The Complete Adventures of Feluda - Volume 1 by Satyajit Ray

Summary Of The Book 
This first volume of  omnibus collection of the renowned Feluda stories presents 16 tales of murder, mystery, and a whole lot of adventure.
For anyone who has been a fan of the Feluda-Topshe-Jatayu trio, this intriguing corpus of detective tales becomes an ideal book to own.
Satyajit Ray, the literary genius, conceived the idea of a Bengali version of Sherlock Holmes somewhere around the 1960s.
 Between 1965 and 1992, he wrote more than 30 detective stories.
The main character was Pradosh C. Mitra, better known as Feluda, an Indian version of Sherlock Holmes. 
The author also introduces readers to the Indian version of Watson or Topshe, Feluda’s 14 year old cousin, and a flamboyant and bumbling writer, Jatayu, who accompanies the other two. 
Feluda is a genius and Topshe is a dedicated admirer.
Feluda is also very picky and only chooses cases that promise a lot of intrigue and mystery.

In these plots of intrigue and sobriety, Jatayu is the ray of sunshine amidst the dreary clouds. 
He is quite a character with his English, which is often misspelled, his average writing, and his affinity towards free-verse poetry, not to mention his deductions, which are seldom right.
 He offers comic relief in these tales and has often been compared to Agatha Christie’s Ariadne Oliver.

Feluda, too, is quite an interesting character. 
He goes to sleep late but rises early, and he is a great lover of food. 
He only ever smokes Charminar cigarettes, drinks lots of tea, and never misses a session of yogasana.

In this collection, perfectly compiled, the stories are chronologically arranged so as to enable the readers to be able to trace his development from an amateur to an expert detective, well versed in his art.

With minimum violence, perfect plots, and riveting twists, this collection of short stories is an absolute treat for kids and adults alike.
 
Satyajit Ray’s writing in these stories is racy, intriguing and delightfully humorous. 

He manages to intertwine the suspense and drama of a detective story with the humour of class apart characters.

For anyone who is a fan of quality detective fiction, this book is a must read.

[Summary Source: www.flipkart.com]

 My Comments: 
I read the Volume 2 of this compilation almost five years back. See my review of the same in this blog.
Was happy to read the Volume 1 and enjoyed every bit of it.
I highly recommend anybody interested in detective stories in classic mold of Sherlock Holmes's cases to read this book



Goodreads Rating - 4.43 out of 5 (1691 ratings)
 
 

Confident Coaching - Amanda Vickers and Steve Bavister

From executive mentoring to life coaching, more and more people are turning to and/or training as coaches.
This book covers the fundamentals for those looking for an introduction to coaching.
It also offers practice and extension for people with some existing coaching experience, whether they work inside a company or in a freelance capacity, in life coaching or executive coaching, or are managers wishing to coach their in-house teams more effectively. 
Areas covered include the various stages of coaching; fundamental models, theories, and concepts; interventions; timing; and practical tips for dealing with challenging situations. 
Sample coaching interactions are included to bring techniques to life, along with activities, case studies, anecdotes, and diagrams.

[Based on the book description on Amazon.com]

 My Comments: 
A very good introductory book on Coaching.



 
 
Buy the Kindle book version.
(Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones and tablets.)

Inside Knowledge by Michael Backman

Streetwise in Asia 
Business information is one thing which should not be economized on.

While doing business in Asian markets it is very essential to understand that the scope of what constitutes business information is much wider. 
Asian business community  does not draw a solid line between the  business and non-business activities. 
Many apparently non-business aspects like family, personal connections, leisure pursuits like Golf, art collection etc. have a business component.

This book by bestselling author Michael Backman provides crucial insights into such Asian business themes. 
Through numerous examples, case studies and anecdotes it provides a  valuable guide for anybody who wants to business takes in Asia by enabling them get to grips with Asian business and understand how Asia really works.

The book begins with a chapter on people's names in Asia which shows how important it is to understand Asian naming structures for doing business in Asia.

Thereafter the book is divided into two parts: "Places" and "Markets".

