Why Should Anyone be Led by You?

     Author                      Rob Goffee & Gareth Jones

     Country                    United States

     Genre                        Management

     Publication Date      2006

     Pages                        217

    





If you are looking for a management book that's real and authentic, then this could easily be your pick! The fact that this is far removed from any standard leadership theories makes it easily relatable; thereby striking an instant chord. And the title of the book: 'Why should anyone be led by you?' triggers enough curiosity to make one pick up the book.

The authors have done a commendable job in very simply defining true leadership. And this statement of mine is really an oxymoron since the very essence of the book is that there is really no definition of leadership and one has to do what works best for him. 'Being yourself' is a powerful theme in the book. Managing inherent tensions like 'being authentic while conforming enough'; 'establishing intimacy while maintaining a distance' is another core theme espoused by the book.

While there are a number of key messages, personally for me what has been a huge insight is the fact that while it's important to retain one's authenticity, one really does need to conform enough, especially in the beginning to  establish oneself in an organisation.

Another interesting insight for me was the entire concept of work life balance and how according to the authors, it's not just about spending more time at home but rather about transforming workplaces into arenas that allow for the display of authenticity. That, to me, is a really fresh way of looking at the concept of work life balance.

Like I have shared before, I am definitely not a fan of management books but reading this one has definitely been a fresh and enriching experience!

If you are thinking of purchasing a copy of this book, try out my favorite site: www.lafalafa.com; an online shopping portal which brings together some awesome deals from all large e commerce sites (Flipkart, eBay, Snapdeal and the likes) while also offering additional cash back; which you only get if you go through Lafalafa and shop at any of your e commerce sites!  

So, do check it out and Happy Reading! 

The Cairo Trilogy

     Author                      Naguib Mahfouz

     Country                    Egypt

     Genre                        Historical Fiction

     Publication Date      1957

     Pages                        1325







'One of the best books I have read in recent times': that's how I would like to describe this book. With some 1300 plus pages, its crazily long but honestly, that's one of the best parts of the book! I have never been a huge fan of short stories and now I know why. Novels or books that are as long as this grow on you and absorb you as an insider. And that is what, it my view, makes the reading experience truly intense and powerful!

The Cairo Trilogy traces the life of a traditional family in Egypt across three generations. Al-Sayyid Ahmad Abd al-Jawad is the tyrannical patriarch who rules his household with a strict hand while leading a secret life of self indulgence. The story of this family and it's upheavals  is beautifully interspersed with that of Egypt and its turbulent times.

Through this Nobel prize winning trilogy, Naguib Mahfouz brings to life the themes of family values, traditions and religion, to name a few. Another key theme that is subtly conveyed through the book is the superiority of man over woman. And it's refreshing to see how this is not presented with any judgement, but is rather factually conveyed as a mere reflection of the times. Some quotes that really bring this to life for me are:

'You're just a woman, and no woman has a fully developed mind'

'Zaynab was asking for a divorce. Which of them was the man and which the woman? There was nothing strange about a man casting away a pair of shoes, but shoes were not supposed to throw away their owner'

How women don't even consider most of these circumstances as derogatory since they have not known anything better is another interesting insight for me.

Another powerful and beautifully portrayed theme in the book is the passage of time and how that influences and moulds us along the way. As time passes and Al-Sayyid Ahmad matures from a young man with a secret life of indulgence into an old man, he becomes very different. His wife, Amina who loses her beloved son at a very young age also learns to accept fate and to allow time to take its due course. And this passage of time and its reflection on us as individuals is portrayed through each character and their independent journeys.

In short, The Cairo Trilogy is filled with drama, humour, reality, traditions, history and most essentially a flavour of having been crafted by an excellent artist. And it's no wonder that this won the Nobel Prize.

Personally, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fiction and has the courage to take on a 'massive' book!

If you are thinking of purchasing a copy of this book, try out my favorite site: www.lafalafa.com; an online shopping portal which brings together some awesome deals from all large e commerce sites (Flipkart, eBay, Snapdeal and the likes) while also offering additional cash back; which you only get if you go through Lafalafa and shop at any of your e commerce sites!  

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading! 

An Artist of the Floating World

     Author                          Kazuo Ishiguro

     Country                        United Kingdom

     Genre                            Historical Fiction

     Publication Date          1986

     Pages                             206








I have read a few books by Kazuo Ishiguro but the most memorable amongst those have been 'Nocturnes' and 'Never let me go'. On account of my extremely positive experience with these books; this Booker prize winning author has been a little special to me: his unique style with a little stroke of Japanese is something that has always stayed with me; way beyond the written word!

And it is with exactly these expectations that I picked up another one of his books: 'An Artist of the Floating World'. But as they say, high expectations lead to disappointments and that's exactly what happened here. There is no denying that this is a good book of its own accord but it surely falls short of the Kazuo Ishiguro league! I recognise that this may not be fair to the author or to the book, but such is life and the trap of expectations that it lays for us.

