en-US Sat, 29 Mar 2025 23:11:15 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 1842
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a national bestseller: the global account of the rise of civilization that is also a stunning refutation of ideas of human development based on race.

In this "artful, informative, and delightful" (William H. McNeill, New York Review of Books) book, Jared Diamond convincingly argues that geographical and environmental factors shaped the modern world. Societies that had a head start in food production advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage, and then developed writing, technology, government, and organized religion—as well as nasty germs and potent weapons of war—and adventured on sea and land to conquer and decimate preliterate cultures. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world came to be and stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, the Rhone-Poulenc Prize, and the Commonwealth Club of California's Gold Medal]]> 498 Jared Diamond 0739467352 Debashish 0 currently-reading 4.04 1997
author: Jared Diamond
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 15720278
��-কাহিনী�� নায়�� বব�� রায়�� এক বিস্ময়ক�� প্রতিভা। কলকাতা�� এক মালটিন্যাশনা�� কোম্পানি�� জাঁদরে�� বস�� ইলেকট্রনিক্সের জাদুকর, ক্যারাটে-কু্ংফুতে সুদক্ষ, সুরসিক, আত্মভোলা, বেঁটেখাট��, বিরলকে�� এই মানুষটির নামে�� আড়ালে লুকিয়�� আছ�� এক সংগোপন কোড। বব�� রায়ের�� প্রাইভেট সেক্রেটারি লীনা��

লীনা�� সাথে বসের অদ্ভুত সম্পর্ক। বস তাকে ব্যক্তিগ�� ব্যবহারে�� জন্য এম�� একটি গাড়�� দে��, যে-গাড়�� বু�� কাঁপিয়ে কথ�� বল�� ওঠে।

এই গাড়ির রহস্��, বব�� রায়ের আচমক�� অন্তর্ধা��; নী�� মঞ্জিল নামে�� এক দুর্ভেদ্�� দুর্��, ওত-পেতে-থাকা ষড়যন্ত্রকারীদে�� মর��-ফাঁদ, লীনা �� বব�� রায়ের বিচিত্�� সম্পর্কে�� টানাপোড়েন-এই সব নিয়েই অপ্রতিরোধ্�� কৌতুহলকর এক আধুনিকতম উপন্যা�� ‘বিকেলের মৃত্যু’।]]> 151 Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay 8170664411 Debashish 3 3.41
author: Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.41
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves:
review:

]]> 195790716
Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption II , set in 1911 and 1899, are the most-played American history video games since The Oregon Trail . Beloved by millions, they’ve been widely acclaimed for their realism and attention to detail. But how do they fare as recreations of history?

In this engaging book, award-winning American history professor Tore Olsson takes up that question and more. Weaving the games�� plot and characters into an exploration of American violence between 1870 and 1920, Olsson shows that it was more often disputes over capitalism and race, not just poker games and bank robberies, that fueled the bloodshed of these turbulent years. As such, this era has much to teach us today. From the West to the Deep South to Appalachia, Olsson reveals the gritty and brutal world that inspired the games, but sometimes lacks context and complexity on the digital screen. Colorful, fast-paced, and dramatic, Red Dead’s History sheds light on dark corners of the American past for gamers and history buffs alike.]]> 288 Tore C. Olsson 1250287707 Debashish 5
I recently played Red Dead Redemption 2—a game that left me in absolute awe (yes, I’m that guy who plays one game and can’t shut up about it), as it did for so many others—I became curious about the real history behind its setting. That curiosity led me to this book, and I can now say it was a fantastic choice.

Set in 1899, RDR2 captures a crucial moment in American history—a time of change, conflict, and expansion. This book not only examines how historically accurate the game is but goes far beyond that. No, he doesn’t give away free applauds to the game for being 100% accurate (it’s not). The author vividly explores various aspects of life in that era, weaving together historical insights with an accessible, engaging narrative. Reading it felt like a journey—starting in the West and ending in the Appalachian Mountains, the Southeastern part of the US, just like the game itself. With each page revealing something new and fascinating about America’s complex history, the author did a brilliant job to make history accessible and engaging, without making it overwhelming or dry.

The author covers a lot of ground in this book, touching on many things from the everyday lives of people in the turn of the century, to the big historical topics (Slavery, Reconstruction, Suffrage, Jim Crow, etc.) that shaped the country. He talks about how industrialization was changing things, the complicated relationships between Native Americans and settlers, and how the American West was evolving. Reading the book made me realize once again, just how great the game is. There’s also a look at social issues, like class divides and the struggles of the working poor, giving readers a fuller picture of what life was like back then. Through all these different topics, the author creates a rich view of the era and how it influenced America’s growth. I want to give him credit for one more thing: he debunks a lot of myths that plague pop culture. With well supported references, he gives informative accounts of a lot of important historical events.

I believe great books open windows, and this one certainly did. Now, I find myself drawn toward learning about the U.S. Civil War—not immediately, perhaps, but soon.]]> 4.29 2024
author: Tore C. Olsson
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/26
shelves:
review:
“School taught me to hate history—now I love it.�� I once read this somewhere, and it resonated deeply with me. In schools, we’re often forced to memorize the dates, places, etc. of key events, which takes the fun out of reading stories. Now that I don’t have the obligation to memorize, reading history is much more fun.

I recently played Red Dead Redemption 2—a game that left me in absolute awe (yes, I’m that guy who plays one game and can’t shut up about it), as it did for so many others—I became curious about the real history behind its setting. That curiosity led me to this book, and I can now say it was a fantastic choice.

Set in 1899, RDR2 captures a crucial moment in American history—a time of change, conflict, and expansion. This book not only examines how historically accurate the game is but goes far beyond that. No, he doesn’t give away free applauds to the game for being 100% accurate (it’s not). The author vividly explores various aspects of life in that era, weaving together historical insights with an accessible, engaging narrative. Reading it felt like a journey—starting in the West and ending in the Appalachian Mountains, the Southeastern part of the US, just like the game itself. With each page revealing something new and fascinating about America’s complex history, the author did a brilliant job to make history accessible and engaging, without making it overwhelming or dry.

The author covers a lot of ground in this book, touching on many things from the everyday lives of people in the turn of the century, to the big historical topics (Slavery, Reconstruction, Suffrage, Jim Crow, etc.) that shaped the country. He talks about how industrialization was changing things, the complicated relationships between Native Americans and settlers, and how the American West was evolving. Reading the book made me realize once again, just how great the game is. There’s also a look at social issues, like class divides and the struggles of the working poor, giving readers a fuller picture of what life was like back then. Through all these different topics, the author creates a rich view of the era and how it influenced America’s growth. I want to give him credit for one more thing: he debunks a lot of myths that plague pop culture. With well supported references, he gives informative accounts of a lot of important historical events.

I believe great books open windows, and this one certainly did. Now, I find myself drawn toward learning about the U.S. Civil War—not immediately, perhaps, but soon.
]]> 17231 288 Jeff Lindsay Debashish 3
Quite good, the show was better though. The show actually made some big changes from the book that I wasn't aware about before. The writing in the book could be a lot better and I'm glad the show didn't follow the first person point of view like the book.]]> 3.91 2004
author: Jeff Lindsay
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/01/31
shelves:
review:
3.5/5.

Quite good, the show was better though. The show actually made some big changes from the book that I wasn't aware about before. The writing in the book could be a lot better and I'm glad the show didn't follow the first person point of view like the book.
]]> 6088007 Neuromancer is a cyberpunk, science fiction masterpiece—a classic that ranks with 1984 and Brave New World as one of the twentieth century’s most potent visions of the future.

The Matrix is a world within the world, a global consensus-hallucination, the representation of every byte of data in cyberspace...

Henry Dorsett Case was the sharpest data-thief in the business, until vengeful former employees crippled his nervous system. But now a new and very mysterious employer recruits him for a last-chance run. The target: an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence orbiting Earth in service of the sinister Tessier-Ashpool business clan. With a dead man riding shotgun and Molly, mirror-eyed street-samurai, to watch his back, Case embarks on an adventure that ups the ante on an entire genre of fiction.

The winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, Neuromancer was the first fully-realized glimpse of humankind’s digital future—a shocking vision that has challenged our assumptions about our technology and ourselves, reinvented the way we speak and think, and forever altered the landscape of our imaginations.]]> 288 William Gibson Debashish 3 3.94 1984
author: William Gibson
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1984
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> 2547 The Prophet, is one of the most beloved classics of our time. Published in 1923, it has been translated into more than twenty languages, and the American editions alone have sold more than nine million copies.

The Prophet is a collection of poetic essays that are philosophical, spiritual, and, above all, inspirational. Gibran’s musings are divided into twenty-eight chapters covering such sprawling topics as love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, housing, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death.]]> 127 Kahlil Gibran 000100039X Debashish 4 4.27 1923
author: Kahlil Gibran
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1923
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves:
review:

]]> 199531891 Listening Length = 20 hours and 46 minutes

With a foreword by Charles Barkley, The Basketball 100 is a celebration of basketball by way of the 100 greatest players to ever grace the court in the history of the NBA.

Over the course of 100 luminous player profiles, the best sports newsroom on the planet paints vivid portraits of the game’s most compelling characters. There’s George Mikan, who was cut from his high school team because he wore glasses, then went on to become the fledgling NBA’s first transcendent star. Gary Payton, called “The Glove�� for his skintight defense, who talked as much trash to his teammates as he did to his opponents on the court. Dennis Rodman, who started playing basketball at age 20, and in a few short years went from working as a janitor at the airport to being one of the strangest superstars that sport has ever known. Allen Iverson, who drew inspiration from hip hop for his inimitable style and swagger, on and off the court. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was so dominant in the paint that they changed the rules—and Steph Curry, who was so dominant outside it that he seemed to expand the very boundaries of the court.

The Basketball 100, edited by award-winning reporters David Aldridge and John Hollinger, also answers the game’s toughest, most important questions: How should we weight championship rings, versus statistical profiles, versus the “eye test��? Were the great players of yesteryear, like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, propelled by the inferior athleticism of their competition or would they have been transcendent in any era? And of course, who’s the GOAT—MJ or LeBron? Speaking of GOATs, for the book, Hollinger (inventor of the statistical metric PER) has created a new benchmark, GOAT Points.

Wonderfully written, authoritative, and full of joy, The Basketball 100 is a fitting tribute to the greatest sport in the world.

PLEASE NOTE: With the purchase of this title, an accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.]]> 752 David Aldridge 0063329123 Debashish 0 to-read 4.28
author: David Aldridge
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 30289 416 Plato 0140449140 Debashish 0 to-read 3.97 -400
author: Plato
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.97
book published: -400
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1772910 82 Fyodor Dostoevsky Debashish 3 Saawariya, but in Russia. 4.16 1848
author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1848
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/11
date added: 2024/11/12
shelves:
review:
Saawariya, but in Russia.
]]> 13151167 ��
The laws of financial boom and bust, it turns out, have a lot to do with male hormones. In a series of startling experiments, Canadian scientist Dr. John Coates identified a feedback loop between testosterone and success that dramatically lowers the fear of risk in men, especially young men; he has vividly dubbed the moment when traders transform into exuberant high flyers "the hour between dog and wolf." Similarly, intense failure leads to a rise in levels of cortisol, which dramatically lowers the appetite for risk. His book expands on his seminal research to offer lessons from the exploding new field studying the biology of risk.
��
Coates's conclusions shed light on all types of high-pressure decision-making, from the sports field to the battlefield, and leaves us with a powerful to handle risk isn't a matter of mind over body, it's a matter of mind and body working together. We all have it in us to be transformed from dog to wolf; the only question is whether we can understand the causes and the consequences.]]> 320 John Coates 0307359670 Debashish 0 to-read 3.88 2012
author: John Coates
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 1071766 0 Sloan Wilson 5557019367 Debashish 0 to-read 3.73 1958
author: Sloan Wilson
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 768889
The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and blood feud. In the northern wastes, a horde of hungry, savage people steeped in the dark magic of the wilderness is poised to invade the Kingdom of the North where Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown. And Robb's defences are ranged against the South, the land of the cunning and cruel Lannisters, who have his young sisters in their power.

