Book Post 18 : The Third Industrial Revolution by Jeremy Rifkin

Book Name : The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is transforming Energy, The Economy and the World.

Author : Jeremy Rifkin

Genre : Non-Fiction

 
What is it about? : The book outlines the concept that the present Energy regime is outdated and that the World needs a Third Industrial Revolution which will be lead by the Mix of Renewable Energy and Internet Technologies.  

How I came to read it :  It was listed as one of the best books to read about our Energy Future. So I got it from UBC (University of British Columbia) library with the help of a friend.  

Did I like it? 

Not much. Though the book presents some brilliant concepts and a vision of the future, the whole of the book could have been condensed into a shorter read. It drifts away from the main topic quite a lot and add to that the boastful tone of the author only made it irritating at some points. Twice I thought I should stop reading but I completed it anyway. And I am glad I did. The overall concept of the book is good. It presents a model of planning and how things should be done as we move into a climate emergency affected world. A lot of jurisdictions have already adopted the The Third Industrial Revolution model outlined in the book. The model has 5 main pillars, the adoption of which, the author says will revolutionize our lives. 

Two main points stick out. One is the combination of Internet technologies and Energy. He says whenever a communication regime combines with a energy source, revolutions happen. Both the previous revolutions are good examples of this. Second is the change in way of doing things. From the traditional top down structure to lateral. More emphasis on collaboration and group work than on single individual work. 

Overall an okay read. Though a simple essay could have captured all the ideas presented instead of a narrative that meanders its way through this book. 

But the biggest bonus for me was the section of Thermodynamics. The below lines are the best part. 

''Albert Einstein once pondered the question of which laws of science were the least likely to be overthrown or seriously modified by future generations of scientists. He concluded that the first and second laws of Thermodynamics were most likely to withstand the test of time. 

He wrote:
A theory is more impressive the greater is the simplicity of its premises, the more different are the kinds of things it relates and the more extended its range of applicability. Therefore, the deep impression which classical thermodynamics made on me. It is the only physical theory of universal content which I am convinced, that within the framework of applicability of its basic concepts, will never be overthrown.''

Book Post 17: Invention by Design : How Engineers get from Thought to Thing by Henry Petroski

Book Name : Invention by Design : How Engineers get from Thought to Thing 

Author : Henry Petroski 

Genre : Non- Fiction

 
What is it about? : This book is about the nature of Engineering. How Engineers think of a problem or a necessity and try to meet it. It does this by presenting a few case studies. Starting from the common paper clips to Bridges it covers a huge range of things designed by Engineers.  

How I came to read it :  I had this book in my wish list for a long time now. I remember I first came to know about it some 5 years back while I was in my first job. A major hindrance to getting my hands on it was the cost and its unavailability on major online book stores. Here in Vancouver I could easily get it from the University library thanks to a friend.  

Did I like it? 

Moderately. The style and a bit of dry writing made it a mildly boring book to read. I had so much expectations on this one. 

The content is, without a doubt, hugely informative. The development of the things presented in the case studies are shown in a such a way so as to throw light on the different facets of Engineering like Design, analysis, failure, economics etc. They also touch on different engineering fields like Aeronautical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical and Structural Engineering. The case studies are of the following items:  Paper clips, Pencils Points, Zippers, Aluminum Cans, Fax, Airplanes, Water networks, Bridges and Buildings.

I never knew that the  development of paper clips involved a lengthy Engineering process. You would be amazed to know how many designs were suggested for the simple purpose of holding a bunch of papers together. There was an important point mentioned that Engineers spot problems that the general public cannot see. The development of a lot of everyday products is the result of this ability of the Engineers. The other case studies reveal a lot about the issues in developing a product and how engineers go about solving them.

All in all, had it not been for the drab writing this book would have been a powerful magnet for attracting people to Engineering. 

Book Post 16 : A Concise History of Canada's First Nations by Olive Patricia Dickason

 Book Name : A Concise History of Canada's First Nations

Author : Olive Patricia Dickason

Genre : Non- Fiction 

What is it about? : It is about 

How I came to read it :  Before coming to Canada I did a lot of homework in getting to know the country. I read History books, watched a few movies and read tons of articles. By the time I landed in Canada I had a fair bit of knowledge about the country's history. But one thing which still eluded me was knowing about the History of the original natives of the place. Hoping to fill this gap I got this book from the UBC library through a friend. 

Did I like it? 

Yes.

