Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his years of Pilgrimage – Haruki Murakami

The book started with a great promise. A bunch of Japanese teenagers have found their soul mates and they are the happiest they have ever been. But, everything does not continue to remain swell. Differences occur, the group falls apart. One young man, our protagonist, a colorless, dull (you could say in a manner) passionless, Tsukuru Tazaki is expelled from it and leads an almost normal looking but a solitary life after that. 16 years later he sets out to resolve the mystery of his expulsion and finds out what happened.

The buildup was quite good. Even till the end, one keeps looking for the next answer but the book does not end in a resolution. There is much pondering about loneliness. There are some characters here and there, a venture into mystical, supernatural etc…but in the end, it’s all pointless. It is quite a pointless book.

It was okay to read, i wanted to turn pages but not as often. I dont know but I am not as charmed by Murakami’s storytelling as others seem to be. It’s just an OK read.

Yes Please – Amy Poehler

Just finished reading this book by Amy Poehler and it looks like a half hearted attempt. Neither were the incidents entertaining nor were they funny. I am just bound to compare it with Tina Fey’s Bossypants and it was such a good book – genuine, witty and funny. This book has nothing.

I am disappointed as I like Amy’s comedy but the book just does not cut it.

Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn

I finally read the novel by Gillian Flynn. I had been seeing it being hailed for a long time. Eventually, I decided to give in. Took me about two days of intense reading to get through the nearly 600 page novel.

It was interesting. The novel started a bit slow. But I was interested since the psychological exploration which the author does is quite deep and precise. Then there were twists. And the book got very interesting. However, after 400 pages, I started to feel it was a bit longer than needed.
Nonetheless, it was entertaining. Above all, it was the psychological tussle between a couple which I thought was well done. Reading the minds of relationships – that is something which Gillian Flynn has managed to do very well. She said in an interview that her goal was to make couples looks askance and trust me, for a day, I was really affected and upset after reading the book 🙂

It’s a book worth a read. I would give it 3.5 stars out of 5.

What I Talk About when I Talk About Running – Haruki Murakami

This is a book about that part of Murakami’s life where he runs. He has gained a lot of insight into himself by running for nearly 23 years and taking part in marathons and triathlons and an ultramarathon. It is a memoir of his running life. Is it well written?? Yeah. It is a simple book, easy to read and with a couple of takeaway lines full of life wisdom. It is inspiring in a lot of places. So much so that even a person like me, who is dead against running, was inspired to start to run. 

It is breezy. Murakami does not reveal a lot of himself. I sensed him being restrained all through out the book. Nonetheless, it can be picked up. It took me all of 5 hours to finish, so is a breezy read as well.

Breakout Nations – Ruchir Sharma

I am sure you must have heard about the great uplifting story of the economic miracle of China – of how India is just behind China and yet another nation which is becoming an economic superpower. You must have also heard about the South Korean manufacturing miracles and African resurgence.

What Ruchir Sharma does in his book is that he takes all these ’emerging’ economies one by one and dissects their economic policies and assesses their basic economic indicators like investment/trade/taxes as a % of the GDP and points out if that indicates good or bad tidings. His analysis is put forth in simple english sentences which is easy to understand and gives a pretty good picture of the nations which are discussed – macro economics wise.  He places his bets on economies which are relentless in their reformist attitudes and have stable political atmosphere or sound infrastructure in place.

For me the best takeaway from the book was the education about emerging markets and where these nations are placed. I was also able to understand what the actual level of development each of these economies have and what needs to be done to close the gap. I also learnt that even a decade worth of fast track growth does not necessarily mean that a nation will continue to grow. In fact, as a rule, the growth slows down and even reverses some times. It is not as uncommon as one might think. So, the road to become developed is a long one and requires constant innovation, attention to micro signals from domestic and international markets and also that saving and risk taking [in terms of reforms] are better strategies for growth and yield better returns in times of slow down.

All in all, a very informative book and comparatively breezy as compared to others on the same subject. Must read if you are interested in just getting to know about the world and how its economy moves.

