Best books of 2010

This year, for me, has been a really slow year in terms of books. I’m glad I’m back on the wagon, even though it’s by the help of the Sookie Stackhouse series. I finished the last 4 books in a month and they were entertaining. Currently I am reading From Dead To Worse, the eighth book in the series.

Anyway,
Here’s a compiled list of the best books for 2010.
- A comprehensive list by Amazon HERE. It includes best customer favourites, Editor’s picks, and it’s also divided up by genre.
- NYT also has a list. You can also hear a podcast on the link. In the site’s book section, there are also links to notable children’s books and crime thrillers of the year. 
- Salon also has a list of this year’s best books, which is divided into fiction, non-fiction and author’s picks.
- Boston Globe’s top 10 children’s books here.
- Slate’s list of year’s top books.
- At NPR, you have book critic Maureen Corrigan’s favourite books of 2010. You can also have a listen too.
At largehearted boy, you can get a complete list of the online best books of 2010.

Just like that

Long time, no see Post.

1. I am on Twitter HERE.
Just a messenger.
Avoid personal reporting.

2.This is a good link for Encarta quizzes. Got a mixed variety. Pretty interesting stuff.
HERE

3. Check out this site for film posters. The Big Heat poster looks vapour-y.

4. Had a reunion with a friend who returned from the Naxal under-land, changed as a
coffee-monger, but unchanged in many ways.

5. Trying to find The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It's a Scholastic publication, unavailable in India. Got interested because of the brilliant art work from Jason Chan HERE.

6. Watched Brick featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Reminiscent of Sam Spade type/The Maltese Falcon but among the immoral, drug-abused present.
Features dialogue like:
"Maybe I'll just sit here and bleed at you."
"I've got knives in my eyes, I'm going home sick."
"Which wall's the door in?"

Personal update:
Life is drab.
Work is mercenary.

Interesting links

This post is dedicated to links.
Interesting links that will become a part of the blogroll that I will one day have.

1. Arts Journal that compiles articles on media, music, people, publishing, etc.

2. Top 100 sneakers (ya, really!)

3. A clock, but not for people who can’t read HERE

4. A package deal starring Kanye West
a. What he did (NYT calls it the celebrity run-in HERE)
b. This incident led to a buzz in the twitterati-activity leading to this Is Kanye the new O.J.? HERE

5. Discovered the classic magazine The Atlantic.

Flashbacks from The Atlantic are available at: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/index/flashbacks

Includes:

‘Mind over matter’ which compiles articles from the 1920s to the 1990s that reflect on the revolutionary insights of Albert Einstein.

‘Defending Darwin’ that compiles articles from 1860 to the present on the conflict between evolution theory and religious fundamentalism.

‘Private domain’ where three Atlantic authors consider the fine line between security and breach of privacy.

'Obscenity, Censorship, and the First Amendment', featuring Atlantic writings from the turn of the twentieth century forward on the fraught battleground between freedom of speech and public morality.

‘So You Want to Be a Writer’ that features Wallace Stegner, Francine Prose, John Kenneth Galbraith, and others offer advice to aspiring wordsmiths.

‘Broadcast News’ where David Halberstam, James Fallows, and Nicholas Lemann write on the rich past and uncertain future of broadcast journalism.

‘Nobel Quibbles’ cause when it comes to the Nobel Prize, controversy and debate have always been the name of the game.

‘The Diamond Myth’ which compiles articles from the past 150 years reveal the dark side of "the most brilliant of stones."

‘Finding a Place for God’ includes Atlantic contributors from throughout the past century question the value of religion in a scientific world.

'The Road to the Information Age' - Decades before the rise of the Internet, Atlantic contributors were dreaming of the day when all knowledge on earth would be available at the click of a button.

'White America Reacts' compiles Articles from the turn of the 20th century onwards show that the breakdown of racial hegemony in America has been a slow, challenging process.

Reviews and Linkage

First news...

