Books I'm reading...

The other day as we were discussing my new blog, F and R suggested blogging about 'influential' books I've read, or the 'exotic' places that I intend to visit.

It's interesting how books and travel are so interconnected. Books often give you a fascinating window into a new world that you haven't seen before, and prompt you to take action to be a part of that culture or adopt a new perspective...like cooking Moroccan food, eating at a Vietnamese restaurant, or planning that vacation to Amsterdam to check out tulips! So, today's post is about books.

Growing up, I vividly remember how the local librarian would often be visibly exasperated with me, as I'd borrow more books each week than he'd anticipated a kid would borrow when he computed his fixed 'library fee'. Of course, I'd only add to his despair by requesting titles he didn't stock, or returning a book the same day I'd borrowed it.

Thankfully, my love of reading has only grown over the years, to a point where at any given time, I'm usually trying to read at least a couple of books (well, round robin if you really want to get technical about it). And continuing in the spirit of useless trivia, talking about an interesting book that you've recently read is a guaranteed way of getting my undivided attention (not that you really want it!)....even when there's dimsum or tiramisu on the table.

So, while the list of 'influential' books is still work-in-progress, here's a list of books on my current reading list:
1. The Dhando Investor: The Low-Risk Value Method to High Returns by Mohnish Pabrai
2. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
3. Everybody Loves a Good Drought: Stories from India's Poorest Districts by P. Sainath
4. Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips by National Geographic
5. Swami and Friends by R. K. Narayan

Well, if you are still reading this post and have recommendations for any interesting books or travel ideas, I'd love to hear from you :)