American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Now this is what I call A-1 fiction. Took me couple attempts to get it, but once I got it I just couldn't stop. What makes the audio book interesting is the fact that it has whole voice cast one for each character and the story draws you in. Ancient Gods that immigrants brought with them to America and their quest to survive in this modern world is this book about. How man has always been and continues to be manipulated by these Gods who are only as relevant as their followers think they are relevant. In modern world that has been taken over by media, malls, internet, information highway their existence is at the verge of extinction. Anyways, go get this book and enjoy is what I say.

Yes, My Accent Is Real by Kunal Nayyar

Hilllllarious book by Kunal Nayyar aka Raj Koothrapalli. There is a tendency for people to chalk up other peoples success to stroke of luck but they never acknowledge all the hard work and persistence that got them there. In this memoir sort of, Kunal Nayyar chronicles his journey from a fresh of the boat business major student from India to making it big with landing a gig on The Big Bang Theory.  I bet every indian guy having grown up in India has gone through Kunal's experiences but he puts it on paper real well. Not only that his struggle to understand american way of living after moving here is also something most indian kids who come here for studies are familiar with. All in all this is a book that will make you laugh out loud at moments and make you think at others.

See You Again In Pyongyang by Travis Jeppesen

What a thrilling ride through Hermit nation a.k.a North Korea. The author Travis Jeppesen has done a wonderful job with this book giving us a window into the political, cultural and social situation in DPRK (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) and the oddities of it all. Did you know North Korea has it's own timezone? Or for that matter their own calendar based on Kim il-sung's birthday? Such interesting and idiosyncratic facts keeps one glued to his book cover to cover. If you are a history buff or just want to gain some more insight into North from someone who has been there, this book is for you. 

Stoicism: Apply Stoicism to Your Everyday Life and Overcome Destructive Emotions (Learn Self Control, Become Free from Anger, Greed, Jealousy and Take On Negativity in Your Life)

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

Pretty concise and clear short book on principles of stoicism. I listened to the audio version and it's short enough to finish in about an hour or so. The book covers brief history of conception of stoic philosophy, discusses core principles and how they can be used to change our views of most problems and live a calm and rational life rather than being guided by strong but often irrational emotions. Since this is a short book, the author ends with suggesting additional resources should one want to take it up a notch.

American Legends: The Life of Howard Hughes

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

The Life of Howard Hughes by Charles River Editors provides a quick but all inclusive story of Howard Hughes. It is short enough to be able to finish in 5 hours and yet detailed enough to get a good idea who Howard Hughes was. Businessman, golfer, record setter, pilot, visionary, playboy, movie producer and above all hypochondriac is what Howard Hughes was.  Someone who was all of the above much certainly be an interesting man. But all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy or a nervous wreck as in case of Hughes. Overall, this is a good book that is easy to comprehend and provides a detailed glimpse into Hughes's life and work and eventually his downfall.

Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be

"This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review."

Ok, so this book that I am about to write a review on has been on Amazon's most read books list for about 34 weeks. That intrigued me and I decided to check it out. Now clearly this book is written  for women and I had no business picking it up but it's popularity made me forget gender specificity and go for it anyways. 

At it's fundamental level this book is a peer-to-peer advise from Rachel Hollis (if you don't know who she is like I didn't, I suggest you Wiki her) to women who are dealing with some unpleasant things that come with being a woman. Ms. Hollis uses examples and events from her own life to show how she dealt with such issues. Although, apart from may be two or three women specific issues, most of the advise can be equally be dispensed to men as well who are trying to better themselves. I personally feel the advise in this book is pretty gender neutral. So if you are looking for some motivation to start out your new year then this book might provide you some. 

Overall, it's a quick read and in my opinion almost everybody can relate to the subject matter as it deals with issues such as habits, dealing with childhood trauma, motherhood issues, balancing work and home life, etc.

P.S: Feel free to leave a comment.

Atom Bomb To Santa Claus: What have the Americans ever done for us?

