5 Books I fancy

There is no friend as loyal as a book.” ― Ernest Hemingway

Urgh! what a cliché! But, what to do? Clichés are mostly true.

Now I rhyme! Ha!

Okay. Today, I bring you some good reads. I have 5 incredible books to suggest! All from different genres so there is something for everyone.

1. Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansary.

An engaging and easy-to-read "history of the world through Islamic eyes", "Destiny Disrupted" is a great introduction to the history of the faith more than a billion humans profess. With friendly, conversational prose and a keen eye for revealing anecdotes, Ansary leads us through nearly 1500 years of Islamic history, from the revelation of the Quran and the early life of the Islamic community, through the Abbasids, the Ottomans, the Mughals, and up to the beginning of the 21st century. "World history", Ansary writes "is not a chronological list of every single thing that ever happened ... it's the arc that counts." "Destiny Disrupted" is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of the Islamic world. But the book is more than just a litany of past events. As Ansary writes in his conclusion, "The conflict wracking the modern world is not, I think, best understood as a 'clash of civilizations.' ... It's better understood as the friction generated by two mismatched world histories intersecting." Ahem ahem. Very serious. Very informative.

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Divergent is one of many books about dystopian societies that are appearing on the shelves of bookstores all over the nation. What makes this one unique is the depth that Roth includes in her writing. It is more than just the struggle of living in a dystopia, or more than just the normal teenage girl struggles, of love and acceptance, but of doing what is right and standing up for the things you believe in. I may not be living in the same world as Tris but I found myself able to relate to her, at least a little. Her struggle between staying alive for the sake of those she loves, or sacrificing herself to save the world she knows. Excitingly, its movie is coming out next year. And one more thing….Do not fall in love with ‘Four’. He’s mine!

3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

      This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland to Spain in search of a treasure, buried near the Pyramids. This book talks about destiny. Not Love related destiny, you single track people! It’s about the journey towards a person’s destiny. It can be anything. Your goals, your obsessions, whatever you are searching for. Life will take you there, if you don’t stop.

                                            

4.  Getting More by Stuart Diamond.

It’s a self-improvement book. Oh, come on! It’s not boring it’s awesome! It’s exciting. It’s a good read for students of business studies, accounting and economics and anyone who wants to improve their negotiation skills….cause let’s face it we love to negotiate. We negotiate everywhere-unless we're buying jewelry from Accessorize! Ha. Nevertheless. Negotiation skills come in handy and we all need them in our day to day lives.

5.  Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.

Whimsy and Mythologically dramatic, Neverwhere is a fun Urban Fantasy refreshingly free of vampires and werewolves. There is real elegance in how this book hooks you in and takes you on a wild ride. The heroes are minimally sketched ciphers and the readers are invited to project themselves into. They take shape mainly from the quests; Richard wants to get back to his boring life, Door wants to avenge the murder of her family, Hunter wants to kill the Great Beast of London. The power structure of this society depends on bartering and favors, so it is impossible to tell who to trust. The most evil and supernaturally powerful characters in this tale, Mr.Vandemar and Mr. Coup, take so much fun in their mayhem, you can't help liking them  ("Cant make an Omelette without killing a few people")

I suggest these five books to you, now hit the stores, get the books OR download their ebook versions and read them on your kindle or smartphones. Either way give me your feedback. I'm sure you'll love them, so much so you won't wanna put them down! I bet you're going to have some quality time in their company. Enjoy!

-AK