Two Books

The Devotion Of Suspect X By Keigo Higashino

If it wasn't for the Malayalam Movie Drishyam  I never would have heard of Keigo Higashino or his much acclaimed mystery novel 'The Devotion Of Suspect X'. I wanted to read the book because it piqued my curiosity. There doesn't seem to be a lot of similarities and it was good to read a new book. It is an interesting book where the perpetrator is altruistic in his intentions and is portrayed in a very Holmesy fashion. He is a genius of a mathematician who fell in love with a woman and her child next door which opens the door for the rest of the story. Of course it is a murder mystery and if I divulge any more you will get mad at me for spoiling it. A fun read that you will not put down till it is over.

The Road By Cormac McCarthy
I have to thank Jay for leading me to this book. It was great to find it in the library. It started out reminiscent of The Tortilla Curtain, then rolled into The Old Man And The Sea and eventually into a full blown experience on its own. I kept superimposing the scenes with that of a movie I had seen called I Am Legend. I was completely bowled over by the father's utterly selfless love for his young son. Apparently, McCarthy hatched the idea of the book while on a trip to Texas with his son and the book is dedicated to his boy. I wanted to be there to protect the child, enfold him in my arms and make sure that nothing hurt him. Guess this makes McCarthy a writer of some caliber. Being able to brightly shine the light of such gripping love among total destruction and loneliness! Loved the book.

Movie

On other news, the four of us watched The Book Thief during the holidays while it was still running in theaters. Awesome movie with an awesome cast! The girl who played Liesel Meminger captivated our hearts. My son and I had read the book some time back. Some of the details of the book had begun to fade from memory and so I enjoyed the movie really well without having to stop and compare notes with the book as I am bound to do sometimes:-)

Valentine's Day School Projects

My son's favorite subject in this world is Science and he showed his passion with this covalent bond project they had to do in honor of Valentine's Day. It shows the (romantic) bonding between Mr. Phosphorous and Ms. Iodine. He named them Phosphoromeo and Triiodideiet:-) I thought it was cute and funny and had to take a picture when I spotted it in his hands in the morning. He said he got a standing ovation for presenting it. But no matter how much his Dad and I beg, he refuses to present it to us without his material. The poster is being used to decorate the science lab along with that of all the other students and he says he will do the presentation for us once he has the material back with him. Ok we will wait.

My 4th grader on the other hand is just starting serious projects from this year onwards. I remember helping my son on a similar project when he was in 4th and second time around things are a little easier. Like him I know she will start doing them all on her own soon too. How time flies! This is the front page of the newspaper she had to do based on 'The Bridge To Terabithia'. She said she didn't want to color her drawings. She prefers them to be black and white but had to color them as a requirement. Being the biased mom that I am, I actually like it. We had watched the movie on a plane trip long time back. I watched it on and off and so don't have a good memory of it. It was sort of nice to relive the story while helping her on the project.

Give And Take By Adam Grant

If you have not read this book then I advice you to run, not walk to the nearest bookstore and acquire a copy. It can stay in your family for generations to come and yet not lose the substance of any of its message.

So there used to be a world where there were three kinds of people. Dummies, regular people and the genius type. That is an old story. In my opinion,  Adam Grant has finally come up with a more fitting description. Givers, takers and matchers. Although the book is not religious, every religion will have to agree with what he has outlined as a good set of living principles. I have always thought that the book of 'Proverbs' in the Bible is a very practical set of rules by which to live in this world. It is full of common pearls of wisdom. (BTW, My son's class just finished John Steinbuck's Pearl, a favorite of mine from long ago) But if you don't want to find and read the Proverbs then you at least read Grant's book. He shows you how the givers eventually succeed if they know how not to be doormats. I love this principle. I have used it effectively at work and if nothing it has given me much inner peace. Yes, the same peace sought by Kung fu Panda! Adam was inspired by his grandparents and parents who were themselves great givers. I grew up seeing my mom always ready to give in any way she can and have always been amazed at her selflessness in giving.

Adam's examples are inspiring. He rightly fingers Enron's Kenneth Lay as a taker masquerading as a giver and Adam Rifkin and John Huntsman Sr as true givers. Most of us are matchers it seems. We like to make sure that when we do a good deed it is reciprocated in some form. He proves through many strong examples how giving eventually wins over taking and matching. He believes there is a giver behind every matcher and we match instead of give because of the perception that givers are pushovers. Be brave, says Adam, and be sure to do good because it will eventually bounce back. Long time ago, probably when I was in 10th grade I had read a book that impressed me with its intriguing message. It was 'The Magnificent Obsession and portrays the life of a doctor who practices what is now called 'pay it forward'. Adam's book is practical and I believe every single one of us can benefit by following the ideals put out in it. It is also the reason why he wanted to write this book. To give the ideals of giving that he has encountered and enacted in his own life and observed in others. I had many other books I had read but wanted to bring this to you hot off the press so it won't lose its steam.

At the end Adam has written down many ways you can start practicing. I am putting out some links here that I know Adam Grant will only approve of. Take a survey at www.giveandtake.com to find out your give quotient. Visit www.humaxnetworks.com to start a reciprocity ring. www.lovemachine.com can help you start sharing at workplace or elsewhere. An interesting link can be found at www.thepowerofintroverts.com and a help network at http://hopemob.org. Then there is www.bni.com and www.thegogiver.com/community and many others. A last word from Adam is to seek help and you will find a way to give help. A book with a great impact with its message is a book that cannot be ignored.

Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch

Birds and paintings. Both beautiful and watchable for hours on end. Deadly combination for a reader like me when put together in a book. Donna Tartt has made this painting come alive for me and seeing it here has just made me want to see it for real. Like Tartt says in the book, there is something about it that haunts you and wins you over. Making you want to gaze at it for as long as you can. How I wish I am in frosty New York instead of sunny Cali just so I can take a look..

