en-US Mon, 21 Apr 2025 16:01:46 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 32324555
So naturally they break into the Fittes Mausoleum, on a perilous mission to discover the truth about London's top ghost-hunting agency, and its sinister leader.

What they discover will change everything.

But there's little time to ponder. A near-miss at a haunted fairground is only the start - as the Fittes agency closes in on the team, an epic struggle commences.

With the help of some unexpected, and rather ghostly, allies, Lockwood & Co must battle their greatest enemy yet, as they move ever closer to the moment when the earth-shattering secret of 'the problem' will finally be revealed.


Jonathan Stroud once again delivers a rousing adventure full of danger, laughs, twists, and frights. The revelations will send readers back to Book 1 to start the series all over again.]]> 448 Jonathan Stroud 1484798570 Vismay 4 4.61 2017
author: Jonathan Stroud
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves:
review:
Finished a series after a long time. Fun stuff.
]]> 205788239 In Hot Mess, book 19 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney, Greg Heffley is in for a particularly awkward summer with his whole family.

The pressure is building for Greg Heffley, who discovers that when you mix heaps of family, a tiny beach house, and sweltering heat, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Speaking of recipes—the secret ingredients behind Gramma’s famous meatballs have been closely guarded for years. Can Greg unpack all of his family’s mysteries before their vacation is over? Or will he just stir the pot?

This sidesplittingly relatable summer story is the funniest Wimpy Kid book yet!]]> 218 Jeff Kinney 1419766953 Vismay 4
A breezy, fun book!]]> 4.16 2024
author: Jeff Kinney
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars

A breezy, fun book!
]]> 5968988 207 Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay 8129100967 Vismay 2 4.24 2003
author: Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2003
rating: 2
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/07
shelves:
review:
Stories with minor plot-twists. Byomkesh Bakshi is called Sherlock Holmes of Bengal - after reading this book - I can definitely vouch for the fact that he is from Bengal. But to compare him to Sherlock Holmes is to stretch the truth, on a massive scale. Another hyped up character from the East of the country.
]]> 23922381 The Hollow Boy, Lucy is a freelance operative, hiring herself out to agencies that value her ever-improving skills. One day she is pleasantly surprised by a visit from Lockwood, who tells her he needs a good Listener for a tough assignment. Penelope Fittes, the leader of the giant Fittes Agency wants them--and only them--to locate and remove the Source for the legendary Brixton Cannibal. They succeed in their very dangerous task, but tensions remain high between Lucy and the other agents. Even the skull in the jar talks to her like a jilted lover. What will it take to reunite the team? Black marketeers, an informant ghost, a Spirit Cape that transports the wearer, and mysteries involving Steve Rotwell and Penelope Fittes just may do the trick. But, in a shocking cliffhanger ending, the team learns that someone has been manipulating them all along. . . .]]> 445 Jonathan Stroud 1484709675 Vismay 4 4.51 2016
author: Jonathan Stroud
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 78129 474 Lee Child 0515141429 Vismay 5
Child is no Connelly, but I started with a bad book. I should have always started with the ‘Killing Floorâ€� to judge Lee’s real measure.

It is fun and satisfying on so many levels.]]> 4.08 1997
author: Lee Child
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/23
date added: 2025/03/22
shelves:
review:
Thoroughly satisfied reading this one! As satisfying as it was watching the show!

Child is no Connelly, but I started with a bad book. I should have always started with the ‘Killing Floorâ€� to judge Lee’s real measure.

It is fun and satisfying on so many levels.
]]> 85766771
Bosch pulls a needle from the haystack: a woman in prison for killing her husband, a sheriff’s deputy, but who still maintains her innocence. Bosch reviews the case and sees elements that don’t add up, and a sheriff’s department intent on bringing quick justice in the killing of one of its own.

Now Haller has an uphill battle in court, a David fighting Goliaths to vindicate his client. The path for both lawyer and investigator is fraught with danger from those who don’t want the case reopened and will stop at nothing to keep the Haller-Bosch dream team from finding the truth. Packed with intrigue and courtroom drama, Resurrection Walk shows once again that Michael Connelly is “the most consistently superior living crime fiction authorâ€� (South Florida Sun Sentinel).]]> 407 Michael Connelly 0316563781 Vismay 5
Bosch is a curmudgeon, you don’t make him nice and polite - like he is to Ballard. That signature irascibility is what is lacking during his outing with Ballard.

He doesn’t cut any slack to Haller. It’s fun to watch! Loved this one!]]> 4.55 2023
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves:
review:
Now this is better! A single case - razor sharp focus, exciting courtroom drama, constant bickering between Haller and Bosch, a decent mystery and loads of fun!

Bosch is a curmudgeon, you don’t make him nice and polite - like he is to Ballard. That signature irascibility is what is lacking during his outing with Ballard.

He doesn’t cut any slack to Haller. It’s fun to watch! Loved this one!
]]> 761575 Dune chronicles captured the imagination of millions of readers worldwide. By his death in 1986, Herbert had completed six novels in the series, but much of his vision remained unwritten. Now, working from his father's recently discovered files, Brian Herbert and bestselling novelist Kevin J. Anderson collaborate on a new novel, the prelude to Dune—where we step onto the planet Arrakis
decades before Dune's hero, Paul Muad'Dib Atreides, walks its sands.

Here is the rich and complex world that Frank Herbert created, in the time leading up to the momentous events of Dune. As Emperor Elrood's son plots a subtle regicide, young Leto Atreides leaves for a year's education on the mechanized world of Ix; a planetologist named Pardot Kynes seeks the secrets of Arrakis; and the eight-year-old slave Duncan Idaho is hunted by his cruel masters in a terrifying game from which he vows escape and vengeance. But none can envision the fate in store form them; one that will make them renegades—and shapers of history.]]> 681 Brian Herbert 0553580272 Vismay 4
Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have no such pretence. A skimpily clad Sports Illustrated model seems to be their muse - their writing hides nothing and explains everything in great detail - even minor plot points that can have been left on the editor’s chopping table.

Though I do believe this book is a romping space adventure. It’s fun and tedious in equal parts. But the mystery is all but gone - making the world of Dune no less enjoyable, but definitely less intriguing.

P.S.: I knew that Harkonnens killed people at their whims and fancies, but were they so mindless and comical in their endeavour to do so? How does Rabban survive when he is utterly stupid?]]> 3.80 1999
author: Brian Herbert
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/03
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves:
review:
A mysterious woman in a veil, coyly and grudgingly revealing her secrets - withholding more than she gives out. This is how Frank Herbert writes his Dune books or at least the first two that I read. I was forced to read passages again, tried hard in gleaning the meaning from the text - so much so that I felt satisfied at the end of the ride, with a dull headache reminding me that I had not understood it all.

Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson have no such pretence. A skimpily clad Sports Illustrated model seems to be their muse - their writing hides nothing and explains everything in great detail - even minor plot points that can have been left on the editor’s chopping table.

Though I do believe this book is a romping space adventure. It’s fun and tedious in equal parts. But the mystery is all but gone - making the world of Dune no less enjoyable, but definitely less intriguing.

P.S.: I knew that Harkonnens killed people at their whims and fancies, but were they so mindless and comical in their endeavour to do so? How does Rabban survive when he is utterly stupid?
]]> 60219987 LAPD detective RenĂ©e Ballard and Harry Bosch work together to hunt the killer who is Bosch’s “white whale”—a man responsible for the murder of an entire family.

A year has passed since LAPD detective RenĂ©e Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. Yet, after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving “the Late Showâ€� to rebuild the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.
Ìę
For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case that haunts him but that he hasn’t been able to crack—the murder of an entire family by a psychopath who still walks free. Ballard makes Bosch an offer: come work with her as a volunteer investigator in the new Open-Unsolved Unit, and he can pursue his “white whaleâ€� with the resources of the LAPD behind him.

The two must put aside old resentments to work together again and close in on a dangerous killer. Propulsive and unstoppable, this new novel demonstrates once again why “Connelly is the real dealâ€� (Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review).]]> 400 Michael Connelly 0316421464 Vismay 4
It is an okaish book - while the plot kept me hooked, the fire was missing. Because it is Ballard and Bosch - we have two cases being solved in tandem. It didn’t work for me before, it doesn’t work for me now as well.

Bosch and Haller are good together, but Bosch and Ballard together is a tepid offering.

The story has a neat resolution, but lacks complexity and flavour. It tastes bland.]]> 4.49 2022
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves:
review:
This was going to be 3 stars for me, but for the end - it is 3.5. Got to see the real Bosch at the very end.

It is an okaish book - while the plot kept me hooked, the fire was missing. Because it is Ballard and Bosch - we have two cases being solved in tandem. It didn’t work for me before, it doesn’t work for me now as well.

Bosch and Haller are good together, but Bosch and Ballard together is a tepid offering.

The story has a neat resolution, but lacks complexity and flavour. It tastes bland.
]]> 65153605 392 Kamini Dandapani 9391047920 Vismay 4 Rajaraja Chola was one of the greatest rulers this country has ever produced, with grand ambitions, ruthless execution skills, and a sense of his own grandeur in the larger scheme of things. At one point, the Cholas ruled almost the entire South of India, stretching north to Orissa and West Bengal, encompassing major parts of Sri Lanka, and exerting a large influence (through both soft and hard power) over Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia. While the Cholas were focused on expanding their reach and influence, they were also mindful of the legacy they would leave behind. Believing their dynasty had been blessed by none other than Lord Shiva, Rajaraja Chola, followed by his son Rajendra Chola, commissioned two of the most magnificent temples this country has ever seen—the Brihadeeshwara Temple in Thanjavur and the Gangaikondacholapuram Temple in a town of the same name, among many other temples that dot the landscape of their reign.
Even more fascinating are the thousands of stone inscriptions that adorn the walls of these temples, as well as base mouldings, trellis windows, sculptures, and copper plates (including the Anbil, Leiden, Thiruvalangadu, and Kanyakumari grants). These inscriptions cover a wide range of topics: they detail the genealogy of the Cholas, from mythical to protohistoric to the current lineage; they describe which ruler commissioned the temples, who donated during their construction and operation, how many people were employed by the temples, and what salaries they drew based on their work; they recount the wars won by the rulers; and interestingly, when any other dynasty—like the Chalukyas or Pandyas—conquered a Chola region, they added to the temple inscriptions in the territories they won, mentioning their own legacy, and vice versa.
In a way, these inscriptions provide us with a written history of those times—quite detailed, carved on stone and copper, and deciphered only about 150 years ago. When I was reading Ponniyin Selvan, I was struck by how much the author seemed to know about the time of Rajaraja Chola’s rule, especially since we know so little about another great ruler from the North, Prithviraj Chauhan, who came much later. Now I understand that there are very few inscriptions from his reign and none by him directly. What we know about this great ruler comes primarily from epic poems like Prithviraj Raso or Muslim accounts. Additionally, it is possible that not many temples survive in North India, as they bore the brunt of Muslim invasions to a much greater extent than the southern parts of the country. This makes one wonder: if we look 1,000 years ahead, what will survive from our day and age? I asked this question to ChatGPT, and it gave me a comprehensive answer, with the following conclusion:
“A thousand years from now, the blend of ancient traditions, colonial heritage, and modern technological advancements would create a multi-layered archive of India in the 2000-2025 period. This combination of digital and physical preservation—ranging from stone inscriptions to digital records—would offer future historians a complex and varied view of one of the most dynamic nations in the 21st century.â€�
A lot might survive from our times on this Earth. If you have a sense of history, you should certainly go for it and do something remarkable to be etched in the annals of modern history, forever remembered from this point onward.
This book covers much more—the famous bronze idols of these temples, the maritime trade during the Chola period, the Cholas' relationships with Sri Lanka, Southeast Asian countries, and China, the powerful women of the time, law and order, the Bhakti movement, and the Nayanmar saints. It also explores the interplay between various dynasties—the Cheras, Pandyas, Hoysalas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas—and the way the Cholas both dominated and were dominated by them at different times in history.
'Rajaraja Chola' is a fascinating read about a glorious chapter in Indian history. It's definitely worth your time!

]]> 4.48
author: Kamini Dandapani
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.48
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/02
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:
For a long time, at least since I read 'Rebel Sultans' by Manu S. Pillai, I have wanted to read a book that explores at least one of the Southern dynasties in greater detail. I picked up 'Ponniyin Selvan' by Kalki, expecting it to shed some light on the Chola dynasty, but it turned out to be historical fiction, more focused on courtroom intrigue and the fantastic, yielding very little historical knowledge along the way. Even 'The Golden Road' by William Dalrymple, which touches upon the Pallavas and Cholas, focuses more on their impact on maritime trade between India and the East. So it was with great delight that I picked up 'Rajaraja Chola' by Kamini Dandapani from the library—and it certainly delivered on the promise of depth about the Chola reign.
Rajaraja Chola was one of the greatest rulers this country has ever produced, with grand ambitions, ruthless execution skills, and a sense of his own grandeur in the larger scheme of things. At one point, the Cholas ruled almost the entire South of India, stretching north to Orissa and West Bengal, encompassing major parts of Sri Lanka, and exerting a large influence (through both soft and hard power) over Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia. While the Cholas were focused on expanding their reach and influence, they were also mindful of the legacy they would leave behind. Believing their dynasty had been blessed by none other than Lord Shiva, Rajaraja Chola, followed by his son Rajendra Chola, commissioned two of the most magnificent temples this country has ever seen—the Brihadeeshwara Temple in Thanjavur and the Gangaikondacholapuram Temple in a town of the same name, among many other temples that dot the landscape of their reign.
Even more fascinating are the thousands of stone inscriptions that adorn the walls of these temples, as well as base mouldings, trellis windows, sculptures, and copper plates (including the Anbil, Leiden, Thiruvalangadu, and Kanyakumari grants). These inscriptions cover a wide range of topics: they detail the genealogy of the Cholas, from mythical to protohistoric to the current lineage; they describe which ruler commissioned the temples, who donated during their construction and operation, how many people were employed by the temples, and what salaries they drew based on their work; they recount the wars won by the rulers; and interestingly, when any other dynasty—like the Chalukyas or Pandyas—conquered a Chola region, they added to the temple inscriptions in the territories they won, mentioning their own legacy, and vice versa.
In a way, these inscriptions provide us with a written history of those times—quite detailed, carved on stone and copper, and deciphered only about 150 years ago. When I was reading Ponniyin Selvan, I was struck by how much the author seemed to know about the time of Rajaraja Chola’s rule, especially since we know so little about another great ruler from the North, Prithviraj Chauhan, who came much later. Now I understand that there are very few inscriptions from his reign and none by him directly. What we know about this great ruler comes primarily from epic poems like Prithviraj Raso or Muslim accounts. Additionally, it is possible that not many temples survive in North India, as they bore the brunt of Muslim invasions to a much greater extent than the southern parts of the country. This makes one wonder: if we look 1,000 years ahead, what will survive from our day and age? I asked this question to ChatGPT, and it gave me a comprehensive answer, with the following conclusion:
“A thousand years from now, the blend of ancient traditions, colonial heritage, and modern technological advancements would create a multi-layered archive of India in the 2000-2025 period. This combination of digital and physical preservation—ranging from stone inscriptions to digital records—would offer future historians a complex and varied view of one of the most dynamic nations in the 21st century.â€�
A lot might survive from our times on this Earth. If you have a sense of history, you should certainly go for it and do something remarkable to be etched in the annals of modern history, forever remembered from this point onward.
This book covers much more—the famous bronze idols of these temples, the maritime trade during the Chola period, the Cholas' relationships with Sri Lanka, Southeast Asian countries, and China, the powerful women of the time, law and order, the Bhakti movement, and the Nayanmar saints. It also explores the interplay between various dynasties—the Cheras, Pandyas, Hoysalas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas—and the way the Cholas both dominated and were dominated by them at different times in history.
'Rajaraja Chola' is a fascinating read about a glorious chapter in Indian history. It's definitely worth your time!


