Two books

I am eagerly looking forward to two debut novels by people I know -- one who I know fairly well and the other whose blog I have merely followed off-and-on and happened to meet socially during my recent trip to India.

First up, coming this April is Amit Varma's debut book, My Friend, Sancho (Hachette). The book had made the Man Asian Booker longlist ain 2008 and based on the excerpt here, the novel, which is supposed to be a love-story, looks eminently readable. Although Sancho herself does not make her appearance in the excerpt, the suspense created in this short excerpt leaves you eager to find out more about the characters of the book! That's rule # 1 of what a well-written book is supposed to do -- make the reader want to keep turning the pages. In addition to Sancho, more fun is promised in the novel in the form of a talking lizard and a policeman who talks in bullet points. I can't wait for the book to be published!

And in May, Chandrahas Choudhury's debut novel, Arzee the Dwarf (Harper Collins) hits book-stores. Read an excerpt here and be wow-ed. Like I wrote in a comment at that post, if the rest of the book is as good and well-written as the excerpt of Arzee at the wall, I'm going to love it! Chandrahas has made that non-descripit alley come alive... "squelchy slop", "his footprints following him all the way in", "spat into the water, as if expelling the thought" ...and much more to delight. And then there is the whole surreal-ish narrative of Arzee getting on the wall and looking at his reflection in the muck and his  accompanied nostalgic thoughts. Pure poetry!

Here's wishing success to Amit & Chandrahas. Go break a leg, guys!

Hopes vs. Reality

A New York Times interactive graphic summarizes the effect a President has in "taming the business environment" by tracking 7 economic indicators through various presidencies since 1950.

Today, Americans save less and earn a lower minimum wage — in real, or inflation-adjusted, terms — than at nearly any other time since 1950.

Can voters reasonably expect these and other indicators to change significantly after a new president takes office in January? 

Bad news is that the related article says that "many economists contend that presidents have little power over general economic performance during their terms of office, even though some things, like the minimum wage, are set by the government."

Sigh! Get ready for a depressing next few years....

Life is full of surprises

Jessica Hagy is a genius! These two index card cartoons from the last couple days are perfect. I connected with both instantly!

And that’s not always so bad.

Posted by Jessica on February 3rd

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Fate = Decisions.

Posted by Jessica on February 2nd

Brevity the soul of wit?

Good magazine explores the Facebook’s Status Update as a 21st-century literary form 

OTOH, another article in the same zine wonders if text messaging is destroying our language.

Nowhere man & Elsewhere man

An interesting essay from Pico Iyer, the travel writer, from 1997 called the The Nowhere Man

The transcontinental tribe of wanderers is growing, global souls for whom home is everywhere and nowhere. Pico Iyer, one of the privileged homeless, considers the new kind of person being created by a new kind of life.

and Forbes this month talks about The Elsewhere Man

Millions of Americans have technological dependencies but no time to give them a second thought. Conley, a sociologist and acting dean for social sciences at New York University, spends much of his time thinking about the significance of this sort of thing, often serving as his own lab specimen. The BlackBerry is a symbol of always being beckoned somewhere else. In comes an e-mail from a colleague, a client, an old flame, each asking for a little piece of our attention, which, if granted, only begets more demands on our time. We're pulled by work when we're at home and by home when we're at work, torn by the multiple things we could be getting done.

In his new book, Elsewhere, USA, Conley calls the class of professionals who live this way "intraviduals" ...."a new breed of modern American who struggles to manage multiple data streams and competing impulses and even selves." We are fracturing and multitasking ourselves into--well, that's not clear, but Conley does offer glimpses of the world ahead.

All the above links via Mohit's blog.

A year...

Its 4.30PM EST (Feb 2)....3.00AM IST (Feb 3).

A year ago this time.... he left us forever. Today, as then, I struggle to understand the loss.

RIP, Dad. Miss you...

Obama Nation - 1

I missed the Obama inauguration last week as I was away... so, a few links related to the inauguration that I found today.

(Picture from an album of pictures of "Obama’s kaleidoscopic army of policy aces, whiz kids, and veteran advisers" by famed photographer, Annie Leibovitz on vanityfair.com. Also, this photo-album in the NY Times, with awkward looking poses for the portraits in some cases, of "Obama's people".)

The Inauguration. At Last.