Starting with the earliest known history, through the First meetings with Europeans to the latest developments this book covers everything. There are complex dynamics playing out throughout with the Key Players being the French, the British, The Hurons and a few others. Revealing a number of lesser known facts about the First nations this book is an eye opener. It talks about the number of treaties, the residential school system, the trade, the beginning of the reserve system, the Indian Act, how the Confederation of Canada was shaped and the equations with First Nations. The last chapter talks about the Road to Self Government.

The only drawback I found is that it tends to drag a bit in the middle. It will take a serious reader to forge on in till the end. A casual reader looking to get a quick idea about the history of the First Nations will be disappointed. A more serious reader may enjoy the details. I fell somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless this was an eye-opening read and I am glad I read it.   

Book Post 8: "The Engineer in History'' by John Rae & Rudi Volti

Book Name : The Engineer in History

Author : John Rae & Rudi Volti

Genre : Non Fiction.

What is it about? : As the name implies this book traces the origins and the evolution of Engineers in History. Of course Engineer as a designation and a profession came into effect only recently during the Industrial revolution.

How I came to read it : This is one of those books I had marked for reading when I went on a round of libraries on UBC campus. Being an Engineer myself I was always interested in the History of Engineers.

Did I like it? : Yes I did. It is one of the best books on Engineering in general.

Why?/Summary/My views : The book is spread out into 10 chapters with each chapter dealing with the different time periods of human history. It is a well written book which traces the evolution of the place of an Engineer in society. The term 'Engineer' is a recent word developed during the Industrial Age in Britain. But the role of a builder of practical machines and buildings was called different things in different places and times. The book traces all the significant periods and the people who made Engineering what it is today. There are also interesting pieces in the book like an personal accounts from diaries of people involved in building projects of ancient times and other interesting tidbits of info.

Why should you read it? :   If you an Engineer this is a must read book as it makes you understand the place of Engineer in a society and how it evolved over the years.

Book Post 7 : "Saladin" by John Man.

Book Name : Saladin

Author : John Man

Genre : Non-Fiction

What is it about? : Life of Sultan Saladin, focusing mainly on the crusades and the buildup to the Battle of Hattin.

How I came to read it : I had first heard about Saladin while playing the video game "Age of Empires 2" as a kid. It featured a whole level with Saladin as the main character. My interest in him piqued after that but I never actually made an effort to read a book about him. Recently my brother sent me a youtube video clip of the movie "Kingdom of Heaven" which shows a conversation between Saladin and Balien (Defender of Jerusalem) during the Battle of Hattin. This clip roused my interest again and promptly I requested my friend, who is a member of the Vancouver Public Library to get it for me which he did.

Did I like it? : Liked it. But I couldn't help but compare John Man's writing with that of William Dalrymple's. I felt that Dalrymples's writing has a dreamy quality to it which Man's writing lacks. On that note, I would suggest any history fan to definitely give Dalrymples's 'City of Djinns' a read. Delhi will never look the same again after that book.

Why/views/summary  : 

I am a history fan. That's one of the reasons I picked this book. And John Man beautifully traces the life and times of Saladin nicely. 

Before I go further let me just give a brief overview of who Saladin was for those of you who are unaware of his life. Saladin was a king of Egypt and Syria during the 1170s. He was the founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty. 

The book starts off with explaining the situation of the lands before the birth of Saladin, then during his childhood and later as a young man. Then the author details how Saladin gained experience of battles and administration. And finally the penultimate chapters details the build up to the Battle of Hattin, which was Saladin's greatest achievement. The last 2 chapters are devoted to explain what made Saladin great and about his leadership qualities.

Why should you read it? :
In these times of religious strife the book gives a better understanding of the dynamics of the Crusades and brings forward the story of one of Islam's most famous and righteous king. 

Book Post 5 : "Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey" by Nick Bertozzi

Book Name : Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey
Author Name : Nick

Genre : Graphic Novel.

What is it about? : The book tells the story of Ernest Shackleton and his crew when they undertook the Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1914.

How I came to read it : Lately I have been reading a lot of books related to my current studies and I wanted to read something different. I wanted a light read so I headed over to the Graphic Novel section of my local VPL(Vancouver Public Library) branch. I am a fan of exploration and expedition stories so when I spotted this book I picked it up without any hesitation.

Did I like it? : Yes I did. Its a simple retelling of the bravery and the conditions the men of that expedition faced.

