Dead Souls

I just finished reading "Dead Souls" by Nikolai Gogol, my first by a Russian master. 

I am tempted to think this is probably the best book to be taken for reading of the Russian masters. 

The story does'nt sound as morbid as the title does, actually it is a wonderful parody of the Russian life and the society of the time. It is such a pity that Gogol had such a short life. 

The ending is not Gogol, ostensibly because he is said to have burned some of his manuscripts, so the ending is not the same class as the rest. A wonderful book. Goodreads 4/5

Athabasca

Just finished reading "Athabasca" by Alistair Maclean, a writer who was much famous during my college days. 

This is my first by him and it is a good racy thriller based on the oil industry in Alaska and Canada.

Cruelly Murdered

"Cruelly Murdered" by Bernard Taylor a true account of a sensational murder that took place in England in 1860. 

That with the sad upbringing of the killer, unsolved nature of the crime, her subsequent remorse, confession, living in jail for a full term of twenty years and her after-jail work for the downtrodden made for good reading.

Riding the Ranges

Just finished reading "Riding the Ranges" by Bill Aitken, a Scotsman who has made India his home for the last five decades. 

He has ridden his motorbike across the Himalaya and Sahyadri ranges, two most important mountain ranges in India. It is an easy read book of his travels to places like Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, the Deccan, Western Ghats and the various small towns dotting the Himalayan landscape. 

As a travelogue, it is a different kind, since it is undertaken on his motorbike, so he has dwelt some time on the motorbike related problems while travelling.

Goldfish Have no Hiding Place

James Hadley Chase thrillers have remained with me for the past more than 20 years reading them intermittently. 

I finished yet another thriller "Goldfish Have no Hiding Place". 

It is a typical fast paced murder mystery with a lot of drama in it.