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Old 7th March 2018, 13:38   #1
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The Books Thread (non-fiction)

Related Thread: Car Books

Am surprised there is no thread on books when there are for movies on Team-BHP! With such avid writers on this forum, I'm sure a lot of you are voracious readers too . Looking forward to this discussion as some of the best movies I've watched have been off suggestions in the movies thread.

I'm a regular reader and spend about 30 - 60 minutes every day reading books, whether physical or on Kindle (although physical books have their own charm).

Please share recommendations here. Non-fiction only. If you want a discussion on fiction, here's the other thread.

My reading is primarily business-related, biographies & so on. Some memorable books I've read recently, over & above the ones listed in the Automotive Books thread.

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.

Failing to Succeed: The Story of India’s First E-Commerce Company

Interesting read on Fabmart / Indiaplaza.com's early days and how it went from boom to bust. Insights on the early internet days of India as well. However, the author is biased and blames everything but himself for the company's failure. 3.5 / 5 stars.

Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator

3.5 / 5 stars. Was of personal interest to me as I wanted to know how the media & PR industries spin. I've seen in the Indian Car PR industry some of the games he talks about.

An Unsuitable Boy

Karan Johar's autobiography. If you've heard him speak, you know that he has enormous wit & intelligence. Great story of a talented filmmaker. 4 / 5 stars.

The TOI Story

3.5 / 5 stars. I enjoyed reading about the Times of India, our country's most influential (and controversial) news outlet. Taking a full star away as I found the author has missed many important points. Lacks depth, but still tells you the story.

Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi

I thoroughly enjoyed this biography of a woman who emerged as a leader in a time when women weren't empowered. Will give it 4 / 5 stars.

Trumpnation: The Art of Being The Donald

4 / 5 stars. Entertaining book on the American President and his business background. Shows you a side you perhaps never knew of him. Shady business dealings too.

Kingdom of the Soap Queen: The Story of Balaji Telefilms

Absolute junk. It looks like the book was written by a PR employee of Balaji. 0 / 5 stars. I really wanted to know more about Ekta's remarkable success story, but the writing was such rubbish that I abandoned the book.

Network18: The Audacious Story of a Start-up That Became a Media Empire

Damn good book on the controversial Network18's trials & turbulences. Quite the story, even though the author is biased toward the company and has skipped some negative developments.

Delivering Happiness

5 / 5 stars. On the incredible Zappo's story & their unique culture. A must-read for any entrepreneur.

Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of Spacex and Tesla is Shaping Our Future

Was not much of a fan of Elon Musk before reading this book, but I now am. Shows just how driven the man is, the many challenges he faced and his sheer determination of making a difference. 4 / 5 stars.

King of Capital: The Remarkable Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Steve Schwarzman and Blackstone

5 / 5 stars. On Blackstone & the investment industry.

Losing My Virginity: the Autobiography

5 / 5 stars. A great read on an extremely flamboyant & successful entrepreneur. Well-written too.

Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs

Rating 4 / 5 stars. Good read on the journey of Netflix.

A peek into my Kindle (have a lot more hard covers):
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Last edited by GTO : 7th March 2018 at 14:44.
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Old 7th March 2018, 13:52   #2
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

Interesting thread!

I have a keen interest in biographies. Some of them include:

- The Polyester prince (banned IIRC)

- It happened in India

- Ambani and sons


Have been trying to read more but exams keep popping up every now and then. Will try Elon Musk once I am done with my boards.

Regards,
Vishy
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Old 7th March 2018, 14:04   #3
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Related Thread: Car Books

Am surprised there is no thread on books when there are for movies on Team-BHP! With such avid writers on this forum, I'm sure a lot of you are voracious readers too . Looking forward to this discussion as some of the best movies I've watched have been off suggestions in the movies thread.
We do have this Book Thread. Lot of my reading is due to recommendations from here. But it is a mix of all kinds.
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Old 7th March 2018, 14:14   #4
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

Good listing there! Thank you for sharing

Couple of additions from my side:

The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew
4/5 stars: A brilliant account of how the man literally built a nation all by himself – quite an inspiring read.

