Gray Mountain by John Grisham

"Gray Mountain" by John Grisham. This book is published by Hachette India And Hodder & Stoughton in 2014 and has 416 pages.

Despite being graduate of Ivy league law school and working as associate in a high profile law firm, Samantha is laid off after Lehman Brothers goes down. She decides to work as legal associate in Braidy, a small town in the south, in coal county. She hates trials. In Braidy, she meets Donovan, a handsome, brilliant, dashing and reckless lawyer and his brother and side kick Jeff. She also comes across people in need, the meth addicts, black lung cases and rape of mother nature by coal mining companies.

Will Samantha like her new job? Can she adjust to the slow life? Will there be a romance? Will she take help from her high flying father or powerful mother? Will she return?

Author has portrayed blatant abuse of mother nature by strip mining for coal. Strip mining is a process of shaving off a mountain top and extracting coal. How powerful coal companies steamroll the laws, regulations & miners and how a number of miners suffer from black lungs. Black lung is a situation where fine coal dust is deposited in lungs causing breathing problems and eventual death. Once coal dust enters lung there is no way to remove it.

It's a fight between rich-poor, powerful-weak and have's-have not's. Here it is presented from lawyers perspective.

The story is good and evenly paced. The twist in the tale is predictable. The story shows that there are also a few lawyers who do not run only after money and power.

Experienced readers can guess the end of this book by the time they have read 20-25%. So then on its not 'what happens' but but 'how does it happen'.

It's a good book. Read if you are interested in lawyers.

Navi Manse (नवी माणसं) by Narayan Dharap (नारायण धारप)

"Navi Manse (नवी माणसं)" a Marathi (मराठी) book by Narayan Dharap  (नारायण धारप). This edition of the book is published by Saket Prakashan in 2013 (First edition in 1976) and has 94 pages. This book is a collection of 4 stories. I read this book through 'Grantha tumchya Dari (ग्रंथ तुमच्या दारी)' scheme run by Kusumagraj Pratishthan (कुसुमाग्रज प्रतिष्ठान).

In 'Navi manse (नवी माणसं)', Mohan, an unsuccessful man notices a man who looks very similar to his brother in law. Can he save his sister from this man? Has it anything to do with recent flood? 'Lal rumal' is the story of a painter, a good man, who sees a terrible dream. His client, a psychiatrist, tries to decipher meaning. But was it a dream? In 'Dilasa (दिलासा)' a city man goes to a village in Konkan (कोकण) and loses his way in a storm. He gets shelter or does he? 'Aarop (आरोप)' is a story where a college professor accuses his mama-mami (मामा-मामी) of a crime. Are they guilty?

Narayan Dharap is known for his enigmatic and mystic stories. All four stories are enigmatic stories. But they are not horror stories.

Each story has a shock (धक्का) towards the end. Each story has mind play and the fear of unknown. The stories are simple, not very complicated. All the stories are good.

The book has only four stories. Thus the length of book is short. I felt that the book could have used one or two more stories. That would have made the book of a decent length.

Some readers do not like the genre. They may not be interested in this book. However if you don't mind this genre or like this genre, you may like the book.

Read if you like the genre.

Bandhara (बंधारा) by Shankar Patil (शंकर पाटील)

"Bandhara (बंधारा)" a Marathi book by Shankar Patil (शंकर पाटील). This book is published by Mehta Publishing House and this edition was published in 2013 (First edition 1989) and has 116 pages. This is a collection of eleven stories. I read this book through 'Grantha tumchya Dari (ग्रंथ तुमच्या दारी)' scheme run by Kusumagraj Pratishthan (कुसुमाग्रज प्रतिष्ठान).