While the sentiments and opinion of the world regarding the US has been sour after Trump took on the Washington, it is difficult to discount or disregard contributions of the US on world stage be it science or industry or anything  that has helped mankind grow and adapt to the changing times, made like easier and saved lives through innovation. This book Atom Bomb to Santa Claus by Trevor Homer is basically a collection of things that are considered contributions of the US in above mentioned fields. From Post-it to cash register, from atom bomb to disposable diapers and so on the list goes. I would categorize this book as a reference book or fun-facts book. Will make a good read for a curious reader who just wants to browse a chapter or two here and there or a kid with penchant for science.

Corporate Crap by Howard Harrison

Corporate Crap by Howard Harrison is a refreshing and mildly entertaining read that hits all the right notes about well...Corporate Crap. There are so many things that happen in corporate work environment that we take it for granted without ever stopping to think about them such as their rationality and relevance to either the company or employee. For example, what's up with all those meetings where hardly anyone is paying attention but goes on just because it's the corporate culture and is on a standing schedule every Monday morning. Those brainstorming sessions to invoke creativity among employees oh and by the way they don't call them employees any more rather they are called associated or team members and by other such names. The author calls on all these idiosyncrasies of corporate world in this book aptly titled Corporate Crap. It's an easy read and appropriately priced and will make a good gift for your manager or CEO. Ha ha ha!! :-)

The Genius Habit: How One Habit Can Radically Change Your Life and Your Work.

I picked up this book because the title appealed me. I thought I would end up learning new ways to cultivate habits that would make me more productive at work. But after reading this book, it gave me a lot more to think about. Starting with word Genius in the title. Genius is not defined in traditional sense as someone with high IQ but rather your own problem solving and thinking process that is specific to you and you know you are good at it because it's yours and you have been using it forever so naturally you are good at it, you are Genius at it. Also the definition of work has changed with changing generations. Before work was something that you just do and that helps you pay bills but as we have evolved with technology and new platforms to work on, work need not be only something that we have to do but something that we should enjoy. After all if you are going to do it for long time you might as well enjoy it. Right? 

The process starts with knowing if this work or that job is right for you. This books walks you through a process that helps you determine whether your current job is the right fit for you by using the concept of Genius Habit and Zone of Genius. May be the job does allow you to use your Genius Habit and lets you work in your Zone of Genius but you are still not happy due to other factors. Well, in that case the book recommends some strategies to make it better. There are some well thought out questions that helps you navigate through your “job situation” whatever that may be. Peppered though the book are case studies to demonstrate the process and some references to sociological and psychological research to scientifically back the process. 

Overall I think this is a well written book with a non-traditional view of relationship between self and the work/job we do. If you are looking for a book that helps you evaluate whether a particular job is a good fit for you or whether you are looking to move on from your current job this book will provide some useful information to help you find your path.

Rise and Grind by Daymond John

Alright alright so one more self-help book on motivation for budding entrepreneurs with no significant difference than other books out there by people such as Tim Ferris, Grand Cordone or Gary Vaynerchk. Same format with chapters based on famous celebrities and go-getters on how they rise and grind, what's their work philosophy, what are their priorities, etc. 

Reminds of Vaynerchuk's book Crushing It that follows the exactly same format of talking about how people made it.

Overall, it is an ok book with no groundbreaking material with same message if you want something you have to make it happen by whatever way you need to. In my opinion if you have read books from other authors on similar topic you can safely bypass this book.

That being said I feel Daymond John really wants to cultivate entrepreneurial spirit in people which is the motivation behind this book. The last chapter is a little personal when he talks about his thyroid cancer and how he views life after that incidental discovery. 

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” – Mark Twain. So go figure out the second one if you haven't already.

P.S: Feel free to share your thoughts and leave comments.

