Blandings Castle - P.G. Wodehouse

This collection of short stories begins with a lovely preface from Wodehouse and his inner workings which led to this book and for that matter, any of his ‘series’. Well, it’s good for us that Plum likes his characters like Bertie and Jeeves, and Lord Emsworth and Mr. Mulliner, and the rest of them as much as we do. It would have been so sad if there had been only one story of each!

Bladings castle, well it is a misleading name, since the short stories are from Blandings Castle as well as elsewhere, as it is made clear right from the table of contents. In the Blandings Castle, we go through an important phase in Lord Emsworth’s life, where he finally gets rid of his young son Freddie who gets married to the daughter of a dog-biscuit tycoon. And even excluding that, the book highlights some important chapters in Lord Emsworth’s life, like him winning the contest for the biggest pumpkin and the fattest pig; and then getting punched in the nose as he took a pleasure swim and lastly mustered enough courage to confront and overpower his virago sister Constance. Amongst these adventures he even witnessed, and I am sure he would have been surprised, a substantial professional success of his son who the Lordship believed was the most confounding menace on the planet.

From these adventures of Blandings, Plum takes us to a brief chapter in Bobbie Wickham’s life who successfully averts marriage with a highly undesierable certain Mr. Gandle. Her display of ready with leaves you wanting for more.

And from there, we get transported to Hollywood. And get a sighting of the darker, murkier side of the glamour world, where gorillas go loose, where people have to take up demeaning jobs of simply nodding their agreement to their boss, to being forced into bonded labour of writing dialogues. Mr. Mulliner, with his vast insight and steady contacts into the workings of the movie industry in America highlights how his relatives found love, togetherness and success in such a malaise stricken environment.

The stories are pure brilliance, and will keep you smiling and chuckling as you read. I loved this book!

Mirror Mirror - Mark Pendergast

This book took a long time for me to read. Somehow, work, inter-city travel and some more work kept digging potholes and constructing road blocks to stop me from getting through the book. But I fought it all and kept going. And it was worth every bit of it.
Non-fiction books will always be a tricky affair. I don’t think someone who doesn’t read books could have got through a book like this, or for that matter any science history book. But for any bibliophile, this book would be immensely pleasurable. If you are an astronomer then too, this book will serve up a history of your subject in an entirely different perspective.
The book is essentially a history of mirrors. And what a fascinating history it is! The author explores the topic beautifully, right from the BC era to the 21st century, the journey of the mirror from being an extremely rare, expensive and a prized possession when mirror makers were imprisoned to keep their talents within Vienna, to something extremely commonplace; from being a simple reflector of Roman orgies to a devastating weapon. And along the journey, the evolution of human interaction with mirrors in various stages is equally fascinating. The impact of mirrors in painting, literature, astronomy, optical sciences, communications, psychology is astounding. Legend has it that Archimedes burnt enemy ships using a concave reflecting mirror by focusing sun rays to an enemy. It’s not exactly proven whether mirror was used as a weapon then, but now, lasers are quite a popular in weapon sciences. Telescopes have got bigger, better, and are equipped to capture more than just visible light from million of light years away, or light emitted as early as the big bang. And lastly people have changed the way they look at mirrors. From being a simple polished metal, to a scrying for psychic knowledge, to an inseparable fashion accessory, and finally to a ‘true mirror’ which reflects us as we are seen by others is a long journey indeed.
The book charts all these territories and more. The heroes and villains of the story are enumerated exceptionally well. And there are too many of them to mention here. But various people have contributed to the development of mirror, be it in terms of manufacturing them with various materials, or giving them a particular shape, to their applications in earth and space, in various wavelengths of emissions.
Last word is that it is a truly fascinating book about something so commonplace that you hardly think about it. Imagine, there are ‘true mirrors’ which are available which actually do not show a reversed image when you stand in front of it. So that, it shows you how you would appear to other people. That is so extremely against the intuition as far as gazing into a mirror is concerned, and at the same time so novel an experience! I wish I could see myself in a true mirror! The book is an excellent product of some tremendous research and great writing style. Without adequate research the book would have ended up being a hodge-podge mixture of arbitrary information about mirrors. And without great writing style, it could have been reduced to a boring, soporific history text-book. It has all the necessary elements to make a fun read for anyone with a curious mind.

