[Eddy]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

Highly NOT recommended (unless you are looking for a fictionalized version of an epic).

Damn it!! My daughter just finished reading this book and it was her first exposure to the epic.

Looks like I will have to get her to read a better one now.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of Mahabharata by Devdutt Pattanaik
Rated: 2/5

The book is rife with his own interpretations and deviations (I won't list them all here) which I haven't encountered in any other book by any other author.

Highly NOT recommended (unless you are looking for a fictionalized version of an epic).

As far as I know, most of his books are fictionalized accounts of the epics where his imagination runs wild.

[ValarMorghulis]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Damn it!! My daughter just finished reading this book and it was her first exposure to the epic.

Looks like I will have to get her to read a better one now.

Please please do that. This version by Pattanaik is highly sexualized for no reason and is an anathema to the original.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by warrioraks

The Little Book of Sloth Philosophy by Jennifer McCartney - 3.5 out of 5

On this topic try these two;
Superb is all I will say.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

There have been different fictional narrations of Mahabharata by different authors as "they perceive" the events to be but they definitely call them out irrespective of how outlandish the tales may be.

This is somewhat similar to what Tulsidas did to Valmiki Ramayan.

https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/diff...ramcharitmanas

[ValarMorghulis]

Originally Posted by Samurai

This is somewhat similar to what Tulsidas did to Valmiki Ramayan.

Actually, Tulsidas still did not butcher the original as much as Pattanaik.

Any way... enough said

[Aniket Verma]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Damn it!! My daughter just finished reading this book and it was her first exposure to the epic.

Looks like I will have to get her to read a better one now.

Being one of the earlier works of Patnaik, this book is relatively free from his bias.

This book has some amazing set of drawings and it's best part is the end of chapter dialogue box where he compares/ list different versions of the story. Use this as a starting point to build your own reading list.

Please avoid his later books, which are just a mashup of his wild fantasies and experts from this book.

[14000rpm]

Got Clarksons book after having it in wishlist for a very long time. Guess many have already read it since its an old book.

[ValarMorghulis]

India’s Most Fearless: True Stories of Modern Military Heroes by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh
Rating: 3.5/5

I went in expecting a page turner and a thriller; instead all I got was a couple of exciting chapters interspersed with average writing. I haven’t read anything by the authors so I knew the risk going in but I really expected better writing.
I think our exceptional soldiers deserve better; at least the calibre of Tom Wolfe or Truman Capote or even John Carreyrou or Walter Isaacson; anyone that can actually bring to life those conflict moments that make one rethink everything. Something that makes one glued to the book.
Not exactly recommended. Read it, if you will for tales and not the writing.

Any recommendations on Indian writers is most welcome especially if it relates to the defence forces.

[whitewing]

This was an impulsive purchase over the weekend, and turned out to be very well worth the time.

What I Learned About Investing from Darwin by Pulak Prasad


Starts off with Buffet's (purported quote)
"The first rule of an investment is don't lose. And the second rule of an investment is don't forget the first rule"

and then, goes on to make his case, drawing parallels with evolutionary biology.
The proposition he makes can be summed up as
-Avoid Risks
-Buy great companies at fair price
-Be very lazy

A great read, has a converstaional style of writing that makes it a quick read (although it is not a slim one). Worth reading even if one is not too keen on investing, one can learn how wild foxes became domesticated and dog like :-)

PS: This was the first time I read about him, though I'd read about the company he founded Nalanda Capital.

[desidino]

For those interested in Indian history, I supremely highly recommend the 11-volume "History and Culture of the Indian People".

It was published by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai between 1951 to 1977 and is still the most important and authentic historical work about India.

R.C.Majumdar was the general editor of the series and a historian par excellence. He was among the last lot in the line of Indian historians that trace their origin to the scientific school of history established in India by English historians during the Raj. It's a different matter though that many English historians (especially after the revolt of 1857) and Indian historians (especially those who entered the profession after independence of India in 1947) have deviated from a scientific pursuit of history of India and degraded it into an ideological battlefield.

It truly is a monumental achievement. There is nothing like it in the realm of Indian history literature.

