2009 ("Newscape")

For Guardian article, "Raj love story wins romantic novel of the year award": http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/feb/10/julia-gregson-romantic-novel-year

For book details, synopsis, reviews and purchase details:
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=6295836

Grateful thanks to The Hindu, Waterstones.com and Guardian.co.uk.

How To-47: "How to Write an Autobiography"

2009-02-12T13:46:00.002+05:30

How to Write an Autobiography

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Whether you have enjoyed a life well-lived or suffered through a life of hardships and mistakes, you probably have an interesting tale to tell. Writing an autobiography is an ideal way to capture the stories of your life and the times you’ve lived in, and unless you're famous, an autobiography or memoirs may be the only way those stories get preserved intact. If you are famous, an autobiography may be the only way to tell your side of the story and defend your legacy against those infamous "unauthorized biographies." Regardless of your situation, there's no time like the present to start writing about your past.

Steps

Understand your reasons for writing an autobiography. Your autobiography will turn out best if you write it simply because you want to, perhaps to share the experiences of your life with others, to give as a gift for your family, to try and understand your life and the forces that have shaped you, to preserve your legacy, or simply to exercise your desire to write. If money is your primary motivation, keep in mind that, unless you have some renown, your story will be a hard sell. While it's possible to sell a book about a relatively unknown person, the book really has to be something special. This means that you, the writer, need to care most about the story, not the money.
Read some autobiographies. The best way to get a feel for autobiographical writing is to read several good autobiographies. Ask friends, family, and your local bookseller for recommendations. The more you read, the more approaches you'll be exposed to, and while you don't need to copy any of these for your memoirs, you can get a lot of good ideas about how to organize your story and make it interesting.
Think about your audience. Your approach to writing will be a lot different depending on who your intended audience is. If you're just writing for yourself, and nobody will ever see your story, you can do whatever you want: take shortcuts, rant, ignore all the rules of grammar if you want. If you're writing for friends and family, you'll want to pay more attention to readability, but you can still take certain shortcuts because chances are your readers will already be familiar with many of the characters and stories. Writing for publication, however, requires a more thorough approach. Not only will you need to edit the manuscript to perfection, but you'll also need to constantly keep in mind that your readers may not know anything about the people or events in your autobiography.
Develop your theme. A story is generally more satisfying if it has a unifying theme or two. Rather than just reciting the events of your life like a timeline in a history book, think about what the main idea of your story -- the driving force of your life -- is. Maybe you're a rags-to-riches story, or maybe the central theme of your life has been the love of your spouse. Think about what's most important to you, and build your story around that. Having a theme in mind will make your story more compelling and help you weed out all those unimportant details.
Organize your autobiography. For obvious reasons, chronological order is the most popular style of autobiographical organization. It's pretty straightforward: start at the beginning, and when you come to the end, stop. A logical beginning would be your birth, but you may also want to start by giving an overview of your ancestors' stories. Conversely, sometimes it makes sense to skip over your early years and start sometime later in life. You needn't just go through your life year by year, however. You may want to organize your story more thematically. However you choose to organize your autobiography, it's a good idea to plan it out in an outline. You don't need to follow your outline when you start writing, but it can be a helpful guide.
Jog your memory. The best way to remember the past is to try and find things you have kept from that time, such as photos and letters. They may spark just one memory or a whole chain of them. Before you start to write about each stage in your life, try to find items you may have kept from each. Ask family and friends if they have saved anything of yours from that time.
Start writing. When you open the floodgates of memory, you will probably be eager to capture everything just right. Sit in a comfortable place, relax, and take it one page at a time. Be yourself: you’ll write faster and more naturally. Don’t spend too much time thinking about style and grammar, just write. You’re probably not trying to win any prizes, and even if you are, don't let the "art of writing" prevent you from telling your story. You can edit later.
Edit your completed work. Once you've hammered out your life story, let your manuscript sit for a few weeks before proceeding to edit it. You may find it helpful to ask others to read your story and comment on it. Take out the extraneous details, tie up the loose ends, and make sure your writing is crisp and readable throughout.
Preserve your work. Ensure you have at least one copy in a place which is safe from fire, flood or other damage – you don’t want such an important work to be lost. If your story is saved on your computer, make sure to print out a hard copy and save a backup copy. You may even want to back your autobiography up online. In most cases, you'll also want to have a plan for passing on your autobiography. You can do this either by trying to get the book published, publishing it yourself, or distributing copies to friends and relatives. Even if you decide not to distribute it right away, you are going to put lots of work into this project, and you should have a plan for passing on your story to your heirs.
Build a relationship using your autobiography. Children and grandchildren will learn many new things about you and other people, times, and places from your life story. As the writing process will remind you of these experiences, be sure to be intentional about sharing some stories with the next generation too. For example, these remembrances will make for interesting phone conversations with your family. Keep in mind that the way you grew up can be fascinating to your grandchildren (outhouses, one-room schoolhouses, and life before TV). They will have never met interesting people like your parents or grandparents. You have the power to bring these people to life through your memories, and you become a multi-dimensional person to them as they learn more about when you were a child, a teen, a young adult, a worker, a parent, and a grandparent. It's a legacy worth sharing.

