Books

It’s definitely one of the more profound sci-fi novels that I’ve read (it gives me Nineteen Eighty-Four vibes). A dystopian future where all books are banned, burned by firemen, and readers arrested and killed. This is undeniably pertinent to today’s society, where we’ve been censoring content and curbing opinions in the name of political correctness. The line of censorship is thin, and Ray Bradbury really makes you think about where (and whether) it should be drawn....

We are quick to label people as good and evil, but a binary classification does not capture the picture in it’s entirety. This book tells the story of antagonists in the Ramayana from their perspective. It’s not a justification for what they did, it might not even be an account of what actually happened, but it tells us that there is no absolute good or absolute evil. If you’ve liked Amish Tripathi’s take on Hindu mythology, you’ll surely love this one....

A tale of two cities is a story about a series of events in London and Paris. Dickens sets the stage with perhaps the best known lines in English literature. “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times…” It was the best of times for the French nobility and the worst for everyone else - 98% of France’s population. In 1975, amidst the rising anti-nobility sentiments, a French Doctor, wrongly imprisoned in Paris for 18 years, is reunited with his daughter and brought to London....

A book by ex-Googlers that will teach you to manage your time and stay away from infinite pools of distraction (which they helped create: Youtube, Gmail, etc). The book is divided into many small independent chapters containing methods to make time for the things that matter. It can be done by drinking coffee at the right time or using sticky notes instead of a to-do list and much more....

Roger Ackroyd, the owner of a large estate, was found murdered in his room. The list of suspects ranges from the doctor (who narrates the story); The son in dire need of money; The adoptive daughter; The mysterious blackmailer; The butler, and the secretary. Good thing Hercule Poirot happens to be enjoying his retirement life in that town. Guess that’ll have to wait. This was my first Agatha Christie book, and having read all of Sherlock Holmes, I am tempted to say that this one was better than many of Conan Doyle’s stories....

For the uninitiated, Norse myth speaks about Thor, Loki, Odin and their likes. Marvel has portrayed them in its own way, but I like the mythology better. For example, Hel, who ruled hell (characterized as Hella by marvel), was the daughter of Loki and a giantess. Loki himself was not an adoptive son of Odin, but actually his brother (the Gods have a complicated family tree!). The book tells stories of the Mighty (and a little bit stupid) Thor, the creation of his hammer, the all-father - Odin, and tales of Loki's mischief....