Book Review: Rework

Nothing makes one read faster than the deadline of "Books Read in Year 2XYZ". The TBR pile depletes at a rather healthy rate, making the rest of the year wonder what was wrong with them. 

Rework came highly recommended by a Whatsapp group I truly like, and it did not disappoint. 

The book is a series of contrarian micro lessons from Jason Fried and David H Hansson, ably edited by Matt. 

But here's the catch: These lessons are not coming from an expert coach or academician (nothing wrong with those, just saying), but from practitioners - folks who have built their business ground up using these principles. 

Each principle is titled in a funny yet accurate way. The book's tone is very engaging. 

Here are my favourite three principles: 

> You need less than you think: Make do with what you have and get cracking. In time, you will need the entire razzamatazz, but you don't need everything set up just so before you can start working. 

> Don't scar on the First Cut: The first time someone comes into work wearing inappropriate clothing, don't make a policy. Counsel the person. Don't set up unnecessary rules to avoid the exceptions. Deal with the exceptions. 

> Inspiration is Perishable: You might have a great idea right now. That idea will stay, but your motivation to work on it will not. So work on the idea when it is still fresh.  

But my most favourite one is this, and its self-explanatory: ASAP is poison. Use your emergency tone only for real emergencies. 

Review 

I loved the book because a lot of this contrarian advice is actually what I practice. So, lots of validation. 

But objectively speaking, the tips are both simple and simplistic. 

 Not everything will apply to everyone. Not all tips will work for all organisations. 

Read the book, enjoy the witty language and the micro tips. But do not treat this as the Bible of building businesses. If, like me, you are contrarian, by all means, do enjoy the validation also. :) 

Book Review: Tata Tales

I am very happy to share that I have completed reading the book - Tata Stories by Harish Bhat. 

The thing that most stands out about the book is that with that kind of excellent raw material, it is easily the most boring book I have ever read. 

Mercantile history of the world in general and India in particular, is a special interest area. I feel that traders and merchants are the pioneers of both innovation and prosperity- both essential elements for stable governance. Yet, the voice of the merchants finds little mention in history.

The Tatas have played a HUGE role in both nation building and commerce. Many stellar institutions of India owe their origin and vital initial sponsorship to this business family. Over time, they have proven themselves to be visionaries and great at execution. 

Besides, I had read Harish Bhat's Linked in posts that appeared while the book was being written. These excerpts were interesting. 

So, if the book was opened with anticipation, it wasn't entirely my fault. 

It went from anticipation to compromise to incredible boredom really fast. 

Perhaps, if he had focused on the challenges (like in the story of the air race), or used less platitudes, the book would have made for a very interesting read. To tell the reader 100 times in each chapter how each Tata was such a visionary and such a loyal patriot is a little like playing to the choir, no? We are reading the book because we believe in the importance of Tatas in our national/mercantile history! 

It took me over a year to finish the book, and the strongest exertion of self-discipline. 

The content was fascinating, the writing style was the exact opposite. 

My review: If you are a Tata fan and can speed read, go for it. If not, pass. Have someone make bullet points and pass them on. 

The only part of the book that deserves to be preserved and kept is a letter by JRD Tata to a school teacher in Bengal. He had written to JRD asking for the guiding principles of his life. 

This letter, I will reproduce below, because in my mind, it stands right up there with Kipling's "If" and Gibran's The Prophet in terms of wisdom for the soul: 

Dear Mr Bhansali,

I thank you for your letter of the 6th August, enquiring what have been the guiding principles which have kindled my path and my career. I do not consider myself to be an “illustrious personality”, but only an ordinary businessman and citizen who has tried to make the best of his opportunities to advance the cause of India’s industrial and economic development. Any such guiding principles I might unconsciously have had in my life can be summarized as follows:

That nothing worthwhile is ever achieved without deep thought and hard work;

That one must think for oneself and never accept at their face value slogans and catch phrases to which, unfortunately, our people are too easily susceptible;

That one must forever strive for excellence, or even perfection, in any task however small, and never be satisfied with the second best;

That no success or achievement in material terms is worthwhile, unless it serves the needs or interests of the country and its people, and is achieved by fair and honest means; that good human relations not only bring great personal rewards but are essential to the success of any enterprise. 