Big Money - P.G. Wodehouse

Berry Conway and Lord Biskerton make for very different kind of Wodehouse heroes. While we are used to the suave and glb talking PSmith, and the helplessly dependent on the faculties of his buter, Bertie, these are very likeable guys whose characters are without a blemish.
The same can not be said about Berry Conway. Because playing an imposter of an officer of the law is a serious criminal offense. Though he had good reasons to play the part, but that does not excuse him of his felonies.

And Lord Biskerton, or Biscuit as he is called, is worse off. He is one of those money swindling characters who can never have a meal of their own sweat and toil. And he seems to have inherited that from his father!

There is a Patterson Frisby who is the miserly employer of Berry Conway, who is interested in a copper mine held by Conway. And he employs his aide, more of a sniveling, servile, yes man who performs any duty a rich man will ask him to perform to be in the rich man’s good books. But the yes-man, Hoke, gets his brain cells working and spots a money making opportunity of a lifetime in the mine.

And if you are thinking Big Money is only about the money, you are gravely mistaken. What would a Wodehouse book be if there was no love at first sight and angels singing romantic songs on their harps? There is an Ann Moon the girl who makes men weak in their knees wherever she goes, who Berry Conway loves like a dog loves his master. But she is engaged to the Biscuit and Conway is not a friend who can inflict misery on his pals. Biscuit and Ann came in contact through Biscuit’s aunt, Vera (somehow there are a great many Vera’s in Wodehouse books, possibly the only name he has ever repeated) who is playing chaperone to the American Ann in London. And Ann is also Frisby’s niece which brings Aunt Vera and Patterson quite close.
The fundamental problem however, remains that Berry has no dough and Biskerton is an impoverished Lord, and for their love tangles to be sorted they will need some lucre in good time. And the copper mine, while an asset is a dud hole in the ground, which Berry can not get a lot of cash for, but Frisby’s acute money making mind has some different plans with the “Dream come true”. Oh that’s the name of the mine.

And in resolving this problem come the hilarious tangles and misunderstandings and violence which will leave you with an aching tummy. This is one of Wodehouse’s best!

If - Neeru Nanda

I have always found short stories very appealing. And while I started writing them, a very naïve prejudice, that a short story is simple to write, has been rethought of. It is extremely difficult to build characters, show relationships and narrate a story.

Neeru Nanda, through various settings, achieves that end goal quite satisfyingly as a reader. But if you are the kind of a reader who likes reading a short story with a traditional framework of a beginning, a twist and a conclusion, then If might not be the book for you. Because while the stories are beautifully depicted, they are meant to touch your emotional sensibilities rather than introduce a problem and take it to a logical conclusion.

The writer explores different settings in her stories with the flair of an accomplished writer. You’d expect a debutant writer, to stick to his sphere and write stories on them. If I ever came out with a book, it would be difficult for me to write a story about a monk and do justice to the character and the story.

The writing is definitely that of an accomplished writer. A lazy writing style turns me off immediately and getting through the book feels like reading an essay of a twelve year old boy has written it simply out of the fear of a cane snapping on his knuckles if he didn’t write it.

If you are the more sensitive sorts, then you might run the risk of getting into a depression for some time going ahead since the stories in the book talk about solely the rough side of the protagonist’s lives. Some stories are hopeful, like Lonely, Not Dead, and The Ghost Writer. But those are all. The rest of the nine are so grim that they will rub away all silver linings you are capable of seeing.

The book is a quick read that you would get through in a 3-4 hour journey between cities or something. And the book will keep you entertained for the duration. On the other hand it is nothing too spectacular to rave about either.

