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.

I've Been Wrong Before: Essays by Evan James

Disclaimer: I got a copy of this book from the publisher in return for my unbiased opinion.

This book is a collection of short essays about the author's reflection of his time travelling to places. It's like David Sedaris's essays. Each essay however has something deep and philosophical about it. The inner thought process and emotional state is put on the paper in a very tactful manner. There is an undertone of looking for true love only to be sabotaged by the author himself as in when his wanderlust takes priority. Overall, I found this book entertaining and if you like short essays you may like this book too. The chapters are not that long and you can go through them in 30 mins maybe less than that each.

Caging Skies by Christine Leunens

Disclaimer: This book was given to me for free by the publisher for my unbiased review in return.

Stories that are set in the backdrop of historic events are my favorite and this novel by Christine Leunens falls in that category. Set in the backdrop of pre-WWII in Austria the main character Johannes then a child is brainwashed by the propaganda machine of Hitler which his parents don't agree with but has on choice but to put up with their son's misguided love for their leader. The daily interactions between a misguided son and his parents are well-captures by the author. The book is almost fun to see how a child can be made a part of such a machine and cause to blur the line between moral and immoral. The story starts getting interesting once Johannes finds out that his parents have been hiding a jew girl in their house which nobody knows off. First hatred and feeling of supremacy of being an Aryan compared to a jew girl and then irrational obsession towards her makes the middle third of the novel pretty interesting. The lengths Johannes goes to hide the fact that Allies won the war so that he doesn't have to part with his "girlfriend" is what makes the middle third of the book interesting. There is quite bit of tension between the girl and Johannes , again well written by the author. The book starts getting little dis-interesting in the end where the writing takes a mostly philosophical turn making it hard to get by. But the story comes full circle when once a man of free will keeping a girl from achieving her freedom himself becomes a captive of his psyche. 

Overall, a good book. I think most people will enjoy it atleast the first 2/3rd of it. The last couple chapters may feel like a little drag but if you like heavy writing you will enjoy even those last chapters.  

Temper by Layne Fargo (Goodreads Author)

First of all  I would like to thank the publishing company for providing me a copy of this book in return for my unbiased review.

What drew my attention when I asked for this book for review was the cover and the title. I knew it had to be a story on one of the undesired elements of human nature i.e anger/temper. But it's not a flat out vendetta novel nor is there a frank declaration or portrayal of uncontrolled anger. What we have is a psychological thriller of a sort where the constant provocation leads to an ever building passion in which the line between good passion and bad passion is so blurred that one does not know which one is guiding the action of the doer. The doer is a debutante, Kira Rascher who has just landed a lead role in a famous Chicago theatre company production whose director cum lead actor Malcolm Mercer has been known to take his actors to extremes to mold them to his desires by psychologically manipulating them on and off stage. There is a particular magnetism that people feel around him that they can't pull themselves out of and continues to egg along knowing that they might be losing their identity and continues to torment themselves just to prove that they are worth his time. Between a constant psychological manipulation by the director and his actors, there is another character Joanna who is a constant companion to Malcolm Mercer and  has been desiring his validation since the day she met him be it professionally or romantically but to no avail leading to build up of years of resentment that finally finds outlet as the book end draws near. This interplay of human emotions divided in short chapters told from the perspective of two women Kira  and Joanna keeps this book so interesting and a page turner.

Layne Fargo the author has done a good job capturing and exploring the interplay of confusing emotions and relationships in her debut novel. I enjoyed this book and I am sure if you are into psychological thrillers and drama you will too. 

Good Will: Shakespeare's Novel Life by Arthur W. Wiggins (Goodreads Author), Barbara M. Wiggins

This book was sent to me by the authors for free in return for my unbiased opinion of it. So here it is.

Shakespeare has been a man of mystery to many and such an antique personality that hardly someone outside studying English literature would express curiosity about Shakespeare's life. This book is for those who are peripherally interested in knowing about his life. It is a hybrid of facts as gathered by authors during their trips to England and some extrapolated ideas that fills in the gap and makes most sense. Thankfully the language is easy to comprehend and the book reads fast. Interspersed are sonnets as one would expect of any book on Shakespeare. Overall, I think this book is worth reading if you have even the slightest curiosity about Shakespeare and what the life would have been like when he was alive. 

