February Reading – Part 2

Continued from previous post …

12. Non-Fiction: Chanakya's New Manifesto by Pavan Varma

Chanakya's New Manifesto is about solving the current problems plaguing the country with help from age old concepts and core principles prescribed by Chanakya.   By the way; the full title of the book (main title and the sub heading and sub text reads: "Chanakya's New Manifesto to Resolve the Crisis within India") and the book does justice to the title.

The author does a decent job of identifying the problems which India, as a country, is facing now and also makes an attempt at understanding the source of the problems. As an ordinary citizen of India, I was able to closely identify with the problems and the source of the problems.

The author places his thoughts in a very objective manner and you find yourself nodding your head in agreement at several instances in the book … even when he challenged Democracy and other 'usually considered good' things. The book is convincing. The book is Current. It has references from as recent as 2012 and it often gives you a feel of reading a long editorial on India's state of affairs in a Sunday newspaper rather than a book.

13. Prof. Shonku Short: The Radiant Fish by Satyajit Ray

There is some news regarding the terror of some new kind of red fish which is attacking people with fatal results. Prof. Shonku decides to explore these and even gets a friend for company. He also encounters a Japanese duo who is also investigating the fish. Together, all of them go deep sea diving in a small submarine vessel which enables them to go deep down the ocean floor to explore a whole new world. What is discover is pretty much out-of-this-world !!

14. WGS Shorts: A Tale of the Ragged Mountains by Edgar Allan Poe  

The story of a man who ventured to an unexplored portion of a mountain gorge and come across a strange place and a strange sensation. He is sent on a trip of visual dreams of striking reality which later turns out to be true incidents from the past.

15. Hitchcock – Most Wanted: Bottomed Out by Robert Twohy

A man dies and this story is about his experience of life after death. He is pulled out of his coffin and realizes he is just a skeleton. He goes out, explores his new world, gambles, wins and gets to know life from a different perspective with a big realization at that end.

16. Hitchcock – Most Wanted: Hit and Run by Clark Howard

A dead body is found whose diagnosis is that it was probably beaten up by gorillas. The problem is that it is found in the city and it has connections to the sports world. The story plays out in an interesting manner.

17. 3I Series by MZ - Short: The Case of the Fourth Investigator by Mark Zahn

The trio has grown up in this new series of the Three Investigator – They have their own cars and they (well, not Jupe) have hot girlfriends which mean that the distractions from a case only increase. It also means real jobs for the 'kids' who have now grown up and the threats from the villains getting more dangerous as they no longer treat them as innocent harmless kids.

18. O Henry Shorts: Tracked to the Doom by O Henry

A murder is committed with several witnesses. The witnesses have seen the notorious murderer and so have the so-called master detective 'Tictocque'. The climax is interesting although the case is not actually solved.

19. O Henry Shorts: A Snapshot at the President by O Henry

The quick short story behind a reporters trip to the US to met the President and get an interview and a possible scoop.

20. O Henry Shorts: Aristocracy versus Hash by O Henry

A strange story of a person looking for a stay in. He gets to meet several strange widows.

21. O Henry Shorts: The Prisoner of Zembia by O Henry

So it is a 'swayamwar' story where a kind invites the Prince from several estates for his daughter. Two finalists remain and one is victorious. The climax  though is not what one would expect.

22. O Henry Shorts: A Strange Story by O Henry

A man goes to bring medicine for his daughter and never comes back. A generation later, the daughter's daughter fell sick and her husband wanted to go out for the medicine but the lady stops her husband remembering her father's disappearance. Lo behold … someone comes up with the medicine.

23. O Henry Shorts: An Apology by O Henry

A strange apology by a publisher …

Series Tracking as of Feb 28^th 2013 (35 out of 572)

2 out of 23       3 Investigators Novella Series – Crimebusters series & Series by Mark Zahn

0 out of 09       Three Short Novel Trilogies by various Authors

7 out of 200     O. Henry Short Stories (O Henry Shorts)

1 out of 80       World's Greatest Selected Short Stories (WGS Shorts)

7 out of 85       Philip K Dick short stories (PKD)

0 out of 40       Arthur Conan Doyle short stories (ACD)

0 out of 30       Munshi Premchand short stories

2 out of 15       Satyajit Ray authored Professor Shonku short stories

5 out of 29       Hitchcock Series – Shrouds and Pockets (Hitchcock - SP)

4 out of 21       Hitchcock Series – Most Wanted (Hitchcock - MW)

7 out of 28       Hitchcock Series – Shadow of Silence (Hitchcock - SS)

0 out of 12       Hitchcock Series – Home Sweet Homicide (Hitchcock - HS)