Dear friends,
I have created this thread so that we can share our reading experiences. Please mention your best 3 reads so that we also have opportunity to go thorough those wonderful books, as there are so many great books and it is easy to miss.

I just finished reading Jagdish Ghimire's Madan Puraskar winning book 'Antarmannko Yatra'  and going through Bill Bryson's Travel book 'Neither here nor there, Travels in Europe'..(both book are OK type for me)

But just let me pick my best 3 reads so far (hmmm not so easy task)

1. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson  (I have never read and perhpas will not, such a simple, handy and short book that could have life long impact)
2. Janga Bahadur by Shree Krishna Shrestha (Perhaps the most informative Nepali book that taught me a lot about my country's history)
3. Glimpses of Golden Childhoood by Osho.(Bulky book thicker than my pillow, that I completed non stop in  two days)

And Yours.................???
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Like all of you I also enjoy reading a lot, Since my primary days in school 'it has been my primary hobby', in that case, gone through different types of books from fiction, to non fiction, autobiography to historical and to spiritual. Yudhir Thapa/Prakash Kobid's types's Nepali novels to Ved Prakash Sharma's 'Suspense type Bollywood type Hindi bulky novels' were the first books I remember reading in initian stages including newspapers/magazines. Then I switched my interest towards self help type books. I still remember those books such as 'Tough Time never lasts but tough people do', 'How to win friends and influence friends' 'You Can win', 'The way of positive thinking' etc.

Back in India, I was interested in Indian history so flipped through many autobiograhis of Indian leaders from Gandhi's Experiment with Truth to 'Autobiograhy of Nehru'.Besides that I absolutely enjoyed Khushwant Singh's Shova De's and Vikram Sheth's pieces. Oh ya I also remeber now Monica Ali's impressive novel 'Bricklane' . But I m not sure if she is Indian or Bangladeshi.

Then I fell in love with Nepali books, few of them I can remember now are 'Shirish ko phul', 'Chapaiyaka Anuhar' 'Pagal Basti' 'Ghumbe mech or something like that', most of them were fiction and I also went through BP's 'Jail Journal' which was really informative. Other Nepali great books that I enjoyed are Basanti, Palpasa Cafe, Seto Bagh, Soch etc.

About Nepali writers who write in English, I became the greatest fan of Samrat Upadhya when I first went through his debut book 'Arresting God....' but after reading his other works it gave me same kind of monotonus style, I wish I had not read his other two books (Guru of love and Royal Ghosts). Manjushree Thapa's Tutor of history is still with me, started a year ago but I never know when can I finish. I enjoy Peter J Karthak's moving writing and ya Im lucky enough to read great stories here in Sajha esp by Sum_Off, Sajha_Gazer, John Galt and et al.

These days, im more into spiritual front, few memorable reads are 'How to Know God : The Soul's Journey into the Mystery of Mysteries' 'Power of Now' 'A Life', 'The First and Last Freedom' 'Monk who sold his Ferari', 'Ageless body timelss mind', 'Siddhartha' 'Enlightenment and Invincibility' and few othres.

I have read very few English fiction works, so I would like you guys to share me, so far I had great time going through Paulo Cohelo's handful books, of course including his world famous 'The Alchemist'. Reading Kite Runner was 100 times better than watching it on screen and ya one more novel I dont forget is 'Nothing lasts forever'

Regarding financial issues, please suggest me what to read, if u ask me I will recommend 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' the only book I have read.

On relationship issues, I have had really really enjoyed (also learnt) a lot from only two books I have gone througn 'Men are from Mars and women from venus' and 'Why Men lie and women cry', I do strongy recommend you guys if u r going rough roads on relationships. Then of course 'Chicken Soup Series' Im sure u loved them too....needless to say, im huge fan of of Chicken soup books :)

1. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom

2. Hsin Hsin Ming - Osho 

and..

3. If tomorrow comes - Shidney Sheldon

Just 3 picks ?..that is so unfair :_)

1) Love in the time of cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
    Heartwarming ! A novel about love in all its forms..young love, unrequited love, married love, carnal love :)

2) To kill a mockingbird-Harper Lee
    Masterpiece ! A heartrending story about justice and social injustice .

3) A thousand splendid suns - Khalid Hoseini
    An eye opener ! A story about an unforgiving time and an unlikely friendship .

