Review: The Business of Friendship: Making the Most of Our Relationships Where We Spend Most of Our Time
The Business of Friendship: Making the Most of Our Relationships Where We Spend Most of Our Time by Shasta NelsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Video Review - The Business of Friendship by Shasta Nelson
I am not here to make friends - this is what we often hear at work . This book challenges this notion. And, the author believes that this philosophy of not having friends has caused a lot of damage to the employees at work places. They often feel lonely, left out and nowhere to go in the face of any difficulty in office.
Why do relationships matter at work ?
--Because you want to enjoy working with the people around you in the office.
--You want to trust the people around you to support you when needed.
--You want to feel valued.
--You want to come to office because you feel part of something bigger.
We may not want to be best friends with everyone. But, wouldn’t we want as many as possible good friends in our life ? but what stops people from making friends at the office ? What are their fears ?
Do they fear that -
--What if a manager delays firing of a person because he is his friend ?
--What if a manager hires someone who is his friend ?
--Two employees, who are Friends, competing for the same promotion ?
--What if I have to start supervising a friend of mine ?
--What if I hire a friend and he doesn’t perform well ?
--What if a friendship leads to a sexual harassment ?
These are the questions that people generally raise when it comes to friendship at work. But Aren’t these risks already there in the world ? What would you do if your boss is not a friend of someone but still favors him ? Are these issues really new ?
We could be against friendship at work and have no friends but that doesn't protect us from jealousy, gossip, drama or feeling left out.
More loneliness leads to less empathy to others and we take more offences then we become more defensive and then we are more likely to hurt others. We need connections with others to overcome loneliness just like what food would do for hunger and water would do for thirst.
How many of us feel that we have a meaningful relationship at work ?
Research shows that the more intimate and meaningful the relationship at work, the more easier you would find the work there. And, you are willing to take on any work.
Handling the stresses alone is not a good idea. If done, you feel more tired, and it causes more wear on your body.
Social isolation adds stress on our body and makes them more fertile for diseases.
Loneliness hurts one’s health badly. .
What are the core factors of happy life - number of friends, closeness of friends, closeness of family, relationships with coworkers and neighbors. Together these features explain about 70% of personal happiness.
People with friends at work are happier at work.
As per research, the single best predictor for well being is enjoying how you spend our days. and, the most important is with whom you are spending the day and not what you are doing. A most stressful and high - responsibility job can be rewarding if one feels supported, part of a team, engaged, believed in, cheered for, and appreciated.You want to enjoy your work more, make a few friends.
As per study by Gallup, We feel seven times more engaged if we have at least one best friend at work. As per another study, Without a best friend there are 37% chances that we often or always feel lonely at work.
Feeling connected to those with whom we work regularly shows up as the number one factor for our job satisfaction. If you want to like your job, feel better physically, increase your mental and emotional health, and report greater happiness and energy, then make a close friend at work.
Loneliness at work causes more mistakes , makes less productive and gets you sick every now and then. UK has a minister on loneliness , it is estimated that companies in UK lose around $3.5 billion due to lonely workers who are less productive, take more sick leaves, change job.The cost of disengaged employees is not cheap. Employees with friends have stronger immune systems, lower rates of anxiety and depression, recover fast from surgeries, and show up to work with more energy.
We can protect our bodies from absorbing stress , feel more hopeful, and strengthen our mental health through relationships.
It's one thing to simply assign a bunch of people to a project or task and quite another to have the confidence that they’ll maximize their collective strength, consider diverse ideas and take the risks to pursue big ideas.
In the past, jobs were about muscles, now they are about brains, but in the future they will be about the heart. What skills the workers most depend upon today- interpersonal skills, critical thinking, and good written and spoken communication skills. The skills that are required by employees to have good relationships at work are the same that are needed by the companies to have good relationships with their customers, vendors etc.
20 to 60 % of our population show up at work with loneliness.
If two people have many things or few things in common like having kids of the same age, same religion, same ethnicity it doesn’t ensure that they will be friends.
A healthy relationship should have three factors, everything that we name and want in our relationship fall under these three categories -
Positivity means positive feelings + Consistency means consistent interaction
Vulnerability means meaningful sharing
No one wants to be embarrassed, punished , or thought less of for sharing ideas, revealing needs or risking what would be perceived as failure.
Psychological safety is basically to groups what trust is to any two individuals.
This book is easy to read. it forced me to think about my office relationships. I was initially uncomfortable with the idea of having Close friends at my workplace. but now I realize that having a BEST friend in your team is the best thing that can happen to anyone at work.
The author shares many ground Rules to establish such a friendship.If we follow them then this whole process of having friends at work can be rewarding.
There are some more books on friendship, which can be further explored -
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Whatever Works By Thalma Lobel
Whatever Works: The Small Cues That Make a Surprising Difference in Our Success at Work—and How to Create a Happier Office by Thalma LobelMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The book is about the small cues that make a significant difference to our success at work.
Another book by the Thalma Lobel is - Sensation.
How do self help books today look like ? Vast majority focus on one obvious and important subject and lay out its secrets and conclusions methodically. Most of these books harness obvious factors like harnessing motivation, getting organized, networking, and so on.
This book is a bit different. This book focuses on elements that either we think that they do not matter or we are not aware of. There are so many extremely valuable and interesting findings in psychology that should be made available to everyone, not just to professionals.
What does this book contain ?
What are the small - small things YOU can do to improve your life at OFFICE,
Did you know People focus better and be more creative with the ambient noise of a coffee shop ?
Did you know that the phone conversations, also called halfalogues , are the most distracting for co - workers ?
Did you know that the presence of a plant in one's physical space improves attention and recovery after performing a mentally fatiguing cognitive task ?
Did you know that nature is a reliable stress reducer/buster ?
Did you know that Women feel that they are more scrutinized, than men, for their appearance in an open office ?
Did you know that Light and brightness influence self control and self awareness ? it will motivate the employees to adopt the behaviors that impresses around them.
Did you know that darkness makes people feel disconnected and distant from others and increases the feeling that they can do what they want ?
There so many such information that the book talks about. this book is very interesting
and once you start you wouldn't want to put it down. it talks about our day to day life and how we can use latest research to our advantage and make everyone's life better around us.
I see that some of the things that she talks about offices is already implemented by some experts in my office. but I never knew why it was so ? It is good feeling that I know that now. I am going to put one live plant on my office desk now.
Also, Author's writing style is good, the way she has weaved the research info in the book is interesting.
Overall, I liked this book. I think that this book is highly informative and useful. I recommend this book - Read it ! Read it !! Read it !!!