]]> 21098320
WORDS OF RADIANCE takes the reader even deeper into the lives of its characters as they fight for power, freedom and their lives on the extraordinary, hurricane swept world of Rosharr.

Famed for his plotting, his wonderful characters and his intricate magic systems Brandon Sanderson is poised to take up the crown of Robert Jordan as the creator of the keynote epic fantasy series of its time with the Stormlight Archive.]]> 653 Brandon Sanderson 0575093315 Vismay 4 4.71 2014
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.71
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 201608148 legendary historian William Dalrymple highlights India's oft-forgotten position as a crucial economic and civilisational hub at the heart of the ancient and early medieval history of Eurasia. From Angkor to Ayutthaya, The Golden Road traces the cultural flow of Indian religions, languages, artistic and architectural forms and mathematics throughout the world. In this groundbreaking tome, Dalrymple draws from a lifetime of scholarship to reinstate India as the great intellectual and philosophical superpower of ancient Asia.]]> 432 William Dalrymple 1639734147 Vismay 4 4.15 2024
author: William Dalrymple
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 35754738 An engrossing history of the science of one of the four fundamental physical forces in the universe, electromagnetism, right up to the latest indications that the poles are soon to reverse and destroy the world's power grids and electronic communications

A cataclysmic planetary phenomenon is gathering force deep within the Earth. The magnetic North Pole will eventually trade places with the South Pole. Satellite evidence suggests to some scientists that the move has already begun, but most still think it won't happen for many decades. All agree that it has happened many times before and will happen again. But this time it will be different. It will be a very bad day for modern civilization.

Award-winning science journalist Alanna Mitchell tells in The Spinning Magnet the fascinating history of one of the four fundamental physical forces in the universe, electromagnetism. From investigations into magnetism in thirteenth-century feudal France and the realization six hundred years later in the Victorian era that electricity and magnetism were essentially the same, to the discovery that Earth was itself a magnet, spinning in space with two poles and that those poles aperiodically reverse, this is a utterly engrossing narrative history of ideas and science that readers of Stephen Greenblatt and Sam Kean will love.

The recent finding that Earth's magnetic force field is decaying ten times faster than previously thought, portending an imminent pole reversal, ultimately gives this story a spine-tingling urgency. When the poles switch, a process that takes many years, Earth is unprotected from solar radiation storms that would, among other things, wipe out all electromagnetic technology. No satellites, no Internet, no smartphones--maybe no power grid at all. Such potentially cataclysmic solar storms are not unusual. The last one occurred in 2012, and we avoided returning to the Dark Ages only because the part of the sun that erupted happened to be facing away from Earth. One leading US researcher is already drawing maps of the parts of the planet that would likely become uninhabitable.]]> 10 Alanna Mitchell 1101985186 Vismay 3
The attempt to put the same cliff-hanger about the world ending (on reversal of magnetic poles) in the last paragraph of every chapter - kills any impact that it tried creating in the first place.

Still this book is a good refresher course to electricity, magnetism, and geology with a dash of good-old paranoia about the end of the world.]]> 3.76 2018
author: Alanna Mitchell
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/12
date added: 2024/11/12
shelves:
review:
A tad boring and repetitive - this book is long-form text. It could have done well with supplementary illustrations, diagrams and tables that helped explain some of the stuff that author describes in the book.

The attempt to put the same cliff-hanger about the world ending (on reversal of magnetic poles) in the last paragraph of every chapter - kills any impact that it tried creating in the first place.

Still this book is a good refresher course to electricity, magnetism, and geology with a dash of good-old paranoia about the end of the world.
]]> 165938242
“Darius has a unique ability to turn complex ideas into simple stories.â€� â€� Morgan Housel, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Psychology of Money

From investor and popular newsletter writer with 100k+ subscribers Darius Foroux comes an approach to building wealth that applies ancient wisdom to the chaos of modern-day markets

The Stoics understood that if you can control your reactions and manage your emotions, you can achieve success. The same principles apply to our financial lives today. The greatest investors approach the markets with discipline, emotional distance, and self-mastery—lessons that the Stoics have been teaching us for thousands of years.

Combining ancient wisdom with practical investment strategies drawn from analysis of the greatest investors of all time, The Stoic Path to Wealth will teach you how Ìę

cultivate an investing edge by managing your emotions and developing your unique skills and talentsdevelop the discipline to ignore short-term market fluctuations and avoid living in the futurefoster a mindset that allows you to enjoy what you have and avoid greedcreate a sustainable approach to trading
As financial markets become increasingly unpredictable and chaotic, The Stoic Path to Wealth offers the key to weathering any economic storm while building wealth that will last a lifetime and beyond.]]> 236 Darius Foroux 0593544161 Vismay 0 to-read 4.05
author: Darius Foroux
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 60833953
In the name of national security, the CIA in partnership with Silicon Valley wunderkind Cy Baxter have created the ultimate surveillance program known as FUSION. Ahead of its roll out, ten Americans have been carefully selected to Beta test the groundbreaking system.

At the appointed hour, each of the ten will have two hours to “Go Zero”—to turn their cellphones off, cut ties with friends and family, and use any means possible to disappear. They will then have 30 days to evade detection and elude the highly sophisticated Capture Teams tasked to find them using the most cutting-edge technology. The goal is to see if it is possible to successfully go “off the gridâ€� and escape detection.

The stakes are immense. If FUSION is a success, Cy Baxter will secure a coveted 10-year, $100 billion dollar government contract and access to intelligence resources he truly believes will save lives. For any participant who beats the massive surveillance, it means a $3 million cash prize.

Among the contestants is an unassuming Boston librarian named Kaitlyn Day. She’s been chosen as the gimme, the easy target expected to be found first. But Kaitlyn excels at confounding expectations. Her talents at this particular game are far more effective than all the security experts suspect, and her reasons for playing far more personal than anyone can imagine. . . .]]> 304 Anthony McCarten 006322707X Vismay 0 to-read 3.84 2023
author: Anthony McCarten
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 61327449 The secrets to successfully planning and delivering projects on any scale—from home renovation to space exploration—by the world’s leading expert on megaprojects
Ìę
“This book is important, timely, instructive, and entertaining. What more could you ask for?”—Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize–winning author of Thinking, Fast and Slow
Ìę
“Over-budget and over-schedule is an inevitability. Incompetence and grift is outrageous. Bent Flyvbjerg, with this terrific data-driven book, has shown that there is another way.”—Frank Gehry

Nothing is more inspiring than a big vision that becomes a triumphant, newÌęreality. Think of how the Empire State Building went from a sketch to the jewel of New York’s skyline in twenty-one months, or how Apple’s iPod went from a project with a single employee to a product launch in eleven months.

These are wonderful stories. But most of the time big visions turn into nightmares. Remember Boston’s “Big Digâ€�? Almost every sizeable city in the world has such a fiasco in its backyard. In fact, no less than 92% of megaprojects come in over budget or over schedule, or both. The cost of California’s high-speed rail project soared from $33 billion to $100 billon—and won’t even go where promised. More modest endeavors, whether launching a small business, organizing a conference, or just finishing a work project on time, also commonly fail. Why?

Understanding what distinguishes the triumphs from the failures has been the life’s work of Oxford professor Bent Flyvbjerg, dubbed “the world’s leading megaproject expert.â€� In How Big Things Get Done, he identifies the errors in judgment and decision-making that lead projects, both big and small, to fail, and the research-based principles that will make you succeed with yours. For example:

â€� Understand your odds. If you don’t know them, you won’t win.
â€� Plan slow, act fast. Getting to the action quick feels right. But it’s wrong.Ìę
� Think right to left. Start with your goal, then identify the steps to get there.
� Find your Lego. Big is best built from small.
â€� Be a team maker. You won’t succeed without an “us.â€�
â€� Master the unknown unknowns. Most think they can’t, so they fail. Flyvbjerg shows how you can.
� Know that your biggest risk is you.

Full of vivid examples ranging from the building of the Sydney Opera House, to the making of the latest Pixar blockbusters, to a home renovation in Brooklyn gone awry, How Big Things Get Done reveals how to get any ambitious project done—on time and on budget.]]> 304 Bent Flyvbjerg 0593239512 Vismay 3 4.28 2023
author: Bent Flyvbjerg
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/28
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 11221285
They came against man ten thousand times. To help them cope, the Almighty gave men powerful suits of armor and mystical weapons, known as Shardblades. Led by ten angelic Heralds and ten orders of knights known as Radiants, mankind finally won.

Or so the legends say. Today, the only remnants of those supposed battles are the Shardblades, the possession of which makes a man nearly invincible on the battlefield. The entire world is at war with itself - and has been for centuries since the Radiants turned against mankind. Kings strive to win more Shardblades, each secretly wishing to be the one who will finally unite all of mankind under a single throne.

On a world scoured down to the rock by terrifying hurricanes that blow through every few days is a young spearman, forced into the army of a Shardbearer, led to war against an enemy he doesn't understand and doesn't really want to fight.

What happened deep in mankind's past?

Why did the Radiants turn against mankind, and what happened to the magic they used to wield?]]> 530 Brandon Sanderson 0575102489 Vismay 5 What a finish! Loved Kaladin - amazing character arc.

Highly recommended read!]]> 4.79 2010
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.79
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves:
review:
Finally completed ‘The Way of Kingsâ€�. A banger of a book!
What a finish! Loved Kaladin - amazing character arc.

Highly recommended read!
]]> 9329354 Speak again the ancient oaths. Life before death. Strength before weakness, Journey before destination. And return to men the shards they once bore. The knights radiant must stand again.

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.

It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars are fought for them, and won by them.

One such war is about to swallow up a soldier, a brightlord and a young woman scholar.]]> 594 Brandon Sanderson 0575097361 Vismay 5 4.64 2010
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.64
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/21
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:

]]> 34312322 32 Sanjay Gupta 8184918216 Vismay 4 4.25
author: Sanjay Gupta
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/19
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 34312308 32 Sanjay Gupta 8184918119 Vismay 3 3.92
author: Sanjay Gupta
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/18
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 31456141 32 Sanjay Gupta Vismay 4 What an entry, Doga! 4.02
author: Sanjay Gupta
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.02
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/18
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves:
review:
What an entry, Doga!
]]> 60321447
You may be surprised to learn that microchips are the new oil—the scarce resource on which the modern world depends. Today, military, economic, and geopolitical power are built on a foundation of computer chips. Virtually everythingâ€� from missiles to microwaves, smartphones to the stock market â€� runs on chips. Until recently, America designed and built the fastest chips and maintained its lead as the #1 superpower. Now, America's edge isÌęslipping, undermined by competitors in Taiwan, Korea,ÌęEurope, and, above all, China. Today, as Chip War reveals, China, which spends more money each year importing chips than it spends importing oil,Ìęis pouring billions into a chip-building initiative to catch up to the US. At stake is America's military superiority and economic prosperity.

Economic historian Chris Miller explains how the semiconductor came to play a critical role in modern life and how the U.S. become dominant in chip design and manufacturing and applied this technology to military systems. America's victory in the Cold War and its global military dominance stems from its ability to harness computing power more effectively than any other power. But here, too, China is catching up, with its chip-building ambitions and military modernization going hand in hand.ÌęAmerica has let key components of the chip-building process slip out of its grasp, contributing not only to a worldwide chip shortage but also a new Cold War with a superpower adversary that is desperate to bridge the gap.

Illuminating, timely, and fascinating, Chip War shows that, to make sense of the current state of politics, economics, and technology, we must first understand the vital role played by chips.]]> 464 Chris Miller 1982172002 Vismay 5
Semiconductors � I had very little idea about the topic (remembering hardly anything from my school syllabus), how crucial its discovery � almost as important as the discovery of wheel or fire - the geopolitics, the science, the globalized supply chain and the many choke-points, the movers and shakers of the industry and the oligopolies that control the trade of this very crucial innovation � all explained in a simple yet nuanced manner.

Reading this book makes me realize that it’s not that simple for India to get in the thick of things. More than multi-billion dollar investments required to set up a fabrication unit, update it often to keep up with Murphy’s law â€� pouring in few more billions every few years, setting up the ecosystem of designing complex chips, leveraging advanced photo-lithography tools to produce EUV with complicated laser systems, working with various architectures â€� the task of simply keeping up with the technological advancements and keep churning out every reducing-sized chips with billions of transistors on each of them, is going to be a super-massive undertaking.

If not for India’s non-aligned movement where it didn’t take the side of either America or Russia during the height of Cold war, India would have joined the ranks of Japan, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan and multiple other countries in Asia â€� they bore the fruits of hitching their bandwagon to team USA wherein the pioneering US semiconductor companies set up facilities in these countries, did technology-transfer and made these countries a crucial part of the semiconductor supply chain. This is not to diss the achievements of these countries, but without the handout from US â€� they wouldn’t have been able to establish a sprawling, GDP-enhancing industry of the future. Despite pouring in billions of dollars, arm-twisting US companies courtesy its vast market, forceful mergers and acquisitions and blatant stealing, China has still not been able to get a toe-hold in the core semiconductor industry, still operating on the lower-end of tech. India is farther behind - building castles in the air.

Long way to go and a hard industry to crack for India. This is a must-read book.]]> 4.38 2022
author: Chris Miller
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/14
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves:
review:
‘Chip Warâ€� by Chris Miller has been one of my most fascinating and informative reads this year.

Semiconductors � I had very little idea about the topic (remembering hardly anything from my school syllabus), how crucial its discovery � almost as important as the discovery of wheel or fire - the geopolitics, the science, the globalized supply chain and the many choke-points, the movers and shakers of the industry and the oligopolies that control the trade of this very crucial innovation � all explained in a simple yet nuanced manner.

Reading this book makes me realize that it’s not that simple for India to get in the thick of things. More than multi-billion dollar investments required to set up a fabrication unit, update it often to keep up with Murphy’s law â€� pouring in few more billions every few years, setting up the ecosystem of designing complex chips, leveraging advanced photo-lithography tools to produce EUV with complicated laser systems, working with various architectures â€� the task of simply keeping up with the technological advancements and keep churning out every reducing-sized chips with billions of transistors on each of them, is going to be a super-massive undertaking.

If not for India’s non-aligned movement where it didn’t take the side of either America or Russia during the height of Cold war, India would have joined the ranks of Japan, Singapore, Korea, Taiwan and multiple other countries in Asia â€� they bore the fruits of hitching their bandwagon to team USA wherein the pioneering US semiconductor companies set up facilities in these countries, did technology-transfer and made these countries a crucial part of the semiconductor supply chain. This is not to diss the achievements of these countries, but without the handout from US â€� they wouldn’t have been able to establish a sprawling, GDP-enhancing industry of the future. Despite pouring in billions of dollars, arm-twisting US companies courtesy its vast market, forceful mergers and acquisitions and blatant stealing, China has still not been able to get a toe-hold in the core semiconductor industry, still operating on the lower-end of tech. India is farther behind - building castles in the air.

Long way to go and a hard industry to crack for India. This is a must-read book.
]]> 373915
Imogene is young and beautiful. She kisses like a movie star and knows everything about every film ever made. She's also dead and waiting in the Rosebud Theater for Alec Sheldon one afternoon in 1945....

Arthur Roth is a lonely kid with big ideas and a gift for attracting abuse. It isn't easy to make friends when you're the only inflatable boy in town....

Francis is unhappy. Francis was human once, but that was then. Now he's an eight-foot-tall locust and everyone in Calliphora will tremble when they hear him sing....

John Finney is locked in a basement that's stained with the blood of half a dozen other murdered children. In the cellar with him is an antique telephone, long since disconnected, but which rings at night with calls from the dead....