Throughout Westeros, the war for the Iron Throne rages more fiercely than ever, but if the wall is breached, no king will live to claim it.]]> 663 George R.R. Martin 0006479901 Debashish 4 4.47 2000
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/26
date added: 2024/10/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 42261223 The standout memoir from NBA powerhouse Andre Iguodala, the indomitable sixth man of the champion Golden State Warriors.

Andre Iguodala is one of the most admired players in the NBA. And fresh off the Warriors' third NBA championship in the last four years, his game has never been stronger.

Off the court, Iguodala has earned respect, too--for his successful tech investments, his philanthropy, and increasingly for his contributions to the conversation about race in America. It is no surprise, then, that in his first book, Andre--with his cowriter Carvell Wallace--has pushed himself to go further than he ever has before about his life, not only as an athlete but about what makes him who he is at his core.

The Sixth Man traces Andre's journey from childhood in his Illinois hometown to his Bay Area home court today. Basketball has always been there. But this is the story, too, of his experience of the conflict and racial tension always at hand in a professional league made up largely of African American men; of whether and why the athlete owes the total sacrifice of his body; of the relationship between competition and brotherhood among the players of one of history's most glorious championship teams. And of what motivates an athlete to keep striving for more once they've already achieved the highest level of play they could have dreamed.

On drive, on leadership, on pain, on accomplishment, on the shame of being given a role, and the glory of taking a role on: This is a powerful memoir of life and basketball that reveals new depths to the superstar athlete, and offers tremendous insight into most urgent stories being told in American society today.]]> 256 Andre Iguodala 0525533982 Debashish 4
In this book, Andre talks about his highs and lows, the phenomenal career he had. He talks about hooping and playing Basketball. Hooping is something you do for yourself. You have nobody to prove yourself to, nobody is expecting anything from you. But when you play basketball, you are playing for other people and many factors come into play and you have to maintain a lifestyle based on that.

Andre gives us a look at the inside of the NBA. As fans, we barely have any idea about what goes on in the locker rooms, let alone the mindset of the players. It’s only when a player opens up that we get to know about some of that stuff. Andre talks about many facets of the League, the selection process, practice, off seasons, race, how the games are called, etc. Race issue is an inherent part of the USA and the NBA is not out of its grasp.

He talks about the business side of the League. It’s a multibillion-dollar industry and a lot of the things can either break or make a franchise. Coaches don’t always say the right things on your evaluation, refs are humans too and they also bring their bias into calling a game, your own fans boo you if you can’t live up to their expectations. Recently Draymond Green said that, Andre and Shaun told him and the others once that they’re lucky that they only played for the Warriors, they were saved from seeing the bad side of the NBA, and Green said he was glad he didn’t see it.

People love a good underdog story but if that underdog becomes too good, they hate it. People love to build you up and then take you down. Andre has been a part of the 2017 Warriors, which is arguably the best team ever assembled in the NBA. When you play for a team like that, you’re expected to win every game automatically. But that’s not possible and every win comes with a lot of efforts and sacrifice. Also, even though they’re superstars who enjoy a lifestyle which 99% of the other people cannot even imagine, they’re also humans and not just commodity.

This book has many great lines but I’ll talk about one here. At one point of the book, Andre asks, how much money would you take to give up a knee or a hip? In order to play at that high level, Andre has screwed up his hip and knee so badly that he will probably need to replace them. What he is getting at is, yeah, NBA players get massive contracts, but the level of work that goes behind it, the many sacrifices, the constant scrutiny, that at one point it becomes a question: after all, that is it worth it?]]> 4.04 2019
author: Andre Iguodala
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/28
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:
I always take memoirs with a grain of salt and I tell my friends to do the same. But even so, I loved this book and enjoyed it thoroughly. I only started watching Basketball from the 2016-17 season and since then it has become my favorite sport right, to the point that I’m obsessed with it. So, this off season when I couldn’t watch any NBA games, I picked up this book. I had been wanting to read about Andre’s memoir since it came out because he’s one of my favorite players in the Warriors dynasty.

In this book, Andre talks about his highs and lows, the phenomenal career he had. He talks about hooping and playing Basketball. Hooping is something you do for yourself. You have nobody to prove yourself to, nobody is expecting anything from you. But when you play basketball, you are playing for other people and many factors come into play and you have to maintain a lifestyle based on that.

Andre gives us a look at the inside of the NBA. As fans, we barely have any idea about what goes on in the locker rooms, let alone the mindset of the players. It’s only when a player opens up that we get to know about some of that stuff. Andre talks about many facets of the League, the selection process, practice, off seasons, race, how the games are called, etc. Race issue is an inherent part of the USA and the NBA is not out of its grasp.

He talks about the business side of the League. It’s a multibillion-dollar industry and a lot of the things can either break or make a franchise. Coaches don’t always say the right things on your evaluation, refs are humans too and they also bring their bias into calling a game, your own fans boo you if you can’t live up to their expectations. Recently Draymond Green said that, Andre and Shaun told him and the others once that they’re lucky that they only played for the Warriors, they were saved from seeing the bad side of the NBA, and Green said he was glad he didn’t see it.

People love a good underdog story but if that underdog becomes too good, they hate it. People love to build you up and then take you down. Andre has been a part of the 2017 Warriors, which is arguably the best team ever assembled in the NBA. When you play for a team like that, you’re expected to win every game automatically. But that’s not possible and every win comes with a lot of efforts and sacrifice. Also, even though they’re superstars who enjoy a lifestyle which 99% of the other people cannot even imagine, they’re also humans and not just commodity.

This book has many great lines but I’ll talk about one here. At one point of the book, Andre asks, how much money would you take to give up a knee or a hip? In order to play at that high level, Andre has screwed up his hip and knee so badly that he will probably need to replace them. What he is getting at is, yeah, NBA players get massive contracts, but the level of work that goes behind it, the many sacrifices, the constant scrutiny, that at one point it becomes a question: after all, that is it worth it?
]]> 17669708 হোটে�� গ্রেভা�� ইন-এর প্রথ�� সংস্করণে কো�� ভূমিকা ছি�� না�� ভেবেছিলা��, ভূমিকা�� প্রয়োজন নে��-পাঠক বুঝত�� পারবেন যে হোটে�� গ্রেভা�� ইন-এর গল্পগুলি আসলে বানানো গল্প নয��-স্মৃতিকথা। আমার মন�� হয�� সবাই তা বুঝত�� পেরেছে��, তব�� কে�� জানি অসংখ্যবা�� আমাক�� বলতে হয়েছে-না, এগুল�� বানানো গল্প নয়। এবার ভূমিকাতে�� লিখে দিলাম। আমার তু্চ্ছ স্মৃতিকথ�� যে পাঠকদে�� এত ভা�� লাগব�� তা আগ�� বুঝত�� পারি নি�� আমার ভাঙা ঘর�� চাঁদের আল��-�� আল�� আম�� কোথায় রাখব?

হুমায়ূন আহমে��
��-��-৯০
শহীদুল্লা�� হল

সূচীপত্র
* হোটে�� গ্রেভা�� ইন ��
* ডানবার হলের জীবন ২১
* বাংলাদেশ নাইট ২৬
* কিসি�� বু�� ৩১
* প্রথ�� তুষারপাত ৩৫
* জননী ৩৮
* এই পরবাসে ৪৪
* ম্যারাথন কি�� ৫৩
* লা�� ভেগা�� ৫৬
* শীলা�� জম্ম ৬২
* পাখি ৬৬
* ক্যাস্পে ৭০
* নামে কিবা আস�� যায় ৭৬]]> 80 Humayun Ahmed 9844370094 Debashish 4 4.12 1989
author: Humayun Ahmed
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/13
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves:
review:

]]> 17371146 ওমেগ�� পয়েন্�� নিয়�� গুছিয়�� একটা গল্প দাঁড়া করাবার ইচ্ছ�� আমার অনেক দিনের। বিষয়ট�� শুধু জটিল বললে ভু�� বল�� হব��-বেড়াছেড়া লেগে যাবা�� মত জটিল�� শে�� পর্যন্�� জটিল চিন্তাগুলি লিখে ফেলত�� পেরেছি এটাই বড�� কথা। গল্প বলার সময় বিজ্ঞানে�� কাছাকাছি থাকা�� চেষ্টা করেছি। পাঠকদে�� কাছে অনেক তথ্যেই উদ্ভ�� লাগত�� পারে�� তাঁর�� ভুরু কুঁচকে ফেলতেও পারেন। ভুরু কুঁচকানো পাঠকদে�� সবিনয়�� জানাচ্ছি বিজ্ঞানে উদ্ভ�� বল�� কিছু নেই। বিজ্ঞা�� রূপকথা�� জগতে�� চেয়েও অনেক রহস্যময়��
হুমায়ুন আহমেদ]]> 112 Humayun Ahmed 9844581869 Debashish 3 3.80 2003
author: Humayun Ahmed
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/12
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves:
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]]> 17259516
The book is written in an engaging style, and treats the coups/assassinations and their plotters in great detail. A section of black-and-white photographs depict the slain Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the slain General Ziaur Rahman, plotters behind various coups, politicians and some photocopies of documents and an official gazette related to the many coups this South Asian country has suffered.

In its jacket, the book promises that it has "revealed" issues like who killed Mujib (the first prime minister of Bangladesh), who was responsible for the jail killings in Bangladesh, and how General Zia was assassinated. Written in 13 chapters and an index, the book also contains a list of officers convicted by General Court Martial and hanged for the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman.

In a November 1985 preface to the book, Mascarenhas writes: "This is a true story; in many ways a text book of Third World disenchantment. On the 16th of December, 1971, the state of Bangladesh (population 70,000,000) was born at the end of a nine-month liberation struggle in which more than a million Bengalis of the erstwhile East Pakistan died at the hands of the Pakistan army. But one of the 20th century's great man-made disasters is also among the greatest of its human triumphs in terms of a people's will for self-determination."

Mascarenhas describes his own book thus: "This book is the unvarnished story of their (the early leaders of Bangladesh) times, essentially the sad history of the first 10 years of Bangladesh. It is based on my close personal knowledge of the main protagonists; on more than 120 separate interviews with the men and women involved in the dramatic events; and on official archives and documents which I had the privilege to inspect personally. The dialogue, whenever used, is a faithful reproduction of the words which my informants said they actually used during the events in which they were involved."

David Taylor, a South Asia expert, praises the book's "attention to detail and narrative" although he suggests that it is short on interpretation and treats certain episodes of lesser importance in "excessive length".

