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Daughters of Char Chinar- Book Review
By: Shreya Ghosh
Tags: Book Recommendations, Book Review, Indian Authors

The story of a south Asian society, where rape is, not a crime but a punishment. Nafisa and Meher are two identical twins, who are incredibly beautiful in a land where beauty is a curse, in a town of strict patriarchal setup.

Jirgas are judicial tribal courts composed of male tribal elders, that mix Islamic and tribal customs, to pass judgment on accused criminals. One tenant of such jirga courts is that an accused male may offer as compensation to his victim or their family, a virgin female from his family, for revenge rape. Though it is banned by the country’s laws, such jirga courts operate with impunity in Pakistan’s tribal districts.

The book begins at the scene of a jirga court where Nafisa is abducted and brought by her father and grandfather, even though her father abandons her and Meher at their birth. Her father has murdered a man of a neighboring clan in a hit-and-run accident. As recompense, he offers them twenty of his best goats and his ‘unsullied’ 24-year old daughter.

Then the story moves back to 24 years earlier while these two little girls were growing up it was proved that they were not only extremely beautiful but also talented and smart. Initially when they were born their mother died while giving them birth so they were given to the cook who brought them up. I love the strong bond between the Twin Sisters, and the author, Almas Hussain has very well structured the book and the characters. Most of the characters in this book are strong and the fight against injustice towards women has been maintained as a central theme. Also, the book is fast-paced and this book will remain with me for quite a long time.
The Most Powerful Book I Have Ever Read!
By: Bob Pepe
Tags: Life, Spirituality, Book Recommendations, Books, Book Review

The Most Powerful Book I Have Ever Read!

I just finished reading a book that has been out for 40 years now. When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner. Most of you have heard of it and many have read it, but it touched me in a way that I never thought a book could.

I am not going to go into the depth of where the short book takes you. I am just going to sum it up in my own words and hopefully convince some of you to read it or reread it. I will also explain how this book changed my relationship with God. Yes, The book was that powerful!

We all know people that have had bad things happen to them for what appears to be no good reason. Parents that lose a child to cancer or a car accident. The healthy 45-year-old guy who drops dead from a heart attack while jogging, while you are sitting in a restaurant eating a Pastrami sandwich and the only exercise you ever do is picking up the remote.

There are many surviving loved ones who are riddled with guilt that they could have done something more that would have kept their loved ones alive.If we only prayed more, or we should have seen the doctor sooner, or any number of other reasons why YOUR actions contributed to your loved one dying.

The author turns that entire way of thinking upside down. A just and loving God would never have a child die of cancer because their parents didn’t go to church on Christmas. He would not stand by and watch the slaughter of six million Jews killed in the Holocaust. or countless other tragedies that have happened just in the last number of years, let alone the centuries.

The author says that God CAN’T stop those things from happening and that he is just as sad and upset as you are at the senseless losses that are happening every day in our world. He goes into much more detail, but that is the gist of his opinion.

That is not to say that we shouldn’t pray, but instead of praying for your mother who has stage four pancreatic cancer to get better, pray for the strength to deal with her inevitable death.

I can’t and won’t try to explain this any further. Just read the book, It is only about 160 pages and it isn’t a religious book full of quotes from the bible. It is a book about you and I. It is for anyone that has ever suffered a loss in their lives, and that is just about all of us.
MacBook Pro Essentials by Apple Inc.
By: Book Lovers
Tags: Books And Authors, Book Recommendations, Book Summary, Computers Books, Book Review

MacBook Pro Essentials by Apple Inc. Book Summary

MacBook Pro Essentials provides everything you need to quickly set up and start using your new MacBook Pro and included apps. Learn about useful shortcuts and tools that are right at your fingertips on the Touch Bar, and set up Touch ID so that you can unlock your Mac in an instant.

https://bookpedia.co/book/1145983620/macbook-pro-essentials
Introducing 3 Small-Big Books You Need to Read the Correct Way
By: Ruchi Das
Tags: Reading, Ideas, Self Improvement, Book Recommendations, Books

Photo by Author

There’s a genre of books that relates to Holocaust stories. This book is not one of them.

There’s a genre of spiritual books and books related to life’s philosophies. This book is not one of those either.

Rather, this book teaches you to seek value and meaning in the worst situations you face in life. Because it is meaning in living that empowers the human mind to keep going even in life’s toughest situations. This book is about finding that meaning.

Psychologist Viktor E.Frankl was one of the survivors who came out alive out of the Nazi concentration camps in the Spring of 1945 and lived to tell the tale of its horrors. However, his profession granted him a unique perspective on the extremities of life in those situations. He used his insight as well as those of other people around him to decipher and confirm some of the ideas that humans believe helps them live a more purposeful life through the highs and lows of it.

The correct way to read this book

The book is divided into two parts: the first narrates the account inside the concentration camp and the second is a brief introduction on Logotherapy- Frankl’s own school of thought aimed at helping people find meaning in life.

