Scion of Ikshvaku: First installment of the Ram Chandra Series

I have not been a fan of Amish Tripathi's writing style, although his first novel 'The Immortals of Meluha' did manage to catch my attention. I read the other books in his Shiva Trilogy partly because I wanted to know how he would treat the character of Shiva and partly because of a mild OCD. I was not very thrilled about his new series either: the Ram Chandra Series, but visiting India after 16 months and seeing his book peeping from all the bookshops at New Delhi Airport made me buy a copy. I recently finished reading it and I was disappointed to say the least.

Book Review: All My Friends are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman

I had the pleasure of reading Andrew Kaufman's novella 'All My Friends are Superheroes' over two metro rides and a lazy Sunday evening in my office. The book is witty, short and fun. Tom is a normal guy surrounded by friends who are all superheroes. He falls in love and marries 'The Perfectionist', only problem is 'The Hypnotist', an ex of his wife hypnotized her into believing that Tom was not there. So he became invisible to her and the whole book is revoled around his efforts to become visible to his wife again.

Book Review: Mightier Than The Sword

While waiting to take a flight to India at Frankfurt airport I bought a long overdue copy of Jeffrey Archer's Mightier Than The Sword, the fifth in the Clifton Chronicles series. I spied a few pages and then boarded the plane and took to watching good ol' Bollywood. It was only after I reached India that I started to read the book. Needless to say, it contained all the ingredients of a classic Archer story with several plot twists and turns.

Book Review: Dead Meat by Ankush Saikia

Ankush Saikia is an Indian author hailing from the North East who has already authored a couple of books, which I have read and enjoyed. So, it was with some expectation that I started reading his latest offering 'Dead Meat', released early this year. And I was not disappointed. Saikia has written an absolutely delightful book which will keep readers hooked till the very end.

Book Review: Half Girlfriend by Chetan Bhagat

I have read all the previous novels of Chetan Bhagat and to some extend I enjoyed them. I understand that his stories are not the ones where you can find the meaning of life or are the ones like the classics of yore. So, it was with not much expectation that I started reading his latest book 'Half Girlfriend' published last year. The title seemed to suggest a soft romantic story and I was right. The feeling you get when you read his novels is like watching a movie. That is understandable as nowadays basically he writes his books in a way so that a big Bollywood blockbuster can be made out of it. In a sense, he reminds me of the novels of Sidney Sheldon which I used to love when I was a teenager.
 

Nicolas Bourbaki: A secret mathematician

I had first heard the name of Nicolas Bourbaki when I was at school and developed an interest in mathematics. From what little I read about him, he seemed to be a mysterious secret mathematician, who was keen on transforming the mathematics education scenario at an upper university level. I knew that the books he wrote would be too much for me at that time, and so I forgot all about him. When I entered university and took a course in general topology, I chanced upon a book written by Bourbaki. Out of interest in what the man had to offer, I took a look at the book and it was an exhilarating experience for me. I had never seen a mathematics book like Bourbaki's before. It was terse and laconic. It motivated the subject much better than the book I was then reading. I glanced a bit on the first few sections and left the book as I had little time in that semester left.