My Sister's a Barista
4/5 stars: Gives a view of how Starbucks became a global brand, even getting into some very traditional markets like Japan. Quite an entertaining read, especially for coffee lovers.
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Old 7th March 2018, 14:43   #5
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

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Originally Posted by Rajeevraj View Post
We do have this Book Thread.
Yikes! Don't know how I missed it.

Let's split it then. This one for non-fiction, the other one for fiction. It was the same with movies earlier where we had a common thread, but was originally split into regional movies etc.
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Old 7th March 2018, 14:53   #6
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

For anyone who loves hunting adventure stories, especially of the feline man-eating kind, then reading Jim Corbett & Kenneth Andersen's Omnibuses are a must

My ratings for them would be:
Jim Corbett 5/5
Kenneth Andersen 4.5/5

The writing style and depiction of the stories are so good, that you can actually imagine yourself alongside them while they were on their hunting trips. The stories are simply captivating, and also give you an insight about India in the early 1900s.

Cheers
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Old 7th March 2018, 22:33   #7
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Related Thread: Car Books
Am surprised there is no thread on books when there are for movies on Team-BHP! With such avid writers on this forum, I'm sure a lot of you are voracious readers too . Looking forward to this discussion as some of the best movies I've watched have been off suggestions in the movies thread.
I'm a regular reader and spend about 30 - 60 minutes every day reading books, whether physical or on Kindle (although physical books have their own charm).
Please share recommendations here. Non-fiction only. If you want a discussion on fiction, here's the other thread.
My reading is primarily business-related, biographies & so on. Some memorable books I've read recently, over & above .....
I can't thank you enough GTO for this splendid idea - I am a lunatic reader myself (I even devour the writing on the soap wrappers when sitting on my throne in the toilet), but my reading has turned mostly to non-fiction nowadays. Going through the titles on your Kindle & the ones you have mentioned in the post, I have to say I'm impressed. To find time to read despite a packed schedule tells me that you are a driven individual! Whereas I find that having all the time in the world after retiring, still finds me looking for excuses to postpone picking up that book!



Quote:
Originally Posted by Rajeevraj View Post
We do have this Book Thread. Lot of my reading is due to recommendations from here. But it is a mix of all kinds.
Yes, that's the thread I have been thumbing through - and to be honest was feeling a bit disappointed, since most folks seemed to be interested in fiction. But no longer! - With this thread started by GTO, the non-fiction club members will have a corner now!




Quote:
Originally Posted by Joxster View Post
For anyone who loves hunting adventure stories, especially of the feline man-eating kind, then reading Jim Corbett & Kenneth Andersen's Omnibuses are a must
My ratings for them would be:
Jim Corbett 5/5
Kenneth Andersen 4.5/5
The writing style and depiction of the stories are so good, that you can actually imagine yourself alongside them while they were on their hunting trips. The stories are simply captivating, and also give you an insight about India in the early 1900s.
Cheers
Yes, Jim Corbett and Kenneth Anderson are a must on any nature lover & adventure lover's shelf. In fact Jim Corbett (may his soul rest in peace) was a nature conservationist long before the term became popular, and harped on the importance of pug-mark identification long before radio-button tracking of tigers came on the scene.

And it was through this forum that I learned that Kenneth Anderson the author, also once owned a car which is now a well known vintage classic!
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Old 8th March 2018, 10:23   #8
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

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Originally Posted by vishy76 View Post
The Polyester prince (banned IIRC)
Phenomenal book! It's no longer on sale, but even a website like goodreads has the ebook for download. Note: I do NOT support piracy, not even in music, but goodreads is a legitimate website and I'm guessing has some kind of arrangement to offer it via PDF (especially since the book is no longer published).

