Found this on Nandita's blog. So true and so nice.
This was a speech made by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Anna Quindlen at the graduation ceremony of an American university where she was awarded an Honorary PhD.
'I'm a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work. You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree: there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on a bus, or in a car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank accounts but also your soul.
People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is cold comfort on a winter's night, or when you're sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you've received your test results and they're not so good.
Here is my resume: I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my work stand in the way of being a good parent. I no longer consider myself the centre of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today, because I would be a cardboard cut out. But I call them on the phone, and I meet them for lunch. I would be rotten, at best mediocre at my job if those other things were not true.
You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are. So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger pay cheque, the larger house. Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm this afternoon, or found a lump in your breast?
Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze at the seaside, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over the water, or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a sweet with her thumb and first finger. Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a letter. Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beer and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister.
All of you want to do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough. It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the colour of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again.
It is so easy to exist instead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the back yard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived'.
Amen. Peaceful.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
"WoW"
We are planning to introduce a rack called "WoW" !!! Crazy us, but true, but that's us!
Last year, we introduced "Yin in you" ... Of our 5 Inspiration racks, we converted one of them to Yin in U ... for us, Yin in U consisted of books, which had a hugely feminine appeal. Not books for women, though. Books which appealed to the feminine in you, even if you are a man. Typically Book of Rachel, Pitching my tent etc is here in this rack.
What's WoW ? Well these are books that will make you go "wow" .. Not bestsellers, not famous authors, but just Wow books ! We have added a couple of new distributors in the past month, and the selection is definitely wow. "WoW" shall be functional in a couple of days !
Last year, we introduced "Yin in you" ... Of our 5 Inspiration racks, we converted one of them to Yin in U ... for us, Yin in U consisted of books, which had a hugely feminine appeal. Not books for women, though. Books which appealed to the feminine in you, even if you are a man. Typically Book of Rachel, Pitching my tent etc is here in this rack.
What's WoW ? Well these are books that will make you go "wow" .. Not bestsellers, not famous authors, but just Wow books ! We have added a couple of new distributors in the past month, and the selection is definitely wow. "WoW" shall be functional in a couple of days !
Monday, November 19, 2007
Newer and newer books
Message sent to twistntales@yahoogroups.com on 16th Nov, 2007
Welcome to a pile of November arrivals! Though post Diwali shopping ennui has set in for most, don't let that deter you from picking up some absolutely marvellous books. Again, lot of books reviewed for you, and the newer ones listed below:
"Bhagat Singh: The Jail Notebook and Other Writings" Compiled by Chaman Lal @ Rs. 150/- (191 pgs)
When Bhagat Singh spent two years in jail, awaiting his death sentence, he wrote four books. While they were smuggled out, they were destroyed and lost forever. But Bhagat Singh also kept a notebook in jail, full of notes and jottings from what he was reading. It contains quotes and sentences from books by Rousseau, Lenin and Hobbes. It also includes texts that Bhagat Singh wrote in jail- letters to a number of people including his comrade Sukhdev and his father as well as essays giving his opinions on a variety of topics. Published in the year of his birth centenary, this is a book to be cherished.
"Giving:How each of us can Change the World" by Bill Clinton @Rs. 840/- (240 pgs)
Giving is a book that inspires people to change the world. Bill Clinton writes about how people, regardless of their income, available time, age and skills, are trying to bring about a change. From Bill and Melinda Gates to a six- year old Californian girl named McKenzie Steiner, who organized and supervised drives to clean up the beach in her community, Clinton introduces us to heroes both well- known and unknown. He also writes about his own experiences, about men and women who gave up their unfulfilling careers and fulfillment they now experience through giving. It also reveals companies and organizations that are making extraordinary and innovative efforts to make a difference. This book is meant to inspire and make people believe in citizen activism and service.
"The Way to the Top: The Best Business Advice I Ever Received" by Donald Trump @ Rs. 640/- (253 pgs)
The Way to the Top compiles the best advice from over a hundred and fifty successful men and women. These include not only the upper echelons of the Fortune 500 listed companies such as Staples, American Airlines and Boeing but also family- run companies like Carlson Companies. Donald Trump asked some of these people to answer this question: what’s the best business advice you ever received? This book gives a range of inspiring and practical advice on making good decisions, conducting yourself appropriately, developing your career, communicating with others, leading a team effectively, and much more. Simple, intriguing, insightful and witty advice from people who are already at the top.
"Finding the Next Starbucks: How to Identify and Invest in the Hot Stocks of Tomorrow" by Michael Moe @ Rs. 595/- (374 pgs)
Michael Moe was one of the first research analysts to identify Starbucks as a huge opportunity in 1992 when its market cap was two hundred and twenty million dollars. Today its market cap is twenty- three billion dollars. In this book he shows how winners like Dell, eBay could have been spotted in their start- up phase and how you can find Wall Streets future giants. He forecasts areas with greatest potential for growth including nano technology and alternative energy and what goes into making small companies big- the four Ps, great people, leading product, huge potential and predictability. Including interviews with the biggest names in business- like Bill Campbell and Vinod Khosla- who offer their own insights, this is an indispensable book for growth investors and entrepreneurs.
