2.Massacre at the palace. The Doomed Royal Dynasty of Nepal. - Jonathan Gregson
**
Comment: "'Massacre at the Royal Palace - The Doomed Royal Dynasty of Nepal' by Jonathan Gregson. Compelling reading into the history of Nepal, the Shah dynasty and the events leading to what could be one of the most awful killings within a Royal famiy ( by one of their own kin). Also gives you a ringside view of our neighbour's history about whom, we sadly know so little. Well researched and it tells you what unfulfilled love can do to a man. Also clears a lot of the conspiracy theories on Prince Gyanendra, the king's brother..Available on Flipkart...though not a scholarly work...interesting book which is unputdownable."
Chuck Pfarrer ***
3. Death in Mumbai – Meena Baghel **
Comment: "Everyone in Mumbai knows Meena Baghel thru her columns/features in Mumbai Mirror. Also, the book was highly rated. It is about the Maria Susairaj - Neeraj Vohra story.With so many things going for the book, had to read it. Scary at times that the city I work in has so many sub layers. Mercifully, I do not traverse those layers and thank God for it. Hard hitting at times.
Comment: "A Railway station purchase. Very badly written book and also a bit racist. Think this was written only for Western Audiences. Good only to read in trains. Gives you a voyeur's' view into the private lives of the Maharajas of India in the late 19th Century and the early 20th century. Avoidable.
Comment: "This was a refresher. Read this book first time in 1975. Until it popped up on Flipkart, therefore bought it and read it again after 37 years. Still enjoyable. Unfortunately, Sasthi Brata became a one book wonder. His other books were pale shadows of his first book thru which he arrived on the literary scene. For those who want a peek into India and the youth issues, the romantically and sexually repressed society of India, their aspirations and hopes in the 1960s, this book is strongly recommended.
Comment: "A tad boring but compulsory reading for all Hyderabadis. You get to know the history of your city and the many dynasties that ruled it. Also gives you some insight into a lot of buildings that still exist. If you are not a Hyderabadi, it is unlikely that this book will be able to engage you.
Chuck Pfarrer ***
Comment: "I was always fascinated by the special groups in Military / Defense Services who undergo super specialized training, pass thru great physical endurance tests, who are the best of the best in the services to become commandos and who also are willing to lay down their lives trying to protect / save their country from lunatics/ madcaps/ terrorists...this is what drove me to this book.
The book is in 3 parts..Part I on Seals/ their lives and training which is fascinating, part II is on the Afghan/Middle East situation / Bin laden's rise etc - this can be skipped as most of us would have ready better books on this topic / Part III is on the mission itself and how it panned out - thrilling. What makes 'Seal Target Geronimo 'is thatChuck Pfarrer is an ex-SEAL himself. Some side stories on the bunglings of CIA/FBI/Politicians in US - at times they seem to behave like our desi ones only add the required garnishing to the book.
For those of you who are old enough and remember the bungling of the US effort to rescue the hostages in IRAN, this book possibly proves that either the US military has become smarter to manage this kind of an operation or the quality of US presidency has improved ( Carter v/s Obama) to provide direction.
Scott D. Anthony ***
Comment: "Normally stay away from Management / Self Help / Innovation and Quality books (Read enough of them in life ). However, got this book free when I went to a corporate event where Scott Anthony, the author was the speaker. One of the few books written in a easy to read manner. Must read for all who have even a passing interest in Innovation.
Comment: "A colourful walk thru of the lives of the young and cool in India. Their dreams, aspirations and frustrations. Palash is a regular writer for various magazines. Racy, irreverent and tongue in cheek. At times, the book gets you worried if you have growing up children in their teens/early adulthood
by Katherine Boo *****
Comment: "Ultimately an American Pulitzer Prize Winner had to write a compelling factoid ( fictionalized facts)on the flip side of India's economic growth. It is about life, hope, aspirations of the underbelly of an India on the roll. Set in a Mumbai slum, the racy narrative takes you thru the lives of people who make up the one billion mark but about whom we refuse to talk or acknowledge their existence. Unputdownable .
*****
Comment: "Thoroughly researched. It has everything that you look forward to in a book. Drama, intrigue, romance, sex, religion, betrayal, politics and for an old Hyderabadi, nostalgia also as it revolves around Hyderabad. It is not just the romance of James Kirkpatrick – the British Resident at Hyderabad and Khairunnisa – the teenaged daughter of a Hyderabadi nobleman that holds your attention but also about the life in the late 18th century and the shenanigans of the couturiers of the Nizam and their petty rivalries and jealousies. The detailed descriptions gives you a feeling that you are almost living thru 18th century Hyderabad.
****
Comment: "'The Looming Tower"...by Pulitzer Prize Winning Author..Lawrence Wright...While every one would have read their quota of 9/11/Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden Books ( I read close to a dozen in the last 10 years), this book is by far the best ( Jason Burke's 9/11 WARS comes a close second...but that had too much of the Iraq war also ). The build up to 9/11, destiny's strange hand... of getting the Egyptian ideologue Zawahiri and the Saudi Arabian princeling bin Laden together, the issues of FBI and CIA bungling....gets into great detail...and is a pretty balanced book.. You also get a free peek into Egyptian contemporary history ( 1950's till date ) as a bonus...Recommended reading for all those who want to understand the middle eastern Islamic identity crisis and its impact on the modern world."