Below is the link to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan website:

https://www.bhavans.info/bookstore/b...hp?book_id=391

Information about the series from the link:

This is the first history of India written exclusively by her own people which brings to bear on the problems a detached and critical appreciation.

A team of over sixty scholars of repute present herein a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the political, socio-economic and cultural history of the Indian people. It vividly evokes, as never before, the authentic spirit and pageant of Indian history, culture and civilization.

All extent source material and researches are availed of by the authors in meticulously reconstructing the annals of the various periods. Each volume in this series is fully documented and carries numerous plates, maps and plans.

It is a living record, as it were, of the whole gamut of our national life-our aspirations, striving and attainments of every sphere of human endeavour-in the course of over 5000 years to this day.

This monumental project under the General Editorship of the noted historian, Dr. R.C. Majumdar, captaining a team of 80 distinguished scholars-each a specialist in his chosen field-took 32 long years for completion.

The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -1: The Vedic Age
The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -2: Age of Imperial Unity
The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -3: The Classical Age
The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -4: The Age of Imperial Kanauj
The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -5: The Struggle For Empire
The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -6: The Delhi Sultanate
The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -7:The Mughal Empire
The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -8:The Maratha Supremacy
The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -9: British Paramountcy And Indian Renaissance Part 1
The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -10:British Paramountcy And Indian Renaissance Part 2
The History and Culture of the Indian People Vol -11:Struggle For Freedom

[desidino]

Just as we admire fine cars on this forum, here are some pictures of a fine press book I acquired recently.

While most of us can only dream of owning fine cars, there are many fine books that are quite affordable. Although, there is no dearth of fine press books that one can only dream of owning or even seeing in flesh someday.

I bought this copy of Bhagavad Gita published by Limited Editions Club in 1965. The pictures have watermark of the seller I purchased from (https://www.rarecollections.co.za/). I am not sure if this would violate team-bhp's image uploading rules. I have no relation to the seller.

Below is the link containing list of all the titles published by Limited Editions Club (LEC):

https://www.majure.net/LECLISTOFTITLES.htm

There are many other publishers of fine books. LibraryThing (https://www.librarything.com/) is a great forum to dive further into this wonderful world. Groups of interest there include "George Macy devotees" (the founder of LEC), "Folio Society Devotees", "Fine Press Forum", etc.

Sadly, there don't seem to be any fine press books publishers in India.

A fine press book typically has following characteristics, although this is by no means a definition of fine press:

- Letterpress printing
- High quality hardcover binding
- Archival paper
- Illustrations usually commissioned specifically for the book
- Limited run (usually maximum of a few thousands)
- Many times signed by the author/ illustrator/ book designer/ printer or someone connected with the book.

Would be great if there are fine press admirers on this forum who could share their experience.

[DigitalOne]

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann.

I picked up this book based on the movie reviews (The English Movies Thread (No Spoilers Please)) in the English movies thread.

This is a meticulous investigative account of multiple murders committed by the American white 'settlers' against a native community/tribe called the Osage during 1920-30s. Written in a narrative, i.e. fictional style, the book starts off slowly but picks up speed, and I couldn't stop reading it from around page 100 onwards. Even after the primary murders are solved, the last few chapters elucidate how elaborate the conspiracy against the Osage was, just to get to their oil money.

This is essential reading to understand the crime inflicted upon the native Americans by the white.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by DigitalOne

Killers of the Flower
This is essential reading to understand the crime inflicted upon the native Americans by the white.

Read the book last month.

4/5. Just amazing the lengths people will go for money.

On that note, I really liked his way of writing, I picked up "The Wager: A tale of shipwreck, mutiny and murder".

Definitely a must read. I am a landlubber but I love reading stories about the sea. The author really manages to bring the desperation and suffering that over encompassed the sailors to a vivid vision.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

Having read multiple books on Mahabharata

Hello Sir, being an ardent fan of Mahabharata, I'm sure you would've read, but still asking if you've read the original Mahabharat by Ved Vyasa translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli & Others pls? Because once the original is done, we may not wish to understand from other's point of views.