3 Short Reads on CHANGE

CHANGE is the only constant in life and yet we struggle to cope with it when it occurs. Most of the times, when we struggle to adapt to the change, the reason is our refusal to move out of our comfort zone into something new and unknown. Here's sharing in this post about 3 easy-to-read and interesting titles on Change. These reads are like a joyride for the readers, as they embark on their journey to understanding and embracing change.

WHO MOVED MY CHEESE by Spencer Johnson - An all time bestseller on the subject of CHANGE, the beauty of the book lies in its simple approach to connect with the readers. This parable/ fable is about 4 characters - 2 mice, Scurry and Sniff and 2 "little people", Hem and Haw, who are living happily in their maze, regularly getting their supply of "cheese". Things get tougher when one day they find the cheese missing. This is precisely where the things get interesting and the book traces the journey of each of the characters in how they respond to this unforeseen situation. The book may be a short (sub 100 pages) but has immense lessons for us regarding dealing with change. For me, the biggest lesson was to always be ready to adapt to the situation and be willing to move out of our comfort zone if it leads us to better and/ or favourable opportunities. The "cheese prompts" in the book act as wonderful pointers that guide us during the process of change. 

THE SHARK AND THE GOLDFISH by Jon Gordon - Here's another wonderful, though ultra short read on CHANGE. Imagine yourself being forcibly pushed out of your comfort zone by a wave of change, how would you respond ? Would you crib and play the blame game or would you try to adapt to the new situation as fast as you can by learning the tricks and tips of surviving ? This book is precisely about provoking us to think whether we tend to become a goldfish or a shark, when pushed into unknown territories. This fable is about a goldfish, a freshwater fish, who lands up in an ocean and is scared about how to survive in salt water. This is when an elderly Shark handholds and guide the Goldfish about what surviving in an ocean entails. The book is interspersed with pieces of advice that the Shark provides to the Goldfish. The key message of the book is to stay positive even when the going gets tough for us. 

OUR ICEBERG IS MELTING by John Kotter - If the above two mentioned books are about individual change, here's a one that talks about addressing change at an organisational level. This book is a fable about a colony of penguins who discover that the iceberg they are living on is melting. The book beautifully captures the dilemma that different team members face while confronting change. The fable in the book captures the emotions of fear, confusion, indecisiveness, and the similar very nicely and the readers can easily draw a parallel with their workplace. While reading this wonderful i almost started mapping the characters against the Innovation Diffusion Curve and it was real fun. The book is a must-read considering that the author, John Kotter has spent years researching the topic of change and flashes of the same can be found in the book too, with reference and mapping done to the 8 Step Process of Successful Change. A thoroughly enjoyable read and quite visually appealing too. 

Hope you like the above recommendations and here's ending this post with a wonderful quote on Change by Mandy Hale 

"Change can be scary but you know what's scarier ? Allowing fear to stop you from growing, evolving and progressing"

Library in a Salon - Pan Mariyappa, A Reading Samaritan !

A good samaritan for encouraging reading and learning can appear in any avatar. Here's sharing about a soul who is championing the cause of promoting reading among his folks. The champion's name is Pon Mariyappa, a barber running a salon in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. The key idea behind setting up mini-library is to encourage people (of his district) to read more. The sincerity of this initiative can be gauged from the fact that there's no TV installed in the shop (which is generally a trend in barber shops), the customers are not allowed to use their mobile phones. 

The icing on the cake being - "30% discount to the customer who reads a book".

Hats off to such crusaders who are contributing to the cause of spreading knowledge in their own big/ small way and inspiring us all to do the same in whatever ways we can !