5 stars
Video Review of the book
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What are the small - small things YOU can do to improve your life at OFFICE,
Did you know People focus better and be more creative with the ambient noise of a coffee shop ?
Did you know that the phone conversations, also called halfalogues , are the most distracting for co - workers ?
Did you know that the presence of a plant in one's physical space improves attention and recovery after performing a mentally fatiguing cognitive task ?
Did you know that nature is a reliable stress reducer/buster ?
Did you know that Women feel that they are more scrutinized, than men, for their appearance in an open office ?
Did you know that Light and brightness influence self control and self awareness ? it will motivate the employees to adopt the behaviors that impresses around them.
Did you know that darkness makes people feel disconnected and distant from others and increases the feeling that they can do what they want ?
There so many such information that the book talks about. this book is very interesting
and once you start you wouldn't want to put it down. it talks about our day to day life and how we can use latest research to our advantage and make everyone's life better around us.
I see that some of the things that she talks about offices is already implemented by some experts in my office. but I never knew why it was so ? It is good feeling that I know that now. I am going to put one live plant on my office desk now.
Also, Author's writing style is good, the way she has weaved the research info in the book is interesting.
Overall, I liked this book. I think that this book is highly informative and useful. I recommend this book - Read it ! Read it !! Read it !!!
5 stars
Video Review of the book
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8 Paradoxes of Leadership Agility By Yeo Chuen Chuen
8 Paradoxes of Leadership Agility: How to Lead and Inspire in the Real World by Yeo Chuen ChuenMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
How easy IS IT to change ? It is always difficult, and often paradoxical. You have an idea to start a business in your field but you do not want to quit your regular job and because you do not want to lose that regular income that pays your bills.
The book talks about solving the various paradoxes, 8 to be precise, that a leader may face at workplace or in life.
It provides a model called Re4 which is - Reconstruct, Refresh, Renew and Rebuild to navigate through all these paradoxes.
Here, Reconstruct is about finding the truth in any problem. This can be different from what people perceived initially. and, Refresh is about cleaning up the dirt, the mess that was hiding the truth. It can be prejudices, it can be ineffective rules etc.
And, The Third Re is Renew. Renew is the change that you want to make. It can be a change in behavior you want or you want a change in attitude and so on. and Rebuild is about the new skills and actions needed to implement that change. So it can involve training, new processes etc.
Overall, the book is good. the book is worth reading the way it has discussed the paradoxes. I rate this book 3/5.
Video Review - 8 Paradoxes of leadership skills
Review: The 12 Rules of Attention: How to Avoid Screw-Ups, Free Up Headspace, Do More and Be More At Work
The 12 Rules of Attention: How to Avoid Screw-Ups, Free Up Headspace, Do More and Be More At Work by Joseph CardilloMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Attention is connected to every single thing we think, feel, and do at work and elsewhere.Either we regulate this mental faculty or it will regulate us. And, This book talks about how our attentional machinery works and how we can manage it.
The Author recommends that You can practice the 12 rules of attention one at a time until they ingrain and begin to flow naturally. You can also consult them whenever slip ups and work related issues arise. Find the specific rules that pertain to your situation. Reread the related chapters and tools suggested in the chapter to help you refresh and re-balance.
The author wants to create a baseline information of your attention where your attention level is - bad, good or excellent during a normal work day. Then the author suggests various techniques to improve them.
This book is nicely written and structured well. All the chapters have a very good number of examples, a LOT of exercises to understand the concepts. Book has a glossary where all the
terms used in the book are defined. I liked this book and I recommend to every one who is interested in improving his/her Attention. I rate this 4/5.
Video Review of the book -
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Book Reviewing is an Art ...
How to Review a Book ?
When I review a book I take care of a lot of things. In the beginning, when I started reviewing books, the only thing which I considered was whether I liked it or not. but over the time I understood that reviewing a book is a multi-faceted activity where I need to look many aspects of a book . following are some of them which I give importance to while reviewing/rating a book -
1.) How the book looks ?
The physical appearance of a newly released book matters a lot. is the font of the book good for me ? how many lines per page the book has ? depending on the genre of the book I may or may not buy it. A poor paper quality can put me off unless the price of the book has been drastically cut and the book is relatively small under 100 pages.
if the book is an old classic then the cover doesn't matter. The cover page tells me a lot of things about it. If I have not heard about a particular book and I see it in a book store for first time then the only thing attracts me towards a book is, first, it's cover, second, it's title. the cover of a book can be simple or complicated but it should be soothing to eyes. and, it should match the genre of the book.
2.) Introduction Part of the book
I always try to scan through the introduction part of a book and try to understand the process the author has gone through while writing the book. I also go through all the recommendations that some people might have given about the book and check if I have ever read any book recommended by them. if I have not liked the book recommended by them in the past I become more careful and I think more about purchasing that book and try to look for some more information about the content of the book.
3.) Table of Contents section of the book
This part of the book gives me ample idea about the structure of a book. I have seen many books, where I get the feeling that the book's main theme, as per the title of the book, would have ended in 3 parts but one more part was added just for the sake of it. I have seen this mainly in self - help books.
4.) Actual Content of the book
If I have gone through the first three steps and the book looks promising to me, I purchase it and start reading at some point of time. I try to see how the read is - is it pacy ? slow ? or both ? if the book is non fiction, does it have enough info graphics to explain the topics ? how is the language of the author ? Is the author repeating the same thought multiple times ? I try to get into the mind of the author and try to see the content from his perspective. I make note of anything important that I find in the book, it can be any nice quote or a very good sentence which I have never heard. anything good that I can find in the book I try to note it down somewhere and use it while I am writing the review the book.
5.) Writing the review of a book
Now the most important part of the book. I start with giving credit to anyone who facilitated the book review and with a thanks note. Then, I try to give summary of the book in two sentences and then I elaborate it with my own understanding of the book.
The important task in reviewing the book is, how much of it you can keep remembered after you finish it ? This is mostly required for non-fiction books. To keep this under control, I generally try to summarize each chapter after I finish. remember, it's not verbatim . it's my own word that show my own understanding of the chapter. but be careful, it should not be too big, if you find this overwhelming, then start to summarize each page or paragraph and then build this habit from there step by step. this way a time will come when you can easily summarize a chapter or multiple chapters. but generally I restrict myself summarize each chapter that I finish. then A time will come where you can hold the summary of chapter in your mind. all you have to do it repeat all the chapters, every time you move to a new chapter of the book. It's not easy , but you will get it over the time.
