Gone Before by Terry Korth FischerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Good Books Lift You!
Sunday, February 27, 2022
Monday, February 21, 2022
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Review: Tiruvannamalai Beckons: A 1000 Km solo drive from Pune to Tiru
Tiruvannamalai Beckons: A 1000 Km solo drive from Pune to Tiru by Parag ShahMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
At ~40 pages, this is an easy and breezy read. It starts with Parag's idea of going on a long solo road-trip right since the time he was doing his Masters in the US. Paul Brunton's book A Search In Secret India: The classic work on seeking a guru interested him in visiting Tiruvannamalai where other than the historic importance, Sage Ramana Maharishi stayed most of his life. I loved Paul Brunton's book as well, and find Ramana Maharishi's teachings to be profound myself - among the most influential mindfulness teachers who emphasized the importance of real experience.
As one would expect on a long road trip there are interesting interactions and challenges. Parag takes the route via Belgavi and Bangalore.
The writing is very good and characterized by simplicity - very honest with no pretentions. A very good short read.
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Saturday, February 12, 2022
Review: Unstoppable: My Life So Far
Unstoppable: My Life So Far by Maria SharapovaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I remember watching Maria Sharapova play and generally liked her style & demeanour – she could exude a steely determination & confidence. I did not know too much beyond that of her life and the book summary was enticing. Maria’s family lived in Belarus, just about 80 miles from Chernobyl. She took up the name Maria in the US – instead of persisting with Masha which was often mispronounced as ‘Marsha’. Due to the Chernobyl disaster, their family decided to move to Sochi. Maria’s dad Yuri sensed her potential early and started learning tennis from the age of 4. In one match, after watching her, Martina Navratilova suggested to her dad that she would benefit by attending a training academy in Florida.
Maria’s dad decided to make her tennis career his goal in life and applied for a US visa when she was 6. They landed in Florida with a sum of $700, and with no-one to receive them, they went over with some people they met on the flight for the night. The initial many months were a huge struggle with their finances depleting fast. Based on her game, Maria later got a scholarship with the Nick Bollettieri tennis academy. It was well over 2 years before her mother got a visa to join them in the US. There are a lot of details of her training and how she rose to play professionally at the age of 14. There was also a period of confusion on whether she should go left-handed. This was the period when the Williams sisters rose to the top, especially Serena. 2004 represented a key breakthrough moment for Maria when she beat Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final at the age of 17. As per Maria, she heard from someone else that Serena was furious after her Wimbledon match, and this set off a bitter rivalry – with Serena winning a lot of their subsequent matches. Her hectic lifestyle and constant travel took a toll on any potential relationships. It is after many years that she moved away from her dad being a constant presence and a coach.
In the 2016 Australian Open, Maria failed a drug test with Meldonium being found in her blood. The ban for this substance came into effect only from Jan of that year. She had been taking a medication which had this substance for the past 10 years under prescription for heart health, and did not realize that this was now disallowed. This invited a 2-year ban which was subsequently reduced to 15 months on representation. The verdict did make the point that it seems to be completely inadvertent with no intention of cheating.
I loved the first half of the book on her early life and struggles. A lot of the material is very inspirational and a lot of credit goes to her dad for putting her career above everything else. The extent of sacrifice and challenges the two of them took on is very well related. The later sections have details on her training, matches & professional career. While the book meanders on and off to her attitude of never giving up, thankfully it falls well short of being boring bragging.
I listened to the audiobook which was told by Maria Sharapova herself and it was a pleasure to listen to.
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
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Wednesday, February 9, 2022
Monday, February 7, 2022
Saturday, February 5, 2022
Friday, February 4, 2022
Review: 3 and a Half Murders
3 and a Half Murders by Salil DesaiMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is my first book by this author. The story is actually quite interesting, but in a case of trying too hard to appeal, falls short.
Surekhabhai is a cook who first tells Mrs Tambe that their neighbours are not opening the door though the TV can be heard from their flat (in Kothrud, Pune). A person engaged to clear a beehive next spots Sanjay Doshi hanging from the ceiling and raises the alarm. Inspector Saralkar and his junior Matkar are assigned the case. At the outset it appears straightforward – there is a suicide letter purportedly written by Sanjay Doshi saying he had killed his wife as she was having an affair with one Saunak Sodhi, after that he writes that he had decided to also end his wife. His wife’s face is doused with acid.
Investigation, however, reveals that there is more to this than meets the eye. The murdered couple have a history from several years back in Bangalore and there is a set of land deals in the name of Saunak Sodhi who cannot be traced. And the story is never complete in most Indian novels & web series without a bland crooked Baba and there is one – Rangdev Baba.
Inspector Saralkar’s characterisation as a grumpy person is average. The same holds for a lot of the other characters. In the latter sections of the book, the author tries too hard to make the plot interesting, and it gets to be fairly convoluted. The pace is good throughout and is to the credit of the book.
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