Why?/Summary/My views : Ill keep this pretty  straightforward and short. The graphics are nice and the story-line is engaging. Theres a lot of humor thrown in but that may or may not work for everyone. For me, I prefer stories like these to be gritty and serious. But overall the book is a good read and I believe a very good read for kids. 

Book Post 4 : "Clean Car Wars" by Yozo Hasegawa and translated by Tony Kimm

Book Name : Clean Car Wars

Author : Yozo Hasegawa. 
                Translated by Tony Kimm

Genre : Non Fiction.

What is it about? : This book is about, as the name implies, clean cars, meaning eco-friendly cars and how the major companies have shifted their focus to the clean cars segment as the future of the Automobile Industry.

How I came to read it : I was browsing the Sustainable Energy section of one of our university libraries and stumbled upon this book. I was interested to know how the clean cars segment shaped up over the years so I borrowed it immediately.

Did I like it? : No, I did not. The tone was dry and it was more like a series of articles stitched together. It lacked a proper narrative.

Why?/Summary/My views : I am going to keep this one short. The book is mostly about two countries Japan and USA. The first chapter is about Toyota, how,in 2009, it usurped General Motors as the biggest Auto company in the world. This moment was huge in the Auto Industry. To topple GM from its top position was no joke. Part of the reason for Toyota's exponential growth over the years was its line of green cars. It was one of the first companies to focus on this and also it gave the World its first popular green car the Prius. There is background information in this chapter about Toyota and how the Prius came to being.

The next chapter is about another Japanese Giant, Honda. While Toyota was focussed on hybrid technology Honda was intent on improving its diesel engines which it did quite successfully.It also came up with a breakthrough emission technology and also came up with its own hybrid cars.

The next chapter is how the big 3 of the west strike back at this Japanese offensive. GM, Ford and Daimler all unveil their own plans and ideas for the green cars market. Here it is where it begins to get a bit repetitive and should I say the word, boring.

The next chapter is about other green alternatives like Bioethanol, natural gas and purely electric cars. By this time I was just gliding along the words no longer interested and I finished it somehow.

Overall the initial Toyota and Honda stories were much better than the rest of the book but I did learn a lot of new stuff so no regrets.

Book Post 3 : "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole

Book Name : The Castle of Otranto

Author : Horace Walpole

Genre : Fiction, Gothic

What is it about? : This is the book which started off the Gothic genre in literature.It was first published in 1764. Its about Manfred, Lord of a region called Otranto, who is struck with a series of events starting off with the death of his son who dies when a mysterious helmet appears out of nowhere and falls on his head.

How I came to read it : Having the read 'The Moonstone' and 'The Woman in White' recently my interest in Gothic literature revived and I thought why not go back to the root of it all and give the book that started it all, a read. I got it for free form Project Gutenberg and read it on my Kindle.

Did I like it? : No, I did not. It fell much below my expectations. Or maybe I was expecting too much.

Why?/Summary/My views  : 
I am going to keep this one short. The Castle of Otranto, has most of the stock characters of the Gothic genre like the evil villain, the spotlessly good maidens and others but when it comes to creating the atmosphere of dread and evil it fails miserably. At times, it even feels comedic with its exaggerated absurdity of some of the characters like those of the servants. The story itself is not interesting and there is only one scene in the entire book which I liked. It promised much but the rest of the book never lives up to that one moment. Spoiler Alert here. The scene I am talking is when a giant hand appears in one of the rooms of the castle. No other part of the body of the creature, whatever that is, is shown. Just the hand reaching out for something. The servants looking at this unearthly scene flee the spot so no more of the action is described. The brilliant suspense created here fizzles down as the novel proceeds.


The only saving grace for me was that I finally ticked off one of the earliest books of the Gothic genre.

Book Post 2 : "Mad like Tesla" by Tyler Hamilton

Book Name : Mad like Tesla

Author : Tyler Hamilton

Genre : Non-Fiction

What is it about? : Its about a bunch of underdog inventors and their inventions in the clean energy area.

How I came to read it : I wanted to know what was going on in terms of innovation in the search for clean sources of power these days. So I went to the Renewables section of my University Engineering library and  browsed around looking for interesting books. This book caught my attention because of the 'Tesla' in the title. The general idea of the book looked interesting so I took it.

Did I like it? : Yes, I liked it immensely. Its inspiring and motivating for people like me who are in the clean energy sector.

