Top picks: Bringing Down the House, Fables comics and more...

What are the books Campaign India's readers have chosen for you this week? Keep reading to know more...

Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite - Paul Arden

 Mansi Bindal, idea manager, Euro RSCG

This is one of the books that I chanced upon one day while walking around at work, 'observing' other people's desks. The cover looked interesting, so I picked it up and began to read. Soon I got so interested that I couldn't put it down till I finished it. The book was Paul Arden's Whatever you think, think the opposite. One of the greatest advertising gurus, his book just does not speak about advertising alone but about life in general, about decisions, about the way one should think. The book is extremely inspiring, making one go back to it every now and then. It talks about how even bad decisions could prove to be beneficial in the long run, about unreasoning, about having the confidence to roll the dice. At no point does the book get too preachy, which is what I like about it. The other plus point of the book is that it's visually interesting too, with brilliant photographs and illustrations.

Bringing Down the House - Ben Mezrich

 Dharmesh B. Gandhi, producer - promos, Network18

This is a story of a group of MIT card counters commonly known as the ‘MIT Blackjack Team’. The book follows Kevin, an MIT student who joins the blackjack club in hope of some excitement and challenge. What ensues is a fascinating account of a group of college students winning millions from the casinos in Vegas using card counting techniques. An extremely fast and entertaining read, this book sweeps you through the highs and lows of what it feels like to be rich.  It is a pretty compelling read and far better than the movie version where they changed the story (21). This book does not have a profound or useful message attached to it. All it has is fast paced action which makes it a page turner. All in all, Bringing Down the House is exciting, stressful, fascinating and very well written. Two thumbs up!

Legends in Exile - Bill Willingham

 Mihir Joshi, singer, anchor and host of "The MJ Show", India's first online music show on www.musicmanmihir.in

I'm a huge comics collector. Always have been. In fact, a little over six years ago I started the first ever comics club in India.

Whenever I tell people that I read, collect and love comics, I often get a quizzical or an amused look. For most Indians comics are still kids' territory. Please allow me to tell you that if you think that, you are SO WRONG! The fact is that a LOT of comics and graphic novels out there should NOT be read by kids at all. They are meant for serious readers who like good books. A comic or a graphic novel these days are just stories that great writers want to get to you...but they want to add pictures to their story telling instead of just giving it to you in a regular novel form. Some of the finest writers in the world right now are writing comics and some of the greatest artists in the world are drawing comics!

Here's a great book that can help you change your perspective if you thought that comics are for kids. If however you are one of the chosen few and DO love comics I can pretty much guarantee that you will love this!

I'm talking about an ongoing series called "Fables" and the book I'm recommending to you is the first graphic novel in the series. It is called Legends In Exile and it is written by the brilliant Bill Willingham and the main artist for the series has been the incredibly talented Mark Buckingham (though he isn't present on this first volume).

The story takes place in a place called Fabletown which is situated right in the middle of New York and it is a place where fairy tale legends live alongside regular New Yorkers. The story reintroduces you to all your favourite characters that you read when you were a kid but in a way that you wouldn't possibly begin to imagine.

Think...film noir meets fairy tales...and you'll probably get a vague idea of how awesome fables is. But don't let me spoil it for you...go get the book!

Trust me when I say this...this book will convert you into a comics fan if you're not one already and if you are one...you WILL get hooked! There are 13 graphic novels that have been released in the Fables story line. Get them all once you're done with this one! Welcome to the magical and brilliant world of comics!