"Bandhara (बंधारा)" is a story of a man traveling to his in laws in joy because he has become father 13 years after marriage and his silent fellow traveler who is going to same village. Why? "Perni (पेरणी)" is the story set in a village where it has rained after 3 years and sowing season has started. But everyone has a different thing to sow. Seeds, ideas, plans, opportunities and revenge. "Khasdaranche 'saha' vimanoddan (खासदारांचे 'सह' विमानोड्डाण)" is the story of first air travel of the lover of a politician, a member of parliament. "Bailancha vima (बैलांचा विमा)" tells us what happens when a farmer takes out the policy of his oxen and when one of them dies. "Pandharpeshi lok (पांढरपेशी लोक)" is a story of learned and timid passengers in a bus driven by drink driver and their reactions. "Hybrid Mawshi (हायब्रिड मावशी)" is the story of a shrewd business woman and how she sustains a business in a sleepy town that is undergoing changes of industrialization. "Nave ganit (नवं गणित)" takes us quickly through the life of a boy who round away from home and the transformations that take place in his life. For good or for worse? "Khelkhandoba (खेळखंडोबा)" is the story of census of monkey population in a village. "Gavgunda (गावगुंड)" is the story of a powerful man in a village who rapes young women but is so powerful that no one can do anything until some youngsters decide to do something. "Pur (पूर)" is an analogy of overflowing emotions with overflowing stream in the rainy season. "Dhumakul (धुमाकुळ)" tells us what measures are taken to find and kill a cobra that has entered a bungalow.

All the stories are rural stories. Author had portrayed controversies, idiosyncrasies, contradictions, limitations and emotions in this book. Some of the stories are humorous, some are sarcastic and some introduce us to the reality face-to-face. The average length of stories is 10-11 pages.

On occasions, when it was possible and expected, author has chosen not to dramatize the stories. Though all the stories are good, none is WOW.

Shankar Patil is a well known name Marathi literature. He is also known to tell his stories to thee audience verbally. I like to hear him, kathakathan (कथाकथन), more than reading him.

Not a WOW book. Read if you have time.

The Ginseng Hunter by Jeff Talarigo

"The Ginseng Hunter" by Jeff Talarigo. This book is published by Grijalbo Mondadori Sa in 2014 and has 234 pages.

This is a story of a Ginseng hunter, who lives on the bank of Tumen river that divides China and North Korea. The only work he knows is hunting for Ginseng root and the only pleasure he knows is the visit to brothel in the city of Yanji, once a month. One day he meets a prostitute, at the brothel who has run away from North Korea and slowly falls in love with her. Through her he understands the situation across the border. This book is a portrait of what happens in the lives of the hunter and the prostitute, memories of hunter and memories of prostitute .

Will the Ginseng hunter marry the prostitute?. Will he take her home? What's in her past? Would she like to go back to Korea? Will the hunter get the Ginseng root of his life? Is being so close to North Korea hazardous?

Author has presented a beautiful story. It is a subtle noir. Hunter's feelings for the prostitute are portrayed delicately. On one hand he wants her but on other hand he is happy with his solitary life and Ginseng hunting. Eventually he finds the purpose in life and marriage in the form of a little North Korean girl, but can he?

It's a story of love, empathy, survival and Ginseng hunting with the backdrop of changes in China with the rise of Mao and communism and with the backdrop of miserable life in North Korea and atrocities heaped by the government on North Korean citizens.

A Ginseng (अश्वगंधा) route is very precious. It is interesting to know that it has two legs and beard (Interested? See the images on internet). It is excavated with great care to avoid damaging it. The shovel used for excavation is made of bone as it is said that Ginseng is afraid of metal. The person who finds Ginseng routes is called hunter. Finding Ginseng is much like a hunt.

The story is concise and gripping. One can not help feeling sad for the North Korean citizens and appreciate what the hunter does. Though the introduction of the soldier towards the end seemed unnecessary.

A very good book. Recommend reading.

I am the messenger by Markus Zusak

"I am the messenger" by Markus Zusak. This book is published by Random House in 2006 and has 368 pages. This is a young adult novel.

Ed, a taxi driver and protagonist of this novel, is in a bank when bank robbery takes place. Ed happens to retrieve the gun from  robber and get him arrested. He gets an ace of diamond in mail with three addresses. Person at each address needs help and it appears that Ed is the chosen one. Ace of diamond is followed by other aces.

Is Ed the chosen one? Why? Who chose him? Will he stand up to the expectations? Will he kill? Will he deliver the messages? Is he the messenger?

Character of Ed is that of an average man with no special capabilities who is chosen as a messenger. He is helpful and empathetic by nature. He loves a girl who has physical relationships with multiple boys but him. He subscribes to the mission of bringing joy to people and goes out of the way to do it. He derives pleasure in helping others.

The book doesn't have complex plots or twists and turns. It's a straight forward story of empathy, self belief and gives the message that every ordinary person can do extra ordinary things if he applies himself.