The past isn't dead. It isn't even past...]]> 316 Joe Hill 0061147974 Vismay 4
Some of them are quite good (â€�20th Century ghostâ€�, ‘Pop Artâ€�, ‘Abraham’s boysâ€�, ‘The Black Phoneâ€�, ‘Last breathâ€� and ‘Voluntary committalâ€�), others are mid and some not so great.]]> 3.94 2005
author: Joe Hill
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/15
date added: 2024/08/15
shelves:
review:
I would have given this collection of stories - 3 stars if not for ‘Voluntary Committalâ€� - that was a brilliant story.

Some of them are quite good (â€�20th Century ghostâ€�, ‘Pop Artâ€�, ‘Abraham’s boysâ€�, ‘The Black Phoneâ€�, ‘Last breathâ€� and ‘Voluntary committalâ€�), others are mid and some not so great.
]]> 26109394 A widowed veteran gets the shock of her life in this impossible-to-put-down thriller

Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya’s husband, Joe—who was brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to? To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband—and herself.]]> 387 Harlan Coben 0525955097 Vismay 3
I didn’t see the end coming, a good twist - but that plot twist made reading the entire book a wasteful exercise because it didn’t really make sense!

A fast-paced dumb book! ]]> 3.90 2016
author: Harlan Coben
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/31
date added: 2024/05/31
shelves:
review:
The pages were literally flying while I was reading this book, because 
err.. the font size was so large!

I didn’t see the end coming, a good twist - but that plot twist made reading the entire book a wasteful exercise because it didn’t really make sense!

A fast-paced dumb book!
]]> 31287693
The year is 1876. Warring Indian tribes still populate America's western territories, even as lawless gold-rush towns begin to mark the landscape. Against this backdrop two palaeontologists pillage the Wild West for dinosaur fossils while deceiving and sabotaging each other in a rivalry that will come to be known as the Bone Wars.

Into this treacherous territory plunges William Johnson, a Yale student with more privilege than sense. Determined to win a bet against his archrival, William has joined world-renowned palaeontologist Othniel Charles Marsh on his latest expedition. But Marsh becomes convinced that William is spying for his nemesis, Edwin Drinker Cope, and abandons him in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a locus of crime and vice.

Soon William joins forces with Cope and stumbles upon a discovery of historic proportions. The struggle to protect this extraordinary treasure, however, will test William's newfound resilience and pit him against some of the West's most dangerous and notorious characters....

©2017 Michael Crichton (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers Limited]]> 295 Michael Crichton 0008173060 Vismay 4
Reinforced my belief of his being a supremely gifted writer and why he is one of my absolute favourites.

]]> 3.79 2017
author: Michael Crichton
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/27
date added: 2024/05/26
shelves:
review:
Michael Crichton let his hair down for this one. A fun, light-hearted romp as against a nerve-wrecking nail-biter that is usually his style.

Reinforced my belief of his being a supremely gifted writer and why he is one of my absolute favourites.


]]> 62711641 Adamura discovers the Anomaly.

On the seemingly uninhabited planet Talos VII:a circular pit, 50 kilometers wide.

Its curve not of nature, but design.

Now, a small team must land and journey on foot across the surface to learn who built the hole and why.

But they all carry the burdens of lives carved out on disparate colonies in the cruel cold of space.

For some the mission is the dream of the lifetime, for others a risk not worth taking, and for one it is a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe.

Each step they take toward the mysterious abyss is more punishing than the last.

And the ghosts of their past follow.]]> 286 Christopher Paolini 1250862485 Vismay 2
Disappointed. Will not read ‘To sleep in the sea of stars’
]]> 3.44 2023
author: Christopher Paolini
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/05/23
date added: 2024/05/22
shelves:
review:
Much ado about nothing! A pointless, depressing book that’s only sci-fi on the surface. There is absolutely zero pay-off at the end of reading this book - we learn nothing.

Disappointed. Will not read ‘To sleep in the sea of stars’â€�
]]> 74954965
It is not that people are unaware of Rashbehari Bose, Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sachindra Nath Sanyal and Subhas Chandra Bose, but the impression one gets from reading historical accounts is that theirs were individual acts of courage that did not have an impact on the larger Independence movement. However, this is not the entire picture, as the revolutionary struggle operated through a conscious network that sustained armed resistance against the British for over half a century. They had well-developed institutions, thinkers and wide popular support. Indeed, as Subhas Bose demonstrated, they were capable of defeating popular candidates in the Congress's internal elections.

In Revolutionaries, Sanyal examines India's freedom struggle from the revolutionary perspective, how the baton was passed from one generation to the next, and, ultimately, why the British were forced to leave India. The book presents an exciting story that interweaves intrigue, high drama, assassination, global espionage and treachery with the courage and heroism of the revolutionaries.]]> 364 Sanjeev Sanyal 9356295948 Vismay 4 4.56
author: Sanjeev Sanyal
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.56
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/19
date added: 2024/05/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 11588 497 Stephen King 0450040186 Vismay 4 4.28 1977
author: Stephen King
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1977
rating: 4
read at: 2024/05/11
date added: 2024/05/12
shelves:
review:
I was going to give it a 3 star considering it as one of the Stephen King’s talkies (yap, yap, gibber, gibber) but the last 100 pages were exciting!
]]> 32307358 This an alternate cover for B01LY7FD0D

Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, arrives at the ultramodern Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement--the unveiling of a discovery that "will change the face of science forever." The evening's host is Edmond Kirsch, a forty-year-old billionaire and futurist whose dazzling high-tech inventions and audacious predictions have made him a renowned global figure. Kirsch, who was one of Langdon's first students at Harvard two decades earlier, is about to reveal an astonishing breakthrough . . . one that will answer two of the fundamental questions of human existence.

As the event begins, Langdon and several hundred guests find themselves captivated by an utterly original presentation, which Langdon realizes will be far more controversial than he ever imagined. But the meticulously orchestrated evening suddenly erupts into chaos, and Kirsch's precious discovery teeters on the brink of being lost forever. Reeling and facing an imminent threat, Langdon is forced into a desperate bid to escape Bilbao. With him is Ambra Vidal, the elegant museum director who worked with Kirsch to stage the provocative event. Together they flee to Barcelona on a perilous quest to locate a cryptic password that will unlock Kirsch's secret.

Navigating the dark corridors of hidden history and extreme religion, Langdon and Vidal must evade a tormented enemy whose all-knowing power seems to emanate from Spain's Royal Palace itself . . . and who will stop at nothing to silence Edmond Kirsch. On a trail marked by modern art and enigmatic symbols, Langdon and Vidal uncover clues that ultimately bring them face-to-face with Kirsch's shocking discovery . . . and the breathtaking truth that has long eluded us. Origin is stunningly inventive--Dan Brown's most brilliant and entertaining novel to date]]> 482 Dan Brown Vismay 2 In writing this book, Dan Brown fails Isaac Asimov, Michael Crichton and Dan Brown.

Merged review:

456 pages of downright dud. An uninspiring plot whose climax is a TED talk, a hypothesis which doesn’t take into consideration the Uncertainty Principle and Chaos theory, and an extremely limpid tale in the life of Robert Langdon.
In writing this book, Dan Brown fails Isaac Asimov, Michael Crichton and Dan Brown.

Merged review:

456 pages of downright dud. An uninspiring plot whose climax is a TED talk, a hypothesis which doesn’t take into consideration the Uncertainty Principle and Chaos theory, and an extremely limpid tale in the life of Robert Langdon.
In writing this book, Dan Brown fails Isaac Asimov, Michael Crichton and Dan Brown.]]> 3.87 2017
author: Dan Brown
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2018/02/09
date added: 2024/04/25
shelves:
review:
456 pages of downright dud. An uninspiring plot whose climax is a TED talk, a hypothesis which doesn’t take into consideration the Uncertainty Principle and Chaos theory, and an extremely limpid tale in the life of Robert Langdon.
In writing this book, Dan Brown fails Isaac Asimov, Michael Crichton and Dan Brown.

Merged review:

456 pages of downright dud. An uninspiring plot whose climax is a TED talk, a hypothesis which doesn’t take into consideration the Uncertainty Principle and Chaos theory, and an extremely limpid tale in the life of Robert Langdon.
In writing this book, Dan Brown fails Isaac Asimov, Michael Crichton and Dan Brown.

Merged review:

456 pages of downright dud. An uninspiring plot whose climax is a TED talk, a hypothesis which doesn’t take into consideration the Uncertainty Principle and Chaos theory, and an extremely limpid tale in the life of Robert Langdon.
In writing this book, Dan Brown fails Isaac Asimov, Michael Crichton and Dan Brown.
]]> 24397043
Meanwhile, there are reports of many new hauntings, including a house where bloody footprints are appearing, and a department store full of strange sounds and shadowy figures. But ghosts seem to be the least of Lockwood & Co.'s concerns when assassins attack during a carnival in the center of the city. Can the team get past their personal issues to save the day on all fronts, or will bad feelings attract yet more trouble?

Danger abounds, tensions escalate, and new loyalties form in this third delightfully terrifying adventure in the critically acclaimed Lockwood & Co. series.]]> 374 Jonathan Stroud 1484709683 Vismay 4 4.36 2015
author: Jonathan Stroud
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/13
date added: 2024/04/13
shelves:
review:

]]> 29154543
Soon one of Southern California's biggest moguls comes calling. The reclusive billionaire is nearing the end of his life and is haunted by one regret. When he was young, he had a relationship with a Mexican girl, his great love. But soon after becoming pregnant, she disappeared. Did she have the baby? And if so, what happened to it?

Desperate to know whether he has an heir, the dying magnate hires Bosch, the only person he can trust. With such a vast fortune at stake, Harry realizes that his mission could be risky not only for himself but for the one he's seeking. But as he begins to uncover the haunting story--and finds uncanny links to his own past--he knows he cannot rest until he finds the truth.

At the same time, unable to leave cop work behind completely, he volunteers as an investigator for a tiny cash-strapped police department and finds himself tracking a serial rapist who is one of the most baffling and dangerous foes he has ever faced.]]> 388 Michael Connelly 0316225940 Vismay 4 4.22 2016
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/02
date added: 2024/04/01
shelves:
review:

]]> 231562
New Year’s Day, 1990. The Berlin Wall is coming down. The world is changing. And in a North Carolina “hot-sheetsâ€� motel, a two-star general is found dead. His briefcase is missing. Nobody knows what was in it. Within minutes Jack Reacher has his orders: Control the situation. But this situation can’t be controlled. Within hours the general’s wife is murdered hundreds of miles away. Then the dominoes really start to fall.

Two Special Forces soldiers—the toughest of the tough—are taken down, one at a time. Top military commanders are moved from place to place in a bizarre game of chess. And somewhere inside the vast worldwide fortress that is the U.S. Army, Jack Reacher—an ordinarily untouchable investigator for the 110th Special Unit—is being set up as a fall guy with the worst enemies a man can have.

But Reacher won’t quit. He’s fighting a new kind of war. And he’s taking a young female lieutenant with him on a deadly hunt that leads them from the ragged edges of a rural army post to the winding streets of Paris to a confrontation with an enemy he didn’t know he had. With his French-born mother dying—and divulging to her son one last, stunning secret—Reacher is forced to question everything he once believed
about his family, his career, his loyalties—and himself. Because this soldier’s son is on his way into the darkness, where he finds a tangled drama of desperate desires and violent death—and a conspiracy more chilling, ingenious, and treacherous than anyone could have guessed.]]> 496 Lee Child 0440241014 Vismay 3 4.14 2004
author: Lee Child
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/28
date added: 2024/03/28
shelves:
review:

]]> 62564973 340 Manohar Malgonkar 9356290822 Vismay 5
Looking towards other colonizersâ€� literature also didn’t produce satisfactory result. I had a chance to read a translation of a terrible French novel ‘Once upon a time in India: The Marvelous adventures of Captain Corcoranâ€� wherein Indians were again described as unruly savages in want of discipline from their European masters like Captain Corcoran. Never tried Dutch or Portuguese literature, but given the barbarity in which they operated in the country â€� have no interest in what moral justifications they would end up providing for their cruelty.

‘The Sea Hawkâ€� by Manohar Malgonkar â€� detailing the life & battles of the Maratha naval commander Kanhoji Angrey comes as a welcome respite. Now here was a leader whose army / navy fought on sea and land against Britishers, Dutch, Portuguese, Mughals and their vassals, and achieved decisive victory in almost all the battles against a “superiorâ€� and advanced navy of European colonizers. The ‘Lord of Konkanâ€� was an astute strategist, excellent swordsman, master mariner leading the Marathas from one victory to another.
What struck me the most while reading this book � the Britishers were described / historically-documented to be weak, conniving, scuttling away at the first sign of danger, petty, undisciplined, unruly and undignified, the attributes normally associated with us, brute indigenous barbarians. Manohar Malgonkar has a wry, biting humor and he employs it to fullest extent to describe the utter ignominy in which these early colonizers were handed defeat by the Maratha commander. It was fun to read about these battles, gloat and guffaw in sheer vicarious pleasure when these Europeans got their asses handed to them by an Indian.

Britishers weren’t so great after all. They didn’t win India because they were high and mighty, they were just plain lucky that there was a power vacuum and infighting amongst other kingdoms.

Thank you, Mr. Malgonkar, for reminding us of this fact.]]> 4.32 1965
author: Manohar Malgonkar
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1965
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/19
date added: 2024/03/19
shelves:
review:
In British literature on Raj, Indians have always been described as weak-willed & ignorant, vile, vicious & lacking in moral fiber. This was usually juxtaposed with how strong, competent and disciplined the British were � whether kind or cruel, there were the ultimate paragon of virtue � they deserved to rule India and loot it with thorough impunity.

Looking towards other colonizersâ€� literature also didn’t produce satisfactory result. I had a chance to read a translation of a terrible French novel ‘Once upon a time in India: The Marvelous adventures of Captain Corcoranâ€� wherein Indians were again described as unruly savages in want of discipline from their European masters like Captain Corcoran. Never tried Dutch or Portuguese literature, but given the barbarity in which they operated in the country â€� have no interest in what moral justifications they would end up providing for their cruelty.

‘The Sea Hawkâ€� by Manohar Malgonkar â€� detailing the life & battles of the Maratha naval commander Kanhoji Angrey comes as a welcome respite. Now here was a leader whose army / navy fought on sea and land against Britishers, Dutch, Portuguese, Mughals and their vassals, and achieved decisive victory in almost all the battles against a “superiorâ€� and advanced navy of European colonizers. The ‘Lord of Konkanâ€� was an astute strategist, excellent swordsman, master mariner leading the Marathas from one victory to another.
What struck me the most while reading this book � the Britishers were described / historically-documented to be weak, conniving, scuttling away at the first sign of danger, petty, undisciplined, unruly and undignified, the attributes normally associated with us, brute indigenous barbarians. Manohar Malgonkar has a wry, biting humor and he employs it to fullest extent to describe the utter ignominy in which these early colonizers were handed defeat by the Maratha commander. It was fun to read about these battles, gloat and guffaw in sheer vicarious pleasure when these Europeans got their asses handed to them by an Indian.

Britishers weren’t so great after all. They didn’t win India because they were high and mighty, they were just plain lucky that there was a power vacuum and infighting amongst other kingdoms.

Thank you, Mr. Malgonkar, for reminding us of this fact.
]]> 52668915
Neither plant nor animal, it is found throughout the earth, the air and our bodies. It can be microscopic, yet also accounts for the largest organisms ever recorded, living for millennia and weighing tens of thousands of tonnes. Its ability to digest rock enabled the first life on land, it can survive unprotected in space, and thrives amidst nuclear radiation.