"The Young Che: Memories of Che Guevara" by Ernesto Guevara Lynch @ Rs. 475/- (310 pgs)
Compiled from two separate books- My Son Che and A Soldier of the Americans, this is a book about a boy who grew up to be a revolutionary and an iconic hero. The book takes us through Che’s bourgeois but nonconformist childhood, the people, book and political events that shaped him, through to the moment he joined Castro to train for the invasion of Cuba. It also includes, published for the first time anywhere, Che’s diary of his bicycle journey around North Argentina in 1950 and letters he sent home as he traveled further and further into Latin America. Published for the first time in English, The Young Che sheds fresh light on the transformation of a compassionate boy into a revolutionary famous all over the world.
"Elizabeth" by J. Randy Taraborrelli @ Rs. 390/- (548 pgs)
Elizabeth Taylor has been known for her extraordinary beauty, surrounded by fame and notoriety. This book maps out her life, how she evolved from a gifted but manipulated child star to a screen icon. The author examines her eight marriages to seven men, including her abusive marriage to Nicky Hilton, her attraction to Mike Todd, and the complex, passionate Taylor- Burton love affair that never actually died. From an author who has written biographies of people such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Princess Grace, this is a beautiful and honest book about a woman nothing like her celebrity image.
"Eight Lives Down: The Story of a Counter Terrorist Bomb Disposal Operator’s Tour in Iraq" by Chris Hunter @ 735/- (369 pgs)
Chris Hunter was a bomb technician working in one of the most dangerous places in the world. His job was to make the British sector in Iraq safe against some of the most hardened and technically advanced terrorists in the world. And just when he thought life couldn’t get any more dangerous, the stakes were raised once again. He became a personal target for the terrorists. Eight Lives Down is a powerful and haunting account of a man who used up eight of his nine lives protecting others.
"The Shadow of the Silk Road" by Colin Thubron @ Rs. 475/- (363 pgs)
When author Colin Thubron decided to travel the Silk Road, he knew his journey would be difficult, for to follow the Silk Road is to follow a ghost. It flows through the heart of Asia, but it has officially vanished. Colin Thubron traces the drifts of the first great trade route out of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran into Kurdish Turkey. From Xian to Kashgar, Kashgar to Meshed and Meshed to Antakya, on buses, donkey carts, trains, jeeps and camels, covering over seven thousand miles in eight months, the author recounts his extraordinary adventures. A fantastic work of non- fiction, Shadow of the Silk Road is captivating, rich in its writing and will have the reader spellbound.
"The 7 Rules of Success: Follow the Strategies, Experience the Results" by Fiona Harrold @ Rs. 260/- (246 pgs)
Author Fiona Harrold has talked to some of the world’s top achievers- who have found their passion and made it their career- and discovered the rules they live by. In this book, she shows how to apply these rules to your lives. From getting past your fear of failure to becoming a charming, effective individual who people want to do business with, this book coaches you on how to understand and use the techniques, tips, tricks and strategies. Fiona Harrold is the UK’s most successful life coach.
"The Book of Demons: Including a Dictionary of Demons in Sanskrit Literature" by Nanditha Krishna @ Rs. 325/- (268 pgs)
Nanditha Krishna writes vividly about creatures feared by people throughout time. She explains the various types of demonic beings and concepts that exist in Hindu literature, supplemented by a ready dictionary of individual demons for reference. Besides the well known rakshasas and asuras, the author also reveals a densely populated world of lesser- known but equally fascinating, demonic beings. Beautifully illustrated, well described, Nanditha Krishna brings to life the traits and actions of a host of complex, colourful, monstrous and intriguing demons that inhabit Indian religion and mythology.
"The Penguin Guide to the States and Union Territories of India" @ Rs. 199/-
"The Penguin Guide to the Countries of the World" @ Rs. 199/-
Incorporating all available figures till 15 August 2007, this second edition contains everything anyone would want to know about the various regions and their essentials. A useful guide for students, examination candidates, office executives and the general reader, the guide gives authentic information on all twenty-eight states, six union territories and the national capital territory of Delhi that constitute India. It includes the history of the region, political developments, geographic profile with a detailed map, cultural overview and economical data, its major educational institutions, airports and a lot more. Additionally it also has a full list of governors and chief ministers since Independence, current party positions in every state assembly and comparison charts across states. Similar is the version relating to Countries of the World.
Fiction:
"The Younger Gods" by David and Leigh Eddings @ Rs. 430/- (429 pgs)
The Elder Gods’ are being replaced by Younger Gods’ and the Land of Dhrall is in peril. The attacks of the dreadful Vlagh, ruler of the Wasteland, have been repelled in three of the Elder Gods’ realms. And now only one land is left for Vlagh to attack- the land ruled by Goddess Aracia who hates the idea of being replaced by a Younger God. With Aracia out of control the fate of the Land of Dhrall is questionable. The authors, David and Leigh Edding clearly have a vivid imagination making this modern fantasy novel a pleasure to read.
"Jinx" by Meg Cabot @ Rs. 399/- (254 pgs)
Jinx’s real name is Jean. A name she hates almost as much as Jinx. She has been named so due to her uncanny ability to jinx what ever comes her way. She is sent to her relatives in New York until the trouble she’s caused back home dies down. Her sophisticated cousin Tory doesn’t care much for Jinx, but when Jinx’s chronic bad luck starts to disturb Tory’s perfect life, Tory starts making life difficult for Jinx. To add to this, Jinx is told that she has special powers, not a jinx. But will these special powers save Jinx from Tory? And then the unthinkable happens… her past catches up with her. Right on the night of her prom.