Yours sincerely,

JRD Tata

You can also read this on the Tata website here: 

https://www.tata.com/newsroom/heritage/jrd-tata-letter-schoolteacher

Book Review: Miniaturised Travel Stories by Indrani Ghose

Imagine yourself at a hill station anywhere in India. It is mid-morning. Warm sun streams through the straw roof. In front of you are the mountains. Behind you is a door that leads to the house. Right there is a cup of tea on a cobalt blue painted wooden table. Next to the tea is a plate of pakodas. This book is that plate of pakodas - the perfect accompaniment to tea. Actually, the rest of the scene can fade away at this point. No matter where you are, the book is the perfect accompaniment to tea. The scene, the book will create on its own. 

Reading the book is like being on twenty different journeys with the author and her family. From the roosters to blown glass, from gangajal to hippos who have no legs, the book is replete with interesting fables, sweet memories, and a sense of nostalgia. 

At just 159 pages, it is an easy read. But not a quick one. After reading each story, you feel like staying for a while, thinking about that place, the souvenir shops, and if you have been to the place, then, of course, your own memories. 

Indrani is already one of India's best known travel bloggers, so writing about travel comes naturally to her. One would have liked more pictures (colour pictures, may one add), but perhaps their absence makes the imagination (or memory, as the case may be) work harder.

My favourite souvenir is Goddess Tara (for purely personal reasons, I love Goddess Tara), but the story I most enjoyed was the one on Morano glass (again, I love hand blown glass). 

Do read this book. :) 

Book Review: Bodies from the Library 5

Bodies from the Library is one of my most favorite series. Each new one is much awaited and instantly bought. 

The stories themselves are great, but the introduction to the author at the end of each story is really well written, and introduces us to some of the other work by the same author.. Which means if we like someone, we can read more of them. 

This compilation, however, does not meet the same high standards. 

Because every single story ever has been stellar, even a 'normal' crime story kind of appears to be falling short. 

Vacancy with corpse, though long, justifies the length. 

The Magnifying Glass by Cyril Hare and The Predestined by Q Patrick are the other stories that stand out. Both stand for natural justice. 

The year and the day by Edmund Crispin is a delightful, intriguing read. 

Murder in Montparnasse has to take the credit for being the most convoluted plot and somehow, magically, it still manages to bore the reader to death.

If you are a Bodies from the Library fan like me, do collect this one. its worth keeping in the library. But if you are just starting out on the genre of Golden Age of Crime Fiction, this is not the right book to start with. Start with Bodies from the Library 1, or the Strand magazine, which, I believe is now free to read somewhere on the internet. 

 

Book Review: The Secret of a Telltale Diet

This book reads like a series on TV, screenplay intact. That is to say, the writing is very visual - one can totally imagine each scene being played out. That is one of the biggest strengths of the book. 

The characters are easy to imagine, partly because they are monochromatic. 

I am not sure if we needed all of them though. The story telling might have been more fluid with fewer characters. 

The book tells the story of a certain section of society, and tells it rather well. If one does not belong to that section, the book acts like a window to peek into morning coffees, gym sessions, dinners and parties with family friends, open conversations about attraction (and lack thereof), flirting, and attention. 

It also delves into the many emotions a middle aged (?) woman has to go through - friendship, comfort, insecurity, envy, cattiness, judgement, camaraderie, professional accomplishment, a sense of companionship with the partner... and does so in a rather effortless, non-preachy way. 

At just about 252 pages, the book is an easy breezy two hour read. The writing is effortless and flows naturally. The emotions are expressed just so and are easy to understand. There is neither too much melodrama nor too much stiff upper lip. 

The highlight of the book, however, is the love story of Samar and Siya. Their arguments are glossed over, their good-natured banter, their frank, honest conversations, and way that they are always there for each other. What is unreal is that Samar never reaches out to Siya for help on anything. Maybe I would have liked a little bit of that. 

#SpoilerAlert: 

Oh, and an AND size 6 is a mistake the editor should have pointed out. AND dresses start at size 8. A size 8 is not likely to fit a 52-kilo petite 5 foot 2 or five foot 3 person. More likely a Size 10.  

