Some books I liked

I have been on a reading spree the last few months, now that I have some time in my hands. Thought I would share the noteworthy ones (putting my 1-5* rating, with 5 being the best).

To be followed hopefully soon by another post on non-fiction.

Scott Turow - Presumed Innocent (4.5*)
A legal drama/murder mystery with heavy emphasis on the former. Really high quality writing and arguably among the all time greats as crime/legal dramas go. Works well at multiple levels; a public prosecutor is indicted for murder of a woman who he has had an affair with. Turow focuses with poignant empathy, the anguish the prosecutor and his family go through as the trial progresses. Not to mention the fact that it is a well crafted murder mystery.  Will say no more. Read to find out why.

John Le-Carre A Most Wanted Man (4.5*), The Mission Song (4.0*)
John Le Carre writes authentic spy novels with British Intelligence protagonists. Over the years, like many spy novelists, Le Carre  has moved on from MI6 butting heads with the KGB and the Russians to combating middle-eastern terrorists in his later novels. I have always liked his writing style. His narrative moves at a velocity that is Pujara-like than say Sehwag, but his recent novels are a bit more pacy. His writing has a lot of humanity (or bleeding heart sentimentality depending on your perspective). His protagonists are extremely noble, often naive, trying to do the right thing fighting domestic obstacles - such as the doddering British bureaucracy and outright moral corruption of politicians - more than the actual villains.  Among the many I read recently (Our kind of traitor, A Most wanted man, Our Game and now reading The Delicate Truth), I highly recommend A Most Wanted Man which captures this fine author at his best. A Most Wanted Man has also been made into a critically acclaimed movie. The other book I liked is The Mission Song.

Daniel Silva (Gabriel Allon series) (3.0-4.0*)
I read every Gabriel Allon the Israeli agent book except the latest one. It was the reading equivalent of binge-watching a TV show. If you have a (grudging or otherwise) respect for Mossad as a highly effective Intelligence Service, you might enjoy sampling this series. I would not recommend reading the entire series like I did; it does get repetitive with a certain plot and story structure that almost all the novels have. However I found the characters likable, especially the middle aged hero Gabriel Allon, complete with supreme ability at what he does, a tormented past and the works and Ari Shamron, his petulant boss, also once a super agent.

Daniel Silva - An Unlikely Spy (4.0*)
A good old-fashioned spy vs. spy yarn set in the second world war where British and German Intelligence agencies are engaged in endless deception and counter deception as to the time and location of the allied invasion of France.

I also read Ken Follett's Triple (3.5*) (another Israel vs. Enemies spy novel) and Jackdaws. Triple is not bad, but nowhere close to Ken Follett's best novels (such as Eye of the Needle). Jackdaws is below average (2.75*) and can be given a miss.

I dusted up my copy of Nancy Pearl's More Book Lust to find some recommendations when I was running out of ideas. In addition to leading to Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent, Nancy led me to some non-English authors:

Batya Gur (Murder in Jerusalem) (4.0*)
High marks for this taut murder mystery set in a Television Station in Jeruasalem, where the tension seems to never let up. You get this feeling that this is how Israelis actually live, in constant tension. Not a book to read if you're looking to relieve some stress.

Henning Mankell (original Swedish - Firewall) (3.75*)
A solid police procedural starring Kurt Wallander who features in a number of Mankell's books. True to a vaguely melancholic atmosphere I associate with all places up in the temperate/Arctic zone, Wallander seems to be battling inner demons and has a miserable personal life while solving crime.

- Balaji

Trip to Manali (via Chandigarh)

One of  my resolutions when I returned to India was to travel all over the country. It is more than 10 years now since we returned and we have hardly averaged a trip every year. Noteworthy trips to places of culture and history include Hampi, Ajanta & Ellora, Mahabalipuram and Tanjore. I wrote about the Hampi trip earlier in this blog. As for places of nature there is a lot to cover. This summer, we decided on Manali. After looking at the exorbitant flight tickets that take us close to Manali (Kullu), we decided to fly to Chandigarh and drive the 300km to Manali.

We had heard about how organized a city Chandigarh is, and it did live up to its reputation. In addition to the grid layout of the streets, what was remarkable was the homogeneity of the architecture. The streets were lined with long red brick buildings, which housed all the shops and retail outlets. While one might argue this is rather boring, it was part and parcel of the infrastructure that included paved walkways and curbed roads, things that are sorely missed in Indian metros. And the food was great, wholesome Punjabi (and Haryanvi?) food at its authentic best.

We made the last minute decision to cancel the self-drive rental and booked an Innova with savaari.com to get to Manali. This ended up being a smart decision, as the drive was a grueling 10 hour bumpathon on middling to terrible roads. There is work happening to widen the road which meant that the roads were in worse condition than usual as we waded through work crews chipping away at the mountain side to create room for the wider road. In the last 60 km however, the Kullu valley's beauty recharged our tired bodies.  Our driver knew all the good eateries along the way and we enjoyed real Malai Kofta and rotis doused in white butter.

The Club Mahindra resort (White Meadows) did live up to its premium designation with big rooms that were luxuriously appointed.

This being early in summer, the road to Rohtang pass had not thawed out yet and we were allowed only up to the scenic Solang valley which is another 15 km up the mountain. A pony ride took us up to a point where we could hang out in the rocks and the rollicking snow-melt. The snow itself was elusive, a good 200 ft further up. On the drive back from Solang valley, we stopped at a point, where we could go sit on the rocks by the river. Sitting on a rock and putting your feet into a gushing river in the mountains has got to be one of the defining pleasures on planet earth. Missing out on Rohtang Pass was a disappointment; I guess you will have to travel after May if you want to get up there.

On the way back from Manali, my wife and daughter decided to brave the rains and went river rafting on the Beas and had a rollicking good time.

- Balaji