Tips

For many, scents are powerful memory joggers. If you want to remember details about your childhood home, for example, cook up one of your mom's old recipes that you haven't had in a long time. As the aroma fills the air you may feel like you're right back in your childhood home eating dinner with your family.
Make your story vivid. Use descriptive words. Think about the Who, What, Where, When, How and Why of each memory. Use your senses to help describe your stories. Show, don't tell. At the same time, don't get bogged down in unimportant details. While you want your autobiography to be vivid, you don't want it to be boring. Too many details--listing everyone that was at a party or trying to include all the events of each day--will bog the story down. You also don't want to have to spend a lot of time researching every last detail, such as the exact dates of each event, or you'll never finish your story.
If you are hand-writing your manuscript, make sure your writing is legible; you do want people to be able to read it. Consider having your written copy typed up when you finish it.
Honesty is the best policy, but you don't have to include every horrid secret you may be hiding if you don't want to. Conversely, you may decide to spruce up your legacy a bit by embellishing your accomplishments just a little. After all, it's your story.
Want to tell your story, but don't have a lot of time to write? There are a variety of shortcuts available for purchase, including fill-in-the-blanks books and fill-in-the-blanks binders.
If your writing is atrocious, or if you just need some help getting your thoughts in order, consider hiring a ghost writer or a professional personal historian. Celebrities do it all the time.
Oral and/or video personal histories can be fun, especially if you don't particularly enjoy writing, and they offer the advantage of preserving your image and voice. Audio/Video personal histories are somewhat more difficult to distribute, but you can fairly easily copy your video or audio yourself or find an audio or video duplication firm that can accommodate your duplication needs for a modest fee.
Other things to include in your autobiography: Dedication, Foreword, Vital Statistics, Chronology Sheets, Family Tree, Epilogue.
If the purpose of your autobiography is to pass on your story to your heirs, consider including memorabilia (e.g. pictures, heirlooms, medals, mementos, letters, etc.) and putting your story in a scrapbook format. Of course, you may not be able to copy the memorabilia that accompanies your autobiography, so you still have to think about what you intend to do with your original work and other items such as medals or bulky heirlooms.

Warnings

An autobiography is different from a memoir. This wikihow combines the two; make sure you know which you want to write. An autobiography is like a self-written biography; it outlines the events and experiences of the author in a factual way. A memoir, however, is more intimate and focuses on emotion and perspective. Be sure you use the right term for your work, the different titles target different audiences.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write an Autobiography. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-46: "How to Copyright a Book"

2009-02-12T13:43:00.000+05:30

How to Copyright a Book

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Follow these steps to register your book, manuscript, online work (websites), poetry, or other text. Be aware that under international copyright law you automatically own the copyright in any literary or creative work you make yourself. Registering your copyright makes it easier to prove you claim if your work is plagiarized.

Steps

Make sure your work is a literary work. Literary works may be published or unpublished and include nondramatic textual works with or without illustrations. Computer programs and databases also are considered literary works.
Decide where to registerThere are a number of specialist international copyright registration organizations, and most will store a copy of your work as evidence of your claim, and will be able to produce it as evidence to help prove your claim in the event of a copyright dispute.

If you are a US citizen, you will need to register with the US Copyright Office (Library of Congress) before you are able to make a claim in a US court. Registration may also entitle you to statutory damages in a US court case.
For registration outside the US, choose a reputable service or speak to your solicitor. The links below should help.

Obtain Form TX or Short Form TX (choose which form to use) from the Library of Congress.
Fill out the application and post it along with a copy of your work and the registration fee.
If your submission is in order, you should receive a certificate of registration in about 4 to 5 months.

Historically, many people used to simply lodge copies with a solicitor, but these days there are a number of specialist services such as the UKCS are cheaper and take better care of your work than a solicitor, and are generally much faster than a US registration.

Tips

Re-check form prior to mailing, to make sure you have signed and dated it, and attached the check.
Make a copy of the forms for safe keeping in case the original gets lost in the mail.

Warnings

Registration deposits are normally non-returnable. Send a copy of your work, not the original.
In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, the British Library should also be sent a copy of any published book within one month of publication, (your publisher will normally take care of this for you).

References

Where to register copyright
Copyright advice
Alternatives to registration

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Copyright a Book. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Newsletters of Interest-3: "Project Gutenberg Australia"

2009-02-03T15:08:00.004+05:30

Project Gutenberg Australia is a treasure-trove of literature and it has its own free monthly newsletter. It is edited by Colin Choat. Subscribers are sent details of new books added to Project Gutenberg Australia during the month, besides occasional articles related to books, reading and use of books.

For example, the February 2009 newsletter contains info on:

1. Australia Day

2. Public Domain Day

3. Valentine's Day (with interesting anecdotes of love and useful book-links)

4. eBooks added during January 2009.

Booklovers should not miss a visit to this site. After just a visit, I am sure one would not hesitate to subscribe to their newsletter.

New Books-14: "The Message of Vivekachudamani"

2009-02-02T18:50:00.005+05:30

Newsletters of Interest-2: "Project Gutenberg News"

2009-02-02T14:06:00.003+05:30

Project Gutenberg does not need any introduction to booklovers. It is a great site where you get more than 30,000 free eBooks for download and use. They have their own newsletter which gives latest information about what is going on in Project Gutenberg. It is free and if you subscribe, you will get a copy in your mailbox regularly and you can through the contents and if you find something of interest, then you just click and go to their site to see the contents in full.

From their Archives, I find that back issues are available online from December 2007.

For those who would like to become subscribers to this free email newsletter, just click:

http://www.pg-nes.org/

Newsletters of Interest-1: "From NextReads and Boston Public Library"

2009-02-02T12:55:00.003+05:30

The Boston Public Library and NextReads jointly bring out many email newsletters of interest regularly on monthly/bimonthly basis. For example, if you take the genre, "Biography and Memoir", the January 2009 issue of this monthly email newsletter contains information on 11 interesting books with photos of cover page, a brief write-up on each book and other relevant details like Publisher, Publication date, ISBN number. In some cases, 'Table of Contents' and/or 'First Chapter' are also available.

Like this, they have newsletters on the following topics:

Armchair Travel
Biography and Memoir
Business and Personal Finance
Fiction A to Z
Historical Fiction
Kids' Books
Mystery
Popular Culture
Romance
Science Fiction
Thrillers and Suspense

Depending on your interest you can choose the relevant newsletter and become a subscriber. It is absolutely free.

http://www.bpl.org/

All the best!

