Book Recommendations

 I love reading books. My motto is - never be without books. I make it a point to read at least 12 books every year, a goal that I have managed to achieve last year and this year as well. I plan to stick to this for the rest of my life. I am the kind of person who carries books everywhere. And I mean everywhere. 

As a kid, I used to read a lot of fiction, starting from the likes of the Sweet Valley series and Harry Potter series to a lot of Jeffery Archer. As of late, I have started reading a lot of non-fiction. This is a fairly recent phenomenon, circa 2018. Most of the books I read are recommendations from my closest friends or cousins. I have built quite a repository of totally kickass books, so I thought I would share some of those here as well. I am going to try to write my review of the books I read much like Bill Gates in gates notes.

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All time highs

Book Review | Yellowface | Obscurity to Overnight Success: But for How Long?

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Bite-sized Review:   Yellowface, picked up on my brother's recommendation, initially lingered untouched on my table. The narrative follows Athena and June, writers tethered by an unusual connection. As June gains success riding on her "best" friend's demise, the book explores themes of ownership and plagiarism. Despite a slower pace after 200 pages, it remains a riveting tale that unexpectedly jolts, leaving you intrigued. A compelling and engaging read. Full Review: I picked up Yellowface on my brother's recommendations.  Purchasing it on instinct during a shopping excursion with my childhood friend, the book rested on my table for several days, patiently awaiting attention.  I somehow did not feel like picking it up. It has not been a great book year for me, and maybe I wasn't ready for another disappointment. But after about two weeks, I decided to finally open the book and start reading. A mere five pages in, it showed the hint of a promise and seemed rem
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The Blockchain of Trust

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I have been working in the technology space for over a year now. And it has significantly shaped my thought process and decision-making. I find myself seeking logic in every aspect of my life, to the point that I have started annoying people around me! One fine day when I was driving back home, it hit me. Trust is the foundation of how we operate. Certain people are closer to us than others because we trust them more. We believe in them. This trust is an underlying component of every friendship and relationship. Actually, let me rephrase that, it is a quintessential ingredient, without which your recipe is going to be incomplete and your friendship bland.  We all have our network of trusted friends, the individuals closest to us in this world. We would want these relationships to continue for as long as possible, and if something happens to even one of them it would be devastating. So there I am in my car, listening to Coldplay, pondering if there was a foolproof way to optimize this
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Where are the "Friends" now?

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It's been 11 years since Monica and Chandler moved out of the apartment. That was one big moment for the group, after which they all really did grow up. Their lives went into six different directions, but they still try to keep in touch. The keeping in touch does not go very well with their busy lives. But they try to meet at least once a month at the coffee house, and swap stories like old times. This has now become a tradition. Also they always always go to Monica's place for thanksgiving where she cooks them a delicious meal and the kids run around and have fun! Monica and Chandler moved to the suburbs with the twins, who are now 11 years old. Monica is not only a chef at one of the best restaurants in NY but has published two cookbooks as well. Chandler who started on a new career path is now booming in that field, He is working at a great advertising firm, but he prefers to work from home (at least half the time) and stay with the kids. They have a perfect littl
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Rain! :)

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What is it about rain that is so different from everything. It magnifies everything around us! With every drop that falls everything around you comes to life. People gather around to talk and enjoy, kids play pranks on each other, couples get romantic and within minutes you can see paper boats sailing towards their unknown destinations.Its like a black and white movie filled with color. The grass is greener, the flowers seems brighter, the children enthusiastic and the women beautiful! (bollywood movies :P ). Our bollywood movies seem to have exploited rains very well! They use it to depict sensuality and romance on one hand and sorrow on the other. The awesome wind that knocks you out and the amazing smell just lures you away from your work. You just can't seem to ignore it. You look up towards the sky full of clouds and without realizing you start seeing shapes everywhere, a dragon, a spoon and what not. It's like the clouds have a story to tell. The best part is just
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Is ignorance really bliss?

