Tagged by Shruti.

I couldn’t follow all the rules of this tag. The task was to list 15 books that you have read and that will always stick to you. I could write 9. And I definitely took more than 15 minutes to recall. The books mentioned below are in no particular order, except may be the first one.

Harry Potter series: You may be bored of memorizing facts from the series (every other person claims to be an expert, I agree). Look for the values thrown in. Look at the character portrayals. Look at the evolution as the books progress. I can write countless good things about this work by Joan Joanne Kathleen Rowling, but let me just tell you to shake off all prejudices against it just because of its fame and the widespread scholars, and give it a read. People admire Eoin Colfer for Artemis Fowl, but that is way way way behind the HP universe (I actually hated the Fowl book I read). Undoubtedly, my favourite books, which I have read, re-read, will read and re-read.

To Kill a Mockingbird: Like as many books you can, if you can read them, but remember it’s a sin not to like Mockingbird. Probably this is the only book that has given me some serious direction in life and thanks to Atticus Finch, I realized my place and course. A must read.

Helen of Troy: If you like history, you will love this book. I picked this one because I wanted to read about the Trojan War but didn’t have patience to read the verses of Homer’s Odyssey or Illiad. And I fell in love with it. So much that when the book developed few lines on the spine and the cover got smudged at the corners, I wanted to buy a new copy. It doesn’t require the patience that few other historical works demand, so read it if you like ancient Greek and Trojan history.

Chandrakanta: This was my first brush with magic. This book was rightly regarded as an epic for quite some time after the publication. The beautiful Hindi narrative and the twists and turns in the story line get you hooked on to it. I know most people have not read the book and have watched the televised serialization. Let me tell you about the latter: it’s bad. It has characters not mentioned at all in the book. I read it during school days, but fondly remember its characters: Tejsingh, Jeetsingh, Shivdutt… Read it, you will thoroughly enjoy it.

Who Moved My Cheese: I am not much into motivational/self-help books, but I liked this one. A friend and his mom had told me about it (“best book”). I can recall liking it then. It’s a thin book, can be finished in one go.

Jurassic Park: I loved the movie. Then I read the book. And I liked it equally, if not better. Goosebumps, adrenaline rushes, mathematics etc can be associated with it. I had found it lying with a friend (who has still not read it), took it and completed it. It was thrilling. A good sci-fi book.

The Kiterunner: I liked the way Hosseini paints the picture of Afghanistan’s transition from a place where people could have lunch sitting beside rivers to one where people ended up selling their limbs to get some money. That, coupled with the protagonist’s own story makes a nice read.

Black Beauty: Now when I think of the book, it serves as a lesson in life: Move on. The emotions and the learnings are beautifully described through a horse. A must read.

The Da Vinci Code: I liked it.

May be I will edit the post if I recall other books. The tag is open to everyone who wishes to take up, just remember that the original rules said 15 books.