The Facts of the Matter: Looking Past Today’s Rhetoric on the Environment and Responsible Development

This book by David Parish certainly makes you think. In today's world we are bombarded with news from media that is largely based on what drives up their ratings than facts. It's so early to get swept away in the frenzy of some promise made by big business, big government or big social media site to bring about a meaningful and positive change in the world. They exploit our desire and need to do good to our fellow human beings, animals, in preserving global resources, etc. But how much of this is based on facts? How much is backed by science? That is the premise of this book. Rather than conforming to the social norms and following the herd, the author in this books wants us to decipher the message and fact check for ourselves to see if the message makes sense to us. The biggest campaign that our society has collective undertaken is that of slowing down global warming. Instead of working on better technologies and extracting all that we can from the resource we extract, we go about banning the extraction of resources in the name of reducing our carbon foot print. People switch to green energy not knowing how much resources are being used to make that technology green. We are thrilled about electric cars to reduce our consumption of fossil fuel and reduce carbon emission but ever stop to wonder how much of the same fossil fuel and it's derivatives we are using to make those high capacity batteries? 

We all want to do good in the world and help third and fourth world countries become self sufficient. By  banning extraction of resources these countries sit upon it's impossible to bring their living standards to acceptable levels. In need to raise their living conditions it's important for these countries to rely on their share of natural resources they have been blessed with and be able to exploit it. There has to be a fine balance between reducing your carbon footprint and letting exploitation of resources to benefit mankind.

Overall, this book is a thought provoking read and I recommend it for anyone who is up for some fact checking.

P.S: Feel free to leave comments if you think my review helps you in picking up your next read or just if it resonates with you.

Skin in the Game: The Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life.

Skin in the game: Hidden Asymmetries in daily life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb is a collection of essays, philosophical discussion and commentary on events, personalities, and things that are all around us and experienced by us on a daily basis but we never stop and think about. As the title suggests its about asymmetries in daily life. For example, have you ever come across a person who benefits if you benefits but has nothing to lose even if you lose everything. Who falls under this category well...brokers, traders, policy makers and high level administration.

Let's take another example, have you ever thought how 3-4% minority population can enforce their rule on 95% majority population? Think about Kosher food. Even though majority of population is not Jewish, most of the products are Kosher. Why? Well simple people who eat Kosher will not eat non-Kosher food but people who do not eat Kosher food will eat Kosher food with no reservations. Asymmetry.

This book is full of such practical discussions and offers a higher level analysis to things that we take for granted. The basis premise of this book as the title says is that to understand anything you need skin in the game. You cannot understand things by philosophical discussions. Most of the academicians have no skin in the game but to come up with complex and often non-applicable theories that fail in real world. In academics there is no difference between academics and real world. In real world there is.

You will find many fascinating topics and concepts in this book such as Lindy effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_effect) or ergodicity, etc.

The concept of the book and its essays are beautifully summarized by authors own words. No muscle without strength, no friendship without trust, no opinion without consequences, no change with aesthetics, no age without values, no life without effort, no water without thirst, no food without nourishment, no love without sacrifice, no power without fairness, no facts without rigor, no statistics without logic, no math without proof, no teaching without experience, no politeness without warmth, no values without embodiment, no degrees without erudition, no militarism without fortitude, no progress without civilization, no virtue without risk, no probability without ergodicity, no wealth without exposure, no complication without depth, no fluency without content, no decision without asymmetry, no science without skepticism, no religion without tolerance and most of all NOTHING WITHOUT SKIN IN THE GAME.

P.S: Feel free to leave comments.

Oil, Power and War: A Dark History

Oil, Power and War is probably going to be the new definitive history of Oil. I wouldn't say it replaces Daniel Yergin's The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power, a Pulitzer Prize winner but it certainly builds upon Yergin's book with some modifications. For example, Yergin's book talks about the story of Oil till only 1980 and even then only from the perspective of those who were winners in this game. Matthieu Auzanneau's book continues the story up to most recent times and how Oil has been influential in shaping the political and economic environment. Make no mistake even at 600 pages, shorter than Yergin's book at 900 pages it is still full of facts, and who's who and timelines that the reader is better advised to keep track of as he or she moves from page to page. The plethora of characters resembles that of some russian literature say Anna Karenina but if you really read it without extended breaks I am sure you can keep track of them. The chapters are broken down in short topics that keeps it interesting. Needless to say the book takes you all the way from origin of Oil at organic level to its uses and how it has, it is and will probably continue shaping our world's political, cultural, social, industrial and military situation. The oil dubbed Black Gold indeed has been a single most vital natural resource surpassing King Coal to give us the world we inhibit now. It would be hard to find a single entity, a single object that does not have finger prints of petroleum in its origin.

