Leave it to PSmith - P.G. Wodehouse

PSmith is at it again. As usual he is doing his good deeds for his friends, searching for adventure, and taking a slight deviation from the normal scheme of things, is falling in love.

And pursuing all these things, he finds himself in the idyllic locale of Blandings Castle. So you also have the delightful Lord Emsworth in the plot. Though the screen presence, or should I say, page presence, of Lord Emsworth is fairly constrained, he doesn’t fail to put a smile onto your visage.

Leave it to PSmith is an extremely entangled plot with past friends, burglars, imposters, secretaries, hen-pecked husbands, poets, and what not thrown in. There is no way I can get into that in much detail. It should suffice to say at this point that PSmith ends up in Blandings with the task of stealing Lady Constanance’s twenty thousand pound necklace. Before you start doubting his noble intentions and pass a judgement on his flawless character let me bring upon you the fact the benefactor of this little scheme would be his childhood friend Mike Jackson and his wife, and the wife’s genial step-father and Lady Constanance’s husband and the bumbling Freddie Threepwood. And if your righteous side still denounces the act of crime, I will let it be known that the original perpetrator of the idea was the victim’s husband who is kept on a tight financial leash by his wife. Now, if you ever did, I hope you do not sympathise with Lady Constanance. And it is a cause of great convenience and joy for PSmith that his heart keeper, his love of life, Eve Halliday should be camping at Blandings in the same period. Of course this is just the beginning. The plot gets infinitely complicated after that. The only thing that I can assure you off is that all of the threads are very satisfactorily tied together. The story is as gripping and hilarious as a Wodehouse novel can be.

A prominent change in the novel is PSmith’s name… which changes from Rupert to Ronald Eustace! I have no clue why that happened. I tried googling it with no satisfactory result. Well, as Shakespeare said, a PSmith with any other first name is just as engaging.

The Physics of Superheroes – James Kakalios

Have you ever been so fascinated by a superhero that you try to get yourself bitten by a spider so as to be able to swing from one high rise building to another, regardless of the fact that those spiders were neither genetically mutated through exposure to radiation nor are there that many high rise buildings in the city that you live in?

Well I have been. That probably explains why I liked this particular book so much. This book will be enjoyed by the following grades of people, in the descending order:

1. People who love superhero comic books and love physics

2. Superhero Comic Book Lovers

3. Physics lovers

I belong to the first kind. And so does James Kakalios. The difference being that he is actually a physicist.

The author goes about exploring one physics aspect after another, in more or less increasing amount of complexity of the concept and uses superheroes as and when required to show how comic books got their physics surprisingly right or ridiculously wrong. So there are lessons on mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism and lastly quantum physics with the superheroes that use the fundamentals respectively thrown in. If I am making it sound as if the book focuses more on physics than on superheroes, I wouldn’t be entirely wrong. Because the book does explain some concepts quite at length. That said it is not in a boring, class notes kind of a way and loaded with mathematical equations. The sense of humour is retained through the book. Even while explaining Schrodinger's equation. (A picture of a smiling scientist, coupled with the fact that he was somewhat of a Casanova will cheer you up even in your grumpiest mood)

Another very pleasing aspect of the book is that it dwells into quite a bit of history of comic books as it explores the physics side of things. That gives a lot of interesting trivia which any comic book lover would love to be abreast with. Did you know the earlier Superman could not fly and was only able to jump great heights and his source of powers was not the Sun but because he hailed from Krypton which had a supposedly stronger gravitational field. (After calculations, Kakalios determines the gravitational force of Krypton to be 15 times stronger than that of Earth’s) That and many more interesting tit-bits from the Comic Books hall of history are showcased in the book.

Overall, Kakalios keeps a nice balance between science, history and most importantly superheroes. Even Quantum Physics is explained in an absolutely layman’s language and how superheroes like Flash and Kitty Pryde use such complex principles. The book keeps getting better and better as you turn the pages over and ends with a brilliant closing chapter on Superhero bloopers.

So read it for superheroes, or read it for physics, you should have fun. You probably wouldn’t enjoy it if you are not into either of them. But then, if you are neither of them, this book is not meant for you. And as far as I am concerned, I am the target market for who the book was written.

Ukridge - P.G. Wodehouse

Stanley Featherstonehaugh (it’s supposed to be pronounced as Fanshawe. I don’t know why though) Ukridge is one of the most delightful scums you will ever run into. He is a wily opportunist, whom fate never seems to favor. But he is undeterred nonetheless, and never loses his optimism in the face of stormy weather. That is, in a nutshell, Ukridge for you.

Ukridge has a friend who always holds him in good stead; a Mr. Corcoran, or as Ukridge calls him, Corky. All the stories in the book are narrated in first person by Corcoran. Corky has witnessed the blossoming of Ukridge from a little child to a shrewd man. And there are but a few changes in the character of his childhood friend over the years. And Ukridge demonstrates his flair to earn a quick buck, or get screwed trying to, in the stories in this book.

