I think most of us who grew up in the 80s and early 90s would immediately recognize the name Enid Blyton. She has written a lot of children’s books but the one that stood out the most was a boy name Fatty and the Find-Outers, a bunch of kids going about their neighborhood trying to solve mysteries.

Enid Blyton Five Findouters

I was never drawn to the Hardy Boys although I read a couple of books of that series, not my cup of tea. Perhaps as a kid I could easily relate to The Five Find-Outers. Fatty is from a very rich family because he was the only child, but always shared money with the others and also uses them to disguise himself.

Enid Blyton's Five Findouters

The books from this series were written between 1943 and 1961, all 15 in total. I cannot remember whether I have read all of them, but surely at least read 8 of the series, and loved all the characters. I wonder would kids in the future embrace books like we did or instead their past would be all about the internet and Facebook?

William Kamkwamba - The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

I read up on his story after reading this book, and he has since built a solar-powered water pump that supplies the first drinking water in his village! But when he was ejected from public school at 14 because his family couldn’t afford, his life seemed destined for the planting fields and back-breaking labor of his father, an impoverished maize and tobacco grower. Even that fate fell into question when drought and severe famine struck Malawi, one of Africa’s poorest nations, in 2001 and 2002.

If you love the topic of Physics, you’ll love this book even more because it explains the construction of the windmill in the most layman of terms possible.

This is William Kamkwamba’s blog.

GALLIVANTER’S VERDICT: 8/10

Dennis Lehane - Shutter Island (A Review)

When I reached the end, the whole story was uncovered in a hugger-mugger that I had to re-read it to understand the taradiddle, which I thought was a refreshing twist, though it may not be as storming but invited more of stolidity.

The plot of Shutter Island revolves around an investigation into the seemingly impossible disappearance of a woman from a heavily guarded hospital for the criminally insane. The main character Teddy Daniels, accompanied by his partner, travel to the island to investigate the case. As Teddy gets deeper into his investigation, he begins to uncover strange secrets about the place even more astonishing than that of the disappearing inmate.

Shutter Island will leave you bewildered trying to figure out what just happened, as you become submerged in your own thoughts of interpretation to realize it was a shrewd caper. If you’re into psychological thrillers, then this one’s for you.

VERDICT 6/10

Dan Brown is renowned for infusing facts into his books but he appears to have petered out of ideas for “The Lost Symbol”. Sometimes, I get the impression that he wrote the book just for the sake of it, to ride on his popularity.

It took over a 100 pages of the hardcover for the action to start. It was allmerry-go-round buildup that it left me with a “come-on-get-on-with-it” feeling. Facts were few and far in between. Maybe it’s just me but there’s nothing fascinating about Masons despite Dan Brown’s endeavor to flog it.

Previously, I completed both “Angels & Demons” & “Da Vinci Code” in less than 4 days for each book. I even relished the politically-charged “Deception Point”.

It became too much of a mediocre thriller in the end, which made Dan Brown look very “normal” (he’s human after all!), as formulaic as writers like James Patterson. The plot was fallible and the storytelling just did not have Dan Brown’s pizazz.

“The Lost Symbol” revolves around religion quite unconvincingly. My verdict, skip this book to ensure your fondness of “Angels & Demons” and “The Da Vinci Code” remain intact.

Dan Brown - The Lost Symbol

VERDICT 4/10

I found this gem after reading the 2008 Man Booker prize winner, The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. Steve Toltz’s fiction was shortlisted for the 2008 prize and after reading the synopsis of the 2008 nominees, this book attracted me the most.

What a read. To say that it’s quirky and dysfunctional would be an understatement of sorts. You are in for a helluva ride as you’re led from Europe to Australia to Thailand, facing one destructive event after another.

At times, I didn’t get the plot, however the book kept me glued with interest thinking of what would happen next. Sure, it’s not as edgy as an interesting book should be, but it has its moments.

It is a novel which narrates the chronicle of a family that interchanges between Jasper Dean and his father, Martin Dean. It’s not as pacey as I would hope, but after reading the book, I can understand why.

Steve Toltz – A Fraction of the Whole

Verdict: 7.5/10

“Angels & Demons” is my favorite fiction book to date – except the part where the lead role conveniently jumps off a helicopter without a parachute and glides all the way down with some cloth (I forgot what he used). I enjoyed “Da Vinci Code” but “Angels & Demons” is a better book in terms of pace.

Since then, I’ve been regularly checking his official website for his next fiction. FINALLY – he’ll be releasing his next novel this September!! OLE! By the way, Tom Hanks is a RUBBISH actor these days and such a mismatch for the movie adaptation!

THE LOST SYMBOL
It will feature Robert Langdon again, and it is to be called The Lost Symbol. Rumor has it that it’s about a mysterious cult that’s super into obscure symbols. This book’s narrative takes place in a twelve-hour period.

I really do hope the wait would be worth it. Never have I ever anticipated the launch of a new fictional novel! So this is my first!

If you haven’t read his books, I strongly suggest that you do.

I’ve been wanting to review this book that I read in February for a while now and finally I have the time to do so. David Sedaris is a homosexual and he’s unafraid to showcase his sexuality with his latest work. Unfortunately, I am homophobic and read the first few pages with great difficulty. 

This book is nothing but a collection of short essays, with each chapter averaging 12 pages. It touches on topics like France, drugs, boils on backsides, Japan – yes it’s pretty diverse!

Although this is my first David Sedaris fiction, after a number of interesting chapters, I began to sense that he writes for the sake of writing, especially in the last chapter. The stories apparently depicts Sedaris’s own life from his sarcastic style of writing.

Bottomline, this is a likeable read though I won’t recommend this book to younger readers due to the nature of language used.

6/10

A dazzling story that had me riveted to its pages during my 12 days of bliss away from the office. It was difficult to ignore the book.

“…I should start off by kissing some God’s arse. Which God’s arse though? There are so many choices. See, the Muslims have one God. The Christians have 3 Gods and we Hindus have 36,000,000 Gods. Making a grand total of 36,000,004 divine arses for me to choose from.”

The result is a novel that bursts with euphuism, where we are taken through the realities of India and its thousand castes. The book was actually funny with full of caustic remarks. The White Tiger is the story of a poor man in today’s India.

I can see why this book won the prestigious “Man Booker Prize 2008″. It’s a must read! 9/10 on the Gallivanter scale.

I’ve been lucky enough to have seen a White Tiger at the Bangalore Zoo more than 10 years ago during my first visit to India. The sight was awe-inspiring.