Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne (Translator:Mendor T. Brunetti)

French naturalist Professor Aronnax joins a task force to rid the seas of a monster that is terrorizing shipping lanes. 
But the Professor's mission takes an unexpected turn when he falls overboard and is rescued by the 'monster' itself-the Nautilus, a man-made submarine built by the mysterious Captain Nemo. 
At first Aronnax is thrilled to see the unimaginable wonders of the oceans-the reef of coral that formed a cemetery, the ice floes of the South Pole, the huge oyster and its priceless pearl, the lost land of Atlantis-but soon he realizes that his host's motives may be more sinister than he realized. 
This triumphant work of the imagination shows the limitless possibilities of science and the dark depths of the human mind. 

 [Book Description Source: www.amazon.in ]


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 3.87 out of 5 ( 151864 Ratings; 4777 Reviews  - As on November 13 2017)
My Rating:   3 out of 5
My Comments:
Fairly interesting. Dragging and stretched out at some places.

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A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson

Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
The longest continuous footpath in the world, the Appalachian Trail stretches along the East Coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine, through some of the most arresting and celebrated landscapes in America. 
At the age of forty-four, in the company of his friend Stephen Katz (last seen in the bestselling Neither Here nor There), Bill Bryson set off to hike through the vast tangled woods which have been frightening sensible people for three hundred years. 
Ahead lay almost 2,200 miles of remote mountain wilderness filled with bears, moose, bobcats, rattlesnakes, poisonous plants, disease-bearing tics, the occasional chuckling murderer and - perhaps most alarming of all - people whose favorite pastime is discussing the relative merits of the external-frame backpack. 
Facing savage weather, merciless insects, unreliable maps and a fickle companion whose profoundest wish was to go to a motel and watch The X-Files, Bryson gamely struggled through the wilderness to achieve a lifetime's ambition - not to die outdoors.

[Book Description Source: www.amazon.com ]


Ratings
Goodreads Rating - 4.05 out of 5 ( 269,057 Ratings; 14,591 Reviews  - As on October 20 2017)
My Rating:   4 out of 5
My Comments:
An adventure travelogue written with a great sense of humor. Vivid characterization of people and picturesque description of the places on the renowned Appalachian Trail. A must read for every travel and  adventure buff.

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My Family and Other Animals - Gerald Durrell

"My Family and Other Animals" is the bewitching account of a rare and magical childhood on the island of Corfu by treasured British conservationist Gerald Durrell.

 Escaping the ills of the British climate, the Durrell family - acne-ridden Margo, gun-toting Leslie, bookworm Lawrence and budding naturalist Gerry, along with their long-suffering mother and Roger the dog - take off for the island of Corfu. 

But the Durrells find that, reluctantly, they must share their various villas with a menagerie of local fauna - among them scorpions, geckos, toads, bats and butterflies.

Recounted with immense humor and charm


Goodreads Rating - 4.28 out of 5 (15010 Ratings; 1078 Reviews)

My Review:
I really enjoyed this book. 

The humor Durrell brings  while narrating the incidents (and accidents !!) involving the  animals and his family during their sojourn in Corfu has to be read to be enjoyed !

I don't count myself as an animal enthusiast. 

But the descriptions of the lifestyles and mannerisms of the animals featuring in this book were so vivid and captivating that I could not resist searching the web to see their pictures and know more about them.

A fabulous read !

 

Links:

• My Family and Other Animals - TV Series Episode 1
• Last year I had  read another book by Durrell - "The Picnic and Suchlike Pandemonium" . That was also thoroughly enjoyable. Read about it at 
  http://bookwormsrecos.blogspot.in/2013/03/the-picnic-and-suchlike-pandemonium.html

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