The grand plans include training pet dogs amusing tricks, being a manager of a sentimental and a moody boxer, swindling insurance companies and so on. But lest you lable him as a money hungry, corrupt, immoral swine, let me also point that there are a handful of anecdotes which highlight the nobility of this fellow. He is the kind who helps out his friends in need and damsels in distress. He therefore comes up with an ingenious plan to finance a girl 100 pounds when she needs them and goes all the long way to help his friend win an election. Now wouldn’t you call that angelic?

Accompanying Ukridge are several other characters which make this book a delight to read. Amongst them my favourite were the two other stars, Corky, and his land-lord, an ex-butler who looks upon Ukridge like the son he never had. Corky has a dry, sarcastic sense of humour that I could really relate to. And even though he is not that well off, he always has a few coins or even socks to lend to Ukridge. That is the material good friends are made of. There are other characters of course who contribute to your laughter in their own way. Tying them all up is Ukridge, whose adventures, will blow away the dark clouds wandering over your heads and lighten up your day.

Shalimar the Clown - Salman Rushdie

Every read a 649 page poem? No? Read Shalimar the Clown then. It really does feel as if you are reading poetry. And before you jump to any positive conclusions, a novel feeling like a poem is not a complement. But apparently magical realism is a part of Salman Rushdie’s brand of writing. Maybe it works for his fans. It didn’t for me.

The story, if I had to encapsulate it in one sentence, is about an American Ambassador in India, Maximilian Ophulus, who comes to Kashmir and has sex with a married Kashmiri girl, whose husband is obviously pissed about being screwed over and therefore goes and kills both the girl and the American Ambassador. And there’s a whole universe that is spun around this story. And you feel as if you are drifting in space in no particular direction.

While the writing through the book is quite fantastic, no doubts about that, the story telling is extremely, should I say, devoid of energy. It is so boring that you can’t even fall off to sleep. Remember those really crappy lectures you attended in college, in which you just stared at the professor like a zombie. Reading Shalimar the Clown is somewhat akin to that. Non-linear writing is one thing, but when Rushdie kept zapping through between past, present and future like a bumble-bee from flower to flower, I couldn’t help but massage my temples to ease the pain in my head. Mixing fantasy with reality is also not something that I could digest. So metallic prophets and telepathic conversations and flying tightrope walkers are something that did not belong to this book. If I wanted to read about the atrocities in Kashmir, I would read a non-fiction book about it. And what is with all the sex? The guy is obsessed with it. And even his sex doesn’t have any eroticism in it. The words through the book while beautiful, simply don’t engross a reader.

All in all, there’s only so much of good writing that you can enjoy. I read a book for it’s story. Take that out and a book becomes an unending drag; which is what happened with this book. Yes, character development is important, conveying their thoughts and emotions is important, and giving some historical background to people is important, but all that is a part of the story. And while the Kashmir story is actually depicted quite well, it loses its sense in the larger context of the book. And the book is so depressing, intentionally I suppose, that you feel too sad, and a tad frustrated, to be enthralled by the writing itself.

Or maybe I am just too lay a man to appreciate Salman Rushdie’s works… Well, I am happy with my Wodehouse’s though. And I will need to read 2 or 3 of them to get over this book.

Maverick - Ricardo Semler

This is a business book with a difference! For one, it is not about a multi billion dollar corporation like, say an Exon, or Microsoft. It is about a Brazilian company, called Semco. And the second key difference is, the author, also the owner of the company, does not boast about the good things in his organization. He is proud of them.

Well the theme of the book is pretty straightforward. A successful company in a sinusoidal economy, and an owner with a strain of megalomania in him and therefore he decides to write a book. Well, I excuse the writer for the megalomania bit. Because this is one company that did merit a book. Not as much because it was successful, but because the company believes in the philosophy of, as we say, ‘having a life’.

Semco has done a lot of things differently. Corporate democracy where the employees decide everything from the color of the office walls to the time they come to work to even their salaries is a unique concept implemented by Semco. That, broadly, forms the theme of the book. It also explains, why, despite the obvious on-the-face, impossibility of giving such a freedom to employees, the scheme does work. I will not detail the stories of the company. There are just too many and all of them are just too good to choose amongst them.

The owner, Ricardo Semler, is a man I have tremendous respect for! In the modern era of cut throat competition it is fashionable to be a workaholic. Ricardo, or Dickie, disagrees. It’s not that he shuns work. Or doesn’t have a business vision. But it’s just that he realizes that having fun in life is more important. And honestly, workaholics are only living a delusion that work is actually fun for them. I ramble. Back to Dickie. He takes a two month of every year for vacations, believes that watching a movie on a Monday afternoon is a lot more commendable than working on a Saturday, and he actually is proud of the fact that most of the decisions in the company are taken by others and he is not even invited to most meetings, actually documents that he doesn’t take a whole lot of calls he gets… man… I could go on, and you would get the picture of that good for nothing work-weasel guy out of Dilbert comics. But then, Ricardo Semler does run a company. A successful one at that. And though he is not invited to meetings, knows about his business. So he is not a Jack Welch. But he sure as hell is a lot more interesting.