New Books-13: "Reminiscences of Swami Brahmananda"

2009-01-31T12:37:00.004+05:30

New Books-12: "Upanishads in Daily Life"

2009-01-28T13:27:00.005+05:30

Courtesy: The Vedanta Kesari, Feb.2009

Book of the day-7: "The Mind of Mahatma Gandhi"

2009-01-23T15:56:00.008+05:30

This is an Encyclopedia of Gandhi's Thoughts compiled by M/s.Prabhu and Rao. Gandhiji's thoughts on various topics like Truth, Peace, Fearlessness, Love, Non-Violence, Vegetarianism, Celibacy, Democracy, Simplicity, Sarvodaya, Trusteeship, Self-reliance and many others are available in this book in his own words. It has 15 chapters covering 96 subjects and runs to 496 pages.

The printed book published by Navjeevan Trust, Ahmedabad-380014, India and priced at Rs.100/- can be obtained from the publishers and other Gandhian booksellers.

An online version is made available through courtesy of MKGandhi.org.(http://www.mkgandhi.org/momgandhi/encyclopedia.htm)

Those who are interested in Gandhian Thoughts can give this a try.

Grateful thanks to M/s.Prabhu and Rao and MKGandhi.org.

Book News-24: "Gandhiji's Autobiography: 38 lakh copies sold!"

2009-01-21T16:39:00.002+05:30

PTI, quoting Mr.Jitendra Desai, Chairman of the Navjivan Trust, copyright holders of Gandhiji's writings so far, says that nearly 38 lakh copies of Gandhiji's Autobiography, "My Experiments with Truth" have been sold so far.

Grateful thanks to PTI.

Interview-4: Professor S.Raghunathan

2009-01-19T13:36:00.019+05:30

(Professor S. Raghunathan, MTech from IIT, KGP, is the former Director of Computer Centre, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu. He is a great lover of books and a principled teacher. He has varied interests – Books, Music, Education, Philosophy and Holistic Medicine. He has a wonderful collection of books and carnatic music. He is soft-spoken and is an inspiring counsellor. Now he resides in Bangalore and can be contacted on his mobile: 99029 52539).

1. What are your interests? What type of books do you read?
My interests are Books, Music, Philosophy, Education and Medicine. I study books which are inspirational and ennobling.

2. What book did you read last?
'The Power of Concentration' by Theron Q. Dumont.

(www.globusz.com/ebooks/Concentration/index.htm)

3. You are a busy man. How do you find time to read books or when do you generally read books? Is there a specific time which you devote to books?
I get up around 3 am and study up to 6 am daily. Whenever I am free and alone, I spend the time with books.

4. Which is your all-time favourite book(s)? Why?
Rajaji’s UPANISHADS

(http://kirtimukha.com/surfings/Upanishads/index.htm)

and Arian’s DISCOURSES OF EPICTETUS(http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/discourses.html) .

They teach us how to live life fully.

5. Who is your favourite writer(s)? Why?
My favourite writer is Rajaji. His books are all inspirational. His words are simple and at once powerful.

6. Is there an unforgettable book in your life?
My most unforgettable book is ENCHIRIDION OF EPICTETUS.

(http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html)

7. Why do you call it unforgettable?

ENCHIRIDION taught me 'the art of living', especially, sections 1, 5, 11, 33, and 46.

8. Is there a book which you read again and again? If so, why?
I study repeatedly, James Allen's BYWAYS OF BLESSEDNESS

(http://www.globusz.com/ebooks/Blessedness/)

to draw inspiration and to recharge my personality.

9. Is there a book(s) which you feel everybody should read?
Those who study James Allen's BYWAYS OF BLESSEDNESS and live accordingly will be a blessing to the world around them.

10. Would you like to say something or add anything else to this interview?

Books like BHAGAVAD GITA or THIRUKKURAL are like PRANA, so essential to life, that they are always taken for granted!

(Grateful thanks to Professor Raghunathan for the above interview - Suri)

Public Domain: Europeana is back online

2009-01-13T15:56:00.004+05:30

Good news to book-lovers! Remember Europeana, the portal which offered around 2 million digital items. It was launched on November 21, 2008 and crashed on the same day due to 10 million hits per hour! It is back now. As I have registered myself with them, they have sent a notification informing me that it is back in action again. So those who want to try, can click:

www.europeana.eu

As I have recorded in my earlier post, Europeana is a search platform for a collection of European digital libraries with digitized paintings, books, films and archives. The project was initiated by the European Commission. The Library contains around two million digital items, all of them already in public domain.

I repeat for the sake of bloggers, all the 2 million items are in the PUBLIC DOMAIN, which means you can use, re-use, distribute, re-distribute, excerpt and probably modify also; of course, with ncessary credit/attribution. Sort of bonanza, what you think!

The project aims to have 10 million works by 2010, when Europeana is due to be fully operational.

Public Domain: "The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi"

2009-01-13T14:49:00.002+05:30

The Publications Division has so far brought out 100 volumes based on the collected works of Mahatma Gandhi. These run to 50,000 pages! For those who want to do a systematic study or thorough research on Gandhiji, this is a great boon. The good news is all these volumes are available online free. All these pages have been beautifully arranged chronologically and indexed conveniently for the benefit of the users.

They are available at:

http://www.gandhiserve.org/cwmg/cwmg.html

Grateful thanks to GandhiServe.org and the Publications Division of the Govt of India.

Public Domain: "Gandhiji's Works come to Public Domain!"

2009-01-13T14:45:00.002+05:30

The copyright on the works of Gandhiji has expired and so his works come into the public domain. It is a good news to all book-lovers as well as those revere the Mahatmaji. They can now read his works free online and download, copy, distribute and even publish them.

The copyright for Gandhiji's works were with Navajivan Trust. As per copyright law, 60 years after the death of a person, his works automatically the copyright expires and the works come into the public domain.

Book News-22: "Sahitya Akademi awards for 21 Literateurs"

2008-12-26T18:52:00.004+05:30

Seven Novelists, six poets, five short story writers and three critics have been chosen for the National Sahitya Akademi awards for this year. The coveted award carries a cash prize of Rs.50,000/- and an engraved copper plaque, will be given away on February 17, 2009.