Mentioning below few links covering/ capturing  the story of the Samaritan 

https://www.mynation.com/news/tamil-nadu-barber-installs-mini-library-salon-encourage-reading-pnf1i9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvNOchNVdMM

Book Review - Unread

Book Title: Unread

Author: Platform For Artists

Book Review 

A wonderful anthology of literary that takes the reader on a wonderful journey of a range of unabated emotions and feelings. Whether it's love, romantic love, heartbreak, relationship, patriotism, life's struggles, the reader feels it all through the 99 literacy pieces (by different artists) put together as a whole. The book is free-flowing in nature and the multi-lingual aspect of the book makes it all the more interesting. It's amazing to see and get to read so much of variety in a single volume. If, as a reader, you want to enjoy the book, then just be "Unready" for it, in the sense that leave aside your expectations and anticipation and just go with the flow of the book. At times, you may find yourself on a see-saw ride while at other time, it becomes a "roller coaster" ride. The intensity in each of the pieces brings forth the passion of the writer. Few of the writings may appear basic while few others may occur repetitive (in theme/ feelings) but there will still be plenty that will touch you deeply. There were few hindi pieces that moved me immensely.

In a nutshell, the book is like an exciting adventure and an appreciable attempt at bringing something  different and interesting for the readers !     

Note: The above review is part of the Blogchatter Book Review program,  https://www.theblogchatter.com/book-review-program-from-blogchatter   

Summary of books read during Indian Readathon

Well, it isn't always easy to match the challenge when you are late and running against time but it was fun participating in the reading challenge. Here's a brief summary of the 3 books i read during the challenge:

• A comma in a sentence by R. Gopalkrishnan : This is a unique book in the sense that it takes us on a journey through the eyes of multiple generation, spanning the period from pre-Independence of India to post-Independence of India. How transitions happen during tribulations is a highlight of this book. The book, very nicely, captures the transition through the lens of each generation. Nicely carved out book that traces the story of a family through the changing times in India. 

• The Man from the Egg by Sudha Murty : If you are fond of Indian mythology, then this book tops up the existing knowledge. The book consist of many tales of the Trinity (or Trimurti) of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The content does justice to the title because many of the tales are unusual and i also happen to know of them only after reading them in the book. I enjoyed the book because never did the flow of the tales broke at my point. All the tales seemed so seamlessly integrated with each other.

• Pax Indica by Shashi Tharoor : If you are fond of Political genre then this books offers a lot, but mainly about the foreign policy aspect. The book has many interesting references to the historical while discussing about status quo. The book discusses india's foreign policy related to all its neighbours and then draws background from historical references and then takes a pro-establishment approach to talk about strategies and solutions for strengthening the mutual bond between India and each of its neighbour.   

Participation in Read-India-Thon: Indian Readathon

It's always a book lover's dream to seek different reading challenges. Here's an exciting one that i am participating in. It's called Read-India-Thon and is being hosted by Shantala @ Shanaya Tales. The details can be found at https://www.shanayatales.com/read-india-thon-indian-readathon/

The challenge is being hosted during the Indian Independence Week i.e. from 11-17 Aug, 2019. Though i am a bit late in joining this challenge, but quite hopeful about making through :). The most interesting thing about the Read-India-Thon is the 3 categories of reading challenges which are

1. Read A Book on or about India or by an Indian Author
2. Read An Indian Book Under 24 Hours
3. Read A Book With the Indian Tri-Color on the Cover

It did take me a while to identify my picks for the above 3 categories but somehow managed to find some real interesting ones. My TBR is as below

For challenge no. 1 - The Man from the Egg by Sudha Murthy

For challenge no. 2 - A comma in a sentence by R. Gopalakrishnan

For challenge no. 3 - Pax Indica by Shashi Tharoor

Look forward to a really engrossing week ahead :)

would be back with the summary of these 3 books soon !

Book Review - Parliamental

Book Title : Parliamental

Author : Meghnad S.

Book Review

It was my first attempt at reading a political satire and to be honest, it turned out to be quite a satisfying experience. I couldn't have asked for a better book. What appealed to me most about the book was the candid (yet careful) approach of the author in successfully establishing the storyline against the backdrop of the most prestigious institution of the Indian political system i.e. the Parliament. At no point, in the book, was there a hint of any inappropriateness or insensitivity while relating to the institution.