1. A great list of sci-fi novels HERE. I have read just one of them and that too the ealiest one. Shelley's Frankenstein. It's not exactly sci-fi but more of Gothic and something else...But it includes a lot of cyberpunk and steampunk references, which I really wanna get into soon. There's a huge list on Wikipedia about the influences on the Matrix series, which is also an example of cyberpunk (hightech, low life)..The first step in that direction was watching a Miyazaki movie yesterday, which was extremely fulfilling. I think he's my favourite director. Period.

2. The Tintin movie will come out in 2011... Its like you wait for Potter movies till 2011 July, and then..this long wait...But hope its worth it.

3. Was treading around to find out which was the best anime EVER. Some sites say Neon Genesis Evangelion and some say Death Note... Its difficult to make this choice cause there are so many genres to mangas and anime. I have started watching Sailor Moon, but once you've watched "the way of the ninja" in Naruto or the madness in Paranoia agent, you cant help but dislike the slow pace of Sailor Moon and its reluctant protagonist.An interesting link I found in conjunction with this was HERE.

A man was arrested for his manga collection which contained some child pornography. The question remains whether you can say whether a manga/fictional character is underage or not?

Okay...So i watched a few pilots yesterday and here are some of my views of them.

1. TRUE BLOOD: Based on the famous Southern Vampire series written by Charlaine Harris, True Blood is about the coming-out of vampires. It is pacy, interesting and has oodles of gore and blood, which makes it an interesting watch. Anna Paquin who plays the lead is also an amazing actress and as usual, there is always one vampire who is a gentleman. (This reminds me that I hated Angel, but loved Spike..strange.)

2. THE MENTALIST: This one looks like a CSI/Numbers/x-forensic serials rip-off or spin off but I should probably give it more credit. The case is solved not by too much focus on the science but observation. However, this also leads to fast stereotypes and categories..which might create problems..But this is very similar to Miss Marple's theories of detection...that human nature is same everywhere..

3. MERLIN: In the name of whatever's sacred, this is a BBC hot chocolate. It's a series like no other. Even though the special effects are nothing to write hot about, the story line, characters and the enigma of the series is enchanting.. And Merlin and Arthur are Yumm..

In Delhi...indefinitely

NEWS

1. Back in Delhi: Requires no explanation, except to say that its the most Awesome (as Barney Stintson would say it) city in India.

2. First time Voter: I would be lying if I would say that I did a wonderful job exercising my rights as a citizen. It was a shameful experience voting and an excellent sham. I thought I would read the parties and their nominees' agenda and then go vote, after being totally informed. Turned out that I could not find the name of the nominees standing from my city area and a greater surprise was that the ballot list had only the names of the candidates.

I'm no journalist!

3. Latest Passion: Anime! Have watched Naruto, Ouran high school Host Club and currently downloading a brilliant series called Paranoia Agent by Satoshi Kon (who made Paprika: a must for all). Apart from that, I have a whole list of things that I want to see ! Anime opens up a lot of possibilities that real live things cannot attain, apart from Hentai ;0

4. SHAMELESS LINKING: Posting links that I discovered through useless browsing

- CHECK the speed of your internet connection here. I was surprised!

-I want to watch THIS MOVIE. Have heard that that its wonderful and award winning...

-Discovered an amazing site for books and this trivia test that goes with it.. Will become a member soon

-Watched the movie called The Asphalt Jungle: its scenes of heist beat Oceans' 11, hands down!

More Later!

Random Thoughts

Looking at: the pc screen!

Listening to: Script session in college


1. Have to edit a few stories tomorrow and I don't know how to be polite and still get the point across. It is so tough to tell any author that I don't understand what they've written or If they could re-structure a sentence. Not trying to be sweet, but nice. :(

2. Missing home! as usual..

3. Studying International issued daily is painful. Especially when you can't listen carefully, as you are busy making notes..(which I painfully and diligently do, because I am a stenographer! :P)

4. I am so excited that LOST is returning! Just dying to watch it....I wanna see Sawyer and lap up all his hotness....Kate and take in all the lies...Jack and watch him drink his tears...
.....Wonderful

5. I watched Fight Club a few days ago and I think I should read the book soon...If the movie was so powerful, ecstatic, wrenching and zapped me awake, imagine what the novel will do?!
I hail the writer (Chuck Palahniuk) and the director(David Fincher) !