The author has tried to write the story with emotions without being melodramatic and has succeeded in it.

It was a long time I read last young adult novel. This one turned out to be a good change.

A good book. Read it for a change.

Chakatya (चकाट्या) by Da. Ma. Mirasdar (द. मा. मिरासदार)

"Chakatya (चकाट्या)" a Marathi (मराठी) book by Da. Ma. Mirasdar (द. मा. मिरासदार). This edition of the book is published by Mehta Publishing House in 2014 (First edition in 1970s) and has 160 pages. This book is a collection of 13 stories.

'Shivajiche hastakshar (शिवाजीचे हस्ताक्षर)' is a story of confrontation between the history teacher of a boy and his historian father and how he suffers in the fight. 'Pralay (प्रलय)' is a story set in a village of illiterate adults and what they do after reading a news that the world will end, by flood, in eight days. 'Baba (बाबा)' is the story of a father who keeps bragging about his courage and daredevil acts to his son. But was he so? 'Photo (फोटो)' is the story of two rural bumpkins who were never photographed and wanted themselves to be photographed. 'Swabhaw (स्वभाव)' is about a lady who criticizes her neighbor for rumormongering while she does exactly the same. 'Police tapas (पोलीस तपास)' is about Police investigation or rather the lack of it in rural set up. 'Rang denyacha prakar (रंग देण्याचा प्रकार)' is a humorous story about experience of a lower middle class man of painting his house. 'Nava rasta (नवा रस्ता)' is about a proposed new road through Eknath's agricultural land. Can he save his land? 'Abhyas (अभ्यास)' is a story of how study happens or does not happen in a class of school. In 'Shaydi (शायडी)', a man comes to a village. Some think he is mad, some think he is Shaydi. Who is he and what is Shaydi? In 'Pathan (पठाण)' a young man decides to help his friend impress the girl he loves. How does it go? 'Babancha abhays (बाबांचा अभ्यास)' is the story of a father, an editor by profession, trying to supervise studies of his son. In 'Gaflat (गफलत)' there is a theft in a village and all the villagers are trying to determine how the thief entered and exited the seemingly impenetrable villa.

Of all the stories I liked Pathan (पठाण) & Gaflat (गफलत) the most.

Book cover is drawn by Shi. DA. Phadnis (शि. द. फडणीस). If I am not wrong, book covers for all the books written by Da. Ma. Mirasdar are drawn by Shi. DA. Phadnis. His caricatures have special strokes and one can recognize his pictures just by looking at them.

Most of the stories are set up in rural background. This is the speciality of Da. Ma. Mirasdar. Most of the stories are humorous with a border of harsh reality. Author has seen a story where a common man would not be able to. His power of observation is commendable.

All the stories are small with an average length of 12-13 pages, making them crisp. You do not get a chance to get bored. Modern readers who are not interested in rural backdrop may or may not like the book.

The book is good, but another book from same author that I read in recent past, titled 'Virangula (विरंगुळा)', was better.

Read if you have time.

Awara (आवारा) by Suhas Shirvalkar (सुहास शिरवळकर)

"Awara (आवारा)" a Marathi book by Suhas Shirvalkar (सुहास शिरवळकर). This book is published by Amol Prakashan (अमोल प्रकाशन). This edition was published in 2012 and has 240 pages.

This book contain three stories, all of them mysteries. Two murder mysteries and a bank robbery. The detective who solves them is Mandar Patwardhan, famous protagonist (मानसपुत्र) of Suhas Shirvalkar.

First story is 'Awara (आवारा)'. Helen Spylane (हेलन स्पायलेन), a scantly clad wet beautiful American girl, gets a lift by a handsome young man on a rainy night. They go to a lodge on Mumbai-Pune highway.  A man is murdered in her suit but he is not the one who gave lift to Helen. Two more murders are committed. Whodunnit?

In second story titled 'Gahan (गहन)'; Satlaj Mayawi (सतलज मायावी), a 21 year beautiful young girl, is about to inherit her father's fortune from the trustees. She loves a poor boy, Shailesh (शैलेश), and wants to marry him upon receiving the inheritance. But her father's will has a condition that she can't fulfill. Shailesh is murdered. Whodunnit?

In the story 'Watch-eye (वॉच-आय)', branch manager of a bank makes a plan to rob his bank with his beautiful lover. The bank is robbed. Whodunnit?

