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AUTHOR'S NOTES
Books in Fishes
Since books were so important to me as a child (and an adult) and are such a major part of the book, and because I’m the sort of person who loves getting book recommendations from other books, I’ve put together this annotated bibliography of books that appear in my book. The titles link to amazon.com if the books are still in print. You may also order them directly from your favorite bookstore or via booksense.com, which will link you with an independent bookshop in your area.
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| CHAPTER ELEVEN: STONE AND SAND AT HOLY WOUNDS |
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I don’t have this textbook either, but Rani Durgavati, like the other historical characters mentioned in the book, was a real person and she really did stab herself in the heart after being shot in the eye. Amar Chitra Katha has a comic about her.
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| CHAPTER TWELVE: ALICE'S MARKET |
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The Mahabharata.
An ancient myth-cycle about the rivalry between two sets of cousin-princes, concluding in an earth-shaking battle. The Indian equivalent of the Bible, only much longer and without the boring genealogical parts. Apart from its historical and cultural significance, it’s a terrifically entertaining story.
There are lots of filmed and televised versions, including one by Peter Brooks. A philosophical interpolation, The Bhagavad Gita, is well-known and widely read by people who are not very familiar with the longer work. I like the Kamala Subramanyam translation, which is not available outside of India, and the Amar Chitra Katha comic book version, which is also not available outside of India. A number of translations will be available at any good library, so look for the least clunky and most readable one.
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| CHAPTER THIRTEEN: A JOLLY GOOD READ |
King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry
Henry wrote a number of books about horses, of which the most famous are this one and the series about wild ponies on the island of Chincoteague. King of the Wind is a lovely, atmospheric story about how a stallion and a stable-boy travel from Arabia to Victorian England.
Enid Blyton
There’s not much to say about her that wasn’t covered in the chapter, and if you’re old enough to read Fishes, you’re too old to appreciate her. Her boarding school series are St. Clare’s and Malory Towers. I preferred the former. Her books are not available in America, but can be found in India and the UK.
P. G. Wodehouse
Author of about a hundred of the top thousand funniest books ever written. Start reading any one of them, and you’ll find yourself spontaneously reading aloud choice passages to hapless passersby. All of the ones about Jeeves, Lord Emsworth, and Mr. Mulliner are good; I don’t care for the Psmith series, but lots of people like it. I am especially fond of The Mating Season (starring Jeeves and Bertie) and Meet Mr. Mulliner.
Georgette Heyer
She wrote Regency romances that lots of people, including men, love even if they detest all other romance novels. They are not sappy and are very funny. I particularly recommend the following books, but almost all of hers are worth reading.
Cotillion is a cleverly plotted comedy-romance with something like four pairs of couples and one of my two favorites of her romantic heroes. This and Sprig Muslin are probably her funniest books.
Sprig Muslin concerns two incurable romantics and a more practical couple that gets caught up in their web of insanity.
Sylvester is likely to be of particular interest to Fishes readers. The heroine sees the hero at a party, takes an immediate dislike to his high-handed manner and a fancy to his satanically upswept eyebrows, and writes him into a Gothic melodrama as the villain, Count Ugolino.
The Unknown Ajax is more of a family drama/comedy than a romance, and has my other favorite of Heyer’s romantic heroes. It’s about a young country man who comes into an unexpected inheritance, but must move into a ghastly, crumbling rural mansion inhabited by a horrifyingly dysfunctional family in order to claim it.
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| CHAPTER FIFTEEN: ALICE'S MARKET |
I’m not sure what encyclopedia listed that proverb.
The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White
The non-psychotic’s version is a real book and an invaluable writer’s resource, discussed at greater length in recommended books on writing. Link.
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
One of the non-boring classics. Seriously, if you’ve never read Dickens, this is a great book to start with.
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