Books Read (Jan--Feb 2007)

Here is a list of books I've read recently (since Jan), and some short "reviews".

Frederick Forsyth, The Veteran (and Other Stories)
Surprisingly, The Veteran turned out to be a collection of short stories and a novella. Frederick Forsyth's great attention to detail is present here too, but seems wasted on "fiction". I've really liked his historical fiction novels like The Day of the Jackal and the The Odessa File, and while The Veteran is a bit off-track (IMO) for him, it's still a very good read.

Thomas Harris, Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs
The saga of Hannibal Lecter is a fascinating one. This most frightening villain is introduced in Red Dragon, and plays a significant role in The Silence of the Lambs, and both novels are very good thrillers. I'm looking forward to Hannibal Rising, too. NOTE: Not for the squeamish.

Frank Herbert, Dune
This highly-recommended sci-fi novel is not over-hyped. Frank Herbert catches you on the first page with "Mentats", assassins, secret societies and power struggles that makes you read on and on. I caught up with David Lynch's movie adaptation too, and while almost directly a lift from the novel -- it uses the exact words and a lot of "thought" dialogues for a movie -- it falls far short in my humble opinion. Get the novel. I can't wait to read the other Dune books.


Carl Sagan, Contact
I actually got this and the next book from the Ranade Library at the Gymkhana, and it also happens to be my first Sagan. I first saw Contact, the movie, featuring Jodie Foster and had always wanted to read the book as well. It's a good example of how books and movie adaptations differ. The book goes into a detailed character building, which movies, with their 1:45 deadline, can't afford to. But both the movie and the book are highly recommended.

Umberto Eco, Foucalt's Pendulum
I'd heard about Eco, and decided to read this imposing tome (thanks to my (pre-DB, BTW) fascination for the Templars). Unfortunately, and this does not happen often, I gave up. Best described as a very very verbose, "scholarly" Dan Brown. Heard his The Name of the Rose is better, so I'll try reading that if I can locate it.

That's finished the current pile of books that I had with me. Back to Blossoms this weekend.