The first part is more of a story. It narrates Frankl’s and his inmates’ thought process in the most extreme situations they face in the camp, such as lack of food, or working in extreme conditions or watching people die. You can sail through this part as you sail through a story. This part also contains some really uplifting one-paragraph recollections and anecdotes you can mark to read when you need motivation in life.

You need to pay attention when Viktor gets freed from the concentration camp. This is when he speaks about man’s search for meaning in his life. And how focusing on something in the future is a powerful anchor that gives him that meaning to survive.

Then, the second part of the book describes logotherapy as a psychological branch, where he describes the nuances of the meaning of human life in various situations.

In essence, the first part conveys through the story what the second part conveys in theory. Both parts are equally enriching but even if you read the first part of the book attentively, you will have derived the intended value from the book.

Also, you might want to note down certain important principles Viktor mentions in the book to refer to later. These are gems and should not be passed without letting it sink in. One of the examples is this quote:
5 Must-Read Books for 2021
Tags: Reading, Romance, Self Improvement, Book Recommendations, Books

Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible.

— Barack Obama

Photo by History in HD on Unsplash

Our current times are tough.

We were on the edge of freedom, then COVID-19 mutates in the United Kingdom. Quite rough, right?

However, not all is gone bad. During this quarantine, human knowledge has been at an all time high.

It has been the first time that I have picked up a book since Reed Hastings invented Netflix. I know, you are going to say: “click-bait,” but hear me out.

In my case, reading was a hobby that has been in the attic for nearly a decade; covered in dust and cobwebs. Yet, quarantine made me pick it back up and I am forever grateful.

With this in hand, since March, it has been my quest to find good novels; ranging from self-improvement to fiction.

To be honest, I found some gems.
รีวิวหนังสือ 20 เล่มที่อ่านในปี 2020
By: Theerada Moonsiri
Tags: Reading, Book Recommendations, Books, Book Review, Readers

The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

4 Stars

As I read this one in English, I guess the review should be likewise.

So I decided to read this because one of my very good friends, Bonnie, did her dissertation about this. It’s also her favorite book, so I’m just curious to know what it’s like.

I, again, jumped into this one without any background, and boy, was this book lousy. This is what I told Bonnie after finishing the book:

“I have so many feelings. First, I’m not sure if I understand it 100%; there’re parts that I agree and disagree with.

I really like the part that Mr.Antolini told Holden about the mind, the size, and all. That one I feel surprisingly connected. One more thing is that I think of my little sister all the time when I read it. I guess she’s kinda my old Phoebe in a way.

But what I like the most is the way it’s written. It’s one of the best stream of consciousness I’ve read. Love the language and slangs and how they all are beautifully put together.

Growing up is hard, yeah. But I’m just not sure if Holden makes it even harder for himself. It bugs me.”

I mean if you ask me if I like it [the book], I don’t know if I do, really. But it keeps me reading? Yes.
Pachinko — Min Jin Lee. Part historical fiction, part family…
By: Lucy Kerrigan
Tags: Reading, Review, Book Recommendations, Books, Book Review

Part historical fiction, part family saga, Pachinko offers a look at the Korean community living in Japan during the Second World War and beyond.

Lee follows a family’s progress from the straits of poverty and prejudice to finally finding their feet and shows us how families can support one another and equally break apart.

From a historical fiction angle, this book only gives enough to follow the plot. It doesn’t establish itself as a clear document on the plight of the Korean diaspora and it doesn’t need to. Lee’s main concern, and something she does masterfully, is to bring together the lives and developments of several characters over several decades cohesively.

Family sagas offer so much scope for characterisation and emotional expansion and Lee plots out her saga almost methodically. Even when you feel she may have dropped the ball and forgotten a character or two, she will pick them back up again. Every arc is neat and polished.

Having said that, this organisation, while admirable, can disguise however a definite lack of vigour in Lee’s prose. While perfectly serviceable, the writing in this book lacks passion and a beating heart. Lee trudges on with her plot, keeping all pieces in play, but the whole 500+ page affair ends up being slightly lacklustre.

Add to that the weird male-gaze-like descriptions of Lee’s female figures and the unfortunate stock characters of ‘promiscuous girl from broken home’ and such like and you start distancing yourself from this piece ever so slightly.

Pachinko is still magnificent and impulsively readable. I just wish there was a little bit more of a twinkle in its eye.
Snuggle Up With These Christmas Books
By: Devishi Sachdeva
Tags: Chrismas, Childhood Books, Book Recommendations, Books, Christmas Readings

HO HO HO season is here and along with the season Christmas reading list is also here !

Gathering by a layer of warm air, snatching a hot mug of espresso and losing all sense of direction in a Christmas story — is a perfect combination of spending this Christmas during pandemic at home. Here I have some books that I really enjoy reading or are in my list which I will surely read in the coming time.