Mascarenhas is a veteran journalist, associated with Bangladesh from the start of its freedom struggle. In 1971, he left Pakistan to expose in The Sunday Times the atrocities committed by the Pakistan Army in the region now known as Bangladesh. He continued as a reporter for The Sunday Times for 14 years and subsequently as a freelancer. He was born in Goa, educated in Karachi and worked for many years as a journalist in India, Pakistan and the UK. He died in 1986 at the age of 58.[2]

This book was published in 1986 by Hodder and Stoughton, with a coverprice of UKP 4.95 net in the UK. There may be an earlier printing in 1985. It is devoted "to Yvonne and our children -- who have also paid the price". A Bengali language translation of the book was released in the late 1990s in Bangladesh, with the title Bangladesh: Rokter Rin (বাংলাদেশ�� রক্তের ঋণ)]]> 192 Anthony Mascarenhas 034039420X Debashish 4 4.17 1986
author: Anthony Mascarenhas
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/07
date added: 2024/09/07
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review:

]]> 25553782
এই সব অসমসাহসী �� মহান মানুষে�� জীবন বারবার প্রমাণ কর�� দিয়�� যায় মানুষে�� আবিষ্কারের কোনো সীমা নেই। হৃদয�� �� বর্হিজগত�� মানু�� চিরকালের অভিযাত্রী �� যে কোনো প্রকার�� মানুষে�� চিন্তা�� স্বাধীনতায�� বাধা দিয়�� সমগ্রভাব�� মনুষ্য সমাজের�� ক্ষত�� হত�� পারে�� অতীতে�� এই সব কাহিনী হয়ত�� আমাদের ভবিষ্যতে�� পথ চেনাতে সাহায্�� করতে পারে��

-সুনী�� গঙ্গোপাধ্যায��

সূচি
* সক্রেটিস
* যীশুখ্রীস্��
* নির্বাসন�� দান্তে
* জো�� অব আর্কের বিচা��
* ক্রিস্টোফা�� কলাম্বাস
* দুঃসাহসী ব্রুনো
* গ্যালিলি��
* ওয়াল্টা�� র‌্যালে�� বিচা�� �� মৃত্যু
* মৃত্যু থেকে ফিরে এস�� অম�� ডস্টয়েভস্কি
* বায়রন
* পল গগ্যাঁ
* অস্কার ওয়াইল্ডের অকালমৃত্যু]]> 127 Sunil Gangopadhyay Debashish 0 to-read 4.16
author: Sunil Gangopadhyay
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 18373911 96 Sunil Gangopadhyay Debashish 2 3.32 1971
author: Sunil Gangopadhyay
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.32
book published: 1971
rating: 2
read at: 2024/08/16
date added: 2024/08/16
shelves:
review:
প্রিয় লেখকের সবচেয়�� দুর্বল বইটা পড়লাম মন�� হয়। প্রতিট�� চ্যাপ্টারে প্রায় একইরকম ঘটনা�� লেখক তা�� প্রেমিকাকে নিয়�� কল্পনা করেন, কিন্তু সরাসরি মন খুলে বলতে পারে�� না�� আবার একটা মেয়েক�� নিয়�� দু�� বন্ধুর "তু�� নে, না না তু�� নে" টাইপ খেলা পড়ত�� খুবই বিরক্তিক�� লাগছিল; মেয়েটার যে�� কো�� মতাম�� নে�� �� ব্যাপারে! সংলাপগুলোও অনেক দুর্বল�� বই ছো�� হওয়ায�� বাঁচ�� গেলো!
]]> 8285324
Meet Holly Golightly �� a free spirited, lop-sided romantic girl about town. With her tousled blond hair and upturned nose, dark glasses and chic black dresses, Holly is a style sensation wherever she goes. Her apartment rocks to Martini-soaked parties and she plays hostess to millionaires and gangsters alike. Yet Holly never loses sight of her ultimate dream �� to find a real-life place like Tiffany's that makes her feel at home.

Full of sharp wit and exuberant, larger-than-life characters, which vividly capture the restless, madcap era of 1940s New York, Breakfast at Tiffany's will make you fall in love, perhaps for the first time, with a book.]]> 158 Truman Capote 0241951453 Debashish 3 3.59 1958
author: Truman Capote
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1958
rating: 3
read at: 2021/01/18
date added: 2024/08/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 12191726 194 Sunil Gangopadhyay Debashish 3 3.40 1993
author: Sunil Gangopadhyay
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.40
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/07
date added: 2024/08/09
shelves:
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]]> 13337715
Tyrion Lannister, having killed his father, and wrongfully accused of killing his nephew, King Joffrey, has escaped from King’s Landing with a price on his head.

To the north lies the great Wall of ice and stone �� a structure only as strong as those guarding it. Eddard Stark's bastard son Jon Snow has been elected 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. But Jon has enemies both inside and beyond the Wall.

And in the east Daenerys Targaryen struggles to hold a city built on dreams and dust.]]> 690 George R.R. Martin Debashish 3 4.33 2011
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2016/05/29
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 18051901 320 Syed Mustafa Siraj 9788129515 Debashish 3 4.53 1988
author: Syed Mustafa Siraj
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.53
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at: 2024/07/22
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 44421460 What would you change if you could go back in time?

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, moving story explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?]]> 213 Toshikazu Kawaguchi 1529029589 Debashish 2 3.66 2015
author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2024/07/26
date added: 2024/07/26
shelves:
review:
The stories were good but the writing was so bad!
]]> 22628 offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see
what it looks like from the dance floor.

This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being A WALLFLOWER

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that the perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.

(back cover)]]> 213 Stephen Chbosky Debashish 3 4.24 1999
author: Stephen Chbosky
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/14
date added: 2024/06/14
shelves:
review:

]]> 10416071 256 Narayan Sanyal Debashish 5 4.61 1974
author: Narayan Sanyal
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.61
book published: 1974
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/22
date added: 2024/06/08
shelves:
review:
মাখন একটা হিস্টোরিক্যা�� ফিকশ��! ফিকশ�� অবশ্�� অনেক কম�� পুরোপুরি উপভো�� করেছি।
]]> 546018 her grandparents, and their grandparents, down through the generations all the way to a man she called "the African." She said he had lived across the ocean near what he called the "Kamby Bolongo" and had been out in the forest one day chopping wood to make a drum when he was set upon by four men, beaten, chained and dragged aboard a slave ship bound for Colonial America.

Still vividly remembering the stories after he grew up and became a writer, Haley began to search for documentation that might authenticate the narrative. It took ten years and a half a million miles of travel across three continents to find it, but finally, in an astonishing feat of genealogical detective work, he discovered not only the name of "the African"—Kunta Kinte—but the precise location of Juffure, the very village in The Gambia, West Africa, from which he was abducted in 1767 at the age of sixteen and taken on the Lord Ligonier to Maryland and sold to a Virginia planter.

Haley has talked in Juffure with his own African sixth cousins. On September 29, 1967, he stood on the dock in Annapolis where his great-great-great-great-grandfather was taken ashore on September 29, 1767. Now he has written the monumental two-century drama of Kunta Kinte and the six generations who came after him—slaves and freedmen, farmers and blacksmiths, lumber mill workers and Pullman porters, lawyers and architects—and one author.

But Haley has done more than recapture the history of his own family. As the first black American writer to trace his origins back to their roots, he has told the story of 25,000,000 Americans of African descent. He has rediscovered for an entire people a rich cultural heritage that slavery took away from them, along with their names and their identities. But Roots speaks, finally, not just to blacks, or to whites, but to all people and all races everywhere, for the story it tells is one of the most eloquent testimonials ever written to the indomitability of the human spirit.]]> 729 Alex Haley 0440174643 Debashish 3 4.44 1976
author: Alex Haley
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1976
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/08
date added: 2024/06/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 51152447 The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.��

In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.

Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.]]> 544 Isabel Wilkerson 0593230256 Debashish 0 to-read 4.52 2020
author: Isabel Wilkerson
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 19065131 384 George Gamow 0486135179 Debashish 0 to-read 4.35 1947
author: George Gamow
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1947
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 54575114 157 Kallol Lahiri 8194600901 Debashish 2 4.18 2020
author: Kallol Lahiri
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2024/03/03
date added: 2024/03/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 22034
Almost fifty years ago, a classic was born. A searing portrayal of the Mafia underworld, The Godfather introduced readers to the first family of American crime fiction, the Corleones, and their powerful legacy of tradition, blood, and honor. The seduction of power, the pitfalls of greed, and the allegiance to family—these are the themes that have resonated with millions of readers around the world and made The Godfather the definitive novel of the violent subculture that, steeped in intrigue and controversy, remains indelibly etched in our collective consciousness.]]> 448 Mario Puzo Debashish 4 4.39 1969
author: Mario Puzo
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1969
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/28
date added: 2024/01/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 9302678 648 বিমল মিত্�� | Bimal Mitra 8172931476 Debashish 3 3.97
author: বিমল মিত্�� | Bimal Mitra
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2016/07/15
date added: 2023/09/27
shelves:
review:

]]> 16121756 166 Samaresh Basu 8177565915 Debashish 0 to-read 3.70 1965
author: Samaresh Basu
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1965
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 17456904 বিধি-নিষে��, এমনক�� জাতীয়তাবো��-এস�� কিছুকে�� কাজে লাগিয়�� শ্রমজীবী ক্ষুধার্�� মানুষে�� ক্রমাগ�� শোষন।]]> 110 Abu Ishaque Debashish 3 4.45 1955
author: Abu Ishaque
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.45
book published: 1955
rating: 3
read at: 2015/12/21
date added: 2023/07/31
shelves:
review:

]]> 33633841 Sukumar Ray Debashish 4 4.60
author: Sukumar Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/29
date added: 2023/07/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 11573 The Dead Zone.

Johnny Smith, the small-town schoolteacher who spun the wheel of fortune and won a four-and-a-half-year trip into The Dead Zone.

John Smith, who awakened from an interminable coma with an accursed power—the power to see the future and the terrible fate awaiting mankind in The Dead Zone.

~]]> 402 Stephen King 0451155750 Debashish 3 3.96 1979
author: Stephen King
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1979
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/29
date added: 2023/07/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 141860 The definitive collection of the best in science fiction stories between 1929 and 1964

This book contains twenty-six of the greatest science fiction stories ever written. They represent the considered verdict of the Science Fiction Writers of America, those who have shaped the genre and who know, more intimately than anyone else, what the criteria for excellence in the field should be. The authors chosen for the Science Fiction Hall Fame are the men and women who have shaped the body and heart of modern science fiction; their brilliantly imaginative creations continue to inspire and astound new generations of writers and fans.

Robert Heinlein in "The Roads Must Roll" describes an industrial civilization of the future caught up in the deadly flaws of its own complexity. "Country of the Kind," by Damon Knight, is a frightening portrayal of biological mutation. "Nightfall," by Isaac Asimov, one of the greatest stories in the science fiction field, is the story of a planet where the sun sets only once every millennium and is a chilling study in mass psychology.

Originally published in 1970 to honor those writers and their stories that had come before the institution of the Nebula Awards, The Science Fiction Hall Of Fame, Vol. 1, was the book that introduced tens of thousands of young readers to the wonders of science fiction. Too long unavailable, this new edition will treasured by all science fiction fans everywhere.

Contents:
· Introduction · Robert Silverberg · in
· A Martian Odyssey [Tweel] · Stanley G. Weinbaum · nv Wonder Stories Jul ��34
· Twilight [as by Don A. Stuart; Dying Earth] · John W. Campbell, Jr. · ss Astounding Nov ��34
· Helen O’Loy · Lester del Rey · ss Astounding Dec ��38
· The Roads Must Roll · Robert A. Heinlein · nv Astounding Jun ��40
· Microcosmic God · Theodore Sturgeon · nv Astounding Apr ��41
· Nightfall · Isaac Asimov · nv Astounding Sep ��41
· The Weapon Shop [Isher] · A. E. van Vogt · nv Astounding Dec ��42
· Mimsy Were the Borogoves · Lewis Padgett · nv Astounding Feb ��43
· Huddling Place [City (Websters)] · Clifford D. Simak · ss Astounding Jul ��44
· Arena · Fredric Brown · nv Astounding Jun ��44
· First Contact · Murray Leinster · nv Astounding May ��45
· That Only a Mother · Judith Merril · ss Astounding Jun ��48
· Scanners Live in Vain · Cordwainer Smith · nv Fantasy Book #6 ��50
· Mars Is Heaven! · Ray Bradbury · ss Planet Stories Fll ��48
· The Little Black Bag · C. M. Kornbluth · nv Astounding Jul ��50
· Born of Man and Woman · Richard Matheson · vi F&SF Sum ��50
· Coming Attraction · Fritz Leiber · ss Galaxy Nov ��50
· The Quest for Saint Aquin · Anthony Boucher · ss New Tales of Space and Time, ed. Raymond J. Healy, Holt, 1951; F&SF Jan ��59
· Surface Tension [Lavon] · James Blish · nv Galaxy Aug ��52
· The Nine Billion Names of God · Arthur C. Clarke · ss Star Science Fiction Stories #1, ed. Frederik Pohl, Ballantine, 1953
· It’s a Good Life · Jerome Bixby · ss Star Science Fiction Stories #2, ed. Frederik Pohl, Ballantine, 1953
· The Cold Equations · Tom Godwin · nv Astounding Aug ��54
· Fondly Fahrenheit · Alfred Bester · nv F&SF Aug ��54
· The Country of the Kind · Damon Knight · ss F&SF Feb ��56
· Flowers for Algernon · Daniel Keyes · nv F&SF Apr ��59
· A Rose for Ecclesiastes · Roger Zelazny · nv F&SF Nov ��63]]> 560 Robert Silverberg 0765305372 Debashish 0 to-read 4.31 1970
author: Robert Silverberg
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1970
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 18282523 128 Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay Debashish 2 4.12 1987
author: Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1987
rating: 2
read at: 2023/03/30
date added: 2023/03/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 17792806 108 Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay Debashish 4 3.82 1986
author: Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/26
date added: 2023/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 88061 453 Barack Obama 1921351438 Debashish 3 3.93 1995
author: Barack Obama
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1995
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/25
date added: 2023/03/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 13624682 Miscellany, The Magic of Reality, and The Dangerous Book for Boys comes Can a Bee Sting a Bee?—a smart, illuminating, essential, and utterly delightful handbook for perplexed parents and their curious children. Author Gemma Elwin Harris has lovingly compiled weighty questions from precocious grade school children—queries that have long dumbfounded even intelligent adults—and she’s gathered together a notable crew of scientists, specialists, philosophers, and writers to answer them.

