The Second Law (Lynn Dayton #3) by L.A. Starks (Goodreads Author)

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me by the publisher/author free of charge in return of my unbiased opinion.

Ok, so I have to say I am little disappointed in the book and probably to some extent in myself. I was looking forward to reading this book as I liked the premise but the first couple chapters made me rethink my decision. This is in no way my assessment of the book or its content but it fell short of my expectations. The plots are complicated and very broad to keep track of what is happening and who are the characters. There are like bunch of characters that author introduces in first couple chapters and I found it hard to keep track of who is who.  In fairness I gave it a second shot by re-reading the chapters but to no avail. I would say this though, the story line is certainly interesting and intriguing. I will revisit this book at future date.

Becoming Kim Jong Un: A Former CIA Officer's Insights into North Korea's Enigmatic Young Dictator by Jung H. Pak (Goodreads Author)

The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan

Disclaimer: I was given this book by the publisher for free in return for my unbiased opinion and review.

So here it goes. When I am considering a fiction book I look for two things. Easy readability and average to above average story plot. This book fulfills both my criteria. Lian Dolan has done a good job in this book portraying characters from an ultra-suburban and dysfunctional family of 3 sisters. The book revolves around now dead William Sweeney(the father) and his short comings as a father, as a husband and as a decent man. That is only equaled by the fact that he use to be a famous and renowned writer. There is also a child born out of marriage to make this saga of Sweeney sisters more interesting. There is good mix of peripheral characters that add substance to the story. Overall, I think people are going to enjoy this easy read. It's not a nail biting what's next kind of book but the flow of story is maintained through out to keep a reader interested.

When Dimple Met Rishi Collection: When Dimple Met Rishi; There's Something about Sweetie; 10 Things I Hate about Pinky

Oh my Gods(as Rishi woud have said) in this teenage romance novel by Sandhya Menon. What we have here is a teenage love story about Dimple who is tunnel focused on becoming a career woman and Rishi is hopeless romantic who wants to follow the path his parents have laid down for him. Dimple is more of a girl determined to not follow the path her parents have laid for her. How these two opposites attract and "fall in love" is what this novel is about. Honestly, it's not my favourite genre and reading about some teens high on hormones and amateurish outlook on life but hey...if you might enjoy if you are hopeless romantic. ha ha ha!!!!

The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio

Thank you publisher, Random House for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Illegal immigration is a hot button issue in every election since I can remember. If you don't have any idea what I am talking about then you are either in wrong country or a recluse. It's impossible not to have an opinion on this issue. Anyways, getting back to this book by Karla Carnejo, it is a glimpse into the lives of undocumented immigrants as told by them to the author who also happens to be an undocumented immigrant. It's easy to connect with someone who is in the same shoe as you are and that's the advantage the author has in extracting information that most undocumented immigrants will never share with anyone. It's not just the ethnic similarity  but also similarities with psychological issues. It's no surprise that most of the undocumented immigrants and their children suffer from psychological issues that eventually manifests as physiological issues. They are hot mess to say the least all because of government policies that keeps them paranoid even in their sleep. No surprises that without "papers" you have no access to legal jobs, healthcare insurance, medical care ,driver license , you name it. The things that we you and I as US citizens take for granted are just a dream and something to avoid if you are undocumented immigrants least you will be tracked down by ICE. No wonder this leads to jobs where they are abused such as in day laborers or restaurant workers not getting promised pay or having to work in harsh conditions. They certainly can't get medical care in the US so they resort to care that is based on naturopathy or seek out hidden pharmacies that will give any drug without proper consultation or even voodoo crap. With no social net, there is on such thing as retirement for such people. They are basically left to survive on their own, or go back to their country and die there. The author puts it nicely, this country as in the USA uses these guys when they are young making them do jobs that no American will do no matter how poor they are and then once their bodies give up they are kicked on the side to live out their rest of the years with no social safety net. The children of such immigrants have their own issue they have to deal with. So many families are destroyed because of one of the parents who has been in the US for 10+ years suddenly is caught driving without license and is deported leaving the wife and little kids who are by the way american citizens to care for themselves. It's heart wrenching.

Over all, I think this is some good work by Karla Cornejo who is a Harvard graduate and writes and advocates for undocumented immigrants. 

Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel by Tom Wainwright

I was told about this book by a friend few years ago and I bought the book few months ago at a local library book sale. Eventually I got around reading this book and let me tell you it was very informative and eye opening. Don't let the title of this book make you avert from reading it. It really has nothing to do with what title says. On the contrary this book is a good piece of investigative journalism by Tom Wainwright on the business of illegal drugs and drug cartels if you are to look at a bigger picture. Turns out that legal corporations and drug cartels share quite a bit in common from controlling supply to customer service to everything in middle such as marketing, public relations etc. Knowing how the "system" works can provide useful insight on how to dismantle or weaken the system. The war on illegal drugs isn't new but this book highlights how the efforts are directed where they are least to make any significant impact. For example, rather than attacking supply side the book makes a point how much useful it would be to control the demand side of the business. Rather than allocating more police force to stop the sale of drugs it would be helpful to invest money in public campaigns such as criminal re-education, after school activities, job placements for prisoners after they get out and such. 

There is also the argument of legalizing some of the drugs such as marijuana. Fortunately some states are seeing the point of economists and starting to do that. Not only that will weaken the cartels hold of the drug business but can lead to decrease in violence and more money in taxes and licensing for the states. 

In my opinion this is a well-written book on investigative journalism with arguments backed by statistical data. I recommend highly recommend this book. There are other books in this category one of my favourite is American Kingpin by Nick Bilton. 

Second City Sinners: True Crime from Historic Chicago's Deadly Streets by Jon Seidel

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me by the publisher in return of my unbiased opinion/review.

Chicago has always been close to my heart having been lived there for almost 16 years so any chance I get to explore Chicago either through books or taking a stroll through the city is always thrilling. The title of this book intrigued me and hence I decided to read this book. Chicago is known for many things its chilly winters, deep dish pizza but first and foremost its crime. This book focus on the criminal history of Chicago through its criminals. The author has done a wonderful job by piecing together crime stories chronologically using newspaper archives of one of the most prominent newspaper of the time. The stories flow nicely and full of interesting details that is sure to keep the reader glued.

Overall, I really recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history of Chicago.

Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country by Sierra Crane Murdoch

Disclaimer: I have received a copy of this book  from the publisher in return of my unbiased opinion and review.

Books on investigative journalism are always fun and gripping to read. This book is no different. The story of this book is multifaceted in that it involves one woman's relentless efforts to find out about a missing person on Indian reservation while at the same time the author takes us through the oil boom on reservations and how it impacted the lives of people living there and the way the boom brought in array of bad things such as violence, drugs, and greed influencing every aspect of lives of those living there. To what extent people droop to satisfy their greed for money and power involving stealing from their own tribes to engaging in morally and ethically questionable things to murders is what this book is about. It reads like a murder mystery and is a page turner. Long book but certainly an eye opener.

Everything is Figureoutable: How One Simple Belief Can Help Us Overcome Any Obstacle and Create Unstoppable Success by Marie Forleo (Goodreads Author)

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book for free for my unbiased opinion and so here it goes.

Self-help books have been around for long time and time and time again I have picked up a book that would quality as a self-help book just to get bored of the same material recycled and repackaged ad nauseam. The moment I picked up this book I felt this would be different and thank God it was. No....don't get all excited about learning any breakthrough psychological research or something new that hasn't been preached already. Instead what got me excited about this book is the format and the way of presenting it. Let me elaborate on it a little bit more.  The book is broken down in chapters, exercises and something called field-notes i.e. real life examples of people who have tried and apparently found success using this "Everything is figureoutable" philosophy. The goal of this book is on to make you master of your emotions or pump you up with traits that will make you successful but rather infusing qualities that are vital for survival in current times. Anxiety, desperation, fear, rejection are very prevalent in current times as more and more people are trying to throw the status quo and want to stand out among the crowd. How do you make a unique life for yourself that is fulfilling and worth enjoying? How do you get started on that business idea that has been simmering in your consciousness for years? How do you become financially secure? How do you find courage to get up and start all over again after having dealt a massive blow to your face? All these endeavor needs qualities such as dedication, patience, ability to read your gut(not your mind), perseverance, commitment, measured risk taking, and facing your fear head on. Unfortunately all these necessary skills for living a fulfilling life are not taught in any classroom. Hence, the booming genre of self-help books. 

In my opinion, this is a really good book if you are ready to make some positive changes at the start of this new year. Also  if you are just trying to recalibrate your already awaken sense of positive change this book will hit you spot on. Lastly for people who are not new to this genre you will find material that is presented from a different perspective and lens to keep you motivated in making those changes.

The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal by David E. Hoffman

Amazing book on CIA's most valuable spy in Soviet and his betrayal by CIA's one of its own. The book is riveting and grips you from beginning to the end. Almost made me want to join CIA. lol. but I doubt and seriously wish we don't have a second cold war. That would be terrible for all involved. US owes a lot to Mr. Tolkachev, the Soviet spy whose material gave US air to air combat technology upper hand for decades.

Overall, I highly recommend book. No matter what genre you are fan of you are going to enjoy this one especially if it's on audio.