Booker Shortlisted Authors & Winners (2000 - 2007)

2000: Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin
· Trezza Azzopardi, The Hiding Place
· Michael Collins, The Keepers of Truth
· Kazuo Ishiguro, When We Were Orphans
· Matthew Kneale, English Passengers
· Brian O'Doherty, The Deposition of Father McGreevey

2001: Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang
· Ian McEwan, Atonement
· Andrew Miller, Oxygen
· David Mitchell, number9dream
· Rachel Seiffert, The Dark Room
· Ali Smith, Hotel World

2002: Yann Martel, Life of Pi
· Rohinton Mistry, Family Matters
· Carol Shields, Unless
· William Trevor, The Story of Lucy Gault
· Sarah Waters, Fingersmith
· Tim Winton, Dirt Music

2003: DBC Pierre, Vernon God Little
· Monica Ali, Brick Lane
· Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake
· Damon Galgut, The Good Doctor
· Zoë Heller, Notes on a Scandal
· Clare Morrall, Astonishing Splashes of Colour

2004: Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty
· Achmat Dangor, Bitter Fruit
· Sarah Hall, The Electric Michelangelo
· David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas
· Colm Tóibín, The Master
· Gerard Woodward, I'll Go to Bed at Noon

2005: John Banville, The Sea
· Julian Barnes, Arthur & George
· Sebastian Barry, A Long Long Way
· Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go
· Ali Smith, The Accidental
· Zadie Smith, On Beauty

2006: Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss
· Kate Grenville, The Secret River
· M. J. Hyland, Carry Me Down
· Hisham Matar, In the Country of Men
· Edward St Aubyn, Mother's Milk
· Sarah Waters, The Night Watch

2007: Anne Enright, The Gathering
· Nicola Barker, Darkmans
· Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist
· Lloyd Jones, Mister Pip
· Ian McEwan, On Chesil Beach
· Indra Sinha, Animal's People

Monsignor Quixote - Graham Greene

Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene is one of the most beautiful books I have read in recent times. It is a book on friendship, beliefs and doubts. Father Quixote and his friend the Mayor are the most endearing protagonists and you keep down the book at the end wishing their adventures had never ended. I remember thinking I would like to take up a journey like that myself across India.

Father Quixote and his friend are passionate people, both believing in divergent ideologies riddled by doubts held firmly in check. Sancho the Mayor is a communist and an atheist. They are an unlikely pair but no more unlikely than Don Quixote and his staid Sancho of Cervantes. Their friendship starts at a low point in both their lives when the mayor looses his Mayorship at the elections and the Father gets promoted to a Monsignor with prospects of ejection from his beloved El Tobaso which is too small a parish for a Monsignor. They decide then to travel across Spain in the Fathers old car named Rocinante. Don Quixote’s horse too is named Rocinante and the parallel that starts here is interestingly drawn through the book which traces the adventures of Father Quixote and his Mayor in the Rocinante.

The book is liberally interspersed with conversations about the church, the holy trinity and communism. It had me going to the Wiki to look up on Trotsky, the Spanish Inquisition and Generalissimo Franco and taking part in their debates. The mayor’s cynicism is treated with sympathy and opens our mind to a lot of questions that we take for granted. The most touching part of the book is the way Father Quixote is able to talk unreservedly in the Mayor’s presence, even to think with a freedom he doesn’t allow himself when alone. It is however Father Quixote’s innocence that gives the book its touch of humor.

Like Father Leopoldo says in the book, ‘Fact and fiction …. So difficult to distinguish’ by the end of the book you actually start wondering if Don Quixote and Sancho Panza were real people who had real adventures. It is a recurring theme of two unlikely people who connect, not because of their beliefs but because of something deeper than that. It is perhaps doubts and the questioning that bring people together. Many of the beautiful things in life seem to be a product of not accepting things as they are said to be. Father Quixote in one of his conversations with the Mayor rightly says that he reads all the books he does because he needs them to strengthen his beliefs. If he, like the Baker from El Tobaso had complete unquestioning faith he would not keep going back to St. Francis De Sales.

