Why we sleep?
Mon 06 January 2020 by Thejaswi PuthrayaWhy do we sleep? To rest the body and brain? Or does it have any other function? Matthew Walker, a sleep researcher has written this book to answer the question.
The author starts off with an explosive statement that sleep deprivation is the largest undiagnosed global epidemic. He then describes the various stages of sleep and their role in our well-being. And then citing studies, he suggests that one should maintain a good sleep hygiene.
Pride and Prejudice
"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen is a beautiful novel which one can read just for it's style. Mr. Bennet has 5 daughters of marriageable age. A rich and eligible bachelor moves into town. Mr. Bingley hosts a ball to acquaint himself with his new townsmen and here takes a …
read moreQuiet: The Power of Introverts
"Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking" is a a non-fiction book authored by Susan Cain. The purpose of the book is to correct the view that introverts are a bane to the society.
The author starts off with how we got to this stage …
read moreThe Myth of Sisyphus
Albert Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus" can essentially be distilled into a single question - "Is suicide ethical?". This question has divided philosophers for centuries.
To answer the question, Camus builds upon the arguments of Kierkegaard and Nietzche and comes up with the philosophy of the "absurd". This philosophy states that …
read moreThe Martian
Imagine you were on an year-long space mission to Mars and you got stranded. And your next chance of being rescued is a few years away. How would you survive?
"The Martian" by Andy Weir is based on that premise. Mark Watney gets blown away in a Martian storm while …
read moreNine Rupees an Hour
Disclaimer: I know the author personally and have read early drafts.
Why does a livelihood practised over generations disappear? Can "Nine Rupees an Hour" be considered a fair wage for the exquisite skill of the Pattamadai Pai weavers? Would society be richer by the loss of such livelihoods?
Aparna Karthikeyan …
read moreThe Day of the Jackal
Charles de Gaulle is the French President, loved by some but also hated by a few. The few feel he betrayed their cause and want him bumped off. They are hounded out of the country after a failed assassination attempt. Fearing a mole within their ranks, the rebels decide to …
read moreA Brief History of Time
Science can be hard to write and harder to read. But once in a while a scientist comes along and explains science in an understandable manner. Stephen Hawking is one such scientist. A Brief History of Time is the biography of the universe. It starts with how our idea of …
read moreOne Hundred Years of Solitude
This is the first book in my life for which I had to build and constantly keep referring to a family tree. With so many characters (most with the same name!), the book gets confusing and inter-breeding and incest only adds to the disgust.
"One Hundred Years of Solitude" is …
read moreWhole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition
"Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition" is Colin Campbell's book that advocates whole-foods and plant-based diet. A biochemist by profession, the author mostly quotes his own research to try to prove that any other diet has higher incidences of cancer.
There is a lot in the book that is agreeable …
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