RecommendedReads | Thursday Book Quiz!

THURSDAY QUIZ: What do the three books shown above have in common? Tell us and we will bestow the first ever Caterpillar Cafe Award to the first person who guesses it. The prize is, well we are poor, so the prize will be a copy of one of the books shown above. (Your choice!)  Now I am off to catch a flight. (Quiz idea is courtesy of ABE books.) Leave your responses in the comments section and we'll get back to you with a winner! 
Take it away Afsha. Ta Ta folks!


While my blogging buddy Reshma is gearing up to travel to England, Italy and where-about-not, I've been very busy losing myself in fantasy. But I do love literature that allows you to travel which is why I think you should, as much as I, look forward to the forthcoming posts from her Travel Guides in Disguise series. But while I may not be able to travel for at least another year, having a full-time job and all, I'm not fussed. I just want to read. And the book I'm most looking forward to belongs to a genre I can't quite place since I haven't read it yet. This is actually the first time I'm anticipating and recommending a book that is just about to release based on the extract. Fan of fantasy, fiction, Goth, noir? Pre-order with me and let's coffee.


Headline: The Night Circus's dazzling, high-wire debut
Publication: The Guardian
Afsha says: It may be fantasy month for The Caterpillar Club, but for for me fantasy is a way of life. When we published the last set of Recommended Reads last week, we linked you to The Guardian's list of best debut authors. Since then, I haven't been able to stop thinking about The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern. The artwork, in black and white with one lonely item in red, promises a story from a period that passed a century ago and another dimension that can only come to life with a vivid imagination. The extract was intriguing enough for me to pre-order it on my Kindle so that I can enjoy it before the world goes to town with it, running the risk of rendering it as just another overrated novel. The author is being pitted as the next Rowling, something she appreciates but doesn't agree with for several reasons. But what upsets me is that the movie rights have already been bought over by the guys behind, gulp, Twilight (God save us all) . Read an extract here.
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Headline: The Man Booker 2011 shortlist

Publication: Man Booker

Reshma says: The twitterverse was abuzz with excitement as predictions were made. Bookies were talking to people wondering whether it would be a newcomer or an old hand. Who would take that glittering prize? But then you wonder, it's early for the Oscars right? It's the Man Booker prize. My mother waited for it as she would the Oscars and it became the reading list for the next few months. I discovered Amsterdam by Ian McEwan and Disgrace by J M Coetze only because of the Booker.  When I look back I realize that every book I studied at English Lit A-level was part of a shortlist at some point, (The Handmaid's Tale, Paul Scott's Staying On),  from which I infer that they seem to get it right. At the end of the day it's about the authors and not the list. Of late I have not agreed with some of the choices. I did not particularly enjoy Alan Hollinghurst's A Line of Beauty or Arvind Daga's The White Tiger. I did however fall in love with Wolfhall by Hilary Mantel, the best book I have read in a long long time. For me the Nebula and Hugo awards are much more dear in that they cater to that that ignored yet hugely popular spectrum- science fiction and fantasy. I yelped with joy when Sussana Clarke's Strange and Mr Norell (Damn you book thief who stole my first part on a plane!), was long listed. I felt vindicated, like my choice of reading material was finally being acknowledged. Ok fine, so the Booker prize is important. There are two debut authors on this years list and I have read neither. But Pigeon English looks like a favorite to win and my reading list only got longer. Sigh!

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Travel guides in disguise | Red Mandarin Dress by Qiu Xiaolong

Photo/The Hobbit

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

-Bilbo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring

When I started traveling I used to pick up the appropriate Lonely Planet a day before my journey, quickly surf the Condenast website and I was on my way. I still use the Condenast Traveller to guide me on hotels but other guidebooks have fallen off the wayside as I started to focus on memoirs and novels. For instance in Venice,  I walked the steps of Commissario (Detective) Guido Brunetti as he chased murderers down the Rialto in Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon and was privy to the most lyrical prose as I used Valeri’s A Sentimental Guide to Venice, even more special since I managed to find an 1955 edition printed in Italy in a small bookshop that set me back a thumping 25 Euros. No surprise then that I keep this one close to my heart and NEVER lend it. In this series I will talk about some of the books that have been invaluable guides to me as I navigate foreign roads that go ever on and on…

