FOR THE INCOMPLETE THINGS IN LIFE, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A BOOK TO COMPLETE YOU...

Book Review 2016

Something more than a review; summary and my thoughts...

Einstein's Dice and Schrodinger's Cat

January, 2016
Phystory, I would say – a nice blend of Physics and History. Probably a tough read for those without a physics background, but nonetheless a delight to know about the insights of two great physicists in one book. How philosophy played a part in shaping their outlook towards finding and justifying their theories is also noteworthy, Spinoza for Einstein and Schopenhauer for Schrodinger... Read More

Talk Like TED

February, 2016
The book has some insights but nothing of sorts of revelations. The "secrets" are well described, however if you are not ignorant you must have observed them on your own. Good thing the book does is – it summarized all the tips you should remember while making and delivering a presentation. The book is divided into three major themes, and then subdivided into three parts each reflecting attempts you could make to achieve those themes... Read More

The Dancing Wu Li Masters

March, 2016
One of the best books read recently, not only this year but in a long time. Not only for the love of physics, the book gives you a very lucid idea of how physics has been evolving, describing the challenges faced by the physicists at different phases of transition along with the way they responded. For those who think quantum physics is abstract, it indeed is for those who are still bound by the shackles of understanding things by the process... Read More

Why are we waiting? The logic, urgency and promise of tackling climate change

April, 2016
A compelling book about the climate change issue giving a rational view of current available technologies, and how they would provide a solution in the current scenario. We are clearly living with an ever escalating risk, and there is an absolute need to curtail that. Greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations have increased from 285 ppm CO2e in mid 1800s to approximately 445 ppm today, this accounts for six GHGs, viz. CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, and SF6... Read More

CSS:The Missing Manual

May, 2016
Read this book to make my own website, very easy to follow and was able to design my website too. The book is recommended for someone trying his hands on CSS, or trying to make a simple website for personal use, as I did... [No detailed review]

The Winter Fortress

June, 2016
"You have to fight for your freedom, and for your peace. You have to fight for it every day, to keep it. It's like a glass boat; it's easy to break. It's easy to lose"- Joachim Ronneberg The resistance work done by the Norwegians was one of the most important contributions to sabotage the German efforts to produce an atomic bomb. The heavy water plant located in Vemork, on which the Germans relied heavily, for their supply was sabotaged successfully by the Gunnerside team lead by Ronneberg. ... Read More

Mullahs Without Mercy

July, 2016
It started with Baruch Plan proposed on 15th June 1946; Bernard Baruch, adviser to US president Truman at that time proposed the formation of United Nations atomic energy commission (UNAEC) – UNAEC survived from 1946 to 1952 (inactive since 1949), with Dr H.V. Evatt as the first chariman. The plan demanded international control and inspection of nuclear facilities – with a condition that US won’t disarm them until the proposal is in working condition – obvious result, rejected by the then Soviet Union... Read More

Most Wanted Particle

August, 2016
Not as interesting as I expected. There was undoubtedly a lot of physics, so for someone with no background in physics, it will be a nightmare. Also as the journey explained by Jon involved himself as well, there were bits and parts of biography in the book. That is perfectly ok, but there is thin line between writing about your work and self-adulation, I think the author got carried away and reflected signs of conceit...Read More

Awakening the Budhdha Within

September, 2016
Written in a very lucid and comprehensible manner. The book will take you to a journey about finding yourself rather than preaching what to do and what not to do. It will force you to think about things that you have done in past or currently doing. There are few parts of the book which do not resonate with my thinking but that is acceptable, I think this books depends a lot upon the age and experience you already have had in life. Things that don't make sense today might make sense one day or never at all. Read More

Elon Musk: Inventing the Future

October, 2016
Though I read about Elon Musk at various places, so not everything in this was new, the new was the insights provided during the struggling days of Tesla and SpaceX and how he was able to achieve what everyone termed “impossible”. The book starts with his childhood days in South Africa and how he turned himself into a book eater, swallowing books over books to satiate his never ending quest for knowledge... Read More

Structures, or Why Things Don't Fall Down

November, 2016
Your life will not be same after reading this. First, your knowledge about structures will increase significantly and second nothing will ever fall down upon you :D Very nicely written book, with a detailed explanation of many daily life structures. One of the interesting things to read was how nature inspires various structures. Difference between structure and material, strength and toughness, and various other engineering concepts are covered in a very simple yet effective manner. I think this book must be taught in all undergraduate courses. It will bring life to the class... Read More

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

December, 2016
There are two routes to achievement: conformity and originality. Conformity means following the crowd and originality is taking the road less traveled. Originality starts with creativity: generating a concept that is both novel and useful. But it doesn’t stop there. Originals are people who take the initiatives to make their visions a reality. The hallmark of originality is rejecting the default and exploring whether a better option exists. They question the status quo and then get into action to change that...Read More

Book Review 2017