Though written as a piece of fiction, the book still manages to enlighten the readers to many realities that occur in the "corridors of power"- the various permutations and combinations that come into play to ensure staying relevant in the game of politics.

The characters are very well conceived, with the protagonist leading the pack to provide a deep insight into how things pan out in the political scenario, the various surprises and shocks that the first timers to the Parliament are in for. It's quite a page-turner and layers after layers get peeled off as the readers moves ahead in the book. The struggle to be prominent, the attempt to work out equations to remain relevant and powerful (in the political context), all come out so well in the book. 

Thanks to the author's experience in seeing thing from close quarters, the book is as real as it could get. Hilarious and Humorous at times, the book manages to engage reader's attention till the end. Laced with few twists and turns, the book becomes a thriller towards the end and does throw a surprise or two for the readers.

In all, the book is refreshing, engaging, interesting and worth a read. Don't miss it !  

Note: The above review is part of the Blogchatter Book Review program,  https://www.theblogchatter.com/book-review-program-from-blogchatter   

Exciting Posts coming up !

Dear Readers,

Due to my erratic schedule and few other pressing issues, I have done away with the update posts on the books read and would be sharing exciting posts about many interesting books instead.

Keep visiting the blog and keep reading !


Best
Narinder

Book Review - Starting a Successful Blog

Book Title : Starting a Successful Blog

Author : Dr. Amrita Basu

Book Review

What excited me to review this book was the "no frills" title, simple and direct. To share with the readers, the book has lived well to its title and done justice to the topic i.e. blogging. Though i am not new to blogging and have been doing so for over a decade but was really keen to get more insights into the art of blogging. The book did provide me with ample of ideas and suggestions.This book is very neatly written and i loved the simplified style of writing where the author does not go overboard in putting too much of jargon and ending up confusing the  readers who are new to the trade (blogging). A balance has been maintained to make the book appeal to both categories of users - the "newbies/ beginners" and the "already bloggers".

The TOC (Table Of Contents) is crisp yet comprehensive, well thought through and covers all the essential areas/ topics, starting from the basics/ fundamentals to the more advanced ones. The book is not just a QSG (Quick Start Guide) for blogging but also has ample to offer on consolidating the practice of blogging. The book is a step-by-step guide for any wannabe blogger and offers enough to understand the concepts of domain, hosting, publishing platforms, SEO, marketing, content creation, layout, ...the list goes on. 

All the chapters are interlaced nicely, giving the entire book an organic flow which is quite helpful for the readers. Also interspersed within these "technical" chapters are nuggets of guidelines and suggestions that sort of complete the entire picture of an end-to-end solution to blogging. The author has chronicled her journey about becoming a blogger and that fits very nicely in the scheme of things.

Though the book is slightly more inclined towards WP (WordPress) platform but still has plenty to offer to those on other platforms like Blogger/ Blogspot. 

The author has been incredibly honest about the subject and shared her vast knowledge and experience to make it really simple for the reader to start their blogging journey. Whether it's about  identifying the purpose of blogging, or bringing discipline in writing or knowing strategies for monetising the blog, this book has it all. The list of tools and resources (many of them free) is like an icing on the cake !

The book handholds the readers through thick and thin in their blogging journey and acts as the perfect DIY (Do It Youself) Kit (for Blogging) to make the journey of a blogger really smooth.

I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to be a blogger or wanting to improvise blogging skills. A must read !  

