Review: Brain Food: How to Eat Smart and Sharpen Your Mind

Brain Food: How to Eat Smart and Sharpen Your Mind by Lisa Mosconi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We have among the most complex brains among all animals, and also the most demanding as a result. This book is an important one as it brings together current research to recommend how we can eat for better brain performance and safeguard ourselves from dementia in later years.
A very small fraction of dementia cases is caused due to the genes (<1%), and brain health in later years is largely determined by what we eat, and also our lifestyle. This book covers all aspects holistically though the emphasis is on the diet.

This book has a wealth of information on the impact of fats, sugar, vitamins, protein on brain health. It starts off with the benefits of hydration, with plain water being the best (filtered of harmful germs but not purified which tends to remove useful minerals), with other options being coconut water, aloe vera juice or green tea. There is a detailed discussion on fatty acids – Omega 6 & Omega 3. Most of us do not get enough Omega 3 in our diet, the recommended proportion being Omega 6: Omega 3 - 2:1. Fish apparently is the best source (not an option for vegetarians like me), with there being other vegetarian options such as flaxseed, hemp seeds, chia seeds and others.

There is a discussion around the benefits of Phospholipids, Tryptophan, Phenylalanine, Choline, Vitamins, Pre- & Pro-biotics and how we can obtain these from the foods we eat. The foods to avoid finds good coverage as well especially trans-fats, sugar, processed food, etc. Glucose is vital for the brain, but processed sugar elevates the risk of diabetes, heart health and is also bad for the brain. There are, however, various natural ways to obtain the glucose we need.

There is brief coverage on other aspects of brain health –exercise, walking, sleep, relationships and other aspects of lifestyle. At the end of the book is a discussion on a few diets across the world which have been found to improve health and promote longevity. There is also a list of healthy brain foods provided as part of the book.

This is an important book to understand how we can modify our diets to improve brain health. While the foods options discussed are largely relevant to the US and the western world, it is quite possible to make suitable modifications to other cuisines as well based on the ingredients discussed.

My rating: 4.5 / 5.


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Review: Colombiano

Colombiano by Rusty Young
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Colombiano is probably the best book I have read this year, and it is a year when I have read several good books. A story about innocence being quickly lost in the face of tragedy & violence, though love still offers hope. It is an extremely well written and powerful story.

Llorona is a small town where the Guerillas (a violent mob leading to Communist philosophy) hold sway, with the Colombian police and army being especially weak. Col Buitrago has the right intentions but does not have the resources to keep the Guerillas at bay.

Pedro is a young lad who cannot wait to get to 16 years of age, when he can deepen his relationship with his girlfriend Camila. His family soon faces tragedy as his father, a peace loving & respected man in town, is shot by the Guerillas in front of his eyes. Their property is confiscated and his mother moves with Pedro’s Uncle Leo. Pedro is consumed by a burning rage, and is determined to avenge his fathers murder. The Autodefensas are a rival gang who hold sway over other parts of the country, and were formed primarily to resist the Guerillas, with landowners and people impacted by the crimes of the Guerillas supporting them. Pedro and his friend Palillo (who has an abusive step father) join the Autodefensas.

Pedro’s life turns into one where violence soon emerges as a way of life. Pedro and Palillo do make some new friendships (especially Palillo’s relationship with Piolin), but Pedro drifts apart from Camila, much to his agony. As Pedro, with Palillo’s help, seeks out his fathers murderers, he still struggles to find peace in the face of terrible violence.

This is a large book, but moves fast and is an excellent read, other than being an important one. The vicious cycle which violence creates is explored very well. A lot of the violence though is quite raw, brutal (probably very realistic though) and far more than what I have been used to reading.

A book I strongly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for a free electronic copy of the book for providing a review.


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Review: A Quiet End

A Quiet End by Nelson DeMille
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book I read of Nelson DeMille. It works up a good pace and has a strong hero character in John Corey (who I understand figures many other books). The book suffers though from a basic, largely far-fetched and simplistic plot & sequence events.

John Corey is part of the Diplomatic Surveillance Group and watching the Russian UN team. He is accompanied by a young trainee – Tess Faraday. John soon uncovers a Russian plot to set off a nuclear bomb in New York, with a plan to deflect the blame. The Russian Intelligence Service Colonel Vasily Petrov is the main mover with a few of his sidekicks. John takes considerable risks, slipping into a party as part of the catering team and later pursuing Petrov & gang at sea, and Tess supports him.

John Corey is the tough guy – as you would expect in a story such as this. He is extremely confident, and has this excessively independent streak. Quite a bit of the humour he indulges in is not funny though and just comes across as a display of vanity.