Note: The book has also been made into a movie starring Alec Guiness as Father Quixote

Blossom Book House

Located on Church Street, right across the bowling destination Amoeba, Blossom Book House is one of my favorite bookstores. Whether you are looking for a used books at a good price or spanking new books, they have it all. This is one bookstore that seems to divine what the customer is looking for. For example there was a time when I was hunting for Herman Hesse. I was basically stocking up on every Herman Hesse I could lay my hands on, as I was completely blown by Steppenwolf and Damien. I walk into Blossom one Saturday afternoon, and there’s this whole stack of Hesses… the complete collection! I picked them all up.

A typical Saturday afternoon at Blossom, you’ll find people crowding every aisle between the huge rows of books. You would definitely come across men toppling over books stacked precariously in the corners and women taking their pick of romances in a cozy corner of the 1st floor. Go to Blossom after reading the Hindu Literary Supplement and you will find those books there.

The store is spread over 3 floors – Ground floor with the billing counter and display of popular and recently published books, 1st floor is the fiction and children’s section, the 3rd floor is the non fiction section. The entire place is crammed full of books, stacks of them from floor to ceiling. The first and the third floor books are appropriately categorized, though you may find it a little confusing at first. The first floor of fiction is categorized into Classics, Fantasy, Crime, Indian writers, Plays/Poetry, Literature, Romance, Erotica, Fiction, Wild West etc. At the children’s section you get to see your childhood favourites like Enid Blyton or Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys. The first floor also contains a very good collection of Comics – Phantom, Superman, MAD, Archies, Tin Tin, Asterix etc.-all at bargain prices. The third floor has books on Language, History, Management, Computers, Psychology and a lot of assorted others.

My favorite section is the one at the extreme right corner on the first floor. It’s got an excellent collection of all my favorite writers – Doris Lessing, Hesse, Daphne Du Maurier, Camus. This is not a specially categorized section but it could possibly fit into Modern Classics. At times the sections are a little mixed up. For instance, the Indian writing section ranges from Pakistani writers to Noam Chomsky or you would find Erica Jong and Jodi Picault jostling among the Georgette Heyers. But the place grows on you. The owner, Mare Gowda is well read and can advise you on books. Some of the attendants too know exactly where to find a particular book or author. Or if you just want to browse, there are stools placed in every narrow aisle.

The best part about this store is the bargain prices. Most of the used books would cost between 80/- to 100/-. If the book is tough to come by it may be costlier. New books are always offered at a discount of at least 20%. Recently I went to the Strand Book exhibition and picked up couple of books. One book in particular, cost me Rs290 there. Imagine my disappointment when I saw that the same book cost Rs200 at Blossom. It is a year round exhibition for Blossom. One could experiment with writers here; explore new genres and authors at little cost. You could come back sell it all to Blossom at 50% of the amount you paid for it.

Recently they have taken to displaying books down the steps leading to the entrance of the building. This started during the launch of the latest Harry Potter mid 2007 and the trend continues with children’s books. So that’s another landmark for you, though I have laid out a map here to guide you to this place. Believe me, it’ll soon become your favourite hangout! :)

Source: Google Maps

Reliance TimeOut

Another Bookstore? Bangalore book lovers are really spoilt for choice now. Reliance TimeOut is the latest offering in the retail arena (after Fresh, Trendz, Digital,Wellness, FootPrint and so on...) by the petroleum behemoth. Soft( can you imagine Reliance being soft about anything? :) launched in Bangalore recently TimeOut is the first of its kind in the country. Located on Cunningham Road (See map) and spread over 21,000 square feet with an attached Coffee Shop, Reliance is trying to woo book lovers in a city that now apparently has the largest net savvy population.

What surprises you the moment you enter the store is the decor. Surprisingly well done, the colours of the book store is quite different from the normal fare. Integrating stationery, books, music, gifts, music & movies the interiors are tastefully done and very colourful.

As you enter you are presented as usual with the latest book releases. To the right is the movies and music section. The "sound domes" must be the result of research on the status of music stores in the country. Unlike other listening stations there are no headphones for people to abuse. There is a dome above your head that plays the chosen music. Innovative yes, but not practical. Since the store is continually playing music, the two jarr and make quite an awful listening experience.

A karaoke studio for the vocally inclined, where apparently, you can record your singing professionally. The Movies section (both international and indian) seemed painfully understocked. That does seem to be the story of this store, well done but not well stocked. Ask any music/movie/book lover and they'll tell you that 'more' is never enough :)

Source: Google Maps