[penpavan]

Go Kiss The World, Subroto Bagchi

One of the finest books by my favorite author. His insight into life and learning from events is altogether at a different level.

[nishsingh]

Am probably one of the rare ones who prefers movies to books - I find these better.
I did however read a lot of Jim Corbett' s books when I was around 12 years old which I believe are still the best I have read -probably owing to the fact that the rawness of the jungle, the fear of the beast and the sense of adventure is all real.

[Sip]

Thanks for initiating this!

Out of the books what i have read, some of the memorable books (not in preferential order) capable of leaving everlasting impressions are:-

Ageless Body Timeless Mind - Deepak Chopra
Ancient Indian scientific knowledge being quoted here. Incredible revelations about continuum in cosmic word and intelligence prevalent in the universe and within its beings. After reading this book it feels awful of not being aware of whats happening around us at molecular level. Enriching experience promised here.

Men Are From Mars Women Are From Venus - John Gray
Opens up horizons about thought process and perceptions followed by other sex. So handy especially when we are destined to live together!


My Experiments with Truth - MK Gandhi
Gandhi Ji was unbelievably strong creation of God! One of the most humane and tolerant person. World wouldn't know the power of non-violence without him. I would be happy if every Indian read this book and surely he/she would come across some simple but exceptionally good values. No wonder he is 'Father of Nation'.

Playing it My Way - Sachin Tendulkar
My curiosity about such genius cricketer led me to read this and it was delightful reading.


I found above-mentioned books have merit par excellence in their own way. And its worth every second been spent over these.

[MikeRX]

I am more into classics and military history.

Some of the books that have left me leaving lonely after the last page are;

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - One of the most amazing books ever. I have read this mammoth big atleast 4 times and have 3 variations of the same book.

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - how can any human think and write a detective novel which leaves you gasping and perplexed is beyond me.

Some of the military history books by Barbara Tuchman - Guns of August, Zimmerman telegram, Distant Mirror etc. Her books are a rich source of knowledge about World War 1.

Dreadnought, Six frigates, 1453, Paris 1919, war to end all wars, GJ Meyers book on World War 1 are other books that I have relished.

[satishv1987]

My latest read was "Annihilation of Caste" by Dr.B.R.Ambedkar. It is actually a collection of speeches that Ambedkar was supposed to give at multiple forums but we called off due to the organizers' concerns with the content.

The book is an eye opener and it boggles the mind how far ahead Ambedkar was ahead of his times. He critiques the caste system and makes a scathing observation about how society and polity have allowed it to survive. It is a pity that he has been appropriated by political demagogues. The man deserves to be called "Father of the Nation".

[gauravanekar]

Hi all,

Some of the good non fictions books I am listing here.
I am not going to put some average read, only the good ones according to me.

I am interested in History, geography, travelogues etc..



1.This is a beautiful book on Tibet and mount kailash in general. The author's experiences on his trek to Mount kailas is a must read.
2. Ex IAS P.G. Tenzing goes on an all India tour on his Thunderbird. This is not a mere travelogue, this is about what runs in a biker's head on long long journeys.



3. Toyota is what it is due its way of life. Its unique and this book give a sneek peek into minds which make toyota.
4. Freakanomics is a interesting read as it brings economics to the masses in a more palatable form. This book leaves the reader a little more wiser than before. This one is a must.


5. This is a neatly laid out Indian history(not only political) since the independance upto 2014. The author is insightful, it is a delight to read.
6. War/history buffs must and should read this book on first world war. This is scholarly but not intimidating to a casual reader too. A proper non fiction.


7. One of the best I have read, Why different races in diffrenet parts of the world ended up diffrenetly in terms of culture and technology? This book answers it all.
7.5 This book will give the readers a different perspective to look at life in general. Genes and memes are what we are.
8. Us post leberalized Indians should read this book. What was pre 1990 India? What were the difficulties, how was life in general? It is interesting to read.


9. No need to explain, I loved this book.


10. First half is full of ideas which are relevant to the current world. Author loses steam in the second half, repeats the same thing ove and over again. I would reccomend you to read as much as you feel like and stop when bored.


11. What goes on in the mind of Toyota leadership (for that matter even employees)? find out.


12. Most favorite, Since the beginning of formation of this planet how the Indian subcontinent evolved? How geography evolved? animals evolved? plants evolved? How come land living mammals ended up being biggest aquatic animals in water like blue what? What was the significance of Nandi hills / Narmada in our history? It answers it all. A must read. A must read.


13. true pilgrimage, a journey of the heart into Upper Himalayas


14. A must read for history enthusiasts. One of the greatest empire India has ever seen, but least known is brought down to us in a beautiful manner in a scholarly book. Vijayanagara emipre for all. (There is portuguese connection here!)
15. Vikram Seth hitchhikes from Nanjing University to Delhi. A story which will remain in your heart for a long time.