The Girl in Blue - P.G. Wodehouse

I imagined The Girl in Blue, knowing Plum’s romantic side, to be that angel of his dreams conjured up in words. It turned out to be a miniature statue of some sort of an ancestor of a certain Will Scrope with enough money to waste on such cravings. Not that I was disappointed, since there were other pretty girls to take her place! And while one of them was Vera Upshaw, a devil in Prada so to speak, the other was an airhostess going by the name Jane, with her figure and her heart in the right place. Our protagonist, Jerry West, falls in love, and as always, in first sight, with the airhostess, but is deterred in making a move by the fact that he is engaged to be married to the former girl. Jerry, also happens to be the nephew of Will Scrope, and by extension, the poor Scrope brother, Crispin.

If only the cast stopped there. But it’s good that it doesn’t.

Tying all of them together is a kleptomaniac American woman, Barney and her rich lawyer brother Homer Pyle, who know Will Scrope. And they travel to England, the brother for a writer’s gathering, and the sister, to get away from the shopkeepers whose wares Barney might have inadvertently stolen.

And then, the pricey, or priceless if seen from the rich Scrope’s eyes, goes missing. And the ensemble gathers at the poor Scrope residence, which is a Mellingham hall, which is kept above the red financial line through the money doled out by guests who can acquire the status by paying a fee. And adding some spice to the story is the fact that Homer Pyle, like many other men before him, falls in instant love with the lovely Vera Upshaw. And while he has no greek God body to boast off, his financial muscle is considerable and enough of an incentive for girls to take him seriously. And then there are some other miscellaneous characters, like Vera’s mother, and a broker’s man posing as a butler, and a hefty policeman which bring as much delight in their limited roles as any of the other prominent members of the story.

This is a tale of treasure hunting, mystery, and as usual, love, both pure and adulterated.

So go ahead, find the Girl in Blue for Mr. Scrope. Two Hundred Pounds reward is up for grabs!

The Plot to Get Bill Gates - Gary Rivlin

There must be sundry books on Bill Gates. And most books on other Information Technology luminaries will have a mention of their tussle with him. Bill Gates is an extremely well marketed a commodity. Not that he needed much marketing with his tagline of ‘the richest man in the world’. But one of the four P’s of marketing, packaging, was a crucial element. And that is one of the things the author dwells in in one of the chapters.

The book, if you really go to see about it, is about the success of Microsoft, and Bill Gates, with a twist. It focuses on the adversaries and builds the identity of hero by describing the foes he fought. And while it is up to the reader to decide this, but I genuinely felt that it wasn’t a book written with the Microsoft agenda at the back of the mind. Or it could have been the part of Bill Gates ver 4 that the author talks about. You never know.

The book starts at 1994 with ‘The Agenda’ an annual technological event which attracts the who’s who of the technology world, and where Bill Gates is a constant celebrity despite the power quotient of the attendees. From there the book goes back to the genesis of Microsoft and the a rapid coverage of Microsoft’s ascendance in the industry. Again, the spotlight is not on Microsoft as much as on the competition of IBM and Digital Research and Novell and the rest of them, which gives a fresh perspective to the battles of the bytes. Maybe it would have been more fun if the duel between Microsoft and Apple had been brought out better. But it probably wasn’t as much of a duel as Apple as a corporation and its cult followers believe it to be.

The second phase of the book is about the race in the internet-world where Microsoft was a late starter. Scott McNealy of Sun, Larry Ellison of Oracle and Marc Andreesson of Netscape were the primary enemies with their Java, NC (Network Computer) and Netscape browser. Again, the book livens up with the flamboyant lifestyle of Ellison, the raw aggressiveness of McNealy, and the arrogance of folks at Netscape as Microsoft bulldozes through the competitors.

The last section is an acknowledgement of the sheer dominance of Microsoft in the industry, a detailed write up on the anti-trust suit against Microsoft, and an actual Anti-Bill fund set up by his competitors. Well, it was actually called the Java Fund, but thwarting Bill Gates was the whole point of it!

