Dear book lovers, perphaps, you could share with us some of your favorite summer readings. Pico Iyer is one expressive writer (author of "Video Night in Kathmandu") I have read and loved:

ABANDON
By Pico Iyer.

ýKill me now, for I long to be with the One I love!ý John Macmillan, an English graduate student of Islamic mystical poetry, determined to view the world in Sufi light hears these words in the somber lecture hall of his California University. In Pico Iyerýs novel, ýAbandoný, the protagonist struggles to understand the more obscure work of the prolific Sufi poet, Rumi. Set against the backdrop of a sunny California, Macmillanýs insatiable desire for some rare but elusive Sufi manuscript leads him through Spain, India and Iran. Equally disorienting is his attraction to the elusive but neurotic Camilla Jensen who seems to float in and out of his orderly-thesis-writing life at the most inopportune times. The story is a merger of Sufi mysticism, spiritual confusion and romantic love ý all of which give a new but parallel meaning to the word ýAbandoný. ýAbandonýýThe state where the true Sufi, the passionate lover and the spiritual travelerýall, give up reason, passion and faith to understand the all consuming desire for knowledge.

At this new age era when new age spiritualism has taken a gigantic hold in the West, Iyerýs book seems timely. Iyer, who was born to Indian parents and educated in England, now lives in Japan; no doubt, his very lifestyle aids him in his depiction of cross cultural mergers and transitions. A keen observer and a sensitive writer, Iyer, in his ýVideo Night in Kathmanduý, reflects on the effects of modernity in traditional societies. A well traveled ýnowherianý, as he refers to himself in his other book ýThe Global Soulý, Pico explores worldwide displacement while experiencing the ýglobal villageý where cultural fusion serves to overwhelm the senses at an alarmingly rapid rate.

"You are the violation of my vows,

My apostasy, my faith.

I shatter myself and you,

I bend to pick up the pieces.



You move me.

Out of stasis.

I see your reflection in the mirror.

I can't tell me from you.



No, no closer.

Stay away!

Already you are as close to me

As the fire to the flame."

(A Sufi Poem from "Abandon", a book by Pico Iyer)

oops spell mistake
antropoogy= anthropology

After seeing a long and somewhat monotonous discussion in one of the thread, I decided to read "Holy Cow", found it hilarious coupled with sacarsm.

Want to read Freud's 3 essays but hell too heavy a workload this semster. Being a senior sucks.

May be I should list all of my engineering text books for this semester here :)

haha archarya...

nobody reads penthouse these days?

^ OBVIOUSLY you do!

Would one READ Penthouse, or WATCH it? :p ehehe

Fiction: Brick Lane by Monica Ali.

Non-fiction: just about to finish Gandhi's autobiography; and just started Imperial Hubris by "Anonymous."

i was reading this poem from lek nath paudaul.................called kaal............intresting...................and pragati is my fav of all..................

' aakash maa udta changa, chudina saath balaka naanga"
luthchas dhago ramai ramai...........kihta haasyo garyo pragati kihta haas garyo pragati"
\

The Overcoat and other short stories by Nikolai Gogol

Manas1u:
Thanks for bringing up this thread. Poonte, how is "Imperial Hubris"? I heard about it.

Meera, is "Holy Cow" a good read?

like what, just a few weeks ago, i started reading these poems by the guy named Jimmy Sanitago Baca, i dont know how many of you all have heard of him, but this guy is great great greatt poett..man..his poems just rip my heartt.:

this one is called TO MY OWN SELF....

My hands the Hook thunder hangs its hat on,
My breast the Arroyo storms fill with water,
My brow the Horizon sunrise fills,
My heart the Dawn weaving blue threads of day,
My soul the Song of all life...

well i can't sleep without reading some time just a page works.Now i am reading suspicious by Nora Roberts.

my fav book: If tomorrow never comes by Sydney sheldon

Can Asians Think? Understanding the Divide Between East and West, Kishore Mahubani- An excelllent read. This career-diplomat/foreign Ambassador from Singapore ahs some interesting ideas to share. If you are interested in learning about Singapore and other Asian . Tigers' success, this is a must. Its a collection of essays. This almost 200 pages-book is worth reading if you like correctness over political correctness

Thunder From the East : Portrait of a Rising Asia, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn: Although the first essay on this collection on Indonesia's riots by Kristof is quite scary, other esasys are quite interesting. Kristof and his wife travelled to many regions in Asia, and came up with this book. From the Asian Financial crisis of 1997 to China-India's rise.. from No-Pan-Shabu-Shabu restaurants in Japan to the shipyard of Calicut (not Calcutta), this is worth adding to your collection of leisure reading/current affairs/asian history collection.

Amazon.com is Amazing!

i just read "the tutor of history" by manjushree thapa. i really liked it and her descriptions are so accurate that reading the book puts you back in nepal.

another great novel is "the poisonwood bible" by barbara kingsolver. one of the best books i have ever read! it really captures the sensation of feeling like an outsider in an unfamiliar country incredibly well.

"100 years of solitude" by gabriel garcia marquez ifs full of poetic beauty, lyricism, and surrealist imagery.

"night" by elie weisel is another intense, devastating book. and a very fast read.

there are so many amazing books, but the best of all time is a children's book:
"harold and the purple crayon" by crockett johnson. the story of the creative process and creative thinking/problem solving through a kid's book....it's fantastic!

oh, and "the little prince" by antoine de saint exupery is another wonderful "children's" book that reminds us, as we grow old, it's important to stay young at heart.

Any good book out on International Organizations? Any suggestion? Thanks in advance.

i loved "life of Pi"

books I like:

Tell me your dreams : Sidney Sheldon.. and other books by sidney are good too
books by Judith McNaught
The Thornbirds was good too

Bedrock: I found some parts of Life of Pi -- specially in the begining -- extremely funny. However, once Mr. Pi was lost at sea, I thought the story took a very boring and monotonous turn. The end result: Although I enjoyed some parts of it, I regretted having bought the book.

Sitz: My attempts to read Imperial Hubris suffered an abrubt break due to long-awaited vacation. Nevertheless, from the dozen or so pages that I had finished, I got the impression that it's a Chomsky-type investigative (perhaps informative too, if the facts presented in the book are accurate) attack on the Bush administration's handling of the so-called "war on terror". I would say one would love that book if s/he agrees with the general belief of the author, and you'd hate it if you don't -- there is practically no room for middle grounds. The author is "Anonymous" because s/he is supposedly a high-ranking CIA official who'd like to protect his/her identity.

I lop dictionary! anyone else?

that's cuz Red just evolved into a man ! Everyone knws what he was before! :p