Book Review of "The Mahabharata Murders"

“The smile is the cruelest balm of all. It covers the wound from the outside and keeps it open from the inside.”

The Mahabharata Murders is a gripping, fast paced and a perfect edge-of-the-seat murder mystery novel. It’s fun, it's fast and it's entertaining. No subtext here, nothing deep or philosophical, it delivers on what it promises - an engaging story for one to enjoy. 

The mystery is sufficiently engaging, but it’s the characters, the flawed & the vulnerable protagonist and an equally peculiar antagonist make it a worthwhile read. To me at least, a couple of parallels to the Mahabharata characters seem a bit stretched and drawn out but the rest of them fit fairly well.

This book reads more like a movie screenplay, but a good screenplay, so you wouldn’t be disappointed. All in all, a perfect weekend read - 4/5.

Book Review of "Steve Jobs"

Regardless of whether you an Apple fanboy or not, regardless of what you think about Steve Jobs' legendary management techniques, the autobiography by Walter Isaacson is a superb read. It is thoroughly researched, meticulously crafted and above all brutally honest. There is some sugarcoating no doubt. After all it is an autobiography, so a little leeway is to be expected. 

"Was he smart? No, not exceptionally. Instead, he was a genius. His imaginative leaps were instinctive, unexpected and at times magical."

It has excerpts from more than hundreds of interviews of people that closely worked with him - his colleagues, his bosses and also his not-so-well wishers. Walter Isaacson has done a good job of providing a detailed account of everything and yet maintain an excellent narrative pace with cohesive storytelling.

There are numerous aspects of his work-life that you a glimpse into. His negotiation techniques, his ability to judge a person correctly almost always and willingness to do anything to "get things done" (including crying & wailing in meetings). Despite philosophical differences that you might or might not have, it is fascinating to read about his life story. Especially Steve Jobs' handling of Pixar and the reverse acquisition saga of Disney is mind boggling and you can not help but admire his amazing business acumen.

"When he hurt people, it was not because he was lacking in emotional awareness. Quite the contrary: He could size people up, understand their inner thoughts, and know how to relate to them, cajole them, or hurt them at will."

I am not big on reading autobiographies. But glad I made an exception for this. A definite 5/5 IMO.

"Emotional outpourings are too often reserved for the deaths of drug numbed rock stars and troubled princesses. It was refreshing to see an entrepreneur celebrated"