A lot of business books get very pedantic. Suggesting that what they do is the best in the world and everyone should adopt their ways. The only thing it does is feed the egos of the management of that company. And Maverick holds its reins tightly enough to not fall into that cliff. Eventually, granting that there would be a whole lot of things that people in Semco crib about, it still seems like a fun place to work for! So for the people who might not get a chance, the book is the next best way of learning how a company ought to function. This really is a business book with a difference.

The Old Reliable - P.G. Wodehouse

The characters Wodehouse creates have a wide range of professions. While there are some standard professionals, like butlers, and rich, young men who don’t have to wag a whisker for their pennies, and lawyers, etc. some harbour, and live some very unique careers.

In this book, The Old Reliable, Wilhelmina Shannon, the protagonist and the wonder woman to the rescue (therefore the title, ‘the old reliable’) is a writer who finds herself out of job. And therefore she accepts the lowly task of writing the biography of her sister, Mrs. Adela Cork, an actress from the era of the silent movies. Mrs. Adela Cork happens to have purchased a property belonging to the late Mexican actress, Carmen Flores, who while alive, led a scandalous life and documented it all in her secret diary for the benefit of the future generations. And the diary would sell for good bucks in the Hollywood market. And who doesn’t want good bucks? Well, it’s not just Ms. Bill Shannon. There is a brother in law of Mrs. Cork, Semdley, who Ms. Bill has the hots for who originally plans on hunting the diary. The butler at the house (who else) reaches the same conclusion. And thankfully Semdley has the entire family, which also includes a cousin of Ms. Bill, a certain Kay, and her lover on his side. But it is upto Ms. Bill to outwit the butler in the chase for the legendary diary.

The plot as usual, is pretty thick with a lot of very lovable characters thrown in. And for the more intellectual reader, Semdley and the butler, really have multiple dimensions if you’d really want to look for them. The butler, though clearly the villain, is extremely likable. And Semdley, with the good guys behind his back, is the kind of a guy who you’d see with a girl and wonder what the hell she saw in him.

It’s a hilarious read, with a longish climax, which is fun all the way. And this is one Wodehouse novel which the ending is not predictable in your usual way. So, well, have fun!

The Bourne Identity - Robert Ludlum

Spy Novels have never really appealed to me. It’s not that I am too much of a realist to find stories about international intelligence agencies, and government spies and terrorists over the top. Not at all! I love all these things in your regular spy movies. In fact, I say, they should throw in more terrorists and spies in there. But whatever books I had read on the topic, never really brought out the intensity of a situation as well as it came out for me in a movie. Now since my experience with spy fiction is pretty limited, it could be a case of me reading all the wrong books. But when the first two or three books in a genre don’t work for you, you do tend to lock the entire lineage out. That’s what happened with me.

But Bourne identity, it is one of the favourite books of a voracious reader friend I have got. And since I loved the movie trilogy so much, I decided to give Bourne Identity a read.

And I was blown away!

As it turned out, the only thing common between the movie and the book is Jason Bourne and the fact that he is an amnesic. Everything else is unrelated! I fail to understand why the movie makers would change the story of Bourne Identity! It is fast paced, extremely clever, intense, suspenseful and with the right amount of action for a novel. To be fair, with a different story, the movies were pretty good as well, with the right amount of (and more than the books) action for a movie.

The Bourne Identity is about a man who is found on a French island, loaded with bullets, not in a holster but in his body, minus his memory. But as he is treated by a drunk doctor, a clue is discovered which sends the patient, or Pierre off to a Swiss Bank, under the name of the doctor who treated him, Washburn. On the way, he figures out that he is extremely resourceful and has a knack of getting out of tight situations. He realizes he has more than a working knowledge of some form of martial arts, is adept with weapons, and is masterful with disguises. At the bank, he discovers his name is Jason Bourne. And he also discovers that a whole bunch of unknown enemies are out to kill him. But thanks to the skills he possesses, he manages to kill some and evade some of his other killers.

Now all he wants is to figure out is who he really is.

And in the search for his past he realizes, much to his horror, that Carlos, the international assassin (he is actually in the book) and an American Government organization, Treadstone, are out to kill him. When he digs out the reason, it is all the more horrifying. But in a perfect case of “ Syndrome” an economist from Canada, who he had taken as a hostage, falls in love with him and has unwavering faith that all would be well as long as she was with Jason Bourne.

And propelled by this love, though fearful of losing it because of the truth, Jason Bourne keeps unearthing the past.

The twists in the book are quite gripping. You don’t even know whether you should hate Jason Bourne because he probably is a baddie, or sympathize with him because he is an amnesic. The balance keeps tilting towards the later option because of all the panic attacks that he has whenever he has blinding visions of the past. And of course there is a poor girl in question for who you want the best. And of course Jason Bourne is the hero! And the hero has to, has to be victorious! It’s the how that will keep you hooked on to the book!

Read on...!