Note: The above review is part of the Blogchatter Book Review program,  https://www.theblogchatter.com/book-review-program-from-blogchatter   

Week 11 & 12 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 11 & 12: March 11 - March 24, 2019

Books Read : 1

1. Fail Fail Again Fail Better by Pema Chodron - Great advice on perhaps one of the most dreaded topic or feeling which is "failure". Through her personal experiences, the author dispels all the myths related to/ attached to failure and suggests an provides an unconventional wisdom of embracing failure. The wonderful insights by the author bring forth the greatest revelation that we could get and that is - Failure is one of the most recurring experience of our life and escaping or avoiding it is letting go of so many opportunities to grow and evolve in life. If we want to be a complete, holistic being then the only way is to embrace this unknown fear of failure and let the windows of possibilities open up in our life. The book is in a Q&A (Question and Answer) format and makes for a delightful reading, something that leaves the reader more connected with self and also more aware and prepared about the uncertainties of life. The message of the book is crystal clear ( right from the title) - never be afraid or scared to fail, embrace it and only then we can live our life fully and completely.    

N.B. : The next post on the books round up will be posted in the last week of May , 2019 as a consolidated post for the preceding weeks !

Week 10 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 10: March 4 - March 10, 2019

Books Read : 1

1. Life's Greatest Lessons by Hal Urban: As boring as it may sound that here's another book on life's lessons but book is a real surprise in terms of presenting the basic, fundamental and obvious lessons in such an engrossing and engaging way. The book comes around as a very honest and sincere attempt and the author draws a lot from his personal experience. The examples, stories, anecdotes and the quotes, just fit so well in each of the 20 chapters. The books touches upon a whole range of topics and some of them are goals, success, time, spirituality, self-esteem , failure and motivation. The book is not the "same old wisdom" types but rather a manual for living life well with the basic tenets of successful living presented in a very relatable way for the reader. There's a lot of "food for thought" in the book for a sincere reader. 

N.B. : The next post on the books round up will be posted as a consolidated post after 2 weeks.

Week 9 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 9: Feb 25 - March 3, 2019

Books Read : 1

1. 365 Success Secrets by John Maxwell - A Daily Insight Reader on leadership, delivering on topics and areas that focus on the holistic development of the individual. With a page dedicated for every day of the year, the topics mentioned focus as much on self-leadership as on organisational leadership. Open the book on any page and start basking in the wisdom that has been distilled over a period of so many years by the author. The book is full of nuggets of wisdom that will leave the readers much inspired and motivated to live a more successful life. The book is a journey to self-growth and the "food for thought" mentioned at the end of every chapter acts as a reminder that there's still so much to improve till we become the best version of ourself. To gain the maximum from the book, just surrender your true self to the book and it will reward you with invaluable insights into becoming a better leader.   

Week 8 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 8: Feb 18 - Feb 24, 2019

Books Read: 1

1. Die Empty by Todd Henry - If you struggle to live your life to the fullest, then this book is a good manual to help you reverse that and live your best life. A book with a powerful message and practical tools, strategies, tips and techniques to live our best every day and not wait till the end for that and die with regret. The book boasts of many original ideas and methods to enable the readers to address their limiting barriers, move them out of their comfort zone and propel them into a zone of innovation, creativity, growth, progress and achievement. The message of the book is crystal clear which is to live our most fulfilling life while we are alive and not die with our best still within us. A wonderful, refreshing book with a profound message.   

Week 7 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 7: Feb 11 - Feb 17, 2019

Books Read: 1

1. An Unshakable Mind by Ryuho Okawa - A nice and very relatable read which touches upon the vagaries and uncertainities of life and provides simple and easily do-able ways to deal with them. The beauty of the book lies in the reader embarking on a journey of spiritual evolution while getting prepared to address life's various fundamental issues such as Will, Significance of Day, Learning, Experience and more. Whether you are suffering from anxiety or distress, you will find answers in the book. Though the latter half of the book moves heavily in discussing about soul life but still the book is worth the time and effort. 