"This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time"

" We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives."

Wonderful

A little bit of Godness

Listening to: Janis Joplin/Lil Wayne (seperately)


Watching: the monitor

• Have started to believe in God. Living in a place where you like no one..u start believing in some things that you thought you never will. Will have to think a lot about that..does living alone have any effect on how you perceive God? Does being away from family make you believe in what they say strongly?
  Is God a man or woman? ....What the hell!
• Saw an episode of Fringe...and i must say that it is Not at all Lost...Joshua Jackson was a good addition. But will have to see more to say more..
• Working on a report writing assignment right now. Apparently our class wanted Bush to be killed in Chennai, but the teacher thought it might be a bit too much..
• Thinking of watching Fashion this weekend. Might do too

Random small sized posts

• I am on a Monty Python spree. Have started watching it like MAD and I think I might do my project on it. But will have to do immense research for it.


• And now for something completely different.


• Have decided that Journalism may not be the best area for a non-socializing person like me. Have started to believe, "Hell is other people." There is no escape!


• Have discovered the benefits of a torrent. After a successful download of Dark Knight, have become a Torrent fan. Might have to buy a wi-fi connection soon.


• US election is coming up and fates will be decided. Honestly, my vote doesn't count and neither does my opinion, but I would prefer Obama to be the new leader. He seems young, radical, motivated and is liberal. I admit to not knowing more about his politics, but his stance on issues like war and abortion seem to be neutral. Anything's better than extreme.


• Chennai has books and movies and loads of them. This weekend I bought - books on film theory, plays by Girish Karnad, Another Agatha Christie novel called Dumb Witness. Also purchased a few films like Iko, The Birds, and Poirot movies... cant get enough of Christie


• Have stopped watching television all together. This thought scares me a lot! I am spending a lot of time on the laptop, but television is just another screen dimension. Missed so many F1 matches this season, along with new series on english channels.


• Will see the new Potter trailer and report. Cant believe I missed that one. Shame on me!


• Have started listening to BBC podcasts. I get a very slow connection here, but the podcasts are very small. So I can easily download a few. They are very informative and interesting.


• Dilli or Delhi? Once , I go back I might decide whether I am a Dilli-ite or a Delhiite. Makes no difference either way. To live in Delhi and not be a part of it is a shame.

Recently, conversations have been turning to subjects like marriage, caste, religion, region and family and what I discover is that all of these matter more than identity. Maybe because they are a part of one's self. Apart from these traditions, there are a few hangups that never leave us and are passed down from earlier generations.

I had never given much thought to what others believe because I always think that thoughts and beliefs are mutable, changing constantly with new experiences. One can never believe that anything is fixed because nothing is. How can anyone believe that our ideas and identities are permanent, when we live in a world that forces us to scrutinize our actions and doubt our ability..

• Just saw the HP trailer.. so familiar, it reminds of comfortable Delhi days...()

The difference between Clench and Grind

I decided to celebrate the end of my exams with a visit to the Dentist. Call me adventurous, but I like to live on the edge. A few months of toothache, coupled with occasional disprins twice a week will make you fret a bit or more. After diagnosis, the result was 4 cavities and the BIG ONE, a Root Canal. Pain I was prepared for, along with loss of liquid cash.
All in all, it did not turn out too bad. Still the last day was eventful, with the assistant dentist, asking me to clench my teeth by which he meant that I should imagine eating food. I mistook that for grinding my food, which I think is the way one eats food. So just to prove that I am right, here’s what my Oxford Genie says :

To clench : when you clench your hands and teeth… you press them together tightly, usually showing that you are angry, determined or upset
To grind : to break or crush something into very small pieces between two hard surfaces or using a special machine (drill).
Turns out, my five years in literature haven’t been a wasting!

2. On the other hand, I just finished reading an easy biography on Al Capone (do not read as Wikipedia entry). It was fun, neutral attempt to capture his personal life and events in a less serious tone. It was fun to read about him, because I haven't seen Scarface but heard just rave reviews. After Capone, I started with an assorted Whodunit series. Lets see how that goes cause I'm a sucker for those. Wondering whether I should buy the Twilight series or just be happy with the movie version...