Set in post war Japan (1948), 'An Artist of the Floating World' traces the life of the celebrated painter, Masuji Ono and his coming to terms with the reality of the new Japan. What should have been a tranquil retirement with tasks such as attending to the garden, house repairs, his daughters and grandson, drinking with old friends; turns into an unsettling phase with constant reflection on the past and the beautiful times gone by.

Through the course of the book we see how Masuji can't help but reminiscence about the past and this constant going back is indeed one of the central themes of the book. Our inability to snap completely free from our past is what binds us down and keeps us from moving ahead. And that's perfectly portrayed through the character of Masuji. I can't help but reflect that life would have been so much simpler if we had the ability to just snap free but guess; its this inability that makes us human vs machines.

One of my favourite quotes from the book on the above theme is:
'That little world has passed away and will not be returning. The old district was dear to her heart - much of her life and energy had been invested in it - and one can surely understand her reluctance to accept it has gone forever.'

Another significant focus of the book and my personal take away is how the world of art plays a pivotal role in formulating public opinion; esp. in an evolving society. Masuji's reflection on his pieces of work and those done by his peers, students and others and how they influenced a maturing Japan bear testimony to the above.

In summary, while the book is not a perfect Kazuo Ishiguro book, it does have some interesting and insightful themes and what I have particularly liked is the fact that it ends on a rather optimistic note:
'To see how our city has been rebuilt, how things have recovered so rapidly over these years, fills me with genuine gladness.'

In summary, while this is not as good as I had expected it to be, I would encourage you to read it to find out for yourself!

If you are thinking of purchasing a copy of this book, try out my favorite site: www.lafalafa.com; an online shopping portal which brings together some awesome deals from all large e commerce sites (Flipkart, eBay, Snapdeal and the likes) while also offering additional cash back; which you only get if you go through Lafalafa and shop at any of your e commerce sites!  

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading! 

The Prophet

     Author                            Kahil Gibran

     Country                          Lebanon

     Genre                             Poetry

     Publication Date           1923

     Pages                             80           







This book is an amazing collection of simple and intuitive life concepts. There is no better way to review this than by providing a flavour of some of its best quotes!

Marriage

Sing and dance and be joyous together, but let each one of you be alone.

Children

You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

Clothes

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

Buying and Selling

It is in exchanging the gifts of the earth that you shall find abundance and be satisfied. Yet unless the exchange be in love and kindly justice it will but lead some to greed and others to hunger.

Crime and Punishment

I say that even as the holy and the righteous cannot rise beyond the highest which is in each of you, so the wicked and the weak cannot fall lower than the lowest which is in you also.

Freedom

You shall be free indeed when your days are not without a care nor your nights without a want and a grief, But rather when these things girdle your life and yet you rise above them naked and unbound. You can only be free when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfillment.

Teaching

No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep on the dawning of your knowledge.

Friendship

Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.

Talking

You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts. In much of your talking, thinking is half murdered.

If you are thinking of purchasing a copy of this book, try out my favorite site: www.lafalafa.com; an online shopping portal which brings together some awesome deals from all large e commerce sites (Flipkart, eBay, Snapdeal and the likes) while also offering additional cash back; which you only get if you go through Lafalafa and shop at any of your e commerce sites!  

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading! 

Go Set a Watchman

     Author                       Harper Lee

     Country                     United States

     Genre                         Fiction

     Publication Date       July 2015

     Pages                          278








I am not one to pass strong judgements but guess a book review blog wouldn't be worth much if one didn't do that. And hence, my two cents worth on this book is that it's highly avoidable and definitely not worth your time and money. Just as some things are best left unsaid; I would venture that some books are best left unwritten. Once written, they unfortunately do significant disservice (especially to their highly acclaimed prequel) and that's exactly what has happened here.

Harper Lee's much hyped and awaited book 'Go Set a Watchman' builds on the same themes as the original and strives to weave together a compelling story. The characters are the same; having matured with time and age. While the issues raised in the book are as powerful as the original 'To Kill a Mocking Bird', the way it's been brought together leaves much to be desired.

Jean Louis is portrayed as a strong willed and independent young woman who has her own points of view and is not afraid to confront her once revered dad "Atticus" on what she believes is unfair and unjust. Her coming to terms with the reality of her dad not being a super human but being humanly flawed just like the others is one of the central themes of the book. The evolution of her relation with Atticus and how she finally accepts him for who he is and forgives him for weaving a perfect world for her child eyes is well depicted through the story.

Some of my favourite quotes from the book that bring these themes to life are:

"Had she insight, could she have pierced the barriers of her highly selective, insular world, she may have discovered that all her life she had been with a visual defect which had gone unnoticed and neglected by herself and by those closest to her; she was born colour blind"

"You confused your father with God. You never saw him as a man with a man's heart., and a man's failings - I'll grant you it may have been hard to see, he makes so few mistakes, but he makes them like all of us. You were an emotional cripple, leaning on him, getting the answers from him, assuming that your answers would always be his answers."