Not About Review, Some times, I would give a brief summary of the book and most of the time I talk about some part of it , author's style of writing, how the book ended or started ? was the book slow in the middle ? was the author able to explain the concepts well ? is the author using simple words or using heavy words like Salman Rushdie ? I never completed any book of Salman Rushdie because of difficult words that he uses. Do the characters in the book fit in well ? and so on .. after I while the review becomes my own and I can write anything that I feel about the book and no body can stop me from doing that :) ..
Above all , Develop your own style of reviewing a book ... . and most important - read your review twice, may be once, before you publish.
I hope I made sense to you, please do leave a comment below. it matters to every blogger :)
CALM in the Midst of CHAOS By Kiran Dintyala
This video talks about the book CALM in the Midst of CHAOS By Kiran Dintyala.
Review: Calm in the Midst of Chaos: Dr. Calm's Prescription for Stress-Free Living
Calm in the Midst of Chaos: Dr. Calm's Prescription for Stress-Free Living by Kiran DintyalaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
[ Note : I got this book from netgalley for free and this is my honest review of the book]
In This book, the author, Dr. Kiran Dintyala talks about how one can remain calm when faced with chaos around you. he talks about some principles, exercises and meditation techniques to be followed to stay calm under such situation.
There are seven parts of the book covering various aspects of stress and how to prevent. the focus is more on prevention than managing it. Its actually right when author says that when we are born we stress less but as soon as move towards adulthood we start experiencing the stress. there are various reasons for the. the author nicely identifies them in this book and also provide the remedy on how to handle them.
The author provides a solution called P-E-T which involves classic 3 Principles by Sydney Banks + 2 exercises and one medication technique ABC - Affirmation, Breathing and concentration. He has provided the details steps to perform this.
Overall focus of the remedy is to keep calm under any circumstances.
Overall the book is good and I liked it. I rate it 4/5.
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Review: Develop Your Leadership Skills
Develop Your Leadership Skills by John AdairMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Communication is the sister of leadership” ― John Adair ( From the Book )
This book by John adair is a simple practical guide for any one who is about to take a team leadership role in any organization. This book talks about basic leadership skills. It is generally believed that no body can teach leadership to anyone and it is a skill that a person has to continuously learn by being proactive and reflective.
What are the qualities that are necessary for a leader ? some qualities are so fundamentals that without those a leader can lose his credibility. But these skills are not sufficient in themselves alone to make you seen as leaders. qualities of leadership -
1.) Enthusiasm - You won't find a dull leader
2.) Integrity - This quality makes people trust them.
3.) Toughness - Leaders are often demanding people , their standards are high, they are resilient and tenacious.
4.) Fairness - they do not have favorites. they treat individuals differently but equally.
5.) Warmth, humility, Confidence
And, There are four types of authority commonly found in leaders but the leaders don't rely on only one :
1. Authority by position and rank: "Do this because I'm the boss."
2. Authority by knowledge: Authority flows to the person who knows . example - Captain of a ship.
3. Authority by personality: Charismatic leaders
4. Authority by morals: Some one like Mandela
Now, what functions leaders exactly do ? There are 8 functions that are fundamental to leadership -
1.) Defining the task : Define What , why and how to do a task
2.) Planning : Planning is key. plan for contingencies, alternate routes. ensure team members are involved.
3.) Briefing: Communicating objectives and plans to the teams effectively.
4.) Controlling: direct, regulate, restrain, and encourage the team members toward completing the tasks and objectives.
5.) Evaluating: Evaluate progress and making adjustments as needed.
6.) Motivating: Understand people's inner needs and how they function to motivate them.
7.) Organizing: structure of people and teams.
8.) Providing an example: Act yourself as how you'd like your team to act.
Great leaders also take interest in developing leaders for future.
I liked this book and rate it 5/5.
Related Video :
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Review: The Gropes
The Gropes by Tom SharpeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Book by Tom Sharpe is starts well then slows down for a while and then picks up the speed in middle.
The Story is about Gropes, a Northumberland matriarchy. its origins back to an encounter between a seasick Viking deserter and an unattractive nun rejected by the rapers. After an unpromising start, the Grope women have ensured the centuries-long domination of the Grope women by means of kidnap, forced matrimony. occasionally they allow their women to go out and marry and stay in the cities. one such girl is Belinda. Belinda after marrying to a city guy comes back to the grope hall with Esmond, with intent to marry him. and, the story unfolds. there are many things that happen to the parents of Esmond and his uncle. the book is full of events.
Overall the book is OK.
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Review: Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want
Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want by Beverly KayeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The book says - Study after study confirms that career development is the single most powerful tool managers have for driving retention, engagement, productivity, and results. and, In this book the authors talk about these benefits and various methods to discuss career development with employees.
There are several myths that managers believe. and, these myths stopped them from discussing career with the employees -
There is simply not enough time.
-- If I do not talk about it, they may not think about it, and the status quo will be safe. Employees always have growth on their minds, whether managers address it or not.
--Since employees need to own their careers, it is not my job. Managers have an essential role to play in helping and supporting others to take responsibility.
--Everyone wants more, bigger, or better: promotions, prestige, power. When asked what they want to get out of a career conversation with their managers, most employees are simply looking for ways to use their talents creatively.
-- Development efforts are best concentrated on high potentials, many of whom already have plans in place. Managers will usually see a significant return on the development they invest in their high potentials, but they only make up a small fraction of an organization's population. A small investment in the massive middle doing the bulk of the work could yield great results.
Remember :
-- People recognize and respond to genuine curiosity on the part of their leaders
-- Quality questions asked with a spirit of curiosity can facilitate conversations that will allow others to change their lives
-- Studies have shown that employees in every sector are starving for feedback
-- With the right support people can grow right where they are. Finding ways to grow talents, explore interests, and build capacity within the context of employees' current jobs is completely within a manager's sphere of influence
To Help achieve career goals of employees, a manager should facilitate exploration of three "sights" in an employee - Hindsight, Foresight, and Insight.
Hindsight- What is it that employees loved to do in the past?
Foresight- A big picture look at business and environment changes that can affect future
Insight -It's convergence of hindsight and foresight where manager and employee jointly determine the full range of ways to move forward and the actions to take to achieve career objectives.
Working with employees around hindsight and foresight helps to generate insight into the world of possibilities that exist for those who want to move forward and toward their career goals.
Managers should give hindsight information to the employees in the following area -
-- Technical skills - needed for day to day work
-- Soft skills - Communication, collaboration, teamwork, and networking.
-- A set of career intangibles - Continuous learning, resilience in the face of change, and a natural curiosity about the world and its endless possibilities.