The boy who lost his mother in an accident at the museum and his life around the painting is the main thread. Tartt is extremely skillful in portraying the complicated curve of Theo's life. Almost Dostoeviskyan I'd say when it comes to telling us the thoughts that churn in his mind. While I loved all of it, I too was after the painting just like Theo. Harking after it on all pages and happily settled so long as it occupies the center spot at the reading point. Despite my soft corner for paintings, the author's excellent penmanship gets top grades for making me love the painting sight unseen! I didn't get a chance to google the painting until after I finished the book and when I finally set my eye on the bird I was surprised to realize how much I had already loved it.

My mom loves animals and birds and whenever she visited us she would spend her time getting to know the birds. As soon as we got home in the evening she would give details of who visited and what they were doing both in the front and back yards. My daughter too loves them and we always take note of when they are up and about Saturday mornings on the little tree in the backyard and the ones that flit about looking to make a home all over the front of the house in spring time. Doubtless, the bird painting is my main source of happiness in reading this book. Seeing pictures of it on the web made it even better. Oh and Happy 6th Anniversary, little blog!

Bye, Bye 2013. Hello 2014!

This year went by rather quick. My 8th grader is busy preparing for high school and my 4th grader is busy with her newly acquired rainbow loom. The loom's kept her away from TV, tablets and all sorts of screen time and I am gladly surprised at how much time she spends with it. Here is a little wristlet she made the other day.

I guess work is busy is a constant 'mantra' with me these days. I feel like I went through all the motions of this Christmas season rather than fully feeling it. Work just looms so large that it is difficult to ignore. So I am extra glad for the short joyous moments.  My son used his savings to get me this pulitzer prize winning book for Christmas. I can't wait to finish it. My girl got me the pretty necklace you see there from the 'santa workshop' at school. I am planning to wear it soon.

It is a nice feeling to be at the receiving end of a gift from kids:-) I have saved all the little knickknacks they've been giving me over the years. I am leaving a picture of our backyard here for Nancy.

It is still unfinished since planting season is not here yet but now we find ourselves spending a lot of time outside even in the midst of winter. The two fish we had added to the pond disappeared and we thought they were dead for a while there. Then H discovered that the poor things have taken shelter under a rock all the way at the bottom. The water is extremely cold now and I can't blame them. This is a little house to keep our pond filter that H modeled and built based on a picture we found online and my girl helped decorate.

Here is wishing 2014 is filled with happiness and prosperity for all.

Looking For Palestine By Najla Said - A Memoir

Growing up in the US in shadow of her famous father Edward Said,  Najla was exposed to a wide variety of cultures, people and attitudes than many of us can imagine. Traveling to Lebanon to see her Mom's family remains the sweetest memory for her despite the violence that took hold there after bouts of peaceful times. Having grown up as a WASP (in her own words) for all intents and purposes yet not quite fitting in anywhere, it took Najla many years and therapists to carve out an identity of her own, to be comfortable in her own skin. Reared as a girl in the traditional family setup and not being expected to carry the weight of her genius father's legacy, added to the confusion in the formative years. Her book tells us how articulate and intrinsically smart she is. Despite the fog in carving out an identity, she is surrounded by friends who love to be in her company and she knew that she was loved by her well meaning parents. This Princeton graduate's understanding nature helps her to see all sides of everything that in turn makes her a very empathetic person. She has proven to be every bit her father's daughter through this lovingly written, articulate and evocative memoir.

On the home front we were busy landscaping our backyard with the help of a contractor and it is almost done. Since adding a room to our humble abode seemed to be an uphill task in terms of money, convenience, and time, we decided to at least have a relaxing backyard with some space to entertain. Backyard landscaping thankfully is not as disruptive as a kitchen remodeling I say! Now we are waiting for summer to roll around so we can start using it more. Here is Mr. Zeus inspecting our brand new pond. Oh and hurray for my hundredth post in Vaayanasaala! 

Wings Of Fire by APJ Abdul Kalam

This was one of the four books I had read last time. I'd heard this book mentioned many times over but didn't really want to read it perhaps precisely for that reason. What more do I need to know about this famous Indian that was an essential presence growing up in India? Being geographically lucky to have the first Rocket Launching Station built in Kerala made it all the more certain that I would have heard of him often enough. I was glad for India when he was made the President of India. And I would have missed knowing the great person behind the famous personality if I had gone on not reading the 'Wings Of Fire'. The book is not that large but the story it has to tell is. The story of a true Indian.

Having grown up in an impoverished but respected Muslim family in the famous city of Rameswaram, Abdul Kalam recalls only the good things he was lucky enough to learn there. He barely acknowledges his own great mind that could easily imbibe what was there to learn. Being exposed to many religions and good teachers can expand the horizons of the right mind with enough encouragement. This he had plenty of, from family and friends. His innate intelligence developed into an innate wisdom over time it seems.

Vikram Sarabhai is considered the father of the Indian Space program but when he died so unexpectedly, Abdul Kalam could follow in his foot steps, having had the opportunity to learn from the master and the ability to apply what he learned. The fledgling nation of India was lucky to have the highly qualified H.J Bhabha and Sarabhai to lead its Nuclear and Space programs respectively. But it was equally lucky to have had the absorbing intelligence of Abdul Kalam to hold the baton in their absence. That he was from a not so privileged background as these two gentlemen were, only heightens his achievements and is a source of eternal hope to aspiring Indians everywhere. His life is the fulfillment of an 'Indian Dream' akin to the very appealing 'American Dream' that we hear so much about here. Surely a book for the home library.