"A Girl and a River" by Usha K. R. @ Rs. 295/- (324 pgs)
Spanning a period of fifty years, A Girl and a River is the story of Kaveri, a girl from a liberal, prosperous household, during the freedom struggle. Unlike her father, who believes that the family is protected from such delusions as ‘Swaraj” and takes their privileges for granted, Kaveri is profoundly affected by Gandhiji’s visit to their town. She defies her father and participates in the Quit India march but is betrayed by her brother, Setu. When their small town faces a police firing for the first time, Kaveri’s family is torn apart. What happens to Kaveri, her fate, remains shrouded in mystery. Until fifty years later in 1857, Setu’s daughter tries to come to terms with her uneasy upbringing and begins to ask about the past and her parent’s refusal to talk about it. Seamlessly blending the lives of Kaveri and Setu’s daughter, this book is a work of art.
"Vikramaditya’s Throne" by Polie Sengupta @ Rs. 175/- (144 pgs)
Long after King Vikramaditya had died, King Bhoja found his throne and decided to make it his own. But every time he set foot on it, one of the angels holding the throne would come alive and narrate a story of King Vikramaditya’s kindness. When Upa’s father gets kidnapped, Upa and her mother move to her grandmother’s village to recover from the shock. There they are befriended by an odd- looking stranger who tells them the tales of Vikramaditya’s good deeds. And as Upa and her mother listen to these magical stories they begin to see the goodness in the people around them and recognize the relevance of the tales of King Vikramaditya in their lives today. Written in simple language, these thought- provoking tales come alive under Polie Sengupta’s penmanship.
Newer Arrivals:
"Gandhi: A Spiritual Journey" by M. V. Kamath @ Rs. 195/-
"Molly Moon, Micky Minus and the Mind Machine" by Georgia Byng @ Rs. 390/-
"Making Money" by Terry Pratchett @ Rs. 990/-
"On Ugliness" Ed. by Umberto Eco @ Rs. 1380/-
"Chetan Anand: The Poetics of Film" by Uma Anand and Ketan Anand @ Rs. 895/-
"A Writer’s People: Ways of Looking and Feeling" by V. S. Naipaul @ Rs.395/-
"Stalin’s ghost" by Martin Cruz Smith @ Rs. 475/-
"Bridge of Sighs" by Richard Russo @ Rs. 540/-
"God explained in a taxi ride" by Paul Arden @ Rs. 195/-
"Raj Kapoor" by Ritu Nanda (Hindi) @ Rs. 95/-
"Darlingiji –true love of Nargis & Sunil Dutt" by Kishwar Desai @ Rs. 395 /-
"Heights of madness" by Myra Macdonald @ Rs. 395/-
"Monty’s Turn" Monty Panesar with Richard Hobson @ Rs. 700/-
"Jet City Woman" by Ankush Saikia @ Rs. 195/-
"Nineteen minutes" by Jodi Picoult @ Rs. 260/-
"Power, Freedom and Grace" by Deepak Chopra @ Rs. 195/-
"The Almost Moon" by Alice Sebold @ Rs. 515/-
"The Six Sacred Stones" by Matthew Reilly @ Rs. 795/-
"The Gathering" by Anne Enright @ Rs. 325/-
"High School Musical - Battle of the Bands" by N. B. Grace @ Rs. 150/-
"High School Musical - Wild Cat Spirit" by Catherine Hapka @ Rs.150/-
"Sham e Awad - writings on Lucknow" ed. by Veena Talwar Oldenburg @ Rs. 395/-
"Breaking Barriers - Stories of 12 Women" by Parvathy Menon@ Rs. 95/-
"The Penguin Fiction Collection - 20 years of Penguin India, vols. 1, 2” @ Rs. 395/- each
Happy Reading and drop in to the Store!
From the team at
twistntales
Welcome to a pile of November arrivals! Though post Diwali shopping ennui has set in for most, don't let that deter you from picking up some absolutely marvellous books. Again, lot of books reviewed for you, and the newer ones listed below:
"Bhagat Singh: The Jail Notebook and Other Writings" Compiled by Chaman Lal @ Rs. 150/- (191 pgs)
When Bhagat Singh spent two years in jail, awaiting his death sentence, he wrote four books. While they were smuggled out, they were destroyed and lost forever. But Bhagat Singh also kept a notebook in jail, full of notes and jottings from what he was reading. It contains quotes and sentences from books by Rousseau, Lenin and Hobbes. It also includes texts that Bhagat Singh wrote in jail- letters to a number of people including his comrade Sukhdev and his father as well as essays giving his opinions on a variety of topics. Published in the year of his birth centenary, this is a book to be cherished.