Feedback :
Managers should encourage the employees to get feedback from others and while doing so they should focus only on following three things : ABC -
1. Abilities - Strengths, skills,
2. Blind spots - Any behaviors that might get in the way of an employee's success
3. Conditions - Environments where employee can make greatest contribution and factors that could trigger stress or other negative reactions.
Enjoyed !!! 5 Stars
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Review: Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World
Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World by Marcus BuckinghamMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
According to the book following are the nine of the most prevalent lies about work and the truth behind them:
Myth #1 - Company culture impacts employee retention.
Research shows that employees actually care more about the
teams they belong to than the companies they work at.
Myth #2 - Planning is essential.
The world moves too fast for plans—a better strategy is to regularly provide teams with the best, most up-to-date information possible.
Myth #3- Goals stimulate better employee performances.
Instead of having employees set goals, companies must galvanize their workforce by having a meaningful purpose and shared values.
Myth #4- The best employees are well-rounded.
Employees who are encouraged to focus on their unique strengths are
more effective than those who try to be good at everything.
Myth #5- Constructive feedback is necessary.
Employees don’t need feedback—they need their team leaders to give
them frequent positive attention. ask them what strategies/activities works for them in the current/past work. and, there gut feeling about what will work in future.
Myth #6- Leaders should rate their employees’ performances.
The only things that human beings can accurately and
reliably rate are their own experiences and feelings.
Myth #7- Some employees have more potential than others.
Everyone has the ability to learn and improve.
Myth #8- Work-life balance is the key to happiness.
Rather than trying to balance out jobs they hate with personal time,
people must learn to focus on the positive aspects of their jobs.
Myth #9- Leadership is a set of predictable traits.
Review: Creating Passion-Driven Teams: How to Stop Micromanaging and Motivate People to Top Performance
Creating Passion-Driven Teams: How to Stop Micromanaging and Motivate People to Top Performance by Dan BobinskiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Key Ideas -
• Great managers spend time being “Builders” who mentor the team members and build them up to become valued members of the company with a passion for their work.
• The Organizations need clearly defined job duties and responsibilities for all team members.
• Positions should be classified as either leadership, management, or front-line employees. Each classification should understand what its raw product is, what its process is, and what its outcome should be.
• Micromanagers are often front-line employees who are promoted to management and not given
the training needed to understand their new roles.
• Micromanagers thrive on hearing that they are doing a good job, and they often step in to fix things their employees should be responsible for.
• To stop micromanagement, managers should think differently about their roles and to understand that a new set of core competencies are expected of them.
• People with higher Emotional Intelligence scores are often better managers than people with lower scores.
• Regular communication, even casual “water cooler conversations,” are good opportunities for managers to keep team members in the loop and motivated.
• When managers delegate tasks, they should delegate responsibility, authority, and accountability.
• Meetings should always have a purpose.
• Good listening skills are essential in gaining the trust of team members.
• Conflict should never be allowed to fester; it should be dealt with quickly and openly.
• Good training programs can save companies hundreds of thousands of dollars by reducing employee turnover rates.
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Review: Win the Heart
Win the Heart by Mark MillerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book talks about Employee Engagement in any organization. It talks about CARE :
-- Connection - Talk, Talk Talk.. encourage more conversation among employees
-- Affirmation - Appreciate your employees more
-- Responsibility - give more responsibility , more freedom to work
-- Environment - an environment where it's easy to work , it's easy to communicate, easy
To raise concerns , pointed addressable feedback
To get deeper into the concepts discussed in the book one is suggested to read the another book by the same author - Win the heart - The field guide.
I liked their book and rate it 5 stars.
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Review: Work On Your Game: Use the Pro Athlete Mindset to Dominate Your Game in Business, Sports, and Life
Work On Your Game: Use the Pro Athlete Mindset to Dominate Your Game in Business, Sports, and Life by Dre BaldwinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book by Dre Baldwin pushes you to apply following four principals in your life and transform yourself into a professional -
1.) Discipline
2.) confidence
3.) Mental Toughness
4.) Personal Initiative
The most important think which I liked in this book is the steps suggested by the author to get rid of your hyper self consciousness and fear of success.
As per him, success is straightforward: Understand what you want, make a decision to get it, work hard, and believe in yourself.
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Review: The Lost Boy
The Lost Boy by Dave PelzerMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is about the life of the author at foster homes during his teens ( 12 - 18 years to be precise). After being abused by his mother for years he is saved by his school teachers and is sent to foster homes after one another.
The story of the author really touches heart .
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Review: Main Pakistan Mein Bharat Ka Jasoos Tha
Main Pakistan Mein Bharat Ka Jasoos Tha by Mohanlal BhaskarMy rating: 0 of 5 stars
This book by Mohanlal Bhaskar , an Indian spy, is about his days in Pakistan and in it's jails. and he was one of the few spys who was well educated and probably because of that he got a better treatment in the Pakistani jails. which also made sure that he could safely return back to India.
The most interesting part of the book , which I liked most, was his discussion with a Pakistani sub Inspector Raja Gul Anar Khan. where he explains the hatred of Pakistanis towards Indians and to him how his family generations back converted to Islam due to force and how their Hindu relatives boycotted them. I think that those reasons were true and even today hinduism doesn't have any mechanism to take back it's own people back. any way, this book is about a spy's life in Pakistan and how they would collect information from there and send it back to India.
The only thing I could understand from this book is that people in Pakistan and India suffer from similar bureaucratic system even today. India is a far more better because it never went into the hands of the army the way it happened in Pakistan frequently and that as per the author of this book is highly corrupt and killed it's own citizens in Pakistan mercilessly.
This book also gives idea about the life of an average Pakistani in 60s and 70s.
I liked this book a lot and I rate it 4/5.
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Review: Paper Towns
Paper Towns by John GreenMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book . The story of the book is OK , first part is also pacy and it kept me glued. But the second part dragged and in third part is hazy.
Margo and Quentin are childhood friends and towards the end the high school Margo plans an adventure with Quentin to take revenge from the her classmates who had hurt her at some point of time in the school specially her boyfriend Jase. And after that Margo disappears. now the second part of the book is all about putting together all the clues Margo left behind to find her current location by Quentin and his friends. (view spoiler).
Over all I rate this 2/5.
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Review: Of Aakash and Aarti
Of Aakash and Aarti by Govind SharmaMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book by Govind Sharma is about about Aakash and Aarti. One had troubled childhood and moves towards drugs and spoils his life . And, another one is stricken with poverty and moves towards trapping a wealthy person.
The story of the book is good but could not hold me for long. The writing style of the author is good but it fails to keep me glued to the book. The book is neither a crime fiction nor a love story but has a little bit of both and probably because Of that There is no strong character in this book.
