2013 Summer reading list

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Two unfinished books and two other books that I have just started and look promising. Ya, that should do it for the summer. (Although I am tempted to throw in a classic in the mix - The Brothers Karamazov)

The Elephant Vanishes (Genre: Short Stories)

Thanks to S to recommending this to me. I was already floating in the Murakami world having read his two epic tales - The Wind up Bird Chronicle and 1Q84. Part fantasy, part sci-fi, part Japanese contemporary fiction and whole parts entertainment! I read them in a span of 2 weeks, mainly because I couldn't umm, put them down. This happened to me after a really long time. I don't remember when I strongly felt like this for fiction - I had stopped reading fiction and now am catapulted into the genre again, thanks to Murakami.

So I was happy (and surprised) at The Elephant Vanishes which is Murakami's collection of short stories :-) Sample one of my favorite stories from the book, on S's blog - On seeing the 100% Perfect Girl

Stephen King on Writing (Genre: Non-fiction)

Part autobiography and part advice on the craft of writing, this book is turning out to be such a required reading. With fascinating insights into his own process of writing, who else but Stephen King can pull together a powerful book on the practice and skill of writing. This one is for keeps. I am definitely grabbing my own copy soon.

A Fine Balance (Genre: Indian fiction)

I am not sure how I let this masterpiece pass me :-) I have heard too many good things about this Rohinton Mistry book. It specially interests me since I love Indian fiction spinned around historical and political events. As a kid, I have heard stories about the 1970's emergency period in India from my dad and it intrigued me. I am determined to read through this and it has been a gripping narrative so far.

The Price of Inequality (Genre: Non-fiction, Economics)

A day doesn't go by without a reference to the rising inequality in India. And after so many powerful videos made on what inequality actually means and why we should care, I wanted to read more and understand it better. Specially because India is hanging in such a dangerous balance right now, I am taking upon myself to read this book and hopefully explain/share what I learnt once I am done reading.

As one Amazon review reads: 

One sentence basically says it all: "The top 1 percent of Americans gained 93 percent of the additional income created in the country in 2010, as compared with 2009." Now think of that in terms of a party with 100 people and big pizza with 100 slices. Basically it means that one rich guy gobbles up 93 slices of pizza. The other 99 get to divvy up the other seven.

What I am reading this weekend

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My Pocket reading queue needs a summer cleaning. So what better way than to systemically get my reading done on weekends - archive the good ones for re-reads and toss out the bad. And along the way, I can suggest the cherry-picked ones for you to read :-)

How to give a killer presentation - by Chris Anderson, curator of TED. If you want to read one single useful article this week, make it this. Packed with all the TED goodness and more importantly timeless advice on pimping your presentation skills.

The scientific 7 minute workout - featured in New York Times wellness section. I try to clock in a similar routine, 30 mins each, three times a week. I stopped using weight machines since 2009 and only do free weight exercises. This is all you need to get a lean, fit body with super endurance and kicking metabolism (I guess nobody listens until something goes viral :)) Give it a shot!

The importance of quick and dirty - by Jason Fried of 37Signals. This is a brief article on how the speed of iteration beats the quality of iteration in software development. Something I talked about in an earlier blog on The Simple Rules to Winning Dogfights

Dear Leader Dreams of Sushi - featured in GQ; a gripping story of a Japanese chef who served North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-il. This almost read like a contemporary fiction replete with power, women, threats, secrets and other royal extravagance. Must read.

Are coders worth it? - a well-written piece in Aeon magazine. I always get asked this question by my parents - "Why are programmers paid so much?" and this article is the answer to it or rather part of the answer to it.

Brotherly Love - by Jhumpa Lahiri in The New Yorker's summer fiction issue, on two brothers growing up in the 1960's Calcutta, India; an excerpt from her forthcoming novel "The LowLand"

What are you reading this weekend?