Book Review of "The Power of Habit"

Even though the name makes it sound somewhat of a preachy book, the ‘Power of Habit’ is actually quite an insightful and engaging read. The flow is smooth and the narrative style keeps you engrossed. The author has; IMO quite skillfully; managed to walk a tightrope between explaining research experiments and describing their practical business applications without getting into too much jargon.

“Habits, scientists say, emerge because the brain is constantly looking for ways to save effort. Left to its own devices, the brain will try to make almost any routine into a habit, because habits allow our minds to ramp down more often. This effort-saving instinct is a huge advantage.”

A couple of chapters talk about how smart, data-driven, research-evidence-based decisions taken by insightful leaders literally changed the future of Target, Starbucks, and Alcoa. These stories are simply fascinating to read!

“There is evidence that a preference for things that sound “familiar” is a product of our neurology. ”

The last 1/3rd portion of the book takes the lessons learned from research laboratories and from businesses and actually makes an argument about how far-reaching & impactful social change could be achieved via the power of habits. Definitely makes one ponder!

All in all, a solid 4/5

Book Review of 'Exhalation: Stories'

What makes Ted Chiang’s ‘Exhalation’ - a collection of hard science fiction stories - a unique read is the contemplative and the incisive nature of his prose. Some of the ideas in his stories are simply mind-boggling and make you somewhat uncomfortable in a Black Mirror-ey sort of way. 

Nothing erases the past. There is repentance, there is atonement, and there is forgiveness. That is all, but that is enough.

‘Exhalation’ has 9 stories in total - a couple of them are essentially short novellas in themselves. Ted Chiang’s strength is the effortless world-building in his stories. In a few short pages, each story creates a world that is both familiar and unfamiliar with its own peculiarities. 

Even when we’ve experienced the same events as other individuals, we never constructed identical narratives: the criteria used for selecting moments were different for each of us, and a reflection of our personalities.

One of the stories from Ted Chiang’s previous book became the amazing movie ‘Arrival’ back in 2016. ‘Exhalation’ definitely has a few stories that Hollywood will likely cash on. Be as that may, if you enjoy hard science fiction, do give this a go. 4/5.