“Lost Victories” by Erich von Manstein

I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because I want to become a complete writer.

If you are a Second World War buff, like me, I am sure you would have read many biographies and autobiographies from the Generals, Admirals, and Air Chief Marshals who led the Allied troops to victory over the Axis forces.

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“Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers.”

As a writer there are times when you feel down, when you think you have run out of ideas and when you think things have become really tough since no one seems to be interested in your writing.  At times like this, what you could do with is some encouragement, some words of wisdom ( even if seemingly simple) , and the assurance that this is not happening only to you but to countless others in the world. It might change your perspective too when you realize that there are many facing far tougher situations than you are, or ever will. Continue reading ““Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers.””

“Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers”

Has something come up when you least expected it and done you a lot of good? This happened to me recently.

I got an opportunity to review, “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers”: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Amy Newmark & Susan M. Heim;  Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, 2013;  405 pp; $ 14.95. Continue reading ““Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers””

Authors I Admired: William L. Shirer

I am not sure which was the first book about the Second World War that I read as a kid. I rather suspect it was “Reach For The Sky” by Paul Brickhill, that enthralling story of Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader, the legless RAF fighter ace. This led me to read more and more books based on the Second World War and due to my interest in military history, I became a confirmed fan of stories about the War. I must add that I was reading them in India some 20 odd years after the war had ended with the total surrender of first Nazi Germany, and later of the Imperial Japan of those times. Continue reading “Authors I Admired: William L. Shirer”

Authors I Admired: Ian Fleming

Looking back over the years, I guess I did most of my reading in the period from 1964 to 1972.  This means I was between the ages of 13 and 21. Although his debut novel “Casino Royale” had been published way back in 1953, Ian Fleming reached his greatest heights of popularity around the time I speak of, although he passed away in 1964. Continue reading “Authors I Admired: Ian Fleming”

Too Old To Write?

More often than not, my blog posts are not planned but come about through some trigger,  usually from something I saw or read. Today’s is no exception. The inspiration comes from this interesting article in the New York Times by Edward Kelsey Moore, ” At 52, Not Too Old for  a Debut Novel.” Continue reading “Too Old To Write?”

Authors I Admired: Cornelius Ryan

A couple of weeks ago, when I read the date on my newspaper I remembered that on June 6, 1944, the first of the Allied troops had landed on the beachhead at Normandy. This was a date no Second World War buff, like me, could ever forget.

Only today, I came across these awesome hitherto unpublished pictures taken by “Life” photographer, Frank Scherschel in an article in The Daily Mail.  Memories are funny things. One thing leads to another and my mind was soon flooded by memories of that classic movie, “The Longest Day”. Continue reading “Authors I Admired: Cornelius Ryan”

“Sivakamiyin Sabadham”: Translated into English for you.

When the door bell rang one evening and outside stood a courier chappie with a packet in hand, I wondered which book this could be. It came as a pleasant surprise to find the packet contained Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Tamil novel, “Sivakamiyin Sabadham,” translated into English in four volumes by Nandini Vijayaraghavan. Continue reading ““Sivakamiyin Sabadham”: Translated into English for you.”

“Idlis To Ipads” by Nirmala Ramaswamy

I had the chance to read this delightful book called, “Idlis to Ipads” recently. The author, Nirmala Ramaswamy very aptly sums up what the book is about when she gave it the by line, ” Tales of a lifetime.” The book is published by Nirmala Publications and the copy I have is priced at Rs. 120 making it a total value for money proposition. In fact, I would urge you to  order copies directly from her by writing to : nirmala200a@gmail.com

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