Week 6 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 6:  Feb 4 - Feb 10, 2019

Books Read : 2

1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - An incredible book, setup in a dystopian future where reading and books is considered illegal and firemen are entrusted with the task of not only burning the books found and the houses they are kept in but also arrest the owners of the books, as keeping books and reading them is considered illegal. The book is set in a period where society exists against the backdrop of a culture of hedonism, totalitarian, censorship, easy access to entertainment, and like. The futuristic setup of the book is really commendable, considering that the book was written in 1953. The book captures beautifully the transformation of a fireman, from being a book burner to a book keeper/ preserver. The hard hitting message of the book is to understand the value and importance of books and reading and not get too carried away by the consumerism or the hedonism attitude and do away with our ability to think and live well.  
2. The Leadership Pill by Kenneth Blanchard and Mark Muchnick - An interesting parable about different styles of Leadership which lays bare the tenets of an effective leader and brings home the point that true leadership is holistic in nature. The principles that come out through the parable clearly illustrate that true leadership is never about results or about self(of a leader) but is about partnership and teams; true leadership is not a short-term approach but a long-term strategy to build a self-sustaining team that can deliver results on its own. A nice, light read about the obvious and simple rules of leadership that very often we forget and in the process make leadership a complicated affair.  

Week 5 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 5: Jan 28 - Feb 3, 2019

Books Read : 2

1. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris - It's a very heart-rending tale of a young Jew who lands up in the Nazi's concentration camp at Auschwitz and goes on to spend about 3 years of his life there, working as a tattooist and seeing death from very close quarters. It traces the journey of a man from being a tattooist and marking fellow prisoners, to becoming a survivor and a saviour. It is a story of courage and bravery amidst the most barbaric and  inhumane conditions that humans may face and also about true love, a kind of love (between 2 inmates) that happens in the most unimaginable of the places (where death was always imminent and survival was always the priority for the inmates) but blossoms in the aftermath of the worst holocaust ever witnessed in human history. The book is a true testament to human's hope, will, and courage to survive come whatever may. It's also about living the paradox - displaying acts of kindness and help towards fellow humans even when our own life's at stake and living next moment is never a guarantee. The one big message from the book is that "there's always a glimmer of hope even in the most unpredictable and the darkest of situations and all we need to do is to self-affirm and live by the moment, positively and intently". 
2. Arriving At Your Own Door by Jon Kabat-Zinn - A wonderful and quite an unorthodox book on mindfulness which provides ample of fodder for the readers to reflect. The book contains 108 short lessons laced with great amount of wisdom succintly expressed through relevant concepts, some of which are quite offbeat. Stressing that mindfulness is about awareness and awakening, the book works as a companion to the reader, guiding him/ her to a journey of self-discovery, self healing and fulfillment. The topics/ headings of all the 108 lessons are very relatable and provides the understanding in a very crisp manner. There's a depth in the simplicity of each of the 108 lessons presented in the book.

Week 4 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 4: Jan 21 - Jan 27, 2019

Books Read : 3

1. Like The Flowing River by Paulo Coelho - The book is all about collection of personal thoughts and reflections by the author but definitely leaves the reader with lot of food for thought and lot to brood over. Drawing from his personal experiences that spread across different stages of his life, the author, very nicely draws and delivers useful learnings from each of those experiences. The beauty of the book lies in the simplicity with which the relevant message gets delivered to the readers, even on topics like God, Love, Life, Death, Relationships and more. The book is much a journey of learning and transformation as for the author while undergoing those rich experiences in life and getting all those revelations.
2. You Don't Need A Godfather  by Elango R.- If you always thought that all of us need patronage to make it big in the corporate world, then this is the book which will change that mindset/ thought process. As authentic as a book could get, the book makes use of humour, sarcasm, analogy and real caselets to drive home the point that success is always within our scope of control and the stark realities of workplace are all a creation of our doings/ non-doings. Laced with lots of tips, techniques and strategies, the book gives the mantra for success at workplace as simply adhering to these - be self-reliant, stick to fundamentals and grab every opportunity that comes our way. A light read with a serious message.
3. Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon - In an era of Remixes (which also is an act of creativity), surely Creativity deserves a fresh and new outlook. This wonderful, delightful book is all about dispelling all the typical notion that we hold about creativity. Its a cute, little handbook about a call for action for all those who suffer from "creativity block". The 10 chapters in the book provide the most practical advice that we could ever get about removing the barriers, invoking our creative side and getting started on what we always wanted to do. A no-nonsense guide to achieve our best "creative self".       

