The Anarchy

Sun 09 April 2023 by Thejaswi Puthraya

The English East India Company (EIC) is known for its role in colonising India. But it also has other notorieties to its name, like being one of the first joint stock companies to have a monopoly; to be bailed out by a government; to lobby by buying access to MPs; to build its private militia.

William Darlymple, the author of this book ends it trying to draw parallels with contemporary corporations and how we should be wary of them even if they don't match up in power to the EIC.

This book is a brilliant biography of a greedy corporation that devoured a vibrant country and left it emaciated in a few decades.


As the Crow Flies

Mon 06 March 2023 by Thejaswi Puthraya

"As the Crow Flies" is a fiction work of Jeffrey Archer. It is a biography of Charlie Trumper, an English retail magnate. It documents Charlie's life from his childhood until he retires from the huge retail empire he builds.

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The Lust for Life

Wed 21 December 2022 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Vincent Van Gogh is extremely famous now but he was barely able to make ends meet and struggled with mental health issues while alive. His work became extremely famous posthumously. "The Lust for Life" is his biography written by Irving Stone.

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The Motorcycle Diaries

Sun 11 December 2022 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Ernesto Guevera, popularly known as Che Guevera, along with his friend Alberto wanted to go on an adventure. An adventure that would span the whole South American continent partly on their motorcycle and the rest hitch hiking. This journey would plant the inklings of revolution in Che and Alberto.

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Algorithms to live by

Wed 07 December 2022 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Our lives are heavily controlled by algorithms, far more than we concede. Our choice of entertainment, shopping, commute to work, appraisal at work etc are all driven by algorithms. Sometimes we feel that algorithms are better than humans because they are not arbitrary.

"Algorithms to live by" is a collection …

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The Rainmaker

Tue 29 November 2022 by Thejaswi Puthraya

What are the odds that a person will consult their lawyer when denied a health insurance claim? If the odds are extremely small, the insurance company benefits immensely! Rudy Baylor, who has recently passed the bar has picked up a insurance bad faith case. It's a tough case to crack …

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The Odessa File

Mon 03 October 2022 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Peter Miller, a journalist, receives a diary from an old Jew who committed suicide. He begins to read the diary and learns that the old man was liberated from a concentration camp after the second World War and that he had spotted the in-charge of the camp recently. Peter turns …

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The mystery of the Parsee Lawyer

Tue 20 September 2022 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Imagine you are incarcerated for a crime you haven't committed. The reason for targeting being your race and skin colour. But you have the world's best detective novel author untiringly championing your cause. Would you be exonerated?

"The mystery of the Parsee Lawyer" is the story of the curious case …

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Norse Mythology

Mon 11 July 2022 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Having grown up reading India mythology, it is uneasy to read about Gods who are petty, vengeful and flawed. Neil Gaiman's "Norse Mythology" is a collection of stories from the Nordic. While the stories are entertaining, it is a tad difficult to keep track of the various realms, characters and …

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Ego is the Enemy

Wed 29 June 2022 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Ryan Holiday, the author of "Ego is the Enemy" got the book's title tattooed on his arm to be constantly reminded that one of the largest obstacles in life is 'internal'.

Through various case studies of famous personalities, he delivers the message that one should be humble and never let …

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