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So there is something that I have been thinking for a while now. Our lifestyles today, the independence, the freedom, the lack of any restrictions etc are all very good and is the kind of life we all have aspired to have since we were kids. Since we were able to play house, we have been dreaming of actually living that life for real. But now that I am here, I don't really see what the fuss was all about. Yeah I mean total financial independence is sort of a plus point. But then it comes with its own set of asterisks. Young adults today have far more liberty than our previous generations at that age. With lesser responsibility and more freedom, our lifestyles have somewhat gone haywire. Maybe we aren't ready for the independence that has been given at such an early stage in our lives. A person in his 20s, is already burdened with a massive change in his lifestyle, i.e. the transition from the carefree college life to that of a responsible full time employee. This in itself is
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Old Manali - Alternate realities

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As I sit down to write this, I have too many things going on in my head. Too many Manali stories, too many ideas, a lot of great places to visit if you ever happen to go down there and maybe somethings that made me think. Let me start by saying, that this short vacation to Old Manali, was by far the most chill 4 odd days I have had in I don't even know how long! It was a lot of French fries, every board game ever, sitting by the river and listening to the gushing sound of the water, smoking up to the point of indescribable chill, talking endlessly and enjoying silences, walking along the street with no purpose and trying to take one decent picture on the bridge. This was my trip. Though the best part was trekking to the waterfalls, sitting down along the water with Magoo (the doggo who led us there), eating Maggi, listening to soft music, glancing at my Malcolm Gladwell, laughing at strangers as they were attempting to get a candid profile picture just right with the girl wh
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Menstruation 101 : A guide for ignorant men

 I am fucking irritated and annoyed. If you are a woman on your period you might be able to empathize with me. But quite a bit of my irritation is not due to my menses but due to the lack of simple/ basic information regarding menstruation amongst men. For my peers who have spent about 25 odd years in this world, co-existing with women, most if not all men seem to have shockingly limited knowledge of menstruation. I can understand blaming our education system for not teaching this enough and our society for not talking about this enough, but I cannot absolve men of all blame when it comes to their minuscule knowledge.  So for all the men out there, here are some facts that you need to understand and a few pointers on behaving with women when they are on their period. We will start with the first section. What are periods? Some facts and no figures (don't worry) Basics first, so every 25-40 days (yes this range is different for every woman), our body releases an ovum and prepares fo
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Exam times!

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Normally, we find ourselves constantly postponing tasks, whether they be our daily chores or other planned activities. After all, procrastination tends to be ingrained in our nature. However, there comes a specific period, usually lasting 15-20 days, in every student's life when suddenly nothing can be delayed any longer. Everything must be accomplished immediately and with perfection. I believe you all can relate to what I'm referring to—the exam period! During this time, students will go to great lengths to avoid studying. Even those of us who typically neglect cleanliness may suddenly feel an irresistible urge to tidy up our rooms and make them spotless. The rest of the year, it might look as if a hurricane just passed through, but during these crucial 15 days, everything needs to be in perfect order. People suddenly realize they need to lose weight, buy groceries, or reach out to that aunt who called two months ago! For some of us, we attempt to broaden our creative hor
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30 days of my Notice Period

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I know a lot my posts have been a bit morbid to say in the slightest.  Apologies for all the ranting, preaching and the poems! (I might not be done yet) But somehow the sun has managed to finally wake himself up from his cozy slumber and managed to throw some light my way, putting a crack in the dense clouds hovering over. Too much imagery eh? As I am writing this, I am imagining a dark mark hovering in the sky. But yeah, getting back to the tiny bit of light I have in my life. I have been giving interview after interview for this firm for about 1.5 months now, and finally, they have decided to stop throwing case studies and guesstimates my way and graciously extend me an offer! Yay! I put in my resignation yesterday and I already feel extremely free. I have to serve one month of notice period here, where I will be extremely free, hopefully. It's barely been one day and I am already bored. So I have decided to take up one of those 30-day challenges. I have picked the one below
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Let's eat fish cutlets at Bobbys

My grandfather passed away last week. It wasn't out of the blue, we knew it was coming, but that didn't make it less sad. I had been close to him as a kid. We would go there every summer and stay with my grandparents. Being born in June, I have celebrated almost half my birthday with them. But in recent years, with my studies, college and job, I somehow lost touch, didn't find time to visit him. The last time we properly spoke to each other was at my brother's wedding. He told me he was getting weak and I told him that I didn't see it and he looked just as young, gave him a hug and then rushed off to do something. I went back to my grandparent's place last week after I think a good five years. It was exactly the same, somehow the tornado in life hadn't managed to reach this quaint road in Gorakhpur where they lived. It was just as I had left it. The same sofa, with my grandfather's neatly stacked table. The clock with the little green light, the tree
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