A fortune-teller told me : earthbound travels in the Far East - Tiziano Terzani

What happens when a hard hitting journalist (who is often in the line of fire) is told by a fortune teller to not fly for the next one year or he'll die ? Well, this is what was foretold to the author of this particularly interesting travelogue. Any normal and cynical person would have dismissed this as pure balderdash. However, the author in the true Asian sense decided to tackle this prophecy by submitting to it and follow it religiously (pun intended). What follows is an account of one years travel experiences in south east Asia using all possible forms of land transportation and no air travel whatsoever (much to the consternation and surprise of some of the involved people).

Again, this is not your regular travelogue. Similar to the writings of William Dalrymple, the travel writing is often interspersed with the current socio- economic conditions and an exploration into the mindsets of the locals. However, the USP of this book is that since the basis is entirely based on a fortune tellers prediction, the author decides to have his fortune examined by the most famous fortune tellers of every place he visits. The experiences with the different fortune tellers and how the nature and the pattern of the predictions change according to the place and the ethnicity is extensively described and certainly makes an interesting read. I would recommend this one to all readers who like travel writing and are looking beyond guidebooks. Although this one is not so well executed as the works of William Dalrymple , the premise is quite interesting and certainly unique.

My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell

One of those rare books which one never gets tired of reading again and again, this is a semi-fictionalised account by the famed naturalist Gerald Durrell of his childhood years in the island of Corfu (Greece). Gerald Durrell had a passion about animals (of all species, shapes, sizes and varying degrees of danger) since the age of six and this passion was inflamed when his family moved to the quaint Greek island of Corfu following his fathers death. The premise might not sound very appealing to many people at this point but is extremely difficult to explain the charms of this book in a short blog post.

This book could have easily fallen into one of those nature journal categories where the description of each animal and the behavioural observations are discussed which cannot interest people having no idea about biology. But then again, the 'family' comes to the rescue here. Gerald Durrells family is an assorted motley of characters comprising of Larry (Lawrence Durrell, the famous author) the aspiring author and the brains of the family whose highbrow friends are a constant source of consternation and irritation for the family, Leslie (the second eldest brother) who is passionate about hunting and guns, Margo the perennial fashion and diet obsessed girl whose conversations start and end with diets and fashions and finally his mother who struggles to maintain sanity in these motley collection of people (and animals). The presence of a further assortment of supporting characters (each unique in their own right) simply adds to the flavor of this wonderful concoction. To the credit of the writer, none of these characters are caricatures and are infused with humanity to make them real, living people. Although there is a fair chance that the animals might get lost in this crowd of people, the accounts of animals and their behaviors are skillfully interwoven in the narrative. Although it is impossible to describe this book in a short review, I would strongly encourage every one to read this (somewhat underrated) book as it one of those rare books that ensure you have a smile on your face throughout the experience.

The ABC murders - Agatha Christie

On the surface, the ABC murders seems like any other run-of-the-mill serial killer mysteries. The premise is simple - an unknown assassin who murders people in alphabetical order of their names and in alphabetical order of the names of their locations challenges the master detective Hercule Poirot to catch him, even going as far as letting him know in advance the location of the next murder. The alphabetical theme is further exemplified by the fact that the assassins notes are signed A.B.C. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it ?

The masterful skill of the grande dame of mystery Agatha Christie is what elevates this book several notches above than the average crime fiction as what starts out as a simple murder mystery turns out to be an amazing exploration of the human psyche and a commentary on how the brain is the most dangerous weapon of all. Each page simultaneously unravels and entangles the mystery further and just when you think the case is closed - well why don't you read it to find out. All I can say is that even seasoned readers of the crime fiction genre will have a tough time in predicting the climax and when it occurs, it will put all books with twist endings you have read till now to shame. This is clearly the best Hercule Poirot mystery I have read till date and I hope the review is tantalising enough to force you to give it a shot.

The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

A considerable of amount of newsprint and e-print has been devoted to this highly controversial and bestselling book. The accuracy of the information presented in the book has also been dissected to the minutest details. As everyone must be familiar with the main plot in some way or the other, there is no point discussing it here. However, as I read the book before all the hoopla occurred over it, I believe that this book might have got it a bit more attention than it deserved. Although it can't be denied that this is a reasonably well written thriller and has the unputdownable quality associated with it, it certainly can't be regarded as a classic. The combination of history, religion and mystery has always been a potent combination and Dan Brown adds just the right doses of all the three to create a page turner. However, there is nothing much in the book that may encourage a second reading and which stays with you after you have finished it.

However as I mentioned before, it is a rather well written thriller with some interesting trivia, puzzles and anecdotes thrown in. The descriptions of the different locations where the action unfolds is well researched and the detailed descriptions has the ability to inspire people to actually go and visit them. However, the characters with the exception of the main protagonist are not very well etched out and the motives behind their actions is not always very clear. In short, if you are looking for an engrossing read on a really long journey and have an interest in puzzles, conspiracy theories and Renaissance art, this is the right choice for you.