My favorite Sidney Sheldon novels

Sidney Sheldon(1917-2007), the favorite of many. Even before I could realize the author was He and not She I had a become a great fan of his Books. 
He is one such writers who puts flesh and blood into the characters. It feels as if the characters are performing for you and around you. The intriguing story line unfolds slowly and captivates you into its magical world. Each and every story is so original, full of captivating and fascinating plots and thrilling finishes. I found his novels are mostly woman oriented ( at least the ones I have read are). 

The first novel I read was 'The Sky is Falling', gifted by my brother long time back. I got some free time couple of weeks back and my obvious choice was Sidney. Finished two of his beautiful novels in just three days!!. So, I thought why not I put together the list of the novels I have 'already read' and 'to be read'. I know it is very difficult to pick one Favorite book for the Sheldon fans, every read falls into the Favorite category. Still you can mention the book you loved reading the most.

Please add on to the list if I have missed any.

1.		The Sky is Falling : One of the best suspense novels by Sheldon. A story about an American Royal Family of Winthrops, which goes through a tragic phase of  five deaths in a single year. Dana Evans, a Washington anchorwoman  makes it her mission to investigate these seemingly random tragedies, little realizing that her search will sweep her across several continents, place her and her young son in grave danger, and lead her to a truth that will astound the world
2		The Best Laid Plans:  Sidney Sheldon returns with a tale of two equally determined people headed on a collision course. One the governor of a small southern state, Oliver Russell is a man with a strategy to win the White House. The other is the beautiful and ambitious Leslie Stewart, a woman intent on seeing him lose everything. Soon they will both discover that even the best laid plans can go dangerously astray--with deadly consequences.
3		Tell Me Your Dreams : A very innocent yet gullible Ashley Patterson is a computer whiz. She is lonely, shy and somehow absolutely convinced that she is being stalked. Toni Prescott and Alette Peters work with Ashley Patterson at Global Computer Graphics. And the enthralling story of continuous murders take place linking all these three. Fast paced and thrilling, keeps you hooked till the end. Don't miss!
4		If Tomorrow Comes: She's Tracy Whitney, Sidney Sheldon's most exciting heroine ever. Lovely, idealistic, she's soon to enter a life of hardship and revenge, one that will lead her into a dazzling world of sumptuous wealth, audacious exploits, and narrow escapes -- and to a passion that promises to fulfill all her secret dreams...
5		A Stranger in the Mirror : Toby Temple is a superstar, the world's funniest man. He gets any woman that he wants, but under the superstar image is a lonely man. Jill Castle is a sensuous starlet. She has a dark and mysterious past and has an ambition even greater than Toby's. Together they rule Hollywood.
6		Master of the Game :If you want to win, you have to learn to be a master of the game.” This is what the storyteller Sidney Sheldon portrays through this novel. Kate Blackwell is one of the richest and most powerful women in the world. She is an enigma, a woman surrounded by a thousand unanswered questions. Her father was a diamond prospector who struck it rich beyond his wildest dreams.
7		Bloodline :One of Sidney Sheldon’s most popular and bestselling books. The daughter of a rich and powerful father, Elizabeth Roffe is young, beautiful – and sole heir to a billion dollar fortune. Then tragedy strikes. Her father is killed in a freak accident and Elizabeth must take command of his mighty global empire, the pharmaceutical company Roffe and Sons. It makes Elizabeth the richest girl in the world. But someone, somewhere, is determined that she must die.
8		Rage of Angels :  It is truly a page turner. The book revolves around Jessica Parker, an extremely beautiful and successful New York lawyer,  who falls into a dangerous love triangle with two men--one a prominent politician, the other the head of the powerful Mofia family for whom she is counsel. The power and strength with which she fights back is worth the read
9		The Stars Shine Down : Lara Cameron is America's Princess, the power behind the tallest building on earth, a self-made billionaire who towers over a traditionally male domain, an icon of glamour and accomplishment to men and women everywhere. Beautiful but insecure, ruthless yet vulnerable, Lara has struggled brutally to achieve it all -- yet still wants more.

 To be Read : 
1. Morning, Noon and Night 
2. Are You Afraid of the Dark 
3. The Naked Face 
4. The Other Side Of Midnight 
5. Windmills of The God 
6. The Sands of Time

Have I missed any??

Books Read

The book is about Nikhill Arya, an MIT graduate, who plans a short vacation to Cambodia along with his friend Sam after graduation. And his life changes for ever. He goes from one unexpected place to the other, witnesses unbelievable situation one after the other. As you read through, you feel sad for him, happy sometimes and feel pity at times.

This is Karan Bajaj's second novel after Keep Off the Grass. Am yet to read the later one.

A very interesting Kannada novel i read recently after a very long time. It is authored by V.M. Inamdar. The three sections Kusuma, Pratibha and Chitralekha are very well narrated. He makes the visualization of the characters so easy and vivid that you feel the whole story is happening in front of you. Can finish the novel in a day or two

Bhagat all around!

I have become a great fan of writer Chetan Bhagat. I just love the style he writes.

The first novel i read was 'Five Point Someone' following the '3 Idiots' Controversy. Recently i finished his '2 States' while on a vacation!. Don't worry. I did not carry the book while the guide was explaining to me about the monument. But somehow couldn't afford to sleep in train with this novel beside. Its quite an addiction i must say.

Have you noticed one thing. All his titles have a numerical in them

Five Point Someone (2004)

One Night @ the Call Center (2005)

The 3 Mistakes of My Life (2008)

2 States (2009)

Any guesses what may be his next novel? Something starting with 4??

Five Point Someone

What got me to this book honestly was the buzz surrounding it. I know it is a book published way back in 2004 and am too late a reader. This happened when my brother sent me the link to Chetan Bhagat 's post and i was really moved. I am yet to watch the controversial movie, for which the world is going ga-ga over it.(i know..i know..am late in this too...) before i take either Mr.Amir or Mr. Chetan's side.

Novel or Movie?

Popular book doesn't always translate into a great movie.

Let’s analyze the approach involved in both.
While watching movie, the viewer is presented with all pictures and dialogues, sometimes even music is used to achieve a deeper impact on the viewer. Whereas readers are supposed to do more brainwork: They have to elaborate the written descriptions and dialogues into pictures in their minds, not supported by the medium of music.

In spite of that novel reading wins the race in most of the cases.

The First novel is The Da Vinci Code.
Fascinating thriller, surprising at
every twist, every turn, and in the end, an utterly
unpredictable conclusion.

Amidst lot of controversy, the movie failed to create the magic onscreen as compared to the novel.

Though it is easy to follow the movie with novel already in mind, we realize later that reading the novel was more fun.

Another movie I would like to mention is Forrest Gump,
the narrative story of a man with low intelligence and his epic journey through life who gets to interact with many famous personalities of the day.
I haven’t read the novel but I have heard that though the novel and movie in general are similar, surprisingly the endings are totally different.I personally loved the character portrayed by
Tom Hanks.

Why it happens?

In an attempt to make it more appealing to the audience, movie makers deviate from the original storyline and somehow fail to create that magic on screen.Have u come across any such novel-movie?