My Reads: 2018

2018 marks the 2^nd year in a row when I had the discipline to compile my list of reads alongwith my personal rating . As I opened my blog page I realized the blogger in me had turned immensely lazy. Fortunately, reading habits didn’t follow the same path. My goals for the year were to brush up my knowledge of history and step-up the quota of novels in my reading list. While I did satisfactorily on the former, I could have certainly packed in a few more works of fiction last year.

My picks of the year:

Fiction:

A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles) : A masterful piece of historical fiction set in Bolshevik-run Russia. Rare to find an American novelist use British humour so effectively. 9/10.

Non-fiction:

21 lessons for the 21^st century –(Yuval Noah Harari): The title is self-explanatory. Most works deal with 1 or maybe 2 central ideas. Seldom does one come across an author who provokes the mind through such a range of ideas. 8/10

And here come the rest with my self-rating:

Non-Fiction:

• The J-Curve (Ian Bremmer) : The author attempts to co-relate a nation’s openness with its stability measured through a “J-curve”. Worth a read only if one has deep interest in international relations. The theory while interesting, seems force-fitted a few times 6/10

• The Golden Passport (Duff McDonald) : A cynical account of the Harvard Business School and its Machiavellian impact on American business. Have read better from this author. Deep biases with not enough substance to prove hypothesis. 5/10

• The Undoing Project (Michael Lewis) : A quasi-bio of the genius writers- Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. Michael Lewis with trademark punch and wit makes this a fascinating read. Recommended if one has read some of Kahneman’s own work. 7/10

• Imperfect (Sanjay Manjrekar) : This was my pick for the first sports book of the year. Disappointing. Reads like a loser’s account of his career and doesn’t gel with the smart commentator that Manjrekar normally is. 5/10

• The Storm of War (Andrew Roberts) : A war-illiterate like me found this single volume account of WW-II very useful. Fact-filled and shorn of rhetoric. The writing style is simple and direct. 8/10

• China’s Great Wall of Debt (Dinny McMahon) : Well-written account of China’s economic system and some of the unflattering truths that lie beneath. Offers original perspective but could have done better on balance. 7/10

• Anita gets Bail (Arun Shourie): One is seldom disappointed by Arun Shourie. This one is refreshingly light and unbiased for a change. The research is just as exhaustive and the opinions delivered sharply with supporting facts. 7/10

• The Culture Code (Daniel Coyle) : An excellent analysis of the culture tools that create inspired and high-performance teams. The range spans from navy seals to restaurant chains to daring jewellery robbers. 7/10

• Setting the Table (Danny Meyer) : The previous book had numerous references to this memoir by one of America’s most successful restaurateurs . A delightful story of gastronomical passion and business smarts. Could have gone easy on cliched management lingo though. 6/10

• Playing for Keeps (David Halberstam): This Michael Jordan biography sums up all that it takes to be (and stay) a sports champion. Grit, discipline, emotional balance and business savvy. Read if a biography or basketball buff. One can pick up any of this author’s many works and get educated on one of the many streams he has expertise on. 6/10

• The Great Mughals and their India (Dirk Collier) : My google search “Mughal history for beginners” threw this one up with positive reviews. Provides a little more than thumbnail sketches of each of the Mughal rulers. A useful introduction. 6/10

• Naveen Patnaik (Reuben Banerjee) : A disappointing attempt at describing the political life and times of a canny leader. Has almost nothing that isn’t available in the public domain. Avoidable. 5/10 (being generous).

• Talking to my Daughter about the Economy (Yanis Varoufakis) : A former finance minister of Greece writes a lucid primer on economics. A must-read across age groups and gender. (despite Greece’s underwhelming track record). 7/10

• Stress Test (Timothy Geithner) : The author, a former US Treasury Secretary writes a detailed account on the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis. Does not sound boastful and provides diverse insights. His varying roles during and post the crisis make for an interesting combination. 7/10

• Hit Refresh (Satya Nadella) : A shoddy memoir by one of the greatest business leaders in recent times. Delves on too many irrelevant details and loses the plot while attempting to simplify ( a bit much). 5/10

• Start-up Nation (Dan Sensor and Saul Singer) : The story of Israel’s economic growth told from the prism of innovation. Provides numerous examples of the risk-taking and meritocratic ecosystem in Israel. Leaves the reader with a curiosity to dig for more. 7/10

• Factfulness (Hans Rosling) : Rave reviews built unreasonable expectations. Extensive research does not compensate for the repetitiveness around a single idea . 6/10

• The Prodigal Tongue (Lynne Murphy) : A linguist’s funny account of the relationship between British and American English. Murphy doesn’t end up taking sides while pointing out humorous origins and misconceptions alike. This was a strong contender for my best non-fiction read of the year. Highly recommend. 8/10

Fiction:

• Slaughterhouse Five (Kurt Vonnegut) : A dark world-war novel wasn’t the best novel to start the year with. Must say this largely went over my head. One of those novels that seemed fashionable to like just for the sake of it. 5/10

• Hillbilly Elegy (J D Vance) : This was considered recommended reading to understand why Americans voted Trump. While my understanding is no better, this is a powerful portrait of an important socio-economic strata in the U.S. A small-towner (from any country) can arguably relate to much of this book. 6/10

• The Old Man and the Sea (Ernest Hemingway): My first classic by this celebrated author. I was underwhelmed while I was reading this picturesque story. The prose-inspired visuals bizarrely lingered for weeks after I had concluded reading. Hooked me to the writer. 6/10

• Rules of Civility (Amor Towles) : Given how much I loved “A Gentleman in Moscow”, I just had to read this one by the same author. Set in New York City, its eminently readable but alas nowhere in the same league. 6/10

• Shalimar the Clown (Salman Rushdie) : Kashmir brought alive by the only man who can bring it alive with such passionate imagery. This is Rushdie at his best, or at least very near his best. (we have to grant “Midnight’s Children” its rightful status). 8/10

• Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway) : A semi-autobiographical work by the author during his WW-I days in Europe. Simple, elegant writing that combines the pain of war seamlessly with the charm of continental Europe. 7/10

• A Passage to India ( E M Forster) : A gripping tale set in the days of the Raj. It is near unimaginable that a British author could paint such an authentic and nuanced portrait of colonial India. A must-read.8/10

Happy Reading