The Year in [Book] Review - 2023

Book Review – 2023?

2023 was a kind year. My world of books helped me travel across various worlds – those of language, history and culture; it broadened my perspectives of human nature through first-hand accounts of war, glory, politics and ambition; stimulated my imagination through wonderfully crafted stories and novels; gave me some ideas on how to do better business; made me think on how live life better; transported me back to the school days when as an eager student I wanted to badly gain mastery in physics but struggled at it.?

History, Society & Culture?

• From Volga to Ganga - Rahul Sankrityayan?

Travel along with the people who migrated from the steppes of the Volga and made their journey to the Gangetic plains and became a part of its fabric, anxieties and aspirations. ?

• Wanderers, Kings and Merchants - The story of India through its Languages - Peggy Mohan?

Play Sherlock Holmes as you unravel how languages modify and evolve based on interactions between various groups of people and the role social differences play in it?

• The Mystery of Capital “Why Capitalism triumphs in the West but fails everywhere else”- Hernando De Soto ?

The title is self-explanatory! I was introduced to the works of this author during an economics course that I took at ISB?

• Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi?
• Embroideries – Marjane Satrapi?

Two comics/graphic novels that beautifully capture Iranian society post 1970s?

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Perspective?

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• Storm of Steel – Ernst Junger?

A first-hand account of the savagery, hopelessness, camaraderie and courage that pervade a battlefield – as seen by the author as he fought in World War 1?

• Gold in the water: the true story of ordinary men and their extraordinary dream of Olympic glory - P.H. Mullen Jr?

Chronicles the journey of world-class American swimmers as they prepared to compete in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It made me wish that I had sporting abilities?

• Dancing in Cambodia and other essays - Amitav Ghosh?

The author traveled through Cambodia and before it became fashionable to do so and beautifully brings out life in a nation rebuilding itself after a chaotic war. It also has some great?essays on his travels in Burma and in Andaman & Nicobar post the 2004 tsunami?

• Nitopadesha - Nitin Pai?

A modern-day Panchatantra that cleverly nudges the reader towards understanding how economics, conduct, law and contracts can shape a better society – even that of animals. The prologue is intriguing and utterly believable ?

• The Almanack of Naval Ravikant – Eric Jorgenson?

A curation of Naval Ravikant’s quotes and maxims and a larger explation around the same, his view on life, success and happiness goes against the grain. Hence, required reading?

• Atomic Habits - James Clear?

A blockbuster when it was released, this is a book that should make one reflect on the bad habits that have pervaded one’s life and the path to get out of them?

• The Nudist On The Late Shift: and other tales of silicon valley - Po Bronson?

A lovely tour through the wild world of Silicon Valley during the era of the dot com boom and leading to its bust?

?Business?

• Unreasonable?Hospitality: The remarkable power of giving people more than they expect - Will Guidara?

If you are passionate about truly creating an impact in the lives of the people that you work with and your customers, this is the book to read?

• Head, Heart and Hands: A handbook and leading and managing organizations - Soura Bhattacharya?

Written by an individual who is a legend among the management trainees who served in ITC factories in the mid-2000s it is a very honest and compassionate take on how to build leaders, organisations and companies?

• Narconomics: how to run a drug cartel - Tom Wainwright?

The economics behind why this is one of the most powerful trades in the world?

Stories and Novels?

• Brave new world - Aldous Huxley?

A futuristic dystopia imagines in 1932, the author will seem prescient as we look around and reflect on the rapid changes in societal life and interactions?

• Desire : Haruki Murakami?
• Language : Xiaolu Guo?

Two short 100-page novellas that capture some of the best works of these authors. I think of them as tasting menus – and yes, I was captivated and am excited to read their full length works?

• The Inheritors - Nadeem Zaman?

A novel based on the lives of the elite of Dhaka, Bangladesh. But as you progress you realise that the lives of the elite are the same across geographies – you could as well have imagined the novel to be in Mumbai, Shanghai or New York. And of course, the lives of the poor are also not too different across countries.?

• Stories of Your Life and Others: Ted Chiang?

The range of ideas that the author explores in his work of science fiction is fantastic. Each one of them must have required deep research and thinking?

• Chronicle of a death foretold - Gabriel?Garcia?Marquez?

Last year, I absolved myself of the sin of not having read Camus. This year it was time to ask for forgiveness from Mr. Marquez. I was not disappointed.?

• Bhagvan parshuram - K M Munshi?
• The magic flute - K M Munshi?
• The book of vedavyaasa, the master - K M Munshi?
• Krishnavatara II : The Wrath of an Emperor – K M Munshi?
• Krishnavatar lll : The five brothers – K M Musnhi?

Mr. Munshi’s series is the OG take on reimagining the epics through different lenses [but staying true to the key aspects of the story]. I loved it. I rate it as my most enjoyable series that I have read where the epics have been revisited?

?Science?

• Seven brief lessons on Physics - Carlo Rovelli?

The author takes you through complicated ideas of physics and explains them in ways that one would understand be excited by – as Denzel Washington famously said - “Explain it to me like I’m a two-year-old”?