Books

I picked up this book purely by chance after coming across it on my goodreads feed. As a lover of fiction, history, and especially the contemporary history of a country that’s been frequenting the news, was way down on the list of things I wanted to read. By Manucher Farmanfarmaian What a grand name. There’s no logical reason why I decided to read this book besides the fact that the name of the author sounded too grand to ignore. ...

Another one of those “wtf did i just read” books. The plot started out slow, but the disorientation of being dropped into a world where no explanations are given outright makes the initial discovery process quite engaging. By the middle of the book, enough clues were given and I was emotionally invested in the plot and the characters. The pages just flew by as I braced myself for an amazing reveal… which never came. The “resolution” was so simplistic that I was sure there was more to it that would be revealed at the end, but alas, it was just as it was. ...

I haven’t done these in awhile, so I’m a bit rusty on verbal flourish. Bookish snobbery, I felt, had constrained my reading diversity to a limited range, directing me to more of the same sort of books as I’d read in the past. I found that I was not reading the books that I had researched and bought, choosing to keep them in their pristine condition. I wanted to experience the joy of spontaneity and the experience of working within constraints. So, last September, I decided to only buy used books from charity shops. The added benefit was the fact that everything was quite cheap and the books were already in a “well loved” condition. This in turn ensured that I wouldn’t keep these framed on my bookshelf, and would actually read them, in whatever manner I felt comfortable. ...

The best book I’ve read this year.

I was pleasantly surprised by the depth with which the story portrayed the feelings involved in an affair, capturing the feeling of love that can never be. The later part of the book was an utter disappointment as it devolves into (slightly) incoherent religious blabber.

My fascination with Huawai began when I walked into what I thought would be the Apple store in Shanghai. Fashioned with high white ceilings and see through windows, they had everything from smartwatches, to trifold phones, to cars. The book captures the journey of this behemoth, interspersing it with the history of Modern China. It’s fast paced, sprinkled with ample references, and manages to capture to readers attention even while stitching together pieces of publicly available information. ...

Interesting take on religion, hell, eternity, and the impact on human relationships.

It was a quick read. I have a soft corner for stories set in the Irish countryside. It evokes feelings of longing for an imagined slow country life that I never had. Strange. The story is well paced, and I especially loved how it managed to flush out the main character within so few pages. Bonus points for teaching me something that I previously had no knowledge about. I recommend jumping straight into the book without looking up what it’s about. ...

5/5 - The best book I’ve read this year. The story taught me a great deal about the fractured history of Korea - life under Japanese rule, the division into North and South after the second world war and so much more. The history of the land is seamlessly interwoven with the history of its people. The writing style is fluid and unique, with subtle writing choices that made it easy to digest and follow along the plot and the characters across this 900 something page behemoth of a book. ...

Great buildup with a disappointing ending. This would be the last Millennium book I pick up in a while.

I read the book after I had seen the movie, so I knew what was in store. The book still managed to surprise me by going deep into some of the dark corners that were left out from the movie. It adds a lot more dimension to some of the characters and bit more backstory around some of the events. It’s a tragic but endearing story; one that keeps you turning the pages. ...

A disappointing read that left me unfulfilled. The plot had potential, with multiple seemingly disconnected threads that I hoped would eventually converge. Hoped. The same hope of a grand reveal kept me turning the pages. The hope of something that would imbue every prior moment with new meaning; something that would make me look at the story in a new light. But alas, all I got was poor attempt at reconciliation. A pitiful way to tie everything together. An unsatisfying ending. ...

5/5 for managing to evoke a visceral reaction as so few books have.

This is a review I’ve been putting off for a long time now, partly because this book was emotionally exhausting and partly because it is tough to express the enormity of the impact this book had on me. Stoner is a novel about the titular character. In that respect, it is like most other books which follow the life and inner monologues of a central protagonist. Stoner sets itself apart in the fact that it is an utterly hopeless story. This is established right in the beginning when they describe Stoner’s death and his uneventful life, which amounted to nothing significant. The tone is set for the rest of the book and it doesn’t deviate for a second. ...