In this captivating adventure, Merlin Sheldrake explores the spectacular and neglected world of fungi: endlessly surprising organisms that sustain nearly all living systems. They can solve problems without a brain, stretching traditional definitions of ‘intelligenceâ€�, and can manipulate animal behaviour with devastating precision. In giving us bread, alcohol and life-saving medicines, fungi have shaped human history, and their psychedelic properties, which have influenced societies since antiquity, have recently been shown to alleviate a number of mental illnesses. The ability of fungi to digest plastic, explosives, pesticides and crude oil is being harnessed in break-through technologies, and the discovery that they connect plants in underground networks, the ‘Wood Wide Webâ€�, is transforming the way we understand ecosystems. Yet they live their lives largely out of sight, and over ninety percent of their species remain undocumented.

Entangled Life is a mind-altering journey into this hidden kingdom of life, and shows that fungi are key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel and behave. The more we learn about fungi, the less makes sense without them.]]> 352 Merlin Sheldrake 0525510311 Vismay 5
My knowledge about fungi was a pretty big black box. Didn’t really know that they were so important in our evolutionary or rather involutionary story. The connected ecosystem in Cameron’s ‘Avatarâ€� or the hyper-spore mycelium drive in ‘Star Trek: Discoveryâ€� all owe to the tiny fungi.

Really enjoyed reading this one!]]> 4.34 2020
author: Merlin Sheldrake
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/11
date added: 2024/03/11
shelves:
review:
Merlin Sheldrake’s ‘Entangled Lifeâ€� reads like a fevered dream, a writer waxing lyrical in a continuous stream of consciousness that belies the extensive research (20% of the book is notes & bibliography) that has gone into making it what it is. An amazing, eye-opening account on fungi â€� how they are more than they appear it to be: Decomposers, network operators, replacement root system, fermenters, hunters, food, psychedelic inducers, symbionts, etc. I now know what it means to be “fungibleâ€� (just a joke, root Latin words for both are different)!

My knowledge about fungi was a pretty big black box. Didn’t really know that they were so important in our evolutionary or rather involutionary story. The connected ecosystem in Cameron’s ‘Avatarâ€� or the hyper-spore mycelium drive in ‘Star Trek: Discoveryâ€� all owe to the tiny fungi.

Really enjoyed reading this one!
]]> 13619 197 Tsugumi Ohba 1421501694 Vismay 4 4.48 2004
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/26
date added: 2024/02/26
shelves:
review:

]]> 13530973
In The Black Swan Taleb outlined a problem; in Antifragile he offers a definitive solution: how to gain from disorder and chaos while being protected from fragilities and adverse events. For what he calls the "antifragile" is one step beyond robust, as it benefits from adversity, uncertainty and stressors, just as human bones get stronger when subjected to stress and tension.

Taleb stands uncertainty on its head, making it desirable, and proposing that things be built in an antifragile manner. Extremely ambitious and multidisciplinary, Antifragile provides a blueprint for how to behave—and thrive—in a world we don't understand and which is too uncertain for us to even try to understand. He who is not antifragile will perish. Why is the city state better than the nation state, why is debt bad for you, and why is almost everything modern bound to fail? The book covers innovation, health, biology, medicine, life decisions, politics, foreign policy, urban planning, war, personal finance, and economic systems. Throughout, the voice and recipes of the ancient wisdom from Phoenician, Roman, Greek, and Medieval sources are heard loud and clear.]]> 426 Nassim Nicholas Taleb 1400067820 Vismay 3 4.08 2012
author: Nassim Nicholas Taleb
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/21
date added: 2024/02/21
shelves:
review:

]]> 537992 What kind of man, then, was he ? To those expecting a self-taught didact, or an earnest do-gooder, Allen Lane was highly disconcerting. He wore everything lightly. There was about his own person just that 'dignified flippancy' which he liked to think signified the Penguin image. It became easy then to smile at the paradox of the greatest publisher of his time being also one of the great non- readers of the book trade; and from there it became easy to understimate the man himself, to forget the steely professionalism of his vision.
J. E. Morpurgo approaches this very baffling man by tracing the profound influence of his 'uncle', the famous John Lane of John Lane The Bodley Head, and the formation of Allen's views in the family crucible of his brothers' company. The salad years of Allen, Dick and John Lane at The Bodley Head provide a series of hilarious capers against the background of London in the 1920s and early 1930s. The essential idea of mass- produced, mass-distributed, cheap books was itself the last of the capers -Ăź a formula, thought some, fit to save The Bodley Head; a formula, thought others, fit to bankrupt The Bodley Head. J. E. Morpurgo, himself a former Penguin, slrilfuHy separates myth from reality in telling the story of the birth of Penguin Books. He then takes us into the excitement of the start of the Pelican list, the war years and the heady post-war develop- ment which started with the first and most famous Penguin Classic, E. V. Rieu's translation of Homer's The Odyssey. These were probably Allen Lane's happiest years.]]> 405 J.E. Morpurgo 0091396905 Vismay 0 to-read 4.50 1979
author: J.E. Morpurgo
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1979
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 183715 432 Dominique Lapierre 0446690783 Vismay 0 to-read 4.19 2001
author: Dominique Lapierre
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 44525305 A grand vision defined: The CEO of The Walt Disney Company shares the ideas and values he has used to reinvent one of the most beloved companies in the world, and inspire the people who bring the magic to life.

In 2005, Robert Iger became CEO of The Walt Disney Company during a difficult time. Morale had deteriorated, competition was more intense, and technology was changing faster than at any time in the company's history. "I knew there was nothing to be gained from arguing over the past," Iger writes. "The only thing that mattered was the future, and I believed I had a clear idea of the direction Disney needed to go." It came down to three clear ideas: 1) Create the highest quality content Disney could produce. 2) Embrace and adopt technology instead of fighting it. And 3) Think bigger--think global--and turn Disney into a stronger brand in international markets.

Twelve years later, Disney is the largest, most respected media company in the world counting Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox among its properties. Its value is nearly five times what it was when Iger took over, and Iger is recognized as one of the most innovative and successful CEOs of our time.

Now, he's sharing the lessons he's learned while running Disney and leading its 200,000 employees--taking big risks in the face of historic disruption; learning to inspire the people who work for you; leading with fairness and communicating principles clearly. This book is about the relentless curiosity that has driven Iger for forty-five years, since the day he started as a studio supervisor at ABC. It's also about thoughtfulness and respect, and a decency-over-dollars approach that has become the bedrock of every project and partnership Iger pursues, from a deep friendship with Steve Jobs in his final years to an abiding love of the evolving Star Wars myth.

"Over the past fourteen years, I think I've learned so much about what real leadership is," Iger writes. "But I couldn't have articulated all of this until I lived it. You can't fake it--and that's one of the key lessons in this book."

Librarian Note: This is an Advance Reader Copy issued with ISBN 9780399592096. That ISBN has been moved to the final published copy, found here]]> 272 Robert Iger Vismay 5
As a corporate employee myself, this book seemed a lot more relatable as the journey Bob took was as simple and difficult as climbing the corporate ladder, working hard, influencing people around him and nursing dreams and ambitions to reach the top, unlike the many books of start-up founders - who are wired completely differently.

Definitely one of my best reads/listens this year. ]]> 4.37 2019
author: Robert Iger
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/06
date added: 2024/02/06
shelves:
review:
This book made my daily commute a lot more exciting! Robert Iger seems like a great guy and Disney is definitely a much larger, stronger company because of his contributions.

As a corporate employee myself, this book seemed a lot more relatable as the journey Bob took was as simple and difficult as climbing the corporate ladder, working hard, influencing people around him and nursing dreams and ambitions to reach the top, unlike the many books of start-up founders - who are wired completely differently.

Definitely one of my best reads/listens this year.
]]> 32758901 "As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid--a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.â€� Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.]]> 144 Martha Wells Vismay 4 Good fun! 4.11 2017
author: Martha Wells
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/24
date added: 2024/01/24
shelves:
review:
Good fun!
]]> 65146478
Raw, gut-wrenching in its honesty and completely from the heart, this is storytelling at its finest.



A young boy with a 'refugee' tag growing up in Delhi's Malviya Nagar outpaces his circumstances by becoming a rank-holder at the pinnacle of academic excellence in India-IIT Delhi. He goes on to do an MBA from the hallowed halls of IIM Ahmedabad, builds a career as an investment banker at Kotak Investment Banking and AmEx, and is pivotal in the making of two unicorns-Grofers, as CFO, and BharatPe, as co-founder.



As a judge on the popular TV show Shark Tank India, Ashneer becomes a household name even as his life turns upside down. Controversy, media spotlight, garrulous social media chatter descend, making it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction.]]> 202 Ashneer Grover 9354928706 Vismay 3
Marked by extensive character assassinations of Suhail Sameer, his other co-founders, Sequoia, other investors, other people - Ashneer, quite unsparingly, washed his dirty undies in public. Name-dropping like only a Delhiite would do and bragging about himself like no one else, this audio book was fun to listen - his dry, hindi witticism on full display.

The book doesn’t offer much in the form of learnings - there aren’t many life lessons to take from this book - but it does tell you what a brilliant and amazing man Ashneer is and how the world has wronged him through and through (sarcasm intended).

Fun listen but one complaint about the narrator, Adwait - he tried too hard to emulate Ashneer’s tonality - his voice hits your ears like a pack of crows but does its job to heighten your emotions.

If Amitabh Bachchan is the quintessential ‘angry young manâ€�, Ashneer Grover is the ‘angry young startup founderâ€�.]]> 3.79
author: Ashneer Grover
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/16
date added: 2024/01/16
shelves:
review:
This book is an overlong yet colorful CV of Ashneer Grover. It is also a big ‘f*%k youâ€� to the PR machinery of the management / investors of Bharatpe who were responsible for his ouster from the company he co-founded and concurrent public vilification he had to suffer.

Marked by extensive character assassinations of Suhail Sameer, his other co-founders, Sequoia, other investors, other people - Ashneer, quite unsparingly, washed his dirty undies in public. Name-dropping like only a Delhiite would do and bragging about himself like no one else, this audio book was fun to listen - his dry, hindi witticism on full display.

The book doesn’t offer much in the form of learnings - there aren’t many life lessons to take from this book - but it does tell you what a brilliant and amazing man Ashneer is and how the world has wronged him through and through (sarcasm intended).

Fun listen but one complaint about the narrator, Adwait - he tried too hard to emulate Ashneer’s tonality - his voice hits your ears like a pack of crows but does its job to heighten your emotions.

If Amitabh Bachchan is the quintessential ‘angry young manâ€�, Ashneer Grover is the ‘angry young startup founderâ€�.
]]> 5941114 466 Tana French 0143115626 Vismay 3 First 60% of the book was quite good, rest 40% was unbelievable and close to drivel - this book soured my mood.]]> 4.06 2008
author: Tana French
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/02
date added: 2024/01/02
shelves:
review:
Great premise, well written (sometimes over-written) but a silly protagonist who is never in charge - she even admits to being stupid by the end of this book.
First 60% of the book was quite good, rest 40% was unbelievable and close to drivel - this book soured my mood.
]]> 139399948 In the seventh installment in the Strike series, Cormoran and Robin must rescue a man ensnared in the trap of a dangerous cult.

Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside.

The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organization that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths.

In order to try to rescue Will, Strike's business partner, Robin Ellacott, decides to infiltrate the cult, and she travels to Norfolk to live incognito among its members. But in doing so, she is unprepared for the dangers that await her there or for the toll it will take on her. . .

Utterly pulse-pounding, The Running Grave moves Strike's and Robin's story forward in this epic, unforgettable seventh installment of the series.]]> 960 Robert Galbraith 0316572101 Vismay 4 4.56 2023
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/15
date added: 2023/12/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 48131 My Family and Other Animals is based on his boyhood on Corfu, from 1933 to 1939. Originally published in 1969 but long out of print, Birds, Beasts and Relatives is filled with charming observations, amusing anecdotes, boyhood memories, and childlike wonder.]]> 248 Gerald Durrell 0140043853 Vismay 5 Such sunlit perfection. 4.33 1969
author: Gerald Durrell
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1969
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/26
date added: 2023/11/26
shelves:
review:
Such sunlit perfection.
]]> 40534545 3 Books Collection Set:

Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life

The people of Japan believe that everyone has an ikigai â€� a reason to jump out of bed each morning. And according to the residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa â€� the world’s longest-living people â€� finding it is the key to a longer and more fulfilled life. Inspiring and comforting, this book will give you the life-changing tools to uncover your personal ikigai. It will show you how to leave urgency behind, find your purpose, nurture friendships and throw yourself into your passions.

The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well

The Danish word hygge is one of those beautiful words that doesn't directly translate into English, but it more or less means comfort, warmth or togetherness. Hygge is the feeling you get when you are cuddled up on a sofa with a loved one, in warm knitted socks, in front of the fire, when it is dark, cold and stormy outside. It that feeling when you are sharing good, comfort food with your closest friends, by candle light and exchanging easy conversation. It is those cold, crisp blue sky mornings when the light through your window is just right.

Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living

Step aside Hygge. Lagom is the new Scandi lifestyle trend taking the world by storm. This delightfully illustrated book gives you the lowdown on this transformative approach to life and examines how the lagom ethos has helped boost Sweden to the No.10 ranking in 2017's World Happiness Report. Lagom (pronounced 'lah-gom') has no equivalent in the English language but is loosely translated as 'not too little, not too much, just right'. It is widely believed that the word comes from the Viking term 'laget om', for when a mug of mead was passed around a circle and there was just enough for everyone to get a sip.]]> HĂ©ctor GarcĂ­a 9123672609 Vismay 2
Heavy padding of chapters done just to inflate the pages of this tiny book. One chapter is the precis of 'Man's Search for meaning', another chapter precis of 'Antifragile', and another one talking about various basic exercises (including Surya Namaskar) - giving detailed step by step on how to do the exercises.

Not a good book.]]> 3.85 2018
author: HĂ©ctor GarcĂ­a
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2023/11/23
date added: 2023/11/23
shelves:
review:
This book is 'Man's Search for Meaning' redux Japanese style. Shallow exploration of core concept, this book is a mish-mash of various books and philosophies: Viktor Frankl's above mentioned book, 'Antifragile' by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, mix of philosophies ranging from Buddhism to Shintoism - and everything in between yet with just enough sprinkling of Japanese ideas to ensure that the reader doesn't feel we are deviating from the subject.

Heavy padding of chapters done just to inflate the pages of this tiny book. One chapter is the precis of 'Man's Search for meaning', another chapter precis of 'Antifragile', and another one talking about various basic exercises (including Surya Namaskar) - giving detailed step by step on how to do the exercises.

Not a good book.
]]> 58065033 390 Bonnie Garmus Vismay 4
Imagine the doggedness of Dagny Taggart and the fate of Oliver Twist, or the doggedness of Oliver Twist and the fate of Dagny Taggart â€� that would be Elizabeth Zott in ‘Lessons in Chemistryâ€�.

A good book with a slow & awkward first half â€� it picks up steam when Zott goes on TV. So, what if Zott efficiently & confidently passes over the bodies of weak, mean-spirited & vicious men â€� a bit of male-bashing is fine if the message is through. It represents a reality that I haven’t witnessed being a male.
An engaging & insightful read�

]]> 4.23 2022
author: Bonnie Garmus
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/20
date added: 2023/11/20
shelves:
review:
3.5 stars

Imagine the doggedness of Dagny Taggart and the fate of Oliver Twist, or the doggedness of Oliver Twist and the fate of Dagny Taggart â€� that would be Elizabeth Zott in ‘Lessons in Chemistryâ€�.