Book Review: Queen of Earth by Devika Rangachari

First of all, let it be said that this is a children's book, and I am reading it as an adult. To that extent, the review should be taken with a pinch of salt. 

The book is an easy breezy interesting read. I did not feel like picking up the phone even once during this book. 

While the writing style is fluent and easy, the story itself, not so much. There are many things that leave one wondering. Also, the historical note is, sadly, inadequate. 

Devika Rangachari's series on lesser known queens of India is definitely a favourite series. The Queen of Ice, about Queen Didda of Kashmir, was awe-inspiring. But this is the story of a queen who barely ruled, and then left the kingdom for reasons entirely unknown. We get some glimpse into her thoughts and how they work, but their quick contradiction is hard to understand. As is the idea that she had no idea of the conspiracy being hatched by her father. 

Intrigued, I researched the queen and came upon this information: 

The next queen to ascend the Bhaumakara throne was Prithvimahadevi who assumed the title of Tribhuvanamahadevi II. Her reign must have been very short since it was disputed by her nephews. She ruled in her own right, although in most other dynasties the throne would have gone to her husband’s nephews. 

A somewhat singular occurrence recorded in copper plate in Baud says that she gave grants to a common woman who petitioned that she wanted to build two temples in her father’s memory. It is noteworthy that such instances are usually not given much prominence in history books but to me it shows the queen had agency to take decisions, and the one that she took here was to help another woman, a commoner at that.

Source: https://savitanarayan.blogspot.com/2021/04/bhaumakara-queens-of-odisha.html

This book is ideal for history fans, but not for people who need an in-depth exploration.

Its an easy breezy read that could also be perfect for teen book clubs.

Book Review: Divine Rivers by ACK

 Every new book from this publisher is cherished.

This book, therefore, makes a notable exception. The book is a disappointment in more ways than one.

The new graphics, coloring, and inking of ACK comics is more "modern". For a long-time reader, this is the same as the "New Archies" kind of comics. It is not something that speaks to the core reader of ACK. Perhaps it is liked more by children. It didn't work for me. The features are not Indian (come to think of it, they are not anything, they are just a mixture of eyes, nose, lips, etc.), everyone has one of the 2-4 skin tones. EVERYONE in the book is brown! No one is fair or dark! All the rishis wear only orange robes with full length dhotis, all the women wear a modern version of lehnga with dupatta or a sari. This was not the dressing one saw in India. Indian women wore an angavastra with a sari that was shaped like a pair of trousers. Sometimes, there was a dupatta, sometimes not. Usually, we do not find princesses wearing a dupatta. In our sculptures, the goddesses or common women do not wear a dupatta.

But the core issue with the book is not the presentation of the graphics. It is in the choice of subjects and the level of detail (or lack thereof).

When we pick up divine rivers, we expect, at the very least, Indus, Brahmaputra, Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, etc.

The book has an eclectic selection. It covers the stories linked to the origin of Godavari, Narmada, Tamrapani, Krishna, Sabarmati, Cauvery (spelled in the book as Kaveri), Beas and Satluj.

It completely misses the most important rivers of India.

Further, where more than one origin story is found in the Puranas, it would have been right to indicate that this is only one of the stories.

My third issue with the book is that it leaves many open questions and has unexplained, unliked episodes. The most glaring example of this is the episode of King Kalmashapada and Rishi Vashishtha (in the story of Sutlej and Beas). There are just 3 frames dedicated to this episode. There is no context, no relevance to the rest of the story, and in general, it leaves the reader wondering.

It would also have helped a LOT if the book had a simple map of all the rivers that it is covering. I tried to make such a map and then realised that there is no comparison between the rivers. Savitri is a small river that does not appear on any national river map of India.

In short, better selection of the rivers, a simple map showing which rivers are covered, better editing of the text, graphics that do not have everyone with brown skin and exactly similar clothes, etc., would have made this an engaging read.

In its present format, the book is a one-time read, but not something one would recommend to buy or keep. ACK can do better. Given its heritage, ACK should do better. A lot more research needs to go into the titles. These titles are representative of India's heritage. Simple mistakes of costume, landscape, and architecture are not ok. 