This book was… weird, but in a good way. Normally, I’m not a fan of magical realism. I generally prefer dead people to stay dead and cats to meow instead of delivering lengthy expositions about other worldly creatures. But, I absolutely love the way Murakami writes, and I couldn’t keep delaying this book any longer. As always, Murakami does not disappoint when it comes to prose and flow. The plot progresses pretty fluidly for 3/4 of the book, and despite the supernatural elements, I was genuinely curious to know how the various plot threads would untangle and reconcile. The last 1/4th of the book was slightly heavy on metaphors, and I felt there was a bit too much going on at the same time. ...

Do I hate this book? Yes. Why do I hate this book? Like the confused protagonists, I don’t have a clear answer for that. Let me get the good part out of the way, so that I can thoroughly whine about just how much this book irritated me. I’m a sucker for books that focus on and obsess over the inner workings of the protagonists. There is no grand adventure or suspense here. It is the inner monologue and emotional turmoil of two characters that drive the plot, which I absolutely love. There is a certain degree of introspection that took place whenever I saw a part of myself streaked across early Connell’s mannerisms or in how he viewed the motivations or repercussions of his actions. ...

I recently came across an article which talked about how brain researchers made strides in understanding the function of specific regions by studying brains with damages or wounds. The whole idea of understanding something by comparing it with a reduced form of itself was fascinating for me. With a protagonist who is cursed with being forgotten, this book presents a similar opportunity for understanding our subjective reality by comparing it with a reduced form of itself, one where all relations are ephemeral. ...

“The trouble with Lucious," he said, putting his feet up on the desk after this cousin has gone," is that he thinks politics is a fight for justice. Politics is a profession.” Imperium presents the tale of Cicero’s rise to power, narrated through the notes of his loyal slave and scribe, Tiro. Through his oratorical prowess and political theatrics, we see Cicero climb the shaky ladder of power. Each passing rung accompanies with it an erosion of the moral values that propelled him into this grand venture, until acquisition of power becomes an end in itself. ...

I’ve observed that misanthropic traits in protagonists manifest primarily in two ways - In those that are weak, in whom misanthropy arises as an effect of their inability to hold their own, and in those that are strong, in whom misanthropy arises because of their utter disregard for those who are weaker, poorer, or otherwise unfortunate than them. For me, a heart-warming story usually involves humanizing a strong misanthropic protagonist. A skilled author portrays this “thawing of the frozen heart” in an artful way, making the character more relatable and empathetic, with bits of humor thrown in along the way to tie the whole package together. In “The Man Called Ove”, it’s the stubborn widower who’s set in his ways, and in “A Gentleman in Moscow”, it’s an estranged aristocrat who’s the subject of this artful dissection. Through whimsical adventures and happy little accidents, the author turns The Count into an endearing character whom we root for and relate to with the utmost passion. ...

This book was my first foray into non-fiction this year. I believe that human beings, with our incessant need for order and meaning, are obsessed with stories and the deeper meaning that lie behind them. This is exactly why I prefer learning about abstract concepts narrated through a well fleshed out story where the ensconced idea gets communicated in a much better manner as opposed to works of non-fictions where they’re presented, cooked and cleaned, with minimal seasoning to make it palatable for the masses. ...

As a reader, I have always been predisposed to seek out “happy books” - the ones with stories where things eventually work out, where the hero accomplishes his quest, where peace is restored in the realm, and where people “lived happily every after”. In these stories death, despair, and sadness caused by heinous crimes were nothing but decoy targets that were used to accentuate and make the eventual triumph of all that is good even more satisfying. They were analyzed and enjoyed merely as instruments of comparison, a convenient plot point, which would eventually be swept under the rug and forgotten in the face of the grand conclusion. This book threw all of those expectations out the window. It spat in the face of my conventional expectations and brought me face to face with some unsavory subjects which I had tried hard to avoid all my life. ...

Book 1 / 15 Being the first part in a long fantasy series, a fair bit of time is spent establishing the world, the characters, and the lore. Despite this overhead, the author has managed to weave a story of adventure and suspense that swoops you in from the start. If you’ve read Lord Of The Rings or any of the other fantasy novels, you’ll find a fair bit of similarities and a sprinkling of the most common tropes. Refreshingly, Robert Jordan has kept his focus on the plot without delving into meaningless drivel about trees and outbursts of songs like Tolkien. ...