"Giving:How each of us can Change the World" by Bill Clinton @Rs. 840/- (240 pgs)
Giving is a book that inspires people to change the world. Bill Clinton writes about how people, regardless of their income, available time, age and skills, are trying to bring about a change. From Bill and Melinda Gates to a six- year old Californian girl named McKenzie Steiner, who organized and supervised drives to clean up the beach in her community, Clinton introduces us to heroes both well- known and unknown. He also writes about his own experiences, about men and women who gave up their unfulfilling careers and fulfillment they now experience through giving. It also reveals companies and organizations that are making extraordinary and innovative efforts to make a difference. This book is meant to inspire and make people believe in citizen activism and service.
"The Way to the Top: The Best Business Advice I Ever Received" by Donald Trump @ Rs. 640/- (253 pgs)
The Way to the Top compiles the best advice from over a hundred and fifty successful men and women. These include not only the upper echelons of the Fortune 500 listed companies such as Staples, American Airlines and Boeing but also family- run companies like Carlson Companies. Donald Trump asked some of these people to answer this question: what’s the best business advice you ever received? This book gives a range of inspiring and practical advice on making good decisions, conducting yourself appropriately, developing your career, communicating with others, leading a team effectively, and much more. Simple, intriguing, insightful and witty advice from people who are already at the top.
"Finding the Next Starbucks: How to Identify and Invest in the Hot Stocks of Tomorrow" by Michael Moe @ Rs. 595/- (374 pgs)
Michael Moe was one of the first research analysts to identify Starbucks as a huge opportunity in 1992 when its market cap was two hundred and twenty million dollars. Today its market cap is twenty- three billion dollars. In this book he shows how winners like Dell, eBay could have been spotted in their start- up phase and how you can find Wall Streets future giants. He forecasts areas with greatest potential for growth including nano technology and alternative energy and what goes into making small companies big- the four Ps, great people, leading product, huge potential and predictability. Including interviews with the biggest names in business- like Bill Campbell and Vinod Khosla- who offer their own insights, this is an indispensable book for growth investors and entrepreneurs.
"The Young Che: Memories of Che Guevara" by Ernesto Guevara Lynch @ Rs. 475/- (310 pgs)
Compiled from two separate books- My Son Che and A Soldier of the Americans, this is a book about a boy who grew up to be a revolutionary and an iconic hero. The book takes us through Che’s bourgeois but nonconformist childhood, the people, book and political events that shaped him, through to the moment he joined Castro to train for the invasion of Cuba. It also includes, published for the first time anywhere, Che’s diary of his bicycle journey around North Argentina in 1950 and letters he sent home as he traveled further and further into Latin America. Published for the first time in English, The Young Che sheds fresh light on the transformation of a compassionate boy into a revolutionary famous all over the world.
"Elizabeth" by J. Randy Taraborrelli @ Rs. 390/- (548 pgs)
Elizabeth Taylor has been known for her extraordinary beauty, surrounded by fame and notoriety. This book maps out her life, how she evolved from a gifted but manipulated child star to a screen icon. The author examines her eight marriages to seven men, including her abusive marriage to Nicky Hilton, her attraction to Mike Todd, and the complex, passionate Taylor- Burton love affair that never actually died. From an author who has written biographies of people such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Princess Grace, this is a beautiful and honest book about a woman nothing like her celebrity image.
"Eight Lives Down: The Story of a Counter Terrorist Bomb Disposal Operator’s Tour in Iraq" by Chris Hunter @ 735/- (369 pgs)
Chris Hunter was a bomb technician working in one of the most dangerous places in the world. His job was to make the British sector in Iraq safe against some of the most hardened and technically advanced terrorists in the world. And just when he thought life couldn’t get any more dangerous, the stakes were raised once again. He became a personal target for the terrorists. Eight Lives Down is a powerful and haunting account of a man who used up eight of his nine lives protecting others.
"The Shadow of the Silk Road" by Colin Thubron @ Rs. 475/- (363 pgs)
When author Colin Thubron decided to travel the Silk Road, he knew his journey would be difficult, for to follow the Silk Road is to follow a ghost. It flows through the heart of Asia, but it has officially vanished. Colin Thubron traces the drifts of the first great trade route out of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran into Kurdish Turkey. From Xian to Kashgar, Kashgar to Meshed and Meshed to Antakya, on buses, donkey carts, trains, jeeps and camels, covering over seven thousand miles in eight months, the author recounts his extraordinary adventures. A fantastic work of non- fiction, Shadow of the Silk Road is captivating, rich in its writing and will have the reader spellbound.
"The 7 Rules of Success: Follow the Strategies, Experience the Results" by Fiona Harrold @ Rs. 260/- (246 pgs)
Author Fiona Harrold has talked to some of the world’s top achievers- who have found their passion and made it their career- and discovered the rules they live by. In this book, she shows how to apply these rules to your lives. From getting past your fear of failure to becoming a charming, effective individual who people want to do business with, this book coaches you on how to understand and use the techniques, tips, tricks and strategies. Fiona Harrold is the UK’s most successful life coach.
"The Book of Demons: Including a Dictionary of Demons in Sanskrit Literature" by Nanditha Krishna @ Rs. 325/- (268 pgs)
Nanditha Krishna writes vividly about creatures feared by people throughout time. She explains the various types of demonic beings and concepts that exist in Hindu literature, supplemented by a ready dictionary of individual demons for reference. Besides the well known rakshasas and asuras, the author also reveals a densely populated world of lesser- known but equally fascinating, demonic beings. Beautifully illustrated, well described, Nanditha Krishna brings to life the traits and actions of a host of complex, colourful, monstrous and intriguing demons that inhabit Indian religion and mythology.
