Book Posts

Every once in a while a piece of art comes along which transports you to another place, another era, another mood. Be it a movie, a music track, a song or a book. ‘The Ornament of the world’ is one such book. The last time a non fiction book had such an impact on me was when I read William Dalrymple’s ‘City of Djinns’.

When Covid19 hit the world in 2020, the general public spent the first few months thinking that it was going to pass quickly but it wasn’t to be. Few months later all the talk was about vaccines. How soon can they be developed and how it was the only hope mankind had before deaths peaked again next winter. This book chronicles the journey of the development of these vaccines.

This book is about the history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today. Starting with the mythological figure of Hercules, the author quickly takes us to Al Andalus by the third chapter and then journeying through the blood thirsty conquistadores we cross into the 16th century and later. In 300 pages the author gives a snapshot of the history of Spain and how it got shaped into what it is today.

This book talks about the factors which can make or break a project, be it a small project like a Kitchen Renovation or a mega project like building a new terminal of an airport. The author, who is an expert on troubleshooting projects which are delayed, over budget or are just in any kind of trouble, talks about why big projects routinely go over budget or over time and suggests ways those can be avoided.

Published in the 80s, this book traces the history of how nuclear power emerged during World War 2 period, first as an application for a bomb and then later for fuel for power generation.