A Brief History of Time

TAG: Science, Origin of Universe
Rating: 3 / 5 worms

This is a book by Stephan Hawkins, a popular physicist. The book is a very nice read to get introduced to a interesting subject like Quantum physics. When a book comes from someone who is extremely passionate about the subject, who has done huge amount of research on it and is hence summarizing it in short, that too targeting the layman, with intellect of his level, it has to be spectacular! It is written in very simple language, yet it gives a glimpse of the complexity of the concepts and the non-obvious realities about nature. It is recommended book for all who appreciate science and are ready to know “time” a little better.

Love Story

TAG: Romance, Thriller
Rating: 2.5 / 5 worms

A book written by Eric Sehgal. This is a simple love story, and certainly for readers who want more, this is not a recommended read. It is a short touching story, about a couple's love, followed by marriage and finally a sad ending. It has a dreaded end for those who hate sad ending. Do not expect thrills, mystery, except some romance and a little pain. Overall, it is an average book, with little to offer to Bollywood fans who have already had hundreds of B flicks like kal ho na ho.

Digital Fortress and Da Vinci Code

TAG: Romance, Thriller
Rating: 3 / 5 worms

It’s amazing to write a single review for both of these books. I have read these two from Dan Brown and realized that these are very similar books in a number of ways. These are different stories yet structurally quite similar. First common feature is that while reading books written by Dan Brown, half of the time, the reader will be confused if the book is inspired by some true incidents or it is pure fiction. Also, he always seems to handle two parallel closely related stories side by side, one of these will be the primary one and the other one will be moving with it, which will eventually merge with the primary story line. His stories usually offer female characters prominent positions, perhaps the protagonist or equivalent one. Both the books are close to topics like encryption and coding, hence reader may also try solving a couple of puzzles simultaneously. These are certainly quite dramatized to make these interesting reads. The flow in these stories is flawless. Overall, both are nice and interesting books.

The Cosmic Code: Quantum Physics as the Language of Nature

The book is written by physicist, Heinz R Pagels. This is an excellent book written like a perfect story teller. It talks about evolution of the science to the present standards i.e. from the Newtonian physics to the modern physics fathered by Einstein. I do not know how people, who have already read a brief history of time, will find this one. This is because, I read this one before I read brief history and for me this one was a better book. Brief history is certainly favorite of many, but this one is for people who want more. It is slightly more detailed (but still its not a very thick book!) and written for people who know only a little physics. It is a fascinating description of the form "what understanding lead to what further". Its effect will last much longer than fiction, that most of the people read. By all means, this is s highly recommended book. It is a true illustrative of how interesting non fiction can get.

Devil wears Prada

All people with ruthless bosses will be able to relate to it quickly, however, everyone else enjoys it equally well. It creates an aura of fashion world around you and if you do not fantasize about this world and its celebrities, you will share all the feelings of the protagonist. But, the soul of the story is how an ambitious subordinate handles a boss, especially when boss is a ridiculous character. Both differ completely in their way of thinking. The lead character reaches on the verge of loosing everyone she cares for in life while attempting to save her insecure job. Her boss cares the least and is always up with insane demands. Some occurrences in the story make you feel nervous, irritated and you want to revolt. All through, you want to go straight to the boss to shut her up. You are irritated to know that you have to read till the end to know what can be done to such a boss. Ending is abrupt breakdown of central character, and the way she deals with it is very subjective. This is so because every person will respond to such circumstances uniquely. Breakdown is also not so obvious; you will be curious to know why was she was not able to hold it longer or why waited all this time. But until this, she will be cursing and running around continuously throughout the story. Overall it’s a nice time pass, which leaves you with a rough impression of the fashion world in New York and memories of Miranda, the devil.

Three Mistakes of My Life

This one is from one of the Indian writers who is doing quite well these days - Chetan Bhagat. Not because he is winning international awards, but because his material is easily sold. He is quite nice in cooking up stories which keep you interested, but only until you reach the end of it. This one is also a similar one, specially for those who deserve some entertainment at the day's end after getting back from work. The book is entertaining and interesting. When you read it, you will easily figure out the intention of the book. It is certainly written with a bollywood angle. It has action, drama, comedy, sex, romance, cricket (!), friendship and a happy ending. It suits the Indian youth and appeals here and there with its humor. The book makes you curious about the author, what if he wrote without that angle and leaves you with a hope of more honest account. It makes you hungry of a version where his intention of selling more copies is more subtle, and a desire of something more direct from his heart. Thus, I feel we deserve a book by the IITian Chetan and not just the MBA Chetan.

Surely you're joking Mr Feynman!

Yes you guessed it right, this is a edited book by the famous physicist Richard P Feynman. This is a nice pick for those who enjoy little facts in life. Everyone leads a life which is unique in sequence of incidents marked by few interesting ones as well. But when it comes to Feynman, it has to be special. Special, not because God made it like that, but because Feynman was living it. He is fond of making people appalled. Sometimes he does things which makes you filled with awe for his intellect. But then, other instances in the book tell of him as a human, who errs. He will make you laugh, but for that you need to know a little bit of physics perhaps, or biology, ohh!! or just a little sense of humor! The book is special, as it is a honest and brief account of incidents which appealed Feynman. It is entertaining and intriguing too. His character is to go for the simplistic solutions for the most complex realities. He makes one realize that how the most difficult situations are dealt with in the most straight forward way. It is about small stories from his life from his own perspective, collated with his own midas touche'.