50 psychology classics by Tom Butler-Bowdon

This book is unique as it reads like a introduction book and a reference book at the same time. The book is divided into 50 chapters around critical questions like
Dreams and their language
Depression
Sex
Relationships
Moods
Corporate cultures
Money
And on and on.
Each chapter is taken from great books written on the subject with brief biographeys of the various phsycologists.

تلاش ممتاز مفتى

ي تلاش ايسى ك جس كى كوى منزل نحي.
اسلام أور چيز ح أور كتاب اود.
متعصب لوگ كحتيحن ك اسلام تلوار ك زور پر پهيلا. وه سچ كحتيحن ليكن ي تلوار فولاذ كى نحين ، أسلامى كردار كى تهى.
آيك خاتون كا عشق انسان كو پاگل بنا ديتا ه أور وه كسى جوگا نحين رهتا تو الله كا عشق كيا هو گا؟
هوش ارا ديتا ه اك خاك ك پتلى كا جمال
خود وه كيا هو گا اسي هوش مي لاني والا؟
عشق فرد كا كام ه قوم كا نحين.
دًُر بهى آيك تعلق ه، محبت بهى ايك تعلق هِ.
I don't know about this book. First of all there is a lot contradiction between the way he takes down Alims but than follows others of his own choice. The book is also incredibly positive outlook on Pakistan which is a theme he seems to have borrowed from Qudrat Ullah Shihab. Also the role of the Prophet, Koran and Muslim race has been greatly eulogised. He has also indulged in taking down the Western race without properly looking into reasons why they have done better. I give credit to Mufti for trying to get youngsters out of the doctrinal clutches of Pakistani Islam, but he fails to give them any future direction. Why should the young not be impressed by Western development? Haven't the Westerners after having learned from Muslims doing a great job currently? The issue is, that when knowledge is lost, or moves away from one culture how do you recapture it back? And that is what these scholars need to be thinking about.

The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureshi

What a story. Difficult to extricate if you are a desi in Inglistan. don't believe me? Check this out.
'In the suburbs people rarely dreamed of striking out for happiness. It was all familiarity and endurance: security and safety were the reward of dullness.' Huh, what do you think? Want more, here is a bit of a dialogue between an old immigrant (Anwer, owner of grocery store) and his freshly imported son in law (Changez) from India, specially brought in as extra help with the shop.
Anwer had reclaimed Changez and was patiently explaining to him about the shop, the wholesaler and financial situation. Changez stood there looking out of the window and scratching his arse, completely ignoring his father in law, who had no choice but to carry on with his explanation. As Anwer was talking Changez turned to him and said, 'I thought that it would much more freezing in England than this?'
Anwer was bewildered, irritated by his non sequitur.
'But I was speaking about the price of vegetables,' said Aner.
'What for?' asked Chagez in bewilderment. 'I am mailny a meat-eater.'

The book is filled with many tensions in the immigrant community of Asians in England. Between themselves, the Whites, and fresh arrivals like Changez.

Encounters with Islam by Malise Ruthven

I want you to beg borrow or steal in order to buy this book, if you are a Muslim. The book is a literary review, an overarching discussion of all books about Islam in today's world. I have begun to understand the great fear of the new Europeans when confronted by the Muslim culture. It's a case of identity crises. At a time when Europe is trying to come up with a distinctive new identity, the last thing it needs is to try and absorb a very different and distant Muslim identity. How does an Europe deal with the guilt of colonialism and the Holocaust, not to forget the hundreds of years of crusades? The Jews are not so numerous and have already cashed in by claiming Israel for themselves, but what about the millions of colonists? Interestingly it is exactly this payback mentality shared by a number of Pakistani immigrants in UK. 'Time to get our share back for what they have taken away from us,' is how they justify their continued existence in UK over and over again.
This book presents both sides of the arguments categorising various authors and presenting the gestalt of their discourse on a platter. It is difficult not to admire this format as a Muslim for the shear number of explanations included between it's covers.

Toast by Nigel Slater

Bloody waste of my time. It's a collection of English food which I could hardly relate to. There was no constant thread through the book which I could follow apart from mentioning food. Don't quite understand why anyone would be interested in writing such a book to be honest, and how this book became a best seller in UK is beyond my feeble comprehension. I mean food is for eating and savouring, not bragging about and that too about ordinary household food which went bad mostly. The good author could have fulfilled his great craving for food by indulgence into cooking and hospitality by actually making some dishes of his childhood for his friends and instead written about something else more revealing and insightful for me.