The awardees are: K.A.Appan (a well-known critic for his collection of essays in Malayalam), Govind Mishra (for his Hindi novel, 'Kohre Mein Kaid Rang'), Rita Choudhury (Assamese novelist), Vidya Sagar Narzary (Bodo), Srinivas B.Vaidya (Kannada), Ashok Kamat (Konkani), Shyam Manohar (Marathi), Mitetr Sain Meet (Punjabi), Sarat Kumar Mukhopadhyay (Bengali), Champa Sharma (Dogri), A.O.Memchoubi (Manipuri), Pramod Kumar Mohanty (Oriya), Om Prakash Pande(Sanskrit), Jayant Parmer(Urdu), Suman Shah(Gujarati), Shri 'Kirat' (Nepali), Dinesh Panchal(Rajasthani), Badal Hemba(Santhali), Melaanmai Ponnusamy (Tamil), Nabi Aatash(Kashmiri), Hiro Shewkani(Sindhi).

Awards for Telugu and Maithili to be announced.

Source: The Hindu, Madurai (Date not available).

Grateful thanks to The Hindu.

Book News-21: "Cellphone Novels"

2008-12-03T16:51:00.004+05:30

Cellphone Novels have become very popular in Japan. Most of the best-selling novels in Japan can be downloaded in mobile phones and a lot of Japanese are actually doing it. It seems to have become a favourite pastime of the Japanese. Further, the fever is catching up in the USA also. So another new use for the cellphone has been found. At this rate, the days are not far off when every individual in the world will be having a mobile in his pocket. There are many sites about cellphone novels now. I have given some links below, besides a link to the Wikipedia article on Cellphone Novels.

Wikipedia article on "Mobile Phone Novel":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_novel

"Novels on your phone" from futureofthebook.org:
http://www.futureofthebook.org/blog/archives/2005/03/novels_on_your_phone.html

"Cell phones put to novel use" from Wired.com:
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/news/2005/03/66950

New York Times article on cell phone novels from New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/world/asia/20japan.html

Blog about U.S. mobile phone novel site:
http://www.textnovelblog.com/

U.S. mobile phone novel website:
http://www.textnovel.com/

iPhone & mobile novel website:
http://www.quillpill.com/

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Futureof theBook.org, Nytimes.com, TextNovelBlog.com and Quillpill.com.

Library News: "Europeana Digital Library"

2008-11-27T12:47:00.010+05:30

A news item in the Newscape section of The Hindu, Madurai edition of November 21. 2008 caught my eye. It was about the Europeana Digital Library, which was launched on November 20, 2008. It had to be closed after it was swamped by Internet users. Then I went to their website (www.europeana.eu). Swamped is right. 10 million hits per hour! Naturally they had to close down. However, they have offered to come up with a robust version by mid-December.

In the meanwhile some info about the Europeana project.

Europeana is a search platform for a collection of European digital libraries with digitized paintings, books, films and archives. The project was initiated by the European Commission. The Library contains around two million digital items, all of them already in public domain.

The project aims to have 10 million works by 2010, when Europeana is due to be fully operational.

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Book News-20: "Man Asian Literary Prize"

2008-11-17T16:41:00.003+05:30

"Ilustrado", a novel by Miguel Syjuco that touches on 150 years of often turbulent Philippines history, has won the second annual Man Asian Literary Prize.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, November 15, 2008.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "Man Asian Literary Prize":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_Asian_Literary_Prize

Biography of Miguel Syjuco from ManAsianLiteraryPrize website:
http://www.manasianliteraryprize.org/2008/MiguelSyjuco.html

Miguel Syjuco Wins $10,000 Man Asian Book Award for `Ilustrado' from Bloomberg.com:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=acEv2LjzS6sk&refer=muse

Q&A with Miguel Syjuco from The National Post:
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/theampersand/archive/2008/11/14/q-amp-a-with-ilustrado-author-miguel-syjuco-winner-of-the-man-asian-literary-prize.aspx

Grateful thanks to The Hindu, ManAsianLiteraryPrize.org, Bloomberg.com, The National Post and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Barack Obama's Favourite Book: "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville

2008-11-13T13:21:00.002+05:30

Barack Obama's favourite book is Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

Courtesy: The New Indian Express, Tiruchy, November 12, 2008.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "Barack Obama, the President-elect of the US":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama

Detailed Wikipedia article on Moby Dick:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby_Dick

Full-text of Moby Dick from Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext01/moby10b.txt

Change.gov: Official site of the President-Elect, Barack Obama:
http://www.change.gov/

Grateful thanks to The New Indian Express, Change.gov, Project Gutenberg and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

On Reading-2:

2008-11-07T13:15:00.003+05:30

The greatest gift is
the passion for reading.
It is cheap,
it consoles,
it excites.
It gives you
knowledge of
the world and experience
of a wide kind.
It is a
moral illumination.

- Elizabeth Hardwick (1916-2007)(American Writer)

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, November 3, 2008 ('Education Plus')

Detailed Wikipedia article on "ELIZABETH HARDWICK":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Hardwick_(writer)

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Memorable Quotes

2008-11-06T16:20:00.002+05:30

When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes - Erasmus.

How To-44: "How to Develop an Appetite for Reading"

2008-11-03T15:49:00.002+05:30

How to Develop an Appetite for Reading

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Reading can be a brilliant way of escaping the world's stresses and can help develop your creativity. As a hobby, reading is inexpensive and can be enjoyed at any time and if you can develop an appetite for reading, it can give you endless hours of enjoyment.

Steps

Start small. If you try to begin developing your appetite for reading on a one thousand word tome with many complex issues and a huge cast of characters you may find this stops you wishing to further pursue an appetite for reading. Consider trying to read short story collections at first.
Ask a reader. Do you have a friend who always has his/her nose in a book and may have recommended several books to you in the past? If you ask someone who knows you and reads a lot what books they'd recommend for you this may be easier than trying to find a suitable book yourself. As an additional bonus you will then have a friend to discuss the book with later.
Avoid distractions. Some readers can read on a crowded train or even whilst walking down the street but not all can read with distractions and to truly enjoy a book it might be better to read in quiet places where you can give the book your full attention. Consider creating a reading nook for this purpose.
Analyze your experience. If you don't enjoy the book you were reading then consider why not. Did you feel it went on too long? Try short stories. Was there too much violence? Stay away from horror and crime. Often people do not have an appetite for reading because they feel they dislike reading, when really they have simply read the wrong books for them. If you did like a book see if you like others by the same author or in the same genre.
Join a book club. Or read the same book as a friend. This will allow you to share your opinions of the book and enjoy it in a different way. It may also give you the chance to try books you wouldn't have otherwise have thought of reading.
Enjoy! Having an appetite for reading allows you to get a lot more from books and is an easy hobby to keep.