Despite the above seeming powerful inserts, on the whole, the book was really hard to get through and had it not been for my persistence to finish any book I start, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish this!

In a snapshot, I would describe this book as one with a powerful theme but repetitive story line and much talked of issues. And definitely not worth being mentioned in the same breath as 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'.

If you are thinking of purchasing a copy of this book (while I am not sure you are; after this review!), try out my favourite site: www.lafalafa.com; an online shopping portal which brings together some awesome deals from all large e commerce sites (Flipkart, eBay, Snapdeal and the likes) while also offering additional cash back; which you only get if you go through Lafalafa and shop at any of your e commerce sites!  

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading! 

The Forty Rules of Love

     Author                       Elif Shafak

     Country                     Turkey

     Genre                         Spiritual (Sufism)

     Publication Date       February 2010

     Pages                         350





For the first time in a long time, I am finding it hard to pen down my thoughts on a book - and that's probably because this book has meant so much to me! It is indeed one of the most spiritually and conceptually rich books I have read in a long time and hence, the dilemma.

Elif Shafak's 'Forty rules of love' portrays Ella, a housewife who, despite having a seemingly perfect life finds something terribly missing. As part of her new assignment as a reader to a literary agent; she reads a novel by the mysterious Scottish author, Aziz Z Zahara, only to be plunged back into the thirteenth century Anatolia, where the fabled poet Rumi is transformed by the dervish Shams of Tabriz' forty rules of life and love. In her parallel life story, Ella is intrigued by the author Aziz and starts interacting with him via email and phone, only to fall in love with him.

Through the book, Elif has done a tremendous job in conveying the exquisite forty rules of love while also bringing these to life through Ella. The power of love, faith, spirituality and finding soul mates are some of the central themes of the book. Ella's practical and planned outlook to life is contrasted with Aziz's emotional, living in the present and full of love world view; as also depicted by the Rumi and Shams.

Some of my favourite quotes from the book are as below:

'Your destiny is the level where you will play your tune. You might not change your instrument but how well to play is in your hands.'

'People who cannot open up to love and follow its path the way a sunflower follows the sun are not really alive.'

'I believe we each make a covenant with God. I know that I did. When I became a Sufi, I promised God to do my part to the best of my ability and leave the rest to Him and Him only. I accepted the fact that there are things beyond my limits.'

'The totality of religion is far greater and deeper than the sum of its component parts. Instead of searching for the essence of Quran and embracing it as a whole, the bigots single out a specific verse of two.'

'If God had wanted everyone to be the same, he would have made it so.'

This book has meant a lot to me and I would highly recommend it to each and everyone of you! Have fun and be spiritual!

If you are thinking of purchasing a copy of this book, try out my favorite site: www.lafalafa.com; an online shopping portal which brings together some awesome deals from all large e commerce sites (Flipkart, eBay, Snapdeal and the likes) while also offering additional cash back; which you only get if you go through Lafalafa and shop at any of your e commerce sites!  

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading! 

Good Wives

     Author                    Louisa May Alcott

     Country                  United States

     Genre                      Classical Fiction

     Publication Date    1869

     Pages                       248







There are some books that possess an old library book smell - an amazing, yummy one that reminds one of days gone by. And 'Good Wives' was one such book. A sequel to my most favourite childhood book: ('Little Women'); 'Good Wives' helped me relive those lovely carefree days. And the story itself built around four sisters who each go through their own experiences but come together as a family to bear any extraneous events is an awesome reminder of everything that's good in the world!

True to its inherent nature of being an old world classic, this book is written in an exquisite language that's endearing. The story goes on at a favourable and comforting pace with positivity, hope and freshness as the central themes. One of my favourite quotes from the book that brings the general goodness to life is:

'I want to be above the little meannesses and follies and faults that spoil so many women. I'm far from it now, but I do my best, and hope in time to be what Mother is.'

The trials and tribulations of daily life are brought to light in the book through the lives of the four sisters. While Meg matures in her marriage and strives to be an exemplary wife and mother, Amy travels abroad to explore her independence and gain new life experiences. Jo tries her hand at writing while more significantly devoting herself to the care of her dying sister, Beth. The love and tenderness with which she caters to Beth in her last days is a lesson for all.

In short, 'Good Wives' is a 'feel good' read that absolutely matches up to the high standards set by the prequel!  So, if you are looking for something that's fun, meaningful and plain nice, you won't be let down!

If you are thinking of purchasing a copy of this book, try out my favorite site: www.lafalafa.com; an online shopping portal which brings together some awesome deals from all large e commerce sites (Flipkart, eBay, Snapdeal and the likes) while also offering additional cash back; which you only get if you go through Lafalafa and shop at any of your e commerce sites!  

You could use the link: http://bit.ly/1MJ4Fh5 to shop.

So, do check it out and Happy Reading!