The Blue Sweater – Jacqueline Novogratz

Inspiring! What an amazing and audacious journey she has had. All of it has been documented in this wonderful book. Gives a look into the mind and heart of a woman who dares to think of changing the world and not only does she think but actually acts on that in ways one can only think are fit for characters of movies or books. Her efforts have inspired many and changed lives for a large number of people and will continue to do so. If nothing else, one can appreciate the sense of initiative, commitment and daring which Jacqueline has shown all her life. She comes out as a leader who inspires by doing.

Charity for me always has been a topic of great conflict. While I agree that charity has some role to play in the society, I have always felt that the recipient of charity feels less dignified every time. JN’s concept of patient capital – her essence of the social entrepreneurship – focussed more on long term solutions than one time or short term grants is what is required to help those who are disadvantaged. That her organization – Acumen Fund – is making investments in multiple such programs is a great news for the world.

Jacqueline is a woman to emulate and she has told her story well in this book. For all the socially minded people and women who want to make a difference, this is a good book to read!

The Sense of an Ending – Julian Barnes

A novel about deceptions of memory. What we choose to remember is not always all of it. What we choose to forget is sometimes the bigger story. The most unreliable of narrators – the memory. It is ruled by emotions and shaped by intentions.

This is what the author has tried to weave in an intriguing tale of awkwardness, humiliation, revenge, remorse and an attempt at peacefulness. Things are not what they seem at first. Many undercurrents catch you by surprise. It is a crafty book. Not so easy to get at the first time in its entirety. Will need to read it again and again.

Man’s Search for Meaning – Victor Frankl

(Might contain spoilers)

Before yesterday, I had often come across recommendations for this book. They all said how it was so inspiring and had been written by a Nazi concentration camp survivor. Now, I have read a bit about the era and seen movies about Nazi tortures. It was a painful time. It saddens me to read about it and I did not want to get depressed again reading about the worst possible dimension of human nature. It was for this reason, I just kept delaying reading the much touted Frankl’s book.

Yesterday, I eventually got it on my Kindle and started reading and I only stopped when my eyes completely surrendered and started once again as soon as I got up. It is a small book. But it’s power is enormous. Yes, It is about the concentration camps and torture but its not dispiriting. Instead, its uplifting and that is why it is a great book. Victor Frankl is an extraordinary man who not only survived the camps but at the same time used that experience to understand one of the man’s most basic survival skill as well as his innate desire – that of a meaning in life. Throughout the book he describes how those who were determined to allocate a meaning to their lives were the people who survived the unimaginable brutalities. As soon as any one gave up that trust in the meaning, they gave up all hope and were quickly consumed by death.

Through his and other’s struggle and survival, Frankl makes a case for having a meaning in one’s life. He asserts that it is not the will to pleasure (as advocated by Freudian School of Thought) or the will to power/money (as advocated by Adlerian School of Thought) but the will to meaning which is the most powerful driver of a human’s satisfaction and actions. He has christened this school of thought as ‘logotherapy’. He emphasizes that people can be helped more by focusing on their future and the actions which make that future possible than by delving deep into hidden desires and intents.

There is also much discussion about free will and liberty of man in the book. His view is that while man is not free of the situations and the difficulties he might have to face, he is free to choose his actions and the attitude which he will adopt in every possible circumstance – favorable or not.

He also suggests self transcendence as the best way to live a meaningful life and also having therapeutic value where one shifts his focus from himself to something outside it. This resonates with Bertrand Russell’s thought that a man’s locus should be external to his being. Being the locus of oneself forces one to constantly watch, evaluate and criticize one’s actions which can get very tiring and frustrating soon enough. So, one has to choose meaning which is external to self.

More than once he quotes Nietzsche’s words ‘ He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how’ which forms his credo as well. Here are a couple of lines from the book regarding Logotherapy –

‘According to logotherapy, we can discover this meaning in life in three different ways : 1) by creating a work or doing a deed 2) by experiencing something or encountering someone.3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.‘

He concludes with a thought that it is not happiness which man finally seeks but a reason to be happy – which means a meaning for his life and happiness is but a by-product of that. Also, meaning is not some generalized abstract concept but is unique to each and every person and should be tailored by answering the questions which life asks of us at different points in our lives.

All in all, it is indeed a very inspiring book and should be read at least once. I am glad I finally did.!