Why?  : 

Throughout the history of science and technology people have written off new technologies just because it seemed impossible or they could see no practical use for it. Lets start with one of the most famous ones. Albert Einstein had to say this about Nuclear Energy in 1932,

"There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will." Years later it was achieved and Nuclear Energy makes up for 11% of the total power generated in the world. Or my personal favorite "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." said by Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM in 1943. Some people say that he never said that but that is not the point here. New technologies often make people doubt its potential. Its quite common. Nikola Tesla had to endure ridicule all his life but that is what make genius people different. They see things normal people don't.

This book details seven such stories of inventors and their crazy ideas. A common thread running through all of them is that they all faced criticism and rejections at every step of their journey. They have been called mad just like Tesla was during the later years of his life. The book starts off by talking about a company called ''General Fusion'' which is trying to make Fusion possible. There are a lot of detractors of the nuclear fusion technology. I was talking to a Nuclear Industry professional sometime back and he said theres a joke in the industry that Nuclear fusion will be made possible in the next 10 years and they have been saying this for the last 50 years. One of our professors in University had the exact same point. But, personally I think fusion will be here soon. I sincerely hope that companies like General Fusion succeed and soon. Next, there is a chapter about a company which is trying to setup a solar power plant in Space. Yes, in outer space, Exactly the stuff of Sci-Fi novels. But that would require the wireless transmission of electricity. Big task but they say they are getting there.

Next chapter is about a company trying to turn waste heat into tornado power. The idea is something like this. Create a giant tornado artificially ( Rising around 20kms into the sky) and since a tornado sucks in hot air from the bottom, put turbines at the base. While the hot air moves into the tornado it will turn the turbines and generate electricity. The idea has impressed many people but as you see the problem is creating a tornado and holding it in one place. Also, these tornadoes can be placed over warm ocean waters for a constant source of heat. This last bit reminded me of the giant water suckers in the Sci-fi movie ''Oblivion''.

There are other chapters about Biomimicry, about producing ethanol creating Algae, and about energy storage. The final chapter is about keeping an open mind while trying to solve the biggest problem mankind has ever faced. The author ends the book on a positive note that even though the problem we face is huge there are an equal number of people working tirelessly in solving this issue. We are in need of that one elusive breakthrough which will break the wall and lead us to a cleaner future. Hopefully some of these inventions will succeed soon. Heres to hope!

Book Post : "Maphead" by Ken Jennings.

Book Name : Maphead by Ken Jennings

Genre : Non-Fiction

What is it about? : Maps and Geography

How I came to read it : I stumbled on this book purely by chance. There was a used books sale going on in University and I got this gem for 2 bucks. I love maps and geography and this was the first book I saw written by a map fan.So I had to buy it.

Did I like it? : Loved it! The opening chapters drag a bit but later its everything a map lover loves!

Why?  : 

I could relate to most of the things the author mentions in the book. I always thought I was a bit weird in my love for maps and things I did sometimes to experience random geography trivia. After reading this book I now know that neither my fascination was weird nor I am the only one. Theres a whole world with much more crazy people who go at great lengths to follow their map love. Hence the title ''Maphead''. 

When I was a kid I used to spend hours with an atlas. Those were the Pre-internet days and Atlas was an endless source of fun. I used to stare at maps, trying to figure out what countries were and where. And there was this game we used to play in school with maps. For those of you who don't know, the game goes like this. One kid opens a random page from the Atlas and after deciding on a random place tells the other kid to find it out. Now this kid has to scan the whole page to find that place. I used to love this game. I did not know till I read this book that this was something that is played by school kids all around the world. And it has been around for years. Even more amazing was the fact that Edgar Allan Poe actually wrote something about it. Its mentioned in the book. 

One of my fondest memories of an atlas is the one that my grandmother had. She had an old, tattered but carefully handled Atlas with her. I only got to look at it once when I was visiting her in our ancestral village. It contained maps from the Pre-Independence era. Looking at those maps I was thrilled. It had maps of Hyderabad state when it was a princely state. I made a mental note to ask her about it the next time she visited us or we visited her but alas I forgot about it and years later she died and that Atlas is nowhere to be found now. It still remains one of those things which I badly wanted but now I am certain I will never find again.

In 'Maphead' the writer talks about something called 'systematic travel', which is when people create targets to do very specific things like climb all the highest natural points in a state maybe or maybe have a cup of coffee in all the Starbucks of a country. Sounds crazy right? It is. I never there was a name for this kind of thing. Back when I was in College doing my Bachelors I had my own lists. I had plans to see all the forts in Andhra Pradesh. I could never complete that list but I have seen many forts since creating that target.