Tips

Try not to rule anything out. Children's literature can be enjoyed by adults and stereotyped genres such as science fiction are more varied than you might think. Graphic novels often have intriguing plot lines and characters and non-fiction can sometimes be just as entertaining as fiction.
You probably won't enjoy every book you read so don't let yourself be put off gaining an appetite for reading simply because you don't enjoy a few books.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Develop an Appetite for Reading. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-43: "How to Create Great Characters"

2008-11-03T15:42:00.001+05:30

How to Create Great Characters

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

An editor has suggested that this article be merged with: "How to Create a Fictional Character from Scratch" Per the merge policy, if these topics are determined to be similar but distinct, then the articles will remain separate. Please comment on the discussion page. Notice added on 2008-03-13.
This will teach you how to create great characters for your story.

Steps

Decide which genre your character will be in. Is it fantasy, action, comedy, etc.?
Answer the following questions: Name? Age? Ethnicity? Height? Weight? Looks? Personal Habits? Unique Features? Pet Peeves? Sayings? Background events that helped shape life? Generally good or bad?
Get a family member or friend to give you a random phrase (like "spotted umbrella") and a random verb (like "danced"). You could put it together to say she danced with a spotted umbrella. Use your character in a short story (a paragraph or two will do it) and write! Write, write, write! After this exercise, you should have more of an idea of who your character is.
Draw a picture of her/him! Or describe her with detail. Detail is key.
Give your character a name. The naming should come last if you want the name and the characteristics of your character to match or at least have some connection.

Tips

Remember to make your characters seem real. Nobody is perfect, including those overused "perfect" characters. If you want to capture some gritty, realistic characters, ride the bus. Not the subway. Ride the MTA buses, and go downtown. Look carefully at everyone, you might find some people whose faces alone leak of an interesting character. Typically these people are different from the people one sees everyday at school or work. Don't let them see you staring. Don't jot anything down, just let it settle in. Pay particular attention to abnormalities. Warning: If you live in a very shady neighbourhood, and/or are very young/vulnerable looking, avoid this method. Also, don't wear any showy or expensive clothes. Try to sit behind or somewhere near (not next to) that person, and try to overhear anything they say. Pay attention to their facial expressions, and see what they pay the most attention to. Don't get caught. What to do once you know you've got someone interesting? Try blending in the personality of someone you understand very well (such as yourself) into the shell you have created through your observation.
Nothing is entirely evil or entirely good. If it is entirely evil or entirely good, it is not real. Make your stories seem real. Even if it contains talking toes!
Observe what real people do and think. People around you. Sometimes, the dullest people have some very interesting experiences. Play psychiatrist. Don't get involved, and never be too obvious.
Pay attention to conversations, be they your own or other people's. Make sure that the personality of your character shows in their talking and keep in mind that dialogue is one key factor to making your characters real, unless you intentionally include no dialogue in your story. Writing good dialogue is difficult. Examine movies and plays that you find realistic, memorable, etc.
Keep your old works of writing, even if you don't plan to finish it. The characters might give you ideas, and maybe even help with plot!
Please do not give your characters superpowers. Not only is this idea overused and outmoded, but it belongs in comic books, not novels!

Warnings

If you are impulsive in your character-making, and you go a lot more on feeling than planning and order, you're going to make a big melodramatic mess. If you come up with a character, write down some notes, keep adding stuff whenever you like, and come back to it after a little bit of time (couple of days) when you think you feel really clear-headed and ready to focus.

Related wikiHows

How to Find Unique Names for Your Characters

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Create Great Characters. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-42: "How to Teach Your Young Child About the Library"

2008-11-03T15:12:00.003+05:30

How to Teach Your Young

Child About the Library

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

A love of reading will serve your children for a lifetime. They will become a better students and writers, have a better vocabulary, and know more about the world around themselves. Libraries are a great way to get them started down this path.

Steps

Visit your local library if you haven't lately and learn about it yourself. Look around, ask questions if you want, and get a library card if you haven't yet.
Find out what programs and services the library has for children. Look around for a calendar of events and ask a librarian if you're not sure. Start young! Some libraries have programs even for babies and toddlers.
Read to your children regularly. Bedtime is good, but any regular time will work. Even if they're not reading yet, get them used to the idea that books have stories in them and that story times are times to sit quietly. For older kids who are reading, start reading chapter books and other materials that are a bit beyond their current reading level. For chapter books, you can read one chapter at a time.
Teach your children how to care for books. Never allow books to be left on the floor or tossed around. Impress upon children that books are to be treated in special ways and have a special storage space just for them. A bookshelf is best, but books can also spend time on a nightstand or table if it seems more natural, especially while they are being read.
Get your children their own library cards. In most cases, you will still be responsible for the care and return of the materials, but having their own cards makes it much more personal than if you check things out for them.

When they are old enough, encourage them to keep track of their own books and due dates, but supervise and remind them, especially at first.

Attend age-appropriate library programs. Many libraries have story times, performances, and other activities for kids. They're a great opportunity to help your kids associate the library with having fun, and many are designed to encourage reading.
Visit the library frequently, every week or two. If the kids have their own cards, let them check books out themselves.

Check out at least a week's worth of books at a time. Remember that a week's worth of books for young children may be quite a few.