I particularly liked the last paragraph of this book. It is a conversation between business manager of The Globe after it was burnt down in an accident. The business manager asks Shakespeare who is tending his wife who has been injured in the fire while watching a play to commit his time and money to rebuild The Globe and keep writing more plays that makes money for the company and Will says " Cuthbert you disgust me. Your emphasis on money sounds more like my father than yours. Life isn't about money, it's about love. The love of my life and I are going home."

I think that is true no matter if you are a playwright genius like Shakespeare or someone who works long hours just to make ends meet.

Knowledge in a Nutshell: Astrophysics

One of the most thorough book I have read on astrophysics. Backed by diagrams, figures and formulas this book goes a step beyond The Origin Story by David Christian or Neil Degrasse Tyson's book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Be warned though that it is a little bit more technical for a layman wanting to explore field of astrophysics. Perhaps above mentioned books may serve as a stepping stone for this book but once you feel comfortable with the level of complexity you are sure to enjoy it. The book addresses the field of astrophysics from its history to current state. The content is thoroughly explored and explained.

Overall, I found this book worth reading with my interest in Astrophysics. If you are a budding scientist or have a general interest in astrophysics and want to take it up a notch, I highly recommend this book.

Raising the Bar: Diversifying Big Law by Anthony C. Thompson (Editor, Introduction), Debo P. Adegbile, Lisa Davis, Damaris Hernández, Ted Wells

Diversity and inclusion is the theme these days at many institutions, public and private sector work places and corporations. In Raising the Bar: Diversifying Big Law the author Anthony C. Thompson discusses how this theme can be included in workings of Big Law firms. Unlike many professions, Law remains a somewhat conservative profession where we haven't achieved much diversity in terms of colored folks in partnership position though that is changing we are lagging significantly behind. This book dubbed as a Playbook for law firms on how to diversity their workforce by mentoring, feedback, compensating is an interesting and insightful read. For colored folks as the be it Latino, African american,  Asian or women, the prevailing way to success is  work twice, thrice or even four times as hard to achieve half as privileged person and the authors suggests that it is not going to change at this moment or even not in your lifetime but looking at the history we know one thing that we have come far, the pace albeit is slow. 

Overall, this book is a good read and I recommend it to anyone who would like to incorporate diversity at their work place. Although the book is meant for law firms, the ideas are fundamental and adaptable to any work place be it a major corporation or small firm with just 100 employees. 

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher for free in return for my unbiased opinion.

Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham

Amazing history of one of the most terrible nuclear disaster as told by Adam Higgibotham. I bought a book called The Legacy of Chernobyl but wasn't able to finish it due to some life circumstances. But with this new book available at my local library, I felt I had to put an end to my gaps in understanding of Chernobyl disaster. This book takes you through not only what happened at the reactor that went haywire but also provides the historical context  sort of a lens to see this disaster through. How USSR's hunger for economic development via increase in production of electricity lead to making some irresponsible decision by the higher ups and how USSR's top government decided to hide the accident rather than come clean and let the world know so that it can prepare for the nuclear fall out. It it was common in USSR only few people got punished while others who were derelict in their duty of letting the operators know of the potential risks involved were let loose. The book is more of a story than a documentary as most books on Chernobyl are. The story if unfortunately interesting and is a page turner all the way. Salute and respect to those who risked their lives to contain the fire and nuclear leak by working too close to immensely high radiation levels at the site of the nuclear reactor. It is as much a  story of them as it is of USSR's misadventure. The world should learn from the past mistakes. Companion book to this book is The Legacy of Chernobyl by Zhores Medvedev.

Hot Shot by Fern Michaels

Disclaimer: This book was given to me for free by the publisher in return for my unbiased opinion.

This happens to be the first pocket book kind of a novel I read. The plot of the story revolves around figuring out the mystery behind certain someone with power gets shot but survives. Bunch of friends of the shot guy and his wife's take it upon themselves to investigate the series of events that lead to the shooting. I find the end hilarious. I won't disclose the ending but I was like seriously!!!!!

I would have liked the story to have some police work mentioned but I guess that's fiction for you. Overall, I think if you are used to reading books without much thinking then you may like it. I personally didn't enjoy it much but then I am not the target reader for such books either.

