My Reads: 2020

 As 2020 makes its way to the rear-view mirror, I share most people’s relief and hope that 2021 marks a return to brighter times. The virus ensured most of us stayed homebound for a large part of the year, often for months at a stretch. While many pursued new interests or rekindled old ones, I went through doing more of the same. The initial weeks of the lockdown  made for prolific reading. As the weeks went by, I experienced periodic bouts of “reader’s block” and could not do full justice to the opportunity that extended seclusion provides.

 

My list this year had a disproportionate share of Sports and World-War II (non-fiction and historical fiction) .  I discovered some brilliant new writers (Erik Larson, Kazuo Ishigoro, Mark Sullivan) and also revisited some of my old favourites (Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh, John le Carre).

 

My picks of the year:

 

Non Fiction : Fire in Babylon (Simon Lister)  

Fiction: Beneath a scarlet sky (Mark Sullivan)

 

 

Non-Fiction:

 

1. Good Economics for Hard Times (Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo): A data-rich body of work.  Helps observe a few thought provoking dimensions especially in developing economies. Reads more like an aggregate of research papers than a single volume publication. One or two central themes could have made it more cohesive. 6/10

 

2. The Cases that India Forgot (Chintan Chandrachud) : An excellent read for a non-lawyer with interest in legal affairs. Broken up into 4 sections- Politics, Gender, Religion and National Security. Shorn of much analysis or needless pontification. The evolution of constitutional interpretation is lucidly explained. 7/10

 

 

3. Narconomics (Tom Wainwright) : A very readable account of the world of narcotics with telling parallels and analogies with the corporate world. The author is a columnist for The Economist and one is treated to the trademark pithy style. I found a co-passenger on a flight reading this and was intrigued by the title. Decent google reviews helped and I ordered this one while taxiing. The initiative was well worth it. 8/10

 

4. Martin Luther King- A Life (Marshall Frady) : Early 2020 seemed like an opportune time to read up about the civil rights movement and leaders like Martin Luther King. Clearly inspired by Gandhi but without the unwavering execution ability. Had more defeats than victories and yet left a legacy that only grew exponentially post his death. The writer could have used less extravagant language. “Brobdingnagian” for instance isn’t a word I follow. (it means “gigantic” btw). 7/10

 

5. Fire in Babylon (Simon Lister) : An unputdownable account of West Indian cricket. Deals a lot with the Clive Lloyd era which was perhaps the most glorious phase of the nation’s cricketing journey. Fleshes out several key players, their struggles, value systems and idiosyncrasies. Captures the cavalier calypso spirit alongside the grit and toil required to be a champion side. The writer also captures the deep rooted impact of the colonial apparatus on the West Indian psyche. This is a must-read. 9/10

 

6. The Art of Thinking Clearly (Rolf Dobelli) This is a compilation of thinking errors that most of us make owing to biases and the power of habit. Compiles a bunch of widely publicized experiments on behavioural science to make his points. If one has read Taleb, Daniel Kahneman or Malcolm Gladwell, a lot will seem familiar. If not, this is a useful summary of their combined works. 6/10. 

 

7. A River in Darkness (Masaji Ishikawa): a  wretched tale of an impoverished Japanese family of Korean origin. Describes their woeful journey to North Korea and the tyrannical misery from there on. 2/10

 

8. Catch and Kill: (Ron Farrow): This is a journalists account of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual predation and the nefarious linkages between Hollywood and the media. 5/10

 

9. The Ride of a Lifetime: (Robert Iger): The memoirs of a hugely successful Disney CEO who rose through the ranks to achieve unparalleled success. Bill Gates put it on his list of highly recommended reads. First time I went wrong with something I picked from that list. Hugely prescriptive and largely self aggrandizing. 5/10

 

10. Commander-in-cheat (Rick Reilly): a shocking string of anecdotes describing Donald Trump’s “tricks” on a golf course. The celebrated writer from Sports Illustrated tries to draw comparisons between his golf course demeanour and business/presidential dealings. 6/10