Model reading and the use of the library. Check out and read books for yourself when you take them.
Make time to read each day. As your children get older, bedtime story time can transition into independent reading.
Give your children freedom to select their own books. For younger kids, help them find the right section but let them choose what interests them. As they get older, let them choose their own titles and let them judge what is interesting and appropriate.
Sign up for the summer reading program if one is offered. It's a great way to keep children engaged and reading over the summer, meaning that their education can advance during the summer rather than backslide. Reading is also a great antidote to summer boredom and excess television watching, even if your kids choose to read manga or adventure stories.

Tips

Nap times are good reading times. Your child will not always have a nap time, but nap time can morph into reading time as they come of age, giving both you and your child a restful period each day even after the toddler stages.

Warnings

Supervise your child in the library at all times. Learn what your library's rules are about supervising your child and how old children must be to go to the library unsupervised.
Do not tolerate temper tantrums and other behavior that will disturb other patrons. Remind your child before going inside that libraries are quiet places. Take your children outside if they are getting out of hand.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Teach Your Young Child About the Library. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Publishers-1: "John Wiley & Sons, Inc"

2008-11-01T12:58:00.004+05:30

Just to highlight the greatness of Wiley, they have published the works of more than 350 Nobel laureates in various categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology/Medicine, Chemistry, Physics and Peace!

It was founded in 1807, meaning more than 200 years of existence! It has been a valued source of information to seekers of knowledge worldwide. It publishes 1400 scholarly peer-reviewed journals, besides encyclopedias, reference books and online products.

It has its HQ at Hoboken, NJ, USA. It also operates in Asia, Canada and Australia.

Wiley's Website:

http://as.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/index.html

Wiley Fact Sheet:

http://as.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-301788.html

Detailed Wikipedia article on 'John Wiley & Sons':

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wiley_%26_Sons

Grateful thanks to John Wiley & Sons and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Book Review-11: "Billion Dollar Lessons" by Chunka Mui and Paul Carroll

2008-11-01T12:53:00.002+05:30

Billion Dollar Lessons: Chunka Mui and Paul Carroll look at the flip side of Jim Collin's study of successful companies (Good to Great) and how they got there. In this book, Mui and Carroll take a point look at corporate failure. They review case studies showing how companies, who were sailing along nicely, blew it.

http://rblb.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/book-review-billion-dollar-lessons/

Courtesy: The New Indian Express, Chennai, Oct.16, 2008.

Grateful thanks to The New Indian Express and rblb.wordpress.com.

Book News-19: "The Million Book Project"

2008-11-01T12:39:00.003+05:30

This fascinating project was started with the Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science playing the lead role. Its aim was as is obvious from the name, to digitize a million books, which target has actually been exceeded as of now. It provides access to more than a million and a half books in 20 different languages, comprising 979,000 in Chinese, 360,000 in English, 50,000 in Telugu and 40,000 in Arabic. Most of these are in the public domain.

A real treat to booklovers!

Detailed Wikipedia article on "MILLION BOOK PROJECT OR UNIVERSAL LIBRARY":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Book_Project

FAQ about Million Book Project:

http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/MBP_FAQ.html

"The Million Book Digital Library Project" by Raj Reddy and Gloriana StClair of Carnegie Mellon University,Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213, USA:

http://www.rr.cs.cmu.edu/mbdl.htm

Grateful thanks to Raj Reddy, Gloriana StClair of Carnegie Mellon University and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Book News-18: "Osama Writing Book on Qaida"

2008-10-29T17:08:00.002+05:30

Qaida chief Osama bin Laden is reportedly writing a book on the struggle of his terrorist network that dispenses money, logistical support and training to radical groups in over 50 countries. The book, being written in Arabic, will later be translated into English. Bin Laden decided to write the book to counter "propaganda" against al-Qaida, a TV channel reported. Bin Laden is writing the book with the assistance of a "young man with a Middle Eastern background who will later translate the text into English".

Courtesy: The Times of India, Chennai ("Times Global" - World Digest), Oct.27, 2008.

Grateful thanks to The Times of India.

Book News-17: "Threats against Writer"

2008-10-21T13:30:00.003+05:30

Six Noble Prize winners have voiced outrage over death threats hounding the author of hard-hitting mafia expose, 'Gomorrah'.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Oct.21, 2008 ("Newscape")

Wikipedia article on 'GOMORRAH' and its author, "ROBERTO SAVIANO":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomorrah_(book)

Wikipedia article on "SODOM AND GOMORRAH":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomorrah

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Book News-16: "Aravind Adiga Wins Man Booker Prize for 2008"

2008-10-15T14:08:00.004+05:30

Aravinda Adiga has been awarded the Man Booker Prize 2008 for his novel, The White Tiger.

Man Booker Prize is awarded for best fiction in English every year and the prize amount is £50,000. For the year 2008, six names were shortlisted. Two of the six were Indians, viz., Aravinda Adiga (The White Tiger) and Amitav Ghosh (Sea of Poppies). The other writers were: Sebastian BarryThe Secret Scripture), Linda Grant(The Clothes on Their Backs), Philip Hensher(The Northern Clemency) and Steve Toltz(A Fraction of the Whole).

For a brief biography and interview of Aravinda Adiga:

http://www.themanbookerprize.com/perspective/articles/1125

Wikipedia articles on "MAN BOOKER PRIZE" and "ARAVIND ADIGA": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_Booker_Prize

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aravind_Adiga

Reviews of the book, "The White Tiger":

From The Guardian, UK:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/28/india.renting?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews

From Times online, UK:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/fiction/article3677773.ece

From the Independent, UK:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/the-white-tiger-by-aravind-adiga-823472.html

Grateful thanks to TheManBookerPrize.com, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Independent.

Memorable Quotes-17:

2008-10-07T14:50:00.003+05:30

When writers die, they become books, which is, after all, is not too bad an incarnation - Jorge Luis Borges

Detailed Wikipedia article on Jorge Luis Borges:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borges

Companionship of Books

2008-10-02T13:55:00.003+05:30

A man may usually be known by the books he reads, as well as by the company he keeps; for, there is a companionship of books as well as men and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.

A good book may be among the best friends. It is the same today that it always was and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness, amusing and instructing us in youth and comforting and consoling us in age.

