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.