A dog who can tell the time, a world where clocks suddenly stop working, the Black Hole of Time where Orange Marmaladies - the Original Timekeepers of the Universe - take a chip off the Master Clock of Rock to teach humans to notice them (this fails miserably: clocks stop working, but humans remain

The first time Vinod mentioned When the Snow Melts I missed one crucial piece of detail, it is a spy novel. There is no likely explanation for how one could miss something that is so clearly stated. The next time I heard of it the book was out and he asked me if I wanted to read it. Of course.

I am currently reading Gilead and have become interested in learning a little more about its author.  Surprisingly, quite a few articles about Marilynne Robinson have been coming my way in recent times and I think this Paris Review interview also floated by on pure chance.

Old ones, jotted from Rachel Cohen's A Chance Meeting a couple of years ago:

* "...You must find your own quiet center of life, and write from that to the world that holds offices, and all society...In short, you must write to the human heart, the great consciousness that all humanity goes to make

"The moment one takes responsibility for oneself...And remember it is not all roses, there are thorns in it; it is not all sweet, there are many bitter moments in it. The sweet is always balanced by the bitter, they always come in the same proportion.

First of all, see very clearly one simple fact: that neither the government, nor your present teachers, nor your parents, care to educate you rightly; if they did, the world would be entirely different, and there would be no wars.

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I just got back from a surprise birthday party for a cousin. It has been years since I went to an event with a surprise involved. And these days the birthday parties I go to are as an escort for my kid. So when said party was whispered to me I became quite excited and looked forward to it.

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In Granta 100, Tobias Wenzel writes,

'I have never been asked by a journalist what my favourite colour is,' Frank McCourt told me once, with a tinge of irony and some disappointment.

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Recently I have been listening to a compilation CD of the hits of Harris Jayaraj & A R Rahman. I picked it up because the tracks were all jumbled together and I was curious to see how a HJ would sound next to a Rahman.

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June 11th, 2011

Quick thoughts on VS Naipaul finds no woman writer his literary match - not even Jane Austen and the various responses that have been cropping up on the web:

Did we try asking:

What did he say?

Why did he say it?

Does it matter?

If it matters, how?

If it doesn't matter, why are we talking abou

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Originally posted here. Tweaked somewhat in the version below to reflect the passage of time.

It is fair to say that the better part of my reading life in 2010 has been spent in the company of Geoff Dyer's words.

Unusual Pianist - Pianist par excellence - Special Chair - Favourite Rug - Solitary Genius - Changed Classical Music Forever - Twentieth Century's Best Pianist - Sudden Death - Eccentric Life

When one tries to look up details on Glenn Gould one often finds a combination of the keywords above.

the little one turned three yesterday...

I am still navigating Open Library but here is what is exciting:

Over a million free e-books Books can be read or read-to (there is a nice audio integration) - Gutenberg + Librivox say Signing up is free; it gives you the ability to add or edit stuff You can create lists (woo hoo! though I wonder w

I cannot recommend this story enough. Listen to the wonderful New Yorker podcast where Deborah Treisman discusses Lore Segal's The Reverse Bug with Jennifer Egan.

Also take a look at Lore Segal's website for more information on her works.

Originally posted here.

It has become a ritual: announcing the making and faring of reading lists (my planned 2010 reading.)

The exercise of making a reading list is a fruitful one. Because you have in mind the thought of a list, you pay attention to strange titles that you come across and, lest you forget, you note them.

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I read The Lemur in a day! I can't remember the last time I read a book in a single day. Unless you count the summer when, completely jobless and all of fourteen, I read all the Colin Forbes thrillers back to back. Just don't ask my mom what she thought of that summer.

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to let you know that I post on two other blogs as well:

Project Dogeared that aims to capture the reading experience

Notes on Tones that aims to capture the listening (music) experience

Originally posted at: Project Dogeared

A week ago, on one of those impulses that make you buy shoes you don't need, I ordered Damon Galgut's In a Strange Room.

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it is for the Man Booker 2010. Howard Jacobson has broken the comic novel's four minute barrier and it is fair to assume that there will be many more wits winning awards.

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I was pleasantly surprised to see how beautifully organized the World Book Club web page has become.

This is one of my favourite shows, one that I catch on the podcast and listen to at unearthly waking hours.

Now that we are a few days away from the announcement of the Man Booker 2010 winner I find myself making guesses - C seems to be a huge favourite with the bookies while, like them, I can't seem to make up my mind whether Donaghue or Galgut becoming a winner would please me more.

Small Island, Andrea Levy's previous book, was an enormous success sweeping awards and touching many people's hearts across the world. I've been meaning to read it ever since I listened to the World Book Club conversation about that book. Here is a taste of Small Island.

If I were in a bookstore and browsing authors I haven't read, the chance of my picking up In a Strange Room is very high. One, because the author, Damon Galgut, switches first and third person to tell the story and I am eager to see how that works.

In 1998 Alan Warner published The Sopranos about a bunch of naive young girls in their teens. This book was appreciated for its perceptive portrayal of girls growing up.

The first book that came to mind when I read the description about Lisa Moore's February is Anita Shreve's The Pilot's Wife. And I don't mean prose style because I have not read Moore at all.

Christos Tsiolkas's The Slap has been popular for a while, has already won a Commonwealth award, has garnered plenty of reviews. It did not make it to the Man Booker 2010 shortlist.

Right, shortlist out, sort of disappointed that Skippy Dies didn't make it, but happy for Room and C going strong too. Thought Thousand Autumns might have a shortlist chance but I guess the experiments on language (dialogue) didn't fit parameters.

Did you know that Room is about a five year old child Jack and his Ma, who live in a eleven by eleven locked room? And that Jack thinks that this Room is the world until Ma reveals to him about the one outside?

Well, I didn't until a few minutes ago, and I have no intention of knowing more until I

Here is a book title that even my son can read. C.

Let us look at some keywords: radio, transmission, war, reception, communication (transmission + reception), metaphor, technology, analysis.

Essays always provide a good perspective about how a writer thinks and presents his thoughts.

The Skippy Dies page on the Man Booker website. 

The Paul Murray (author) page on Wikipedia. Apparently many Paul Murrays are famous enough to have Wikipedia entires. Interestingly they are all either creatives or sportsmen.

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Ever since the Man Booker 2010 longlist was announced a few weeks ago, I have been wanting to put that list up here and also commit myself to doing detailed posts on each of the longlisted books and authors.

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* Tamil Song

* A R Rahman

* Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (Gautham Vasudev Menon)

Yet another foot tapping crowd pleaser. There’s the characteristic rapping. And latest favourite Vijay Prakash. Fine you said. Nice to hear. Finis. Next song please.

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When the letters of Penelope Fitzgerald, So I Have Thought of You, were published a couple of years ago, one of the reviews remarked on her creation of the character ‘Daddy’ in her letters to her daughters.

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Every once in a while I get asked about my reading. Not from friends and fellow readers but from general acquaintances and relatives. I always have trouble answering such questions because I am unsure where to start.

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