The Zombie Survival Guide
- Max Brooks
(Score 5/10: A elaborately woven fiction about somabula virus which causes a person to become a Zombie, how to recognize one, what to do to run, to defend, to attack, what weapons, means of transport, accommodation - the book goes on and on in such a serious tone and such detail and completeness, that you would almost wonder for a while if Zombies exist after all. The last 75 pages, in which the author documents Zombie attacks right from 2000 B.C., is particularly entertaining. Around 250 pages. Read Jan 2013)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Jeff Kinney
(Score 7.5/10: This is the first in a series of books about Greg Heffley and his high school dramas. It is a story told in cartoons. Though the recommended reading age is 9+, it is equally enjoyable light reading for adults. Can be enjoyed in under an hour in a train or a bus stop. Around 200 pages. Read Jan 2013)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- Stephen Chbosky
(Score 8/10: An easy read book around the everyday life of a teenager growing up. This book is not about verbosity or flowery language; it is about honestly narrating the everyday happenings through a series of letters. Charlie, the main character, is a wallflower, i.e. he goes where the wind takes him - not in a carefree kind of sense, but in the sense that he looks for inclusion by going along with where others choose to take him. Right until the end, where he realizes because of his friends - Patrick and Same - that things could be different. These lines in the epilogue summarizes it all - "So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there.". Another epic line - "We accept the love we think we deserve". Around 220 pages. Read Dec 2012)
The Engagement
- Chloe Hooper
(Score 6/10: This is almost as if it were written for a mini-series. Quite a dark underlying plot with enough twists to keep engaged. The story is about a real estate agent in Melbourne who shows a wealthy client various properties and they make out. This, until she gets a proposal from her client to join him at his rural mansion for 3 days before she leaves the country. What is supposed to be a play-act turns out to be quite intense and right until the very last line, the reader keeps guessing about whether the characters are play acting or has the plot leapt into reality. Around 200 pages. Read Dec 2012)
A Short History Of Australia
- Manning Clark
(Score 7.5/10: If there is one book you should be reading to understand the twists and turns of what shaped Australia, this is it. Consider these facts - The declaration of independence of USA caused the birth of Australia. Why is Canberra situated around mid-way between Melbourne and Sydney. What causes Australia's close ties with Indonesia and Sri Lanka (other than geographical proximity). How did the various Governors of Australia shape the history. Admittedly, the style is completely dry and it takes a little bit of an understanding of a few terms that are not completely or clearly explained in the book. But overall, a good job explaining the history in a concise fashion. Around 400 pages. Read Mar-May 2012)
Best Practices: Building your business with customer focused solutions
- Anderson Consulting: Rober Heibeler, Thomas B
Kelly, Charles Ketteman
(Score 6/10: This book reinforces, through real life
examples, that great companies go to great lengths to serve their customers. Read sometime in 2005)
101 Good Ideas: How
to improve just about any process
- Edited by
Karen Bemowski, Brand Stratton
(Score 6/10: Only few good ideas amongst the 101. Read sometime in 2005)
- Buzzer Technique: In any classroom session, have a buzzer that people will hit in case they do not understand anything. But remember - the novelty of the buzzer will quickly wear off OR people will start using it indiscriminately. A physiological analysis will make it clear why a buzzer is good - 1) Novelty 2) Good for senior people who are sitting in the classroom after a long time. This is because raising hands does not guarantee immediate attention, which can sometimes inhibit questions from flowing.
- Catchball: In this method, only the guy with the ball can speak in the call. If another person wants to speak, he has to acquire the ball first. On the upside, this is a good way to let people express their ideas fully without being cut by anyone else. This is a very useful way of controlling a class when the topic is exciting and a lot of people want to contribute simultaneously. But, on the downside, people may start focusing more on getting the ball and stop listening to what the person is contributing, so ideas would not be built on. Also, this will inhibit a few persons to present their views, because they will simply give up trying to get the ball.
Harvard Business
Review on Change
- Harvard Business
School Press
(Score 7/10: This book deals with, as is obvious, change.
The reading doesn’t impress much when read as a general reading. However, it
will make good sense for change leaders to read this before a change program,
hence the high score. Read sometime in 2005)
- Whenever the status quo seems more dangerous than launching into the unknown, that is when you go for change.
- "Pity City" is a powerful technique about knowing what employees feel about the organization, and at the same time, make employees feel good about their work. It goes like this - Every Friday afternoons, the team meets up and for the first 15 minutes, makes a visit to Pity City. People start talking about how horrible things are around out here, and how difficult a time they have. Then, for the next 15 minutes, they go to "Brag City", where they showcase all their little victories - the things that had worked, how problems turned into success. This builds up camaraderie amongst the employees.
Who moved my cheese
- Dr. Spencer Johson (Rupa Book
House, Rs. 90)
(Score 9/10: This book talks about a way that you can cope
up with change. An inspirational book that urges all people affected by change
to get up and move on, rather than sulk and fret. Book contents have been
internalized. Read sometime in 2005)
- Whenever in doubt about what to do, ask yourself only one question - What will you do if you weren't afraid?
- When you move beyond fear, you feel free
Emotional
Intelligence
- Daniel
Goleman (Banter Books, $5.75)
(Score – To be read later)
30 minutes … to make
the right decision
- Jane
Smith (Koran Page, Rs. 45, 54 pages)
(Score 3/10: Not quite
worth reading. Read somewhere in 2005)
The Suitable Boy
- Vikram Seth (1474 pages, 1994
Bookers Prize Winner)
(Score 7/10: Drags in between – perhaps too long. Read somewhere in 2005)
The power of SIX
SIGMA
- Subir Chowdhury (160 pages)
(Score: 8/10. Explains the fundamental concepts of 6 sigma
through a simple story. Entertaining and informative. Read somewhere in 2005)
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