16. A modernday student follows Marcopolo's footsteps from Israel to China through the old trade toute. How the world has changed through these years? find out.

[sreerknair]

One book I will recommend to anyone interested in decision making and judgement, be it in business or in daily personal life, is - "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman.

It is a long read, but will definitely give you many tools to make better decisions. It helps us understand why we make errors in decisions and judgement and how to notice signs of those potential errors.

[V.Narayan]

Thank you for this thread for non- fiction books. A truly wonderful and dead serious book I read recently was an Era of Darkness by Shashi Tharoor. Full marks to him for his research and thoroughness. It describes with facts & documents ( both from British colonial archives) of how the British thoughtfully and systematically sucked from the Indian economy of the from circa 1750 to 1947 and how figuring out and executing on transfer of wealth was a conscious well planned activity. His motivation came from elitist criticism at Oxford of a speech he gave where the British faculty and students refused to believe the Raj was a terrible thing for India. As a lover of reads linked to recent history and geo-politics I would rate this 4.5 on 5.

[scwagh]

Would highly recommend Leonardo Da Vinci's biography by Walter Isaacson, fantastic book. Gives a peak into what an amazing personality Da Vinci was, mush more than a painter and sculptor as the world knows him. There is another small book on Da Vinci by the name "Leonardo Da Vinci: A life from beginning to end" and its free on Kindle

If you are interested, Einstein's biography by Isaacson is again a very engaging read.

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by gauravanekar

Hi all,

Some of the good non fictions books I am listing here.

Nice reading list there - a few of them in my list too. Have completed Indica by Pranay Lal and of course the Jim Corbett books.

Currently re-reading Indica. Amazing book.

Simultaneously reading "In the beginning" by John Gribbin : Difficult to put this book in a nutshell - it deals with evolution of everything, in short the Universe. Another must read

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by shashanka

John Kenneth Galbraith was a Canadian-born American economist who is perhaps the most widely read economist in the world. He taught at Harvard from 1934-1939 and then again from 1949-1975. An adviser to President John F. Kennedy, he served from 1961 to 1963 as U.S. ambassador to India.

Great man. He coined the phrase, "India is a functioning anarchy". A great friend of India. Another book of his is "The Anatomy of Power".

[hok kolorob]

I can think of three books as of now.

1. Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler

This book by the world’s most prominent and controversial dictator in political history of the last two hundred years is an autobiographical account of Adolf Hitler’s political strategy and his manifesto for Germany.

2. The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong.

This is the untold story of Tibet—a compelling account of conspiracy, covert organizations and international intrigue. It includes hitherto classified information and photos gleaned from privileged sources. Central to these revelations is a seemingly simple man: Gyalo Thondup, the Dalai Lama’s elder brother.

3. Charles Chaplin, My Autobiography.

My Autobiography talks about the life of one of the greatest filmmakers and comedians. The book tells the reader about the events in the childhood of the Charlie Chaplin that drove him to dream to become an actor, and chronicles the various hardships he faced in reaching his goal.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Thank you for this thread for non- fiction books. A truly wonderful and dead serious book I read recently was an Era of Darkness by Shashi Tharoor. Full marks to him for his research and thoroughness. It describes with facts & documents ( both from British colonial archives) of how the British thoughtfully and systematically sucked from the Indian economy of the from circa 1750 to 1947 and how figuring out and executing on transfer of wealth was a conscious well planned activity. His motivation came from elitist criticism at Oxford of a speech he gave where the British faculty and students refused to believe the Raj was a terrible thing for India. As a lover of reads linked to recent history and geo-politics I would rate this 4.5 on 5.

Thank you, V.Narayan - I have been a Tharoor admirer (as a wordsmith) since his days as a columnist in India Today, back in the 70's/80's. Lately I've been more cautious since the recent controversy over his wife's demise. But there's no doubting his erudition, and I'm putting An Era of Darkness on my list!

[shashanka]

I admit to straying into more cerebral literary regions from my main preference, which is humour. Among the heavier tomes I have tried to grapple with is the following from Roger Penrose - "Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness". Roger Penrose is a mathematician / theoretical physicist and here he makes another attempt to link quantum processes with human consciousness & a proposal for the site in the human brain (cytoskeleton - any idea where that could be!) where such processing might be taking place.This book is heavy reading - no humour anywhere - but certainly gripping.

Dr. Penrose has been a visiting lecturer at TIFR, Colaba, and that is where I was hooked. I had accompanied my brother-in-law (who is a physicist at TIFR) to humour him, not realising that I would find an addition to my reading list.

[pnredkar]

I am currently reading "The Quantum Labyrinth: How Richard Feynman and John Wheeler Revolutionized Time and Reality", a book written by Paul Halpern. Its an interesting insight into the life of these two scientists and how they introduced new concepts that advanced quantum theory. It attempts to explain the underlying theory in a layman's language. A good but slow read.

- Prasad