Authors Mary Roach and Phillip Pullman, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, chef Gordon Ramsay, adventurist Bear Gryllis, and linguist Noam Chomsky are among the top experts responding to the Big Questions from Little People, (“Do animals have feelings?��, “Why can’t I tickle myself?��, “Who is God?��) with well-known comedians, columnists, and raconteurs offering hilarious alternative answers. Miles above your average general knowledge and trivia collections, this charming compendium is a book fans of the E.H. Gombrich classic, A Little History of the World, will adore.]]> 336 Gemma Elwin Harris 0062223224 Debashish 4 3.90 2012
author: Gemma Elwin Harris
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/16
date added: 2023/01/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 11334 338 Toni Morrison 140003342X Debashish 4 4.15 1977
author: Toni Morrison
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1977
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/30
date added: 2022/12/29
shelves:
review:

]]> 18926871 116 Munier Choudhury Debashish 5 4.09
author: Munier Choudhury
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/11/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 15686 'The sky seemed to rip apart from end to end to pour fire down upon me'

Meursault will not conform. When his mother dies, he refuses to show his emotions simply to satisfy the expectations of others. And when he commits a random act of violence on a sun-drenched beach, his lack of remorse only compounds his guilt in the eyes of society and law.

Albert Camus' portrayal of a man confronting the absurdity of human life became an existentialist classic. Yet it is also a book filled with quiet joy in the "tender indifference" of the physical world, and Sandra Smith's new translation based on listening to a recording of Camus reading aloud, sensitively renders the subtleties and dreamlike atmosphere of The Outsider.]]> 119 Albert Camus 0141182504 Debashish 5 most-favorite-books 4.01 1942
author: Albert Camus
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1942
rating: 5
read at: 2018/11/09
date added: 2022/10/17
shelves: most-favorite-books
review:

]]> 39943621
Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire and Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.

What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why did it become so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What is the origin of Daenerys’s three dragon eggs? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel and featuring more than eighty all-new black-and-white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as The World of Ice & Fire, but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed.

With all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire and Blood is the ultimate game of thrones, giving readers a whole new appreciation for the dynamic, often bloody, and always fascinating history of Westeros.]]> 706 George R.R. Martin 152479628X Debashish 4
For those who don’t know it, this is an in-world history book and written as such. Which means there is very little dialogue between characters. But I love the way George wrote it. He didn’t pretend to be the author of that story, instead he created a character named Archmaester Gyldayn and he is the one who writes that history, George just “transcribes�� it. George doesn’t stop there, since this is a history book and history could be written by many writers with different versions of the same event, Archmaester Gyldayn takes account from various sources and cites them well. So, while telling the story, sometimes he says that this is a very well known and proven fact, that could be made up since it doesn’t have a lot of facts backing it up, or sometimes gives two or three versions and leaves it up to the readers to choose which version to believe, still there are a few times when he doesn’t give any account of what happened after some event and simply says it’s not known to us. I loved this style so much. History books should be written that way and I’m glad George chose to write it as such.

This book starts with the first Targaryen King of Westeros- Aegon the Conqueror (and his Conquest of Westeros) and then tells the tale of six Targaryen kings and stops at the seventh. We learn at the very first chapter that no, Aegon didn’t come to Westeros with his three dragons and two sisters and the lords just gave the kingdoms to him. He had to fight for nearly two years to get what he desired and even then there was one kingdom he couldn’t win. Aegon’s Conquest gives us perspective to that world and introduces many houses which would play roles in various events that follow even in the main ASOIAF series.

Since the book tells the history of more than a hundred years, there are obviously a lot of characters and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the names since a lot of them are so similar to each other. Dragons play big roles in this book. Dragons were very dangerous and huge beasts but some could be beautiful, too, while some were so fierce, like Balerion the Black Dread that their fire could even melt stones! The Targaryens not being from Westeros but from Valyria makes them not being trusted by the lords of Westeros but they persist thanks to having the fiercest dragons and not just one or two.

This book contains a great civil war over the Throne between the two factions of the Targaryen family, which spans for two years and is named Dance of the Dragons. This is one hell of a war and one of the most significant ones in history. George handled it very well, I would say. But my most favorite part of the book isn’t the war but how one King and his Queen won the love and admiration of almost all of Westeros even without going to a war- my favorite king Jaehaerys and his queen Alysanne.

Jaehaerys is without a doubt the best king of all Targaryen history, who brought peace upon their world, made significant changes for good like making roads; he even made it normal for Targaryens to marry their own family members. He is rightfully called The Conciliator. Alysanne, The Good Queen, made Jaehaerys get rid of arcane laws, and get close to the regular people. She was ever the champion of women and their rights. They’re what one might call the people’s King and Queen.
George’s brutality in killing off characters is very much present in this book as well, as there are many characters who meet their end in a terrible way- from getting sliced “from crest to gorget�� to even getting devoured alive by dragon. His humor was present throughout the book which makes the reader chuckle at times.

I didn’t like a few things about the book, for example how George got rid of the dragons. Sure, dragons can perish after fighting each other but some regular townspeople who didn’t have any training in battle killing formidable dragons seemed odd. The book ends abruptly. I think it could end in a slightly better way.

There is supposed to be another version of this book which would take the story up to “A Game of Thrones�� but I read somewhere that George won’t write it until he releases TWOW which means there is little chance for that to be released at all. It’s a shame since I would really love to know much and more about the rest of the Targaryen Kings and various other rebellions, but I guess I wouldn’t have that luxury, just like the rest of the George readers.]]> 4.03 2018
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2022/10/12
date added: 2022/10/14
shelves:
review:
It had been a while since I last read anything George wrote, and when F&B first came out, I meant to read it right away since we weren’t getting TWOW any time soon or maybe ever. But for one reason or the other, I just didn’t do it. So when HoTD started airing, the old urge to finish this book ASAP came back and so I started reading it.

For those who don’t know it, this is an in-world history book and written as such. Which means there is very little dialogue between characters. But I love the way George wrote it. He didn’t pretend to be the author of that story, instead he created a character named Archmaester Gyldayn and he is the one who writes that history, George just “transcribes�� it. George doesn’t stop there, since this is a history book and history could be written by many writers with different versions of the same event, Archmaester Gyldayn takes account from various sources and cites them well. So, while telling the story, sometimes he says that this is a very well known and proven fact, that could be made up since it doesn’t have a lot of facts backing it up, or sometimes gives two or three versions and leaves it up to the readers to choose which version to believe, still there are a few times when he doesn’t give any account of what happened after some event and simply says it’s not known to us. I loved this style so much. History books should be written that way and I’m glad George chose to write it as such.

This book starts with the first Targaryen King of Westeros- Aegon the Conqueror (and his Conquest of Westeros) and then tells the tale of six Targaryen kings and stops at the seventh. We learn at the very first chapter that no, Aegon didn’t come to Westeros with his three dragons and two sisters and the lords just gave the kingdoms to him. He had to fight for nearly two years to get what he desired and even then there was one kingdom he couldn’t win. Aegon’s Conquest gives us perspective to that world and introduces many houses which would play roles in various events that follow even in the main ASOIAF series.

Since the book tells the history of more than a hundred years, there are obviously a lot of characters and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the names since a lot of them are so similar to each other. Dragons play big roles in this book. Dragons were very dangerous and huge beasts but some could be beautiful, too, while some were so fierce, like Balerion the Black Dread that their fire could even melt stones! The Targaryens not being from Westeros but from Valyria makes them not being trusted by the lords of Westeros but they persist thanks to having the fiercest dragons and not just one or two.

This book contains a great civil war over the Throne between the two factions of the Targaryen family, which spans for two years and is named Dance of the Dragons. This is one hell of a war and one of the most significant ones in history. George handled it very well, I would say. But my most favorite part of the book isn’t the war but how one King and his Queen won the love and admiration of almost all of Westeros even without going to a war- my favorite king Jaehaerys and his queen Alysanne.

Jaehaerys is without a doubt the best king of all Targaryen history, who brought peace upon their world, made significant changes for good like making roads; he even made it normal for Targaryens to marry their own family members. He is rightfully called The Conciliator. Alysanne, The Good Queen, made Jaehaerys get rid of arcane laws, and get close to the regular people. She was ever the champion of women and their rights. They’re what one might call the people’s King and Queen.
George’s brutality in killing off characters is very much present in this book as well, as there are many characters who meet their end in a terrible way- from getting sliced “from crest to gorget�� to even getting devoured alive by dragon. His humor was present throughout the book which makes the reader chuckle at times.

I didn’t like a few things about the book, for example how George got rid of the dragons. Sure, dragons can perish after fighting each other but some regular townspeople who didn’t have any training in battle killing formidable dragons seemed odd. The book ends abruptly. I think it could end in a slightly better way.

There is supposed to be another version of this book which would take the story up to “A Game of Thrones�� but I read somewhere that George won’t write it until he releases TWOW which means there is little chance for that to be released at all. It’s a shame since I would really love to know much and more about the rest of the Targaryen Kings and various other rebellions, but I guess I wouldn’t have that luxury, just like the rest of the George readers.
]]> 6043781 The New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher.
For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over, and now the races are fighting once again. The only good elf, it seems, is a dead elf.

Geralt of Rivia, the cunning assassin known as The Witcher, has been waiting for the birth of a prophesied child. This child has the power to change the world - for good, or for evil.

As the threat of war hangs over the land and the child is hunted for her extraordinary powers, it will become Geralt's responsibility to protect them all - and the Witcher never accepts defeat.

The Witcher returns in this sequel to The Last Wish, as the inhabitants of his world become embroiled in a state of total war.]]> 398 Andrzej Sapkowski Debashish 3 4.05 1994
author: Andrzej Sapkowski
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/30
date added: 2022/08/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 17345242 If the past is prologue, then George R.R. Martin’s masterwork—the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time—warrants one hell of an introduction. At long last, it has arrived with THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE.

George R.R. Martin, in collaboration with Elio M. García, Jr. and Linda Antonsson, has written a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, featuring the epic battles, bitter rivalries, and daring rebellions that lead up to the events in the bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Collected within this volume is the accumulated knowledge, scholarly speculation, and inherited folk tales of maesters and septons, maegi and singers, including over 170 full-colour illustrations and maps, family trees for the Houses Stark, Lannister and Targaryen, and in-depth explanations of the history and culture of Westeros.