The story just moves on without causing any excitement.Inclusion of notebandi in the plot was interesting. I thought that character of Rajeshwari could have been more powerful.
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Review: Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal NewportMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book talks about concentration of mind and distractions that we face in our work life as well as in personal life.
The idea that this book puts forward is to minimize the distractions or the shallow work and do more DEEP work. The books tells some strategies about how to do it.
Also, this exhorts the reader to quit social media which kind trains the brain to be distractive most of the time.
I liked This book andand rate it 5/5.
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Review: Catalyst
Catalyst by Chandramouli VenkatesanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is one of those great books that make profound impact on ones life. The author talks about why some people succeed and some fail at work and in life.
Almost all people succeed in the first half of their careers but fail to succeed in second part. The author explains some reasons for it and those are full of wisdom. He simply Said that working for 15 years doesn't mean that you have become expert in your work. You have to continuously work on your productivity otherwise there will be chances that a person with lesser experience but with better productivity will be more suitable for the next level.
And, author gives equal weight bumblebees and honesty in work culture. Without it their can be downfall in your career.
I liked This book a lot and rate it 5/5.
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Review: Listen to my Heartbeat
Listen to my Heartbeat by Prajna G.S.My rating: 3 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review of the book]
This book by Prajna is a story of a group of friends in a college. The girls are in first semester and the boys are in final semester. They spend time together in The college for almost six-month And then move on in their respective lives.
Trisha and Aysha are school friends and together they get admission into a top class college . There they meet Rohan, Danny and Aryan. And they come together as group and spend team together. Aryan expresses his love for Trisha to her , she doesn't reject it but takes a while to make up her mind. Aysha and Danny also come together after some hiccups. Trisha wants to take care of her mother first and then think about her relationship with Aryan. And after one-day when she finds her mother admitted to hospital by her neighbour as she was out on a college tour she is filed with guilt and asks Rohan to leave her so that she can focus on career and mother with undivided attention. After some years everybody is settled in their jobs and Trisha meets Aryan again at Aysha and Danny's engagement and they decide to marry along with Aysha-Dannny's marriage.
The story of the book is Ok .it could have been more Pacy.
I found Trisha's decision to leave Aryan a bit amateur. Also they didn't have to wait for 7 Years to meet again since both of them were in touch with their common friends.
This is OK book. I rate it 3/5.
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Review: At CrossRoads : Greed for Love and the Love of Money
At CrossRoads : Greed for Love and the Love of Money by Smita MaheshwariMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in GoodReads giveaway and this is my honest review of the book]
The book is about Frank and Lydia and people around them.
Victor is dating Lydia despite being engaged to Amy and Frank informs Lydia about it and Lydia finds herself in deep turmoil. and she leaves Glensefield. Frank was not able to find her next 5 years until he visits St. George. He meets again Lydia and their love blossom again. Everything is fine but Frank's wife comes to know about it and she visits St. George and insults Lydia. In response, Lydia marriages to another businessman. But fortunes turn in such a way that her husband dies and Lydia is all alone again and Frank is beside her but she is not interested.
The story moves smoothly. In the hustle bustle of the business deals, the focus is always on Frank and Lydia. The story also talks about how the greedy financial corporations caused the 2008 financial meltdown across the world.
I liked the book. the author's writing style is also good and I liked it. I rate this book 4/5.
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Review: Maya: Seven Wonders of Life
Maya: Seven Wonders of Life by Sidhartha SatpathyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This Book has a good collection of short stories. There are seven short stories in the book. some of them are heart-warming. there is one character called "Maya" in almost all the stories.
It starts with the story of Rohan who is born into a family of doctors and is not willing to take the family profession forward and leaves his parents home. then there is the story of Mahavira who had to leave his house because of the political violence due Kaveri water issue between Karnataka and Tamilnadu. On other note, the story has strengthened my belief that no violence can happen in our country without the political patronage. politicians always find a way to put the people against each other in the name of states, religion, language etc .
Then, there are a couple of stories of young lovers who try to cope with the failure, some, even after years.
In the end, there is a story of Ele, an elephant. who probably, in the end, realised that there is a cost to pay for independence.
The writing style of the author is good and all the stories are good. I couldn't select a favourite story from this collection as there are two contenders - Horata and Love it flow !!! - Ele .
I rate this book 4/5.
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Review: THE LUTERON KA TEELA
THE LUTERON KA TEELA by Ravi Ranjan GoswamiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a small story about a bandit in the Chambal. the story is good and author's writing style is also good.
Kailash Pandey, a bandit, abducts a bunch of people who were returning from a marriage. the bandits leave the bride but abduct the groom, his father and few more people and demand ransom. meanwhile, Kailash Pandey has an old clipping of a newspaper which contains details about his grandfather and he asks one of the captives, who was a Teacher, to read it for him as it was in English and he was not able to read it. After knowing about his Grandfather he becomes restive. and the story takes an unexpected turn.
I would like to see more books on this subject from the author.
this is a beautiful story and I rate it 5/5.
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Review: Bayaan-e-Shikhar
Bayaan-e-Shikhar by Shikhar BalwaniMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a good collection of Hindi/Urdu (also typed using Roman Script so if you can't read Hindi letters you can read it in Romans) poems by the poet Shikhar Balwani. He has written the poems on some very general topics - Love and Separation, Society, Relationships, Friendship, and Loneliness.
I found the section on Love & Separation quite Good and this section has some really good "Shers" or couplets. look at the following -
Tere Intezar mei Din Raat me tabdeel ho geya,
Ab tou aaja ki dil bahlane ko meri Parchai bhee na rahi |
It was really romantic !!!!
While Talking about Society he says -
Bada Badnaseeb sa Lagta Hai ye shehar,
ghar to chote the hee, Dil Bhi Chote ho gaye hain.
Its really true about the big cities where people live in apartments and do not know and do not want to know who their neighbour is.
I liked the other parts of the book as well where he talks about relationships, friendship and loneliness.
I found the couplets or Shers original. I liked them a lot and rate this book 5/5.
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Review: 03:02
03:02 by Mainak DharMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The story of the book is about a terrorist attack by ISIS on india specially at Mumbai though that the attack takes place all over India specially in the major cities.
The attack starts with a complete blackout where electricity supply, modes of communication radio, tv, phones stops working. And we have a hero in Mumbai who organizes the common people and fights these highly trained army .
The story of the book is good and narration is also tight. As the story is built around one protagonist, so, it only talks about the things done by him though it had enough scope to get into some more powerful character and get into the picture some more people. With one protagonist the story could not do justice to the event , the attack, fully.
I liked this book and I rate it 3/5.