The Dark Heart: A True Story of Greed, Murder, and an Unlikely Investigator by Joakim Palmkvist, Agnes Broomé (Translator)

Wow...what a murder mystery but a real one that can be made into a movie. Set in a small farming town in Sweden this is a true story of a multimillionaire father and his sudden disappearance and a persistent search undertaken by police and volunteer organisation that eventually yields results after 2 years. Although the prime suspects are easy to figure out it took a sincere dedication by a volunteer to finally nail the suspects down by taking on risk on herself. This family saga mired in greed, hatred, delusion, blind love and devotion is certainly a thrilling true story. 

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

A thought provoking novel by Celeste Ng. We often forget that everybody is different and comes from a different background with his or her own set of experiences that have made that person who he/she is today. What is normal for one might not be normal for the other. Such is the plot of this book in which a vagabond artist who happens to rent a house from a landlord who thinks she has the perfect family and life until things happen that makes her analyze her own life. The catalyst in this novel are children and an adoption of a asian baby by caucasian parents. Overall, it's an enjoyable light read. If you are into fiction-drama, you will like this book.

Army of Empire: The Untold Story of the Indian Army in World War I by George Morton-Jack

Disclaimer: This book was provided to me by the publisher in return for my honest opinion.

Well written book with enormous amount of who's who hard to keep track of. The book started out really well with discussion of factors that caused many illiterate Indians to enlist in the British army. However, as the chapters progress the subject matter becomes dense and one is most likely going to lose the track of the characters. Certainly not the book if you are going to read it casually but I doubt the book wasn't written to be read casually on the beach anyways. I couldn't finish the book in it's entirety but I really enjoyed most of the book and if you are a military history buff you will like this book. I personally am more interested in WWII history. 

The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with free copy of this book for my unbiased opinion in return.

As a reader of mostly non-fiction books, it was difficult for me to get a handle when it came to fictional story telling given the way authors use words to describe the heck out of the scene, the subjects, the emotions etc. But once I got accustomed to the author's way of story telling, I started enjoying this book more. The story revolves around paranormal activity in a house which is haunted and how the phenomenon brings a famous scientist and the house's owner Mrs. Alva Webster together and how their love blossomed. The haunted house and the haunting entity still continues to be at the center of the story plot and eventually pacified by Mrs. Webster and "released". Overall, it is a good novel and if you are into romantic novels you are sure to like it.

Young Money: Inside the Hidden World of Wall Street's Post-Crash Recruits by Kevin Roose

Good journalistic work by Kevin Roose. Books on wall-street personalities have always been a special interest of mine given the stories or myth that surrounds people working on wall-street. Many books have been written before the most recent crash and gives tantalizing account of lives of high rollers and deal makers for example The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort. Everybody has heard stories of more money than God hedge-fund billionaires, excessive partying, sexcapades, drugs and what not. But this book by Kevin Roose is about how valid is that idea of wall-street bankers in post crash era. He takes us through the lives of 7 aspiring wall-street interns who wants to make it big and join the ranks of those who have come before them. Things have certainly changed after the crash and that is reflected in the hardships and dissatisfaction experienced by the subjects of this book. A trend is developing however, gone are the days when the cream of the cream from Ivy league colleges were attracted towards financial sector jobs. There are competing sectors now to choose from such as startups, IT sector, and if you are really idealistic maybe some non-profit work and of course politics. 

Overall I think this is a good read and if you enjoyed books like The Wolf of Wall Street or The Buy Side you will like this book.

Mishka by Mike Maroney

Geared towards children and young adults this book is a story of a young girl and her "dog" set in the background of crime infested town in Eastern Europe. Triumph of justice over injustice, goodness over evil and strength of collective action is well-portrayed in this book.  The book is an easy read and I recommend to parents of young kids. Will make a good bedtime read.

P.S: I was given this book by the publisher for  my unbiased opinion.

Stealing Green Mangoes: Two Brothers, Two Fates, One Indian Childhood

Nature vs Nurture is an age old debate and in this book the author Sunil Dutta has tried his best to help the readers pick a side and decide for themselves. The reality is that it is difficult to say which one has a total say in how a person develops and acts. I personally feel they both are at play to varying extent in defining his or her personality. The author is a scientist by training and what better to test the hypothesis but on your own life. Two brothers both turning out 180 degree diametrically opposite in personality. One following the path of love, meaning, patience and other one following path of greed, manipulation and crime. The description of life in India at that time is fairly accurate except couple of things that I found little imaginative  but overall good description of socioeconomic and cultural practices at that time. I think most Indian readers can relate to the story except the romantic aspect of the author. The author is cut from a different material when it comes to love. His love for an american girl with everything she puts the author through is little too much to stomach for any self-respecting man. But I suppose when you are in love, you are in love. Journey from  a refugee camp to PhD at UC Davis and then eventually as a police officer at LAPD is what this book is about but the debate this book tries to answer is whether an evil person is inherently evil or does the circumstances around that person makes him so.