3. On the sports side, IPL is fun to watch...Delhi being in the semis is a bonus too. The problem is that they'll be facing the Royals; Rajasthan Royals, not the Challengers! Raikkonen's battling with Hamilton for the top spot.....EXCITING...mind numbing to watch Kimi get no points along with driving Sutil out...!! BAH

4. Loved this game called Submachine. Technical and escape/maze game. Start with part one here...very easy....then follow it up with part2, part3 and part4. There's also one called Submachine zero.

5. Started watching Pushing Daisies and Chuck. Interesting mid-exam snack type.

W.H. Auden - Not so much American...

Mood : half-witted and laziness!

Listening to : What goes around comes around : Justin Timberlake

It is always during exam time that I find good books and good poetry and realize that I dont have time to appreciate them. Found Auden, but dont have time to love him.
This entry is under the tag of American poet. Auden was partially an American. Wasn't born there but found refuge and comfort there. I've attached a fragment of his poem called September 1, 1939. A dirge on war. Beautiful and simple, as poetry should be.

September 1, 1939

All I have is a voice
To undo the folded lie,
The romantic lie in the brain
Of the sensual man-in-the-street
And the lie of Authority
Whose buildings grope the sky:
There is no such thing as the State
And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die.

New Year Resolutions

Listening to : Evil Ways by Santana

Liberian Girl by Michael Jackson

Crystal Ball by Keane

Another new year. For me it usually means, a chance to spend more ways learning how to waste time effectively. However, this year I might waste it in much better ways. Firstly, by buying and reading more books. Secondly by watching more televison which includes reruns. Thirdly, by trying to write. This one might be on the threshold, of pain and pleasure, wasting time and actually attempting to come up with what some might label trash.

And lastly, I have decided to finish all Agatha Christie by this year. Given below are all of her works. I have read a few, mon ami.

(the ones in black=done. Virginal and untouched=Blue)

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The Secret Adversary

Murder On the Links

The Man in the Brown Suit

The Secret of Chimneys

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Big Four

The Mystery of the Blue Train

The Seven Dials Mystery

Murder at the Vicarage

The Sittaford Mystery

Peril at End House

Lord Edgware Dies

Murder on the Orient Express

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

Three Act Tragedy

Death in the Clouds

The ABC Murders

Murder in Mesopotamia

Cards on the Table

Dumb Witness

Death on the Nile

Appointment with Death

Hercule Poirot's Christmas

Murder Is Easy

Ten Little Niggers

Sad Cypress

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Evil Under the Sun

N or M?

The Body in the Library

Five Little Pigs

The Moving Finger

Towards Zero

Death Comes as the End

Sparkling Cyanide

The Hollow

Taken at the Flood

Crooked House

A Murder Is Announced

They Came to Baghdad

Mrs. McGinty's Dead

They Do It with Mirrors

After the Funeral

A Pocket Full of Rye

Destination Unknown

Hickory, Dickory, Dock

Dead Man's Folly

4.50 from Paddington

Ordeal by Innocence (Read a long time ago. Have to read it again.)

Cat Among the Pigeons

The Pale Horse

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

The Clocks

A Caribbean Mystery

At Bertram's Hotel

Third Girl

Endless Night

By the Pricking of My Thumbs

Hallowe'en Party

Passenger to Frankfurt: An Extravaganza

Nemesis

Elephants Can Remember

Postern of Fate

Curtain: Hercule Poirot's Last Case

Sleeping Murder

At the moment I am reading The Unexpected Guest.