"Places" includes  chapters which describe the business scenarios of  China,  Central Asian States, Malaysia and Nepal. It also has a chapter on Australian expatriates which analyzes their prominent role in the Asian offices of accounting, law and other professional services firm.

The second part of the book "Markets" deals with various commodities, products and crazes that are either unique to Asia, have come to be dominated by Asian countries, or have a particular Asian flavor.
The markets addressed  include business process outsourcing in non-Indian Asian countries like China and Philippines; Asian art and antiques; birds' nests; rare fish; diamonds; casinos; sandalwood; arms and ammunition; bad loans and distressed debts.
This part also has chapters on the secrets of Asia's five-star hotels and their guests; Thailand's sex industry; Asia's Coffee Shop revolution; India's wealthy Parsi community.

A very interesting and informative book that provides the much needed nuances to successfully do business in Asia or with Asian communities. 
Almost a decade has passed since this book was published. So some  facts and figures mentioned in this book would have become outdated. It would be great if the author comes out with a revised and updated edition of this book.

A highly recommended read !


Goodreads Rating - 4.67 out of 5 ( 3 Ratings)
 
 

Gravity by Brian Clegg

Why What Goes Up, Must Come Down

This book is a history of gravity, and a study of its importance and relevance to our lives, as well as its influence on other areas of science.

Physicists will tell you that four forces control the universe. 

Of these, gravity may the most obvious, but it is also the most mysterious. 

Although ludicrously weak compared to the other forces (a tiny magnet can hold up a piece of metal against the gravitational attraction of the whole Earth), gravity permeates our everyday life and being.

We begin with humanity's earliest ideas of how we remain stuck to the ground - a significant consideration when you realize that despite the myths, educated people have known the Earth was a sphere since the time of the Ancient Greeks. 

Along the way we'll see how the Arabic scholars explained the force of gravity, why Galileo didn't need to drop balls off the tower of Pisa, exactly how Newton came to his conclusions and why he refused to 'frame hypotheses' about gravity. 

Newton managed to predict the force of gravity but couldn’t explain how it worked at a distance. 

Einstein picked up on the simple premise that gravity and acceleration are interchangeable to devise his mind-bending general relativity, showing how matter warps space and time. 

Not only did this explain how gravity worked – and how apparently simple gravitation has four separate components – but it predicted everything from black holes to gravity’s effect on time. 

We will explore the concept of action at a distance, and see how Einstein transformed our understanding of gravitation with general relativity and consider whether the graviton will ever be discovered. We will see how birds, bees and rockets seem to defy gravity, and whether the concept of anti-gravity can move from pure science fiction to possible fact. 

Whether it’s the reality of anti-gravity or the unexpected discovery that a ball and a laser beam drop at the same rate, gravity is the force that fascinates.

Gravity never fails to fascinate...

[Based on the book description on the author Ben Clegg's website and  Amazon.com]

Link:
Hear Brian Clegg talk about gravity in a radio interview.

 My Comments: 
Many books and authors of this genre claim to explain abstruse concepts in a manner a layman can easily understand. Unfortunately though their intentions are good, they fall woefully short of this objective (at least as far as I am concerned !).
But this book came the closest in my opinion . I understood more than 80 % of what it was trying to explain.
Therefore highly recommend it to all the readers of the Popular Science genre.
 


Goodreads Rating - 4 out of 5 ( 3 Ratings)
 
 
Buy the Kindle book version.
(Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones and tablets.)

Thinkers of the East - Idries Shah

Studies in Experientialism
Thinkers of the East is a collection of anecdotes and ‘parables in action’ illustrating the eminently practical and lucid approach of Eastern Dervish teachers.
Distilled from the teachings of more than one hundred sages in three continents, this material stresses the experimental rather than the theoretical – and it is that characteristic of Sufi study which provides its impact and vitality.
The emphasis of Thinkers of the East contrasts sharply with the Western concept of the East as a place of theory without practice, or thought without action.
The book’s author, Idries Shah, says ‘Without direct experience of such teaching, or at least a direct recording of it, I cannot see how Eastern thought can ever be understood’.
[Source: http://www.idriesshahfoundation.org/books/thinkers-of-the-east]

 My Comments: 
There are over 150 short pieces of anecdotes and parables in this book dealing with various subjects (See below). Most of them convey very deep and subtle meaning which forces you to introspect. But there were several stories that I could not really understand. Wish the author had provided  annotations along with the stories  for the readers to appreciate them better. But  then any attempt to explain the underlying the teachings would defeat the purpose of experience and may not convey the entire meaning. Therefore I think it is good that the interpretation is left to the reader.