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Review: Destiny of Shattered Dreams
Destiny of Shattered Dreams by Nilesh RathodMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
[Note : I won this book in Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review of the book]
This is debut book by the author Nilesh Rathod and it is impressive.
Synopsis:
Atul with some of his friends starts a telecom company after Woking in another for few years. This is a startup company and provides services only in one city. He also faces the challenge of getting the funds to expand the operations of the company in others states. He gets an offer from a politician, who is also a minister in the central govt, to invest a huge amount on his company. Many of his colleagues are against it but finally he goes ahead with it. But very soon he realised that this is not good money for the growth of his company. And then he gets a deal from a bigger politician and the finance minister of the country and that money is invested through FDI. The company starts growing fast and it expands all over and it becomes a billion dollar company.
So far so good, during this whole thing Atul ignores his wife completely and after she gives birth to his daughter she starts living separately. And finally divorce happens. Meanwhile Atul gets involved with Aarti and they decide to get married after Atul's marriage but after the divorce Atul stops believing in the institution of marriage and a hurt Aarti marries someone else and moves to South Africa. During this, Enforcement Directorate smells something wrong in the finances of the
company and starts investigating it and finally CBI also gets involved and Atul is imprisoned for 18 months for using dirty money.
The story gives ample idea to an outsider about how the corporate world runs.
The narration of the author is very tight I didn't find any dull moment in the story.
I liked this book a lot and I rate it 5/5.
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Review: Zindagi Aais Pais
Zindagi Aais Pais by Nikhil SachanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is a collection of short stories by the author Nikhil Sachan. There are nine stories in the book -
1.)Phir ek Parvaz
Nanu and Subu feel threatened after a new boy Vicky comes to live in their locality and they plan to hit him someday but then they realize their mistake.
2.) Vicky Malhotra ka pyar
A young boy changes his name from Sudhir Kumar to Vicky Malhotra assuming that it will create a better impression on his girlfriend but ...
3.) Unneesh tiya sattavan
In this story a young boy sees his father as a superman as for him his father can do anything but once he fails to do and the boy realizes that his father is not a superman but later his faith in his father returns. a cute story.
4.) Basti Basti dher Udasi
This is a story about Chirag, who wants to be a writer but somehow is stuck in his corporate life. and he loses focus in his job and personal life.
5.) Ataria pe lotan Kabootar re
this is a small cute one sided love story of a boy who takes lessons from another boy to impress upon his to-be girlfriend but in the end, he makes a mess of it.
6.) Balamva tum Kya jano preet
this is a story of a Gay boy and how he comes out of the stigma of being a Gay.
7.) Cute Mohar Singh
Mohar Singh is Dabang and famous for his Dabangiri but changes completely after his marriage and his followers want him back but luckily they didn't succeed. On lighter note, this story shows the power of woman ..
8.) Bin poonchch ke Tadpol
This is the best story I found in the book, Kaju and his mother are poor. Kaju is 10 year old and when he sees his mother going out for work without any shoes then he decides that he will buy one for her and starts working on a tea stall. (view spoiler)
9.) Canvas me Joote or ratrani ke phool
This is also the story I liked the most. where an old couple, who do not have any children of their own, work in school and one day the school fires the old man because he is not able to clock the timings the classes correctly.
All the stories are OK but Bin poonchch ke Tadpol and Canvas me Joote or ratrani ke phool will remain close to my heart for a long time.
I liked this book a lot and I rate 4/5.
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Review: Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O. HenryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The story is about feeding the poors on thanksgiving day in U.S. . Irony is that poors get so much to eat on this single day that they fall sick and rich,supposedly, in the name of tradition want to feed poor even if they no longer have the means to do it.
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Review: Baaki Ki Baat
Baaki Ki Baat by Nandini KumarMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is collections of short stories by the author Nandini Kumar.
Almost all the stories are good. But I liked raj ki bat and
Ladkiyon wale the most. I found Raj ki bat hilarious and ladkiyon wale a bit sad .
In Most of the stories the central character is a woman. One of the story Bhookh is bold.
I liked the book a lot and I rate it 5/5.
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Review: The Dev Anand Story
The Dev Anand Story by Govind SharmaMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
[Note: I got this book from the author in return of an honest review]
This book by the author Govind Sharma is a biography of the famous Bollywood film star Dev Anand. the content of the book is based on media reports, author's interaction with actor's fans and social media.
The book has 11 chapters, and the last chapter talks about various awards Devanand won and lists his films in chronological order.
First two chapters of the book, start with his death in year 2011, and moves on to his early life in Gurdaspur then his graduation from Lahore Govt College, Pakistan. He was brilliant in studies.
It was a news for me that his elder brother was a freedom fighter and went to jails as well during Quit india movement started by Gandhi ji.
The missing part here is that there are no anecdotes from his childhood.
After the first two chapter the book directly moves to his struggle in Bombay and how he meets other talented people and gets work.
The next chapters talk about all the movies done by him under his banner Navketan films or others. And, how Devanand remained active till his date. When he died at the age of 88, he was still working on in one of his films which was released a few months later after his death.
The book is written very nicely, I never found a dull moment. The book is compact.
But the most important thing in any biography is anecdotes associated with the person. I didn't find many. Also, nothing much is discussed about the personal life of Devanand.
I liked this book for covering Devanand's films career nicely. And, I rate it 3/5.
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Review: The Olive
The Olive by Algernon BlackwoodMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Nice cool Story. written around the 1920s. He and she meet at a hotel 's dining room when she throws an olive inadvertently towards him after that a spell of companionship begins between them. the interesting part is that the thrown olive could have gone anywhere in the dining room.
I rate it 4/5
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Review: It's Never a Fairytale : When the Struggle Is Real
It's Never a Fairytale : When the Struggle Is Real by Madhuri WankhedeMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review of the book]
This book by the author is a love story which is quite obvious from thethe ttitle and the blurb.
The story of the book is very common where girls parents are orthodox and do not agree to her marriage to the person of her choice.
The role of girls brother is somehow missing in the book and I thought probably he will pitch in somewhere and act as a savior. But that didn't happen , his references disappear after the few pages of the beginning.
I didn't like the author's writing style. In the first half of the book you will find someone is always going out for a coffee on every second page.
I also think that, probably the author didn't do any research on love stories other wise she would have titled this book as "it's a fairytale" instead of "it's never a fairytale". Because, the couple nearly had a cakewalk and got married easily.
This is small book , if you have never read a love story you can give it a try. I didn't like it. I rate it 1/5.