"The Penguin Guide to the States and Union Territories of India" @ Rs. 199/-
"The Penguin Guide to the Countries of the World" @ Rs. 199/-
Incorporating all available figures till 15 August 2007, this second edition contains everything anyone would want to know about the various regions and their essentials. A useful guide for students, examination candidates, office executives and the general reader, the guide gives authentic information on all twenty-eight states, six union territories and the national capital territory of Delhi that constitute India. It includes the history of the region, political developments, geographic profile with a detailed map, cultural overview and economical data, its major educational institutions, airports and a lot more. Additionally it also has a full list of governors and chief ministers since Independence, current party positions in every state assembly and comparison charts across states. Similar is the version relating to Countries of the World.
Fiction:
"The Younger Gods" by David and Leigh Eddings @ Rs. 430/- (429 pgs)
The Elder Gods’ are being replaced by Younger Gods’ and the Land of Dhrall is in peril. The attacks of the dreadful Vlagh, ruler of the Wasteland, have been repelled in three of the Elder Gods’ realms. And now only one land is left for Vlagh to attack- the land ruled by Goddess Aracia who hates the idea of being replaced by a Younger God. With Aracia out of control the fate of the Land of Dhrall is questionable. The authors, David and Leigh Edding clearly have a vivid imagination making this modern fantasy novel a pleasure to read.
"Jinx" by Meg Cabot @ Rs. 399/- (254 pgs)
Jinx’s real name is Jean. A name she hates almost as much as Jinx. She has been named so due to her uncanny ability to jinx what ever comes her way. She is sent to her relatives in New York until the trouble she’s caused back home dies down. Her sophisticated cousin Tory doesn’t care much for Jinx, but when Jinx’s chronic bad luck starts to disturb Tory’s perfect life, Tory starts making life difficult for Jinx. To add to this, Jinx is told that she has special powers, not a jinx. But will these special powers save Jinx from Tory? And then the unthinkable happens… her past catches up with her. Right on the night of her prom.
"A Girl and a River" by Usha K. R. @ Rs. 295/- (324 pgs)
Spanning a period of fifty years, A Girl and a River is the story of Kaveri, a girl from a liberal, prosperous household, during the freedom struggle. Unlike her father, who believes that the family is protected from such delusions as ‘Swaraj” and takes their privileges for granted, Kaveri is profoundly affected by Gandhiji’s visit to their town. She defies her father and participates in the Quit India march but is betrayed by her brother, Setu. When their small town faces a police firing for the first time, Kaveri’s family is torn apart. What happens to Kaveri, her fate, remains shrouded in mystery. Until fifty years later in 1857, Setu’s daughter tries to come to terms with her uneasy upbringing and begins to ask about the past and her parent’s refusal to talk about it. Seamlessly blending the lives of Kaveri and Setu’s daughter, this book is a work of art.
"Vikramaditya’s Throne" by Polie Sengupta @ Rs. 175/- (144 pgs)
Long after King Vikramaditya had died, King Bhoja found his throne and decided to make it his own. But every time he set foot on it, one of the angels holding the throne would come alive and narrate a story of King Vikramaditya’s kindness. When Upa’s father gets kidnapped, Upa and her mother move to her grandmother’s village to recover from the shock. There they are befriended by an odd- looking stranger who tells them the tales of Vikramaditya’s good deeds. And as Upa and her mother listen to these magical stories they begin to see the goodness in the people around them and recognize the relevance of the tales of King Vikramaditya in their lives today. Written in simple language, these thought- provoking tales come alive under Polie Sengupta’s penmanship.
Newer Arrivals:
"Gandhi: A Spiritual Journey" by M. V. Kamath @ Rs. 195/-
"Molly Moon, Micky Minus and the Mind Machine" by Georgia Byng @ Rs. 390/-
"Making Money" by Terry Pratchett @ Rs. 990/-
"On Ugliness" Ed. by Umberto Eco @ Rs. 1380/-
"Chetan Anand: The Poetics of Film" by Uma Anand and Ketan Anand @ Rs. 895/-
"A Writer’s People: Ways of Looking and Feeling" by V. S. Naipaul @ Rs.395/-
"Stalin’s ghost" by Martin Cruz Smith @ Rs. 475/-
"Bridge of Sighs" by Richard Russo @ Rs. 540/-
"God explained in a taxi ride" by Paul Arden @ Rs. 195/-
"Raj Kapoor" by Ritu Nanda (Hindi) @ Rs. 95/-
"Darlingiji –true love of Nargis & Sunil Dutt" by Kishwar Desai @ Rs. 395 /-
"Heights of madness" by Myra Macdonald @ Rs. 395/-
"Monty’s Turn" Monty Panesar with Richard Hobson @ Rs. 700/-
"Jet City Woman" by Ankush Saikia @ Rs. 195/-
"Nineteen minutes" by Jodi Picoult @ Rs. 260/-
"Power, Freedom and Grace" by Deepak Chopra @ Rs. 195/-
"The Almost Moon" by Alice Sebold @ Rs. 515/-
"The Six Sacred Stones" by Matthew Reilly @ Rs. 795/-
"The Gathering" by Anne Enright @ Rs. 325/-
"High School Musical - Battle of the Bands" by N. B. Grace @ Rs. 150/-
"High School Musical - Wild Cat Spirit" by Catherine Hapka @ Rs.150/-
"Sham e Awad - writings on Lucknow" ed. by Veena Talwar Oldenburg @ Rs. 395/-
"Breaking Barriers - Stories of 12 Women" by Parvathy Menon@ Rs. 95/-
"The Penguin Fiction Collection - 20 years of Penguin India, vols. 1, 2” @ Rs. 395/- each
Happy Reading and drop in to the Store!