 

11. The Splendid and the Vile (Erik Larson):  An account of Winston Churchill and his leadership during the German “blitz” in WWII. Exceptional courage, tactful diplomacy and masterful public communication ensured Britain endured the crisis and fought back. Brings out several interesting and endearing quirks in Churchill. 8/10

 

12. The Circuit (Rowan Ricardo Philips): a peek into 4 great tennis stars- Federer/Nadal/Djokovic/Murray. Their styles, strengths and the mental toughness to overcome their respective tribulations. Narrated via anecdotes and a blow by blow account of the crazy 2017 ATP tour. The writing is a bit flowery at times and the writer flits between tournaments a bit too often. Possesses exceptional technical understanding of the sport. 6/10

 

13. Three Days in Moscow: (Bret Baier) : Concise, informative account of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. The narrative primarily focuses on his dealing with the USSR, especially Gorbachev. Anecdotes are used effectively to give a peek into Reagan’s persona. 7/10

 

14. The India Way (S Jaishankar) : Incisive, sharply-written primer on foreign policy in a changing world order. The author has a remarkable strategic bent. Can convey deep, meaningful perspectives in crisp sentences. Mahabharata allegories add an interesting flavour. Scholarship quotient would have been much higher if written purely as a foreign policy expert. A BJP foreign minister makes unwarranted appearances a bit too often. 7/10

 

15. Never Too Big to Fail (Sandeep Hasurkar) : Comprehensive saga of the IL&FS blowup.  Reads like a white collar crime thriller at times. This is an effective tutorial on how not to run a financial services enterprise. The 2008 crisis inspired many great accounts from American writers with detailed analysis and lessons for future. This is a much needed serious body of work on events closer home. 8/10
16. The Commonwealth of Cricket (Ramachandra Guha) : a part-memoir narrated through a series of cleverly woven cricketing tales. From his alma mater(s) to now-forgotten Ranji Trophy games, the writer brings them all alive with some vivid writing. 7/10

 

 

Fiction:

 

1. Quichotte (Salman Rushdie): Deals with the story of an Indian origin salesman who works for his cousin. Transitions fuzzily between reality and fantasy. Rushdie, one of my all-time favouriteauthors seems to be on a steady, irreversible decline. The once smooth, evocative writing has made way for laborious, convoluted prose. The autobiographical obsession with Warden Road has worn painfully thin. 4/10

 

2. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck): a painfully morose and vivid account of post depressionAmerica. Deals with the tribulations of the Joad family as they painstakingly move from Oklahamato California in pursuit of that elusive pot of gold. The visuals are gripping but I struggled to make sense of the message. 5/10

 

3. The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishigoro) : a brilliantly written tale of Stevens , a butler with Lord Darlington. Deals with the all-important British concept of “dignity” from many dimensions. Skillful use of language and wit. 7/10

 

4. The Foreign Correspondent (Alan Furst): an espionage novel set in Paris. Revolves around an Italian journalist spying against the fascist forces during WWII.  Portrays inter-country dynamics between UK, Germany and Italy through the pen of a columnist. 6/10

 

5. Beneath a Scarlet Sky (Mark Sullivan): Unputdownable! The real life story of Pino Lella, a Milanese lad during the final years of WWII. Crossed over and got drafted with the Nazis . A curious tale of events led to his appointment as a driver to General Leyers, the point man in Italy for Adolf Hitler. And then unwinds a tale of adventure, macabre war sights, complex emotion and (an overdose of) tragedy. Young Pino gets to sit in as a translator for meetings with Mussolini and also eavesdrop on telephonic conversations with the Fuhrer. My read of the year. 9/10

 

6. An Agent Running in the Field (John le Carre): At age 89, the spy novel king hasn’t lost his touch at all. Her Majesty’s enemies now reflect on contemporary reality. Narrated with the trademark subtlety and wit. (Alas, the author died in December 2020)  7/10

 