The book is fascinatingly entertaining, as it narrates the anecdotes and the interviews. Anyone with a flair for business and interest in the computer world will surely love the book. Having been published in 2000, maybe it’s lost a lot of its relevance in 2009, but it sure would have made a great read the year it was published. Not that I regretted reading the book, but it does feel a bit incomplete to read a book which talks about Operating Systems, and internet and leaves out Google. A question of timing I suppose. But that does not make this book, considering the subject it was written on, any lesser a read. I would rate it highly, if not for its recentness, then for its historical perspective. (20 years back is almost dinosaur age in the hi-tech)

Lastly, the book is not all about gushing praise for Bill Gates. And Gary Rivlin doesn’t mince words when he paints a portrait of Bill Gates from Microsoft Co-founder to the Chief Software Architect of his company. And neither is the author overly critical of the business ambition that drove Bill Gates to be what he ended up being. The quote that the books opens with, says it all. And it was a delightful read throughout.

Cujo - Stephen King

I read a Stephen King after a long, long time. The last time was Carrie, a pure horror book, which was extremely tightly written, and therefore was quite a treat.

Cujo, is not so much a horror book as it is a thriller cum drama. In the sense, it doesn’t have your usual spirits, and ghosts, and apparitions out to capture human souls. It is about a rabid St. Bernard dog, Cujo.

There is quite a lot going in the book. It’s not your usual Stephen King book where really the ghost or the villain is the central theme of the story. In this book, Cujo, while an important element of the narration, is tied in to the other aspects of the character’s lives which are as vital in the continuity of the story.

The protagonists, Vic and Donna Trenton and their kid Tad, have their worries. Vic’s career is at a break point. Donna’s having an affair with a Steve Kemp, and when she tries to end it with him, he becomes spiteful and sends out a nasty note to Vic announcing that he had been fucking her while handsome hubby toiled at work. As if that were not enough to shatter Vic, his major client, Sharp Cereal Company has been planning on pulling the plug on AdWorx, Vic’s advertising company, and Vic and his partner have to travel to New York to try and salvage the situation. And with such life changing events happening all around, there are the daily chores that continue to hound, like a faulty valve in their family car, which Donna takes to Joe Chamber’s garage to get fixed.

Joe Chamber, the filthy, son of soil, mechanic, has his own life, with a subdued and dominated wife, Charity, and a son, Brett, who is increasingly taking a liking to his father’s mannerisms and way of life. Charity, in an attempt to get his son to see and adopt a more civilized living habits, takes him to her sister’s home in New York. That leaves Joe Chamber alone with Cujo, who by this time has got rabid from a bat-bite.

Cujo is dis-oriented, but continues to showcase his cunning, a reference that he might be possessed by the ghost of Frank Dodd, a serial killer from another of SK books ‘The Dead Zone’ who has a reference throughout this book. Cujo starts by killing Chamber’s neighbor. And just when Joe discovers his body, Cujo is on to him. And when Donna and Tad reach Joe Chamber’s garage, there is no one on the premise to warn them beware: Dog on premises. Sputtering, spitting and using up the last of the car’s life, Donna drives into the garage, leaving the car in no shape to make it back without repairs. As she is about to get off the car to hunt for Joe, the dog enters the scene, driving the mother and son back in the car, windows up, and fear gripping their hearts. The car becomes their prison. And Cujo stands guard. Vic is not in town to be of help. And the garage is at the end of the world for anyone to come around to help. And Castlerock, Maine has the hottest summer that year, which makes the car a furnace to live in.

It’s a fight for survival for Donna and Tad. And that is what the book is really about. The lives of all the characters converge to this battle.

Captivity and isolation are themes Stephen King employs extremely well. Remember Misery or Gerald’s game? And while Cujo, because it is about a lot more than just captivity and isolation, is not as chilling as some of the other books, has it’s tense moments. But then if you are reading a horror book to get terrorized, this is not the book for you, even though, overall it is fairly enjoyable primarily for the completeness of the characters.

Dog lovers might not dig this book, because Cujo is shown to be a real monster. The transformation of Cujo from a good natured, kid loving, docile dog to a blood thirsty devil is brought out excellently. The struggle in his mind, as he tries to be a good dog, makes you pray vehemently that Cujo doesn’t get rabid. But then, if he didn’t, Cujo would have hardly made a story.