Books - 2008

The list so far...

1. Nihon No Tsubete - (Japanese-English)
2. Freakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner - Curiosity and the hidden side of everything... I particularly liked Sudhir Venkatesh's research on the drug-mafia.
   
3. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky - Inside the mind of a murderer... amazing book.
   
4. The World is Flat - Thomas Friedman - Lots of interesting observations but does not match up to the hype.
   
5. Discussion on Youth (Vol.2)- Daisaku Ikeda (Soka Gakkai) - It's worth reading just for the first chapter, were Ikeda discusses his love for books.
   
6. Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh - I love the way he weaves history into his stories. But how long can I wait for the rest of the alleged "Trilogy"? What will happen to Jodu, Kalua, Raja Halder, Ah Fatt and Serang Ali?
   
7. India's New Capitalists - Harish Damodaran - Despite having seen this book evolve from ideas and rough drafts to a hardback, it is amazing to learn how different communities have coped with the changing times, and of the long shadow of British colonial policy over the current socio-economic landscape in India. Meticulous piece of work.
   
8. Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernieres - I'd never heard of a Greek Island called Cephallonia and now, after seeing it through the eyes of Dr. Iannis and Kyria Pegalia (and Google Earth) it seems such a familiar place. A beautifully written story that weaves together mythology, romance, history (WW2, civil wars) and music. And yet, the ending seems pathetic and out of tune. The movie version is apparently much worse.
   
9. Foreign Devil - 30 years of reporting in the Far East - Richard Hughes
   
10. The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga -
    
11. Norwegian Wood - Harui Murakami -