On books this year

These 3 months have been a bit slow on reading but got hold of some very good books. These 10 books (the picture above) I read this first quarter of 2019. In the same order, starting with Autobiography of Sri Ramkrishna, then Banaras, then the audio book of Darren Hardy and then the rest of the books. The Art of Happiness was also an audio book.

Quick review of the books:

Sri Ramkrishna on Himself, by Dr. Mohit Ranjan Das. (3/5)

It is not uncommon, that someone else is writing an autobiography of a historic legend. Dr. Das referred to the books Katha Amrit & Katha leela, which were Sri Ramkrishna’s notes of how he saw the world around him. I enjoyed reading this book, it is like you are listening to Sri Ramkrishna himself and not only his sermons, or advices, but about his own feeling about people he met, about his relations with his friends and family, about situations at that time in India and around him. The book is written in first person and is not softened or does not have interpretations but stays true to what could be the words of Sri Ramkrishna in his mother tongue Bengali. However, you need to have enough motivation to know about the life of Ramkrishna, to complete the book because at places it gets repetitive with him meeting multiple people and talking about them in the same tone and nearly the same thoughts. Though once in a while, suddenly a gem of thought pops up which makes the reading worthwhile.

Banaras city of Light, by Diana L. Eck (4.7/5)

One of the best books I have read on a ‘place’. Beautifully narrated. It makes me go to Banaras and carry this book along and revisit all the sites. The folklores and the mythology are so wonderfully woven, that it seems you are travelling on the ghats of Banaras talking to old pandits and the natives there and understanding what Shiva and Banaras is for them. Diana must have spoken to hundreds of people, & stayed in Kashi for how long, I have no idea, but the collection of narratives on Shiva and the temples is magical. Her research on Hindu culture, the mythology, the documented and undocumented philosophy, Kashi rituals, and practices are spoken in very an entertaining way in the minutest details. This is an instant favorite. A definite collectible.

The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy (3/5)

I am not a fan of self-help books. This one has some good advices and metaphors. The gist is, you do something even if small, consistently it starts showing effect, and at a point of time, it is exponential. For good and bad, both. Eating a burger as lunch for one afternoon will not do you any harm, but eating the same (or similar) for a long time, will have effect on you. For some of the stories in there, which are good, I wouldn’t rate it lower than 3.

Animal Farm, George Orwell (Rating 5/5)

I don’t think I am enough qualified to give my opinion on a book like Animal Farm, and I wonder, who would be, except to exercise the basic right. This is a fable, that was written more than half a century back, is still so, so relevant. It is a timeless book. Is it about communism, maybe, but it is very relevant to our current times. The gist is ‘power corrupts’, doesn’t matter the initial idea of getting it. Absolutely loved it!

Norwegian wood, Haruki Murakami (Rating 4.5/5)

The book is slow, not exactly the usual romantic types (and thankfully so), repetitive at some parts, but still I liked it. Murakami paints the slow things of life perfectly, like swaying of trees, falling of snow or any other such stuff, which makes you lose yourself in those words. You want to be with the characters, you are not in hurry to finish the story or even take the plot forward. Because in most places there is no plot, just the characters living their lives, and you are watching them, and it is interesting not just dull as Big Brother series. The characters are real, with real flaws and feelings.

Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe, Benjamin Alire Sáenz (5/5)

I got this book from a discount store, and I had no idea about this. I had not read any reviews or any recommendations. And as I started reading it, this book took hold of me totally, completely and didn’t got off my mind even after I completed it. This is an incredibly captivating book, written in a beautiful, near poetic way. This is about discovering one self, through the routes of friendship, anger, love, loneliness and a some what suffering. Loved it!

Man’s search for meaning, Viktor E. Frankl (4/5)

Got high recommendations of this book, and this did not disappoint. Though there was a point somewhere in middle of the book, that I was not sure, I wanted to continue, but was happy that I kept on going since there are few good references in the later part of the book. This book was written during the Holocaust times, and Viktor gives a perspective, that if in the worst times of life, if there can be a meaning to ‘live’ and ‘dream’, then there is a way to overcome lot of problems of life. Viktor introduces a logotherapy that he developed, which is in parallel to Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis. It is based on the belief that human nature is motivated by the search for a life purpose. If there is purpose, or you strive to discover it, there is a will and motivation to live the life. A good book, though at places it gets a bit heavy reading.

The Art of Happiness, HH Dalai Lama & Howard C. Cutler (3.8/5)

It is a Dalai Lama book, what can I say about it. It is a good read, go with the flow, at a certain point, you can pick up from anywhere, read any part, close it. Keep it somewhere, forget it, pick it again, read some random part. And you will always feel good about it. Compassion is one thing that keeps you going. If you have compassion in mind, you will be a happy person. It is a matter of practice. If you are going to feel angry about someone, get under his skin and feel compassion about him, this will release you. Easier said than done, and hence you need to practice. Practice compassion as you would practice any other skill. Again, easier said, but this is a Dalai Lama book, right?

The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro, Daniel Kraus (4.8/5)

I remember Stephen King’s quote from his book ‘Hearts in Atlantis’ : “There are books full of great writing that don’t have very good stories. Read sometimes for the story… don’t be like the book-snobs who won’t do that. Read sometimes for the words–the language. Don’t be like the play-it-safers who won’t do that. But when you find a book that has both a good story and good words, treasure that book.” Shape of water is exactly the kind of book you want to treasure. I have not yet seen the movie and after reading the book I am scared, if the movie is a letdown, I might get disappointed, since it is made by Guillermo who is also the co-author of the book. But seeing his movie ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, and all the awards that Shape of water took, I believe I should go ahead and watch the movie. The book, is simply beautiful. It is a unique love story between two people who communicate without words, and when you read it, you find words so superfluous. This is a tender romantic story, not heavily emotional but one that keeps you going on, even though you might predict the end, even though you have seen and read similar stories before, there is something special here. Read it, read it for the story, read it for the words (though the story is about not having words, how ironic!).