Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A few reviews

Even though the semester has ended, the workload has not.There is still a project, and I have no idea where to begin.
As someone so aptly put it, this project is a way for us to recognize the might of the subject that we call antenna.
Not that I am even begging to differ.
Iqbal comes to my mind:
وہی میری کم نصیبی، وہی تیری بے نیازی
میرے کام کچھ نہ آیا یہ   کمال  نے نوازی

There are some books that I thought I may want to review.
  • The Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris. The story transports you to the world of Clarice Starling, a trainee at the FBI Academy. She is portrayed as a determined and courageous woman and is assigned with the task of interviewing a man charged with cannibalism, who also happens to be a noteworthy psychologist, to help the police in what may be another case of a cannibalism.  
  • Rebecca,by Daphne Du Maurier. The writer has a distinguishing style, a blend of the mellow and the melancholy,with some unexpected twists in the plot thrown in at places where you do not expect them. Basically, it is the story of a young,poor girl who meets a middle-aged rich widower and marries him, to find out that their life is constantly haunted by ghosts of the past. Throughout the story, you cannot help feeling sorry for the lack of self confidence and the childish innocence of the heroine, who, interestingly, remains anonymous till the end of the story (and even after it).
  •  The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame. It is a story for children. A very good story, nonetheless, of some animals who, of course, live in their respective homes. Some of the animals it features are a mole, a rat (called ratty) and a very conceited toad, who composed a poem in his own honour:
              ' The world has held great Heroes,
               As history-books have showed;
               But never a name to go down to fame
               Compared with that of Toad!'

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is definitely a very curious case and a good read, though a short one. The (short) story of a man who was somehow traveling backward along the time axis.
  •  A Damsel in Distress, by P. G. Wodehouse. One can always trust Wodehouse for some hours of sheer delight. This book describes one of his high-spirited heroines and the adventures she had, defying her family.
  •  Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. A sad and disturbing tale of two field workers looking for work, a sharp yet unsuccessful man and his friend with very limited mental capabilities.
  •  Something Wicked this Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury. Science fiction, fantasy and horror. It discusses some of the deepest, most well-hidden desires in almost every mortal being. The desire to live forever, and to be young forever, and the lengths to which human beings can go to get what they want.

4 comments:

  1. The might of antenna is terrific, I agree. I wish this subject was taught with conceptual details along with the mathematical ones....
    Now as per the reviews of the books you have mentioned here, I guess 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' must be an interesting story.
    I will appreciate if you write some reviews on 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and..... (Harry Potter :p)

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  2. A nice read! :)
    books for the winter - yes indeed! :D

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  3. Wodehouse is an author I've been meaning to get round to. thanks for reminding me!

    heh, the first two works on this list were and still are favourites...especially Rebecca. Max de Winter was my idol and my dream man for such a long time...all through my teenage years. It took that long before I got over my romanticism with overbearing mysterious men and started liking more normal ones :P

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