A good book is often the best urn of a life, enshrining the best thoughts of which that life was capable; for, the world of man's life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus, the best books are treasuries of good words and golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our abiding companions and comforters.

Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples crumble into ruin, pictures and statues decay; but books survive.

Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see them as if they were really alive; we are participators in their thoughts; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them, their experience becomes ours and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe.

While books are among the best companions of old age, they are often the best inspirers of youth. The first book that makes a deep impression on a young man's mind often constitutes an epoch in his life. It may fire the heart, stimulate the enthusiasm, and by directing his efforts into unexpected channels, permanently influence his character. The new book, in which we form an intimacy with a new friend, whose mind is wiser and riper than our own, may thus form an important starting-point in the history of a life. It may sometimes almost be regarded in the light of a new birth.

It is unnecessary to speak of the enormous moral influence which books have exercised upon the general civilization of mankind, from the Bible downwards. They contain the treasure knowledge of the human race. They are record of all labours, achievements, speculations, successes and failures, in science, philosophy, religion, and morals. They have been the greatest motive-powers in all times.

Courtesy:"Character" by Dr.Samuel Smiles (Excerpt from the Highly Abridged Edition published by LIFCO, Chennai).

Grateful thanks to LIFCO.

How To-41: "How to improve your Visualization skills".

2008-08-21T13:41:00.001+05:30

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

This is a tutorial on how to improve your Visualization skills. It is a good technique to know and helps your imagination and gives you more vivid dreams.

Steps

Sit in a quiet room and dim the lights.
Make yourself comfortable.
Look around the room and notice everything in general - the lighting conditions, things on the wall, objects in the room, etc.
Close your eyes, and try to 'see' what is around you. Remember the images of objects and things in your room and recite where they are and what the objects look like.
Open your eyes and see if you correctly identified the things in and about your room!

Tips

Try not to stress your eyes because then you will just get frustrated.
Try to relax as much as you can.
Do not sit in an extremely bright room, or in a very dark room.
It helps to read books often - doing so will improve your creativity and visualization. Fiction novels are a great help in particular.

Warnings

It may take a very long time for you to do it, but if you keep practicing you will get it. Make sure you don't get frustrated.

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Improve Your Visualization. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Book News-18: Manuscript Extraordinaire

2008-08-16T12:10:00.000+05:30

An illuminated manuscript from 1553 in the form of a Fleur de Lys with 11 miniatures by Charles Jourdain on its pages has been found.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, August 14, 2008 (Newscape)

Wikipedia article on “Illuminated Manuscripts”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuscript_illuminations

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Book News-17: “Literary Destination: London”

2008-08-16T11:42:00.002+05:30

London has been named the world’s top destination for tourists looking for a taste of literature, beating Paris, New York and Rome in a top 10 compiled by a travel website. The birthplace of writers such as John Keats and John Donne and the setting for countless novels, London was described as “the Home of Literature we have spent so much time learning and loving.” In second place was Stratford-upon-Avon. – Reuters.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, August 15, 2008.

Wikipedia article on “London”, "John Keats", "John Donne" and "Stratford-upon-Avon":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Donne

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratford-upon-Avon

Website dedicated to the Life and Works of John Keats:

http://englishhistory.net/keats.html

John Keats.com:

http://englishhistory.net/keats.html

Stratford-upon-Avon:

http://www.stratford-upon-avon.co.uk/

Grateful thanks to Reuters, The Hindu, John Keats.org, English History.net, Stratford upon Avon.co.uk and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Q&A : Why should you read biographies?

2008-08-14T15:16:00.003+05:30

When you read the biographies of great people, you learn how they developed their personalities, and the formative influences that went into the shaping of their greatness. (Srimat Swami Ranganathanandaji Maharaj)

Book Sites: Helium.com, a website for Writers and Readers

2008-08-09T16:10:00.003+05:30

It is a website where you get paid for writing on any topic and can read all the articles for free. Articles are rated by a peer review system by other writers. Alexa ranks this site between 4000 and 5000 and the number of users of this site has grown to 100,00 in February 2008.

For a detailed Wikipedia article on Helium.com:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium.com

Link to Helium Inc’s Website:
http://www.helium.com/

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia and Helium.com.

Writers-2: "J.K.Rowling", author of Harry Potter novels

2008-08-09T15:43:00.002+05:30

A magazine report says that J.K.Rowling has earned Rs.1200 crores through her Harry Potter novels.

Courtesy: ‘Ananda Vikatan’, Tamil weekly, August 6, 2008

Wikipedia article on ‘J.K.Rowling’:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.K.Rowling

Grateful thanks to Ananda Vikatan and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Book News-16: “Paths of Glory", Jeffrey Archer’s Forthcoming Book

2008-08-09T15:36:00.002+05:30

Famous British writer Jeffrey Archer is working on the seventh draft of his 15th novel, “Paths of Glory”. The main character of this novel visits India three times in 1922, 1923 and 1924 and there are a few Indian characters in the novel.

One expects that “Paths of Glory” will be as interesting as his “Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less”, “Kane and Abel”, “As the Crow Flies”, “First Among Equals” and “Shall we tell the President?”, if not more.

Writers-1: "Alexandr Solzhenitsyn"

2008-08-08T13:14:00.002+05:30

Solzhenitzyn is dead!
By Vladimir Radyuhin

Nobel prize-winning Russian author and thinker, Alexander Solzhenitsyn died on Sunday (August 3, 2008), ending a bitter and illustrious life journey that reflected Russia’s tumultuous history through the 20th century.

Aged 89, Solzhenitsyn died of heart arrest close to midnight at his home on the outskirts of Moscow. His family said he worked till the last minute and died a happy man.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, August 5, 2008.

For the full article from The Hindu.com:
http://www.hindu.com/2008/08/05/stories/2008080551292000.htm

For the BBC News article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7540038.stm

For the CNN.com article:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/03/solzhenitsyn.dead/

Wikipedia article on “Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn

For the New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-Obit-Solzhenistyn.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Grateful thanks to Vladimir Radyuhin, The Hindu, BBC News, CNN.com, New York Times and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Book News-15: “Minimum 25% Off on 4 Million Books!”