The writer mentions in the book that Map and Geography lovers do crazy stuff just to get that satisfaction that normal people never understand. I did my fair share of things myself.

In my first job I was working in a very remote place in Chhattisgarh,India. Once travelling to a nearby town in train I saw a railway station named "Ib" near the Orissa Border. The short name intrigued me and I googled it. It turned out that "Ib" along with "Od"in Gujarat holds the distinction of having the shortest name in all of the Railway network in India. I made a mental note to come back one day and spend the day here. I did come back one day and spent quite sometime on that remote and deserted railway station. Heres the account. Later when in my second job I found out that the railway station with the longest name in India was just 100 km away I visited that too one day. Heres the account. My colleagues thought I was bonkers to do these visits but like Ken Jennings, the writer of 'Maphead' says, they can never understand.

Once I was in Nagpur,Maharashtra. Not many people know that Nagpur is the Geographic Centre of India.  I made it a point to go the actual milestone declaring the Geographic Centre of India and took a photo there. Heres the account of that trip.

Then there was the time I visited a town called Chandannagar in West Bengal because of the following reason. The French in the 17th Century established their colonies in five towns in India.One of them was Chandannagar in West Bengal. Curiously Chandannagar was the only colony which was not near the sea coast. I wanted to see it for myself.

These are only some examples of my love for geography related trivia hunting. This book has rejuvenated my love for maps and Geography. Time to buy a new Atlas!

'The Existential Pleasures of Engineering'.A Review.

'The Existential Pleasures of Engineering' by Samuel C.Florman
is a book about engineering and what engineers feel about their profession.In a very highly enthusiastic tone the author talks about engineering as a most basic impulse of man.He celebrates the fact that engineers have shaped the modern world and staunchly defends it against people who say it has bought more problems than solutions.

        The book starts off with detailing the rise and subsequent fall in popularity of the engineers.He calls the period between 1850 and 1950 to be the golden age of engineers.At this point of time engineers were a respected lot and people termed them as 'benefactors of mankind'. He bought in the industrial revolution with his locomotives,electric power,steam power,mass production and bridges.After that industrial revolution life was never the same again for mankind.Things have improved dramatically for humans.It then goes on to describe the negativity that engulfed the engineering profession during the cold war when the perception of the engineering profession changed from 'benefactors of mankind' to 'Prophets of doom'.One of the chief reasons for this was the Atomic Bomb.

       This negativity then led to the advent of a new type of critic of engineers called the 'Anti technologists' .This is described in the second part of the book.This part describes the viewpoints of the anti technologists who in their criticism have declared that man in his continuing quest of new technology has become the slave of this very technology he created for his benefit.The third and final part is the most exciting part of the book wherein the author answers the anti technologist point of views.He counter questions them and provides some thought provoking standpoints.In addition to defending the engineers from the anti technologists the author urges the engineering community to bring in a measure of sophistication to their profession and life.He urges them to move beyond their profession and bring in a bit of imagination,social concern and culture.He also calls for engineers all over the world to express their love for engineering uninhibitedly.He calls engineering fun and something that gives a 'kick' to a man.

       All in all this book is a must read for anybody who is even a least bit interested in engineers or engineering.The author has an infectious enthusiasm that is visible all through out the book.He celebrates engineering as something that is vital to the very existence of man.If not the whole book the first chapter of part 1 and chapter 11 of part 3 are a must read.

      On a closing note I would like the reader to look up the story of sisyphus who the author calls the symbol of the modern engineer.He says the following regarding the story of sisyphus.'We are beginning to realize that for mankind there will never be a time to rest at the top of the mountain.There will be no Arcadian age.There will always be new burdens,new problems,new failures,new beginnings.And the glory of man is to respond to his harsh fate with zest and ever renewed effort.An engineer's work springing as it does from the most basic impulse of humanity can fill him with existential joy'

