Best Book Reviews You've Ever Read!
If you don’t mind running the risk of ‘dying from too much laughing’, then you might consider picking up ‘The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden‘ by Jonas Jonasson. But be careful where you sit while reading – you could fall off your chair laughing! Okay, okay… Maybe my sense of humor is, to … Read more
A medical romance. A nostalgic tale. A lovely piece of literary prose. Abraham Verghese’s ‘Cutting for Stone‘ is all of this. And more. Near the beginning of this delightful book there’s a lovely quote: “Life is like that. You live it forward, but understand it backward. It is only when you stop and look to … Read more
For ages I’ve been fascinated by the world’s most famous diamond, also known as the Mountain of Fire… and William Dalrymple’s book is quite a gripping read. The side stories of people who wore, guarded or were involved with the Koh-i-Noor over the years makes for and interesting, entertaining read. If you don’t care much … Read more
Ray Kurzweil’s “How To Create a Mind” is a fascinating and practical exploration into the process of creating the physical substrate of an artificial intelligence. A mind-bending glimpse into what’s possible, even practical, in the near future! Back in medical college, I spent an incredible amount of time reading Snell’s ‘Neuroanatomy’ to understand the structure … Read more
Vivid word pictures bring ancient historic scenes vibrantly alive. And the lovely portrait of a divine-yet-earthly romantic love between the two stars of the story will leave you gasping – and craving more. I read. A lot. And process most of what I read intellectually. Only few writers consistently manage to sneak past my ‘defences’ … Read more
Just imagine this wild situation. There’s an elderly gentleman. He’s in a nursing home. It’s his 100th birthday. And he chooses to slip out through the window, missing his own party, to… do what? Right from the beginning, this book is irresistible! Allan has no idea what he’s going to do. But he gets going! Decides to wing … Read more
A startling title sets apart this simple yet effective guide on higher productivity and how to beat procrastination to manage your time better. There are dozens and dozens of books about time management. I’ve studied many of them, in an attempt to become more efficient with my writing projects. Some helped. Others didn’t. Only few … Read more
‘The Fish That Ate The Whale’ is Rich Cohen’s brilliant biography of Sam Zemurray, a rags-to-riches story of the man who built a business empire around banana imports – and went on to change the world. I first heard of this book (and Rich Cohen) through a reading list recommendation by Ryan Holiday. Curiously, I … Read more
I’ve read ‘The Alchemist’ three times – and will do it a few more times in the future. There are very few books that fall into this category. What makes a book worth re-reading? The language. The message. The story. Often, all three. A allegorical parable like Paulo Coelho‘s ‘The Alchemist‘ is, on the face … Read more
“Ngu-ram-bang. If you say it right it hits the back of your mouth and you should taste blood in your words.“ This isn’t an easy or light-hearted novel to read. The writing is brilliant, but the subject matter weighty. After reading an interview with Tara June Winch in ‘The Guardian‘, I picked up her latest … Read more