Image source: Impressive Inspiration from Unsplash

Christmas Carol

This has to be the most timeless Christmas story ever told and also made into countless movies. A Christmas Carol narrates the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old loner who is visited by the ghost of his former associate, Jacob Marley and the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present however then to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is changed into a gentle man. ‘Tis the Season to read his epic.

Book Beans: HOT CHOCOLATE

2. Rudolph The Red — Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer character created by Robert Lewis May. Basically, Rudolph is normally portrayed as the ninth and most youthful of Santa Claus’ reindeer, utilizing his radiant red nose to lead the reindeer group and guide Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. It’s a beautiful book to read at the time of Christmas.

Book Beans: ESPRESSO

3. The lion The Witch and The Cupboard

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a dream novel for youngsters by C. S. Lewis, distributed 1950, is the primary distributed and most popular of seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia. Lewis talks about the topics of the themes of good versus evil, betrayal and forgiveness, courage, transformation, the natural world, and sorcery in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. An amazing read for all age groups.

Book Beans: AFFOGATO

4. ‘Twas the night before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas, is a fantastic classic poem that has been complied to make a beautiful book. Even without the illustrations, the Poems itself is great, but the art work makes the book even more fantastic.

Book Beans: CAFFÈ LATTE
5 Brilliant Books to Read in the Next 6 Months
By: Christopher Hanna
Tags: Reading, Readinglist, Book Recommendations, Books, Book Review

It’s (finally) the end of the year. You’ve spent a lot of time inside, and you feel like you’ve watched all of YouTube. You’ve listened to every podcast there is. You’re waiting for an award from Netflix for ‘Most Time Spent Browsing’ yet you still haven’t made a dent in that bookshelf you spent a full day building at the start of lockdown.

Or maybe you have done nothing but read for the past six months and are looking for some new books to get stuck into over the next six. No matter which of these people you are, or if you are someone in between, I have a book for any taste below.

Some of these books I read myself over lockdown, and others I have fond memories of reading while lying by the pool on a Greek island when travelling wasn’t borderline illegal.

Hopefully you’ll find one of them to be suited to your own taste, or maybe one that makes you want to find a new taste altogether.

Let’s get stuck in.
The 5 Best Books I Read in 2020
By: Yasmin Sara
Tags: Reading, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books

Being cooped at home this year, I took advantage of the opportunity to dive back into reading. Here are 5 of my favourites.

Photo by Ed Robertson on Unsplash

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Image Courtesy of Waterstones

This book feels like one of those stories your grandparents told you about their childhood.

A tale following seven generations of a Colombian family in a far-flung settlement, this was unlike any book I’ve ever read. While totally mind-boggling, it’s ultimately eccentric and thought provoking.

Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson

If you're into psychology, or simply want to better understand those around you, give this one a go. Erikson’s personal anecdotes bring theories on human behaviour to life in an informal yet educational manner.

It’s a short read, chock full on useful tactics on how we can better understand and react to different personalities.

River God by Wilbur Smith

Image Courtesy of Target

I could not put this book down. As a sucker for ancient history and mythology, I found myself lugging this around everywhere, despite it being an insanely dense book.

It has everything from war, to culture, romance and politics flowing smoothly throughout. This is the first book in Smith’s series, which I’ve already added to my Christmas wishlist.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Image Courtesy of Amazon

I got my copy when Singapore announced the lockdown in April, which was perfect seeing that the story follows Count Rostov who is sentenced to a lifetime of house arrest in a luxury hotel.

During his time there, Towles explores his relationships formed with guests and employees, moral dilemmas and Russain history.

Reading about his 30-year confinement definitely helped to put my 2 months in perspective.

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Image Courtesy of HarperCollins

I hope you can sense a theme here by now.

While it came out in 2011 and was pegged by some as a fictitious and biased perspective on humankind, I have to admit that I enjoyed it. For what it’s worth, Sapiens is well organised, entertaining, and provides a decent introduction to human history.

I’d recommend it to anyone interested in anthropology and genetics, but be prepared to do your own research to attain more up-to-date information.
📖 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 & 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 ( 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 )
By: Harsh Kaushik
Tags: Bookkeeping, Book Recommendations, Books, Books And Authors, Book Review

This book is a series of 8 short stories that captures so many aspects that make a book a rare and beautiful work of art. Stories have very noble messages that encourage optimism and positivity and, most importantly, confidence!

The great thing about the short stories is that they express very much in just a few sentences. At the beginning of each story, I really love the images.

The language is clear and straightforward, the style of writing is appealing, and the stories are all quick paced.

𝟭.𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲

It’s a story about Ashna, who gets a strange call from a child who’s been abducted and discovers who the girl is.

𝟮 . 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹

The plot is about Sakshi and how she learns to be thankful.

𝟯. 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘀

It’s about the two best friends who the whole world

thinks are in a relationship, but they’re just good friends.

𝟰. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹

The tale is about Manvi, who is still sad because she can’t live up to the expectations of society, and how she learns to be happy again.