Overall, I think this is a good book. It's an easy read and certainly worth checking it out at your local library.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

The first time I saw this book was in 2013 or 14 at Barnes and Noble in Chicago. What attracted me to it was its cover page. I found it very artistic and thought this gotta be a comic book. But somehow I moved on and didn't get to this book, albeit audio version from a local library until now. Set in New Orleans this fictional work by John Toole is a perfect work that won Pulitzer price and rightly so. The protagonist Ignatius J. Reilly a strange character with a very narrow and well-defined but grandly flawed world view struggles to make sense of this world and its workings by pure analysis and writing and often imposing his will on the people he meets all while deftly justifying his doings. In short, he is a lazy bum who just doesn't want to work and lives in his fantasy world. Amazing book that won his author a posthumously Pulitzer prize. 

The Castle on Sunset: Life, Death, Love, Art, and Scandal at Hollywood's Chateau Marmont

Disclaimer: I would like to thank Doubleday Publishing for offering me this book at no cost for my unbiased opinion and review. 

This is a story, a biography of one of the iconic buildings in Hollywood, Chateau Marmont. Conceived in 1920-30s by a visionary Fred Horowitz as an apartment complex that morphed into a hotel for  under auspices of it's early owners and eventually a status symbol among celebrities from various fields of arts, movies, musicians, singers, etc. Known for it's strict code for secrecy and turning a blind eye about the behavior and "naughtiness" of celebrities, the Chateau was seen as a rite of passage for anyone making it into Hollywood. Big wigs and who's who of Hollywood have at one time or another lived at Chateau either while filming their movie, producing their movie, while carrying on an affair with someone and lastly but not least while going through divorce, etc. Ever associated with Sunset Stripe but physically located slightly away, hidden from the main strip it attracted many visitors who were looking for time away form media, papparazzi to carry on their shenanigans. 

The book is a wonderful read and offers glimpse the lives of some of it's celebrated residents be it John Belushi (who died at the hotel) to Lindsay Lohan who racked up a huge bill and was ultimately kicked out. 

Overall, a good book by Shawn Levy, easy read, interesting and well written.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared

After hitting slump with non-fictional book I decided to check this book out and I was not disappointed at all. As the book's titles says it is about a story of the protagonist whose adventure starts when he decided to run away from his nursing home and embarks on a long journey during which he meets interesting people and friends all while accruing accomplices to join his heist. As it turns out Mr. Karlsson the main character has lead a very interesting life meeting big named under strange circumstances. All in all this is a light and comic read and is sure to make you laugh and sometimes ponder.

Bollywood Invasion by Ricardo Alexanders

Wow, what a flight of fancy has the author taken in this book. I was really amazed by the concept. To be honest when I picked up this book with Bollywood in its title written by a non-Indian sounding author's name, I was sure I was going to come across some misguided and misunderstood concept of Bollywood but it has nothing to do with Bollywood, the Indian movie industry that churns out movies like there is no tomorrow. Instead, this book is a fusion of East and West in an alternate universe. Just to tickle your fantasy, imagine your favorite movie celebrity(western) or your favorite music band (western) originating from India and what their life would have been in that case. Without giving out too much, in my opinion this book is thoroughly enjoyable and unlike some books that are written with one type of audience in mind and are hard to understand by someone on the other end of the spectrum, this book is sure to be understood by both eastern and western audiences.

Betty Ford: First Lady, Women's Advocate, Survivor, Trailblazer

Wow!! Amazing biography of Betty Ford by Lisa McCubbin. Riveting, thoroughly researched, informative and educational. Biographies are hit or miss and I am glad this one turned out to be an interesting and informative read. First ladies don't get much attention or credit and while it may be true because of their assumed passive role back in the days, Betty Ford was not the one to stay quiet and live in her husband's shadow. 

