My Favorite Books

I had lost touch with my 'reading a book' gene for almost an year now and i decided to pick the first book i find and complete it. I did catch John Grisham's 'The Broker' and I am in the final 50 pages. While reading this book, something got me to think, if i have to rate the books i have read so far what would that list looks like?

The list below are all my top picks amongst the books i have read so far in no specific order

1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
If someone could write a fantasy novel with such depth and character, it can only be the master JRR Tolkien himself. An entire planet filled with Wizards, Elves, Men, Hobbits, Dwarves, Ringwraiths and ofcourse Gollum. The basic premise is very simple, but the story around is so intriguing and well spun, the reader is almost transported to the middle earth to witness the great epic. I picked this book after watching the first movie and till date, if there is one movie which has done justice to the source, it should be Peter Jackson's LOTR. One of the best books i have read so far.
Trivia: There have been rock bands who have paid tribute to this and notable amongst them are Led Zeppelin's 'Battle of Evermore' and Sabbath's 'The wizard'.

2. Valley of Fear (Sherlock Holmes)
I am a big fan of Doyle's stories and some how Valley of fear has always been a stand out. I think it is the nature of the story's second half and a totally unexpected climax that I actually liked the most. For a change, it was not a regular Sherlock solving everything with a logical conclusion but a story with a different protagonist. Also, this is the portion in the story sequence where the great Prof.Moriarty gets introduced. I will always be thankful to the friend who first introduced me to Sherlock Holmes series. Since then, no detective novel i have read captures the logical aspects of a crime like Doyle's novels does. I am still searching for one that can be half good as the Sherlock series.

3. Day of the Jackal
Frederick Forsyth has come up with lot of thrillers, but to me this one is the best. The attention to detail with each and every aspect in the plot makes it a reader's delight. I think i completed this novel within 3-4 days and it is one of those rare novels which will always occupy your mind full time till you complete it. I was so impressed with 'The Jackal', i sympathized with him at the end when he couldnt complete his task. The author never once made the 'The Jackal' look vulnerable in the entire story. It was an amazing experience to read it the first time without knowing what would happen at the end. I think there were only 2 movie adaptations and in my opinion, none of them did justice to the novel.

4. State of Fear
No one can write science fiction better than the late Crichton. The use of science as a basis to come up with a plot line is simply amazing and this novel in particular places a convincing counter argument to the 'Global warming' phenomenon we are all so overdosed with. The story is just a template to show the other side of the coin and ofcourse there were reference materials in the appendix to substantiate his claims. I am not 'for' or 'against' this global warming, but i was amazed with what I read, a totally different take on this and that to through a story plot. The portions about yellow stone national park are excellent and really interesting to read.

5. Fountainhead
How can the list of best books end without a Ayn Rand novel? As a fiction this is the best i have read and I really love the characterization of each and every character in this book. Be it Peter Keating or Gail Wynand or Dominique Francon, each and every character has been given equal share of 'page space'. There is not one particular character the novel forces itself on, to move the story forward, but its like seeing the world in each's view. Toohey and Roark are the best characters ever but i have always loved Waynand for the way he is.

6. Empress at Blandings
No list is complete without a PG Wodehouse series in it. All the novels and movies about mistaken identities, calling themselves 'Original Comedy' are a sham. Wodehouse novels are the source for all the plot lines and story lines. If there is a school for the use of adjectives in english language, the reference materials should be Wodehouse novels. To have a pig as a protagonist and play with sequences built around it may be easy to say, but to have really built a plot using that premise is really a work of a genius. Though i didn read the entire Jeeves series which is more famous than the Blanding Castle series, i somehow like the Blandings castle for its variety in character and plot. The evergreen Lord Emsworth will always remain my favorite character and would love to see a similar character on the movie screen.

A common pattern in all the novels i have loved (barring Empress at Blandings) is the importance of Antagonist in those novels. In my opinion, a great story is where the Villain is intelligent and impressive in his scheme and plans. If you ask me, a story is as good as its villain!