Archie marries Veronica

There is news everywhere that Archie pops the question to Veronica (at Tate’s ??) instead of the goody gal Betty. There has been a huge outcry in the fan community about this. Are we all jumping the gun?

I would never like to see Archie comics end. Marrying Veronica will do precisely this …put an end to the delightful snobbery and romance here. So has the author a twist in store for us?

1.Like Veronica says no..being the haughty richie rich she can well afford to.
2.Like Archie pops the question and then in his characteristic manner does quite the opposite..of marrying Betty
3.Like Moose murdering Archie when he is made a pawn by Ronnie’s dad and converting the comic into a murder mystery, coz noone will suspect Moose of such cruelty
4.Like Veronica rejecting Archie and confessing that it was Reggie all along.

I can see Archie running behind Nancy Woods already. Please don’t call for Pack up as yet.

I tag myself

One major grouse I have in the blogging world is that nobody sends me meaningful tags. So the first time I came across one in someone else’s blog, I decided to do it for fun. Here I go.

1) What author do you own the most books by?
PG Wodehouse

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
None…if I happen to get 2 copies of the same book, I make sure I gift it away or exchange it in the book shop from where it was bought (of course, I try this option first before I gift it away)

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Yes..I was wondering why.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
He Man (Nothing to do with books though)

5) What book have you read the most times in your life?
St.Clare’s twins and Malory towers and Malgudi days and Shakespeare’s hamlet and comedy of errors and merchant of venice, and robinson crusoe and treasure island and many such more…

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
The faraway tree by Enid Blyton

7) What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?
The last song of dusk.

What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?
Almost Single by Advaita Kala

9) If you could force everyone to read one book, what would it be?
The diary of a young girl by Anne Frank

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for literature?
I don’t seem to like most of the books that have won any of these big Prizes..Booker et al..so no wishlist

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
Almost Single

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
The hungry tide by Amitava Ghosh

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Mills and Boons..and their heroes and villains..and waifs..and…

14) What is the most lowbrow book you’ve read as an adult?
IIM Ganjdundwara (or something like that)

15) What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy…it was painful, but I wanted to finish reading it, and I did.

16) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare…coz Milton is all about romance or pity, while Chaucer seems too happy all the time

17) Austen or Eliot?
AUSTEN

18) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
Tamil literature…the language has produced some of the memorable epics, and I have not read even one completely.

19) What is your favorite novel?
Kane and Abel

20) Play?
My Fair Lady

21) Short story?
Saki

22) Work of non-fiction?
Biographies (Or are they fiction, coz many of them are bestsellers and are about succesful people!!)

23) Who is your favorite writer?
RK Narayan

The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Divakaruni Banerjee

Quite some time since I came across such a splendid book. It is based on the same old Mahabharatha plot, but what makes it interesting is that it is through the eyes of Panchali. The ease with which the author moves from one plot to another in the epic, at the same time keeping the main character and the reader in synch is mind blowing. The ecstatic, curious, selfish, joyful, thoughtful, devil may care, devoted, philandering Draupadi is all brought out adeptly through various incidents. As much as the story narrated takes a negative tone against the protagonist, I could not help sympathize with her, and appreciate what she did when she did it. The end was so fitting, that I do not know whether all this generous praise should go to Vyasa who originally wrote the epic or this new age author who has effortlessly brought it out. The book is unputdownable until you have reached the last page, and cross checked the facts stated in the book on wikepedia or the elders in the house. Chitra has come out winners yet again. (i.e. after the mistress of spices)