7. A Burning (MeghaMajumdar): Debut novel by a highly talented writer. The central character is a young student living in the slums who gets inextricable linked to a terrorist attack. Draws a very authentic sketch of the Kolkata slum life. Characters are authentic and highly relatable. Elegantly framed sentences intermingle comfortably with “bonglish”. 6/10

 

8. A Long Night in Paris (DovAflon): a modern-day spy novel on Israeli counter-intelligence. Covers the complex control-and-command structure with all its skulduggery. The intrigue filled plot is set in Paris and Tel Aviv. 7/10

 

9. The Shadow Lines (Amitav Ghosh): an intricate web of memories that flit between Kolkata, London and Dhaka with smatterings of Delhi thrown in. Deals with some powerful perspectives albeit with a narrative that is at times cumbersome. The prose is spectacular. Sometimes a bit much. 7/10. 

 

10. Netherland (Joseph O’Neill): Tale of a Dutchbanker and Trinidadian wheeler-dealer brought together by the New York cricket club circuit . (You read that right!). Covers a labyrinth of relationships and unconnected insights. Very occasional moments of thought provoking brilliance. The landscape traverses between New York, London and The Hague with ease. 5/10
11. Three Hours in Paris (Carla Black): Hitler spent all of three hours in Paris throughout the German occupation of France. This was apparently due to an assassination attempt by an amateur American lady sniper who came terrifyingly close to success. This novel is a fictional account of that hypothetical event and the gripping hunt for an elusive shooter. 6/10

      

     

 

     Happy Reading!

My Reads 2019

Happy New Year (and Decade)! In 2019, I managed to jot down a brief review and score for each of my reads real-time. The year wasn’t as prolific as I hoped for it to be. In an unfortunate reversal of preferences, slumber consistently took precedence over reading during air-travel. As an upside though I finally succeeded in upping my novel count. I got introduced to V S Naipaul. Somerset Maugham and Dostoevsky. My fascination for Hemingway continued to grow to a point of influencing my travel destinations more than once. Truth be told I could have chosen my non-fiction reads better. Here  goes…. Happy Reading!

Fiction:

-A Bend In The River (V S Naipaul):My first exposure to this highly accomplished writer. The novel set in post-colonial Africa uses simple, muscular prose to deliver a vivid, hard-hitting picture via an un-named country. 7/10

-A Movable Feast (Ernest Hemingway):Hemingway's notes of his days in Paris detailing experiences with writers , painters , critics and even mean drunks . One could read it as a novel and enjoy it just as much. The story behind the book is as fascinating as the book itself. 7/10

- Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky): This Russian classic was a bit too dark and abstract for my liking. The compelling narrative ensured this long novel stayed gripping throughout. 7/10

-The Quiet American (Graham Greene):  Considered one of Greene's all-time great works, this novel lives up to its  reputation. Set in Vietnam (pre US intervention) he weaves a complex tale of war, love and deceit narrated with trademark wit. 7/10

-The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway): Evocative and romantic descriptions of Spanish countryside woven around complex relationships. Hemingway's passion for bullfighting comes through with some vivid wordplay. 7/10

-Gun Island (Amitav Ghosh) : Gripping novel set in Sundarbans and Venice . Deals with a series of topical issues including migration and environment conservation. Ghosh is brilliant as always . 8/10

-A Golden Age (Tahmima Anam) : Debut novel by a highly gifted Bangladeshi author. Historical fiction. Tells the 1971 story from a Bangladeshi lens . Very engaging writing style albeit with a tendency to use one metaphor too many. 7/10

- Dubliners (James Joyce) : A classic compilation of short stories by a celebrated writer who has inspired a whole generation of great writers. Each of the accounts are set in Dublin and they bring numerous dimensions alive- societal rules, class divide, religion et al. Rich use of (often) archaic vocabulary. 8/10

-     A House For Mr Biswas (V S Naipaul): The novel that helped Naipaul earn his stripes. A maudlin portrait of an unhappy joint family. Clever use of dark humour. Despite the unfamiliar Trinidad  setting, one can relate to many relationship complexities and regressive stereotypes. 6/10 

