Jackal

I was looking for my library card last week and in the process of turning my bookshelf into a disaster area I stumbled across some books I haven't read in ages. Leaving the demolished bookcase as is, I picked up the first book that caught my eye and it turned out to be Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. I got past the first chapter and I was hooked. The fact that I hadn't read the book in over 10 years meant that I had forgotten most of the plot and could read it anew. The ancient magic was still as strong as ever and the master's book just as intriguing.

But I did find some of the details a little funny, the biggest of which was how the antagonist expected $ 500,000 to guarantee a life of luxury for the rest of his days. I guess the things a dollar can buy has suffered drastically due to rising inflation. Reading that book bought memories of a bygone era when I could curl up on the sofa and read without the slightest care of what the future held for me. The book was written at a time when despite the upheaval going on around, the world was a relatively serene place with a clear demarcation of friends and enemies.

Isn't it funny how, for books written in the 50's and early sixties, it was always some rogue Nazi who was the bad guy, after which the spy stories and commies took over the mantle of evil, followed by the Chinese and now it is the turn of the Arab terrorists.

Parallel to the spy thriller, I am also reading 'Uneasy Money' by P.G. Wodehouse set in the 1920's which is a completely different era and a different genre. Not one of P.G.'s best works, but certainly funny in parts and over all a great read.

If you haven't stumbled across this site as yet, and you like to read, either on your pocket PC or in the form of an ebook, do check out Project Gutenberg. The greatest collection of free ebooks. I usually pick up several books from here, specially the classics.