A good book with a slow & awkward first half â€� it picks up steam when Zott goes on TV. So, what if Zott efficiently & confidently passes over the bodies of weak, mean-spirited & vicious men â€� a bit of male-bashing is fine if the message is through. It represents a reality that I haven’t witnessed being a male.
An engaging & insightful read�


]]> 14059024
Things look up when a new client, Mr. Saunders, hires Lockwood & Co. to be present at the excavation of Edmund Bickerstaff, a Victorian doctor who reportedly tried to communicate with the dead. Saunders needs the coffin sealed with silver to prevent any supernatural trouble. All goes well-until George's curiosity attracts a horrible phantom.

Back home at Portland Row, Lockwood accuses George of making too many careless mistakes. Lucy is distracted by urgent whispers coming from the skull in the ghost jar. Then the team is summoned to DEPRAC headquarters. Kipps is there too, much to Lockwood's annoyance. Bickerstaff's coffin was raided and a strange glass object buried with the corpse has vanished. Inspector Barnes believes the relic to be highly dangerous, and he wants it found.]]> 435 Jonathan Stroud 142316492X Vismay 4 4.33 2014
author: Jonathan Stroud
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/15
date added: 2023/11/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 13555073
For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.

Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.

Set in a city stalked by spectres, The Screaming Staircase is the first in a chilling new series full of suspense, humour and truly terrifying ghosts. Your nights will never be the same again . . .]]> 440 Jonathan Stroud 0857532014 Vismay 5 I had previously read ‘The Amulet of Samarkandâ€� by Stroud - it was technically great but missed a heart.

This one had everything going for itself. Amazing read! ]]> 4.24 2013
author: Jonathan Stroud
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/30
date added: 2023/11/01
shelves:
review:
One of the best books I have read in a while.
I had previously read ‘The Amulet of Samarkandâ€� by Stroud - it was technically great but missed a heart.

This one had everything going for itself. Amazing read!
]]> 25010281
Bosch doesn't want anything to do with crossing the aisle to work for the defense. He feels it will undo all the good he's done in his thirty years as a homicide cop. But Mickey promises to let the chips fall where they may. If Harry proves that his client did it, under the rules of discovery, they are obliged to turn over the evidence to the prosecution.

Though it goes against all his instincts, Bosch reluctantly takes the case. The prosecution's file just has too many holes and he has to find out for himself: if Haller's client didn't do it, then who did? With the secret help of his former LAPD partner Lucy Soto, Harry starts digging. Soon his investigation leads him inside the police department, where he realizes that the killer he's been tracking has also been tracking him.]]> 388 Michael Connelly 0316225886 Vismay 3 4.20 2015
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/24
date added: 2023/10/24
shelves:
review:
A bit dull, with not many fireworks!
]]> 6413193
Joined by members of the department's Asian Crime Unit, Bosch relentlessly investigates the killing and soon identifies a suspect, a Los Angeles member of a Hong Kong triad. But before Harry can close in, he gets the word that his young daughter Maddie, who lives in Hong Kong with her mother, is missing.

Bosch drops everything to journey across the Pacific to find his daughter. Could her disappearance and the case be connected? With the stakes of the investigation so high and so personal, Bosch is up against the clock in a new city, where nothing is at it seems.]]> 374 Michael Connelly 0316166316 Vismay 4 3.5 to be precise. 4.00 2009
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/15
date added: 2023/09/16
shelves:
review:
3.5 to be precise.
]]> 13615
Boredom
Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily, Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves vital information about the case lying around the house. With access to his father's files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?]]> 195 Tsugumi Ohba 1421501686 Vismay 4 4.47 2004
author: Tsugumi Ohba
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/09
date added: 2023/09/10
shelves:
review:

]]> 35445480 A sprawling, fast-paced saga in the oeuvre of Alexandre Dumas, The Glory of Patan is the first book in an epic trilogy about the exploits of the magnificent Chalukya dynasty at a crucial period in the history of Gujarat.]]> 351 Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi 0670088323 Vismay 4
Good thing I picked it up, because it was an engrossing weekend read. Set against the backdrop of Ghori attacking Somnath, in the reign of Chaulukyas â€� when the erstwhile king Karnadev dies, and Jaydev (future Siddharaj Jaysinh) is too young to take the throne â€� ministers and mother alike â€� plot against each other to take power. The book is like an elaborate chess piece, where every character has an ulterior agenda and they act upon it (duh!), where small petty skirmishes and insults snowball into a giant escalation teetering on regime change. It’s pretty difficult to guess what would happen next even though you have a fair idea on how the history pans out, and that makes it a thrilling joyride.

I realized one thing, while reading the book â€� that Gujarat was not one, big unified place. I always knew it at the back of my head, but to read about the infighting of the different mandaleshwars (fiefdoms) within Gujarat for dominance was quite interesting. Karnavati (or now Ahmedabad) was depicted as a recently created, upstart city that was fighting for prominence while Kutch was making inroads into Chaulukya’s territory. All that was to change when Siddharaj Jaysinh came to power and that’s the larger point of K.M. Munshi’s book as well â€� the ‘Asmitaâ€� (Pride) of Gujarat, that there was a concept of a unified Gujarat under the reign of Jaysinh when he brought together different parts of the western India under one rule. K.M. Munshi wanted to infuse Gujaratis with this ‘Idea of Gujaratâ€� that they can all be proud of. There is an idealistic flavor to the book where cousins don’t covet the throne and ministers are driven by a larger purpose of uniting a people â€� that ‘asmitaâ€� is clearly visible.

He also tries to achieve that by otherizing Malwa (in Madhya Pradesh) â€� which is treated as the enemy/alien/different against whom the public of Patan can be rallied (a lesser crime as neighbors do tend to be bitter towards each other, and this might have a grain of truth to it) and Jains, who are treated as religious ideologues keen on expansion similar to Muslim rulers (a larger crime). While only a little bit of ‘Asmitaâ€� might have rubbed off on me, this book definitely made me wonder that India’s diversity is truly rich as not only the culture of different states is diverse but within states also â€� there is remarkable diversity from one region to other.

I also noticed similarities between this book and Kalki’s ‘Ponniyin Selvanâ€� (Volume 1). Both tell the story of different reigns - Chaulukyas & Cholas and the turmoil observed in the respective kingdoms when their kings are ill and bed-ridden (Karnadev in ‘Patan-ni Prabhutaâ€� & Sundara Chola in ‘Ponniyin Selvanâ€�), and the resulting struggle till more popular kings take the throne (Siddharaj Jaysinh in Patan & Raja Raja Chola in Thanjavur). Both also have a central female character who is depicted as wicked and ambitious (‘Minal Deviâ€� in ‘Patan-ni Prabhutaâ€� & Nandini in ‘Ponniyin Selvanâ€�). While Nandini is a fictional character, Minal Devi was the regent queen and mother of Siddharaj Jaysinh, who was known for her benevolent nature (she was pivotal in abolishing the pilgrimage tax to Somnath). Both the books type-casted female ambition as wrong and maleficent, and used them as primary plot points against whom all the righteous characters bristle and spew. Maybe an interesting plot device in earlier times, but definitely not today. In terms of plot structure & writing, I found ‘Patan-ni Prabhutaâ€� to be a better book.

I like books that make me ponder. This one definitely did.
]]> 4.12 1916
author: Kanaiyalal Maneklal Munshi
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1916
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/14
date added: 2023/08/14
shelves:
review:
I had read ‘Krishnavatarâ€� by K.M. Munshi long back, had fun reading those books. It was one of the first mythological fiction series in India, published way back in 1962, much before the Meluhas of the world. I always wanted to read his historical fiction ‘Patanâ€� trilogy, but could never get around it. Recently, I chanced upon the English translation of ‘Patan-ni Prabhutaâ€� â€� ‘The Glory of Patanâ€� (first of the three) and decided to have a go at it. Though I wanted to read it in Gujarati, I realized my reading speed in Gujarati has dropped since school and this was the next best thing.

Good thing I picked it up, because it was an engrossing weekend read. Set against the backdrop of Ghori attacking Somnath, in the reign of Chaulukyas â€� when the erstwhile king Karnadev dies, and Jaydev (future Siddharaj Jaysinh) is too young to take the throne â€� ministers and mother alike â€� plot against each other to take power. The book is like an elaborate chess piece, where every character has an ulterior agenda and they act upon it (duh!), where small petty skirmishes and insults snowball into a giant escalation teetering on regime change. It’s pretty difficult to guess what would happen next even though you have a fair idea on how the history pans out, and that makes it a thrilling joyride.

I realized one thing, while reading the book â€� that Gujarat was not one, big unified place. I always knew it at the back of my head, but to read about the infighting of the different mandaleshwars (fiefdoms) within Gujarat for dominance was quite interesting. Karnavati (or now Ahmedabad) was depicted as a recently created, upstart city that was fighting for prominence while Kutch was making inroads into Chaulukya’s territory. All that was to change when Siddharaj Jaysinh came to power and that’s the larger point of K.M. Munshi’s book as well â€� the ‘Asmitaâ€� (Pride) of Gujarat, that there was a concept of a unified Gujarat under the reign of Jaysinh when he brought together different parts of the western India under one rule. K.M. Munshi wanted to infuse Gujaratis with this ‘Idea of Gujaratâ€� that they can all be proud of. There is an idealistic flavor to the book where cousins don’t covet the throne and ministers are driven by a larger purpose of uniting a people â€� that ‘asmitaâ€� is clearly visible.

He also tries to achieve that by otherizing Malwa (in Madhya Pradesh) â€� which is treated as the enemy/alien/different against whom the public of Patan can be rallied (a lesser crime as neighbors do tend to be bitter towards each other, and this might have a grain of truth to it) and Jains, who are treated as religious ideologues keen on expansion similar to Muslim rulers (a larger crime). While only a little bit of ‘Asmitaâ€� might have rubbed off on me, this book definitely made me wonder that India’s diversity is truly rich as not only the culture of different states is diverse but within states also â€� there is remarkable diversity from one region to other.

I also noticed similarities between this book and Kalki’s ‘Ponniyin Selvanâ€� (Volume 1). Both tell the story of different reigns - Chaulukyas & Cholas and the turmoil observed in the respective kingdoms when their kings are ill and bed-ridden (Karnadev in ‘Patan-ni Prabhutaâ€� & Sundara Chola in ‘Ponniyin Selvanâ€�), and the resulting struggle till more popular kings take the throne (Siddharaj Jaysinh in Patan & Raja Raja Chola in Thanjavur). Both also have a central female character who is depicted as wicked and ambitious (‘Minal Deviâ€� in ‘Patan-ni Prabhutaâ€� & Nandini in ‘Ponniyin Selvanâ€�). While Nandini is a fictional character, Minal Devi was the regent queen and mother of Siddharaj Jaysinh, who was known for her benevolent nature (she was pivotal in abolishing the pilgrimage tax to Somnath). Both the books type-casted female ambition as wrong and maleficent, and used them as primary plot points against whom all the righteous characters bristle and spew. Maybe an interesting plot device in earlier times, but definitely not today. In terms of plot structure & writing, I found ‘Patan-ni Prabhutaâ€� to be a better book.

I like books that make me ponder. This one definitely did.

]]> 43885041 Harry Bosch and LAPD Detective Renee Ballard come together again on the murder case that obsessed Bosch's mentor, the man who trained him -- new from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Connelly

Back when Harry Bosch was just a rookie homicide detective, he had an inspiring mentor who taught him to take the work personally and light the fire of relentlessness for every case. Now that mentor, John Jack Thompson, is dead, but after his funeral his widow hands Bosch a murder book that Thompson took with him when he left the LAPD 20 years before -- the unsolved killing of a troubled young man in an alley used for drug deals.

Bosch brings the murder book to Renée Ballard and asks her to help him find what about the case lit Thompson's fire all those years ago. That will be their starting point.

The bond between Bosch and Ballard tightens as they become a formidable investigation team. And they soon arrive at a worrying question: Did Thompson steal the murder book to work the case in retirement, or to make sure it never got solved?]]> 405 Michael Connelly 0316485616 Vismay 3
While their circumstances are different, Ballard is slowly turning out to be lady-Bosch. She also likes to rile people up & has the same intense dedication to see things to a closure and ensure Justice is served. Never had I seen Bosch so solicitous to a character, but of course he would be if the character is his mirror image.

A decent read altogether!

]]> 4.14 2019
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/08
date added: 2023/07/08
shelves:
review:
The book definitely kept me hooked and engaged. But some situations were contrived as the torch was getting passed over from Bosch to Ballard - Connelly is delicately trying to prime his audience, Bosch is already 70 years old. But he doesn't want the loyal fanbase and readership to fall once Bosch is out of picture - so a series of interim books where both the characters are solving cases together. 'The Night Fire' is a fine balancing act, but it loses the intensity of the earlier books as there is no overarching case to solve but a multitude of smaller ones that are independently / jointly solved by the two. Even Haller is added to spice things up.

While their circumstances are different, Ballard is slowly turning out to be lady-Bosch. She also likes to rile people up & has the same intense dedication to see things to a closure and ensure Justice is served. Never had I seen Bosch so solicitous to a character, but of course he would be if the character is his mirror image.

A decent read altogether!


]]> 60484392 In Diper Överlöde, book 17 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney, Greg Heffley is finding out that the road to fame and glory comes with some hard knocks.

When he decides to tag along with his brother Rodrick’s band, Löded Diper, Greg doesn’t realize what he’s getting into. But he soon learns that late nights, unpaid gigs, fighting between band members, and money troubles are all part of the rock ’nâ€� roll lifestyle.

Can Greg help Löded Diper become the legends they think they are? Or will too much time with Rodrick’s band be a diper överlöde?]]> 224 Jeff Kinney 0241583098 Vismay 4 3.94 2022
author: Jeff Kinney
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/02
date added: 2023/07/02
shelves:
review:
Reading ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kidâ€� is like having a wholesome meal â€� at the end of which you feel quite contended in your heart and mind. I chortled throughout ‘Diper Overlodeâ€�, to the irritation of my wife â€� who felt like I was guffawing like a maniac. But had a ball of a time reading it!
]]> 4069 Man's Search for Meaning has become one of the most influential books in America; it continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living.]]> 165 Viktor E. Frankl 080701429X Vismay 4 I recently got a chance to read this book â€� though short, it is quite impactful. His life’s work reduced to ‘shitâ€�, the fate of his family uncertain, suffering daily from physical and mental blows, barely getting anything to eat, hardly getting any space to sit, sleep or crawl, doing hard, menial chores in the frigid cold with barely any clothes on his reduced to skin-and-bones body, with only 1 in 20 chance of survival â€� Viktor Frankl had indeed suffered a lot. Even though, he was reduced to the basest of human conditions, he never let himself be reduced to basest of emotions. While he had no control over his plight, he chose to react better, he chose to suffer better.
Logotherapy is practical psychiatry. Instead of a “pursuit of happinessâ€�, it asks us to pursue “meaningâ€� in life. And it’s not a lofty, woozy, ten-thousand feet high, abstract “meaning of lifeâ€� that he is asking us to search for â€� but the everyday kind â€� what are we striving for or whom do we love enough in life â€� that we find meaning in the act or experience that makes living worthwhile. Happiness would be the by-product when we find meaning to our life. And sometimes, when our luck turns rotten â€� which it would, Logotherapy asks us to find the meaning in our suffering and not to give up.
Hard book to live up to. But I have seen people (including my 80+ old uncle) who have something to look forward to in life � some goal to achieve, person to love or experience to seek. Life is a struggle, but it would be worthwhile if it had a meaning.
]]> 4.39 1946
author: Viktor E. Frankl
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.39
book published: 1946
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/01
date added: 2023/07/01
shelves:
review:
Viktor Frankl’s ‘Man’s Search for Meaningâ€� was my father’s oft-quoted book when I was growing up. He would narrate how the author mentally survived the harrowing Nazi concentration camps and found meaning in his suffering which made his life worthwhile even though his life was hardly certain or fair.
I recently got a chance to read this book â€� though short, it is quite impactful. His life’s work reduced to ‘shitâ€�, the fate of his family uncertain, suffering daily from physical and mental blows, barely getting anything to eat, hardly getting any space to sit, sleep or crawl, doing hard, menial chores in the frigid cold with barely any clothes on his reduced to skin-and-bones body, with only 1 in 20 chance of survival â€� Viktor Frankl had indeed suffered a lot. Even though, he was reduced to the basest of human conditions, he never let himself be reduced to basest of emotions. While he had no control over his plight, he chose to react better, he chose to suffer better.
Logotherapy is practical psychiatry. Instead of a “pursuit of happinessâ€�, it asks us to pursue “meaningâ€� in life. And it’s not a lofty, woozy, ten-thousand feet high, abstract “meaning of lifeâ€� that he is asking us to search for â€� but the everyday kind â€� what are we striving for or whom do we love enough in life â€� that we find meaning in the act or experience that makes living worthwhile. Happiness would be the by-product when we find meaning to our life. And sometimes, when our luck turns rotten â€� which it would, Logotherapy asks us to find the meaning in our suffering and not to give up.
Hard book to live up to. But I have seen people (including my 80+ old uncle) who have something to look forward to in life � some goal to achieve, person to love or experience to seek. Life is a struggle, but it would be worthwhile if it had a meaning.

