TAG: Romance, Thriller
Rating: 3 / 5 worms
Posted by: Memyself
This not so well known book is the debut book of journalist turned writer Amit Verma, who used to work for a Mumbai tabloid now WSJ, Guardian and Observer. This guy is also known for his famous blog India Uncut.
The book reveals a story of a journalist of the Crime beat section in a tabloid, who one day receives a routine call from a boring Inspector to cover a significant arrest. The arrest is in the areas where police has been informed that people of Chhota Shakeel gang are hiding. The journalist, along with his photographer, accompanies them to the place for the arrest, where gunshots would be the last resort as assured by the Inspector. Then he hears a scream, which he thinks of a female, and gets poised to shoot. A little commotion follows. After 2 minutes constables come out followed by their inspector whispering something which he was not able to understand then but now remembers clearly as “Thank God! He was a Muslim“.Inspector informs him that Mohammad Iqbal, a Chhota Shakel gang member has been killed in an encounter after he tried to fire back. Then, the journalist was told to leave.
After around 6 days, his boss calls him up tells him that they are going to start a new section for which he needs to cover a new story. He is told to meet a lady from a NGO, who was accomapanied by a frail looking girl. She reveals a shocking connection of the encounter and this girl. The floor slips from under journalist's feet. So, did the cops screw up?
What follows is how the protagonist uncovers this story and how a relationship emerges between the cynic journalist and the girl. A recommended read if you find fiction boring. A short book with much of a content.
Liar's Poker
Labels: Fiction, NonFiction
book review
TAG: Autobiography, Investment Banking
Rating: 3.5 / 5 worms
Curtesy: My BF
This a semi-autobiographical book written by former Salomon brothers’ gives an excellent insight into Investment banking.
The book attempts a post-mortem of Salomon Brothers’ disastrous fall in 1980’s through a keen eye of Michael Lewis, then LSE pass out. The name suggests the powerful game of bluffing, where fear and greed are the main, and I think, only drivers of the game, yet interestingly, the expertise of these two is the pre-requisitive for Trading. The book describes how in early 80’s, US Legislative barons took steps to change the basis of interest rates from fixed to floating, opening a completely new era of Bonds trading. The book details on how n whys of Salomon brothers lead the game initially, following which, dollar eyed Wall Street bankers realised the loop holes in the ordinance and tried to outweigh each other. It describes the bank from the Sales perspective, where these are the main people facing and handling the client’s needs and expletives.
In the book much stress has been on the built up part rather than the crash, which is just confined to 11 pages. This may be partly because author left Salomon seven months before the crash and partly due to the fact that he was present in the upside, both mentally and physically. All in all, I enjoyed reading this book with comic element in it because it explained how banks make money out of Bond Trading, although margins have thinned on these now. Having read his columns on WSJ and Wilmott, the book familiarized with Mike’s novel skills and confirmed his opinion that the source of the falls and/or rises remain US Fed - be it Salomon, LTCM or Lehman.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 worms
Curtesy: My BF
This a semi-autobiographical book written by former Salomon brothers’ gives an excellent insight into Investment banking.
The book attempts a post-mortem of Salomon Brothers’ disastrous fall in 1980’s through a keen eye of Michael Lewis, then LSE pass out. The name suggests the powerful game of bluffing, where fear and greed are the main, and I think, only drivers of the game, yet interestingly, the expertise of these two is the pre-requisitive for Trading. The book describes how in early 80’s, US Legislative barons took steps to change the basis of interest rates from fixed to floating, opening a completely new era of Bonds trading. The book details on how n whys of Salomon brothers lead the game initially, following which, dollar eyed Wall Street bankers realised the loop holes in the ordinance and tried to outweigh each other. It describes the bank from the Sales perspective, where these are the main people facing and handling the client’s needs and expletives.
In the book much stress has been on the built up part rather than the crash, which is just confined to 11 pages. This may be partly because author left Salomon seven months before the crash and partly due to the fact that he was present in the upside, both mentally and physically. All in all, I enjoyed reading this book with comic element in it because it explained how banks make money out of Bond Trading, although margins have thinned on these now. Having read his columns on WSJ and Wilmott, the book familiarized with Mike’s novel skills and confirmed his opinion that the source of the falls and/or rises remain US Fed - be it Salomon, LTCM or Lehman.
Fifth Miracle
Labels: Fiction, NonFiction
book review,
Non Fiction
TAG: Science, Origin of Life
Rating: 3 / 5 worms
Fifth Miracle, written by Paul Davies, is another of the well written books on origin of life.
It has some very important points discussed, for example, it discusses how it is indeed true that the new species, which develop due to a mutation, are not always better versions of the one they evolve from. This means that mutations are accidental and not a nature’s way to modify the existing species towards the better. The author states various examples to support this idea. Many of the life forms perform their life functions using methods which are clumsy and there are clear scopes of improvement. Yet there has been no mutation in millions of years to bring about any such changes. Man, supposed to be the best, cannot fly or swim, although monkeys can swim and never need a boat to sail across the rivers.
Also, the book describes micro organisms as the possible the first step to life, micro organisms have the capability to live in extremely harsh conditions and surviving in it for several decades at a stretch. They have complex mechanisms to deal with such situations, which even human will envy. In fact human system is much too poor to handle any thing abnormal and gets severely affected very soon.
Paul states much more and elaborate stuff and of course, with much better charm.
Blind Watchmaker
Labels: Fiction, NonFiction
book review,
Non Fiction
TAG: Science, Evolution of life
Rating: 4 / 5 worms
Richard Dawkins is one of the bests when it comes to writings on origin of life on earth. He is lucid, vivid and focused. He provides both evidence and logic to substantiate his support for the theory.
Origin of life continues to be a subject of contention since hundreds of years.
The book is in defense of the Darwin’s theory of origin. The book also comes with a software which simulates how a minor change magnifies in millions of years to produce entirely separate lineages. The crux of the book is that a minor change which is called mutation happens accidentally and produces most spectacular results, hence, the book is called 'blind' watchmaker. Millions of years of evolution, scale unimaginable for human mind whose life barely stretches few decades, provide fantastic plot for development of something as complex as life in the form we know it today. The idea presented in the book has full ability to put you into trance.
Book also mentions how people find it hard to believe that as a specie, our main aim is to reproduce and carry it forward to which ‘existence of the fittest’ constantly poses a challenge. The book is pure science and is likely to change the way you have been thinking ever since you started thinking.
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