This book gives a very intimate view of Betty Ford's upbringing, her passion as a dancer and the setbacks during her first marriage and her eventually ending up with Gerald Ford, Jr and becoming first a congressman's wife then vice president's wife ending up being the First lady understand unusual circumstances.  As opinionated as she was regarding sensitive issues of that era such as Equal Rights for women, "women's diseases" such as breast cancer she was just as vulnerable as you and I are. Yes, she was a diagnosed pain pills abuser and an alcoholic, something you would never expect a First Lady to confess to the citizens of the US but Betty was different. Not only she acknowledged her abusing pain pills and being alcoholic but she went on to confront her problem checking herself in a treatment center and eventually became an advocate for people seeking a cure from addictions. She was a leading actor behind opening of Betty Ford Center for treatment of addiction and it flourished with the problem getting wide spread recognition.  Lisa McCubbin has done a wonderful job touching upon Betty's every aspect of life in her book. I am sure you are in for a good read with this one.

P.S: This book was given to me by the publisher to review in return for my unbiased opinion.

Your Heart, My Hands: The Remarkable Life of One of America's Most Prolific Cardiac Surgeons

Rags to riches stories are always a sure hit considering how many people are lost and looking to get back on track in life. Along that story line we have Dr. Arun Singh's book Your Heart, My Hands which is coming out shortly. Dr. Singh a long time cardiothoracic surgeon with self-declared 15000+ heart surgeries chronicles his journey from a small town in India to becoming a preeminent surgeon in the US. Born in a lower middle class family ( It's an assumption based on the facts presented) with all the qualities of a mischievous child who is always getting in trouble like many kids of that age do with no clear direction in life finally buckles down after some life altering events and self-reflection and eventually gets an opportunity to come to the US to do surgical internship and eventually becoming a successful surgeon. Along the way, he had to face his share of racism as was very common during that time but how with hard work and little luck he overcame it all and went on to have a long and successful career as a cardiothoracic surgeon. But alas, old age and some institutional level politics forced him to retire. 


Overall, I think this is a good motivational biography yet thought provoking.

The Corporation: An Epic Story of the Cuban American Underworld

Fascinating and thrilling story of Cuban American Underworld by T.J. English. This is almost an investigative journalism account of  the Godfather of Cuban mafia, a product of failed American Diplomacy with Cuba turned mob boss, a story of a decorated war hero of Bay of Pigs invasion. What started as a small time gambling venture morphed into an enterprise(The Corporation) involving putting out hits, racketeering, money laundering, drugs business under the leadership of Jose Miguel Battle who was given asylum in the US due to failed bay of pigs invasion. With complex structural organization this was truly a Corporation. After ruling the mob scene for years, a hardworking and a dedicated cop David Shanks eventually brought the Corporation and it's key players to their knees. Overall this is an interesting book and if you are looking for a fictional thriller that is really a true crime story, a mob or gangs historian or a history buff you will enjoy this book. 

The Atlas of Disease: Mapping deadly epidemics and contagion from the plague to the zika virus

Being a physician albiet a Radiologist, I decided to check this book out called " The Atlas of Disease" and to be honest it brought back all those memories of medical school Microbiology lectures. I have to admit I barely remember a fraction of what I knew about the subject matter from back in med school.but this book provided a quick refresher. Obviously this time I enjoyed reading the book rather than trying to cramp for some exam. 

The pathogens are categorized depending on their origin with brief historic significance regarding their origin, geographical distribution, signs, symptoms and just fun tit-bits about the entity. 

If you are  a student of infectious diseases getting a PhD or a medical resident/fellow or a medical student this book will make a good addition to your book shelf. 

How Finance Works The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers by Mihir Desai

Awesome book on the subject by Mihir Desai is what this book is. I have been trying to educate myself for quite sometime about Stock Market and Investing. I have read few books on the subject matter and while most books that I have read addresses at least one to two chapters on decoding a financial statements, I have never found the coverage satisfactorily. They just list definitions and equations but in this book that is entirely dedicated to understanding the subject matter of finance, the author takes a didactic approach and walks you through the concepts in a very tutored environment. The definitions are clear and easy to understand and periodically there are vignettes to make you reflect on whatever is being discussed. If you are looking for a book to familiarize yourself with financial concepts and lingo or learning how to evaluate a company before investing in it or are starting a job or already in a job that requires you to communicate with financial personnel this book is for you. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that is easy to read and comprehensible enough even for someone with no commerce or business background.

P.S: This book has been given to me by Harvard Business Review Press for my unbiased opinion of this book.

Trailer Park Wives: Double-wide Edition.