Many readers have pointed that a few of the other books featuring John Corey are much more engrossing, and I hope to read some of his other books soon. This book also is a decent read, largely for the pace it whips up.

My rating: 3.25 / 5.

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Review: The Murder Suspect

The Murder Suspect by Rani Ramakrishnan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book of the author that I read, after 'Lethal Acoustics'. This is a murder mystery which moves fast. The writing is good but the book suffers from an average plot.

Nalini Bose is the HR head of an IT startup IndeGen, whose CEO is Piyush. There is an annual getaway the company has for high achievers. A group of people from the company including Piyush's brother in law Chirag (who is mentally challenged) head to Cumbojee islands (part of Lakshadweep). Piyush's wife Pakhi is the daughter of Bharat Desai who is rich and very well connected.

Piyush and Chirag go missing one night. While Chirag is found later, Piyush is found dead in a swamp. Nalini is the prime suspect as she is in a relationship with Piyush, and her aggressive behaviour arouses the suspicion of the chief investigator from the CBI Avinash Choudhary. As Avinash tries to piece together the evidence, it is clear that is a complex case.

The main issue is that this comes across a yet another murder mystery book. Also some aspects of Nalini's behaviour, and especially some incidents from her past are not well narrated, come across as silly and detract from the story.

It is however a good book to relax with as it moves smoothly.

My rating: 3.5 / 5.

I was provided a free ebook by the author for providing a review.


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Review: I See You

I See You by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

‘I See You’ is a decent crime thriller. The story is good and does keep you hooked by shifting suspicion among its many characters in a subtle manner. It overall somehow falls a little short in packing a punch in both the buildup of the story, and the suspense.

Zoe Walker works at a real estate firm and one day sees her photo in the classifieds section of a newspaper. Surprisingly, this leads to a dating site which she has never registered with. Very soon, Zoe learns that other women previously advertised have become victims of crimes which makes Zoe fearful for her safety. Her home situation is complex as well with a previous divorce, a current live-in relation and two teenage children. Her son has made some mistakes in the past and her daughter is keen to be an actress which Zoe thinks is impractical.

Zoe gets the feeling that she is being watched. PC Kelly Swift takes a personal interest in Zoe’s case including finding the commonality with the other women whose photos have appeared in the classifieds. The key to the puzzle behind the crimes seems to be the dating site FindTheOne.com.
With several characters in the story, and an incident here and there, the suspicion constantly shifts. The descriptions around Zoe's and Kelly's families does strengthen the characterization, but also slackens the pace.

This story had more potential but is still a good and easy read.

I noticed after reading the book, that many have recommend the author’s other book “I Let You Go” as a more engrossing read which I hope to read shortly.

My rating: 3.5 / 5.


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Review: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading both Sapiens and Homo Deus, especially the former. This book picks up the thread and is set between the matter of Sapiens (now Homo Sapiens came to rule the Earth) and Homo Deus (what awaits us in the future) in terms of time scales. While the author talks about this book’s matter being more relevant to the present, it is still set out a little into the future.

The book starts with the impact of technology – robotics, artificial intelligence and biotechnology. This is going to mean a large-scale shift in the nature of jobs – with low end jobs set to disappear. This will lead to the emergence of what Yuval Noah Harari describes as a ‘useless’ class who will be unemployable. In the later part of the book he discusses ideas for the revamp of the education system. Till date, education has been about imparting of information & knowledge – there is little purpose in that any more with access to information being easier than ever before for anybody.

The political shift worldwide is discussed in some detail – including the apparent decline of liberalism. He talks about the emerging popularity of nationalist parties worldwide. In the later parts of the book, Yuval warns of the dangers of looking at aggregate data which is less personal, but in my opinion makes that mistake himself in the political section. Voters often only have a binary choice and the aggregate results make it appear as if they have chosen an ideology rather than voted for specific individuals.

There are further sections on immigration, religion, justice and finally on meditation. The discussions on mythology are far less nuanced and meaningful as compared to Joseph Campbell’s writings. The section on secularism makes some great points.

There are many brave and frank insights throughout the book, including on religion. There are several issues with the narrative though – a very pessimistic tone, disjointed sections and abrupt conclusions. And yet, it is a book which is intellectually stimulating and makes for great reading for that reason alone. The topics in the book are those which all of us should be thinking about. As Yuval Noah Harari points out, most of us are too busy trying to attain power and control circumstances, rather than understanding ourselves & the world we live in.

My rating is more liberal than my usual standards due to the highly intellectual, important and engaging content of the book.


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