]]> 27220736
In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan. Selling the shoes from the trunk of his lime green Plymouth Valiant, Knight grossed $8,000 his first year. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In an age of startups, Nike is the ne plus ultra of all startups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable symbols in the world today.

But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, in a memoir that is candid, humble, gutsy, and wry, he tells his story, beginning with his crossroads moment. At 24, after backpacking around the world, he decided to take the unconventional path, to start his own business—a business that would be dynamic, different.

Knight details the many risks and daunting setbacks that stood between him and his dream—along with his early triumphs. Above all, he recalls the formative relationships with his first partners and employees, a ragtag group of misfits and seekers who became a tight-knit band of brothers. Together, harnessing the transcendent power of a shared mission, and a deep belief in the spirit of sport, they built a brand that changed everything.]]> 400 Phil Knight 1501135910 Vismay 4
Phil Knight also lived in interesting times: the World War 2 had ended just a few years back when he thought of importing shoes from Japan, the Berlin wall was still up dividing the East and West of Germany at the height of cold war and the Forbidden Kingdom was slowly opening up to the world after years of self-imposed embargo. He lived in an era when history was being made all around him and he gave us a first-person view as to how each of those events shaped his business as he had to change suppliers (from Japan to Taiwan to Korea to ultimately China) or his way of interacting / dealing with people of these different countries (how he felt contrite when he visited Hiroshima, how it impacted on his way of doing business with Asians or when he sought out a meeting with Vietnamese General who single-handedly defeated the US). Phil had a curious mind, and it showed â€� he transcended bias and did business with so-called “enemyâ€� nations, often much before competition. That flexible bend of mind has to be one of the reasons of success of his company.

‘Shoe Dogâ€�, is also a story of innovation. In a category where major innovation happened couple of centuries back when the cobblers made left- & right-sided shoes â€� Nike has been a company of many firsts: Waffle sole, Air sole and many more thingamagics that transformed not only Nike’s business but also how the athletes trained and competed in global sports: racing, basketball, football, athletics, and eventually what the general public wore on its feet. It could only happen when a bunch of iconoclastic shoe dogs came together to build a great company. Phil’s flexibility and hands-off management approach also had a desired effect in creating a culture of innovation at Nike, bringing together people of different skill-sets, where they were given freedom to innovate and think on their own.

Only one qualm about the book and I know this is his personality quirk when he is often lost in thought and doesn’t listen to people around him: Phil often side-tracks from his base story. Sometimes he would go on a philosophical bend, other times he would wax paeans of the athletes he has fallen in love with, often meandering down a different path post his stream of consciousness. This stitching together of two different incidents / episodes in such a manner often has a disorienting effect on the reader.

But overall, it’s a great book. Inspired.]]> 4.45 2016
author: Phil Knight
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/26
date added: 2023/06/27
shelves:
review:
Phil Knight is a true entrepreneur and ‘Shoe Dogâ€� is the journey of Nike coasting from one insurmountable challenge to another, as it became larger and larger. Who knew, back in the day, that the perennially illiquid, short-stocked, frequently unbanked and involved in a major legal brawl ‘Blue Ribbonâ€� would one day become a multi-billion-dollar Nike. It is an interesting story and Phil is a straight-shooting story-teller, never quite couching his thoughts and feelings for the sake of nicety nor shirking away from revealing the dark-side of the journey of entrepreneurship as it took toll on his mental health and personal life â€� as to how being an always-absent father impacted his relationship with his two sons.

Phil Knight also lived in interesting times: the World War 2 had ended just a few years back when he thought of importing shoes from Japan, the Berlin wall was still up dividing the East and West of Germany at the height of cold war and the Forbidden Kingdom was slowly opening up to the world after years of self-imposed embargo. He lived in an era when history was being made all around him and he gave us a first-person view as to how each of those events shaped his business as he had to change suppliers (from Japan to Taiwan to Korea to ultimately China) or his way of interacting / dealing with people of these different countries (how he felt contrite when he visited Hiroshima, how it impacted on his way of doing business with Asians or when he sought out a meeting with Vietnamese General who single-handedly defeated the US). Phil had a curious mind, and it showed â€� he transcended bias and did business with so-called “enemyâ€� nations, often much before competition. That flexible bend of mind has to be one of the reasons of success of his company.

‘Shoe Dogâ€�, is also a story of innovation. In a category where major innovation happened couple of centuries back when the cobblers made left- & right-sided shoes â€� Nike has been a company of many firsts: Waffle sole, Air sole and many more thingamagics that transformed not only Nike’s business but also how the athletes trained and competed in global sports: racing, basketball, football, athletics, and eventually what the general public wore on its feet. It could only happen when a bunch of iconoclastic shoe dogs came together to build a great company. Phil’s flexibility and hands-off management approach also had a desired effect in creating a culture of innovation at Nike, bringing together people of different skill-sets, where they were given freedom to innovate and think on their own.

Only one qualm about the book and I know this is his personality quirk when he is often lost in thought and doesn’t listen to people around him: Phil often side-tracks from his base story. Sometimes he would go on a philosophical bend, other times he would wax paeans of the athletes he has fallen in love with, often meandering down a different path post his stream of consciousness. This stitching together of two different incidents / episodes in such a manner often has a disorienting effect on the reader.

But overall, it’s a great book. Inspired.
]]> 16160797 456 Robert Galbraith 0316206849 Vismay 4 3.88 2013
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2020/07/10
date added: 2023/06/15
shelves:
review:

]]> 60144955
When frantic, disheveled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn’t know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie’s true identity.

Robin decides that the agency can’t help with this—and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart.

Robin and her business partner, Cormoran Strike, become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie’s true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits â€� and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . .]]> 1391 Robert Galbraith 0316473537 Vismay 4

J.K. had fought many a Twitter battles in recent past, so it didn't come as any surprise that she based her book on the vitriolic experience she encountered and engendered on the social media.

I have a few gripes though. This book could have done without the so many, disjointed in-game chats where nothing continued to happen for the longest period of time. Also it's book 6. The 'will-they / won't-they' between Robin & Cormoran has gone on for too long, it's unnatural. JK / RG, you don't have to wait till book 7 to kindle their romance like Ron & Hermione's - they were teens, here we are dealing with full-blown adults.

Still couldn't have done without reading this book, flabby, thick & slightly-boring though it might have been!]]> 4.07 2022
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/15
date added: 2023/06/15
shelves:
review:
This is Robert Galbriath's 'Order of Phoenix' - though I loved that one a lot more. A bulky tome set at a meandering pace, with a decent mystery at its core and an engaging voice of a master storyteller, this book exudes the confidence of a middle-aged man unabashedly, unashamed of his large paunch.


J.K. had fought many a Twitter battles in recent past, so it didn't come as any surprise that she based her book on the vitriolic experience she encountered and engendered on the social media.

I have a few gripes though. This book could have done without the so many, disjointed in-game chats where nothing continued to happen for the longest period of time. Also it's book 6. The 'will-they / won't-they' between Robin & Cormoran has gone on for too long, it's unnatural. JK / RG, you don't have to wait till book 7 to kindle their romance like Ron & Hermione's - they were teens, here we are dealing with full-blown adults.

Still couldn't have done without reading this book, flabby, thick & slightly-boring though it might have been!
]]> 25499718
WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?]]> 608 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1447273281 Vismay 5 Don’t tell me that I haven’t warned you about spoilers!

Ineffectual human protagonist and unlikeable characters galore (though the arachnids were great), this book is the best I have read this year so far. Definitely up there with Asimov’s & Herbert’s books â€� the ideas presented were so amazing that it actually made me giddy.
I had never read evolutionary sci-fi before, this book was a great introduction! The evolution of spiders into sentient and eventually space-faring beings through the cycles of progress and plague, of war and peace, of crusades and renaissance â€� though mimicking western history, were quite interesting from the arachnid point-of-view. How a self-delusional and bitter AI in a revolving satellite became a messiah to the self-aware spiders who spooled web & writhed in ecstasy every time it beamed down a bunch of mathematical equations â€� oh what fun! And the ants! Don’t get me started about them - the ant camera, the ant operating system, ant cloud computing and the ant AI network born as a result of that!
It was the section on the humans â€� floating around in space in an ark trying to find a habitable planet after the Earth has been destroyed by their ancestorsâ€� stupidity - that was quite tepid and uninspiring. There is not a single likeable character in whose corner you can rally around. The protagonist is a blithering idiot, who sometimes gets to think amazing things ( “It was a club. In that sense, it was quintessentially human thing: a tool to crush, to break, to lever apart in the prototypical way that humanity met the universe head-on.â€� ), never to speak in front of others â€� and one who is always snapped at and undermined by everyone, even the woman who holds the torch for him and wants to carry his and his baby alone (metaphorically) across a millennium when she could choose just about anyone else whom she actually respects! In each chapter where humans feature â€� they fuck up badly. The things they do in this book are basically pointless and of no significance whatsoever except for showing up twice at a planet’s doorsteps, and getting their ass handed to them both times!
The highlight has to be the end section. Spiders in space, completely flummoxing the humans, oh my! It was just great.
Glad that I read this book!]]> 4.29 2015
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/03
date added: 2023/06/03
shelves:
review:
Don’t tell me that I haven’t warned you about spoilers!

Ineffectual human protagonist and unlikeable characters galore (though the arachnids were great), this book is the best I have read this year so far. Definitely up there with Asimov’s & Herbert’s books â€� the ideas presented were so amazing that it actually made me giddy.
I had never read evolutionary sci-fi before, this book was a great introduction! The evolution of spiders into sentient and eventually space-faring beings through the cycles of progress and plague, of war and peace, of crusades and renaissance â€� though mimicking western history, were quite interesting from the arachnid point-of-view. How a self-delusional and bitter AI in a revolving satellite became a messiah to the self-aware spiders who spooled web & writhed in ecstasy every time it beamed down a bunch of mathematical equations â€� oh what fun! And the ants! Don’t get me started about them - the ant camera, the ant operating system, ant cloud computing and the ant AI network born as a result of that!
It was the section on the humans â€� floating around in space in an ark trying to find a habitable planet after the Earth has been destroyed by their ancestorsâ€� stupidity - that was quite tepid and uninspiring. There is not a single likeable character in whose corner you can rally around. The protagonist is a blithering idiot, who sometimes gets to think amazing things ( “It was a club. In that sense, it was quintessentially human thing: a tool to crush, to break, to lever apart in the prototypical way that humanity met the universe head-on.â€� ), never to speak in front of others â€� and one who is always snapped at and undermined by everyone, even the woman who holds the torch for him and wants to carry his and his baby alone (metaphorically) across a millennium when she could choose just about anyone else whom she actually respects! In each chapter where humans feature â€� they fuck up badly. The things they do in this book are basically pointless and of no significance whatsoever except for showing up twice at a planet’s doorsteps, and getting their ass handed to them both times!
The highlight has to be the end section. Spiders in space, completely flummoxing the humans, oh my! It was just great.
Glad that I read this book!
]]> 126507 385 Michael Connelly 0446611638 Vismay 4 ‘Lost Lightâ€� is an amazing Bosch thriller. Not a single page wasted, not a single pay-off denied to the reader. Each moment, each thought, each random incident to happen (i.e., a dropped water bottle) â€� is calculated, and has a clear intent and purpose. While I do know that life isn’t conceived so, there are too many wasted energies and pent-up frustration to deal with, man-oh-man â€� it just feels enormously satisfying to read this book where every potential plot point is fully realized. It is a sign of a true master-planner â€� something I have seen very few authors doing - J.K. Rowling being one of them, Michael Connelly the other.
Now-a-days, while reading â€� I am easily bored. I picked this one up considering it to be a light-weight that I could finish off quickly. I did finish it off quickly, but it isn’t a light-weight but a super-fun, high octane ride. Bosch might be a self-doubting prat in personal life, but he makes such a good, hardy, ball-busting detective when he is on a mission. Such a character!
A bunch of murders, internecine office politics in LAPD & FBI, and our smart alec now-retired detective pushing everyone’s buttons just because he can or his moral high-ground beckons him to â€� ‘Lost Lightâ€� is everything you can ask for and some more.
While Michael Connelly ensures that none of his protagonists are happy or satisfied with their present lot, he would sometimes go out of his way to make them suffer in any and all of his books � this one has a good personal pay-off for Bosch at the end.
Though we know, he won’t be happy for long. Restless, imperfect characters make for the most entertaining reads!
]]> 4.16 2003
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/13
date added: 2023/05/13
shelves:
review:
Michael Connelly is a well-oiled machine turning our tightly-wound thrillers, running on the twin engines of Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller. There are other booster engines, but these two carry the author into the stratosphere.
‘Lost Lightâ€� is an amazing Bosch thriller. Not a single page wasted, not a single pay-off denied to the reader. Each moment, each thought, each random incident to happen (i.e., a dropped water bottle) â€� is calculated, and has a clear intent and purpose. While I do know that life isn’t conceived so, there are too many wasted energies and pent-up frustration to deal with, man-oh-man â€� it just feels enormously satisfying to read this book where every potential plot point is fully realized. It is a sign of a true master-planner â€� something I have seen very few authors doing - J.K. Rowling being one of them, Michael Connelly the other.
Now-a-days, while reading â€� I am easily bored. I picked this one up considering it to be a light-weight that I could finish off quickly. I did finish it off quickly, but it isn’t a light-weight but a super-fun, high octane ride. Bosch might be a self-doubting prat in personal life, but he makes such a good, hardy, ball-busting detective when he is on a mission. Such a character!
A bunch of murders, internecine office politics in LAPD & FBI, and our smart alec now-retired detective pushing everyone’s buttons just because he can or his moral high-ground beckons him to â€� ‘Lost Lightâ€� is everything you can ask for and some more.
While Michael Connelly ensures that none of his protagonists are happy or satisfied with their present lot, he would sometimes go out of his way to make them suffer in any and all of his books � this one has a good personal pay-off for Bosch at the end.
Though we know, he won’t be happy for long. Restless, imperfect characters make for the most entertaining reads!

