tagged!

ok, ive just been tagged so this post is about that. (sensibly stoned, you escape with your life.. this was only about books, so its ok - how i dislike those "soul searching" questionnaires! .... and now that ive finished making a fuss, thanks for thinking of me! ;-) )

here goes. the answers (with a sprinkling of blah!)

Total books I own:
Um. I really have no idea whatsoever! My mom was a lit student – we have books from her childhood, college days on. book-madness kind of runs in the family! :)

Last book(s) I bought:
Mort – Terry Pratchett
Many Mansions : Edgar Cayce on Reincarnation – Gina Cerminara
The Agony and the Ecstasy – Irving Stone

Last book I read:

The symbolism of Hindu gods and rituals – A Parthasarathy

I didn’t like the first section because I dislike most of mainstream religion. The second and third parts were very interesting - mainly advaitic explanations. Some of it was really good – strongly recommended.

Currently reading:
Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology.

The actual title is “The New Larousse…” blah blah blah. But it was gifted to my parents when they got married (isnt that a really great gift!), so I figured the “new” is no longer accurate! Hehe… if you like mythology this is absolutely brilliant- world mythology with corresponding statues and paintings of the gods and goddesses. (Hamlyn, i'll settle for cash! ;))

American Power and the New Mandarins – Noam Chomsky

This is a collection of essays. Noam Chomsky has been criticised for being a little commy, but I still like what he has to say - the man talks sense! This collection has a brilliant essay The Responsibility of Intellectuals, which can be read here too.

Books that have had an impact on me:

This is the order in which I read ‘em, and the reason why :

Animal Farm – George Orwell.
Whenever my “red” tendencies threaten to surface I think of this book and shiver! That evil of ghastly sanctimonious intention is just unforgettable.

Being Peace – Thich Nhat Hanh.
This is where I learned that meditation is done with a smile, and need not be a deadly serious affair! It made me realise that it takes a warrior to be gentle. Plus sheer sentimental value – I was given this to help me through a very bad patch :)

Sand and Foam – Kahlil Gibran.
Expressed so many things so beautifully when I was lost for words : )

The Making of A Counter Culture : Youthful opposition to technocracy – Theodore Roszak.
It brought alive the counter culture and helped me organise my thoughts and look at things more critically.

The Whole Woman – Germaine Greer.
The defining feminist work! It was such a brilliant introduction to feminism. Threw up a lot of issues… helped me wake up.

Everybody Loves A Good Drought – P Sainath.
An incisive commentary on what is happening at home.

The Algebra of Infinite Justice (collection of essays) – Arundhati Roy.
Gave me more stuff to think about. Voiced the nameless fears and undirected anger. And told me more things about my country that I didn’t know.

There! All the worthless details of my life for whoever it is who wants to know! :d

Hmm. im supposed to tag 5 people more. alright. since some folks i know are singularrrly lazy (and i do hope the person whom this is directed at is reading this!) im taggin 3 and leaving it anonymous so they can decide whether or not they want to take it up :)