This is one of those books which I abandoned midway on my first try. Seeing the growing collection of unread titles on my kindle shelf forced me to come back to it, instead of finding solace in a new shiny title. Carl Sagan, being the exemplary scientist that he is, has not taken the medium of science fiction lightly. This is a book that is strongly rooted in “real” science. Wherever possible, Sagan has referenced and pointed to actual rules, laws, and discoveries. Much like most science fiction, Contact tries to use the tapestry and freedom afforded by this unencumbered genre of story telling to discuss and draw light on a message much deeper and more complicated than what the story holds. ...

There’s famous talk by Kurt Vonnegut where he details the shapes of stories. Most ‘boy meets girl’ tales have a predictable shape - there’s a high in the beginning, when the titular characters meet; a brief period of joy. It is followed by a dip, a change in the story arc where there are bad / unfavourable events. The characters are put into adverse conditions and they are moulded by it. In the final leg, they come out better on the other side, their relationship stronger than before, revitalised even, with a couple of steamy scenes thrown in for good measure. We, as readers, are aware of the story arc and we almost expect it. We choose these books for the familiar comfort that it provides through its crests and troughs. It’s a story arc that’s close to our heart. ...

A gripping tale of an entire valley that covers the lives and thoughts of 3 generations. In under 700 pages, Steinbeck has managed to capture the imagination with characters so real and flushed out that you see a part of yourself in everyone. He has masterfully woven a story that sucks you in from the very beginning, where the characters seem real to the point where you get emotionally invested in them. For me, this was a masterclass in the study on human character, particularly how we deal with feelings of virtue and guilt. ...

I regret not picking this up sooner. This book represents the epitome of what a good story is for me - lovable characters, a very human story arc, lots of snide humor and an ending that leaves me in tears. 5/5! Would recommend it to everyone!

This book was a parting gift and I was eager to devour it as soon as I got it. Through it’s elegantly typeset pages sprinkled with an assortment of pictures, it details the story of Jonathan Livingston, a seagull who finds flying to be more than a means to an end. The story follows the predictable arc wherein the rookie who finds an inalienable truth gets ostracized and excommunicated for it. Later, after traveling wide and far and having reached uber level greatness, he returns to extol his wisdom to the blind masses in a more digestible form, enlightening them about the possibilities that lie beyond. ...

Words cannot describe the excruciating pain I felt as I plowed through this book. It was my stubborn need to finish the book that kept me holding on till the end. The book can be described as a verbal vomit where more time is spent describing the magical circus with little to no attention being paid to the protagonist or any of the characters. The story is bland, and the character development is lacking but the setting is exquisitely described to the last grain of sand. The circus and the description of all the attractions within the circus take up about 80% of the book with a half baked plot thrown in for the sake of it. ...

I found this book by accident through a recommendation on Twitter. The book beautifully captures the mayhem and mismanagement that is all too familiar to IT folks who are part of an org where IT is a support system, and not seen as a core competency. Written at a time when Dev & Ops had a wide chasm between them, the story of the Phoenix Team and their enlightening struggle to reel in Dev and Ops into a single unit provides an accessible narrative that conveys the enormity of the benefits that DevOps entails. ...

An epic of gargantuan proportions, Musashi follows the life of the legendary Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Eiji Yoshikawa paints a serene picture of feudal Japan with a particular emphasis on the Samurai way of life. I cannot help but compare this book to The Shogun, since it deals with the same time period and the same events. The Shogun chooses to focus on the unimportant cultural frivolities and paints the Japanese as a mysterious group of people who’d jump to commit seppuku at the slightest provocation. Musashi delves deeper beyond the superficialities and presents a detailed breakdown of the Japanese psyche. Even the unadorned language is evocative of the simplistic Japanese way of life. ...

Murderbot is back! This time with a longer and slightly more detailed plot. It’s interesting to see how the series is turning into a mystery-thriller. The best parts of the book are the places where they try to deduce exactly what is going on using the limited set of information that’s available to them. The way they piece things together keeps you turning the pages.