Overall, this book I think is an extension of it's predecessor The Prize and definitely adds way more information on the current situation as it relates to Oil. With that being said if you are deciding to pick up a definitive book on the biography of Oil and its influence, I would recommend you pick up this new book Oil, Power and War as it is most current on the subject. 

Companion book:  Breaking Rockefeller -https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26192980-breaking-rockefeller

War on Peace: The End Of Diplomacy And The Decline Of American Influence.

The End of Diplomacy and Decline of American Influence. In this book the author details how the previous and current administration is undermining the state department and favoring military interventions that has only lead to worsening of situation all around the world. Career diplomats are taken our of their roles and pushed towards a work that eventually leads them to quit in despair. Decisions are made who to keep and who to let go based on their political affiliations and not for how influential they are in solving problems abroad. We see a shift in strategy whereby before America used to dominate by diplomacy and now by brute force as is evidenced by more strategic roles going to retired Generals and career military professionals. 

Overall, I think it is a great read for anyone interested in understanding dynamics of diplomacy and specifically those preparing for Foreign Service Examination. As a companion book, I would recommend another book called The American Trajectory by David Ray Griffin.

Weekend warrior

I earned a badge for listening to an audiobook all weekend. Oops, I guess now you know why I skipped on brunch. Join in the fun with a free Audible trial: https://www.audible.com/t1/badges_at?source_code=AFAORWS04241590G8

Night Owl

So into my audiobook, I couldn't stop listening last night. I'll sleep when I'm dead. Join in the fun with a free Audible trial: https://www.audible.com/t1/badges_at?source_code=AFAORWS04241590G8

7 Day Stretch

If finishing at least 2 books in a week were so amazing, they'd give out a badge for it. Join in the fun with a free Audible trial: https://www.audible.com/t1/badges_at?source_code=AFAORWS04241590G8

Way of the Wolf: Become a Master Closer with Straight Line Selling

Jordan Belfort, a master salesman delineates his Straight Line sales technique in this book. If you don't know Jordan Belfort (JB) by now I suggest you watch The Wolf Of The Wallstreet movie before picking up this book to pump yourself up. This book was on my to-read list since it was published and I finally got around reading it. Although not in a sales profession in strictest sense, this book provides valuable insight into art of persuasion as it relates to selling. 5 components of Straight Line system to tackle are:

1. Does your customer like your product?

2. Does he or she trust you?

3. Does he or she trust your company?

4. Logical certainty.

5. Emotional certainty.

Get them close to 10 on a scale and you will close the deal provided the customer is closeable. JB shows you with examples how to do just that in this book. Unlike other books I have read, this one has examples on How-To which helps to understand how one may put those theories in practice.

Overall, this is a good book to read if you are in a sales related profession. It will help you up your game.

Steve Jobs A Biographic Portrait.

Ok so just finished reading this book and I have to say it's pretty concise biography of Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson however will remain the definitive biography of Jobs. But if you are looking for something that is 1/3rd the length of Issacson's book, then this is the book you might want to pick up. It's an easy read with scattered photos here and there. Also the book is punctuated with many interesting facts and figures that keeps it interesting. The books lacks depth unlike Issacson's book but that can be good thing for those who want to keep it to the point. That being said I think if you never got a chance or didn't have the  time or courage to pick up Issacson's book, this book might be a good substitute. It's a quick and easy read.

P.S: Special thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion Publishing for offering me this unpublished copy to review.

