Picasso's War

At a time when one feels helpless that nothing one does will make a difference to the world, this book is the much needed truth. It makes you want to believe. It will tell you to be very very afraid of the violence and deceit the people of the world are capable of. But mostly it is the story of one man's belief, that will make you think, try a little harder and more than anything else, believe.

'Indian Summer' in winter

History that you will not read in Indian textbooks. I for one feel very vindicated on account of Gandhi but am not sure of the glorified Nehru legacy. An intimate look at the Raj, Independence and Partition. The romance between Nehru and Edwina didn't bother me and doesn't skew the narrative either.

Kitchen Confidential - Adventures in the culinary underbelly

If I didn't like Anthony Bourdain before, now I love him! This book just proves that one need not use big eloquent words for the book to work, Honesty will do. And AB makes it work very well.

Also I have given up the long cherished dream of opening a restaurant. I knew it was hard but didn't realise how hard!

This book is guidebook for chefs, eye opener for lay people who know nothing about restaurant business and to me it was simply inspirational!

I loved the book!

My rating 4.5 on 5 (I could give it 5 but just being stingy like the math teacher from school)

The ugliness of the Indian Male and other propositions

Needless to say the title prompted me to pick up the book. Mukul Kesavan is a professor of history with a penchant for cinema and he is humourous too. The book is a collection of his essays on topics ranging cinema, documentary and how chennai might as well be another country.

Although I expected the entire book to be about the title, the array of topics wasn't disappointing in any way.

I only differed with his views on the choice of subjects for documentaries. It makes a very ineresting read.

My rating 3 on 5