If Reading Is Passion

Usually people enjoy their pastimes. Using leisure time for activities is a great pastime. However if you love reading books as a pastime or are passionate about it there are many genres of books available. Be it fiction or non-fiction, depending on what you like, novels are a great entertainer and pastime.

Looking for good novels, especially fiction genres?

My reading list of some of the best novels in the fiction category is right down here and you will feel them worthy of your time. Some of these novels are incredibly good. The following list mentions some of the most popular authors of all-time and their best sellers.

I have randomly picked some top selling authors and their books out of several, not in any particular order. Please read on.

1. Harold Robbins

Never Love a Stranger
A Stone for Danny Fisher
The Carpetbaggers
79 Park Avenue
The Dream Merchants

2. Jeffrey Archer

Kane and Abel
Shall We Tell the President
Not a Penny More Not a Penny Less
Sons of Fortune
Only Time Will Tell (The Clifton Series # 1 – 7)

3. Irving Wallace

The Seven Minutes
The Man
The Plot
The Prize
The Almighty

4. Arthur Hailey

Airport
Hotel
Flight into Danger
Wheels
In High Places

5. Alistair McLean

Where Eagles Dare
The Satan Bug
The Golden Rendezvous
Guns of Navarone
Force 10 from Navarone
The Golden Gate

6. Mario Puzo

The Godfather
The Fourth K
The Sicilian
The Fortunate Pilgrim

7. Frederic Forsyth

The Day of the Jackal
The Devil’s Alternative
The Odessa File
The Fourth Protocol
The Dogs of War

8. Robert Ludlum

The Bourne Identity
The Matarese Circle
The Chancellor Manuscript
The Osterman Weekend
The Holcroft Covenant
The Rhinemann Exchange

9. John le Carre’

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
The Russia House
The Secret Pilgrim
A Perfect Spy
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

10. John Grisham

A Time to Kill
The Firm
The Runaway Jury
The Pelican Brief
The Chamber

11. Ken Follett

Eye of the Needle
The Third Twin
A Dangerous Fortune
Triple
The Key to Rebecca

12. Jack Higgins

The Eagle Has Landed
Wrath of the Lion
The Whitehouse Connection
Te President’s Daughter
The Eagle Has Flown

13. Sydney Sheldon

The Other Side of Midnight
Master of the Game
If Tomorrow Comes
Bloodline
The Best Laid Plans

14. Ayn Rand

The Fountain Head
The Atlas Shrugged

If the above are golden oldies, the following are few of the many new-age authors whose novels I have had the pleasure to read.

1. Daniel Silva

The Kill Artist
The Heist
The English Spy
The Black Widow
The English Assassin

2. Michael Connelly

The Lincoln Lawyer
The Brass Verdict
The Wrong Side of Good Bye
The Poet
The Gods of Guilt

3. Mike Wells

Lust, Money & Murder (Books # 1 – 12)
Wild Child
Passion, Power and Sin (Books # 1 – 5)
The Drive By Wife (Books # 1 – 3)

Adding a caveat here - this is not see-all, read-all, end-all by any means. There are quite a number of equally good reads out there from authors I have not listed here. You may well have your own reading list, set of authors, likes and dislikes. It is quite likely that the list has missed out on some remarkable books and writers.

In this age one does not need to pick a paperback or hard cover since e-books and e-readers are easily available, if it is your thing. You may only need one device, a handheld e-reader like the Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad, Sony Reader or even tablets for downloading and reading e-books.

Get started if not already; pick your own book and start enjoying. Have a blast.

Thank you and appreciate your time.

The rising star of Turkey – A tribute to Hande Ercel on her Birthday

This is my second blog in as many days. If my first blog was about the blockbuster Turkish drama Ask Laftan Anlamaz, this blog is especially dedicated to you Hande Ercel on your birthday.

May you be gifted with life’s biggest joys and never-ending happiness. You are a gift to earth, so you deserve the best. Happy Birthday Hande Ercel.

You are a beautiful and talented young actor and there are no two views about it. To paraphrase Hande Ercel it is just enough to know that your beauty is power and your smile is its sword. A beautiful personality such as yours will last for a lifetime.