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Review: Luteron Ka Teela, Chambal
Luteron Ka Teela, Chambal by Ravi Ranjan GoswamiMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a small story about a bandit in the Chambal. the story is good and author's writing style is also good.
Kailash Pandey, a bandit, abducts a bunch of people who were returning from a marriage. the bandits leave the bride but abduct the groom, his father and few more people and demand ransom. meanwhile, Kailash Pandey has an old clipping of a newspaper which contains details about his grandfather and he asks one of the captives, who was a Teacher, to read it for him as it was in English and he was not able to read it. After knowing about his Grandfather he becomes restive. and the story takes an unexpected turn.
this is a beautiful story and I rate it 5/5.
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Review: Unns-The Captivation
Unns-The Captivation by Sapan SaxenaMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review of the book]
This book Unns by the author Sapan Saxena is pacy read.
The story of the book is based on a love story and a couple of spy missions woven around it. Atharva and Meher are in the same school and they love each other but Meher decides to break it up after her parents come to know about it and coerced her to think about her career and future first. Atharva joins India's spy service and meets her again during a spy mission in Germany and the story takes spin from there.
The story is OK and the narration is pacy . I didn't found the character of Meher convincing and at times I found her stupid. I found the book a bit slow in beginning and towards the end. The end could have been faster.
Overall I liked this book and rate it 3/5.
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Review: Why Should I Love You...???
Why Should I Love You...??? by Kamal PaneruMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review of the book]
This book by Kamal Paneru is a love story between Raunak, Juhi (and Megha).Raunak and Juhi talk over a wrong call and they exchange SMSes and their relationship grows. There is Megha, who also loves Raunak. Juhi separates from Raunak and Raunak moves to another city. there, Megha expresses her love for him. Raunak accepts it but one day Juhi meets him again in a marriage party and the story spins.
The story of the book is OK. The book is dead slow barring the beginning and the end. Unnecessary details , incidents have crippled the narration. Also, the author's writing style didn't go well with me.
It's a poorly written book.I rate it 1/5.
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Review: Monsoon Minds
Monsoon Minds by Ravi NambiarMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
[Note : I won this book in Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review of the book]
This is a short story book by the debutant author Ravi Nambiar. There are 18 stories in the book and nost of them are setup in a village. The stories are sensitive and are of very high quality. The writing style of the author is Lucid and kept me glued to the book throughout.
The best part of the stories is that they have rural background and captures the essence of what the author wants to say.
The God of mason, The last Pilgrimage and, the divine bonding are some of the stories which I liked the most.
I liked the author's writing style. It flows smoothly and there is never a dull moment in the stories.
I rate this book very high and give 5/5 stars.
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Review: A Way to the Infinity World
A Way to the Infinity World by Narendra Singh NathawatMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review]
I have mixed feelings about this book by Narendra Nathawat & Vishvendra Nathawat.
The story is about Alfred who transcends to a infinity world which his father , a scientist, wanted to go and went as well. The story crumbles here. There is nothing much for Alfred to do here. He roams around this world with Avya. He also meets his grand father. But there is not much in the story. The story starts well but it's almost lost After Alfred reaches the infinity world.
The formula Y2Y was too immature as author is not able to portray a eco system around it.
Overall I didn't like the book and I rate it 1/5.
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Review: State vs Amrit Kumar
State vs Amrit Kumar by Govind SharmaMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in Goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review of the book]
This is the second book, which I have read, by the author Dr. Govind Sharma.
The good thing about this book is that the story is good and it's pacy after initial slowness in the narration.
By looking at the title of the book I thought that this book would be some sort of court room drama but I didn't find that.
The story has many characters where a pujari is murdered to usurp the unused land of his temple and his nephew is also falsely implicated for his murder.the nephew is also murdered in jail. Now his young wife with just born kid moves to live with her brother but her brother is also murdered by the same gang. Her son Amrit goes on to become a police officer and the story ends with some more killings where Amrit is implicated for wrongly conducting a raid on a businessman and during the process the businessman gets killed.
So, this is the story. The narration was pacy barring the initial 50 pages where the author took the liberty to build up the story. After that, the story has pace. There is no suspense in the story and it is narrated as it happens so as reader I know everything that is going on but the Amrit and his mother Madhu would never know who killed his father.
Also, the name of the book is inept and doesn't justify the story. There are no court room discussions to suggest that there is case a person is fighting against the state.
I found this book pacy mad, interesting and I rate it 3/5.
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Review: A primer on Yoga theory and practice
A primer on Yoga theory and practice by Ramesh BijlaniMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
All life is yoga - Sri Aurobindo
This book is a primer on yoga but gives substantial information about it. All the chapters in the book are already published as a blog in speakingtree.in by the author.
The book starts with a general definition of yoga and goes on to discuss Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga in a detail. It also talks about Bhagwat Geeta's take on Yoga. there is one chapter on Tantra Yoga where it explains all the Chakras and Kundalini and dangers if not practiced well.
While talking about RajYoga it talks about eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. In the whole book, the author has emphasized that yoga is the process of self-improvement and the pinnacle is to become one with the divine. Bhagwat Geeta emphasizes that each person is different and they can choose one from GyanYog, BhaktiYog, karma yoga and follow it in their life and reachh the divine. The Author also goes on to claim that Gita has probably prevented more mental breakdowns than any psychiatrist.
I kind of agreed with the author that yoga is also a great source of self help. If we look at the Yam, Niyam part of the Ashtanga Yoga you will see that all the Niyamas are a way to help us be better . There are 5 niyamas -
1.) Shauchha (Cleanliness) - keep your self clean in body and mind
2.) Santosha (contentment)- Be content with what you have but keep trying to be better
3.) Tapas (concentration of effort) - Apply yourself fully to achieve any goal that you set. in yoga it is to be one with divine
4.) Swadhayay (Self Study) - self-study of scriptures and making your own opinion about it.
5.) Ishwar Pranidhana (surrender to the divine)
The niyamas - Tapas and Swadhayay can be applied in other fields of life as well.
The book, as said , is a primer on yoga and doesn't give much info about the Asanas. it talks about around 20 asanas and Surya Namaskar and briefly talks about the Pranayams and lists some easy to do Pranayamas.
The book also has a section on FAQ which is OK. it has One-hour Practice Protocol which I think is also OK.
I liked this book because it gives a lot of information about Yoga. The book also comes with a CD which shows around 20-30 Asanas discussed in the book and Pranayamas.
I rate this book 4/5.