Ok so usually I don't read much fiction let alone a book that has "Trailer Park Wives" in it's title but this book was given to me (the audio version) for my unbiased review and let me tell you I was not disappointed. Yep it's a story of trailer park wives, drugs, sex, debauchery, infidelity, murder but it's intriguing. I bet such things are common occurrence at a community like the one portrayed in the book. The story keeps you on your toes and you just can't stop. The suspense, the mystery.  I recommend this book if you are looking for some light community drama.

Also, you do not need to have read Trailer Park Wives:Single-wide edition to understand the story plot in the Double-wide version.

P.S: This book was given to me for free for my unbiased opinion and review of the book.

The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers who Inspired Chicago

Thrilling, sensual, nostalgia provoking story of gunner girls of Chicago of early 20th century that was eventually turned into a Broadway play and a movie called Chicago. Story of Belva Gaertner, Buelah Annan and Wanda Stopa the three of the beautiful gun girls of my hometown Chicago from 1920s who were never convicted of the crimes they committed because of the well during that time you couldn't be convicted if you are beautiful and it was all male jury. The story of these three murderess covered by Maurine Watkins one of the few female crime reporters sheds lights on the social and political times in Chicago during early part of the 20th century. If you are from Chicago or feeling nostalgia pick up this book and enjoy the times of jazz, bootleggers, gangs and of course Chicago's gun girls.

The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an IKEA Wardrobe

Very entertaining book of a fakir/magician/conman from a small village in Rajasthan, India to France with sideway journeys into various European countries. Entertaining yet thought provoking. Traveling makes your horizons broad and that's what happened to Ajita Shatru the main character in this novel. It does have a Bollywood type end.

Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side by Julia Shaw

Is Evil an absolute entity or does it depend on our perspective i.e is it subjective judgement hat we pass related to an act? How do you define Evil? Are some people evil and others by dichotomy not evil? The book Evil: The Science Behind Humanity's Dark Site by Julia Shaw sheds light on these and many more perceived or factual biases against what our society considers Evil. I think we all have evil tendencies but they are sub-clinical that let's us function and be considered "normal" in the eyes of society we dwell in. Overall, this book is a good read and makes a case against evaluating one's own self before compartmentalizing acts as evil or not-evil.

P.S: Thank you ABRAMS book for forwarding me a copy for free in return for my unbiased opinion about this book.

The Age of Shiva

After reading The Death of  Vishnu few years ago, I wanted to give this book a shot hoping that Manil Suri will recreate the magic and he has to some extent but this book is not as interesting as The Death of Vishnu. The story of a middle child whose fate is sealed in the form of a marriage the moment she lets her teenage curiosity take her into the arms of her sister's ex-boyfriend. The plot of this novel is so common among Indian families in 1950s-60s that it is easy to relate to the events unfurling as the story goes on.  

This Is Cuba: An American Journalist Under Castro's Shadow

This Is Cuba by David Ariosto offers an in-depth analysis of Cuba from investigative journalistic point of view. Cuba like North Korea has been an object of fascination with it's Soviet Era style administration and life. While North Korea is way more restrictive, Cuba is relatively less restrictive offering anyone with no intentions to interfere in governmental administration a fair chance to visit and experience the "time capsule". While written from personal experience of the author while his stay in Cuba as a journalist for CNN, he goes way beyond the nitty gritty of daily living and delves into the socioeconomic, political and ideological differences that separates it from other nations. Past administrations, the last one being Obama administration has taken first step towards befriending the nation so that both the nations can mutually benefit but the current administration seem to have taken steps back to place both the nation where it was. Who knew Cuba offered medical services to nations suffering from natural disasters or loaned spies to other nations in exchange for money. Who knew that Cuban scientist's are making breakthroughs in biotechnology that US could benefit from. Cuba just 90 miles from the US border is an untapped market for business and cultural exchange and in my opinion steps should be taken to let go of the Cold War era differences. Overall, this book is well-written, is interesting and definitely will add to your fascination for Cuba.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

I personally don't think this book was anywhere near Mohsin's A Reluctant Fundamentalist. Story of a couple who leaves behind their hometown to avoid being persecuted by fundamentalists and their journey west eventually ending in the same town after half a century. Mohsin is good at putting characters emotions and the dilemma they face quite well on paper which plays to his strength in drawing a vivid picture of his characters. Overall, it's a good book and if you are to listen the audio version it is about 4 hours long.