This is the definitive companion volume to George R.R. Martin’s dazzlingly conceived universe; THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE is indeed proof that the pen is mightier than a storm of swords.]]> 326 George R.R. Martin 0553805444 Debashish 0 to-read 4.25 2014
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25454056
This is a collection of short stories, following the adventures of the hit collection THE LAST WISH. Join Geralt as he battles monsters, demons and prejudices alike...]]> 405 Andrzej Sapkowski Debashish 2 4.25 1992
author: Andrzej Sapkowski
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1992
rating: 2
read at: 2022/07/16
date added: 2022/07/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 5107 It's Christmas time and Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from yet another school...

Fleeing the crooks at Pencey Prep, he pinballs around New York City seeking solace in fleeting encounters—shooting the bull with strangers in dive hotels, wandering alone round Central Park, getting beaten up by pimps and cut down by erstwhile girlfriends. The city is beautiful and terrible, in all its neon loneliness and seedy glamour, its mingled sense of possibility and emptiness. Holden passes through it like a ghost, thinking always of his kid sister Phoebe, the only person who really understands him, and his determination to escape the phonies and find a life of true meaning.

The Catcher in the Rye is an all-time classic in coming-of-age literature- an elegy to teenage alienation, capturing the deeply human need for connection and the bewildering sense of loss as we leave childhood behind.

J.D. Salinger's (1919��2010) classic novel of teenage angst and rebellion was first published in 1951. The novel was included on Time's 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923. It was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. It has been frequently challenged in the court for its liberal use of profanity and portrayal of sexuality and in the 1950's and 60's it was the novel that every teenage boy wants to read.]]> 277 J.D. Salinger 0316769177 Debashish 0 to-read 3.81 1951
author: J.D. Salinger
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1951
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 15720202 158 Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay 8170668360 Debashish 4 চমৎকার বই! 4.27 1978
author: Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/26
date added: 2022/06/26
shelves:
review:
চমৎকার বই!
]]> 17203961 120 Sunil Gangopadhyay 8170664918 Debashish 3 3.84 1968
author: Sunil Gangopadhyay
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1968
rating: 3
read at: 2022/03/26
date added: 2022/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 40603587
But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good... and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

Librarian's Note: Alternate cover edition of ASIN B0010SIPT4]]> 400 Andrzej Sapkowski Debashish 3 4.12 1993
author: Andrzej Sapkowski
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at: 2022/03/22
date added: 2022/03/22
shelves:
review:

]]> 18079520 The New York Times bestselling author of Sweetness delivers the first all-encompassing account of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of professional sports�� most-revered—and dominant—dynasties.
��
The Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s personified the flamboyance and excess of the decade over which they reigned. Beginning with the arrival of Earvin "Magic" Johnson as the number-one overall pick of the 1979 draft, the Lakers played basketball with gusto and pizzazz, unleashing their famed "Showtime" run-and-gun style on a league unprepared for their speed and ferocity—and became the most captivating show in sports and, arguably, in all-around American entertainment. The Lakers�� roster overflowed with exciting all-star-caliber players, including center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and they were led by the incomparable Pat Riley, known for his slicked-back hair, his Armani suits, and his arrogant strut. Hollywood’s biggest celebrities lined the court and gorgeous women flocked to the arena. Best of all, the team was a winner. Between 1980 and 1991, the Lakers played in an unmatched nine NBA championship series, capturing five of them.

Bestselling sportswriter Jeff Pearlman draws from almost three hundred interviews to take the first full measure of the Lakers�� epic Showtime era. A dazzling account of one of America’s greatest sports sagas, Showtime is packed with indelible characters, vicious rivalries, and jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes stories of the players�� decadent Hollywood lifestyles.�� From the Showtime era’s remarkable rise to its tragic end—marked by Magic Johnson’s 1991 announcement that he had contracted HIV��Showtime is a gripping narrative of sports, celebrity, and 1980s-style excess.]]> 496 Jeff Pearlman 1592407552 Debashish 0 to-read 4.33 2014
author: Jeff Pearlman
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 39020 In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.

Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; rather, there were huge numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that it has been called man’s first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land but were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. Challenging and surprising, this a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.

]]> 563 Charles C. Mann 1400032059 Debashish 4 4.04 2005
author: Charles C. Mann
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/31
date added: 2021/12/31
shelves:
review:

]]> 8921 256 Arthur Conan Doyle Debashish 3 4.15 1902
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1902
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/28
date added: 2021/10/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 6046161
সে�� পরিবারের�� এক নির্লো�� উত্তরপুরুষ পিটা�� রবার্টসন�� এক ফোটোগ্রাফা�� বন্ধুক�� সঙ্গী কর�� পিটা�� ভারত�� এল সেবার। উদ্দেশ্য�� পূর্বপুরুষের শে�� ইচ্ছ�� অনুযায়ী ভারতেই ফিরিয়�� দেবে রবার্টসনের রুবি�� কিন্তু দশ লা�� টাকারও বেশি দা�� যে-রত্নপাথরের, সেটি ফিরিয়�� দেওয়া�� কি সহ�� কা��? একটি পুরন�� খুনে�� কাহিনী�� সঙ্গ�� মিশিয়�� দিয়�� গোয়েন্দ�� ফেলুদা�� এক দুর্ধর্ষ অ্যাডভেঞ্চার কাহিনী রচনা করেছেন মৃত্যুঞ্জয�� স্রষ্ট�� সত্যজি�� রায়�� যেমন চমকপ্র��, তেমন�� মানবিক সে�� কাহিনী�� বইটি�� প্রচ্ছ�� �� অলঙ্কর�� করেছেন সুব্রত গঙ্গোপাধ্যায়।]]> 72 Satyajit Ray 8172151896 Debashish 3 4.04 1992
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1992
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/25
date added: 2021/10/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 17904409 90 Satyajit Ray 8170669871 Debashish 3 4.03 1990
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/24
date added: 2021/10/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 22609341
Researchers have spent the last decade trying to develop a “pink pill�� for women to function like Viagra does for men. So where is it? Well, for reasons this book makes crystal clear, that pill will never exist—but as a result of the research that’s gone into it, scientists in the last few years have learned more about how women’s sexuality works than we ever thought possible, and Come as You Are explains it all.

The first lesson in this essential, transformative book by Dr. Emily Nagoski is that every woman has her own unique sexuality, like a fingerprint, and that women vary more than men in our anatomy, our sexual response mechanisms, and the way our bodies respond to the sexual world. So we never need to judge ourselves based on others�� experiences. Because women vary, and that’s normal.

Second lesson: sex happens in a context. And all the complications of everyday life influence the context surrounding a woman’s arousal, desire, and orgasm.

Cutting-edge research across multiple disciplines tells us that the most important factor for women in creating and sustaining a fulfilling sex life, is not what you do in bed or how you do it, but how you feel about it. Which means that stress, mood, trust, and body image are not peripheral factors in a woman’s sexual wellbeing; they are central to it. Once you understand these factors, and how to influence them, you can create for yourself better sex and more profound pleasure than you ever thought possible.

And Emily Nagoski can prove it.]]> 400 Emily Nagoski 1476762090 Debashish 3 4.28 2015
author: Emily Nagoski
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/24
date added: 2021/10/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 41154336
A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen.

His calling card is a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts—which he leaves at each bloody crime scene. Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery—a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister’s daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago.

A tragic coincidence—or something more twisted?

To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues.

Because it’s clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over.

And no one is safe.]]> 519 Søren Sveistrup 0062895362 Debashish 4 4.17 2019
author: Søren Sveistrup
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/06
date added: 2021/10/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 23570437 40 Satyajit Ray Debashish 2 Meh 3.91
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2021/09/27
date added: 2021/09/27
shelves:
review:
Meh
]]> 23570407 50 Satyajit Ray Debashish 4 3.90 1989
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/27
date added: 2021/09/27
shelves:
review:
ছাঁচ�� ফেলে লেখা পড়ত�� পড়ত�� ভাবছিলাম এই সিরিজে�� ভা�� লেখা আর পাবোনা, কিন্তু অনেকটা অবাক কর�� দিয়�� এই গল্পটা অনেক ভা�� লেগে গেল। শুরু থেকে�� রহস্যে মোড়�� ছি�� এব�� কাহিনীটি অনেক জমজমাট ছি�� শে�� পর্যন্ত। স্মৃতি নিয়�� লেখা গল্প বরাবরই ভা�� লাগে, এও তা�� ব্যতিক্র�� হয়নি।
]]> 44891 462 Robert Evans 0571219314 Debashish 0 to-read 3.97 1994
author: Robert Evans
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/09/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 23570419 50 Satyajit Ray Debashish 3 4.22 1990
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/26
date added: 2021/09/26
shelves:
review:
ফেলুদা�� শেষেরদিক�� গল্পগুলো একেবার�� একঘেয়�� হয়ে গেছে�� যে�� একটা টেমপ্লেট থেকে লেখা হচ্ছিল�� এটাও অনেকটা ঐরকম�� তব�� কিছুটা ব্যতিক্র�� আছে। ডায়ের�� নিয়�� গল্প আমার সবসময়�� ভা�� লাগে- পুরন�� লুকিয়�� রাখা অনেক মিস্ট্রি বে�� হয়। এই গল্পটা আর�� অনেক ভা�� হত�� পারত বল�� মন�� হয়েছে�� তব�� তবুও বে�� ভা�� ছিল।
]]> 23522490 50 Satyajit Ray Debashish 3 3.89 1988
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/26
date added: 2021/09/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 23522468 50 Satyajit Ray Debashish 1 3.72 1987
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1987
rating: 1
read at: 2021/09/23
date added: 2021/09/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 57617418
When Amy Palatnick became single in her mid-40’s, she hoped to find it all: flirtation, sexual healing, deeper orgasms, and true love—or loves. Most of all, she wanted to overcome her lifelong habit of people-pleasing.

Amy set out to:

Become more honest and direct
Change her relationship style
Feel more connected to her sexuality
Eventually, find love

With an immense love for humanity (and for kissing), and bucket loads of sass and frankness, Amy shares her intimate journey of 82 dates over a five-year period.

You’ll find yourself blushing at Amy’s escapades and resonating with her sincere quest for connection. Filled with juicy tales of airport encounters, sexy professors, a bona fide love potion, and even “cuddlingus,�� this book is an exuberant and poignant ride on the dating rollercoaster.

Can I Be Honest With You? is an unbridled celebration of sexuality, love, and empowerment that will leave you feeling inspired to thrive in your own relationship to life and love.]]> 368 Amy Palatnick Debashish 3 4.45
author: Amy Palatnick
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/23
date added: 2021/09/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 23570457 36 Satyajit Ray Debashish 2 3.69 1996
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1996
rating: 2
read at: 2021/09/08
date added: 2021/09/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 23522487 50 Satyajit Ray Debashish 2 4.07 1987
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1987
rating: 2
read at: 2021/09/07
date added: 2021/09/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 17904238
‘বোম্বাইয়ের বোম্বেটে�� থেকে সেবা�� হিন্দি ছব�� করছিলে�� যে-তরুণ চিত্রপরিচালক, তাঁর�� নতুন ছবির শুটি�� দার্জিলিঙে�� ��-কাহিনী�� জটায়ুর। জটায়ু�� সঙ্গ�� ফেলুদা-তোপ্‌সেকেও সাদর আমন্ত্রণ জানিয়েছেন পরিচালক। সে�� সূত্রে�� ফেলুদা�� দার্জিলিঙে পদার্পণ। আর কী অদ্ভুত ভাগ্যে�� ফে��, সেবারে�� মত�� এবার�� ফেলুদাকে নামত�� হল গোয়েন্দার ভূমিকায়��

যাঁর বাড়িত�� শুটি��, খু�� হলেন সে�� বৃদ্�� গৃহকর্তা�� অতী�� কৌতূহলকর চরিত্রের বৃদ্ধ। দিনে ঘুমো��, রাত্রে জেগে থাকেন। খবরে�� কাগজ থেকে যাবতীয় গর�� খবরে�� কাটি�� জমান খাতায়�� কে খু�� কর�� তাঁক��? কেনই-বা এই খু��?

