Oooh! Look! A book tag!

I've been pierced..again. Amma hasn't noticed it yet. She is so not gonna like this one! It's big, obvious and marring the body that G-d gave me (unpierced and flawless...if you discount the longer-than-needed eyelashes and ginormous lips). As soon as the oozing and bleeding stop, I'll put up a pic up here..the pain? Well, after the novocaine shot, I havent't felt anything since. Then again, the long island iced teas at Olive that I liberally imbibed might also have a role to play in this!

Anyhoo, I've been tagged by my immensely talented, well-read friend Roswitha and what do you know! It's a book tag. Woot! Here ya go then:

1. One book that changed your life?

If I were running for the Republican nomination for Prez in 2008, I'd say the Bible. But I'm not, so dare I say "Hollywood Wives" by Jackie Collins? The first book I read that had sex in liberal doses all over..Ross and Elaine Conti, the gay butler who shags the champagne stealing waiter, the movie director who has a heart attack on top of his over-endowed girlfriend and is still "connected" to her on the trip to the E.R. Whew! For a 12 year old Indian boy, this sure did change my life. In "more" ways than I care to think about...

2. One book you have read more than once?

"Russka" by Edward Rutherfurd. A book that builds on my love for Slavic history (Just a notch below my love for Slavic men). Russka is the tale of 3 Russian families from the town of Russka from Avar times through Mongol invasions, Ivan Grozny and the Romanovs ending with the fall of Communism. I just love how the story meanders and the culture, history and lifestyle of Russia is brought out so well in this book. I read this book about once every couple of months.

3. One book you would want on a desert island?

Not a book as much as a series of books. I'd pick the "Masters of Rome" series by Colleen McCullough. Beginning with The First Man in Rome and ending with the October Horse. Combining my intense passion for history with my just as intense passion for politics and law making, this series has it all! I can just close my eyes and imagine the pageant that was late Republican Rome...smell the garum, watch the mimes, cower before Sulla, hail Caesar Triumphator, gossip about the Caecilli Metteli, boo Vercingetorix...I can read these books forever and not get bored.

4. One book that made you cry?

"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. The bit where Jane's pining away waiting for Bingley to come by and gets her hopes cruelly crushed by the evil Bingley sisters. There's this incredible sadness about the whole crushing of hopes thing that's going on here, the whole "We are too good for the likes of you" bit that I find so incredibly sad. (Dare I say it - I've felt that very same emotion here in class-obsessed Bombay as well)

Also (and many of you will hate me for this) I cried when Sirius Black was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange (I LOVE her) in the "Harry Potter" series. It's just the fact that Harry was so close to actually being happy with family, and that chance is snatched away before his eyes. Tragic.

5. One book that made you laugh?

Anything "Jeeves and Wooster" by P.G. Wodehouse. Especialy now that I have Stephen "Jeeves" Fry and Hugh "Bertie" Laurie to visualize as I read them. The escape from Honoria Glossop, the drama of Madeleine Bassett, the terror of the gaggle of aunts (Agatha, Dahlia, Constance), the newt collection of Gussie Fink-Nottle...It's a laugh a minute!

"If not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled."

6. One book you wish had been written?

Ooh tough one. Probably a book about the Konkani community sorta liek the awesome tomes about the Parsis and the Indian Jews that I just read. For a community that (depending on religious definitions) is between 2 and 8 million people, we have almost no literature about us. Well, how long can we claim the effects of the Portuguese Inquisition and subsequent loss of script and literature as excuses?

7. One book you wish had never been written?

Anything by Ayn Rand. I am SO NOT a fan of the extremely dreary, tedious and hopelessly preachy stuff she writes. Followed VERY closely by the crappy Deepak Chopra pop-philosophy that every two-bit actor and actress in Bombay "claims" to have inspired them.

8. One book you are currently reading?

"The House of Rotshchild - Money's Prophets 1798-1848 Vol.1" by Niall Fergusson. Much as the author pisses me off with his unabashed love for British and currenlty American imperialism, this book is a fascinating read about the most powerful banking family in the world and just how much they influenced European (and global) politics and contributed to the economic powerhouse that Western Europe is today all thanks to family connections and brains.

9. One book you have been meaning to read?

I've been reading David Plotz' amazing take on "Blogging the Bible" on slate.com (He's on Deutoronomy now). It's amazingly well written...which means I'm about ready to start delving into the Old Testament myself now...and this time NOT the abridged version. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy..here I come! (Maybe this will give me brownie points when I go down to Israel in search of my hottie sabra)

10. Tag five people.

Okay! Hob Gadling, Ameet, Mitli Mizz, Craiggers and Thej.