From the team at
twistntales
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
We are looking for people
If you like books and you like people, and are looking for a part-time job (with full-time commitment, come talk to us.
Min 4 hour slots, starting 10 am. Openings at all slots.
High Energy and enthu ... wanting to learn, right attitude is a must - prior exp. not essential. Min. Graduation, any discipline. Students but min XIIth, welcome for evening slots.
Come, be part of this happy team. We work very hard. But we have lots of fun too.
Min 4 hour slots, starting 10 am. Openings at all slots.
High Energy and enthu ... wanting to learn, right attitude is a must - prior exp. not essential. Min. Graduation, any discipline. Students but min XIIth, welcome for evening slots.
Come, be part of this happy team. We work very hard. But we have lots of fun too.
Happy Children's Day
Enjoy ! Happy Children's Day !
We at twistntales enjoy our Children's day .. and like every year are happy to offer you a 10% off on all kids books for the day ! What better gifts can we give our children !
No, there is something better ... one more article from Shyam, very apt for Children's Day, posted below :
"When my client told me about how she struggles to find the right words to use as she gives her children financial gifts. Many of you have done well in life and wish to pass part of that on to your children.
Most people struggle with a shirt or a pant going up to a diamond set, a car or even better a house. That is not the point – what you give should be financially a great investment over a long period of time. Long after the wrappers have been thrown out, and the puppy has grown up is there a gift that will stay with them?
Yes, give them financial freedom!
To me, the key is to teach them that instant gratification is good, but teaching them that money should be got (earned is best), spent (some instant gratification) and saved / invested for the future.
If your child or grandchild is about to have a birthday, break the gift into various parts. Let him / her decide what to do with the 3 parts. Let one portion be for instant gratification (mobile, ipod, VCD, jeans) put away a portion for buying something he / she needs in say 5 years time (education?) and one portion that he / she will use when they are say 50 years of age.
This will teach them that instant gratification is great but if you look around the attic, it is not very inspiring. It will also teach them about “value” and help them take a decision on the basis of value rather than impulse.
Let us say you wish to gift Rs. 500,000 to your grand daughter who is all of 12 years of age. Fairly obvious that she will not be able to appreciate what this article says (my interaction actually shows that children deal with money far, far better than so called adults). However she will understand that our politicians have made it almost mandatory for kids from middle class families also to study abroad. She will understand that her father will have a conflict of interest when allocating money for her education and for his retirement.
An investment, requires patience, the ability to delay gratification, and a little bit of know-how. As a grandparent, you can help set lifelong patterns of financial responsibility by showing your grandchildren how to invest their money wisely.
Now sit with your grand daughter and teach her why she should delay gratification. Tell her how her money will grow in a mutual fund. How she should buy a MP3 player for Rs. 6000, and put the balance in a mutual fund. Teach her that she could be a lender to a company by buying debentures or a part owner by buying equity shares. Even better she could get excellent fund managers work for her by paying them a fee.
Introduce her to the big great world of finance and investments.
How when at 21 years she pays her college fees from the fund, her eyes will be moist. How at 32 when her husband is buying a house this fund will help bridge the gap. How when at 40 she decides to start a new business, this fund will give her the confidence to do something on her own.
Even Rs.1, 000 can buy a well-rounded mutual fund like Hdfc Equity fund. If you had invested in an SIP of Rs.1, 000 in Franklin India Bluechip since 1997, you would have invested Rs.128, 000 today. And that would have been worth Rs. 1,030,330.
Giving an annualized retun of 36%. Ok, ok your financial planner is telling you that past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.
Is he guaranteeing that it will not give 40% over the next 20 years? NO. The past is only a proxy for what can happen in the future. But surely you can afford a 5k SIP for your grand daughter? What about 10K? I surely do not know how much return to expect but a 15% return over the next 30 years CANNOT be a small amount. Do you agree?
What will it do? It will pay for her education, home down payment, marriage, her business and perhaps if she did not use it for any of these, her retirement.
You could perhaps help older children with more advanced concepts like Index funds, like saying it is better to receive interest rather than pay interest. On why they can save for an asset rather than pay an EMI. Or how a loan for a smaller time frame is cheaper than a loan for a longer time frame.
Help your children to see how much fun it is to watch an investment grow. Celebrate milestones--like when that investment doubles or reaches the target goal for something special. Drop in a small amount every time there is a celebration. When she gets a Rs. 25000 gift from her uncle tell her how she can invest a portion of that in the same mutual fund!
