By: Michael Lewis
Pages: 270
Business
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: Year 2014
Brief review: The book is based on true events related to the housing bubble in the United States during the 2000s. How did it all build up? Who were the people who predicted such a catastrophic event? How deep were the implications? A brilliant narrative of probably the worst crisis after The Great Depression in 1930s. Michael Lewis has a knack of writing few writers have. If you have interest in financial markets or want to know about the sub prime crisis, read this one.
By: Nick Vijucic
Pages: 272
Biography, Inspiration
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: Year 2014
Brief review: Nick was born without any limbs but he is not constrained by his circumstances. He overcame his disabilities and live an independent, rich and fulfilling life. He says - 'Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of any kinds'. This book is about coming to terms with his disability, emotional battle and finally, making a choice to live a life without limits. His message is that if you don't get a miracle, become one. He travels around the globe and inspires millions of people by his talks. If Nick can live a good life, we all can. It's about our choice to make the best use of our circumstances. An inspiring and motivating story. It's a book about no arms, no legs and no limits.
By: Matthew Syed
Pages: 268
Motivation, Sports
My recommendation: 10 / 10
Date read: Year 2014
Brief review: Written by a table tennis champion turned sports reporter, the book makes a strong case that champions are made; not born. You will know more about the he athletes superstition of rituals, the curse of choking, the placebo effect, the myth of child prodigy and the power of 10,000 hours of practice and how a father made all three of his daughters world champions in chess. The book cites several champions and their painstakingly hard journey to become the best. Sports is definitely a subject which motivates a lot of us and this book will match your expectations.
By: Malcolm Gladwell
Pages: 258
Business, Non Fiction
My recommendation: 10 / 10
Date read: Year 2014
Brief review: How Hush Puppies became a worldwide phenomenon? What resulted in causing murder rates to fall by two-thirds in five years in New York city? Through brilliant examples and giving reference to series of events that precedes the success of a product, Gladwell shows how small actions at the right time and in the right place can create a tipping point for a product. In many cases, the success of a product is not by design but a a result of domino effect due to several unrelated event co-inciding together. Malcom Gladwell knows his subject well. As per Gladwell, the three rules of the Tipping Point are - the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context. A brilliant read.
By: Jason Jennings
Pages: 231
Business
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: Year 2014
Brief review: How Starbucks turned itself around? How Apollo Tyres went from five hundred million to two billion in annual sales in only a few years? It's a book about reinventing yourself to keep growing and become extraordinary. Many companies become complacent after reaching a point. They find it difficult to change and consider their strategies that worked so far to work in the future too. Hardly true. Change is the only constant and Jason makes his point to embrace change by giving lots of real life examples. The book is easy to read, with lots of take away.
By: David J. Mullen Jr.
Pages: 272
Investments
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: Year 2013
Brief review: This is a book for investment advisors. It contains powerful lessons and proven strategies from successful advisors. It features select few advisors who reached a level of 1 million dollars or more in earning every year. How did they do it? What is the their mindset? What are the things they focus on? How do they market themselves and their products? How they manage their time? All this and much more is covered in this book. I would strongly recommend this book to each and every investment professional.
By: Dr. Brian Weiss
Pages: 219
Non Fiction
My recommendation: 7 / 10
Date read: Year 2013
Brief review: While treating a young patient, Dr. Weiss was astonished and doubtful when it seemed to him that she was able to recall events from many of her past lives. Surprisingly enough, she also gave description of who Dr. Weiss was in his previous lives and also his current life which no one other than Dr Weiss knew. It alters meaningfully the life of both Dr. Weiss and his patient. It's a true story though skeptics have their own doubts. I don't have an opinion about the authenticity of the story but I felt it to be a powerful read.
By: Shailendra Singh
Pages: 232
Self Help
My recommendation: 7 / 10
Date read: Year 2013
Brief review: I loved reading this one. No serious talk here. It is filled with fun and sarcasm on how we live our lives and what we need to change to make it better. It encourages the reader to follow our hearts and to monitor the profit and loss account of life as diligently as we balance the profit and loss account of our professional career. Nice and easy read for a lazy weekend.
By: Edward de Bono
Pages: 232
Non Fiction, Self Help
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: Year 2013
Brief review: Edward de Bono is a expert in creative thinking. He advocates that we need to have a beautiful mind rather than just having a beautiful body. He argues that having a sharp mind with empathy and creativity will make your mind beautiful and irresistible for others to engage with you. In this simple and interesting read, he provides useful ideas on how to agree, disagree or differ. How to listen, respond and be interesting. How to express our opinion and what should be our attitude during discussions. It's an easy and useful read.
By: Spence Johnson
Pages: 102
Motivation, Self Help
My recommendation: 8 / 10
Date read: Year 2013
Brief review: Life is full of peaks and valleys. In this book you will discover how to stay longer at the peak and get out of the valleys sooner. The author takes you through this journey with the story of a young man.It's natural to have highs and lows in life and we must accept it. We cannot control external events but can control our response to them. Arrogance keeps us away from the peaks. It's short, crisp and too the point. I liked the essence of the book and the way author puts his point across. Strongly recommended.