• Men Without Women (Ernest Hemingway): An assortment of diverse short stories set across the world. Bull-fighters in Spain, sharpshooters and boxers in America with the odd trip to other parts of Europe thrown in. One of Hemingway's earliest works. He certainly got better with time. 5/10 
• Razor's Edge (Somerset Maugham) : A curious tale of Larry whose life takes numerous twists and turns after his return from WW1. The storyline shifts effortlessly between Chicago, Paris and London. The writer brings out the best of each city’s spirit while cocking a  sociesnook at societal superficiality. Pity I took so long to discover this writer. 8/10
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain) : Read this classic a bit late in life . Few can match Twain’s fluid writing style or clever use ofhumour. Would have appreciated this work a lot better had I read in my late school years 6/10
• From Whom The Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway): Easily the finest by Hemingway. The main protagonist is an American who fights with the guerillas in the Spanish civil war. Nobody can perhaps write about wars as well as the author. Depicts the heart-wrenching build-ups that typically lead to civil movements in graphic (and moving) detail. 8/10

Non-Fiction:

-What Is Populism (Jan-werner Muller): Part political science and part philosophy. This short work defines populists as those who believe (and make believe) that only they represent the will of the people. Alternate ideas, independent institutions and even constitutions are positioned as irrelevant. Draws on examples from world leaders across. 6/10

-Flavour (Bob Holmes): Why do salted peanuts and beer go well together? Can food and music be paired ? What makes white chocolate and caviar such a perfect combination? Does decanting red wine help? If you are a foodie and any of these questions have piqued your curiosity, this is a recommended read. Gets a bit too technical and hence off-putting at times. 5/10

-The Future Is Asian (Parag Khanna) : This informative and data-rich work details the expanding Asian influence on various aspects of geo-politics, economy and culture. A bit exaggerated especially while describing Chinese machismo 7/10 

-Napoleon: A Concise Biography (David Bell): Sketchy but informative work on the powerful emperor. Ideal introductory piece. 6/10

- The Unquiet Ones (Osman Samiuddin): A history of Pakistan cricket with telling glimpses into Pakistani society, class dividecolourful cricketers, interplay with politicians and the unmatched passion for the sport despite severe financial odds at times. 8/10

-Autonomy (Lawrence Burns) : A peek into the quest for a driverless car. From initiatives by the US military to Google, Uber, Tesla and who-have-you. 50-60 pages too long. 7/10

-This Time Is Different (Kenneth Rogoff & Reinhart): Well-researched analysis of the common circumstances andbehaviours leading to financial crises across centuries. Data rich and bit too technical for comfort at times. 6/10

-Army And Nation (Steven Wilkinson): My quest for a well-chronicled history of the Indian Army ended with this finely compiled account. Apart frombelabouring the class-recruitment practice, the author barely gets a step wrong. 7/10

-The Hard Thing About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz) Quasi-memoir of a successful tech entrepreneur now turned venture capitalist. After a promising start, degenerates into overly simplified self-help stuff. 5/10

- Animal Spirits (Akerloff & Shiller):  A sober account reiterating the everlasting applicability of basic macroeconomic theory. Striking and coherent arguments. Deals less with the psychological elements than the title promised. Since it was published just after the 2008 crisis, the muted tones are occasionally overstated. 7/10 

- Range (David Epstein) :  Exhaustive body of work advocating the merits ofgeneralisation. Criss crosses the worlds of sport, science, disaster management and space research to reinforce the point . The author perhaps goes overboard and in the bargain ends up with a message that is diffused . 5/10 

- Nehru: (Walter Crocker) : This balanced life account of Nehru is one of the more balanced biographies one will read. Written by an Australia diplomat who served in India twice. Deals largely with Nehru’s tenure as Prime Minister. A topical read too given how Nehru is back to being in the cynosure (for the wrongeasons!) 8/10