13. Libya: From Colony to Revolution - Ronald Bruce St John **
Comment: "'Libya - From Colony to Revolution' by Ronald Bruce StJohn.' Very disappointed...gives you a chronological history from 2700 CBE till date.....seems like a history book in school....the reviews were good that's why I bought it and read it...I had a sneaky respect for Qadhaffi ( there are multiple spellings for the poor sod )..he is far better than a lot of the Middle Eastern Monarchies.... and thought the book will give me insight into the man and his mind.....whch it did not....seems like events were happening faster than what the author could capture ( especially in the last 5-6 years) ....avoid it. Having said this...can some one recommend a good book on Qadhaffi / Libya / and the events of the last 2 decades.....it would be interesting to read more on a country which was caught in the cusp of two indentities....a Sunni nation trying to play an influential role in the Arab World ( unfortunately their money could not influence much because of big brother Saudi Arabia ) and also into the African world which was poor and they could throw their money around and push/shove...
Comment: "'From Dongri to Dubai'...is like an Encyclopaedia on the Indian mafia...all the way from Haji Mastan to Vardha Bhai to Sukur Narain Bakhia and then gets into great detail on .. Abu Salem andDawood Ibrahim and their women/molls/mistresses.. Infact this is the second book of Hussain Zaidi who is a famous crime journalist....the first book which I read last week was about the female mafiosi of Mumbai. dons....it is fascinating to read about areas that we move around...Bandra / Byculla / Chembur and realize that so much action happened/happens around us. Not great literature but curiosity about our desi dons that pulled me to these books... gripping stuff. More interesting than all the stuff that I read about the Chicago Mafia / Al Capone etc.,"
15. Mafia Queens Of Mumbai : Stories Of Women From The Ganglands Hussain Zaidi, Jane Borges, Vishal Bharadwaj
***
Comment: "Whoever thought that gansters and contract killers is the exclusive domain of men. There is atleast one place in Mumbai society that men and women are equal...and at times women have the upper hand...and that is the Mafia. Mafia Queens of Mumbai has some such real women....women who held sway on the city's under belly. Hussain Zaidi is the resident historian of Mumbai Mafia and he succeeds again...More than the main stories..it is the nuggets in terms of characterizations....that is interesting..
Comment: "This was a gift and it looked interesting and I read it. Has an interesting premise that it is better to improve your strengths and increase your chances of success rather than wasting too much of time, on your weak areas There is an interesting test in the middle of the book. Do the test and continue reading after the analysis comes out. Still better...if you have teenage children...make them take the test...more useful for them than for 50 year old's like us who are over the hill.
17. The Presidents Club - Inside the World's most exclusive Fraternity Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy
*****
Got curious about this book when TIME did a cover story on this. This was expected because Ms Gibbs and Mr Duffy write for time. Go for this book.
The American Presidency always fascinated me. How is life for possibly the most powerful man on the Earth ? How do they learn the ropes of the business since a lot of them ( barring those who were Veeps before) come totally unprepared for the job. Who are his sounding boards, who guides him etc., etc., Never knew that this role is very ably performed by the ex-Presidents to a large extent who are the best qualified to do this. Some things come out very well in this book- the bi-partisan nature of American ex-Presidents ( It does not matter who your successor his....you support him because you are supporting American Presidency and the country), their patriotism and all that they do for the country...even after losing / retiring.
The authors seem to have had inside access to a lot of material of most of the Presidents ( starting from Hoover ) and the book has some fascinating insights of various American Presidents...from Hoover to Truman to Eisenhower....to the current pack of Bushes and Obama...Felt that they could have been a little kind on Nixon. Also gives you a Presidential overview of all major events in which America had a role from the second world war onwards....Overall excellent.
17. The Presidents Club - Inside the World's most exclusive Fraternity Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy
*****
Got curious about this book when TIME did a cover story on this. This was expected because Ms Gibbs and Mr Duffy write for time. Go for this book.
The American Presidency always fascinated me. How is life for possibly the most powerful man on the Earth ? How do they learn the ropes of the business since a lot of them ( barring those who were Veeps before) come totally unprepared for the job. Who are his sounding boards, who guides him etc., etc., Never knew that this role is very ably performed by the ex-Presidents to a large extent who are the best qualified to do this. Some things come out very well in this book- the bi-partisan nature of American ex-Presidents ( It does not matter who your successor his....you support him because you are supporting American Presidency and the country), their patriotism and all that they do for the country...even after losing / retiring.
The authors seem to have had inside access to a lot of material of most of the Presidents ( starting from Hoover ) and the book has some fascinating insights of various American Presidents...from Hoover to Truman to Eisenhower....to the current pack of Bushes and Obama...Felt that they could have been a little kind on Nixon. Also gives you a Presidential overview of all major events in which America had a role from the second world war onwards....Overall excellent.
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