বৃদ্ধে�� অতী�� জীবনের অধ্যায�� ঘেঁট�� কীভাবে ফেলুদা উদ্ধার করলে�� নানা�� চমকপ্র�� সূত্�� আর কীভাবে তা�� সাহায্যে ছাড়ালেন সমুদয় রহস্যে�� জট, তা�� নিয়েই এই দুর্ধর্য উপন্যাস। বইটি�� প্রচ্ছ�� �� অলঙ্কর�� করেছেন সত্যজি�� রায়।]]> 88 Satyajit Ray 8170660971 Debashish 3 4.40 1987
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1987
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/06
date added: 2021/09/06
shelves:
review:

]]> 23522416 50 Satyajit Ray Debashish 4 4.02 1985
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/20
date added: 2021/08/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 34319257 50 Satyajit Ray Debashish 4 4.23
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/19
date added: 2021/08/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 34319255 New book 36 Satyajit Ray Debashish 3 4.00
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/18
date added: 2021/08/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 42592770 32 Satyajit Ray Debashish 1 3.57 1983
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.57
book published: 1983
rating: 1
read at: 2021/08/17
date added: 2021/08/17
shelves:
review:
গল্প�� কিছুটা নতুনত্�� আছ�� কিন্তু অনেক দূর্বল লেখা এব�� গল্প��
]]> 17902118
পটভূমিতে যেমন বৈচিত্র্��, তেমন�� নতুনত্�� এই কাহিনী�� রহস্যেও। কুকু�� খু�� দিয়�� শুরু, যা কিনা সহজে শোনা�� যায় না�� তারপ�� মানু�� খুন। আর ��-খুনে�� মূলে একটি ছবি। তব�� যেমনতেমন ছব�� নয়। রেনেশাঁসের শেষপর্বে�� এক বিরা�� নামী শিল্পী টিনটোরেট��, তাঁর�� আঁকা একটি যিশুখ্রিস্টে�� ছব�� নিয়�� তুমু�� জট-পাকানো এই কাহিনী��

বি��-পঁচি�� লা�� টাকা দামে�� এই মহামূল্য ছবিট�� কীকর�� এস�� পড়ল বৈকুণ্ঠপুরের মত�� একটা জায়গায়, কীকর�� সে�� ছব�� চালা�� হল সুদূ�� হংকং-��, কীকরেই বা ফেলুদা অ্যান্�� কো�� হংকং পর্যন্�� তাড়�� কর�� গিয়�� ধর�� ফেললেন ছবিচালানকারীকে, আর সেইসূত্র�� কীকর�� উদ্‌ঘাটিত হল আর�� বহ�� অজান�� রহস্��, তারই এক আদ্যন্�� টানটান কাহিনী ‘টিনটোরেটো�� যীশু।�� অথবা জটায়ু�� ভাষায়, ‘হংক��-�� হিমসিম।’]]> 79 Satyajit Ray Debashish 2 4.40 1983
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1983
rating: 2
read at: 2021/08/17
date added: 2021/08/17
shelves:
review:
আগের কয়েকট�� গল্পের সাথে অনেক মিল। তেমন আহামরি কিছু লাগেনি��
]]> 55361205
In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency—a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.

Obama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation’s highest office.

Reflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune’s Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.

A Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective—the story of one man’s bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of “hope and change,�� and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American experiment, progress is always possible.

This beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama’s conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.]]> 768 Barack Obama 1524763187 Debashish 5 4.32 2020
author: Barack Obama
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/16
date added: 2021/08/16
shelves:
review:
A brief account of President Obama's presidential campaign and then a close look at his first term at the office. I enjoyed it a lot! Even when sometimes I had a hard time understanding a few things, I still found it very interesting. I loved reading how his administration tackled a global financial crisis, recession, climate change, war in Middle East, healthcare of the US and various other issues. I'm interested in politics now more than ever. A great read.
]]> 368731 Former UN Ambassador Samantha Power's Pulitzer Prize-winning analysis of America's repeated failure to stop genocides around the world

In her Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of the last century of American history, Samantha Power asks the haunting question: Why do American leaders who vow "never again" repeatedly fail to stop genocide? Power, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the former US Ambassador to the United Nations, draws upon exclusive interviews with Washington's top policymakers, thousands of declassified documents, and her own reporting from modern killing fields to provide the answer. "A Problem from Hell" shows how decent Americans inside and outside government refused to get involved despite chilling warnings and tells the stories of the courageous Americans who risked their careers and lives in an effort to get the United States to act. A modern classic, "A Problem from Hell" has forever reshaped debates about American foreign policy.]]> 620 Samantha Power 0060541644 Debashish 0 to-read 4.24 2002
author: Samantha Power
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/08/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 53316316 ENGLISH 88 Satyajit Ray Debashish 5 4.55 1975
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.55
book published: 1975
rating: 5
read at: 2021/02/24
date added: 2021/07/25
shelves:
review:
ফেলুদা�� সাথে আমার প্রথ�� পরিচয় রয়ে�� বেঙ্গল রহস্যে�� মাধ্যম��- সম্ভবত '১২ সালে মুভিটা দেখেছিলাম। এবছরের শুরু�� আগ�� আর কিছু দেখিওন��, পড়িওনি। মুভিটা খু�� ভা�� লেগেছি�� মন�� আছ�� কিন্তু কাহিনী অনেকটা�� ভুলে গিয়েছিলাম�� ফেলুদা সমগ্�� শুরু করার সময় থেকে�� এই গল্পটা�� জন্য অপেক্ষ�� করছিলা�� যে কব�� শুরু কর��! গল্পটা�� খু�� ভা�� লাগল পড়তে। ফেলুদা�� গল্পগুলো�� লেখা এখ�� পর্যন্�� ভা�� হচ্ছ�� আগেরগুলো�� চেয়ে৷ এখানেও তাই। জঙ্গ�� নিয়�� কখনো�� তেমন আকর্ষণ ছিলন�� আমার, ওরকম গল্প�� পড়েছি কমই। তব�� আগেকার জমিদারদে�� শিকারে�� গল্প পড়ত�� সবসময় ভা�� লাগে�� সম্ভবত মহাভার�� পড়া�� কারণ�� এম�� হয়েছে�� মহাভারতে�� বে�� কিছু চরিত্রের জঙ্গলে শিকারে গিয়�� অনেক গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ব্যাপারস্যাপার হয়েছে�� এখানেও এক জমিদারের শিকারে আগ্র�� অনেক এব�� তাকে নিয়েই গল্প�� বইটা দারু�� লাগল�� বে�� রোমাঞ্চক��, সাথে প্রতিবারের মত�� বে�� কিছু জিনি�� জানা হয়ে গেল। পড়া�� পর আবার মুভিটা দেখে ফেলা�� ইচ্ছ�� জাগল��
]]> 30514 256 Jean-Paul Sartre 0394747097 Debashish 0 to-read 3.85 1963
author: Jean-Paul Sartre
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1963
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/06/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 34319252 48 Satyajit Ray Debashish 2 4.02
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.02
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2021/06/20
date added: 2021/06/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 17902103
সে�� ভয়ংকর লোকটির সঙ্গেই আবার দেখা হল ফেলুদার। কাঠমাণ্ডুতে। এক�� চেহারা�� দু’জ�� লোকক�� নি�� মার্কেটে দেখলেন ফেলুদা�� একজন তা�� যাবতীয় অপরাধে�� বোঝা চাপাতে চাইছ�� অন্যজনের ঘাড়ে। এমনকী খুনে�� দায়ও। এমনই একটি খুনে�� কিনারা করতে ফেলুদাকে ছুটত�� হল কাঠমাণ্ডুতে। কাঠমাণ্ড�� মানে�� যত রক্ত-হি��-কর�� কাণ্ড। এই পরিবেশেই নতুনভাবে মুখোমুখি হলেন ফেলুদা আর মদনলাল�� সে�� সাংঘাতিক প্রতিপক্ষক�� আবার কীভাবে ঘায়েল করলে�� ফেলুদা, তা�� নিয়েই এই উত্তেজনাকর উপন্যাস। বিস্তর ছব��, দারু�� মলাট�� সব�� সত্যজি�� রায়ের আঁকা।]]> 88 Satyajit Ray Debashish 3 4.39 1980
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1980
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/17
date added: 2021/06/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 38746485
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.]]> 426 Michelle Obama 1524763136 Debashish 5
Anyway, let me say that I loved this book. There's no other way around it. I loved it. I knew I would love it in the very first chapter. Whoever ghostwrote this book did a tremendous job but it has Michelle's touch all over it. This book takes us through the journey of Michelle- from a very logical kid Michelle even at the age of four through the career driven, hardworking Michelle in her twenties, to an excellent FLOTUS who chose not to be just a wife of her president husband but be much more.

Michelle was blessed with two great parents and a great elder brother and she herself acknowledged that she wouldn't be where she is today without this great family. This tells a lot about how a hardworking, positive family can boost a child. Michelle has always been very smart and intelligent, her family enhanced that. And the best part is that Michelle has used her fame to use it for the betterment of society. She has been an advocate for positivity, equality, hope, and many other things but most importantly, education. I cannot emphasize enough how much we need education and so cannot Michelle.

This book tells us a lot about struggles but it also tells us about how those struggles can bring good things in life and for the world. More than the book, I liked Michelle. She is an extraordinary person with such grace and compassion. You have to be a Republican to not like her. She is a role model for girls all over the world. She teaches us, by being an example, the value of family, education, hardwork, community, and hope. ]]> 4.42 2018
author: Michelle Obama
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/13
date added: 2021/06/13
shelves:
review:
There was a time when I used to believe everything written in a memoir. I was naïve and much younger than today then. Nowadays, I take everything written in a memoir with a grain of salt. That said, Michelle Robinson's 'Becoming' Michelle Obama and more doesn't seem like it has a lot of pretense to it. I knew and understood very little about the US politics and politics in general when the Obamas were in the White House. But I always liked them and I also liked the fact that a black person was the POTUS for the first time in history. By the time they left, I had started to have a little interest in politics and so I was quite intrigued to read this book when it came out. It took me this long to start it because I wanted to read in paperback but I gave up on the idea this year since I was comfortable reading e-books.

Anyway, let me say that I loved this book. There's no other way around it. I loved it. I knew I would love it in the very first chapter. Whoever ghostwrote this book did a tremendous job but it has Michelle's touch all over it. This book takes us through the journey of Michelle- from a very logical kid Michelle even at the age of four through the career driven, hardworking Michelle in her twenties, to an excellent FLOTUS who chose not to be just a wife of her president husband but be much more.

Michelle was blessed with two great parents and a great elder brother and she herself acknowledged that she wouldn't be where she is today without this great family. This tells a lot about how a hardworking, positive family can boost a child. Michelle has always been very smart and intelligent, her family enhanced that. And the best part is that Michelle has used her fame to use it for the betterment of society. She has been an advocate for positivity, equality, hope, and many other things but most importantly, education. I cannot emphasize enough how much we need education and so cannot Michelle.

This book tells us a lot about struggles but it also tells us about how those struggles can bring good things in life and for the world. More than the book, I liked Michelle. She is an extraordinary person with such grace and compassion. You have to be a Republican to not like her. She is a role model for girls all over the world. She teaches us, by being an example, the value of family, education, hardwork, community, and hope.
]]> 23522447 40 Satyajit Ray Debashish 3 4.16 1980
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1980
rating: 3
read at: 2021/05/01
date added: 2021/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 17904378
নেপালে না গিয়েও পুরন�� নাটকের যবনিকা কীভাবে নতুন কর�� সরালেন ফেলুদা, কী কর�� ধরলে�� এক অত�� ধুরন্ধ�� অপরাধী �� তা�� শাগরেদ ধূর্��, ফন্দিবাজ এক ভেকধারীকে, তা�� নিয়েই এক অসামান্য রহস্��-উপন্যা�� ‘হত্যাপুর৶�’। সঙ্গ�� সত্যজি�� রায়ের অনন্�� অজস্�� ইলাসট্রেশন এব�� তাঁর�� আঁকা প্রচ্ছদপট।]]> 72 Satyajit Ray 8170668883 Debashish 5 4.12 1979
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at: 2021/04/30
date added: 2021/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> 45029103 276 Dhritikanta Lahiri Chowdhury Debashish 0 to-read 4.25
author: Dhritikanta Lahiri Chowdhury
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25701206 Discover the forty rules of love...

