[subraiyr]

Just finished reading Durbar by Tavleen Singh. I picked this up since the cover mentioned it to be a hard hitting real news of the Nehru dynasty. However, the writing was not so great. Being a former newspaper columnist i thought Tavleen would have a good flair to write straight in the middle. The book had more news of where what kitty parties were conducted and how people behaved at these parties. And yes, she particularly tarnished the Nehru clan, not that they neednt be, but this was more bashing than anything else. I will keep my political views out but its suffice to say that this book was a myopic view of the years Indira Gandhi and her sons were in power

Rated: 2.5/5

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by rst89

2. K2 Life and Death on the Worlds most dangerous mountain by Ed Viesturs
I was always fascinated by K2 and this book gives full justice to my curiosity about this pyramid peak. Ed documents most of the attempts to this mountain including his own attempt. He tries to document where the things went wrong during the deadly seasons of 1987 and 2008 on K2. I like the way he writes and gives perspective from both sides. Since k2 lies in Pok, my is desire to see K2 is from Srinagar on a clear day or may be somewhere near Siachen. Any one seen K2 here with naked eye from Indian Kashmir?

I doubt it would be visible from Srinagar. Can't say from Siachen Base Camp. But I think it won't be visible from the road at least. Maybe if you gain some height.

K2 is an elusive and intriguing beast - thanks for the recommendation, might order this one!

[pvbengaluru]

I am bit of a sports biography fan . three books that I did not see listed above. All of them I would rate 5/5 .

1. Coming Back to me : Marcus Trescothick . Talks about what was and is still somewhat of a taboo subject in top international sport : dealing with depression. Fascinating insights, beautifully written

2.A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold and Beyond by Abhinav Bhindra . If you want to understand the sheer amount of effort , trials and tribulations that goes into making an Olympic champion, this is a must read ! The drama of the Olympic final when he was frantically adjusting the sights before the final was mind blowing.

3. The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle. If you ever wondered about the dark world of professional cycling and doping, look no further. Often wondered why people doped, why won't some of them be honest at least in cycling . This books tells you why it was impossible to race clean during the Armstrong era and hope to win. It's a refreshingly open and no holds barred expose on all the bad things about professional cycling.

[rst89]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

I doubt it would be visible from Srinagar. Can't say from Siachen Base Camp. But I think it won't be visible from the road at least. Maybe if you gain some height.

This what Wikipedia says,

The name K2 is derived from the notation used by the Great Trigonometric Survey of British India. Thomas Montgomerie made the first survey of the Karakoram from Mount Haramukh, some 210 km (130 miles) to the south, and sketched the two most prominent peaks, labeling them K1 and K2.

Even Ed says the same thing in his book. So if we climb this 5000 meter peak, Harmukh on a clear day, we can see K2. Also take a flight from Srinagar to Leh and witness the grand glory of K2. Before the partition, all K2 expeditions used to march from Srinagar to K2 on foot.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by rst89

This what Wikipedia says,

Even Ed says the same thing in his book. So if we climb this 5000 meter peak, Harmukh on a clear day, we can see K2. Also take a flight from Srinagar to Leh and witness the grand glory of K2. Before the partition, all K2 expeditions used to march from Srinagar to K2 on foot.

I guess it would be visible from the Del-Leh flight too. But then, you have to pick your side (Nanda Devi+Trishul+Kamet+Panchchuli etc) or Nanga Parvat, K2 (if the mountain gods are happy with you). Or maybe different sides each way to get the best of both.

[anup.bronco]

Awesome thread, thanks for the same GTO.

Apart from my favorite reads are books from famous hunters Sir. Jim Corbett and Mr. Kenneth Anderson, which I'll detail out in some of my next posts here.

I came across this on Wikipedia which has been my main source of quick info. whether it be a movie plot or a quick look-up for anything, it's like my EPG for everything and as one page leads to another, I came upon this beautiful actress of yesteryear's 'Leela Naidu', about whome I've never known or heard of (Pardon my ignorance), details about her on wikipedia here, I got interested to know more about her, this is the first time I've heard about her, and I couldn't find much info. on her online, and I got to know that this book is her autobiography, it finally arrived today through Amazon after a long wait for over 15 days. Will post a feedback-review of how it was. Cheers. Happy Reading!!

