Book Review of "The Mine"

"Cynicism is a crutch, a crutch that justifies the worst in us by pointing to the worst in others."

Although I enjoy psychological thrillers as a genre, I am not a big fan of out-and-out horror. I still decided to give “The Mine” by Arnab Ray a chance because I have thoroughly enjoyed his other work and a little indulgence has never hurt anyone, right? 

So even though I am probably not the right “target audience” for this book, I found “The Mine” to be adequately enjoyable. The mystery is not bad, the characterization is sufficiently layered for a horror story and even though the gore is a little too much for my taste, it is not completely off-putting. Talk about a lukewarm review for a book! A “solid” 3.5 from me.

What did bother me though is that despite the theme of the story being how some evil is hidden in all of us, the only “sin” that the characters indulge in, is lust. I understand sex sells, but I like to believe that it is not the only thing that sells. 

So anyway, if you enjoy horror, do give this a try. If you don’t particularly enjoy horror, you can still give this a try and you won’t be too put off. One absolutely great thing about “The Mine” is the super unexpected twist at the end - which literally happens on the last page, so be sure to read the Epilogue!

Book Review of "The Psychology of Money"

“When most people say they want to be a millionaire, what they might actually mean is “I’d like to spend a million dollars.” And that is literally the opposite of being a millionaire.”

In all honesty, the “Psychology of Money” by Morgan Housel is a textbook definition of a guilty pleasure for people like me - the wannabe economics readers, who despite all our pretences, end up enjoying a straightforward, practical & informative read as opposed to a deep, analytical theoretical economics book. 

“Every financial decision a person makes, makes sense to them in that moment and checks the boxes they need to check. They tell themselves a story about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, and that story has been shaped by their own unique experiences.”

Psychology of Money essentially talks about life lessons for managing, accruing & in general dealing with your money. It juxtaposes quite a few amazing real-life stories with a tangible outcome/lesson. Yes,  it does get preachy in parts. Yes, it does feel like it's just scratching the surface and avoiding the weeds of uncertainties and nuances, but I am willing to turn a blind eye to these - because the book does indeed put forth “the lessons” very succinctly. I found myself saying “aha!”, “that is so true!” and in general vigorously nodding my head throughout the reading. 

 “What’s often overlooked in finance is that something can be technically true but contextually nonsense.”

Morgan Housel was a Motley Fool columnist, If you trade in NYSE and/or Nasdaq, you are surely aware of the Motley Fool. I had picked up this book hoping for something in between the Freakonomics and Thinking Fast and Slow. Happy to report that “Psychology of Money” is neither - which is Not necessarily a bad thing mind you. No kidding, this book is literally one of the most quotable books I have read in recent years. Give this book a go! Solid 4.5/5.

“Good decisions aren’t always rational. At some point you have to choose between being happy or being “right.””

 

Book Review of "Mistborn #3 - Hero of Ages"

Brandon Sanderson really knows how to stick the landing! The Hero of Ages is a fun and tremendously entertaining book to end the Mistborn trilogy with a satisfying bang. Open questions are resolved, loose ends are tied up and just the perfect amount of opening is left for a potential sequel. 

What I liked about this trilogy is that it doesn’t try to be anything more than a fantasy story. It does what it sets out to do and it does it very well. The character development is superb, the twists are shocking enough and everyone, including the protagonist, faces the consequences of their actions! So even though, as a standalone book, Hero of Ages is not the best of the trilogy, it succeeds in ending the story in the best way possible.

“If you give up what you want most for what you think you should want more, you’ll just end up miserable.”