Indians, Faeries, And Corpses

The last few days have been good for reading. In fact I finished two books in the last two days!

Yesterday I finished 'India: a History' by John Keay. I really liked this book and learned a lot from it. The last two chapters dealt with the growth of the independence movement, Independence and what has occurred since then. The information was interesting and heart rending at the same time. The partition of British India into India and Pakistan caused so much tragedy. Millions of people moved to one country or the other and many massacres took place. Neither country is satisfied with partition - especially relating to Kashmir - and this leads to fighting between them. Eventually they will have to learn to live with each other.

I wanted something light and fun to read next so I read 'Stardust' by Neil Gaiman. This delightful fairy tale about a man looking for a gift for his 'true love' kept me smiling and laughing. It is a fun book and it is easy to read. I will put a '+' beside it when I add it to my book list. I just finished it.

I was rooting around the first floor at Russells Books and I found 'Look At The Sky: Death In Cultures Around The World' by Shawn Haley. This morbid sounding book looks interesting. It will serve to feed my anthropological curiosity and provide useful ideas for my fiction writing. If all else fails I can read it again at Halloween.