Ella Rubinstein has a husband, three teenage children, and a pleasant home. Everything that should make her confident and fulfilled. Yet there is an emptiness at the heart of Ella's life - an emptiness once filled by love.

So when Ella reads a manuscript about the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, and his forty rules of life and love, her world is turned upside down. She embarks on a journey to meet the mysterious author of this work.

It is a quest infused with Sufi mysticism and verse, taking Ella and us into an exotic world where faith and love are heartbreakingly explored. . .]]> 358 Elif Shafak 0241972930 Debashish 4 4.02 2009
author: Elif Shafak
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2021/04/24
date added: 2021/04/23
shelves:
review:
Although I didn't agree with many of the philosophies discussed in this book, it was great fun reading and thinking about them. A good read.
]]> 50093704 Where do you see yourself in five years?

When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she has a meticulously crafted answer at the ready. Later, after nailing her interview and accepting her boyfriend's marriage proposal, Dannie goes to sleep knowing she is right on track to achieve her five-year plan.

But when she wakes up, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. The television news is on in the background, and she can just make out the scrolling date. It’s the same night—December 15—but 2025, five years in the future.

After a very intense, shocking hour, Dannie wakes again, at the brink of midnight, back in 2020. She can’t shake what has happened. It certainly felt much more than merely a dream, but she isn’t the kind of person who believes in visions. That nonsense is only charming coming from free-spirited types, like her lifelong best friend, Bella. Determined to ignore the odd experience, she files it away in the back of her mind.

That is, until four-and-a-half years later, when by chance Dannie meets the very same man from her long-ago vision.

Brimming with joy and heartbreak, In Five Years is an unforgettable love story that reminds us of the power of loyalty, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of destiny.]]> 272 Rebecca Serle 1982137444 Debashish 2
The plot of this book is intriguing- on the night of her engagement, the protagonist sees a dream that in five years, she is with someone else; but, she doesn't feel like it was a dream, to her it was very real.

Well, this is it. This is what the book has to offer- a good start. From then on it goes downhill. The writing is very mediocre. But it is a page turner and it was hard to put it off. I didn't care about the characters. They were going through life-changing events and I couldn't care less about them. They didn't feel real to me. Also, they were very predictable.

I'm seeing a lot of people reviewing this book describing in so many words that they cried at the end of this book. I wish I could know how and especially why? The way the author justified cheating was ludicrous. I mean if you want to make your readers to empathize with your character who did such a vile act, maybe put some effort into writing better? I actually didn't laugh; I knew it was going to happen and the author's justification made me angry.

To sum it up- it's a very mediocre book with poor writing and characters I didn't care about.]]> 3.74 2020
author: Rebecca Serle
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2021/04/03
date added: 2021/04/03
shelves:
review:
So, I have read this NYT bestseller (why?). I was thinking about reading something out of ŷ������' suggestion and this one came third in the romance category from last year's books (seriously, why?).

The plot of this book is intriguing- on the night of her engagement, the protagonist sees a dream that in five years, she is with someone else; but, she doesn't feel like it was a dream, to her it was very real.

Well, this is it. This is what the book has to offer- a good start. From then on it goes downhill. The writing is very mediocre. But it is a page turner and it was hard to put it off. I didn't care about the characters. They were going through life-changing events and I couldn't care less about them. They didn't feel real to me. Also, they were very predictable.

I'm seeing a lot of people reviewing this book describing in so many words that they cried at the end of this book. I wish I could know how and especially why? The way the author justified cheating was ludicrous. I mean if you want to make your readers to empathize with your character who did such a vile act, maybe put some effort into writing better? I actually didn't laugh; I knew it was going to happen and the author's justification made me angry.

To sum it up- it's a very mediocre book with poor writing and characters I didn't care about.
]]> 23454010 76 Satyajit Ray Debashish 4 4.40 1978
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at: 2021/03/29
date added: 2021/03/29
shelves:
review:

]]> 4929 Kafka on the Shore, a tour de force of metaphysical reality, is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that, like the most basic activities of daily life, he cannot fathom. Their odyssey, as mysterious to them as it is to us, is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events. Cats and people carry on conversations, a ghostlike pimp employs a Hegel-quoting prostitute, a forest harbors soldiers apparently unaged since World War II, and rainstorms of fish (and worse) fall from the sky. There is a brutal murder, with the identity of both victim and perpetrator a riddle—yet this, along with everything else, is eventually answered, just as the entwined destinies of Kafka and Nakata are gradually revealed, with one escaping his fate entirely and the other given a fresh start on his own.]]> 467 Haruki Murakami 1400079276 Debashish 4 4.14 2002
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2021/03/24
date added: 2021/03/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 23454002 80 Satyajit Ray Debashish 5
এই উপন্যা�� থেকে তেমন আশ�� ছিলন�� আমার�� ভেবেছিলা�� ম্যাড়ম্যাড়�� কিছু একটা হব��, কিন্তু একদম চমকে দিলে�� লেখক�� আমার পড়া এখ�� পর্যন্�� ফেলুদা সিরিজে�� সবচেয়�� ইউনি�� গল্প�� এটি। পড়ে তৃপ্তি পেয়েছ��!

]]> 4.39 1977
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/13
date added: 2021/03/13
shelves:
review:
জম্পেশ গল্প! একদম কুইন্টেসেনশিয়াল গোয়েন্দাগির��! এরকম গল্পের জন্য�� না গোয়েন্দ�� গল্প পড়া�� ঝড়ে�� কবলে পড়ে এক ব্যাক্তি�� আহ�� হওয়�� থেকে গল্পের শুরু, এরপর সে�� উনবিংশ শতাব্দী�� এক সাহে�� পরিবার, লখনৌয়ের নবাব, আর একালের এক ধনকুবে�� �� কলকাতা�� ইতিহাস নিয়�� উৎসু�� এক লো��, এব�� অবশ্যই ফেলুদা- সবমিলিয়�� এক দারু�� গল্প��

এই উপন্যা�� থেকে তেমন আশ�� ছিলন�� আমার�� ভেবেছিলা�� ম্যাড়ম্যাড়�� কিছু একটা হব��, কিন্তু একদম চমকে দিলে�� লেখক�� আমার পড়া এখ�� পর্যন্�� ফেলুদা সিরিজে�� সবচেয়�� ইউনি�� গল্প�� এটি। পড়ে তৃপ্তি পেয়েছ��!


]]> 34319242
Feluda is called to Gosaipur by Jiban Mallick, the son of the local Zamindar Shyamlal Mallick to investigate a threat of his father’s life.]]> 76 Satyajit Ray Debashish 4 4.29 1976
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1976
rating: 4
read at: 2021/03/11
date added: 2021/03/11
shelves:
review:
সাড়�� চার। মন�� হচ্ছ�� ফেলুদা�� গল্পগুলো�� মধ্য�� শহরে�� বাইর�� ঘটিত গল্পগুলো আমার বেশি ভা�� লাগছে। এই গল্পটা একদম শুরু থেকে�� অনেক আশাপ্র�� ছি�� এব�� শেষও হয়েছে দারুণভাবে। কয়েকট�� ব্যাপা�� আন্দাজ করতে পারছিলাম কিন্তু তাতে অবশ্যই গল্পের মহিম�� কম�� যায়নি��
]]> 55316056 94 Satyajit Ray Debashish 3
অর্ধেক রেটি�� দেয়ার ফিচারট�� গুডরিডসে না থাকাটা খুবই বিরক্তিকর। অনেকবা�� �� বা �� দিতে হয়েছে যেখানে ইচ্ছ�� ছি�� সাড়�� চা�� দেয়ার��

যা�� হো��, ফেলুদা এবছরের আগ�� কখনো না পড়লেও বে�� কিছু গল্পের না�� অনেক শুনেছি�� বোম্বাইয়ে�� বোম্বেটে নামট�� অনেক ছোটবেলাতেই শুনেছি�� যারা ফেলুদা�� ভক্ত তাদে�� কাছে এর অনেক সুনামও শুনেছি�� আমার খু�� বেশি ভা�� লাগেনি�� এক�� ব্যাপা�� সোনা�� কেল্লা�� ব্যাপারে�� হয়েছিল।

পুরো গল্প জুড়েই একটা চাপা উত্তেজনা ছি�� কিন্তু তা�� তেমন জমেন�� আমার কাছে মন�� হয়েছে�� হ্যা��, ক্লাইমেক্সটা বে�� ভা�� কিন্তু এছাড়া তেমন একটা ভা�� লাগেনি�� প্রত�� অধ্যায়ে�� অপেক্ষ�� করছিলা�� যে এই বুঝি জমবে, কিন্তু তেমন জমেনি। চরিত্রদেরকেও তেমন বিপদ�� পড়ে গেছে এমনট�� মন�� হয়ন�� ওই ক্লাইমেক্স ছাড়া।

বে�� অবাক হলাম যে আগের বইগুলো�� মত এখান�� মুম্বাইয়ে�� তেমন বর্ণনা দেনন�� সত্যজি��, কিছুটা দিয়েই শেষ। তোপসেও আর তেমন কাজে আসছে না�� আগের গল্পগুলোতে �� ছোটখাট�� একটা সহকারী�� ভূমিকা নি��, এখান�� সে নিতান্তই দর্শক। �� বর্ণনাকারী না হল�� ওক�� এই গল্প�� না নিলে�� চলত। �� বই পড়ে সম্পূর্ণ হতাশ হইনি অবশ্যই, তব�� আশাহ�� হয়েছি কিছুটা।]]> 4.07 1976
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1976
rating: 3
read at: 2021/03/10
date added: 2021/03/10
shelves:
review:
��.��/��

অর্ধেক রেটি�� দেয়ার ফিচারট�� গুডরিডসে না থাকাটা খুবই বিরক্তিকর। অনেকবা�� �� বা �� দিতে হয়েছে যেখানে ইচ্ছ�� ছি�� সাড়�� চা�� দেয়ার��

যা�� হো��, ফেলুদা এবছরের আগ�� কখনো না পড়লেও বে�� কিছু গল্পের না�� অনেক শুনেছি�� বোম্বাইয়ে�� বোম্বেটে নামট�� অনেক ছোটবেলাতেই শুনেছি�� যারা ফেলুদা�� ভক্ত তাদে�� কাছে এর অনেক সুনামও শুনেছি�� আমার খু�� বেশি ভা�� লাগেনি�� এক�� ব্যাপা�� সোনা�� কেল্লা�� ব্যাপারে�� হয়েছিল।

পুরো গল্প জুড়েই একটা চাপা উত্তেজনা ছি�� কিন্তু তা�� তেমন জমেন�� আমার কাছে মন�� হয়েছে�� হ্যা��, ক্লাইমেক্সটা বে�� ভা�� কিন্তু এছাড়া তেমন একটা ভা�� লাগেনি�� প্রত�� অধ্যায়ে�� অপেক্ষ�� করছিলা�� যে এই বুঝি জমবে, কিন্তু তেমন জমেনি। চরিত্রদেরকেও তেমন বিপদ�� পড়ে গেছে এমনট�� মন�� হয়ন�� ওই ক্লাইমেক্স ছাড়া।

বে�� অবাক হলাম যে আগের বইগুলো�� মত এখান�� মুম্বাইয়ে�� তেমন বর্ণনা দেনন�� সত্যজি��, কিছুটা দিয়েই শেষ। তোপসেও আর তেমন কাজে আসছে না�� আগের গল্পগুলোতে �� ছোটখাট�� একটা সহকারী�� ভূমিকা নি��, এখান�� সে নিতান্তই দর্শক। �� বর্ণনাকারী না হল�� ওক�� এই গল্প�� না নিলে�� চলত। �� বই পড়ে সম্পূর্ণ হতাশ হইনি অবশ্যই, তব�� আশাহ�� হয়েছি কিছুটা��
]]> 23522443 50 Satyajit Ray Debashish 3 4.25 1975
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1975
rating: 3
read at: 2021/03/08
date added: 2021/03/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 9557 alternate cover can be found here

Sumire is in love with a woman seventeen years her senior. But whereas Miu is glamorous and successful, Sumire is an aspiring writer who dresses in an oversized second-hand coat and heavy boots like a character in a Kerouac novel.