]]> 61304035 304 Kalki 9391256104 Vismay 3 3.94
author: Kalki
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/09
date added: 2023/05/09
shelves:
review:
Reads like Amar Chitra Katha’s comic books. A good introduction to Chola dynasty, though the English translation is disjointed and jarring at some places.
]]> 2429135
An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.]]> 480 Stieg Larsson 0670069019 Vismay 4 4.17 2005
author: Stieg Larsson
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/11
date added: 2023/03/11
shelves:
review:
Re-read this clunky piece of a gem.
]]> 29780253
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parentsâ€� indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.]]> 289 Trevor Noah 0385689225 Vismay 4 When I had initially heard about the book, I thought it to be a woke comedian's mild travails through life and the title - a clickbait.
But this book read like a gut-punch: solid, raw and chunky. Quite nuanced and self-reflective, this is an amazing book about a boy and his first love, his mom.]]> 4.48 2016
author: Trevor Noah
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.48
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/15
date added: 2023/01/14
shelves:
review:
Starting the year with an amazing book - Trevor Noah is the real deal.
When I had initially heard about the book, I thought it to be a woke comedian's mild travails through life and the title - a clickbait.
But this book read like a gut-punch: solid, raw and chunky. Quite nuanced and self-reflective, this is an amazing book about a boy and his first love, his mom.
]]> 9681098
Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty. Soon after he learns that the victim had black market dealings of his own, Haller is assaulted too. He's certain he's on the right trail.

Despite the danger, Haller mounts the best defense of his career in a trial with so many surprises. The last one comes after the verdict is in.

13 hours and 56 minutes]]> 421 Michael Connelly 0316069353 Vismay 4
Love Mickey Haller and loved this book. Except for that awkward un-nerdy Facebook section where there is a long-winded discussion between lawyers on Facebook posts on the "wall" and printout of thousands of posts and friend-list that enters the evidence exhibit. What fun!]]> 4.18 2011
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/31
date added: 2022/12/31
shelves:
review:
Michael Connelly has become my go-to writer whenever I want to unwind and relax. Nothing like a good murder mystery and courtroom shenanigans to chill your soul!

Love Mickey Haller and loved this book. Except for that awkward un-nerdy Facebook section where there is a long-winded discussion between lawyers on Facebook posts on the "wall" and printout of thousands of posts and friend-list that enters the evidence exhibit. What fun!
]]> 5314924 "Destination Moon". 200 Subhadra Menon 817223676X Vismay 2 3.54
author: Subhadra Menon
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.54
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2022/11/14
date added: 2022/11/13
shelves:
review:
An attempt at popularizing science around Chandrayaan-1 mission for general audience - students in specific. But the text is so dry, it reads like a textbook. Need to make science more exciting and engaging than this.
]]> 6043781 The New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher.
For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over, and now the races are fighting once again. The only good elf, it seems, is a dead elf.

Geralt of Rivia, the cunning assassin known as The Witcher, has been waiting for the birth of a prophesied child. This child has the power to change the world - for good, or for evil.

As the threat of war hangs over the land and the child is hunted for her extraordinary powers, it will become Geralt's responsibility to protect them all - and the Witcher never accepts defeat.

The Witcher returns in this sequel to The Last Wish, as the inhabitants of his world become embroiled in a state of total war.]]> 398 Andrzej Sapkowski Vismay 3 4.05 1994
author: Andrzej Sapkowski
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/07
date added: 2022/11/07
shelves:
review:
Interesting world-building, not much of a plot though.
]]> 41433284
Planning to start careers as venture capitalists, the brothers quickly discover that no one will take their money after their fight with Zuckerberg. While nursing their wounds in Ibiza, they accidentally run into an eccentric character who tells them about a brand-new idea: cryptocurrency. Immersing themselves in what is then an obscure and sometimes sinister world, they begin to realize “cryptoâ€� is, in their own words, "either the next big thing or total bulls--t." There’s nothing left to do but make a bet.

From the Silk Road to the halls of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bitcoin Billionaires will take us on a wild and surprising ride while illuminating a tantalizing economic future. On November 26, 2017, the Winklevoss brothers became the first bitcoin billionaires. Here’s the story of how they got there—as only Ben Mezrich could tell it.]]> 288 Ben Mezrich 1250217741 Vismay 3 3.92 2019
author: Ben Mezrich
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/03
date added: 2022/10/02
shelves:
review:

]]> 28077464
Two other men are in the classroom—an FBI agent and a CIA analyst. Each is a first-rate operator, each is fresh off a big win, and each is wondering what the hell they are doing there.

Then they find out: A Jihadist sleeper cell in Hamburg, Germany, has received an unexpected visitor—a Saudi courier, seeking safe haven while waiting to rendezvous with persons unknown. A CIA asset, undercover inside the cell, has overheard the courier whisper a chilling message: “The American wants a hundred million dollars.â€�

For what? And who from? Reacher and his two new friends are told to find the American. Reacher recruits the best soldier he has ever worked with: Sergeant Frances Neagley. Their mission heats up in more ways than one, while always keeping their eyes on the prize: If they don’t get their man, the world will suffer an epic act of terrorism.

From Langley to Hamburg, Jalalabad to Kiev, Night School moves like a bullet through a treacherous landscape of double crosses, faked identities, and new and terrible enemies, as Reacher maneuvers inside the game and outside the law.

Listening Length: 13 hours and 7 minutes]]> 14 Lee Child 0804192979 Vismay 3 3.89 2016
author: Lee Child
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2022/09/18
date added: 2022/09/18
shelves:
review:

]]> 34091380 405 Michael Connelly 0316225983 Vismay 4 3.95 2017
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/09/04
date added: 2022/09/03
shelves:
review:

]]> 49247043 From The New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth, the untold story of the cyberweapons market-the most secretive, invisible, government-backed market on earth-and a terrifying first look at a new kind of global warfare.

Zero day: a software bug that allows a hacker to break into your devices and move around undetected. One of the most coveted tools in a spy's arsenal, a zero day has the power to silently spy on your iPhone, dismantle the safety controls at a chemical plant, alter an election, and shut down the electric grid (just ask Ukraine).

For decades, under cover of classification levels and non-disclosure agreements, the United States government became the world's dominant hoarder of zero days. U.S. government agents paid top dollar-first thousands, and later millions of dollars- to hackers willing to sell their lock-picking code and their silence.

Then the United States lost control of its hoard and the market.

Now those zero days are in the hands of hostile nations and mercenaries who do not care if your vote goes missing, your clean water is contaminated, or our nuclear plants melt down.

Filled with spies, hackers, arms dealers, and a few unsung heroes, written like a thriller and a reference, This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends is an astonishing feat of journalism. Based on years of reporting and hundreds of interviews, The New York Times reporter Nicole Perlroth lifts the curtain on a market in shadow, revealing the urgent threat faced by us all if we cannot bring the global cyber arms race to heel.]]> 528 Nicole Perlroth 1635576059 Vismay 4
Of how somebody can hack into your traffic signals to cause accidents, can enter your neighborhood nuclear reactor and spin the centrifuges out of control, of how you no longer need a hijacker to bring down a plane, of how you can wipe out credit records of all customers from a bank, of how you can try to interfere in the national election of a developed nation?!!

Things that can only happen in a movie, right? Wrong! And that’s why reading ‘This is how they tell me the world endsâ€� by Nicole Perlroth has been an eye-opener. Before reading this, cybersecurity to me meant being vigilant against the Nigerian Prince who was in dire straits and needed my help. Cybersecurity meant wearily complying with the overzealous IT department in my company who warned and probed me to never drop my guard against phishing emails. After reading this book, I realized that this subject was not to be taken lightly. There were nation-states at play â€� outbidding each other in buying zero-day exploits that allowed backdoor into your crucial infrastructure (healthcare, power sector, telecom) to cause chaos and destruction. Of how nations were snooping at their own citizens to curb dissent/criticism!

Amazing, how a book can broaden the horizon of your mind!

Though repetitive and dramatic at times, this book is must-read. From espionage to cyber-espionage, the world has indeed moved closer to the brink of disaster as with digitization and IOT � everything is coming online. You no longer need to throw a nuclear warhead at your enemy, just a few well-timed digital exploits can bring the nation down.

]]> 4.31 2021
author: Nicole Perlroth
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/20
date added: 2022/08/20
shelves:
review:
I have often glossed over news headlines like, ‘Apple releases security updates to patch two new zero-days
â€� First, because I hardly understood what it meant or what its implications were given my chemical engineering and sales background. Second, it represented a world far, far away and themes far more outlandish â€� Russia hacking their way through Ukraine’s power grid or some central agency tapping into Rahul Gandhi’s iPhone through a spyware named after a mythical winged horse. Cybersecurity hardly ever registered something more than a ‘pingâ€� in my head even when it was screaming through the front page of the newspaper. What’s more, I am regularly frustrated when Windows decides to update the software in my laptop (wasting my time in the process) without my permission. Though I loved ‘Die Hard 4â€� â€� and found the idea fascinatingly dreadful of how somebody can spread absolute havoc in a metropolis through code.

Of how somebody can hack into your traffic signals to cause accidents, can enter your neighborhood nuclear reactor and spin the centrifuges out of control, of how you no longer need a hijacker to bring down a plane, of how you can wipe out credit records of all customers from a bank, of how you can try to interfere in the national election of a developed nation?!!

Things that can only happen in a movie, right? Wrong! And that’s why reading ‘This is how they tell me the world endsâ€� by Nicole Perlroth has been an eye-opener. Before reading this, cybersecurity to me meant being vigilant against the Nigerian Prince who was in dire straits and needed my help. Cybersecurity meant wearily complying with the overzealous IT department in my company who warned and probed me to never drop my guard against phishing emails. After reading this book, I realized that this subject was not to be taken lightly. There were nation-states at play â€� outbidding each other in buying zero-day exploits that allowed backdoor into your crucial infrastructure (healthcare, power sector, telecom) to cause chaos and destruction. Of how nations were snooping at their own citizens to curb dissent/criticism!

Amazing, how a book can broaden the horizon of your mind!

Though repetitive and dramatic at times, this book is must-read. From espionage to cyber-espionage, the world has indeed moved closer to the brink of disaster as with digitization and IOT � everything is coming online. You no longer need to throw a nuclear warhead at your enemy, just a few well-timed digital exploits can bring the nation down.


]]> 32502 454 Michael Connelly 0446607274 Vismay 5 4.17 1999
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2022/07/16
date added: 2022/07/16
shelves:
review:

]]> 13440 Librarian's Note: Alternate-cover edition for ISBN 0751504386

In a bumper collection of truly chilling tales, we meet Gramma - who only wanted to hug little George, even after she was dead; The Raft - a primeval sea creature with an insatiable appetite; The Monkey - an innocent-looking toy with sinister powers; the unspeakable horror of The Mist. And there is a gruesome host of other stories, each with the distinctive blend of unimaginable terror and realism that typifies King's writing.]]> 612 Stephen King 0751504386 Vismay 3 3.98 1985
author: Stephen King
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1985
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/25
date added: 2022/07/04
shelves:
review:

]]> 61072728
� a robot living in a post-apocalyptic landscape who has connections with the Buddha and the Hindu deities of the distant past;
� the effects time dilation has on Santa Claus;
� King Solomon's courtship of the Queen of Sheba;
� who or what may listen to scary campfire tales;
� two boys trapped in the wrong planes of existence;
� the origins of the god of the Wild Hunt;
� how to capture the soul of the Queen of Fairies;
� the hardships of three blind brothers on their path to revenge;

...and many other tales of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror inspired by Greek, Celtic, Japanese, Indian, European, Near Eastern, and North American myths, legends, and folklore.]]> 216 Dimitar Dakovski Vismay 0 to-read 5.00
author: Dimitar Dakovski
name: Vismay
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 32501
In 1993 Marie Gesto disappeared after walking out of a supermarket. Harry Bosch worked the case but couldn't crack it, and the twenty-two-year-old was never found. Now, more than a decade later, with the Gesto file still on his desk, Bosch gets a call from the District Attorney.

A man accused of two heinous murders is willing to come clean about several others, including the killing of Marie Gesto. Taking the confession of the man he has sought-and hated-for thirteen years is bad enough. Discovering that he missed a clue back in 1993 that could have stopped nine other murders may just be the straw that breaks Harry Bosch.]]> 405 Michael Connelly 0316734950 Vismay 4 4.12 2006
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/12
date added: 2022/05/12
shelves:
review:

]]> 32260 342 Tess Gerritsen 0006513085 Vismay 5
While she has been touted as the next Crichton, there is one major difference between the approach of the two authors (what I can gauge and judge basis reading just one novel of Gerritsen)- while there are characters with malefic intent who are hell-bend to profiteer/upend the world in Crichton's books ("bad guy"), Gerritsen's Gravity has people who make mistakes. A subtle difference, but still...

The ending was absolute fun. Loved this one!]]> 4.06 1983
author: Tess Gerritsen
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/09
date added: 2022/04/09
shelves:
review:
Absolutely satisfying! A medical thriller in space - just loved it!

While she has been touted as the next Crichton, there is one major difference between the approach of the two authors (what I can gauge and judge basis reading just one novel of Gerritsen)- while there are characters with malefic intent who are hell-bend to profiteer/upend the world in Crichton's books ("bad guy"), Gerritsen's Gravity has people who make mistakes. A subtle difference, but still...

The ending was absolute fun. Loved this one!
]]> 18498558 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780062259653

Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now that the boy and girl are four, it's time to go, but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children's trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

Interweaving past and present, Bird Box is a snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.]]> 262 Josh Malerman Vismay 5 Don't know if I am upto seeing the movie or not!]]> 4.02 2014
author: Josh Malerman
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/02
date added: 2022/04/02
shelves:
review:
Terrifying. Amazing.
Don't know if I am upto seeing the movie or not!
]]> 47970
The magical answer: anywhere Davy wants!

Davy discovers he has the power to "jump" from one place to another. Not just a few feet. But hundreds, even thousands of miles! And as Davy explores his new power he learns that the world is literally his for the taking. But there are consequences too, as Davy will learn.]]> 345 Steven Gould 0765342286 Vismay 2 Die Hard series was difficult to digest.

No doubt, they changed the movie plot entirely. But that sucked as well.

The last 100 pages weren't easy read as the author changed the tone of the book quite suddenly. And to be honest, I hated the protagonist - he was a whiny, sadistic prat with anger issues.

]]> 3.93 1992
author: Steven Gould
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1992
rating: 2
read at: 2022/03/28
date added: 2022/03/28
shelves:
review:
It was a good concept, decent execution. But the switch from an angst teen off any of the John Green's books to John McClane from Die Hard series was difficult to digest.

No doubt, they changed the movie plot entirely. But that sucked as well.

The last 100 pages weren't easy read as the author changed the tone of the book quite suddenly. And to be honest, I hated the protagonist - he was a whiny, sadistic prat with anger issues.


]]> 2761626
Enter Harry Bosch. Determined to find Vincent's killer, he is not opposed to using Haller as bait. But as danger mounts and the stakes rise, these two loners realize their only choice is to work together.

Bringing together Michael Connelly's two most popular characters, "The Brass Verdict" is a thriller which reaches for, and then surpasses, the highest level!]]> 422 Michael Connelly 0316166294 Vismay 4 4.15 2008
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/25
date added: 2022/02/25
shelves:
review:

]]> 30535356 297 Ambi Parameswaran Vismay 3 3.90 2016
author: Ambi Parameswaran
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/09
date added: 2022/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 51807232
Strike has never tackled a cold case before, let alone one forty years old. But despite the slim chance of success, he is intrigued and takes it on; adding to the long list of cases that he and his partner in the agency, Robin Ellacott, are currently working on. And Robin herself is also juggling a messy divorce and unwanted male attention, as well as battling her own feelings about Strike.