Through the Narrow Gate – Karen Armstrong

I want to write the review of the book before it gets off of my head. I know it will get off soon. It’s a good book. I appreciate the bravery of the author in baring her soul. But, I also know that this book has not made a deep impact on me. That could be because I am not religious and this book deals mainly with religion and struggles to keep up with a religious life.

‘Through the Narrow Gate’ is an autobiographical work by Karen Armstrong, chronicling her feelings about deciding to get into a convent, her years of becoming a nun and then finally, why and how, she gave it all up for the world. The convent life, which she describes, is haunting and a novelty for me. Guilt and punishment seem to be the major themes in becoming a nun. ‘A nun has to die every day’. This sentence captures the essence of living in a nunnery. Sisters are never allowed to question anything, they are not allowed to form friendships or even try to get close to a person, they are to dutifully follow every wish and command of their superiors – all the while introspecting their relationship with God. What Karen finds impossible to do is to muster up such abandon. She cannot abandon her rationale, her sensitivity, her questions, her need for friendship and community. This causes her much trouble. For failing to do such things, she is punished and made to feel guilty. She changes herself so much that at the end, she is almost a complete stranger to her former self.

One of the main highlights of the book is the difference between the dream and reality of a religious life. While Karen enters a convent filled with a hope of communion with God, what she instead finds herself doing is dealing with a lot of practical and physical inconveniences which somehow do not let her think so much about God. There is a fear, of having done something wrong, all the time, in her mind. It is this fear of being wrong and then feeling guilty for it, for having to ask forgiveness for letting herself be sometimes is what exhausts her. At Oxford, in literature, she finds the kind of intellectual stimulation as well as the human bonding which she has been looking for. She sees hope. She finds herself useful. She sees purpose and which is why she gives up the ‘religious life’. It is not easy. It is not easy because she is again filled with a sense of betrayal. But this time, she can not take it more.

It is a story of a deep internal struggle. I can feel it. But it takes courage to give up the world at seventeen and become a nun and then renounce it all after seven years to start afresh in an unknown world. Karen Armstrong is brave and she is courageous and her story is fantastic. But, I could not connect with the Godliness and the religious line so much and that’s why it did not move me at a level at which it can potentially move other people.

It is a good book.

Vasudev – Narendra Kohli

I picked up and read a Hindi book after a long long time. Narendra Kohli had been on my ‘To Read’ list for a long time now. I had heard a lot about his contemporary style in Hindi writing. So, I wanted to try that and when I found myself in front of Hindi section in landmark, I could not help but buy at least one book of his. By the way, it is really rare to find a good collection of Hindi books in Bangalore and that too in the big book stores. So, the fact that Landmark did have a decent collection gladdened my heart.

Vasudev is a book about the struggles of Devki and Vasudev after there is a ‘bhavishyavani’ that their 8th son will kill the ruling king ‘Kans’ who also happens to be Devki’s brother. How they face the death of their 6 children in front of their eyes as soon as they are born. How their relationship evolves over the years which started with a sword hanging over their heads. How they come to believe in the power which is something beyond, something which is making them do things. How they manage to save their 7th and 8th sons and how they finally come and kill Kans. How there is a struggle and jealousy between the mothers to be able to prove who loves these two sons the most. And, who is a real mother?? One who conceives you or one who receives and nurtures you?

It is all these questions and many more which Narendra Kohli has asked and answered in this novel about the birth and coming of age of Krishna. He has included all the stories of the mythology and has tried to tie them in a logical sequence. Many of the stories have traditionally included many supernatural elements, which Narendra Kohli has tried to rationalize and present as human acts but cruel to the level of being inhuman and unnatural. This makes the book more palatable for a logical/rational audience while keeping alive the relish of a god like figure who is all powerful and does some unbelievable tricks once in a while.

It’s well written but a bit long and I felt that it got too preachy towards the end. It drifted towards the same archaic ‘sacrificial’ supremacy which has been advocated since a really long time in Hindi literature. I cannot say about others but it does not appeal to me. So, while the beginning and middle were good, end seemed forced and contrived.

Still,  it is one of the finer books to read in Hindi.