"Perhaps we are all immigrants. Trading one home for another. First we leave the womb for air. Then the suburbs for the filthy city in search of a better life. Some of us just happen to leave entire countries."
Tag: Amazon
Digital minimalism by Cal Newport
A year ago, I shut down my social media accounts. I also removed all unnecessary Apps and notifications from my IPhone. That was not new to me as in many instances earlier, I had done a series of digital detox. When I got more familiar with Newport’s theory, I was delighted that there was actually a movement towards digital minimalism: the art of knowing how much technology is just enough!
Tristan and Isold by Joseph Bedier
Love stories come in different shapes and forms. I have read love stories from ancient ages and other modern ones. What I miss in the stories of the XX century is the enigma. I will be reviewing a legend from the Middle Age. It may not seem relatable. However, it is. In many ways.
The English patient by Michael Ondaatje
Dear readers – This is a post by my friend and frequent contributor Ken. Ken decided to review a book called The English Patient. I learned about this book and the related movie at a young age. They are both my mother’s favorites. It is quite a disarming story. The reason may be that I have lived in a warzone and in a war period; I may be able to relate to what wars destroy: Love and Lives.
Mindset by Carol Dweck
I urge you not to beat yourself up. We tend to do so especially women. This book equips you with a dose of confidence as it unleashes myths about ability and achievement. If you are a lone brilliant person, read this book.
Norwegian wood by Haruki Murakami
It is fair to say that this is a poignant story demonstrating fierce independence and liberated sexuality. Above all, this is the story of a man's first love.
The letters of Abelard and Heloise
Thank you Ken for yet another generous contribution into my blog. I have had the luxury of watching The Letters of Abelard and Heloise on stage... I thought it was harsh to see how love hurts. I am not sure how it would feel when one reads it. As I promised you, I will promise subscribers with more "artistic" reviews. I will next review Tristan and Isolde (Iseult for the francophone) - the influential love story factoring in thoughts around Wagner related Prelude. Stay tuned!
The 5 a.m. club by Robin Sharma
As you read this book, you are caught by the story. This is not a typical self-help book. It is actually a story told in a very smooth style. The messages that the author tries to convey are subtle and they come to the reader close to self-realization. I loved the characters in the book as well as the flow of events that are quite thrilling.
Femme au miroir by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
This post is written by my friend Ken Mckellar who is a frequent contributor to my blog. For new subscribers, my first language is not English. It is French hence the name of my blog. It is a reminder to myself about how writing and reading helped me sharpen my English without forgetting my French. Thank you Ken for reviewing a French book for the first time on this blog knowing that French is not your first language. Kudos!
Daily rituals by Mason Currey
The purpose of the blogpost is not to define success rather to understand - similarly to the objective of the book - how a novel is written, how a masterpiece is painted, and how a symphony is composed.
What they teach you at HBS by Philip Delves Broughton
The book is quite brutal as the author dared to qualify Harvard as a "factory for unhappy people". He wrote long chapters about the burnouts, the booze-luge, the high-flyer, and more.
The secret diaries of Miss Anne Lister
For those who are new to my blog, my friend Ken Mckellar is a regular contributor whose generosity is quite disarming. He was keen to share with me another review for a book he has read. I happen to have watched the related movie. It was a British movie released in 2010. The story also inspired a series starring Suranne Jones: The Gentleman Jack. Enjoy the review and if you are a fan of this genre (Non Fiction. Biography. LGBT. History), you can purchase the book here.
Gabrielle Bernstein aka Gabby
Many people in my entourage will probably read this post with a lot of skepticism; some will probably not even read beyond the next paragraph.
Brain rules by John Medina
Brain Rules is a book written by John Medina that speaks in a scientific way about the principles for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school. The principles are based on research and case studies at the intersect of neuroscience, psychology, and biology.
Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
Goodbye to Berlin teaches an important lesson for our times. Totalitarian regimes never burst on to the scene: they creep up stealthily, step-by-step, on a vulnerable population hungry for change. And before the population knows it, the dictator is in control. By the time Isherwood published his novel, seven years later, Europe was at war.
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Obama chose to write her story in order to challenge readers to think through what she did as she was writing her book – answer two key questions: who we are and who do we want to become.
World order by Henry Kissinger
Some qualify this book as a meditation on the roots of international order and disorder. Kissinger, the author, is one of notable diplomats of the modern era. He was the security adviser for a number of presidents and he spent his life studying foreign policy events. In this book, Kissinger reveals the challenge of the twenty-first century: how to bring order into a world where perspectives are contradictory.
The origins of political order by Francis Fukuyama
This is not a random book that fades away a few years later. Not only because it won the New York Times Notable Book for 2011, the Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year and the Kirkus Reviews Best non-fiction all in the same year.
Why we sleep by Matthew Walker
My friend Ken has been saving me from my complacency. I am not sure how neuroscience explains when we are behind, when we miss deadlines we put for ourselves, when we prioritize items at the expense of others, etc. I personally think that sleep deprivation impairs my productivity and most importantly my creativity. In an earlier post, I shared my thoughts about the fan #1 of sleep: Ariana Huffington. I was back then reviewing her book that focuses quite a lot on the importance of sleep in our life.
Start with why by Simon Sinek
This book is almost like a transcript for Sinek’s TedTalk in 2009 (third most watched TedTalk to date). Since then, Sinek has created a movement. He aims to transform the way we work.