The first book finished this year has been an eye opener . Not only did I not realize that the tactics used by the RW in India is mostly a refinement of tactics applied in US and LatAm, I hadn’t realized how far along we are.

Fun fact I learnt from this book - The African American vote in Southern part of the USA in the 1800s went to Republicans and the Democrats instituted Gerry mandering and disenfranchisement laws to remove the republican support

2nd book finished this year is a rather unusual sequel/tribute to the Wizard of Oz series - Martin Gardner tries his hand at writing the story of what if Dorothy came back to our world in today’s age. Just the fun read I needed this weekend to get over some rather lousy news

3rd book of this year is a must read for the entrepreneurs and air travel fans on my TL . A great story of how one can actually succeed in the low cost airline business . Also one of the rare stories where a CEO ensured the staff gets some benefit from a buyout

The 4th book of this year is a reminder of a time when I had lost all hope for cricket. A lot of it isn’t relevant anymore but I still learnt a lot both about the satta trade and about the ppl involved

This book came as a recommendation from my mother who suggested I try reading more indian authors this year. A superb compilation of short stories mostly on married life and the challenges

I have heard a lot about Aakash Chopra ‘s diary of the 2007 season . While the writing could be better , I loved the little vignettes about Sehwag giving Oakleys sunglasses to players who did well or the lesser known players who fight for recognition.

Samaresh Basu’s Mahakaler Rather Ghoda reminds how revolution leaves behind it the empty husks of many a believer while opportunists make hay. The beauty of the prose lies in what is implied be it tragic origins of the lead character or his descent into loneliness and nostalgia

I love two things about the book - it doesn’t sugarcoat the paranoia which is always there amongst revolutionaries and specially communists . It doesn’t shy away from twisting the knife in when you are almost expecting a happy ending

GS Balakrishnan’s book veers towards the other side - a lovely collection of short stories each covering moments in people’s lives. Humorous yet revealing. One of those books which got over too quickly

It’s been some years since I got this book and every Jan I tell myself I am going to read it this year. This book is the opposite of the Bond song You only live twice. There is a great line in the book “you only die twice - once when you die and once when the memory of you dies”

One more set of translations / local language short stories . Blaft has this great compilation of stories - the perfect antidote for dreary conference calls and gentle reminder email chains

The last weekend was spent reading KS Komireddy's Malevolent Republic and it's visceral and lacerating. Almost left me wondering if there is no hope left but then the kids seem to be taking the right steps so maybe they may inherit a better India.

One of the quotes that will stick with me
“Unless the republic is reclaimed, the time will come when all of us will be one incorrect meal, one interfaith romance, one unfortunate misstep away from being extinguished."

I read the memoir of Boyd last year and this book came on my TBR from the list. The Pentagon Wars is an encapsulation of how ever time, institutions align towards incentives rather than outcomes. I would be curious to read a similar book on the vaccine procurement in India

Fun fact, this got made into a movie which I believe should be a must watch for product managers. Because nothing explains the pain a PM goes through better than this video

Been in a reading rut for some days and it took a new Inspector Montablano novella to get me out . Now that Andrea Camilleri is no more, some of his earlier works/ half completed works are being published. It’s a pity as these lack the finesse or the attention to detail

An excellent follow up has been Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club. Funny, irreverent and with some excellent twists and turns. Possibly one of the best murder mysteries I have read in the last few years

Thanks to @_tharkuri got to read this interview of Rahman. Quite disappointing because it just allows Rahman to pontificate and align the interview on the high notes rather than address the deeper challenges of music composition in Kollywood / Bollywood

As I read more biographies , profiles and interviews I realize it’s rare to find writers / interviewers who can be objectively critical and ask the questions which make the subject uncomfortable or make them explain their deepest fears / desires. More often than not it becomes PR

I meant to read Ethan Sherwood’s The Victory machine last year but got stuck midway. Finished it tonight and what a great take on the juggernaut that is the Golden State Warriors. What stands out is the analysis of the egos, the emotions and the insecurities driving the players

What could have definitely been much better is the editing and some of the plot lines. There is a great bit on the GM , Bob Myers and another on how Kerr spoke with NFL coaches. I would have liked more on the coaching discussions because it is something that’s always a black box

What is missing from the book is the fact that the author was part of the ESPN digital team which was different from the traditional media channels. This shows not just in the style of writing and the repeated mentions of the old media code

Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary has one thing going for it - He returns to his strength of writing about humans finding a way out of tough situations in space through ingenuity and confidence. There is limited character development and a lot of loose ends but net net a decent read