RecommendedReads | Elementary, my dear Watson

Good morning,

Caterpillar's RR for the day includes a continuation of a much discussed topic, the bastardization of English, hope for slow writers like myself and for those who couldn't care less about the future of English or my future as a faster writer, a most exciting read, a Top Ten list of the best crime novels of all time.

As for what we are reading, I am hammering away at the brick that is George R R Martin's Dance with a Dragon and the caterpillar favorite, The Piano Teacher. Afsha is still reeling from the book and cooling down her soul with some of her mother's to die for nimbu panni or/and beer. Enjoy the reads!

P.s : The above quotation is a misquote and was never uttered by Holmes.

Headline: The family tree of a mongrel language
Source: Economist.com
Reshma says: There has been much back and forth on this of late in the Mumbai Boss and WSJ India. So where does the Caterpillar Stand? We are confused just like the rest of you. Should pre-pone be a legitimate word, hell I have used it myself a few times. Isn't language a means of communication? So when I say pre-pone in a gathering in Mumbai, my audience understands it. I could also say 'bring it forward', but isn't the world all about minimalism these days? We do not however condone the small 'i' as a substitute for the pronoun or 'c' for 'see'. That's just laziness. Yes, it's a fine line. I told you we were confused.
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Headline: Slowpoke: How to be a faster writer
Source: Slate
Reshma says: Do you ever wish you purge out a thousand words an hour when you find yourself looking at ten words on your page after a half hour of staring. And inevitably you are left with '...'. The secret is ...wait for it...practice. Ten thousand hours of writing will get you there.
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Headline: Top Ten Crime Books you have to read before you die
Source: Writing.ie
Reshma says: As a self professed expert of the crime novel, I am ashamed to say I have only read a handful in this list. Then again I disagree with it. The list has been handpicked by one of my favorite authors, John Connolly (Author of the Killing Kind and The White Road). It does not have P D James, the greatest of all crime novelists and that is a blasphemous act. I therefore take this list with a pinch of salt. But anything that gives us a reason to buy books is welcome don't you think? I am off to have a few words with Mr Connolly.
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