𝟱. 𝗔𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲

The plot is about Ria who, after her marriage changes her tastes to her husband.

𝟲. 𝗔 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀

The story is about Kris who enjoys fairytales and the Christmas miracle. Her mother recited the tale of Dwarfs, and Kris sees the dream in which he is having fun with the dwarfs and waiting for Christmas presents whole night.

𝟳. 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝗿

The story is about Prerna who is this shy girl and is on her first solo trip when she meets her old friend.

𝟴. 𝗡𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

The plot is about Abhay’s 18th birthday when he discovers the truth that he is an adopted child who leaves him spellbound.

The phrase that I loved from the Book : ❤️
After-thoughts on “Notes to Self”
By: Meha Kaushik
Tags: Books And Authors, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books

One of my pastimes is to check out books in stores. Most times I add the names of the books, I like, in my “want to read” Goodreads list. This time I happened to find a book, some of its reviews were so encouragingly positive, I could not help buying the book.

Notes to self is a 170 pages collection of essays, which felt like conversing with the author. Occasionally, I would stop and think about my similar experiences and talk about them with my roommate. The writing is brilliant and very raw.

Before the new year starts, I wanted to spend the last few days retrospecting on my career, health, relationships, body, future and the present. I felt this was a good read which gave me a close look at someone else’s life which further gave me a perspective to re-align my priorities.

This book covered a little bit of the most important emotions for a woman: devotion towards your family, complications of childbirth, the lifelong transitions in a female body and the associated stigma, fear, and helplessness; feminism and sexism; even mental health and overworking.

For all my friends out there, male or female, I highly recommend reading the essays titled: “Notes on Bleeding & Other crimes” and “From the Baby years”.

When I was reading the first recommended essay, I couldn’t disagree with any of the things the author says.

I would love my male friends to read and get a glimpse of how agonizing the female body gets sometimes. Honestly, I don’t want to rant, I am more than thankful for my health, but I have had my bad days and I have seen some of my very close females go through such days. We talk it out in the familiar feminine comfort but we don’t talk it out loud. I am grateful that the author has done a commendable job in this talking out and all I have to do is share this, instead of finding the right words or forum to share this.

I hope if you read it and it makes a little difference to your life.
Book review: The forty rules of love- Elif Shafak
Tags: Elif Shafak, Spirituality, Book Review, Book Recommendations

Book review: The forty rules of love- Elif Shafak

Among the hundred books on our shelf, there is only a handful that will forever change us. Elif’s The 40 Laws of Love is undoubtedly one of these life-changing novels. Chapter by chapter, it steadily affects your spirit and your mind that you can sense a tremendous shift occurring inside you.

The spirituality of the book:

When you read down the lines, a change in viewpoint will happen effortlessly in love, visions, sins, God, and so many more. The Sufi mist that travels across the floor will fill your heart when you move between the past of Shams and Rumi’s love on one hand and the modernity of Ella and Aziz’s love on the other. You will find yourself wanting more and you will suddenly end up listening to Sufi music, reading about Rumi, and meditating as much as you can.

Some of the remarkable sayings:

There are actually 2 sayings that I love the most from the book:



“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing

and right doing there is a field.

I’ll meet you there”



“When the soul lies down in that grass

the world is too full to talk about”

-Rumi

The positive side of the novel :

When you read down the lines, a change in viewpoint will happen effortlessly in love, visions, sins, God, and so many more. The Sufi mist that travels across the floor will fill your heart when you move between the past of Shams and Rumi’s love on one hand and the modernity of Ella and Aziz’s love on the other.

I’m very grateful to Elif Shafak for this wonderful story told so elegantly and masterfully. It made me want to do more research into the poetry of Rumi and overall Sufi thought.

The critical side of the novel :

The sections that take place in Konya (the past) are interesting for the first half of the novel, but then the author gets lazy, missing the modern aspect of the story that eventually feels conceived, hurried, and coerced into the book, and Shams, whom I considered inspirational, loses all legitimacy as to the fault of the author, who probably lost track of the various rules and lessons of love that Shams preaches. Shams’ character ignores all of the rules that the author puts earlier in the book in the last half of the book, and the entire “40 Rules of Love” becomes a severely disjointed and amateur endeavor.

It seems like anyone at the publishing house might have reviewed this book and found out the numerous contradictions inside its chapters, just like Ella’s part-time career. The lessons and contradictions, though, are so diverse that it would have been very hard to save this book.
Christodora — Tim Murphy. In this ambitious novel, Murphy follows…
By: Lucy Kerrigan
Tags: Reading, Book Recommendations, Books, Books And Authors, Book Review

In this ambitious novel, Murphy follows the lives of several people who all live in the same building in New York.

The eponymous apartment block houses an affluent artist couple as well as their adopted son Mateo, left orphaned when his mother dies of AIDS. But through their neighbour Hector, a grieving meth addict, Murphy opens his novel up to the world of pain, drug addiction and illness.