Note: This review appears on the website of The Children's Post of India 

Book Review: Road to Gangtok

It was quite by accident that I got this book in my hands. Mothi Jacob George sir, the Director of the school, was kind enough to share this book of stories written by their students with me. 

It is such a pleasure to review this collection of short stories. 

The highlight of the collection, of course, are the four biographical essays written by sir. Between them, they are the Guide To A Well-lived Life. These essays have been shared with other parents as well, and with the children one knows. Each essay teaches through sharing life experiences without being preachy. For me, it was also the realisation that various elements of a person's life come together to form the tapestry of their personality. 

The children's stories are as varied as the authors. From outer space to ghosts, the collection features everything. 1:99 is a shocking sci-fi story from the future - shocking because it is not entirely impossible, and warns us of a small mistake with big repercussions. 

The Moon is made of Cheese is a very heartwarming story. 

The Birthday Wish made me cry. 

Some of them betray the innocence of the authors. Most of them, definitely, are proof of solid talent. 

I enjoyed this book very much! 

Book Review: The Spy who went into the Cold by Girish Aivalli

This is the kind of book in which everything makes sense right at the end. All the threads come together and they make sense. Except, perhaps, one. 

The pace is adequate - neither too rushed nor too languid. 

It's a very easy book to read. At my age, the print size matters as much as the plot. 

But jokes apart, the book is easy to read because there is enough happening to keep the interest of the reader. 

The genre is spy thriller. There are enough coded references in the text to keep us guessing and engaged. 

I would recommend the book for young adults and above. So much better than fantasy - that appears to have become the default genre for young adults. 

Book Review: The Girl who disappeared by Vikrant Khanna

A pacy thriller. 

That would be the headline of the review. 

Thrillers and mysteries are not an easy genre to write. Primarily because readers have read literally hundreds of plots and are waiting to pre-empt the plot. 

Therefore, the author has to take the reader along on the journey, but also find a way to stay one step ahead of the reader. 

The book has easy, credible characters. The story progresses at an easy, bordering on languid, pace. But the advantage of a book is that one can speed read the slow sections if one wants to. 

The characters and the plot develop simultaneously, with details getting added in each chapter. 

While the overall plot is credible, but just so, the rest of the story also has some plot holes that leave the reader, if not frustrated, definitely wondering. Maybe, a writer cannot cover all bases of probability, or the book would become too big to be readable. 

If you have a flight or a short train/bus ride, or are looking for a pacy read to spend a lazy winter afternoon, this book would be a good fit. 

The Danger of the Single Story for self

When introducing ourselves, we usually go with, "Hi, I am abc's parent." or "Hi, I am abc. I head / work with abc unit at xyz company." 

This is great, because the listener really just needs a short one-item description to slot you in their brains. 

In these situations, limiting oneself to a single story is both appreciated and useful. 

But then, the problem arises. Because the modal value of these single stories becomes our own single story. 

If, 6 times out of 10, we introduce ourselves as designation, organisation, we start to believe that we are that. That description becomes the single story through which we define ourselves. 

That is where self-liming begins. And Sustains. 

But we are not a single story. None of us is. The stay-at-home mom is also a nerd, or a financial whiz, or a dancer, and a teacher. A friend, and a partner. 

The busy CEO is also a poetry lover, a nature enthusiast, a husband, and father. 

We are all so many things. 

I think it says something when we have to read a book to realise that all our dimensions need nurturing. Not just one or two. 

The second self-limiting belief we need to address is that we can only excel at one thing at a time. That is so not true. I think that our offices perpetuate that myth. They tell us that we are only this and nothing more. But we are more. And we owe it ourselves to believe that, and invest in it. 

Swati's book helps us do that. It helps us remove our own self-limiting belief. And it helps us rediscover that more aspect of our personalities. 

https://www.amazon.in/360-DEGREE-Excel-Anything-Everything/dp/9390547156/ref=sr_1_1?crid=XRSV07FL6VPQ&keywords=swati+lodha&qid=1668509514&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjkxIiwicXNhIjoiMS41NiIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-1