A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow truly is an enthralling novel that is based on a fictional character Count Alexander Rostov, a count under house arrest at a posh hotel after Russian revolution. The story unfolds with concurrent rise in communism in Russia and the author wonderfully captures the sociopolitical situation as the story of the Count unfolds in that hotel where he has settled into a routine. The routine is disturbed when a he meets a little girl staying at the same hotel whom the count finds intriguing enough to let her show him a thing or two, to make him experience a thing or two, in his otherwise routine life. Count's life in his microcosm is enriched by characters that he interacts on a daily basis such as the the chef and the host of the restaurant where count works as a head waiter. Also, included as his well-wishers are bell boys and a hotel seamstress, Maria. Oh and let's not forget Anna, a film star who is secretly having an affair with count. The story takes an unusual turn when count is forced to take care of a kid which he grows fond of as time progress and eventually adopts her as his daughter. The whole while count Rostov is secretly devising a scheme to flee his house arrest which he accomplishes in a well planned way after he dispensing with his fatherly obligations.

Overall, fans of fiction and nonfiction are equally sure to enjoy this book. The characters are believable , the narrative is coherent, the language is refined, the times post Russian revolution early 20^th century.

Mandela and the General

Thank you Plough Publishing for forwarding me the unpublished copy of Mandela and the General for review. The book goes in publication on Nov 5th. 

This being my second nonfiction graphic novel, I certainly liked this more than my first one on Andy Warhol. The art work is really good and the text is not too "loud" as some graphic novels have. The author manages to capture the essence of relation between Nelson Mandela and General Constand Viljoen. It was through the mutual respect of both the men  that they were able to avoid a massive bloodshed between blacks and south African whites. Although, the books does not go into details, a reader can get a good idea of the political situation at that time. 

It is a quick read and will make a good gift for young adults or anyone who likes reading nonfiction graphic novels.

Becoming Andy Warhol

Thank you Abrams Books for forwarding me a copy of Becoming Andy Warhol's latest edition. This book is my first comic book and I didn't know if I will end up being a fan of comic books or abandon them forever. Well, I am on a fence with my decision. While the pictures and illustrations are done well, it is hard to figure out the characters and who says what making it difficult to follow the story. Also, the story is fast forwarded version of Andy's struggle with art world and his eventual fame as a pop artist. I personally didn't enjoy it as much as I like a coherent story versus having to decipher the emotions, expressions and verbal tone from graphics. But if you are fan of adult comic books then you might want to check this book out.  Keep up the good work Nick Bertozzi and Pierce Hargan.

P.S: I still think I should buy the illustrated/graphic version of American Gods.

P.S: The first Andy Warhol art piece I saw was at my residency director's office. That was my introduction to pop art.

The Last Palace - Europe's Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House by Norman Eisen

Thank you Penguin Random House for sending me this unpublished copy (now published as of Sept 4^th) for review.

The Last Palace by Norman Eisen (US ambassador to Czech Republic) is truly an amazing read. To learn the history you can read books written by academic scholars and pour over historical documents which can be boring and downright depressing or you can study an object, a person, an event that has been affected politically, socially, culturally, etc during the time the history of which we are trying to study which in my opinion is more fun and better way of learning. That is exactly what Norman Eisen has done in this book. He takes us through the history of European empire particularly Czechslovakia starting from pre-WWII all the way up to now. The central object that the story revolves around is Otto Petschek's Palace that he obsessively tailored to his vision built just before WWII. How the lives of it's owner Petschek family and eventually it's various occupants were affected with rise of Fascism in Germany and later with Communism in Soviet and eventually establishment of democracy in Czech republic is so vividly articulated. The story of Petschek's Palace is the story of Czech republic in 20^th century. How US foreign policy played a role in helping oust Communism in Czech is worth admiring. All those US ambassadors standing up again Communist regime including Shirley Black, the celebrity actress and how she ushured in the democracy by peripherally supporting and being a witness of the revolution that overthrew the communist regime.

Overall, this is an amazing book that history buffs are sure to enjoy thoroughly.