The background of the book is the AIDS epidemic and how this once little known illness brought stigma and isolation to its victims. Murphy does a solid job of giving his readers insight into the social implications of the illness — its sufferers are presented as individuals with stories worth telling.

Even the seemingly hopeless drug addicts in Murphy’s story benefit from his human touch. The author doesn’t romanticise but he treads carefully on sensitive ground, always searching for the soul beneath the trauma.

His prose reflects this; it’s gentle and forgiving, at times you can tell he uses his language to cushion the harsher blows of reality. For a book that delves deep into human despair, it is in some ways warming and intensely readable.

With books that I’ve read previously dealing with similar issues, there is often a tendency to make the language as bold and brash as possible but Murphy is more gentle, if not overly cautious. His treatment of his characters is admirable, though we sometimes wonder if he’s not holding back, wary of offending or being too brutal with the truth.

The redemption arcs might be a little too convenient, the ending a pinch too sweet but none of that takes away from how polished and valuable this book is. It tells several vital stories and what he may lack in finesse, Murphy makes up for with pure heart.
Giving a Loved One a Good Death
By: Wang Yip
Tags: Life Lessons, Book Recommendations, Scott Galloway, Books, Death

Giving a Loved One a Good Death

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

One of my good friends recommended the following YouTube video by Scott Galloway:

The Algebra of Happiness by Scott Galloway

I then realized the name sounded familiar, so I looked at my anti-library and found that I had that book from Scott but had not cracked it open. I’m so glad my friend put it on my radar because I learned a lot from Scott’s book.

The one thing I learned and that I want to share in this article: how to give someone a good death.

Scott had to deal with it with his Mom, who was diagnosed with metastatic stomach cancer. And through handling it with his Mom, he learned a few things along the way. I haven’t had to deal with death in the way Scott has, but I know these lessons will make me re-think how I deal with death in the future, and in fact, rethink how I handle the limited time I have with loved ones now.

Re-live memories

Scott went through old photos with his Mom, and she shared stories from all the photos. Not only was this great for Scott, but it helped his Mom relive her happy memories.

Recently, I went through old photo albums with my Mom and my partner. Although many of the photos were embarrassing, I had to admit that my Mom (and my partner) received great joy from re-living (or living) the memories my Mom shared. I think this is a wonderful activity to do every few years with your loved ones.

Nothing unsaid

How many times is too much to say “I love you” to your loved ones? No number is too much. Say it while you can. Do it right now. Do it the next time you talk to your loved ones. If you are going to regret anything, you will regret not saying it enough when your loved one is gone.

Set boundaries for yourself

Scott went to live with his Mom in her last months. But one day out of the week, Scott traveled back to get some normal semblance of his life. You can drop everything for your loved ones in their last days. Obviously, economics is a factor. But just having one day of the week where you take care of your own things gives you sanity.

Take care of the caregivers

Scott had an aunt who liked to gamble and drink. So in their ‘off’ time, they would go out to a casino, and Scott would give her $100 to play $0.25 roulette. He didn’t enjoy going out with her because she was wild. But he loved her because she helped his Mom shower in the mornings.

Shared hobbies

Scott’s Mom loved watching TV: Frasier, Jeopardy, Friends, etc. So Scott would spend hours each day watching TV shows with his Mom.

When the last days come, what does your loved one enjoy doing? Crosswords? Reading books? Watching movies? Do whatever they enjoy.

Final thoughts and lessons for life

Reading through Scott’s lessons that he learned from taking care of his Mom in her final days, I think there are a few lessons that we can all take away, and hopefully not when we have to deal with the last moments of a loved one:
Strategy to score more in exams with less time: 8 Tips to study well
By: Harish Venkatachalapathi
Tags: Exam, Self Improvement, Strategy, Book Recommendations

Points are taken from personal experience and backed by the book How to learn Authored by Benedict Carey.

1) Break the study sessions to small sessions I.e Majority of us have an attention span of 25-30mins, take a break of 5 mins and start another session.

Attention span can vary from person to person, find yours.

2) Test your fluency in the topic. Don't fall for the trap of fluency illusion during the exam.

3) Create a study space,the environment is stronger than will power. For the library induces me to read, bed induces me to sleep.

4) Study Actively, Don't just read the words. Try to imagine the concept and explain it to yourself, underline and highlight for active revision.

5) Take active notes, taking notes in our own words helps the brain to recall and revise fast.

6) Teach someone. Einstein acknowledged this fact.

7) Survey.Question.Read.Recite.Review (SQ3R) Survey the book by skimming through it, look for possible questions, read it again and link the content with possible questions, them recite and review your knowledge.

8) Use Mnemonics, acronyms helps us to keep the facts organised and easy to recall.
7 books Warren Buffet Thinks You Must Read
Tags: Book Recommendations, Warren Buffett, Books And Authors, Book Review, Readers

The CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Billionaire Warren Buffet is probably the best person to recommend books as he spends almost 80% of his time reading. Below is the list of 7 books Warren Buffet thinks you must read to become a prolific reader.