My guide to Shanghai

Red Mandarin Dress by Qiu Xiaolong

I picked this book up at the Shanghai Museum in People’s square when I felt that the my Lonely Planet was falling short in introducing me to the magnificent city. Inspector Chen is Inspector Dalgliesh’s (see The Lighthouse) brother from another mother in that he is an erudite workaholic who spews poetry at the drop of a magnifying glass and draws no line between his personal and professional life. No surprises there. When he finally decides to take a sabbatical to write a dissertation on a strange concept called Thirsty Illness (because that's how these detectives relax), he is cajoled by the powers-that-be to drop everything and chase down a perplexing murder that is ruffling many a communist feather. The book is part of an acclaimed series featuring the insightful inspector and his sincere sidekick as they try deal with a society struggling to reconcile its newfound power with its old turbulent past. He often refers to his plight as, "One country, two systems.” Here you will get a primer on the Cultural Revolution that is everywhere and yet hidden behind crimson curtains, a glimpse into the eccentric food habits of eating twitching shrimp dipped in broth, a fantastic walking tour through the old city and the bund and the introduction to the man commonly known as ‘Mr Big Bucks’; All while you chase down the killer of a beautiful woman who wore a red mandarin dress. Mystifying sexual innuendos aside, it is a deftly woven novel that uses all the elements of criminal profiling that delves deep into the psychoses of this country's enigmatic social structure. Despite being driven to buy myself a cheongsam, I doubt I will ever be able to look at one or a monkey in the same way again.

Please write to us in the comments box below and tell us about your favorite travel reads. 


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Club Updates | The fantastical month ahead

Our first bottle of wine broke. Not on my carpet thankfully. In the din of traffic on a one-way street with a valet man gesturing frantically to pull out right next to a car that was simultaneously pulling in, is how I imagine Reshma getting her crocodile skin shoes stuck in the handle of her eco-friendly bag, thus setting the poor bottle on the course of it's demise.

But a quick pit stop at Nature’s Basket later, we sat down on my couch to talk books, literature, the best in reading and the most beautifully flawed authors. After we got discussing Frank Herbert's Dune, of course.

There were a lot of mixed feelings. I personally hadn't got past the first 50 pages (sorry) but I know I'll read it, when I'm in "the zone" for a sci-fi novel that isn't The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. As for the frills and finalisations, here's the general lowdown.


Book Talk/ Swap: Wherein we bought a selection of books to recommend and then as an option, allowed fellow Caterpillars to borrow for the month.
We went to town with this one. The table held titles like After Dark by Haruki Murakami, A Dance With Dragons, George R.R. Matrin’s 5th installment of The Game of Thrones series, Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa and Manga Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Buy A Game Of Thrones 5-Book Boxed Set from Flipkart.com

It went very well, and all the books except the Martin got swiped, but that’s only because the owner was still reading it. Manga’s went to a member who claimed he doesn’t read much, Murakami went to a virgin in the genre of Magic Realism and I quickly pocketed Mornings in Jenin because I haven’t read any literature from Palistine. Needless to say, I think this one ought to be part of The Club’s regular culture.

October’s Read
Theme: Fantasy
I’m quite pleased to announce that I successfully marketed The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgewick for October’s read. It’s about a boy named Boy who must help his cruel master, a sorcerer called Valerian, save his soul from a Faustian pact he made years ago. This must be done before the Dead Days, the days between Christmas and New Year’s, are over. The book is dark, mysterious and filled with adventure that makes your reading speed accelerate in anticipation of the end. The climax… it doesn’t disappoint, but leaves a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions about Boy’s origins and identity. Good thing there’s a sequel then, isn’t it? But reading that is entirely optional. The Club recommends you read The Book of Dead Days in time for the first Sunday in October, for which we have some pretty fantastical plans.

Buy The Book Of Dead Days from Flipkart.com

In conclusion:

I still have Bourdain to breeze through, but I really can’t wait to get cracking on the loot and of course, the recommendations from my fellow Caterpillar’s. But most of all, I’m looking forward to reading The Book of Dead Days, which I’ve ordered and shall review next month along with its sequel, The Dark Flight down.

Hungry for more? | Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

I could have read the Crest on the train to work, but halfway down the mucky stairs taking me to Platform 4 in Khar Station, I went, Naah!

I'm currently reading, devouring, more like, Kitchen Confidential, Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthory Bourdain. A detailed insight into why your body is an amusement park, among other things, the book's so honest you can't help but chuckle every time Bourdain proceeds to share insights featuring his younger and older selves who learned everything about life, in this case life being food, the hard way. But despite it's non-fiction status there's never a moment when you feel he's being too self-indulgent, as can be the case when someone's reliving their own life's journey to the top.

