Here, There and Everywhere: Best-Loved Stories of Sudha Murty by Sudha Murty

 

An author is a versatile person adorning innumerable hats. An engineer, turned entrepreneur, then becoming a teacher, a philanthropist, and a wonderful storyteller. This book is her 200th book. The stories in this book are very simple, interesting, and offers innumerable life lessons. The narration is lucid and easy to understand. The stories are her experiences, which makes the reading even more appealing. The stories chronicle the challenges and the setbacks also, making it all the more worth reading. This is an inspirational book to be read by all youngsters so as to understand some of the forgotten values of life. Rating 3/5

 

 

Jack Ma: The Authorized Biography by his Assistant (Paperback) By Chen Wei

 

This book though did give a few inputs on the icon Jack Ma; yet it was not very impressive. This book can be read once to get an outline of the making of Alibaba. Sometimes the reader gets a doubt whether this is a biography of Jack Ma or the author himself. My rating for this book is 3/5.

 

Wings of Fire by Abdul Kalam

 

This is an autobiography of the 11th Indian President. This is a success story of a humble person, the “Missile Man”. This is a highly inspiring book. As a young boy how Honorable Abdul Kalam struggled through financial deficits to attain his education is a great motivator. His contribution as a scientist is incredible. This book explores the journey of a common man to become President of India is highly inspiring. This book must definitely be read by all young Indians. Rating 4/5

 

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

 

This is a fiction; a murder mystery solved through bizarre riddles. It is a page- turner, adventure story. The historical details rendered by the author are very interesting. For those who love thrillers, this is a good entertainer. Rating 3/5

Chanakya Neeti By R. P Jain

 

We look around for self-help books written by western authors, but there is innumerable wisdom in our epics, literature, and historical stories. One such book is Arthasastra written by Chanakya, an Indian teacher, philosopher, and royal adviser. Chanakya is considered to be the pioneer of economics and political science in India. If you are a student of political science or public administration or law it is must that you read Arthasastra. In this book, R P Jain has given a glimpse of some of the teachings of Chanakya. This collection is well documented in simple English. This book should be read by all adolescents as it teaches the right path for humankind. It contains valuable lessons on character building and offers great insight into the functioning of society. The writings on women of course are strongly patriarchal, outdated, and not acceptable for the present time frame. These verses may have to be omitted because in the present day world it cannot be accepted. Despite this shortcoming, this book offers lots of timeless wisdom on many other issues. It should be read by all the youngsters. Rating 3/5

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

 

A tragic book but Paul Kalanidhi is definitely a winner.  A neurosurgeon by profession; aspiring to be a scientist; the aspirations of the author is prematurely culminated by fate. When a doctor becomes a patient he is no different from other patients, he is also human. Living for the day, for the moment is not such an easy task. Love, affection, and care take away the pain and suffering. Immortal memories can be created even if life is lived for a short period.  “Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still, it is never complete.” The loss is not just for the family but to the medical society; a talented hardworking compassionate neurosurgeon is lost at 36 years. His contribution if alive would have been tremendous to the society/world. This is a must-read or all book lovers.

 

Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed by Life, By Eugene O'Kelly

 

The author of this book, Eugene O'Kelly was a former Chairman and CEO of KPMG, one of the largest U. S. accounting firms. Death is something everyone thinks but does not want it, yet it is a reality. When you have attained most of your professional goal, after 50 years of age you look forward to a retirement life filled with happiness to be spent with your family.  The author had to suddenly face a shock and was told that he can live only for 3 to 4 months.  The realistic message from this book which we must always remember “Things don’t always go as planned – accept this- live with acceptance. It is what it is.” This is a fascinating memoir of the author sharing his lessons learned in the final days of his life while confronting death.

Rating 4/5