Below pictures of the book for your ref.:

[extreme_torque]

Reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. It discusses what it means to consume meat in a highly industrialized world. Its an eye opening (and gut wrenching) read and I know people who have converted to veganism after reading this book. So beware

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by 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.

You mustn't feel guilty about preferring movies to the original books. There are books which made for poor reading while their screen adaptations were highly watchable. Off the bat I can think of Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne stories. I (and other people I have spoken to) felt that the books were garbage, whereas the films (starring Matt Damon) were highly entertaining!

[pvbengaluru]

Originally Posted by GTO

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
Easily 5 out of 5 stars. Just completed it and want to read it again. Brilliantly written and with a lot of humour thrown in too. An outstanding insight into a man who has created the most iconic sports goods company in the world. The book covers Nike's early days very well; however, it ends abruptly after the IPO and doesn't really talk about the journey between the 1980s - 2000s at all. More than anything, I appreciate the man's attitude. Humble, never-say-die, broadminded, smart.

Took you up on this recommendation. Loved it myself !! Definitely will re-read after getting some external perspective on Nike .

Any recommendations on a Nike book not written by an insider ?

Started reading A life too short -Tragedy of Robert Enke . He was the goalkeeper for the German National football team, committed suicide after a long battle with depression. Depression is probably the most under diagnosed and under treated illness in the world :(

[shashanka]

"Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered", a book written by the English economist E.F. Schumacher, coined the title phrase which has become part of popular English. I read the book years ago but I feel that the core message of the book is as relevant today as the 70's when it was written.

The book is a collection of his essays in which he espouses his interesting thesis that harps on small, appropriate technologies (often rural, specially in the India of the 70's, which is not as different today as we would like to believe) that are seen to empower people more, in contrast to phrases such as "bigger is better".

[rst89]

I have few more books to share:

1. Zen and the art of Maintenance of Motorcycle by Robert Prisig.
This book is tough as it progresses but once you get in the flow, you will enjoy reading it.

2. The Emperor of all Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee.
Cancer as a disease has been explored a lot and why we are struggling with it.

3. Rainbow troops by Andrea Hirata.
A honest story growing up in poor and rural Indonesia. This book was bought after a recommendation in paper Livemint

4. The last lecture by Randy Pausch
One of the best books in the market about how to live life.

5. Open by Andre Agassi
A brutal and honest book. Got a feeling that Andre hated Tennis a lot. Also how has father was brutal when Andre was learning Tennis and the epic battles on the court in his era.

Also thanks all for all the books you have mentioned here. A rich repository in this thread.

[GTO]

Dial D for Don: Inside Stories of CBI Case Missions - Thought it would be an interesting read, but ended up bored. Man is not a strong story-teller. I didn't even complete the book. Please avoid.

[swiftdiesel]

North Korea has always fascinated me and I've always been curious about its founding leader, grand daddy Kim and his strategies to keep a country in total submission for 3 generations. Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader by Bradley Martin is a brilliant book that delves deep into N. Korean history to talk about the 'dear' leader. This columnist has spent a considerable amount of time in N. Korea and his deep insights about the private lives of the Kims is a revelatory experience. A must read for anyone interested in the secret lives of the leaders of this sinister country.

[carheadbanger]

Top 5 picks from my Library

1) Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
2) The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee
3) Creativity, inc by Ed Catmull
4) The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
5) American Sniper by Chris Kyle

Current read : Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman

[shashanka]

The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot. An absorbing book and one that makes one go back again & again.

From the introductory blurb :

“The idea (with evidence to suggest it) that our world & everything in it – from nuts & bolts to thunderstorms & tangerines – are also only ghostly images, projections from a level of reality so beyond our own, it is literally beyond space & time.

The main architects of this mind-bending proposal are two eminent thinkers from opposite ends of the cerebral spectrum –
a) Physicist David Bohm of the Univ. of London, a protégé`of Einstein’s, and one of his generations’ most respected quantum physicists and
b) Karl Pribram, a neuropsychologist at Stanford University, and the author of the classic textbook “Languages of the Brain”.
Intriguingly, both arrived at their conclusions independently and while working from two very different directions.”

For a layman like me, this book by Michael Talbot, is engrossing – no other word for it!