Stay Hungry Stay Foolish

Thu 18 September 2014 by Thejaswi Puthraya

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish" was the legendary parting quote from Steve Jobs during a Stanford commencement. Rashmi Bansal picks up on that quote to narrate the entrepreneurial travails of 25 alumnii from IIM Ahmedabad.

I am not sure if it was intended to be a marketing message for a management …

read more

The Racketeer

Tue 16 September 2014 by Thejaswi Puthraya

An upcoming black lawyer finds himself behind bars for money-laundering. He hardly gets an opportunity to defend himself during the farcical proceedings. After the sentencing, he is treated on par with criminals convicted of heinous crimes and he seethes with anger at this and wants to get back at the …

read more

The Hungry Tide

Fri 29 August 2014 by Thejaswi Puthraya

No one, and I repeat "no one" can describe the beauty of the Gangetic delta as well as Amitav Ghosh. The inhabitants of the tiny islands in the delta have made peace with the tide but they fear it when it is accompanied by the storm.

In this book, he …

read more

The Cobra

Wed 23 July 2014 by Thejaswi Puthraya

When the first citizen of the United States decides to put an end to the drug menace, he calls in one of the most experienced hands to handle this job. "The Cobra" had served "The Commander in Chief" in similar roles but was pushed into retirement. Now with this herculean …

read more

Wise and Otherwise

Sat 21 June 2014 by Thejaswi Puthraya

"Wise and Otherwise" is yet another installment of short stories from Sudha Murthy. She effortlessly describes most Indian middle class households through her stories. Be it neglected seniors of the house, friends who change with money, orphans who are still gratuitous even after decades, this book covers a wide range …

read more

59 seconds

Sat 14 June 2014 by Thejaswi Puthraya

Richard Wiseman, is an English Psychology professor famous for his writings in "Experimental Psychology". This book is his "scientically proven advice to improving life in 59 seconds".

This book is a breezy read though I cannot vouch for it's efficacy. But since he quotes lots of studies, I think we …

read more

The Fountainhead

Thu 27 February 2014 by Thejaswi Puthraya

After finishing a book, whenever I asked for recommendations for my next, one book always figured in it, "The fountainhead". Many described it as a cult book, one that changed lives. With such compulsive reviews, dare I miss it?

Howard Roark is kicked out of architecture school because his ideas …

read more

The English Patient

Sat 25 January 2014 by Thejaswi Puthraya

A patient burned beyond recognition, his devoted young nurse, an emotionally confused military man and a retired thief come together under the roof of war torn villa.

This Michael Ondaatje novel is set during the North African conquest of World War II where Almasy gets burned beyond recognition during an …

read more

The Painter of Signs

Tue 31 December 2013 by Thejaswi Puthraya

I like to alternate heavy reads with easier books and after Dawkin's "Selfish Gene", I picked up R.K Narayan's "The Painter of Signs".

Raman is a painter of signs at Malgudi who lives with his aunt and is well read. One day, he receives a visit from Daisy, a …

read more

The Selfish Gene

Tue 24 December 2013 by Thejaswi Puthraya

This book begins with a justification for the title because people misunderstood it and maligned 'evolution'. Richard Dawkins, the author, bases majority of the book on how the 'gene' is the focal point of all evolution (and not a group of species).

This book is probably the best guide on …

read more