Poor Charlie’s Almanack is one of the best books recommended by Warren Buffet. This book is all about financial wisdom as it is a collection of speeches and talks by the long-serving vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Charlie Munger.

This recommendation of Warren Buffet is a must-read for any fan of Munger, Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Berkshire Hathaway.

This book of Benjamin Graham is often praised by Warren Buffet

“Of all the investments I ever made, buying Ben’s book was the best (except for my purchase of two marriage licenses). In contrast, Ben’s ideas were explained logically in elegant, easy-to-understand prose (without Greek letters or complicated formulas).”

Book “The Intelligent Investor” includes strategies of how to successfully use value investing in the stock market. If someone is pretty interested in learning these techniques, he/she must go for it.

Warren buffet recommended this book by John C. Bogle in the annual shareholder letter of 2012.

In Clash of the culture, the author shed light on how short-term speculation is destroying long-term investment, and also he mentioned some practical tips on avoiding risk factors while investing.

The author of “the Most Important Things”, Howard Marks gave an insight contained in each of his client memos in a single volume, enabling the reader to learn from his time-tested philosophy.

Warren Buffett’s Ground Rules: Words Of Wisdom From The Partnership Letters Of The World’s Greatest Investor

Warren Buffet about this book;

“If you are fascinated by investment theory and practice, you will enjoy this book.”

This book is written by Jeremy C. Miller and it’s based on a series of letters, buffet wrote from 1956 to 1970 to his partners about his ground rules of investment.

“Warren Buffet’s ground rules” would be pretty much useful for you, if you are really interested in investments.

Author, Cristiane Correa wrote down the story of three Brazilian businessmen in the form of “Dream Big” who build the biggest empire in the history of Brazilian capitalism.

Buffet recommended the book “My friend and now partner Jorge Paulo and his team are among the best businessmen in the world. He is a fantastic person and his story should be an inspiration to everybody, as it is for me”

In this recommendation of Warren Buffet, Peter Bevelin explained how investors and managers can productively increase their profit and reduce the loss while explaining the investment and operating principles of Berkshire Hathaway.

Buffett says, “It sums up what Charlie and I have been saying over the years in annual reports and at annual meetings.”

This incredible book is a timeless collection of lessons on investment. Moreover, it offers Buffett’s advice on how to value a business, how to reduce risk, and how to learn from mistakes.
Bone Silence (The Revenger Series, 3) : By — Alastair Reynolds — GoBookMart
By: Gobookmart Review
Tags: Bone Silence, Book Recommendations, Books, Books And Authors, Book Review

By — Alastair Reynolds

Bone Silence, Is like other Reynold’s Novels, is difficult to put down. The Revenger series adds an unique voice to the space show type, an underdog we need to root for while encouraging a reconsideration of our ethics in a story that fills, in as an exquisite purposeful anecdote for huge numbers of the social hardships all through our own general public today: trustworthiness of the authorities; income disparity; climbing economic ladders.

Bone Silence is the third and last novel in the series highlighting the Ness Sisters and their travel around the Old Sun. After the past stories dealt with the monstrous Bosa Sennen, one of the most unpredictable and all around well envisioned villains I’ve perused in recent sci-fi, this last novel in the series satisfies and guarantee addressing the questions raised in the previous novels. There are more aliens, more robots, new universes, more secrets, another disturbing villain and more action that consistently appears to hit the perfect movement.

The plot is very basic-transport a thing from A to B-yet Reynolds keeps it new and dynamic all through.

If it doesn’t appear to fly very as high and far as a portion of Reynold’s other stories, that might be on the grounds that it’s a more intimate story, More firmly told to the experience of a couple, instead of the system spanning tales of his different books. However that closeness to the characters is the thing that makes it even more fulfilling, for after three books with these characters we’ve seen them develop from young people to grown-ups with full and rewarding arcs.

The one downside is one especially charming plotline identified with the “bones” that are integral to these stories, which is presented in extremely multifaceted detail in this book and afterward tore away with no determination. Does it detract from the story? Not in any manner. Does the absence of an answer or the tease of a theory with respect to the secret introduced leave it feeling fragmented? Indeed. There is somewhat more to be wanted. Despite the fact that it just feels like something is missing, Reynolds has expressed this is the last book in the series. Maybe the secret will be replied in a short story or a novella later, or we’ll simply be left to ponder. Yet, in no way, it detract from the pleasant that characterizes this series.
Book Review : Milk Teeth By Amrita Mahale
Tags: Book Recommendations, Books, Literature, Books And Authors, Book Review

Photo from Amazon India

Reading this book felt like a walk down the memory lane. It is a book that any Indian kids grew up in the 90s could relate to - the local eateries getting replaced by the international fast food chains, the long wait from booking an std call to the instant connection through mobile phones, the first dial up internet connection to the always available wifi connections, from handwritten letters to emails and many such unforgettable memories. But don’t mistook this book for painting a rosy picture with a heavy dose of nostalgia. It is far from that.

