I was in Kathmandu last December and this time visited the Narayanhiti Palace. I had heard about the Nepalese royal massacre. My friend gave some insights that resulted in me picking the book. I was curious to know about Nepal Monarchy and, the book takes us through the journey from the very beginning (1775-1914). I …
Category Archives: Book Reading Notes
the body
I think it was Aparna who recommended this book to me. The author Bill Bryson has written dozen other books as well. I have been taking care of my health more in the last four years. The only way I could have gone through the pain of running my startup and books were a great …
Land Of The Seven Rivers
Last week I picked up Land Of The Seven Rivers by Sanjeev Sanyal.I loved the book and the amount of research the author has gone through writing the book. It starts with Harappa culture, talking about the Aryans, and goes from Mahabharata to all old Kingdoms and the Mughals. I could imagine walking as reading …
How democracies die
Last week while traveling, I had picked up: How democracies die. As the title suggests, the book talks about changing countries ruling from democracy to dictatorship. In the chapter, the author cites many examples of how the dictators, from the crowd selected by the democratic process and slowly and gradually started killing the pillars of …
Powerful
The book ‘Powerful” by Patty McCord talks about hiring and the overall culture at Netflix. Patty was an early recruiter there and these days consults startups by teaching how and what to hire. If you have read No Rule Rules by Reed Hastings, I don’t think you need to read this book. Building an initial …
missionary
We need people in a team like a missionary, with a common goal and belief, ones who are with us for long-term gain. Building a startup is not for everyone. It requires a lot of patience, persistence, and perfection. As a missionary team, we should have a common purpose. Everything falls in place. And every …
mercenaries
When building a startup for long-term success, the team should avoid mercenaries. One simple reason for this is that mercenaries think for the short term and about themselves first. They want the best outcome for themselves and, when the ship is sinking, they will be the first to disappear. If paid more, mercenaries will also …
mutual tolerance
I am halfway through the book: How democracies die. One part of the book talks about mutual tolerance and its importance in keeping democracy alive. It means running the country together with some disagreement among the ruling and opposition. At the same time, the government and judiciary work together and keep democracy alive. Once mutual …
Murder at the Mushaira
I picked this book while I was roaming at the newly arrived section at Blossoms. My attachment to Urdu and Delhi was the reason for it. The book takes twists and turns also has Mirza Galib, the famous poet acting sleuth. I enjoyed the narration. Raja Mir, the author, has covered the tiniest details. It made …
Grinding it out
I remember Karthik suggesting a dozen autobiographies last year and, Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, was one of them. Since I had seen the movie on Netflix, so skipped reading it. Last week I was bedridden due to cough/cold, that is when I picked up few books, this was one of them. Ray Kroc is a legendary …