Light on Life by Hart de Fouw & Robert Svoboda

This book is a couple of Westerners researching the much practised and honoured skill of Jyotishi in India. But unfortunately this book is not for the causal sort of reader wanting to understand the intricacies of Hinduism. I have yet to read a book which is able to explain the Hindu mythology or philosophy in any simple terms. There are negations and contradictions from the very second page which only get complicated as you leaf further. These faculties can only be properly understood with a living Guru not with a paper one I am afraid. I have yet again managed not to finish this one :(

The Hinge Factor by Erik Durschmied

This book should have been named something apart from the 'Hinge factor' as it looks into the events of which went wrong for the losers of the many battles fought over the ages. Instead, the author has chosen to present his evidence as a collection of alternate 'what-if' scenarios. The issue is that any 'What-if' is sort of difficult to predict due to the nature of the unknown and I think the author acknowledges this fact by choosing not to detail any alternative theories. That's probably a very wise decision because only when certain authors start to theorise what-if's that strange judgements and conspiracy theories tend to emerge. These pseudo prophets are dangerous individuals who seem to relish in writing their own versions of their korans. Who wouldn't as the allure is so powerful. So for me the details of the battles listed give credence to the ever present chance or luck factor prevalent in every battle, every decision, every moment in our lives. Makes very interesting reading of a number of decisive battles and wars over the years, making it abundantly clear as to why such histories need to be scientifically researched as they can yield important corrective measures for all future battles to come, not barring the luck factor though. Therefore, for me this book should have been named the 'luck factor' but I guess that would have made it a very hard sell for the super confident Western audience who give little credence to luck in their very successful lives. Can't really blame this behaviour as well though....

I found it a fascinating fact that most wars in Europe were fought between the kinfolk, brother against brother or cousin against cousin, much in the same way as most bitter disputes still incur between family members. Just take a look around any family or observe the popularity of any TV soap of today.

One of the best encounters was the Boer war. Where the British gunners followed logic, their opponents used their instincts.

For me, the author fails to complete his argument. He starts off with the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, almost analysing some of the factors behind the tremendous event but abandons it completely during the whole narration till picking it up right in the end again. Yes, I thought, maybe he will give some details of this biggest crime the West has chosen to ignore over the years, but to my utter dismay the author failed to detail any circumstances here again. I have a feeling maybe the Publisher or Editor may have something to do with curtailing this section for the consumption of a very Western readers. Serves us right for not reading enough though. If there are enough readers buying books in the Islamic world than it will force the literal community to produce books to appease their new customers surly?

Ordinary thunderstorms by William Boyd

Very, very interesting plot in which an ordinary working class, almost brilliant British academic gets involved in a horrible crime in London which he counters by running away and hiding. He forges a brand new personality for himself as he lives off the streets of London. The plot gets better as he is still hunted by the killers who are working for a huge corporation. The story well till the very end where somehow the author runs out I ideas as to how to finish off the loose ends. Why did a cold blooded killer decide not to shoot his dog when he seemed not have the slightest hesitation killing a young girl and an innocent professor? Will the protagonists new GF ever find out his old identity? How can an intelligent and very able protagonist live satisfied working as a porter? How can a successful girl get involved with a hospital porter in the first place? Maybe I fail to understand as I am a Pakistani, but some of the assumptions were asking a bit too much of my imagination.
Otherwise I found the story very interesting especially the working of large corporations, journalists, and ordinary working class. I quite enjoyed the interpretation of the Corporate jostling, very realistic. The book is very captivating but the end could have been even better.

Famous short stories from Prem Chand

Possibly the best in Urdu short stories I have yet to read.

انحراف كا اثر ترياق سي رد نحي هو سكتا.
No anti-dote can cure once rebellion sets in.
أميد كا سراب ديكه كر بري بري دانا بهي شيخ چلي بن جاتي هيى.
حر آيك اصول كي عملي شان كچه أور هوتي هي.

راندْ اپني ماندْ ميى خوش حيى.
A prostitute who is only content when in demand.
جس نئ كبهى تلوار نه چلاى هو وه إرادى كرنى پر بهى تلوار نحيى چلا سكتا.
بحاوٓ كى طرف كشتى كو ليجانا أسان حي. بحادر ملاح وهى هى جو چرْهاوٓ كى طرف كشتى كو ليجاى.

Ghosts of Spain

Ghost of Spain: travels through Spain and its silent past by Giles Tremlett.

It's a fascinating book which covers Spanish history upto 2005. The main focus of the book is on the Franco years and Spanish attitudes and behaviours of today. This is a great book for anyone looking to get up to speed on visiting or planning to live in Spain. I quite enjoyed the descriptions of the artists, writers, poets, and politicians because it helped me greatly understand the Spanish mindset.