Mothers in Literature

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the
place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts."

- Washington Irving

Mothers are synonymous with selfless love, generosity, kindness, wisdom and care. No matter how difficult times can get, they are the ones who hold our hands through the toughest of times. Through their silent ways, they comfort us and make us believe that difficult times do not last. We owe a lot to our mothers: our lives, understanding of the world, the first dose of education and much more. This week, we pay a tribute to all the mothers in the world.

Mother's Day was first celebrated in 1908 in the U.S., when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis in Grafton, West Virginia. She campaigned to set aside a day to honor mothers - 'the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world'. Anna's mother, Ann Jarvis, was a peace activist who had cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the Civil War and formed Mother’s Day Work Clubs to address public health concerns. We will feature some of the best works on mothers in literature. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

BookChums Theme of the Week: Places in Literature

This week on BookChums, we celebrate Places in Literature as the theme of the week. From travelogues and history to memoirs, places and locations have always played a special role in characterizing plots, emotions and thoughts. Even the most ordinary of places emerges as the most extraordinary place when described by a bard or writer. From the pages of history or a novel, there emerge places that we have never heard of arousing our curiosity and all the more excitement to read as the book unfolds. Therefore, sit back and relax some of the best reads in literature based on places.

ATale of Two Cities (written in 1859) by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution sketches the difficulty of the French peasantry brutalized by the French aristocracy in the years leading up to the revolution, the corresponding cruelty demonstrated by the revolutionaries toward the former aristocrats in the early years of the revolution, and many other social parallels with life in London during the same time. It follows the lives of several protagonists through these events including Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton.  It is a timeless read.

AShort Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby is an autobiographical account of his adventures in the Hindu Kush, around Nuristan in Afghanistan, apparently to make the first mountaineering ascent of Mir Samir. It is a popular read among all travel aficionados.

Love and War in the Apennines is a 1971 Second World War memoir by Eric Newby. After the Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces in 1943, he left the prison camp in which he had been held for a year, and escaped the Germans by going high up in the mountains and forests south of the Po River. In enforced isolation, he was sheltered by brave Italian peasants. This book is an account of the selfless people and their basic lifestyle. This is where he Wanda, a local girl who later became his wife. The 2001 film In Love and War starring Callum Blue and Barbora Bobulova was inspired by this memoir.

Read on and enjoy. We will feature more of these brilliant and fun books.

Ask Kabita 54 - Our Book Recommendation Expert

Hope all of you are enjoying the flavors of the season. As always, I have been having fun reading and I hope you guys are enjoying too. The following are the questions and answers of the week.

Q 1: Please recommend some fun poetry to read during a holiday. Thank you. Anwesha Dutta, Pune

Ans: Anwesha, thank you for writing. You can try Ogden Nash's collections including Candy is Dandy and Zoo. They are fun reads. Have a great holiday.

Q 2: Please suggest some good mystery reads. Deepak, Mumbai

Ans: Deepak, please try Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag and The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches.

Have a good week ahead and write to me at ask@bookchums.com.

Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 Shortlist Announced!

It is that time of the year again, for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 shortlist is out!

Seven novels feature in this shortlist for the 2011 edition of the prize, the list is in alphabetical order:

  AMITAV GHOSH, India
River of Smoke (John Murray/Penguin India/Hamish Hamilton)

BANANA YOSHIMOTO, Japan
The Lake (Melville House)

JAHNAVI BARUA, India
Rebirth (Penguin India/Penguin Books)

JAMIL AHMAD, Pakistan
The Wandering Falcon (Penguin India/Hamish Hamilton)

KYUNG-SOOK SHIN, South Korea
Please Look After Mom (Alfred A. Knopf)

RAHUL BHATTACHARYA, India
The Sly Company of People Who Care (Pan Macmillan/Pan Macmillan India/Picador)

YAN LIANKE, China
Dream of Ding Village (Grove Atlantic)

Flashback...
The 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize was awarded to Chinese author, Bi Feiyu for the novel Three Sisters in March 2011, along with a cash award of USD $30,000.

Book Review - In Search of Change Maestros By Pritam Singh

In Search of Change Maestros documents the contributions of seven great Indian wealth creators and institution builders who had the vision and fortitude to create world-class Indian corporations. The case studies included in this book are of Kumar Mangalam Birla, M. Damodaran, Sajjan Jindal, K.V. Kamath, Sunil Bharti Mittal, A.M. Naik, and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. The authors have skillfully synthesized in-depth interviews, questionnaires, and anthropological analysis to afford the reader a glimpse into the intimate world-view of these Change Maestros and to show them what makes these leaders great. This is a first-of-its-kind work that focuses on outstanding Indian corporate icons-their means, methods, and achievements-and in the process, creates an entirely new paradigm for evaluating Change Maestros and change leaders not only in the corporate world, but also in public life all over the world.

To read the complete book review please visit the Book Reviews section on BookChums or click on the link below:

Book Review - In Search of Change Maestros By Pritam Singh

Book Details - Search Engine Optimization For Dummies

The handy guide for getting your site to jump to the top, now updated with the latest tips and tricks!

A clear understanding of search engine optimization (SEO) is essential if you want your Web site to appear high in search results. This straightforward-but-fun guide provides you with a clear understanding of how you can use SEO as a key strategy for online marketing. After discussing search engine basics, SEO expert Peter Kent shares tips, tricks, and advice for making your content appealing to search engines. You'll explore new and updated content on Bing, Google's new "Caffeine" search algorithm, localized searches, Google Sidewiki, and more. Packed with invaluable insight for showing up in searches at Amazon, eBay, Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Craigslist, this updated guide puts you on your way to the top of the heap!

To read the further book details please visit the Book Reviews section on BookChums or click on the link below:

Book Details - Search Engine Optimization For Dummies

BookChums Book Review - Airman By Eoin Colfer

Conor Broekhart was born to fly. It is the 1890s, and Conor and his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. Conor spends his days studying the science of flight with his tutor and exploring the castle with the king’s daughter, Princess Isabella.  But the boy’s idyllic life changes forever the day he discovers a deadly conspiracy against the king. When Conor intervenes, he is branded a traitor and thrown into jail on the prison island of Little Saltee. There, he has to fight for his life, as he and the other prisoners are forced to mine for diamonds in inhumane conditions. There is only one way to escape Little Saltee, and that is to fly. So Conor passes the solitary months by scratching drawings of flying machines into the prison walls. The months turn into years, but eventually the day comes when Conor must find the courage to trust his revolutionary designs and take to the skies.

Read more: BookChums Book Review - Airman By Eoin Colfer