Week 3 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 3: Jan 14 - Jan 20, 2019

Books Read : 2

1. Being Buddha At Work by Franz Metcalf and BJ Gallagher - A wonderful book beyond comparison. Calling this book a mini-manual on applying Buddha's advice at workplace won't be an extrapolation at all. It's amazing to note as to how such a short book could contain so much practical wisdom on the application of Mindfulness and Buddhism. The book does great job in distilling the relevant and applicable pieces from the tenets of Buddhism and then presenting them in an easily digestible form for the readers. There are 15 themes divided into 3 parts/ sections of  Self, Others(Relationships) and Organisation. The 15 themes are further divided into various pertinent chapters, where each chapter deals with a relevant topic of interest related to the theme. Each chapter is just about the right length and deal with a particular aspect of a potential workplace issue/ problem. Presenting the ground realities at work by way of various examples/ situations / scenarios, the book then suggest ways and strategies (derived from the teaching of Buddha and Buddhism) to address them in a mindful way. For me, the highlight of the book was the depth and the insight contained in each of the "sutras" at the beginning of each chapter. Becoming Mindful at Work made easy by "Being Buddha at Work" !
2. Mind Platter by Najwa Zebian - An amazing collection of reflections on life and covering so many different aspects of our life. Written as single page paragraphs, the entries are quite insightful and definitely touch the heart and soul of the reader. Drawing from her personal life, the author does an excellent job of providing the readers with ample of opportunities for self-introspection and seeing life from different perspectives. A great companion book, for all phases of our life, providing strength during times of despair to help deal effectively with vicissitudes of life. The reflections are short and crisp (about 200 single page entries) but still so effective, as if the words directly flow from the soul of the author. The list of the topics addressed is very exhaustive - love, education, friendship, change, simplicity, soul, dreams and  happiness being just few of those. Except for few repetitions and contradictions, the book turns out to be a highly inspiring, refreshing and delightful read.   

Week 2 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 2 : Jan 7 - Jan 13, 2019

Books Read - 3

1. Education and the Significance of Life by J. Krishnamurti - A very thought provoking book about the real objective of education, encompassing all the possible dimensions attached to it and all the key stakeholders related to it. A  bold book, very nicely written, which, through its carefully defined eight chapters leads us to an understanding of the type of transformation that education could bring about at a global scale, if every stakeholder understood its real purpose and then contributed their bit to it, without any prejudice or bias. The book is quite hard-hitting and talks about many man-made paradoxes that have severely damaged the core purpose of education and how education is churning out learners, imbibed with wrong set of values. Whereas the sole purpose of the education is to develop an integrated individual/ learner endowed with the prowess to challenge the status quo (by virtue of being free from any fear or bias) and how the current system of education is still instilling conformity, superficiality and building a lopsided personality in the learners. A book with great insight on real education and  providing a rational view to many of the obvious facets of good education and its significance in life. The book clearly highlights the need to have such an education system that would prepare a learner for life.
2. How Life Works by Andrew Matthews - A book can't get any easier and entertaining than this one to talk about the concept of subconscious and the relation between Thoughts and Feelings. With his own, unique style of writing, the author takes the reader subtly into the realms of subconscious, myths related to it, and how it impacts our overall success and happiness in in life. Citing various real-life scenarios and various scientific studies, research and experiments, the book comes across as a very credible piece to read, even about topics such as Heart and Love.  There's a whole lot that the book delivers and that too to an extent that the principles mentioned could be applied in our daily life smoothly and with much ease. The book has an explanation and relevant answer to the most basic or complex question that any reader may have about life.
3. The One Minute Apology by Kenneth Blanchard - A parable that delves deep in the subject of owning our actions, decisions and responsibilities which go a long way in avoiding conflicts and improving things at workplace (or any other area of life as well). The book clearly demonstrates that how the simple acts of acknowledging, accepting and correcting our mistakes could work wonders for everyone involved - the concerned individual, the concerned team, the organisation and other key stakeholders. So many times and for so many valid/ invalids reasons, we do not own what we commit and this leads to catastrophic repercussions. This book describes in a very simple way, an easy-to-do approach to build in the responsibility to apologise whenever needed and how doing so not only builds our character, enhances our credibility(inspite of committing the mistake/ error) but also prevents the situation from getting worse. 

