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