2008-08-04T12:14:00.004+05:30

Came across today, the August 4, 2008, a paper-clipping containing an interesting ad in the Hindu, English daily of June 2008 (date not available). I am unable to understand how I, a regular reader of The Hindu, missed it, a colorful ad, till today. Sometimes we don’t see though we have eyes. What to do?

Okay, now to the ad. It says The Hindu Shopping (http://www.thehindushopping.com/) is offering a minimum 25% off on 4 Million Books, with FREE SHIPPING anywhere in India. Not only that, up to 80% OFF on Select Books.

Now comes the sad part, the offer valid till June 18, 2008 only!

I am really very sorry to have missed it. I envy those of you who had seen and availed the offer. OK, all the best. Let me be more wakeful hereafter.

Book News-14: "Talking Library! - Amutha Kannan"

2008-08-04T11:54:00.004+05:30

Coimbatore has just got a brand new Talking Book Library. Meant for the visually-impaired, the Bharathi Lions Talking Book Library has cassettes in place of books, to enable them to learn by themselves.

A joint attempt of Bharathiar University and Lions club International district 324 B1, the library is housed at Nirmala College for Women.

Second of its kind in the State, after Madurai, the library at present accommodates cassettes on 400 titles covering a range of general topics. Nearly 600 cassettes covering all subjects based on the university and State Board syllabus will be made available soon.

Cassettes were brought from the Rotary Helen Keller Talking (ROHTALK) Book Library in Madurai, which also has a production studio. The number of titles will eventually be increased to 5,000, according to Vice-Chancellor G.Thiruvasagam.

ROHTALK director Nicholas Francis says: “The library here with a studio was set up in 2003. It has 2600 members ranging from school students to professors, utilizing 4,000 cassettes. It gives the visually-impaired self-dignity. So, we are happy to help the library in Coimbatore with the material we have and also by producing cassettes for them. We have 200 voice volunteers with whose help we record the content of the books.”

Students, wishing to become members, should register with a fee of Rs.50.

They can visit the library to select the book they want to “read” from a catalogue that is in Braille.

Once the cassette is selected, the student can borrow it or listen to it at the library itself.

Cassette players are available for use.

Those outside Coimbatore too can borrow cassettes by post (free of cost), use it and return it by post in 15 days. The cassettes are sponsored by the Lions Club while the library will be maintained jointly by the college and the university.

G.Merlin, a final-year student of BBM of Nirmala College for Women, finds the library “very useful”. “I cannot read Braille. I have been listening to somebody reading it out to me so far. Now, I will be listening to the cassette,” she says. She plans to do MBA.

However, R.Srinivasan, a retired professor of English who is visually-impaired and has been using Braille to read, write and teach, feels he will be more comfortable with Braille. “II have used it for more than 30 years. But, for those who do not know how to use Braille, listening to cassettes will definitely be very useful.”

Courtesy: ‘Education Plus’, a supplement to The Hindu, Madurai, August 4, 2008 (“Talking book library – an alternative to Braille?” by Amutha Kannan”)

Wikipedia articles on:
“Perkins Braille and Talking Book Library”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkins_Braille_and_Talking_Book_Library

"National Library for the Blind, UK”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Library_for_the_Blind

“Books for the Blind” (Talking Books):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_for_the_Blind

From NLS, a unit of Library of Congress:
“THAT ALL MAY READ . . .”, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), The Library of Congress”.(Through a national network of cooperating libraries, NLS administers a free library program of Braille and audio materials circulated to eligible borrowers in the United States by postage-free mail.)
http://www.loc.gov/nls/

“Digital Talking Books – FAQ”
http://www.loc.gov/nls/dtbfaq.html

Grateful thanks to Ms Amutha Kannan, The Hindu, NLS (The Library of Congress), USA and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Book News-13: "Rushdie's Book for Children"

2008-08-04T11:25:00.004+05:30

Salman Rushdie plans to write a book for children. "My next project is more than likely going to be a children's book". Sunday Telegraph quoted him as saying.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, August 4, 2008 (Newscape)

Wikipedia article on 'Salman Rushdie':

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdie

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Book News-12: "Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata"

2008-08-01T14:26:00.006+05:30

http://www.4to40.com/ - This site provides the great Indian epic, Mahabharata, and the great spiritual book of India, Bhagavad Gita.

One can read the Bhagavad Gita in any one of the three languages of one's choice: Sanskrit, Hindi or English.

There are a lot of commentories on the Gita by eminent persons. I have studied some of them. Generally, the first reading is from beginning to end, with a pen in hand to highlight/underline passages which appeal to me. During the second reading, I pay more attention to the highlighted passages and after that I open the book and read at random the highlighted passages only. Thus, without much effort, I always pick up some elevating/ennobling thoughts/ideas. Lord Krishna's advice to Arjun, holds good for us also and I found them helpful on many an occasion. Some of these gems I recall at random and give below:

1. The doer of good, never comes to harm.
( This motivates one to do good always.)
2. No effort is ever wasted.
(So I don't give up my efforts on the face of difficulties and go on with my efforts)
3. My devotee never perishes.
(For all embodied souls, death is imminent, even incarnations of God are not exempt from this.For the devotee who has surrendered himself to God, death will be an honorable one. He will not perish i.e. meet with ignominious death).
4. Give up cowardice/unmanliness, it ill becomes thee!
(This motivates one to face challenges in life manfully, instead of running away from them)

This digital version should be more easier to refer to. So I feel it is a good contribution and deserves kudos. My sincere thanks to http://www.4to40.com/ !

http://www.4to40.com/discoverindia/bhagavadgita.asp

Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Bhagavat Gita in Sanskrit, Hindi, English, Krishna Arjun,Indian Mythology, Geeta Translation

(This was posted to 'SURiMOUNT' on June 30, 2007 and I feel it bears repetition at this site also.)