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Originally Posted by vb-san View Post
My Sister's a Barista
Many thanks! Will order.

Quote:
Originally Posted by shashanka View Post
To find time to read despite a packed schedule
Best time for me is the night, before hitting the sack. It's anyway better not to expose yourself to screens (smartphones, TVs) before sleeping, so I like to tuck in with a good book.
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Old 8th March 2018, 15:43   #9
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

Great thread! Though 80% of my collections are fiction, I was eyeing on purchasing Neil DeGrasse Tyson's "Welcome to the Universe" post reading his "Origins".
Most of us who know him appreciate the way he paints the pictures of facts, figures and research that's going on in such a way that a layman can understand and begin appreciating the things around him.

This book, however, is authored by three gentlemen with their expertise segmented into relevant sections within the book. The launch event of the book caught my attention on YouTube and now, am excited to have ordered it.

https://www.amazon.in/Welcome-Univer.../dp/0691177813

Last edited by abhi7013 : 8th March 2018 at 15:47.
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Old 9th March 2018, 00:49   #10
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

Nice thread. I too have recently acquired the habit of reading every day, primarily books around the business world.

Just finished reading Bill and Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company. Would rate it 4/5 stars. It talks about the formation and growth of HP and the challenges faced by the two founders during some tough years (like World War II).

Amazon link: http://amzn.to/2GaTPE8

Last edited by dZired : 9th March 2018 at 00:50.
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Old 9th March 2018, 01:07   #11
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

Amazing thread, I buy a non fiction book once in every 2 weeks as everyone in our house reads a lot. Most of my books are about Middle Eastern Wars, Biographies of dictators, leaders or someone who is controversial.

My recent reads have been

Gujarat Files - Anatomy of a Cover up
4.5/5
Absolutely amazing sting operations of famous police officers, leaders, IPS etc which gives a brilliant account of Gujarat and it's government, Chief Minister, Home Minister and its entire machinery's hand in Godhra riots as well as the fake extra judicial encounters, killings, hits on rival political leaders. An eye opening read for anyone who wants to know the truth about some of our leaders.

Shunt - The Story of James Hunt
3.5/5
It has all you will ever want to know about the Legend James Hunt, although a very short lived racing career because of his antics, he belonged to the era when bad boys ruled the roost. If you are his fan, you must read this!

Will update on the list as I get more time
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Old 9th March 2018, 08:20   #12
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

For the dog-lovers among us (yes, I am one), James Herriot remains one of my all time favourites. His anthologies "All creatures great & small", "All things wise & wonderful", "The lord god made them all" each are a collection of his short stories, from his own life. Written in his unique anecdotal style, hilariously funny and poignant at times, these books are soul food for the animal lover.

James Herriot was a practicing vet in Yorkshire, England and all his stories are recollections of his experiences as a vet - filled with colorful characters, humor and great dog stories.

Last edited by shashanka : 9th March 2018 at 08:22.
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Old 9th March 2018, 14:51   #13
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

It is a well known fact that men are logically driven and women are emotionally driven. This book captures such basic differences between men and women and gives us a better perspective about the opposite sex. A good read, especially if you are married or in a relationship and wondering why your partner melts your heart at some times, and gets on your nerves at others !

It really is a guide to surviving the opposite sex !

The Books Thread (non-fiction)-mars_venus.jpg
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Old 9th March 2018, 19:38   #14
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

"Economics Peace And Laughter" by John Kenneth Galbraith is another great read. For "economics" laymen like, me it came as a breath of fresh air on a subject notoriously dry & humorless. 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.
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Old 10th March 2018, 17:38   #15
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Re: The Books Thread (non-fiction)

"The Moon's a Balloon", David Niven's autobiography is that rare object, an actor's autobiography that is as gripping and un-put-downable as any good whodunnit.

He is as fabulous and hysterically funny as a writer as he was on screen. A must read for all lovers of good humour that would lift one's mood from the depths!
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