Finance is changing and changing dramatically. For sheer survival you need to learn and adapt. If you spent time with your child or grand child teaching her finance the satisfaction is two fold.
She will think of you whenever she looks at her degree, house, car or retirement plan. Less selfishly you would have spent time with her, and taught her things which corporate India believes the kids who join them know. At least your kid out of the 18443 people they recruit will know. Amen."
Enjoy Children's Day and prepare them to face the future ... when u may not be around to hold hands.
We at twistntales enjoy our Children's day .. and like every year are happy to offer you a 10% off on all kids books for the day ! What better gifts can we give our children !
No, there is something better ... one more article from Shyam, very apt for Children's Day, posted below :
"When my client told me about how she struggles to find the right words to use as she gives her children financial gifts. Many of you have done well in life and wish to pass part of that on to your children.
Most people struggle with a shirt or a pant going up to a diamond set, a car or even better a house. That is not the point – what you give should be financially a great investment over a long period of time. Long after the wrappers have been thrown out, and the puppy has grown up is there a gift that will stay with them?
Yes, give them financial freedom!
To me, the key is to teach them that instant gratification is good, but teaching them that money should be got (earned is best), spent (some instant gratification) and saved / invested for the future.
If your child or grandchild is about to have a birthday, break the gift into various parts. Let him / her decide what to do with the 3 parts. Let one portion be for instant gratification (mobile, ipod, VCD, jeans) put away a portion for buying something he / she needs in say 5 years time (education?) and one portion that he / she will use when they are say 50 years of age.
This will teach them that instant gratification is great but if you look around the attic, it is not very inspiring. It will also teach them about “value” and help them take a decision on the basis of value rather than impulse.
Let us say you wish to gift Rs. 500,000 to your grand daughter who is all of 12 years of age. Fairly obvious that she will not be able to appreciate what this article says (my interaction actually shows that children deal with money far, far better than so called adults). However she will understand that our politicians have made it almost mandatory for kids from middle class families also to study abroad. She will understand that her father will have a conflict of interest when allocating money for her education and for his retirement.
An investment, requires patience, the ability to delay gratification, and a little bit of know-how. As a grandparent, you can help set lifelong patterns of financial responsibility by showing your grandchildren how to invest their money wisely.
Now sit with your grand daughter and teach her why she should delay gratification. Tell her how her money will grow in a mutual fund. How she should buy a MP3 player for Rs. 6000, and put the balance in a mutual fund. Teach her that she could be a lender to a company by buying debentures or a part owner by buying equity shares. Even better she could get excellent fund managers work for her by paying them a fee.
Introduce her to the big great world of finance and investments.
How when at 21 years she pays her college fees from the fund, her eyes will be moist. How at 32 when her husband is buying a house this fund will help bridge the gap. How when at 40 she decides to start a new business, this fund will give her the confidence to do something on her own.
Even Rs.1, 000 can buy a well-rounded mutual fund like Hdfc Equity fund. If you had invested in an SIP of Rs.1, 000 in Franklin India Bluechip since 1997, you would have invested Rs.128, 000 today. And that would have been worth Rs. 1,030,330.
Giving an annualized retun of 36%. Ok, ok your financial planner is telling you that past performance is not a guarantee of future performance.
Is he guaranteeing that it will not give 40% over the next 20 years? NO. The past is only a proxy for what can happen in the future. But surely you can afford a 5k SIP for your grand daughter? What about 10K? I surely do not know how much return to expect but a 15% return over the next 30 years CANNOT be a small amount. Do you agree?
What will it do? It will pay for her education, home down payment, marriage, her business and perhaps if she did not use it for any of these, her retirement.
You could perhaps help older children with more advanced concepts like Index funds, like saying it is better to receive interest rather than pay interest. On why they can save for an asset rather than pay an EMI. Or how a loan for a smaller time frame is cheaper than a loan for a longer time frame.
Help your children to see how much fun it is to watch an investment grow. Celebrate milestones--like when that investment doubles or reaches the target goal for something special. Drop in a small amount every time there is a celebration. When she gets a Rs. 25000 gift from her uncle tell her how she can invest a portion of that in the same mutual fund!
Finance is changing and changing dramatically. For sheer survival you need to learn and adapt. If you spent time with your child or grand child teaching her finance the satisfaction is two fold.
She will think of you whenever she looks at her degree, house, car or retirement plan. Less selfishly you would have spent time with her, and taught her things which corporate India believes the kids who join them know. At least your kid out of the 18443 people they recruit will know. Amen."
Enjoy Children's Day and prepare them to face the future ... when u may not be around to hold hands.
Monday, November 12, 2007
How do we bring up our children ?
Today, Shyam sent this in the mail. As Children's Day approaches, I thought it worthwhile to post this here.
For those born in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s....
Hi,
this mail is for all of us ..Meena Periamma to Chandra...and i guess it applies to all of us.
First, we survived being born to mothers who had no full time maids/cooked food/cleaned the house while they carried us.
They took aspirin, ate salt, thenga yennai, cheese , sweet dishes and didn't get tested
for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints. They bought us choppu which was painted bright. We ate them, licked them.....
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking .
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. We sat in the front seat, back seat, on laps, and cars had no child locks.
Riding in the back of a local bus/train was a special treat.