Writing murder mysteries is a work of patience. You have to introduce the characters, build the background, set the murder, scatter the clues, build the momentum, detail out the investigation, show either everyone or no one under suspicion and finally reveal the murderer. Doing all of it in a story of few pages is very difficult. There is a possibility to miss out on more than one things or risk sounding like a bulletin rather than a story.

Suhas has managed to avoid both, but the short length has put a few limitations that readers have to live with. All the stories are good and interesting.

I was a fan of Suhas Shirvalkar in my teens. All his stories sounded awesome. His characters appeared larger than life. His characters had interesting and innovative names. Did I feel the same while reading this book? Not really. It may be because I have read a lot in quantity and variety since then or it may be because the literature that was published after him improved a lot. Any way, what I felt was pure nostalgia. I remembered hours spent buried in Suhas Shirvalkar books. His characters Mandar (मंदार पटवर्धन), Ramy (रमी), Dr. Bankim (डॉ. बंकीम), Inspector Saigal (इ. दिनेश सायगल), Danny (डँनी), Firoz Irani (फिराेझ ईराणी), Barrister Amar Vishwas (अमर विश्वास) etc. I met some of them in this book after a long time. Had a good time.

An OK book. Read it for nostalgia.

Cyclops by Clive Cussler

"Cyclops" by  Clive Cussler. This book is published by Little Brown Book Group in 2009 and has 512 pages. This is the 8th book of Dirk Pitt series.

Cyclops in this story is not the one eyed Greek monster but a US cargo ship that sunk in the 1918 somewhere in Carrebian sea. In 1989, a businessman vanishes while looking for Cyclops in a blimp. A mysterious visitor visits the US President and gives him a news that could trigger star war. Legend of El Dorado resurfaces.

What was on the Cyclops? Why did it sink? Why was the businessman looking for it? Who was mysterious visitor? How is NUMA involved? What's the role of Dirk Pitt? Can anyone colonize moon?

The story takes place in 1989 and encompasses a huge plot (actually multiple plots) starting from the treasure of El Dorado to colonizing moon to star wars to assassinating Fidel Castro to Cold war with Russia. Yet the author is not all over the place. The story is squarely cut and neatly tucked in.

The pace of story is brisk. You can't get bored. Dirk Pitt again manages to save the world through his daredevil acts, intelligence, quick thinking & unbelievable luck.

The story is a usual Cussler thriller potboiler. It has lost treasure, bad Russians, sea diving, damsel in distress, lunar war, sea adventures, love making and violence.

Although this is 8th book of Dirk Pitt series, one can read it even if previous ones are not read. There is little continuity and hence is more or less a stand alone novel.

If you like Cussler thrillers, read it.

The mountain of light by Indu Sundaresan

"The mountain of light" by Indu Sundaresan. This book is published by Washington Square Pr in 2013 and has 324 pages.

Koh-i-noor is literally translated as Mountain of light. This is the story of world famous diamond Koh-i-noor, spanning over forty years. Maharaja Ranjit Sing, King of Punjab empire, acquired Koh-i-noor from Shuja, the exiled king of Afghanistan under his protection. Punjab Empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh encompassed Peshawar, Multan, Lahore, Srinagar and today's Punjab. Story starts from here, takes us through the upheavals after death of Ranjit Singh, last king of Punjab Daleep Singh, transfer of Kohinoor to the British, Daleep Sing's attempts to retrieve it and his eventual death.

How does the custody of Kohinoor pass until it landed in the hands of British? Who wore it when it was with Punjab empire? What is the curse on Kohinoor? Who presented it to the queen of England?

The book enlightens us about Kohinoor and change of its custody. It's a fiction based on facts. One feels like one is reading a history rather than a story. The story is mostly slow, boring with patches of interest in between. It lacks pace and excitement.

A number of sub stories are left incomplete. Reader wonders what happened to those stories, how they culminated and why were they added in the book, in the first place.

It was interesting to know that Maharaja Ranjit Singh employed a number of foreigners including two Italian generals (Paolo Avitabile & Ventura), a Romanian surgeon (Hanigberger), a French governer (Allard) & an American (Josiah Harlan)

I had to be determined not to abandon reading the book. I completed the book only because of my curiosity about Kohinoor.

Give it a miss.