Photos/Kitchen Confidential

It may sound prejudiced, but I really enjoy Bourdain's description of vegetarians: Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food. Did you know that amoebas are transferred most often by handling raw vegetables? I would never have guessed, but I do find okra, with it's green, slightly hairy skin and oozing tubes mildly creepy. This isn't to say that veal eaters are holier than the vegetarian. Bourdain admits that most meats are, well, unhygienic. Ever been to a chicken farm? No. But I've seen those mobile vans transporting poultry to their impending doom and if the contents on my platter smell that bad before being plated then food in general has serious issues!

So you see, I love this man because he thinks that we can learn a lot about adjusting to strange, often badly handled (ever been to Dadar market or seen where the mutton man stores his meat?) food from Rasputin. This actually cracked me up. So Rasputin, that crazy, evil Russian priest couldn't be killed by several glasses of poisoned wine because he prepared for such an occurrence for years by consuming a tiny portion of arsenic with his breakfast. Sure, they got him in the end, but the thing to learn from him is never say no to food in all it's gory glory if you want to build your resistance up for the unknown. Of course, this doesn't mean you go nuts and eat fish on a Monday in New York (read book for more details).

Kitchen Confidential is a brilliant read for those who love and loathe Bourdain alike. It's well written and sounds just like his voice in your head. I'm only 75 pages in, mind you, on the first course. But honestly, I'm quite hoping that between now and tomorrow I will have gotten through the second and third courses and savoured some dessert in time to end my weekend for the section titled, quite aptly, Coffee and a Cigarette.

Bourdain recommends you don't eat before you read this book. But something about his style, adventures and overall authoritative tone of voice tells me I'm going to be hungry for more.

Kitchen Confidential is Afsha's introduction to the genre of food literature and she's personally told me that she's greedy for more. Any suggestions?

Buy Kitchen Confidential from Flipkart.com

RecommendedReads | So many books, so little time.

Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi!
At the outset The Caterpillar Cafe would like to say that it is a sad day when people are not allowed to tell their stories. The cancellation of the Harud Literary Festival in Kashmir on the back of partisan lobbying is an outrage, especially when it has been based on hearsay. Rahul Pandita's The Autumn of Hypocrisy is a beautiful lament to the freedom of expression. If we stop people telling their stories quietly, how can we blame them when they begin to shout?

Headline: The best new debut authors!
Publication: According to the Guardian Long List
Reshma Says: Looking for something to read? A fantastic new list of debut authors is ripe for the picking. I am salivating at the thought of reading Sidereal by Rachel Boast, who they say is like a confident Seamus Heaney. High Praise indeed! The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed has been receiving rave reviews and is the first on my must- read now. The Night Circus seems to echo The Water for Elephants but other wise the list is chocoblock with newbies that will make your bookshelves sparkle.
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Headline: Do I Have to Read 'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Before I See the Movie
Publication: The Atlantic
Reshma Says: “Argh! How could they leave that scene out? How could they possibly cast that singular expression Keira Knightly as Elizabeth?" Books-to-movies is a perennial source of frustration to both fans and directors alike. Be honest, you have always visualized your favorite movie being put to screen. You were the first to run to the cinema when X men hit the screens and you waited patiently for Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the ring to be released even as you refreshed the web page day after day to ogle at Aragon and check if the Uruk-Hai matched your childhood fantasies. No? Ok, ignore that. About 13 movies are coming out this autumn that are based on books-after all novelists do all the hard work to come up with the story that script writers joyfully tear apart. This write up is useful for those who want to know whether to read the books before they watch the movie. I agree with most of it except I would not recommend either reading or watching Twilight after the disastrous films. Sadly I cannot comment on the list having not read many of these books, but I do believe that when in doubt always read the book before the movie.
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Should you read Game of Thrones before you start discovering it on HBO?
Reshma Says: Absolutely, even though the HBO adaptation is in fact quite good. The casting has been fantastic and apart from portraying Cersei with a bit too much humanity, the HBO adaptation brings you the sex, intrigue and the sheet ruthlessness of Westeros with startling graphic. For instance they don't shy away from killing of children. However I am curious to know how future books will be adapted. The Feast of crows for instance is a slow read that focuses primarily on politicking with little warfare. And Martin has decided to create parallel timelines that would give HBO episode issues. Also what about scripting minor characters like Davos and Anita. Here is another article on the adaptation of Game of Thrones and True Blood to TV from the Atlantic. Enjoy!
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