My Five Books

Okay…..so my list of those five books which I read in recent past, may not be exquisite; it may or may not have big names and titles. But I can say this with certainty, that it is different. So I am happy, and I am sure someone, somewhere may also appreciate these titles. So, here I go with my own list of five books.

(1) “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” – By Dr. Joseph Murphy : -

“The Power of Your Subconscious Mind”- By Dr. Joseph Murphy and Revised by Dr. Ian McMahan, is a very inspirational and special book indeed in its own way. I was introduced to it by my doctor, and I will always be thankful to him for it. The edition which I have is published by Pocket Books, 2000, 2006. According to the summary of the book, it is “One of the most widely acclaimed self-help books ever written, plus this book has helped over one million people around the world achieve amazing goals by changing the way they think”. I am sure the numbers are still increasing! It also says that “Master the simple techniques in The Power of Your Subconscious Mind and discover how easy it can be to remove the mental blocks that stand between you and your goals”. Like other motivational and self-help books this book too inspires us to imbibe in us positive feeling combined with positive thinking in order to achieve our desired goal.

I really liked this book, but must confess I am yet to instill in myself many of the desired qualities.

(2) “The Essence of Self-Realisation: the Wisdom of Paramhansa Yogananda recorded and complied by his disciple Swami Kriyananda” : -

I bought this book recently and am nearly half-way through it. So I will not comment on it much. But still from whatever I have read till now, I am able to feel really positive and spiritual inside me. According to its summary, it contains nearly three hundred sayings rich with spiritual wisdom by Paramahansa Yogananda, which were recorded and compiled by his disciple Swami Kriyananda. According to the book summary, its scope is vast- it offers a complete explanation of life’s true purpose and the way to achieve that purpose. It is carefully organized into a priceless guide to the spiritual life. So, if you are into spirituality’s connection with human life, this one’s for you.

(3) “The Common Birds of Simla”- A. E. Jones : -

Now I must forewarn you that starting from this one, all the books which I am going to name here, relate to my city, that is, Shimla. They are best sellers in their own right, and owing to the fact that I wanted to know my city and facts related to it even more, I could not help but buy these books. Shimla is a popular tourist destination, so I am hoping I will not bore you much.

I love birds and I love observing them. Though till now, I have not gone for bird-watching expeditions especially. But still, I am an avid bird lover. Therefore, this one book is dedicated to these tiny, colourful beauties.

‘The Common Birds of Simla- By A. E. Jones’, is Edited and Retold by “Somesh Goyal”. The original book was published in the early twentieth century. It was written by “A. E. Jones”, who and many other bird-watchers like A. O. Hume, Hugh Whistler and N. F. Frome, either made Shimla their home, or frequented this summer capital in the British Era. It is an informative and colourful guide as to the variety of birds found in Shimla and adjoining areas. I am sure, it is a must buy, for the libraries of bird-lovers.

(4) “Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills”- Minakshi Chaudhry : -

Ghosts……ok, so I know not many believe in ghosts in today’s modern world. Nevertheless, this book really makes a good read. It has a foreword by Ruskin Bond. This book contains stories as narrated to the author by local people, most of them elderly about the real life ghost stories, as prevalent in Shimla.Most of them go back to pre-independence when Shimla was the summer capital in British reign. It has a collection of fifteen (15) stories. Some of the titles are: “Haunted Roads, bauris, and Benches; the Sanjauli fruit seller, the Ghost on the Railway Line, The Walk Back”. According the summary of the book “there have been real encounters with the supernatural, and included in this collection of chilling tales are personal experiences of people, only some of whom have managed to emerge unscathed”.

(5) “Scandal Point”- Manju Jaidka : -

Most of the readers must be unaware that ‘Scandal Point’ is the name of a spot on the Mall Road in Shimla, where four roads meet. As the story has been passed on, it is said that this is the point where people of Shimla then, had witnessed the elopement of a Ruler of an Indian princely state with the daughter of the Viceroy of India then, in 1892. This story goes ahead of that incident as to what happened next, but also with a disclaimer that this story ahead is a work of fiction. I bought it out of curiosity. It is interesting, no doubt. It would make a good one time read.

This was the account of the five books which I read recently, and I enjoyed reading most of them. Its not the review of the books. So I will not criticize either the subjects or the contents of these books. Waiting for the feedback of my readers though.

I had published this hub in response to a question by Cardisa. But after publishing it, I read her question more carefully and found that this hub does not serve as good an answer to her question, as it should have been. I cannot exactly say that I am recommending these books owing to varied interests and availability of these too. But still, I want to give credit to Cardisa for giving me this wonderful idea for my hub. Please accept my humble acknowledgments. :-)

P.S. :In addition to these books, I want to add name of another one, which can serve as a good guide to both tourists coming to Shimla and is also informative for locals. The title of the book is : "SHIMLA ON FOOT: TEN WALKS- By Raaja Bhasin". It is a splendid guide on the town's heritage and wonderful paths and trails of the city.