Goodreads Rating - 4.37 out of 5 ( 79 Ratings)
 
 

Subjects Dealt With in Thinkers of the East (click on the image to enlarge)

Third Man in Havana - Tom Rodwell

Finding the Heart of Cricket in the World's Most Unlikely Places
An uplifting tale of cricket – but not as you know it – making a difference in far-flung parts of the world.
When the author Tom Rodwell embarked on a cricketing tour of India, he had only thought of the game as great fun. But the simple joy of the local street kids when his team donated their kit to them made him realize that it could be more than that.
For six years Tom Rodwell ran cricketing programmes from Cuba to Zimbabwe, attempting to soothe the world’s ills with the curiously English balm known as cricket. 
Touching, amusing and imbued with a deep love of the game, Third Man in Havana documents the characters and experiences Rodwell encountered, such as Guantanamo Cricket Club opening bowler, Stalin, who perhaps unsurprisingly didn’t take kindly to his LBW appeal being rejected in Cuba’s first ever match against an England XI. 
From Beersheva Cricket Club pavilion in Israel – a converted nuclear bomb shelter, useful in the face of Hamas’ regular rocket attacks – to a game of ‘tapeball’ cricket with ex-Tamil Tiger child soldiers behind barbed wire in Sri Lanka, Rodwell discovers that the heart of the game is beating fast in countries more used to conflict than cricket.  
Third Man in Havana is a wonderfully positive story, revealing that the spirit of cricket is alive and well.
[Based on the book description on the book jacket and  Amazon.com]

 My Comments: 
Entertaining book written in a humorous vein. The impact of cricket matches on the communities could have been more elaborated upon. Nevertheless a good book to read for cricket lovers and people with the sense of social responsibility.


Goodreads Rating - 3.17 out of 5 ( 6 Ratings)
 
 
Buy the Kindle book version.
(Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones and tablets.)

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu - Derek Lin (Translator and Annotator)

The enduring wisdom of the Tao Te Ching can become a companion for your own spiritual journey.
Reportedly written by a sage named Lao Tzu over 2,500 years ago, the Tao Te Ching is one of the most succinct and yet among the most profound spiritual texts ever written. 
Short enough to read in an afternoon, subtle enough to study for a lifetime, the Tao Te Ching distills into razor-sharp poetry centuries of spiritual inquiry into the Tao the "Way" of the natural world around us that reveals the ultimate organizing principle of the universe.
Derek Lin's insightful commentary, along with his new translation from the original Chinese a translation that sets a whole new standard for accuracy will inspire your spiritual journey and enrich your everyday life.
It highlights the Tao Te Ching s insights on simplicity, balance, and learning from the paradoxical truths you can see all around you: finding strength through flexibility (because bamboo bends, it is tough to break); achieving goals by transcending obstacles (water simply flows around rocks on its way to the sea); believing that small changes bring powerful results (a sapling, in time, grows into a towering tree).
Now you can experience the wisdom and power of Lao Tzu s words even if you have no previous knowledge of the Tao Te Ching. 
Insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that describes helpful historical background, explains the Tao Te Ching s poetic imagery, and elucidates the ancient Taoist wisdom that will speak to your life today and energize your spiritual quest."
[Source: Back Cover of the Book]

 My Comments: 
There are very few books which I rate 5 out of 5. This book is one such book. 
I am astounded by the wisdom of the ancients which holds true even in modern times.
Though Tao is something which has to be experienced not explained, the author of this book has succeeded to a great extent in providing us excellent pointers towards Tao.
Felt sad to see that such a priceless book had no buyers  and was being sold in a clearance sale at 50 % discount for Rs. 99 when I bought it.