A book tag.

Shyamala Ramanathan-Edwards, who goes by the misleading name "Shyam", :) has tagged me with a very interesting tag, and here it is:

1. What is the total number of books you've owned?

If you include Tinkles and Amar Chitra Kathas, probably around a million.
Excluding them, probably around 500 - 1000? That reminds me, I should do an inventory sometime soon.

2. What is the last book you bought?

Folktales from India - by A.K. Ramanujam

3. What is the last book you've read?

My grandfather's autobiography in Kannada - Nenapina Alegalu (Waves of Memories) by Prof J.R.Lakshmana Rao.

4. What are you currently reading?

RK Narayan's Gods, Demons and Others. It is his rendering of the Ramayana, Mahabharatha, and other mythical stories, all in one book. A delightful read, and will make a wonderful gift, especially for youngsters.

5. What are the 5 books that have meant a lot to you or that you particularly enjoyed?

This one is difficult. If I choose five, I will be doing an injustice to the others. Also, these books might not count among my favourite ones. But they have made a difference to me, or have been a turning point in my life :)

The Source - James A Michener. One of the best books ever. Michener chooses a plot of land in Israel, and traces the developments on that piece of land, across centuries. It is a thrilling story and a historical piece of work all rolled into one. Most of his books - Hawaii, Poland, The Covenant(about S. Africa) are written in a similar vein. It took me places, and opened up my mind. Out of the world. Alex Haley's Roots is also a similar piece of work. I would have wanted to add it separately, but I need the space for the other books :)

Gone with the wind - Changed my world. Changed my ideas of life, romance, my ideas of a novel, and how it should be written. The characters were my friends. The story was happening around me. I was immersed in the book so thoroughly, that I had to keep reminding myself that I was not in Southern USA before the civil war.

The Great Indian Novel - by Shashi Tharoor. - Enjoyed it just for the idea and the wonderful play with words. Opened up a new genre of writing for me. New ideas and new avenues. Difficult to explain.

The Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (abridged version) - for the simple reason that this is the first book that made me cry. I was 11 years old when I read it, I finished reading it, closed the book, and burst into tears. I remember that my mother was so worried.:) I do not remember the story very well, nor have I read the original, but I just remember it as the first book that made me cry.

Nenapina Alegalu - by Prof. J.R.Lakshmana Rao - An autobiography of my grandfather. Written in his typical style - can almost hear him speak. This book is special for many reasons. One is that it is a story of my own grandfather, a popular science writer in Kannada, a winner of many Sahitya Akademi awards, and a national award winner for popularization of science. This is his only non-scientific book. The second reason is that his story is of interest to everybody, coz for one, it speaks evocatively of life in those days. He talks about people, with such characters, that it is difficult to imagine that such people existed. It is so surprising that people could be so good, so kind, so helping and so honest, and so generous and unselfish. The third reason is that during his life and work, he came across many nationally and internationally renowned figures, and was fortunate enough to be close to them and know them well. This brings to light their other, lesser-known characteristics, and is thus a very interesting read.
Review of this book in The Hindu

6. What book(s) would you wish to buy next?

I want to buy a book which has the complete history of the world, condensed and made easy-to-read. I am looking for such a book, but have not found one which meets my criteria :)

7. What book(s) caught your attention but you never had a chance to read?

Nope, if something catches my attention, the next moment, I will have my paws on it. :) So this question will be bypassed :)

8. What book(s) have you owned for long but never read?

Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and War & Peace. I bought them coz I wanted to own them :) But haven't got a chance to read them.

9. Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why

No, no, I am not passing the baton to anybody! But believe me, if you like books, this is a very very interesting tag to do. So please consider yourself tagged :)