Horror.One of my Favourite genres. Part1

What makes horror stories so interesting?
Is it in the chills that pass through your spine.Or in the electric feeling that you get on your skin.Or maybe because of the scares it provides.Or maybe simply in the atmosphere of paranormal. The supernatural,that realm that lies on the border of reality and fiction,that space whose existence is acknowledged by some and scoffed at by others,has an undeniable truth to it that it creates an interest. Doesn't matter if you like it or hate it, it elicits a strong reaction nevertheless.I was drawn to horror stories right from my childhood and used to read a lot of them.I like the atmosphere created in those tales of terror.And they make the imagination run wild. Horror stories have always fascinated me.
         I used to read a lot of them during my school days.Some of the earliest stories that I have read are some of my favorite too.It began with Stories of Algernon Blackood and Ambrose Bierce. Blackwood's 'Wendigo' was one of the reasons I got lured to this genre.The atmosphere of suspense and mystery it creates is unmatched.The bleak climate,the swamps of Canada,the cold,a group of hunters and a mysterious creature.The story stayed with me for a long time.It made me hungry for more.And more I did find.Ambrose Bierce's 'The Damned Thing' again about an unknown being was an excellent read.
         My favorite compilation of horror stories was a book by Ruskin Bond 'Ghost Stories of the Raj' It had stories of British and their supernatural experiences with the natives. Though not any one story stands out it is the combination that sends the reader back to the days of the British Raj and their thatched bungalows,lonely forest rest houses and hunting lodges.It is one of the reasons I have a fascination for the forest rest houses left by the British in the jungles of India.
         And then there are stories by Edgar Allan Poe.I read a few,among them 'The pit and the Pendulum' stands out. More than the stories I liked his horror-poem 'The Raven'. For all the readers I suggest you read it after 2pm in a lonely cottage somewhere in the middle of a jungle.The essence of the poem will flow out then.Stories of the master of horror H.P.Lovecraft I have read a few.His creation Cthulhu has become an Internet sensation lately.I still have to read a lot of his stories.
        And then there are stories whose moments got imprinted in my mind but I don't remember the name of the story or the author.Like the one about a young man and his young lady friend he makes across the street.The twist in the ending is one of the best I have read.This particular story was a big hit at many storytelling sessions we used to have back in our school days.And the one about a hunting expedition gone wrong due to a supernatural sighting in an abandoned hunting lodge.Or the one about an out of the world object found in the ruins of a house in the jungles of Burma.I am still trying to find these stories.I hope to find the names someday.
My interest has not subsided even now and am still reading horror stories.

Apart from the above mentioned stories the following are some of my favourite stories
-'The monkeys Paw' by WW Jacobs
-'The most dangerous game' by Richard Donnel
-'The country of the blind' by HG Wells
-'The Signal Man' by Charles Dickens
-'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge' by Ambrose Bierce
-'The Willows' by Algernon Blackwood.

Look out for my next posts on Horror movies and Horror story telling sessions we used to have.

Reading on and on and on!

Reading is my passion and here is my story about it. It all started at a young age when I started reading Tinkle Comics.I don't remember who gave us(my elder brother and a younger sister) our first copy of Tinkle comics.Maybe it was our father or maybe it was my aunt.Whoever it was we were hooked on to it.In the later years both my dad and aunt bought us a number of comics.But My dad was the one sole person who influenced us to dig more into this reading.He told us countless stories from the novels he read and these stories were wonderful and as a kid they fascinated me a lot.This slowly developed in me an urge to start reading novels and all this culminated in one fateful day when I borrowed from our awesome school's library in my seventh standard, my first novel 'King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table' from the truly 'Great Illustrated Classics'.The book was great and the tales of ancient knights interested me and I rushed back to library to take my second novel,HG wells' 'The Time Machine'.This was the start of a truly memorable period of my life when I borrowed one book after another.I completed the whole 'Great illustrated classics' series soon.
Now I was well and truly hooked and one book followed another.As I grew up I found new authors and new books.In my 9th class I read 'The Da Vinci Code' which helped me bag the first prize in the Best Reader Contest which was held annually in our school.This started an uninterrupted phase when I bagged the first prize for four consecutive years till I passed out of my junior college in my 12th.
On the way I read books of many authors some of whom are Alistair Maclean,Micheal Crichton,Robert Ludlom and Frederick Forsyth.The names mentioned are also my favorite ones.
Every now and then a book comes along and it influences you in different ways. 'The Da Vinci code' was one for me,then two months back I read 'The Fountain Head' by Ayn Rand.most of it,I admit,went above my head but nevertheless it proved to be an interesting read.The philospohy of the different characters with their actions were something completely new to me and it started a chain reaction to read books of a different kind. Iam following this new thought and I am in the lookout for new books to read.

My Favorite Novel-Icon by Frederick Forsyth.
Favorite Author- Frederick Forsyth
Favorite Horror Authors- Algernon Blackwood and Ambrose Bierce