If you had held the audience spellbound in Ask Laftan as Hayat Uzun with your splendour and good looks coupled with a superlative performance in your previous avatar as Selin Yilmaz in Gunesin Kizlari you portrayed a totally different character in style and approach. You have followed up Hayat in Ask Laftan with another stellar performance as Hazal in Siyah Inci.

Keep your dreams alive. The price of your success is a combination of passion, dedication and hard work. You are beautiful, pristine and unassuming. Above all else your signature smile keeps you and others radiant, so keep smiling.

Purely for the uninitiated, Hande Ercel is a fast rising Television actress and model in Turkey having millions of followers across continent.  She is widely followed in Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. She has already acted in a number of Television dramas and is a household name in Turkey and in other parts of the world, particularly in countries like India, Pakistan she enjoys immense popularity.  Her chartbuster Ask Laftan Anlamaz has been dubbed in many languages and some of the dubbed versions have clocked more than a million hits on the YouTube.

Happy Birthday to you Hande Ercel. Tons of wishes.

Romance Unparalleled - Ask Laftan Anlamaz

I do not know if Penguin Picks is an apt name for a blog. It is for the discerning readers to judge. Rekindling an old passion to write blogs my first thought was about content. Several topics crisscrossed my mind but finally rested on the topic of entertainment which has universal appeal and reach. So here it is.

I am opening with Turkish TV dramas since they are immensely popular across the world. The shows are rich in content, have high production values, sleek direction and highly talented and gifted artists.

I am going to talk about in particular the 2016-2017 blockbuster ‘Ask Laftan Anlamaz’ starring Hande Ercel and Burak Deniz in the lead roles with able supporting cast.

For the uninitiated, the story goes somewhat like this.  Hande Ercel plays the lead female character Hayat Uzun who hails from a middle class background while the male lead by Burak Deniz enacts the role of Murat Sarsılmaz who owns and runs a leading textile firm in Istanbul. Hayat secures a job there as his personal assistant which was originally reserved for one Sona Pektas who is a family friend of Sarsilmaz's, in a case of mistaken identity. There begins their love story. Hayat and Murat are equally stubborn but find each other attractive. Hayat is a beautiful, pure, innocent girl while Murat is a young handsome guy with a businesslike manner and approach. They eventually fall in love and then reach a point when both cannot live without the other.  There are many twists and turns and several edge of the seat moments with Hayat at one stage deciding to part with Murat even though halfheartedly but Murat’s dogged pursuit, perseverance and undying love for her brings Hayat back to him and thanks to their overriding passion and love for each other they live a life of sometime happy and content, other times at odds with each other.  Many characters come and go in between as the show progresses but what glues the audience to the seat is the unfolding love and romance of Hayat and Murat and how one pursues the other. There is never a dull moment. After many heartaches and jolts the series finally ends on a happy note but the audience is left in a dizzying frame of mind due to the immense appeal the lead players wield over them.

I feel however that the show ended a bit prematurely. Also there are some loose ends that have not been adequately explained but I do not intend to put them out in public domain.  Of course these are unimportant hence do not matter.  The show has been lapped up not only within Turkey but also by the global audience. Such is the frenzy that the show has been dubbed in many languages.

The lead actors have done a superb job.  The supporting cast is equally adept.  Hande Ercel as Hayat is a class act. The Director has taken care to meticulously build her up and her beauty, charm and innocent look all come through quite nicely. Her mannerisms and adoring looks is a major draw. Burak Deniz as Murat has brilliantly depicted the role of a young, handsome, confident and upright businessman with a touch of romanticism in his manner and style which he carries with aplomb. The chemistry between the lead cast as well as their many romantic interludes is simply stunning and pleasing to the eye. With a tight script and meticulous direction it is no surprising that the show has been a runaway success. The Director, script and the entire cast and crew deserves a special praise for creating the magic of love in Hayat and Murat, akin to some kind of folklore.

Those yet to see, better catch it though they may be minuscule in number. Those seen it already it is worth a repeat.

Are we going to have a Season 2?  Many are hoping and praying for a sequel with Hande and Burak in the lead of course as they can easily recreate the magic all over again. Perhaps the concerned will take a call on Ask season 2.

The audience in the meanwhile is waiting with bated breath.