Catch 22 is an American post-war novel written by Joseph Heller. It is one of the interesting pieces of American literature juggling dark humor, war issues, bleakness, satire, silliness, wordplay and serious theme. Initially the book looks like a noose of loose strands but as the plot progresses, we find that very deftly, Heller has been able to surface the absurdity of war and the human condition itself. It is a world of madness, where each character fits in perfectly well with his personal streak of eccentricity.
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Book Review: We the Living by Ayn Rand
“We the Living” is Rand’s first novel and probably amongst the greatest works of nonfiction depicting the life during the Soviet Era, the communist dictatorship in Soviet Russia in 1920s. The motif runs around the struggle of individuals against the totalitarian state.
Read MoreBook Review: The Eternal Nazi by Nicholas Kulish and Souad Mekhennet
The Eternal Nazi: From Mauthausen to Cairo, the Relentless Pursuit of SS Doctor Aribert Heim is written by Nicholas Kulish and Souad Mekhennet. It is a semi biographical sketch of SS officer Aribert Heim, a medical doctor by profession and an able ice hockey player. He was serving at Mauthausen during 1941. People who survived the concentration camp reported that he used to take pleasure in operating healthy people without giving them anesthesia. Plus, he decorated his table with skulls of victims and offered the same as gifts to his…
Read MoreA Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett
A Place Called Freedom is Ken Follett’s one of the most absorbing historical novel set around 1770 A.D. Protagonist Malachi (Mack) McAsh right at an early age stands against the tyrannical practice of employing children as miners in Scotland. His desire for freedom above everything else in life sets the underneath motif in the novel. It is the same willingness to be free that makes him a fugitive in the eyes of his master, Sir George Jamisson. After escaping from High Glen, Jamisson’s property, he moves to London. There again he…
Read MoreTotal Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger is an epitome of success and Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story has beautifully put forth his journey from Mr. Olympia to Terminator and finally to Governorship. One of the most striking features of his personality that surfaced from the book is that, he knew what he wanted to do in life right from his young age. At the time when most of the people were struggling for living in war torn Austria, he was visualizing himself as a success story and was busy working persistently towards…
Read MoreXodus by K.J. McPike
Xodus is KJ McPike’s debut novel that falls into YA Sci-Fi Fantasy genre. The book is an engaging piece that revolves around a sixteen-year-old protagonist, Xitlali, who happens to discover her ability of astral projecting. Xitlali is already upset with her mother’s sudden disappearance and the discovery of outside body experience further adds fuel to her emotional disturbance. Even though she tries to convince her dad of her ‘special ability’, she becomes exasperated when he dismisses it to nothing but a state of restless mind. Xitlali is still struggling to…
Read MoreThe Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
A personal diary it is and anybody reading it will be moved by the fears and day to day problems faced by the Franks. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is one of the most simple and meaningful book for people who want to learn the times and tides of WWII.
Read MoreTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of those books that pose the fundamental question about the being of humanity. The protagonist, Atticus Finch with his strong adherence to ethics and morality rises above the society with the progression of the novel’s plot.
Read MoreThe Quantum Moment by Robert P. Crease and Alfred Scharff Goldhaber
The Quantum Moment – How Planck, Bohr, Einstein, and Heisenberg Taught Us to Love Uncertainty by Robert P. Crease and Alfred Scharff Goldhaber is one of the most fascinatingly informative books I have read so far. I have recently developed interest in the world of quantum and I find this book fully satiated my curiosity. It is beautifully written for a beginner like me.
Read MoreThe Fourteen Dalai Lamas by Glenn H. Mullin
The Fourteen Dalai Lamas: A Sacred Legacy of Reincarnation by Glenn H. Mullin takes us back into the Tibetan history soaked up with their culture and times during the wars within and pressure from the outside of the country. It is not a fast read, after all, we are peeping at the history of Tibet, which of course would take time and imagination to witness the era. The work can be considered as a collarge depicting the lives and times of Dalai Lamas.
Read MoreBook Review: Being and Time by Martin Heidegger
Being and Time by Martin Heidegger is an ocean of infinite gems. It is one of those books, which require re-reading only to discern new motifs surfacing up every time. No single review can fully justify the thoughts running throughout the book. I did try jotting down few thoughts but am sure I still have missed some of them, which I might add later after reading it the second time.
Read MoreThe Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho
The Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho resounds the theme of The Alchemist (from the same author), which is, universe conspiring in achieving ones destiny although the presentation is different in the book under consideration. In here, the author takes inspiration from the biblical Books of Kings.
Read MoreThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg is quite an impressive book. With its umpteen examples of how people defy old habits at the sake of new productive habits and eventually achieve marvelous feat is extremely inspiring. Although the book does not promote or support one secret formula for quickly changing any habit but it makes one think with a different angle. Case studies of corporate success of Alcoa, Starbucks, and P&G’s Febreeze were quite a fascinating read.
Read MoreBuddhism Is Not What You Think by Steve Hagen
Simple and free flowing book, Buddhism Is Not What You Think written by Steve Hagen talks about what reality is as per Zen Buddhism. The author resonates one central point in the entire book and that is, reality is about direct experience of the real time than mere feelings and thoughts, which happen to be in constant flux in conscious and subconscious level in human mind.
Read MoreDeception Point by Dan Brown and Narration by Richard Poe
Dan Brown knows how to glue readers to his book. His every book is full of surprises with unexpected outcomes and Deception Point is no exception. His description is often marked with vividness, which makes the readers see events than read things. And if the book happens to be an audio version well, then it’s a super awesome combination. Thanks to reado.com for giving me an opportunity to hear a book from one of my favorite authors across the genre of science fiction.
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