Dear Los Angeles -The City in Diaries and Letters, 1542 to 2018

I bet everyone has some level of affection to their city, state or country. You know the place where you have lived for the most part of your life and there is something you miss  when you are away from your "home". But how about getting to know a city through other peoples experiences, better yet how about getting to know a place going back in time and how it has evolved over time by studying the contents of someone's diary and letters, not someone's, anyone's whose diary entries found a way into this book called Dear Los Angeles. Like the cover of this book says, it is a book of diary entries and letters from folks with intimate connection to Los Angeles. In it you will find entries by people you absolutely wouldn't have any idea who they are but then there are people such as Ray Bradbury, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Marilyn Monroe, etc to name few well-known celebrities. That being said there is no particular order to this entries not is there any continuation a common theme. To an uninitiated this book might seem little bit on the edge of what we know to be a literary composition but quickly you start finding these entries entertaining and thought provoking. For example, my favorite is this one by some guy Ryan Reynolds from 2017 entry-" People in LA are deathly afraid of gluten. I swear to god, you could rob a liquor store in this city with a bagel.". There are also letters written to celebrities and politicians that captures the sociopolitical state during the time the entries were made. 

Overall, I found this book different, different than what we are used to. I suppose it would made a good addition as a  coffee table book. Flip open any page without having to worry about continuity, read a paragraph and be done with that chapter. Open a random page next time and do the same.

A Change of Hate - By Joe Broadmeadow

Once in a while I read fiction to let my workout my creative side and this book did the job quite well. Don't want to give away the plot but it is an intriguing tale that centers on Samson Armstrong's murder, Director of Homeland Security. Defending the suspect is a flamboyant lawyer Mr. Bennett and his team with colorful characters as Chris, former police officer turned private investigator and Maggie, his co-counsel. Representing the government is AUSA Ms. Esposito whose character in the book has no variation, just someone representing the government. We have Vietnamese mafia to add a little spice to the story and whole lot of characters trying to protect wrongdoings from the government officials. The court drama which is half the book is pretty good as well. Keeps the book glued to your hands. Overall, I think this is an interesting and quick fictional read. 

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Wow!!!!

What a read.....Simply amazing!!!!

Thank you Alfred A. Knopf and Penguin Random House for sending me this free copy of Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.

First off, this is the first book I have finished reading in 2 days. I just couldn't put it down. Great investigative journalism by John Carreyrou. The story, the characters, the setting grips you from the beginning until the last page. While I have followed Theranos's story in media, I had no idea it was this bad. It's like a mafia of Silicon Valley startup. 

Coming to Elizabeth Holmes, the author in the last paragraph has asked if she is a sociopath, John, in my opinion she is a sociopath. A young girl blinded by money and power taking ex-statesmen like Kissinger, George Schultz, James Mattis and high profile executives of companies like Walgreens and Safeway to a fantasy ride. I am just going to call them dumb asses. How can you not see it? Holmes never showed the technology work in person and everybody was rallying with her. I mean how dumb can you be?????? I found it funny even more pathologic that Elizabeth Holmes was mimicking Steve Jobs when it came to dressing herself up in black turtleneck t-shirt and black slacks. I can buy a Stanford dropout making it big with a tech company. But Elizabeth Holmes was science ill-literate when it came to engineering ( 2 semesters in chemical engineering does not qualify you to next Steve Jobs in laboratory science technology). She may have had a passion but no real knowledge to turn it into practice. Dressing like Steve Jobs and talking in a deep voice does not make you him. 

Overall, this is an amazing read. I highly recommend this book to whoever wants to get an inside scoop on the sage of Theranos.