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Review: The Break-Up Clinic: A Novel
The Break-Up Clinic: A Novel by Govind SharmaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in GoodReads giveaway and this is my honest review of the book]
The saddest three words for a person in love are 'It is over', and the rejection by the loved one can be the most painful emotional moment of life. - Dr. Gemini (from the book)
This is the third book by the Author Govind sharma ( a former IAS officer and MBBS in medicine.) the other two books are - State vs Amrit Kumar , Anant Dot Com .
This book is about a hospital called "Breakup clinic" . The main function of the clinic is to offer psychotherapy and counselling to those suffering from depression following a relationship break-up. The admission policy of the Break-up clinic gave priority to the suicide attempt survivors. doctor Dev is in charge of this clinic.
There are three suicide survivors in the story and each one has his own story and Doctors try to cure them through therapy and counselling and sometime through medication. psychoanalysis is used to unravel the hidden emotions in the unconscious mind and cognitive therapy is used to help patients control their thoughts, feelings and behavior.
The book gives some basic understanding of why people in failed relationship still cling to it even if it hurts them badly and it even forces them to hurt themselves and sometimes attempt suicide to gain sympathy from their tormentor. the tormentor also takes advantage of it. The author has nicely explored the thought process of the three survivors. but i wish that the author had explored the mindset of the three tormentors of the three patients in the book as well and that would have given both sides point of view.
Were the tormentors really selfish people ? not sure. when one dumps another, can (s)he be accused of guilty ? not sure.
The book talks about ego defense which is unhealthy way of handling your emotions.
This book surely helps to understand the various dimensions of a failed relationships and exhorts readers to take medical help to overcome. and, it says life is always beautiful and - The first and fore-most thing is to forgive and forget your ex...and never go back to him/her.
The writing style of the author is very good and he has narrated the story very well. I rate this book very high and rate it 5/5 .
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Review: Chasing 33%
Chasing 33% by Jitendra JainMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in GoodReads GiveAway and this is my honest review of the book]
This is really a funny book if you can pass through the first 20 pages. The Story is very simple where a bunch of guys are appearing for their 10th board exam somewhere a remote place in Assam.
The story of the book revolves around the exam days and there is chapter for each subject and it has some incidents between the friends and talks about the protagonist's hate and love for certain subjects. finally the exam is over and the results are awaited.
What I liked most is, the protagonist, who is always full of wit and and always up to something. There are occasion I could not stop from laughing for minutes.
I rate this book very high 4/5 despite a bit slow beginning.
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Review: A Love Letter to Death
A Love Letter to Death by Nicko ShoidMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
[note : I won this book in GoodReads Giveaway and this is my honest review ]
Let's burn love with our ego. Our ashes would unite us. - from the book
This is the first book by the author Nicko Shoid. its a collection of poems. Poems have to connect with the readers otherwise it becomes worthless. it easier to understand a poem if recited by the poet or someone who understands it but equally difficult to understand from the written letters. but written letters have a different kind of beauty when you can have all together a different meaning what the poet originally thought of.
any way, this book by the author has a mix collection some of them I found with good message and with some of them I just could not connect.
A couple of poems Forbidden Mother and Lost childhood have raised some difficult questions to be answered by the society or the Govts.
The Author says the "Madness" is all over the world and then goes on to say that -
People are born wise,
age makes them mad.
They are born with tears,
with age comes sadness.
Madness makes people sad over the time.
In Brewery of Mortals he talks about how sorrow and old good times go hand in hand always together. in sorrow, you can always think about old good time and get some comfort in it -
The neat Gulp of sorrow burnt my voice.
Flashback of good times swirled with a flavour of rejoice.
There is one poem on Gulmohar which is quite interesting. the poem Dancing Quill has some profound lines where the author exhorts the Quill to Destroy everything that hides the truth and Keep dancing for someone innocent.
I have read these poems multiple times. it gave me a feeling that i didn't reading anything new barring some thought provoking lines here and there. The poem "Who am I" was bit disappointment, I could not figure out what the author is talking about in the quintet towards the end.
In the poem Birth of a poem one specific line put me off where he says - I wept burying my head in her breast . poets use indirect words instead of using such words. that is the beauty of the poetry.
Over all this collection was OK and I rate it 3/5.
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Review: A Tribute to My Dreams
A Tribute to My Dreams by Balachandran KodandathMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in GoodReads Giveaway and this is my honest review of the book]
This book by Balachandran Kodandath is about a father's quest to get parental rights over her daughter after his failed marriage.
Abhay and Shweta's marriage is in trouble after a few months of their marriage and meanwhile they also become parents of a girl. and, after a while it becomes unbearable for Abhay to stay with shweta and he files case for divorce and custody of his daughter. the court case lingers on for 3-4 years due to delay tactics used by Shweta's lawer. finally the verdict comes.
Story of the book and its narration is OK. The focus of the story is completely on Abhay, and, Shweta is conspicuously missing from it. Also , I felt that the character of Anita is forced into the story without any logic. the book is pacy in the beginning and end but slogs in the middle.
Overall it was a good read and I rate it 3/5.
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Review: 8 Days A Week
8 Days A Week by Niraj SatnalikaMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
[Note: I won this book in goodreads giveaway and this is my honest review]
"Sales people need the endurance of Hercules, the brass of Barnum, the craft of Machiavelli, the tact of a diplomat, the tongue of an orator, the charm of a playboy, and the brain of a computer.
They must be imperious to insult, indifference, anger, scorn, complaint, and be razor-sharp, even after drinking until dawn with a customer. They must have the stamina to sell all day, entertain all evening, drive all night to the next town, and be on the job fresh at 9:00 am " - (from the book)
This book "8 Days a week" by Nirahj Satnalika talks about life of a salesman. Rohan is an MBA from a reputed B school and gets his first job as sales manager in a bank at Mumbai. he is assigned to sell bank products and meet deadlines. sometimes he meets the deadlines and sometimes not. during this process he also meets some girls with whom he gets intimate. After a while he gets frustrated with his work and moves on.
The good thing in the book is that it gives some idea about the life of a salesman. next time when I meet a salesman then, probably, will have a benign attitude towards them. I am generally very rude to the tele marketeers because they call me and send me messages despite me being registered with the DND (national register of do not disturb).
The story of the book is not something extra ordinary, the presentation is also mediocre , few things have been dragged in the narrative. The description of his friends when the are separated probably didn't fit in the story and was unnecessary. Rohan's affair in the college also didn't fit well and I felt that it was taken only to add more pages in the book.
In the end I found that the author could not justify the "8 days a week" for salesman.
I rate this book 2/5 .
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Review: Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters: The Science Behind Employee Happiness and Organizational Performance
Why Workplace Wellbeing Matters: The Science Behind Employee Happiness and Organizational Performance by Jan-Emmanuel De Neve...
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