The main characters Ira and Kartik looked very familiar and their parents too. The worries, fears and the hypocrisy of the middle class is captured in its true essence. I haven't come across any other book that gives a nuanced tale of the class difference and privilege in an Indian context. It reminded me of Normal People By Sally Rooney. Considering the diverse culture of India, I would say Amrita's effort is really commendable.

Even though the story revolves around Ira and Kartik, I felt like the writer owed us a perspective from Kaiz, Ira's boyfriend. The communal fights, Kaiz fleeing to US and the spread of Saffron Army really made me want to have a clearer perspective from Kaiz. But I felt his storyline was cut short rather abruptly. This is one of the major problem I had with this book.

This is not an easy read in any way. As our country leans more and more to the right, this book is something that tries to confront our own demons and questions the validity of our own choices. As for me, I feel like Amrita Mahale has just shed her milk teeth with this one. I will be looking forward to more from her.
My Thoughts On… Alexa’s a Spy and Other Things to Be Ticked off About: Humorous Essays on the Hassles of Our Time by Dorothy Rosby
By: Nancy Christie
Tags: Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books And Authors

My Thoughts On… Alexa’s a Spy and Other Things to Be Ticked off About: Humorous Essays on the Hassles of Our Time by Dorothy Rosby

Sometimes when life is too scary, upsetting or confusing — or all three at the same time — you just need to check out for a while.

I was at that stage when I started reading Dorothy Rosby’s Alexa’s a Spy and Other Things to Be Ticked off About: Humorous Essays on the Hassles of Our Time.

And at the risk of sounding like a commercial, oh, what a relief it is!

What a relief to know my sense of humor isn’t totally dulled by a steady diet of news about COVID-19.

What a relief to know that I can still laugh as I read her hilarious take on the dangers of surfing the web, especially since I have fallen victim to the same rabbit holes she describes.

And what a relief to realize that, as bad as it gets — and Lord knows, it’s pretty awful right now — it is still possible to find some bright spot to light the darkness.

In Alexa’s a Spy, Dorothy mines everyday experiences for nuggets and then turns them into golden grins and silver smiles. Nothing escapes her notice, and everything is food for thought — and then humor. And it’s so nice to know that I’m not the only one who treats inanimate objects like they are real or who has grown increasingly more dependent on my cell phone, thanks to the apps I’ve downloaded onto it.

You see, that’s what reading Alexa’s a Spy does for you. You read Dorothy’s words and you think, “See, I’m not the only one!” and for a brief space of time, your mind is off the crisis of the moment and enjoying the human connection with someone who is just like you — and isn’t that reassuring?

The beauty of reading Alexa’s a Spy is that you can open it to any chapter and fall into the rabbit hole of humor that she creates. Read the chapters in order or skip around. Dorothy is such a gifted humor writer that I suspect you could even read the book backwards and still be entertained!

Yes, the world is a dark place and there is plenty to worry about. That makes it all the more necessary, important and even essential that you spend some time each day in Dorothy Rosby’s world.
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
By: Book Lovers
Tags: Book Recommendations, Psychology Books, Best Psychology Books, Book Summary, Book Review

My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem Book Summary

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“My Grandmother’s Hands will change the direction of the movement for racial justice.” — Robin DiAngelo, New York Times bestselling author of White Fragility

In this groundbreaking book, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology.

The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. Menakem argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. Our collective agony doesn’t just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans — our police.

My Grandmother’s Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not only about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide.

Paves the way for a new, body-centered understanding of white supremacy — how it is literally in our blood and our nervous system.Offers a step-by-step healing process based on the latest neuroscience and somatic healing methods, in addition to incisive social commentary.

https://bookpedia.co/book/1233808676/my-grandmother-s-hands
Book Summary : The Questions. The Questions: Find Your Purpose by…
By: Nurhanna Abd Aziz
Tags: Book Recommendations, Books, Book Review, Personal Development, Writing

OK, back to main topic, this book covers all the questions in life (personal-growth, career, relationship, spiritual,family, education, financial) that need to be answered in honestly manner and only you, yourself can answered it and the most importantly is that the quality of your life is highly dependent on the quality of your questions itself.

We often heard of “failure is not an option”, but as I’m reading this book, it is actually depends on your definition of success. As the author quote “Being successful is a process of being and becoming”. And the way you define your own success is becoming your own passion. Thus, the word “failure” here seems not relevant in this context since it is actually a process of becoming and learning…

Yes, as we might have a very high ambition and thinking of changing the world, this quote really wakes me up on how we seeing things, “Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person” -Anonymous source

In Chapter 3, I learn to answered questions on where I should decide to set my focus and be ready to push on within thin and thick line. The author outlined “3R” (Resilience, Reinvent, Revolution) to build a new you.