Gene Machine: The Race to Decipher the Secrets of the Ribosome

Almost everyone with some formal education behind them knows or have at least heard about DNA, the genetic library of our cell but how about Ribosomes? The very machinery that translates the genetic material to protein, not as glamorous as DNA right? In Gene Machine by Dr. Venki Ramakrishnan takes us on a journey that ended with discovery of structure of the ribosome to be precise it's two units 30S and 50S. Figuring out a structure of a biological molecule during the times when electron microscopy was in its infancy certainly was a challenge that was mitigated by crystallography. The book describes in details the struggles, the collaborations, the competition, the passion and above all helpful nature of fellow scientists without whom it would have taken just a little longer for this breakthrough discovery. On a personal level this is a memoir of Dr. Ramakrishnan, Indian born scientist who went on to win a Nobel price for his work on ribosome structure. Apart from the chapters dedicated to details about crystallography and extensive discussion of structure of biological molecules, he reflects on the practice of rewarding scientists it's pros and cons and how there are many new awards that compete with Nobel price such as Breakthrough award that is almost 7-8 x more financially rewarding. However, I highly doubt that anyone would trade the Nobel for any other science prize. No discovery is made in isolation and collaboration is how science develops and new inventions are made. This is no better proved anywhere else as in the case of ribosomal research. Ideas were borrowed, data obtained by someone else manipulated, research methods were copied. In the end it was a matter of right people with right skills coming in close contact that won them a Nobel. Dr. Ramakrishnan is frank in showing his gratitude to all those who helped him and it speaks volumes of the his humble nature.

For me this book was interesting apart from my usual interest in science is that how Dr. Ramakrishnan who was born in the same state, Gujarat in India went on to become a grad student in physics and then changed his research to molecular biology and persisting at it for 30+ years and eventually winning a Nobel and eventually becoming president of Royal Society joining the ranks of Newton and Rutherford who were former presidents certainly gives one goosebumps. That in itself is a larger than any success story.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history of structural biology as it applies to ribosomes. Even if you are peripherally knowledgeable of biology of subcelluar molecules, this book is worth your time. I think it will make a great gift for a grad student in biology.

This book focuses on the second part (RNA → Protein) of Central Dogma (DNA → RNA → Proteins).

Weird War 2

Genre: Military History, World War II
Recommendation: Recommended.
Readability: Good. Short chapters.

Thank you Thistle publishing for offering me this advanced copy of Weird War Two for review. Many books have been written about World War II and this book is not another book regurgitating the same material from different author's perspective. Needless to say WWII was gruesome with uncountable lives lost and psychological trauma suffered for years by those who survived. The echoes of this war was felt in all aspects be it economical, social, cultural, personal, political, psychological, and on and on the list goes. During those times of hardship and unbelievable tragedy there were some anecdotes and events that momentarily made you forget the suffering and made you laugh out loud. This book is a collection of such anecdotes and events that were too trivial to gain attention and were sidelined by past authors and scholars. Some are plain weird, some made you question the sanity of those leading this war and some are outright ridiculous. It is a quick read with each anecdote not more than a page and half in length. If you are a WWII historian or simple looking to get a better understanding of the mindset of those who lived during those times, pick up this book and have a good laugh and learn a thing or two along the way. You may need to do fact checking for yourself but hey, like I said this book is collection of ridiculous and borderline unbelievable anecdotes and events so who cares. about facts. Read anyways

Elizabeth Warren by Antonia Felix

Genre: Biography, Politics.
Recommendation: Recommended.
Readability: Good.

Elizabeth Warren by Antonia Felix can be classified as a brief biography of Elizabeth Warren with considerable pages devoted to Warren's work in the field of consumer financial protection. You can almost get a clear picture of the field of Consumer Financial Protection work if you are not familiar with it by reading this book. The material is built on the books Warren authored and co-authored with her daughter and other law professors while she was teaching at various law schools.

As far as the biography part goes, it does a good job giving the readers a succinct portrait of Warren's personal and professional life. If you are a Warren fan or simply deciding to support if she throws her name in the hat for presidential nomination in 2020, this book might give you information to help you make informed decision.

Overall, this is a quick and interesting read. Some parts can be boring especially where the author belabors on Warren's work on consumer financial protection work. I think you can skip those pages without missing much or loosing the gist of the matter.