Muderbot is back again, this time with Asshole Research Transport (ART). I enjoyed this one far more than the first book in the series, as we get to see a lot more of the sarcastic, introverted side of Murderbot. The only downside is, as usual, things ended quickly and a little abruptly, and some details that I was waiting for were conveniently omitted. I expected the side quest to be tied into the primary story line but alas, it has not happened… yet. ...

This was one of those stories that came to an end just as things were getting interesting. The entire story is narrated from the perspective of murderbot, a SecBot with a hacked governor who appears more human than the rest of the crew he (or it?) is travelling with. The cast, setting, and build up are extremely well thought out and exciting, but it flat lines towards the end leaving you confused and unsatisfied. ...

Shogun paints a detailed picture of Japan in the 1600, explained mostly through the eyes of a ship-wrecked English pilot. What starts out as a story about people with strange customs and beliefs soon turns into an intricate plot filled with cunning and treachery. It took me about 2 months to plow through this 1200 page behemoth of a book. The plot felt overly complicated to me. Overkill does not begin to describe the plans that the characters in the book hatch, all of whom seem to be proficient in playing out the long game, the very very long game. ...

A wonderfully refreshing collection of short stories which offers a varying array of explanations as to what happens in the afterlife. What I loved was how the author was able to give a meaningful commentary on human life through these disjointed stories. Each story provides ample food for thought and manages to touch upon some aspect of the living through its description of death and thereafter. A short book that’s jam packed with insights which I’ll recommend to everyone. ...

This book is a life story and motivational piece rolled up into one. It dips into excruciating detail David Goggins’ painful, and at time unbelievable, journey through an abused childhood, a teenage of suffering, and an adulthood of proving himself against unrealistic odds. Each chapter details a seemingly insurmountable obstacle and his tireless journey of ups and multiples downs that got him over it. The “techniques” that he uses in each chapter is detailed in an associated section where he encourages the reader to apply them to their everyday problems. ...

A harrowing tale of the holocaust narrated from the naive viewpoint of a 9 year old. This book makes you think not about grand things and overarching themes, but about things that you took for granted your whole life. It manages to instil a certain degree of life and vividness to seemingly mundane experiences and leaves you uncomfortably squirming for answers to fortify your preconceived notions of other people and their cultures in the face of blunt questions posed by an innocent boy. ...

This was my first foray into the works of Murakami and it certainly did not disappoint. With strikingly simple words, he strings together a story of love, lust and death. Set against the backdrop of 60s Japan, the story details the tragic and somewhat adventurous youth of the narrator, Toru Wantanabe. What kept me hooked to the book was definitely the language. He has the rare ability to precisely convey a specific emotion through a carefully worded sentence. Like a trained samurai who slices his foe with carefully measured strikes, Murakami cuts into your heart with his lucidly worded dialogue. ...

Originally gave it 4 stars. Changed it to 5 after I searched for “Morgenstern” to get an idea about what’s in the original version. S. Morgenstern. Simon “S.” Morgenstern is the fictional author of The Princess Bride, and a native of the fictional country of Florin. Author William Goldman presents the novel as being an abridged version of Morgenstern’s original tale by himself. Well played, William Goldman.

The author puts into beautiful verse everything I’ve felt and failed to articulate coherently about the complex and elusive phenomenon called love. Through a lengthy exposition of his relationship, from the uncertain beginnings to it’s certain demise, the author takes us on a journey of words, wit and wisdom. The author explores in detail the complex underpinnings of love, examining every single influx of emotion at every minute stage, something that is usually relegated to the status of “happily ever after” in most novels and stories. ...

Unacquainted with British comedy, my first dip into Wodehouse proved tiresome. Although, there were a few quips that made me chortle, I found the whole thing a bit too dull for my, perhaps plebeian, sense of humor. Different people, different tastes, I suppose.

A book I’ll re-read on lazy afternoons. As an amateur poetry aficionado, this book was my real dip into poems that dealt with the themes of love and companionship. It is said that a proper review must weigh both the good and the bad, the pros and the cons. Being the amateur that I am, I will not even bother to come up with the cons. The small, imaginatively worded poems with the simple rhyme schemes were a joy to recite. They brought to the forefront feelings I did not expect to be evoked using mere arrangement of words. ...

Because it’s a soigné thing to do.