(p.s. - incomplete list)

A Waste Of A Month

Listening to : Random Songs

Its been a long month of waste, decay and decomposition. And I've covered the following in this time :

BOOKS

1. Boogers are my beat - Dave Barry (My favourite at humor)
2. Sphinx - Robin Cook (First attempt at Cook. He's casually interesting)
3. Body in the Library (Agatha Chrsitie is as always brilliant)

MOVIES (Those with hyperlink are must check outs)

1. RV
2. Shattered Glass
3. Die Hard 1
4. Glory Road
5. Naked gun - from the police files.
6. Ek Chalis Ki Last Local
7. A Nightmare on the Elm Street
8. Stay Alive
9. Die Hard 2 : Die Harder
10. 28 Days Later
11. Cursed
12. Blow Up
13. Jarhead
14. Chashme Baddoor
15. Wolf Creek
16. Flight of the Phoenix
17. The Break Up
18. Gothika
19. The Prestige
20. House no.44
21. The Butterfly Effect
22. Swordfish
23. Stranger than Fiction
24. The Exorcism of Emily Rose
25. Extreme Measures
26. Kill Bill (again)
27. Kill Bill 2 (again)
28. Its A Wonderful Life
29. The Uncanny
30. A History of Violence
31. Superman 3
32. Superman 4
33. John Tucker Must Die
34. A Sound of Thunder
35. Raising Cain
36. Superman Returns
37. Hangman
38. Borat

So...I've mostly wasted time and not covered my M.A. course which is growing despite my watching it. I should learn a lesson from this. I must.

A Huge Post..divided by Easy Lists.

Listening to : Jerry Seinfeld Stand Up Comedy

Watching : The Computer Screen

Took a test at Career Cruising and got the following :

Careers that suit your answers are listed below under Interest Rank.

1. Writer (A bit spot on, a possibility that has been growing on me...Get it off me!)

2. Print Journalist (Another strong possibility.)

3. Critic (Ya...I criticize everything eventually.)

4. Translator (Only if I knew more languages than two)

5. Activist (Thought a bit about this one...Seems Improbable.)

6. Communications Specialist (dunno)

7. Public Relations Specialist (dunno)

8. Market Research Analyst (dunno)

9. Anthropologist (Dont have the degree for it)

10. Special Effects Technician

11. Cartoonist/comic Illustrator (I wish)

12. Actor (I wish)

13. Costume Designer

14. Set Designer

15. Jeweler

16. Sign Maker

17. Fashion Designer

18. Craftsperson

19. Potter (Just been reading it)

20. Comedian

21. Website Designer (Wish I could)

22. Magician (Not thinking of being a Potter)

23. Desktop Publisher

24. Composer

25. Telephone Operator

26. Medical Illustrator

27. Stylist (Need one actually)

28. Casting Director

29. Graphics Designer

30. Artist (Aren't all of them Artists...?)

31. Computer Animator

32. Art Director

33. Picture Framer

34. Upholster

35. Furniture Finisher

36. Musician

37. Psychologist

38. Sport Psychology Consultant

39. Enlisted Member of the Armed Forces (Not a Gryyfindor)

40. Political Aide (HA!)

(I took another one to narrow down my results with interesting results like a Pet Groomer, Data Entry Clerk, Musician, Custodian, Special Effects Technician coming in top ten too...)

What movies I've seen this past month :

1. RGV ki Aag (At least he made a movie...)

2. Heyy Babyy (Emotional and Sappy and with Babies...~slept for few minutes~)

3. Chak de India (Good Effort. Worth a Watch)

4. Transformers (Good Effects. Cliched Robots!...that was new.)

5. The Simpsons Movie (Obviously Funny)

6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Heaven!)

7. Freedomland (on tv. Juliane Moore cant act Crazy Mom, being crazy herself.)

8. Fantastic Four and the Rise of the Silver Surfer (Fine...except with Surfer being very cool!)

9. Adaptation (Brilliant.)

10. Memento (was very .... I forgot.... Get it???)

Books I wanna read..... (pending...)

1. Lord of the Rings (should I read Hobbit before...confused!)

2. Artemis Fowl (Worthy successor to Potter....?..will find out)

3. Shalimar (Based on the movie; have actually started reading this...pleasant)

4. Disgrace (heard its good...)

5. Chronicles of Narnia (Bought it a few months ago. Still lying, looking at me.)

6. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Read one. Loved it. Need to read the rest.)

...

More to come.

Thoughts on Turning Older :

Can't say I'm surprised. It had to happen. Eventuality, I think or fatality. Older and Younger are the same words, looked from across roads. And so is 22. Next stop 33.