As Strike and Robin investigate Margot's disappearance, they come up against a fiendishly complex case with leads that include tarot cards, a psychopathic serial killer and witnesses who cannot all be trusted. And they learn that even cases decades old can prove to be deadly . . .]]> 944 Robert Galbraith 0751579939 Vismay 3 A bit boring 4.32 2020
author: Robert Galbraith
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/01/06
date added: 2022/01/06
shelves:
review:
A bit boring
]]> 14061955 Alternative Cover Edition #1

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her—or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.]]> 435 Leigh Bardugo Vismay 3 3.81 2013
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2021/11/13
date added: 2021/11/13
shelves:
review:
Fast-paced and fun, but not many new elements of fantasy to offer.
]]> 10194157 Alternative Cover Edition #1

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.]]> 358 Leigh Bardugo 1250048117 Vismay 4 3.93 2012
author: Leigh Bardugo
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2021/10/23
date added: 2021/10/23
shelves:
review:

]]> 100377 Empire of the Stars is the dramatic story of this intellectual debate and its implications for twentieth-century science. Arthur I. Miller traces the idea of black holes from early notions of "dark stars" to the modern concepts of wormholes, quantum foam, and baby universes. In the process, he follows the rise of two great theories--relativity and quantum mechanics--that meet head on in black holes. Empire of the Stars provides a unique window into the remarkable quest to understand how stars are born, how they live, and, most portentously (for their fate is ultimately our own), how they die.
It is also the moving tale of one man's struggle against the establishment--an episode that sheds light on what science is, how it works, and where it can go wrong. Miller exposes the deep-seated prejudices that plague even the most rational minds. Indeed, it took the nuclear arms race to persuade scientists to revisit Chandra's work from the 1930s, for the core of a hydrogen bomb resembles nothing so much as an exploding star. Only then did physicists realize the relevance, truth, and importance of Chandra's work, which was finally awarded a Nobel Prize in 1983.
Set against the waning days of the British Empire and taking us right up to the present, this sweeping history examines the quest to understand one of the most forbidding phenomena in the universe, as well as the passions that fueled that quest over the course of a century.]]> 384 Arthur I. Miller 061834151X Vismay 4
The book details his clash with Eddington, the research into the origin of the stars and their dramatic deaths, and the various players involved in the search of truth about stara. I know more than I did before thanks to this book.

Though one complaint: the science could have been presented to better suit the layman instead of obtuse sprinkling of facts.

Overall, a decent read though.]]> 3.81 2005
author: Arthur I. Miller
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/11
date added: 2021/07/11
shelves:
review:
An interesting read, it definitely gave me an insight in the life of Chandrasekhar S, of the famous Chandra limit on how less massive stars turned to white dwarfs and more massive to neutron stars and black holes.

The book details his clash with Eddington, the research into the origin of the stars and their dramatic deaths, and the various players involved in the search of truth about stara. I know more than I did before thanks to this book.

Though one complaint: the science could have been presented to better suit the layman instead of obtuse sprinkling of facts.

Overall, a decent read though.
]]> 571894
- The Time Trap (The Enterprise becomes trapped in the Delta Triangle, an area of space where many starships have gone missing. To make matters worse, the ship also has to defend itself from the Klothos, a Klingon vessel captained by Kor.)

- More Tribbles, More Troubles (While escorting a shipment of grain to Sherman's Planet, the Enterprise encounters three "old friends:" Koloth, Cyrano Jones--and tribbles!)

- The Terratin Incident (When a strange flash of light paralyzes the entire crew of the Enterprise, they begin to shrink. Kirk beams down to the nearest planet, Cepheus, and discovers a miniature race desperate to leave their volcanic homeworld.)]]> 215 Alan Dean Foster 0345333500 Vismay 3 3.64 1975
author: Alan Dean Foster
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1975
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/06
date added: 2021/07/06
shelves:
review:
Cute, but sometimes logically inconsistent.
]]> 5356
As he digs into the background of his client, Clay stumbles on a conspiracy too horrible to believe. He suddenly finds himself in the middle of a complex case against one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, looking at the kind of enormous settlement that would totally change his life--that would make him, almost overnight, the legal profession's newest king of torts...

'From the Hardcover edition']]> 276 John Grisham 0385339658 Vismay 4 3.71 2003
author: John Grisham
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2021/07/02
date added: 2021/07/02
shelves:
review:
I thought it was one of the best from John Grisham's!
]]> 49675742
A Buddhist monk in ancient China treks south to India, searching for the missing pieces of a puzzle that could make his emperor all-powerful.

A Neolithic tribe fights to preserve their sacred knowledge, oblivious to the war drums on the Indo-China border.

Meanwhile, far away in the temple town of Kanchipuram, a reclusive scientist deciphers ancient texts even as a team of secret agents shadows his every move.

Caught in the storm is a young investigator with a complex past of her own, who must race against time to maintain the balance of power in the new world.

Welcome back to the exciting and shadowy world of Ashwin Sanghi, where myth and history blend into edge-of-the-seat action.]]> 400 Ashwin Sanghi 9389152194 Vismay 2 3.67 2020
author: Ashwin Sanghi
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2021/06/17
date added: 2021/06/17
shelves:
review:

]]> 42972023
In August 1765, the East India Company defeated the young Mughal emperor and set up, in his place, a government run by English traders who collected taxes through means of a private army.

The creation of this new government marked the moment that the East India Company ceased to be a conventional company and became something much more unusual: an international corporation transformed into an aggressive colonial power. Over the course of the next 47 years, the company's reach grew until almost all of India south of Delhi was effectively ruled from a boardroom in the city of London.]]> 544 William Dalrymple 1635573955 Vismay 5 4.18 2019
author: William Dalrymple
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/13
date added: 2021/06/13
shelves:
review:

]]> 7936809
After 24 years in prison, new DNA evidence means convicted killer Jason Jessup has been granted another trial. Haller takes the case on the condition that he gets to choose his investigator, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch.

Haller becomes convinced Jessup is guilty. Together, Bosch and Haller set off on a case fraught with political and personal danger. Opposing them is Jessup, now out on bail, his defense attorney who excels at manipulating the media, and a runaway eyewitness reluctant to testify after so many years.

With the odds and the evidence against them, Bosch and Haller must nail a sadistic killer once and for all. What does Bosch think? If he's sure of anything, it's that Jason Jessup plans to kill again.]]> 389 Michael Connelly 0316069485 Vismay 4 4.15 2010
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/19
date added: 2021/05/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 122646 Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, The Canterville Ghost, The Sphinx Without a Secret and The Model Millionaire.

Written between 1887 and 1891, at the height of his creative powers, these stories confirm Oscar Wilde’s reputation as a master storyteller in their sense of fun, quick intelligence and witty dissection of Victorian society. They also reveal his compassion for the poor and downtrodden who were so readily ignored by that age.]]> 192 Oscar Wilde 0140620532 Vismay 3 3.89 1887
author: Oscar Wilde
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1887
rating: 3
read at: 2021/04/08
date added: 2021/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 39061057 They helped cause the 2008 financial crash.
They created a global tax avoidance industry.
They lurk behind the scenes at every level of government...
The world's 'Big Four' accountancy firms - PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG - have become a gilded elite. Up in the high six figures, an average partner salary rivals that of a Premier League footballer. But how has the seemingly humdrum profession of accountancy got to this level? And what is the price we pay for their excesses?
Leading investigative journalist Richard Brooks charts the profession's rise to global influence and offers a gripping exposé of the accountancy industry. From underpinning global tax avoidance to corrupting world football, Bean Counters reveals how the accountants have used their central role in the economy to sell management consultancy services that send billions in fees its way. A compelling history informed by numerous insider interviews, this is essential reading for anyone interested in how our economy works and the future of accountancy.]]> 352 Richard Brooks 1786490307 Vismay 4 3.97
author: Richard Brooks
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.97
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2021/04/04
date added: 2021/04/04
shelves:
review:
A thoroughly researched yet depressing read. I need a happy book to counter its effect.
]]> 193659
Only fifty-five hours into the flight, disaster strikes. A mysterious explosion rocks the ship. Its oxygen and power begin draining away. Lovell and his crew watch as the cockpit grows darker, the air grows thinner, and the instruments wink out one by one.

In this tale of astonishing courage, brilliant improvisation and thrilling adventure, the reader is transported right into the capsule during one of the worst disasters in the history of space exploration.]]> 378 Jim Lovell 0395670292 Vismay 5
Amazing book, indeed! ]]> 4.40 1994
author: Jim Lovell
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.40
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/30
date added: 2021/03/30
shelves:
review:
One of the most challenging books I have ever read! Documentation of finest piece of troubleshooting in space - Apollo 13 aimed for the moon, failed, shot around it, came back, splashed into the ocean - and this book ensured we were right along with it.

Amazing book, indeed!
]]> 5350
The man they were about to kidnap had not always been called Danilo Silva. Before he had had another life, a life which ended in a car crash in February 1992. His gravestone lay in a cemetery in Biloxi, Mississippi. His name before his death was Patrick S. Lanigan. He had been a partner at an up-and-coming law firm. He had a pretty wife, a young daughter, and a bright future. Six weeks after his death, $90 million disappeared from the law firm.

It was then that his partners knew he was still alive. And the chase was on]]> 416 John Grisham 0385339100 Vismay 4 3.95 1997
author: John Grisham
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2021/03/20
date added: 2021/03/20
shelves:
review:
The best John Grisham novel I have read so far - it was less legalese and more Jeffrey Archer!
]]> 32505
In Los Angeles in 1988, a sixteen-year-old girl disappeared from her home and was later found dead of a gunshot wound to the chest. The death appeared at first to be a suicide - but some of the evidence contradicted that scenario, and detectives came to believe this was in fact a murder. Despite a by-the-book investigation, no one was ever charged.

Now Detective Harry Bosch is back with the LAPD with the sole mission of closing unsolved cases, and this girl's death is the first he's given. A DNA match makes the case very much alive again, and it turns out to be anything but cold. The ripples from this death have destroyed at least two other lives, and everywhere he probes, Bosch finds hot grief, hot rage, and a bottomless well of betrayal and malice.

And it's not just the girl's family and friends whose lives Bosch is stirring up afresh. With each new development, Harry Bosch finds increasing resistance from within the police force itself. Old enemies are close at hand. Even as he pushes relentlessly to find the truth, Bosch has to wonder if this assignment was intended to be his last. Digging up the past may heal old wounds-or it may expose new, searing ones.

From the mind of the man GQ has called "the best mystery writer in the world," The Closers is a masterpiece of thriller writing that is as sharp and immediate as the greatest fiction.

Also available as a Time Warner AudioBook, eBook and Large Print Edition.]]> 432 Michael Connelly 0446699551 Vismay 3 Fun read! 4.11 2005
author: Michael Connelly
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2021/03/15
date added: 2021/03/15
shelves:
review:
Fun read!
]]> 7090447
On Christmas Eve, Sadie and Carter are reunited when their father brings them to the British Museum, with a promise that he's going to "make things right." But all does not go according to plan: Carter and Sadie watch as Julius summons a mysterious figure, who quickly banishes their father and causes a fiery explosion.

Soon Carter and Sadie discover that the gods of Ancient Egypt are waking, and the worst of them—Set—has a frightening scheme. To save their father, they must embark on a dangerous journey—a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and its links to the House of Life, a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.]]> 528 Rick Riordan 1423113381 Vismay 3 4.10 2010
author: Rick Riordan
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2021/02/21
date added: 2021/02/21
shelves:
review:

]]> 32276 271 Carl Sagan 0345346297 Vismay 4
But then, it is based on faulty research, that has been disproved. That is the nature of science - can’t be helped! New hypotheses are built to be crumbled, unless proven right through rigours of new evidence. So 4 stars and this subsequent review to forewarn future readers.

Undoubtedly though, Carl Sagan was a phenomenal populariser of science!]]> 4.20 1977
author: Carl Sagan
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1977
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/16
date added: 2021/01/16
shelves:
review:
I was to give this one 5 stars, it is an immensely beautiful book that introduces new ideas to me.

But then, it is based on faulty research, that has been disproved. That is the nature of science - can’t be helped! New hypotheses are built to be crumbled, unless proven right through rigours of new evidence. So 4 stars and this subsequent review to forewarn future readers.

Undoubtedly though, Carl Sagan was a phenomenal populariser of science!
]]> 35504431
Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.]]> 290 John Green 0525555366 Vismay 4
He is such a dork and this book is a fun read - exactly that much fun one has when cohabiting a living space with a burgeoning teenager.

Life was sucky as a teen, but you tend to always miss it when you grow older.]]> 3.87 2017
author: John Green
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2021/01/02
date added: 2021/01/02
shelves:
review:
John Green lives his passion. One just looks at ‘Crash course literatureâ€� and ‘Crash course astronomyâ€� and realises that almost all the metaphors in this sappy, sweet YA fic - are derived from literature and astronomy.

He is such a dork and this book is a fun read - exactly that much fun one has when cohabiting a living space with a burgeoning teenager.

Life was sucky as a teen, but you tend to always miss it when you grow older.
]]> 40097951
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....

The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.]]> 336 Alex Michaelides 1250301696 Vismay 4 Amazing! 4.17 2019
author: Alex Michaelides
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2020/12/28
date added: 2020/12/28
shelves:
review:
Amazing!
]]> 497199
Charles Bukowski's posthumous legend continues to grow. Factotum is a masterfully vivid evocation of slow-paced, low-life urbanity and alcoholism, and an excellent introduction to the fictional world of Charles Bukowski.]]> 205 Charles Bukowski 0876852630 Vismay 3 3.95 1975
author: Charles Bukowski
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1975
rating: 3
read at: 2020/12/23
date added: 2020/12/23
shelves:
review:
This book promised to be an imagined autobiography of a peripatetic bum. It’s just that.
]]> 52454426
But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town’s bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing—and too earth-shattering in its implications—to be forgotten.

In these pages, Max Brooks brings Kate’s extraordinary account to light for the first time, faithfully reproducing her words alongside his own extensive investigations into the massacre and the legendary beasts behind it.

Kate’s is a tale of unexpected strength and resilience, of humanity’s defiance in the face of a terrible predator’s gaze, and inevitably, of savagery and death.

Yet it is also far more than that.

Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us—and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

Part survival narrative, part bloody horror tale, part scientific journey into the boundaries between truth and fiction, this is a Bigfoot story as only Max Brooks could chronicle it—and like none you’ve ever read before.]]> 286 Max Brooks 1984826786 Vismay 5 3.87 2020
author: Max Brooks
name: Vismay
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/07
date added: 2020/12/06
shelves:
review:
One of the best things I have read this year!
]]> 51468119
But their plans hit a major snag, and they find themselves stranded at an RV park that's not exactly a summertime paradise.

Things only get worse for the Heffleys when the skies open up and the water starts to rise, making them wonder if they can save their vacation—or if they're already in too deep.]]> 226 Jeff Kinney 164700165X Vismay 4 Amazing fun as always! 4.28
author: Jeff Kinney
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.28
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/12/05
date added: 2020/12/05
shelves:
review:
Amazing fun as always!
]]> 49290079
For six decades Hindustan Unilever has remained among Indias top five most valuable companies. No other corporation in the world has done so well for so long. Its brands sit in most Indian homes (nine out of ten Indians use an HUL product every month), its financial indicators are among the best in Dalal Street and it is famously a factory for CEOs. For the first time comes a book that decodes how this great business works from a director of the company who has spent his whole career there. Why are there so many CEOs across industries in India who are ex-Unilever people? What is the companys secret management training sauce? Why is marketing at the heart of every business? Why is it easier to create a new market than to grab a slice of an existing one? How is it actually smarter to stock your product in smaller quantities in a store than to aggressively push orders? And why you should never, ever believe that pricing down your product will get you more customers. Sharp, insightful and entertaining, The CEO Factory is an MBA course in a single book.

About the Author: Sudhir Sitapati

Sudhir Sitapati joined Hindustan Unilever Limited in 1999. He is currently Executive Director, Foods and Refreshments.This is his first book.]]> 272 Sudhir Sitapati 9353450845 Vismay 5 4.36
author: Sudhir Sitapati
name: Vismay
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2019/12/05
date added: 2020/11/17
shelves:
review:

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