We drank water from the tap and NOT from a bottle. At schools, at friends houses, at hotels, at municipal taps .....
We spent hours on the terrace under bright sunlight flying our kites, without worrying about the UV effect which never ever effect us. We were told not to disturb other "parents' in the afternoons, but we could whatever else.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate pastries, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks
with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because..... .WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. Or mom had to tell us she is going to the market.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K. Oh girls above the age of 13 were safe EVEN without cell phones. Come on most of our houses did not have phones.
We would spend hours reparing our out dated bicycle (hired) out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms....... .! .WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We slept with our parents, grandparents, on the floor, on the paai, on the jamakalam, ..in wedding halls, - well none of us had our "own" rooms. We were once in a while told this was our "room" but any guest could use it. Without worrying about leaving the toilet wet.
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. Some of us even stapled our fingers to see how a stapler works.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were never given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, we made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them from outside the gate! And we did not call to ask whether this was a good time to come. We ate what their mothers gave without having to check with our mothers.
Cricket League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who
didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! Dammit! they would have called the law, if the police missed us...
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO
DEAL WITH IT ALL!
And YOU are one of them!
CONGRATULATIONS!
For those born in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s....
Hi,
this mail is for all of us ..Meena Periamma to Chandra...and i guess it applies to all of us.
First, we survived being born to mothers who had no full time maids/cooked food/cleaned the house while they carried us.
They took aspirin, ate salt, thenga yennai, cheese , sweet dishes and didn't get tested
for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints. They bought us choppu which was painted bright. We ate them, licked them.....
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking .
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. We sat in the front seat, back seat, on laps, and cars had no child locks.
Riding in the back of a local bus/train was a special treat.
We drank water from the tap and NOT from a bottle. At schools, at friends houses, at hotels, at municipal taps .....
We spent hours on the terrace under bright sunlight flying our kites, without worrying about the UV effect which never ever effect us. We were told not to disturb other "parents' in the afternoons, but we could whatever else.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate pastries, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks
with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because..... .WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. Or mom had to tell us she is going to the market.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K. Oh girls above the age of 13 were safe EVEN without cell phones. Come on most of our houses did not have phones.
We would spend hours reparing our out dated bicycle (hired) out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms....... .! .WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We slept with our parents, grandparents, on the floor, on the paai, on the jamakalam, ..in wedding halls, - well none of us had our "own" rooms. We were once in a while told this was our "room" but any guest could use it. Without worrying about leaving the toilet wet.
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. Some of us even stapled our fingers to see how a stapler works.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were never given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, we made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them from outside the gate! And we did not call to ask whether this was a good time to come. We ate what their mothers gave without having to check with our mothers.
Cricket League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who
didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! Dammit! they would have called the law, if the police missed us...
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO
DEAL WITH IT ALL!
And YOU are one of them!
CONGRATULATIONS!
Wildlife and Nature reading
Just returned from a holiday in Pench (MP).
Apart from the tiger and leopard, both of whom gave us lovely darshan, caught up with Kipling.
Pench and Kanha are Kipling Country. "Just so stories" is amazing. Sitting in a tent in the jungle, at dark and listening to "how the leopard got its spots" or "the camel got a hump" is fantastic. Colonial literature has its own charm.
Which got me thinking.... what are we ... if not for Corbett, Kipling, Kenneth Anderson and Ruskin Bond .... the best wildlife description, country description, bringing the jungles alive visually ... we have to be eternally grateful. Whether it is "maneaters of kumaon"(Corbett) or "sivanipalli" (Anderson) ...or Kipling's Madhya Pradesh ... simple but evocative writing at its best. If we include Nature, we cannot miss out on Bill Aitken. From Nandadevi to "Seven Sacred Rivers" these are essential reading.
I strongly feel and keep recommending to School libraries as well ... anyone from 8th std onwards, its time to introduce them to Corbett and Kenneth Anderson. Bond and Kipling can start from age 5 onwards. Oh for some good readers !
Last year Shabbir volunteered for Corbett reading and quite a few kids turned up. This summer, i don't mind doing a wildlife week ! Any takers ?
Apart from the tiger and leopard, both of whom gave us lovely darshan, caught up with Kipling.
Pench and Kanha are Kipling Country. "Just so stories" is amazing. Sitting in a tent in the jungle, at dark and listening to "how the leopard got its spots" or "the camel got a hump" is fantastic. Colonial literature has its own charm.
Which got me thinking.... what are we ... if not for Corbett, Kipling, Kenneth Anderson and Ruskin Bond .... the best wildlife description, country description, bringing the jungles alive visually ... we have to be eternally grateful. Whether it is "maneaters of kumaon"(Corbett) or "sivanipalli" (Anderson) ...or Kipling's Madhya Pradesh ... simple but evocative writing at its best. If we include Nature, we cannot miss out on Bill Aitken. From Nandadevi to "Seven Sacred Rivers" these are essential reading.
I strongly feel and keep recommending to School libraries as well ... anyone from 8th std onwards, its time to introduce them to Corbett and Kenneth Anderson. Bond and Kipling can start from age 5 onwards. Oh for some good readers !
Last year Shabbir volunteered for Corbett reading and quite a few kids turned up. This summer, i don't mind doing a wildlife week ! Any takers ?
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