The Alchemist…

“To realize one’s destiny is a person’s only obligation.”

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho, a book that inspires by gently touching your heart with the immensely simple language yet strong message. It talks about the wisdom of listening to our hearts and learning to pay attention to the omens strewn along life’s path. The beauty of the book lies in its simplicity of expression. It’s not a book if you are looking for something logical and realistic. It’s a book to be read if you want to feel and immerse yourself in the journey of life.

The book is about Santiago, a shepherd boy who dreams of a treasure and embarks on a journey from Spain to Egyptian Pyramids in search of finding it. Slowly this magical fable combines spirituality and mysticism in a beautiful concoction to pave the way for the Shepherd boy to realize his destiny. The boy’s journey is marked by joys, sorrows, travails, his learnings and yearnings. His anxiety, worry, love and feelings find a beautiful expression and how he learns to be aware of his inner voice and what he really want to do “When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream”, that’s the message the book echoes.

It’s a book that advises never to sacrifice the desire to explore beyond the known for fear of the unknown. Following the dreams and inner voice and trusting our intuition and inherent desire and using that to realize our potential- that’s what The Alchemist is all about.

The Day of the Jackal..

I was insisted by my friend to read, “The Day of the Jackal”, written by Frederick Forsyth. The book tells about the story of hunting of an assassin code named Jackal, an Englishman who is hired by a secret para-military group OAS Chief, Marc to assassinate French President, General de Gaulle. The book is divided into three parts, the first describes the Summary of the Plot and selection of Jackal by Marc for the task, the second describes the laying of the Plot and the planning of the Jackal and the third describes the hunting down of Jackal by the French detective Lebel.

The plot is quite interesting and description is immaculate and detailed. I find that the book has more attention to detail and a lot of description than dialogue. What engaged my interest in this incredible thriller is the convoluted and logical way in which the plot unfolds and the character of the Jackal who is described as an inhumanly methodical and deviously professional. Really enjoyed the foolproof planning that went into the design of the plot and the description of the terrorist activities..