Resilience — Ability to bounce back into shape after being stretched, re-frame failure as a learning experience, skills that able to shrinking the problems, keeping focus on the goal,try new things and move on, be flexible, and if anything don’t work as we expected, remember — ”everything happens for reason”

7 keys to become resilience

Practice getting your reaction under control

Be flexible

Look for those your trust

Re-frame

Be grateful

Spiritual sense — (For me, I considered this as Tahajud)

Do something

As I will always remember this ,“Stress is a tool to strengthen your response, coping with it and learning from it”

Revolution — 7 keys to revolve yourself

Admit your fear

Understand your fear

Again, re-frame

Look for ways to make a change e.g. find other friends that you can trust

Understand what is your current situation

Identified whats might be going worst and what is the best that could happen

Reinvent yourself

Reinvent — 7 keys to reinvent yourself
Lessons From the “Murmer of Bees”
By: Joann Rolle
Tags: Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, Books And Authors

The Murmur of Bees was selected for our book club. I am not a fan of fiction but joined a book club to diversify my reading. I obtained a free copy of the Kindle and the Audiobook version. from my Amazon prime book subscription. I started scanning the Kindle version but quickly gravitated to the Audiobook. The orator’s mastery of the Latino accents was spellbinding.

This is a lengthy story of several complex levels of class, human development, and spiritual growth. I did not understand the role of the bees in the beginning… nor why there were so many interwoven characters, plots, and sub-plots. In the end, I felt the satisfaction of understanding how the author blended a hybrid reality of spirituality, nature, and a compelling human voyage of life that should not be taken for granted. The story is well worth the 300 plus page read… but I highly recommend the 14-hour Audiobook for the added effect of voice local color.
What is the education dilemma?
By: Joann Rolle
Tags: Book, Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books And Authors

Improvement in Action: Advancing Quality in America’s Schools (Continuous Improvement in Education Series)

by Anthony S. Bryk

At a Carnegie conference this summer, a free download of the forthcoming book, Improvement in Action by Anthony Bryk, President of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching was made available to attendees. The book is now published.

The book posits that consistent, accessible, scalable and sustainable change in #education is occurring in several networks and collaborative experiments in the US.

While the book essentially is about improving education outcomes, it also is about leadership. Brynk goes on to cite the importance of #leaders, #listening, #learning, and #adapting to environmental needs to become builders of learning organizations.

While all of the stories cited in the book fall short of eliminating socioeconomic disparities, they do pose interesting options to address the structural and systemic ills in the current American education system.

As we take time this season to reflect on the transformation of the world in many domains, education is one worthy of focus. Education change lives and people change the world. Is it not time to invest in the most valuable assets — human capital? The book charters through waters of the past and possible new future.
Make Time for the Things that Matter
Tags: Parenting, Habits, Book Recommendations, Parents, Lifehacks

Make Time is another one of those epic productivity books like Getting Things Done by David Allen or Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.

This book was quite different from other books as it is more like a interview with the two authors with each section being labelled Jake and JZ so that we can understand which methods work for them and how they implemented these strategies in their real life.

This forms a kind of personal connection that we have with the author rather than them just writing down a step by step process on how we can MAKE TIME in our lives for the things we want to do in life. There are also epic illustrations in this book which made it an enjoyable read.

(Check out their blog where you will find insightful articles about this… :D)

There are 4 steps in this MAKE TIME process

1 . Highlight

You need to focus on one thing per day, it can be broad if you have lots of stuff to do that are similar (Homework, Cooking etc.) or more specific (Film YouTube video about distraction free iPhone, Complete assignment due tmr etc.)

Lasers…

2 . Laser

Next you need to reduce distractions and infinity pools (social media, browsing services, TV etc.) to achieve laser mode

3 . Energize

Reset defaults and lead a healthy lifestyle through healthy eating, calm mental state and exercise

4 . Reflect

At the end of the day, reflect on how your laser and energise went and whether you achieved your highlight

These 4 steps can help you to be a more epic version of yourself.

😀

Tweet me @sharvenium on twitter, I am most active there when not in laser mode :)

Stay Epic,

Sharvesh
On My Shelf with Paula Guagliardi — UX/UI Designer at paulagdi.com (Berlin, Germany)
By: Stefanie Bialas
Tags: On My Shelf, Pm Library, Book Recommendations, UX Design

On my shelf

So Good They Can’t Ignore You

Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love

by Cal Newport

My opinion

This book should be mandatory in College. It provides such a clear guide and framework to develop a career path. It doesn’t offer any magical tool, on the contrary, the book challenges the, now mainstream, advice about following your passion as the key to love the work we do. Instead, the book explores how skill and ability is the way to have a successful career. The book is consistent with other Cal Newport’s books such as Deep Work and Digital Minimalism.

304 pages, Grand Central Publishing 2012

Get this book on Amazon