Sumire spends hours on the phone talking to her best friend K about the big questions in life: what is sexual desire, and should she ever tell Miu how she feels for her? Meanwhile K wonders whether he should confess his own unrequited love for Sumire.

Then, a desperate Miu calls from a small Greek island: Sumire has mysteriously vanished...]]> 229 Haruki Murakami 0099448475 Debashish 3 3.85 1999
author: Haruki Murakami
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2021/03/07
date added: 2021/03/07
shelves:
review:

]]> 12664174 96 Satyajit Ray 8170668689 Debashish 4
কাশী/ভারানাসি যাওয়া�� ইচ্ছ�� সে�� ছোটবেল�� থেকেই। তখ�� এক কারণ�� ছি��, এখ�� অন্য কারণ�� কিন্তু ইচ্ছেট�� অবশ্যই আছে। পৃথিবী�� সর্বপ্রাচী�� শহ�� দেখা�� ইচ্ছ�� থাকব�� না-�� বা কে��! সত্যজিতে�� বর্ণনা বে�� ভা�� লেগেছে�� একটা পুজো-পুজো ভা�� ছি�� পুরো বইটাতে�� এব�� পরিস্থিতির সাথে বে�� ভালভাব�� ফুটিয়েও তুলেছেন।

আমার সবচেয়�� প্রিয় ফেলুদা�� গল্প না হলেও খু�� উপভো�� করেছ�� বইটা�� লেখকের নিজেরও মন�� হয�� অনেক প্রিয় গল্প ছি�� এইটা�� মুভিটা�� এবেলায�� দেখে নি�� ভাবছি।]]> 4.54 1975
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.54
book published: 1975
rating: 4
read at: 2021/02/28
date added: 2021/02/28
shelves:
review:
ফেলুদা�� সর্বপ্রিয় (?) প্রতিদ্বন্দ্বী মগনলাল মেঘরাজের আবির্ভাব এই বইয়ের মাধ্যমে। মগনলালের ব্যাপারে শুনেছি এর আগ�� এব�� এই গল্পের শুরুতে�� তা�� আগমনের বার্তা দিয়�� রাখে�� সত্যজিত। বলতে�� হব�� নিরা�� করেননি�� মগনলালের অধ্যায়ট�� খু�� জমজমাট ছিল। শুধু একটা গল্পেই মগনলালকে শে�� কর�� না দিয়�� ভা�� হয়েছে�� সামনের দিকে আবার তা�� দেখা পাব।

কাশী/ভারানাসি যাওয়া�� ইচ্ছ�� সে�� ছোটবেল�� থেকেই। তখ�� এক কারণ�� ছি��, এখ�� অন্য কারণ�� কিন্তু ইচ্ছেট�� অবশ্যই আছে। পৃথিবী�� সর্বপ্রাচী�� শহ�� দেখা�� ইচ্ছ�� থাকব�� না-�� বা কে��! সত্যজিতে�� বর্ণনা বে�� ভা�� লেগেছে�� একটা পুজো-পুজো ভা�� ছি�� পুরো বইটাতে�� এব�� পরিস্থিতির সাথে বে�� ভালভাব�� ফুটিয়েও তুলেছেন।

আমার সবচেয়�� প্রিয় ফেলুদা�� গল্প না হলেও খু�� উপভো�� করেছ�� বইটা�� লেখকের নিজেরও মন�� হয�� অনেক প্রিয় গল্প ছি�� এইটা�� মুভিটা�� এবেলায�� দেখে নি�� ভাবছি।
]]> 890 “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why.��

They are an unlikely pair: George is "small and quick and dark of face"; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet they have formed a "family," clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. Laborers in California's dusty vegetable fields, they hustle work when they can, living a hand-to-mouth existence. But George and Lennie have a plan: to own an acre of land and a shack they can call their own.

While the powerlessness of the laboring class is a recurring theme in Steinbeck's work of the late 1930s, he narrowed his focus when composing Of Mice and Men, creating an intimate portrait of two men facing a world marked by petty tyranny, misunderstanding, jealousy, and callousness. But though the scope is narrow, the theme is universal: a friendship and a shared dream that makes an individual's existence meaningful.

A unique perspective on life's hardships, this story has achieved the status of timeless classic due to its remarkable success as a novel, a Broadway play, and three acclaimed films.]]> 107 John Steinbeck 0142000671 Debashish 3 3.88 1937
author: John Steinbeck
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1937
rating: 3
read at: 2021/02/16
date added: 2021/02/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 20956661 92 Satyajit Ray 8170668646 Debashish 4 4.35 1973
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1973
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/26
date added: 2021/02/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 23522438 50 Satyajit Ray Debashish 4 4.18 1973
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1973
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/21
date added: 2021/01/21
shelves:
review:

]]> 12664136 104 Satyajit Ray Debashish 4 4.33 1972
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1972
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/20
date added: 2021/01/20
shelves:
review:

]]> 20956687 by Satyajit Ray

In one of their most hair-raising escapades ever, Feluda and Topshe set out for Rajasthan on the trail of the parapsychologist Dr Hajra and Mukul, a boy who claims he remembers his previous life. On the way they meet Jatayu, an author of popular crime thrillers, who decides to accompany them. After numerous adventures, including an impromptu camel ride across the desert, they reach Mukul's Golden Fortress, where Feluda unravels the many strands of a complex case.]]> 88 Satyajit Ray 8170668875 Debashish 3 4.38 1971
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1971
rating: 3
read at: 2021/01/11
date added: 2021/01/11
shelves:
review:

]]> 20956873 96 Satyajit Ray 8170668654 Debashish 5
আম�� কৈশোরে তেমন বই পড়িনি বল�� অনেক কিছু�� পড়া হয়ন�� আর বড�� হয়ে বড়দের বই পড়ে অভ্যাস হয়ে গেলে কৈশোরে�� বইগুলো অনেক সময়�� ভা�� লাগেনা�� এবছরের শুরুতে কো�� বই পড়ব বুঝে উঠতে পারছিলাম না�� এক বন্ধুর কাছে সেটা বলার পর সে ফেলুদা�� কথ�� উল্লেখ করলো, ফেলুদা নিয়�� তা�� উচ্ছাস প্রকাশ করলো, "কলকাতায় ফেলুদা" যে সে বহুবার মুগ্ধত�� নিয়�� পড়েছে তা বললো, সাথে এও বল�� দি�� যে আমার হয়তোব�� ভা�� লাগবেন�� তেমন, কারণ আম�� বড�� হয়ে গেছি��

সে পুরোপুরি ভু�� ছিলন��, প্রথ�� কয়েকট�� গল্প একদম সাদামাটা�� তব�� পড়ত�� বে�� ভা�� লাগছিল�� এই গল্পটা�� তেমন�� মন�� হচ্ছিল কিন্তু শেষে�� দিকে বে�� কয়েকবার চমকে দেয়�� ছাড়াও �� গল্পটা এর আগের গল্পগুলো�� চেয়�� অনেক ভাল। লেখা আগেরগুলো�� চেয়�� ভা�� হচ্ছ��, গোয়েন্দাগিরিও ভালভাব�� দেখানো হয়েছে�� সাড়�� চা�� দিতা�� যদ�� সে ব্যবস্থা থাকত কিন্তু গল্পটা অনেক ভা�� লেগেছে তা�� অর্ধেক কমিয়ে চা�� দেয়ার ইচ্ছ�� হয়ন�� বল�� পাঁচ�� দিচ্ছি।]]> 4.38 1970
author: Satyajit Ray
name: Debashish
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1970
rating: 5
read at: 2021/01/07
date added: 2021/01/07
shelves:
review:
ফেলুদা সিরিজে�� বইগুলো�� সবচেয়�� ভা�� লেগেছে যেটা সেটা হল এগুল�� যে এক কিশোরে�� জবানিত�� পাচ্ছি সেটা বুঝা যাচ্ছে�� লেখক কিশোরে�� জবানিত�� দুর্বোধ্�� শব্দ তুলে দেননি। একদম জলের মত সহ�� সরলভাব�� লেখা�� একটু বিপদের শঙ্ক�� দেখলেই "বু�� ঢি�� ঢি�� কর��" বা ফেলুদা�� একদম সাধারণ কো�� অনুমান দেখে চমকে যাওয়া, এগুল�� আসলে কো�� কিশোরকেই মানায়�� এরপর যেটা ভা�� লেগেছে সেটা হল সত্যজি�� ফেলুদাকে দিয়�� বলিয়ে নিয়েছেন যে, গোয়েন্দাগির�� নিয়�� যত দরকারি কথ�� সব শার্লক বল�� গেছেন। এখ�� শুধু সেগুলো মেনে চললে�� হবে। মানে এইধরনে�� গোয়েন্দাগির�� যে তা�� আবিস্কার নয�� সেটা লেখক আগেভাগেই বল�� দিয়েছেন��

আম�� কৈশোরে তেমন বই পড়িনি বল�� অনেক কিছু�� পড়া হয়ন�� আর বড�� হয়ে বড়দের বই পড়ে অভ্যাস হয়ে গেলে কৈশোরে�� বইগুলো অনেক সময়�� ভা�� লাগেনা�� এবছরের শুরুতে কো�� বই পড়ব বুঝে উঠতে পারছিলাম না�� এক বন্ধুর কাছে সেটা বলার পর সে ফেলুদা�� কথ�� উল্লেখ করলো, ফেলুদা নিয়�� তা�� উচ্ছাস প্রকাশ করলো, "কলকাতায় ফেলুদা" যে সে বহুবার মুগ্ধত�� নিয়�� পড়েছে তা বললো, সাথে এও বল�� দি�� যে আমার হয়তোব�� ভা�� লাগবেন�� তেমন, কারণ আম�� বড�� হয়ে গেছি��

সে পুরোপুরি ভু�� ছিলন��, প্রথ�� কয়েকট�� গল্প একদম সাদামাটা�� তব�� পড়ত�� বে�� ভা�� লাগছিল�� এই গল্পটা�� তেমন�� মন�� হচ্ছিল কিন্তু শেষে�� দিকে বে�� কয়েকবার চমকে দেয়�� ছাড়াও �� গল্পটা এর আগের গল্পগুলো�� চেয়�� অনেক ভাল। লেখা আগেরগুলো�� চেয়�� ভা�� হচ্ছ��, গোয়েন্দাগিরিও ভালভাব�� দেখানো হয়েছে�� সাড়�� চা�� দিতা�� যদ�� সে ব্যবস্থা থাকত কিন্তু গল্পটা অনেক ভা�� লেগেছে তা�� অর্ধেক কমিয়ে চা�� দেয়ার ইচ্ছ�� হয়ন�� বল�� পাঁচ�� দিচ্ছি��
]]> 531509
When three American men discover a community of women, living in perfect isolation in the Amazon, they decide there simply must be men somewhere. How could these women survive without man's knowledge, experience and strength, not to mention reproductive power? In fact, what they have found is a civilisation free from disease, poverty and the weight of tradition. All alone, the women have created a society of calm and prosperity, a feminist utopia that dares to threaten the very concept of male superiority.]]> 147 Charlotte Perkins Gilman 0394736656 Debashish 3 3.46 1915
author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
name: Debashish
average rating: 3.46
book published: 1915
rating: 3
read at: 2021/01/06
date added: 2021/01/05
shelves:
review:

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