I read lot of biography books , i have read biography of Nehru, Mao , Marx you name it , but of all i read the one which touched me was biography of Abraham Lincoln , it was a great book but i forgot the writers name was a big book, included his presidential debate too.

Recently i read Kite Runner was touching too.

While i was kid in school i read one russian book, you know that time russian cultural center used to sell books in really cheap price, the one book i still remember which  was of course translated to nepali by some nepali writer forgot his name, anyway the book name was "agni dikchhyaa" by Nikolae Astrobshki.

Things Fall Apart 

शिरिशको फूल - पारीजात

पागल बस्ती - सरुभक्त

मोदी आइन - बि. पि. कोइराला

 

Fiction - All John Grisham books

Most of the VA Naipaul books esp Mr Biswas's House

Fountainhead

fatalism and Development - Dor Bahadir Bista (I loved this book and i think all Nepalis should read this book. This clearly explains why we are not able to progress economically)

The Richest Man in Babylon - the best book in financial advise.

End of poverty - Jeffery Sachs (great book for development concepts)

Bill Gate's first book as well was a very interesting read.

 

 

I want to read No. 3 in your list:

Glimpses of Golden Childhoood by Osho

how is it BTW?

1. Sumnima - B.P. Koirala

2. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

3. If Tomorrow Comes - Sidney Sheldon

4. A Stranger in the mirror - Sidney Sheldon (euta badhi bho ..)

1. Shirish ko Ful by Parijat. I recommend this book to all, esp if you aren't so familiar with nepali literature. The simplicity of this book will leave you mesmerized. The ease with which Parijat expresses the intricacies of human emotions in simple everyday words is beautiful. There is so much more to Nepali literature than mahendra-mala.

2. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Loved it for the details, for the characters who all seemed so familiar and everything else.

3. Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie. This is one of the funniest and most heartwrenching books ever. About a native american rock band in a Spokane reservation. Oppression always leads to beautiful literature.

The Alchemist-------- Paulo Coelho (A boy's journey to chase his dream)

The Road------- Cormac McCarthy (Agian a journey for survival)

The Reader------ Translated in English by Carol Brown Janeway. Originally German Novel (About holoucast and post Nazi Era war crime trails and a strange  love story).

 

 

 * Couldn't I start over? by Jean Thesman

*  The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards ( amazing!)

*  A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks

*  Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

*  A Northern Light  by Jennifer Donnelly

...these r my top five. Every book is inspirational...well, in a way!

Books equal if not exceed the effects of a drug to put myself into a deep sleep! I do remember the following nevertheless.

1. The good earth...i think the writer was pearl s Buck
2. ofcourse Kite runner.
3. the fourth dimension..Rudy Rucker..

Esp. the third one, few pages and dozing off was never easier!!

1. Tarun Tapasi (kabita)
2. Samjhana ka pailaharu (yatra samsmaran)
3. Agnidikshya (upanyas)

1. Confession of Hitman - John Perkins

2. Invention A Nation- Vidal Gore

3. Fatalism and Development - Dor B. Bista

4. An Account of The Kingdom of Nepal- Fancis B. Hamilton

5. The Peoples war in Nepal Left Prespective- Edit by Arjun Karki and David Seddon

and finally here comes the interesting one. I think it applies to nepali culture too.

6. Games Indian Play: Why we are the way we are- V. Raghunathan

 

oops it is Inventing a Nation by Vidal Gore

How about our own nepali writer Mr Upadhaya

God of Love

I just found too much sexual description in his books though although they were a good fictional read.

A suitable boy - (some indian writer, but was a great book)

Twinnie, so you are also a Sidney Sheldon fan huh? I use to love him. I think I should start reading him again. :)

Amazing,, good commentary on the books, mitey.  Thanks.

Mine three above are the most recent ones that I have read and found most thought-provoking.

There are just far too many to recount - books are either exceptionally good or exceptionally bad and I suppose, a lot of that comes down to your taste and maturity.  There are then your all time favourites. I have got a few of my own - those that you grew up reading and made a hero out of some along the way.

It's morning... so I better head for bed.  Happy weekend.

"New Man for the New Millennium"  - OSHO

(Controversial stuff but highly thought provoking and futuristic, a great book who wants to push the social boundaries and think outside the planet...not just the box or bun! BTW - I am no Osho devotee, fan or member of any cult....but respect this man's ability and courage to think deep and wide and convey it in a lay man's language..Read it and I bet you won't regret it!)