Week 1 Round Up of Books Read in 2019

Week 1 : Jan 1- Jan 6, 2019

Books Read - 5

1.  20,000 Days and Counting by Robert D. Smith - If ever you were looking for an impactful book to guide you about discovering your passion and purpose in life, then this is the book. Don't get misled by the length of the book (it's an extremely short book) and just pick it up, read it and by the end you would come out with so much clarity about your life. The chapters are short, crisp and well articulated. Never will you come across a book where every word carries so much meaning. The title is derived from the fact that we never really count our lives in terms of days lived and if we give that a thought, we will realise that the importance of every remaining day of our live and would strive to make it count.
2. The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking - I landed on this book because of my quest for understanding the science/ concept of Happiness. Denmark has been voted as the happiest country of the world multiple times and that's what pulled me to this book. Hygge is a  Danish concept of Happiness and this book is all about that. In fact, it's an encylopedia on Hygge. The book is laden with ample of details for anyone seeking to understand the concept of Hygge, right from the history to the rituals and to the things that make up the Hygge. Hygge takes the concept of Happiness on a different plane all together and doesn't just refers to revelry but connotes camaraderie, socialising, minimalism, culture, tradition, inclusion, positivity, and i can go on and on. Towards the end, there is a dedicated session on correlating Hygge and Happiness and that's like an icing on the cake.
3. Just Shut Up and Do It by Brian Tracy - This is a blueprint on setting goals and achieving them in 7 lucid steps. The book covers all the key facets of goal setting and goal getting in an easy to remember and implement form. The presentation of the book is simple and easy and just about anyone can get started on esatblishing goals after reading this book. The book is like a companion, helping us in actualising our goals. 
4. Do the Work by Steven Pressfield- This is a book which is all about the types of resistance that impedes our growth, be it in personal or professional space. The book discusses about the resistance that appears in the form of doubt, fear, procrastination and/or any other self-sabotaging behaviour and then goes about delivering actions and methods to address them. 
5. The Shooting Star by Shivya Nath - Freedom, Independence, Self-Discovery, Exploration are just few of the words that could best describe this wonderful book. It's a beautiful memoir of a "nomad" (well, that's how the author address herself) , her journey about breaking the stereotypes and following her passion of exploring the world. The protagonist takes us on an incredible journey across different continents, countries, culture and people. All through the book, there are so many life lessons we could derive from the experiences of the protagonist (author herself). The book is about an exciting and enriching journey from the known to the unknown.          

Announcement - Launching Weekly Round Up of Books Read in 2019 for 52 Weeks

Dear Readers,

Here's an interesting announcement - Every year, each booklover sets a target to read a certain number of books. This year, my target stands at 200+ books, across different genres and authors.

To ensure my accountability and committment to the target, i would be posting a weekly roundup of the books read during each week in 2019. That means, for each of the 52  weeks, i will post the numbers, titles and a short summary of the books read by me. Few of them could be a re-read also, just to ensure that you don't miss out on any of the must-read books.

Hope the readers find the books worth reading !

Enjoy the weekly round up posts :)


Best
Narinder - A book eater  :)