Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World

Author: Mark Miodownik

Genre: Non-fiction, Science

Rating: 4/5

Verdict: Very awe-inspiring book on the science behind the common things and materials without which we cannot imagine our daily life. 

After reading an array of self help and personal development books, I was very bored and my mind was overloaded with information from those books and I wanted to switch tracks and listen to something interesting and fun to learn about. This book was a perfect antidote to that and I simply loved it. 

It if a very well written book that keeps the reader so engaged with stories around each material we use in daily life and it is like having a conversation with the author. The stories shared by the author were very entertaining and even though this is a science book, the author kept it at just the right level of information without going too deep into the internals which made it very interesting to read and easy to understand. My favorite chapters were about chocolate and graphite. I look at paper around me and the plate that I eat in very differently now. 

I am glad I chose to read this book. It was a fascinating read and I can't wait to read other books by this author. 

Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

Author: Daniel H. Pink

Genre: Self help, personal development

Rating: 3/5

Verdict: Not many new insights, but a good refresher on the intrinsic motivation mindset. 

This was a quick and easy read. It is pretty concise, the first two chapters were slightly longwinded but after that the author gets straight to the point. What drives some people to perform without external rewards and how those external rewards can in fact be detrimental?

The chapters on intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation was very interesting to read. To me personally, this has always been a very intriguing question and topic of discussion. On many occasions, I have found myself in the intrinsic motivated category when I do a task, for example, I can sit for hours in one place and paint and many a times I have wondered what is it that motivates me to sustain that long? The author explains that intrinsic drive comes from the satisfaction obtained from doing the task itself rather than the result from it. People with intrinsic drive enjoy the process as much as if not more than the results. 

It was also very interesting to read about Type X and Type I people and how the different characteristics can help distinguish them. Autonomy, Purpose and Mastery are the key factors in attaining the intrinsic drive and satisfaction. 

For people who have read the books of Carol Dweck, Peter Drucker and the likes, this book would be a repeat. Overall, a good and short read. 

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

 Author: Adam Grant

Genre: Self help, personal development

Rating: 2/5

Verdict: Many parts felt very repetitive, with the same message conveyed in different chapters. 

I follow Grant on social media and I like his bite sized quotes. I started reading this book in the library one day and finished it up with an audio book. All I can remember after reading the book is Don't be afraid to re-think what you already know. This message was conveyed in multiple ways and perspectives throughout the book. It felt very repetitive after a point and there wasn't anything new or substantial to learn. 

Some things like productive disagreement and being comfortable with the discomfort of disagreement was a good reinforcement. I wasn't so sure about the part on Grit and how it is ok to turn back sometimes rather than prolonging. At times, the author's words felt conflicting between two chapters. 

Overall the book felt very repetitive and 80% of the content is the same single message - Re-think. If you can find a summary of the key messages from the book, that is enough. You can give reading the whole book a pass.

MGR, the Man and the Myth

Author: K. Mohandas

Genre: Politics, History

Rating: 4/5

Verdict: A good summary of MGR's political life and the then state of TN politics

I got this book during my recent trip to Chennai. I have always been fascinated by MGR and Jayalalitha's administration and their role in shaping TN politics. My mother is a big fan of both MGR and Jayalalitha and all my knowledge about them is through her. She has shared many stories about their political and personal life during many of our conversations. Naturally I got curious about this topic and picked up this book to read further. 

The book provides an excellent insight into MGR's political personality and how he handled multiple issues during his tenure as chief minister of Tamilnadu. Written by who was considered as the right hand of MGR, the author talks about how MGR was a man with so much power and freedom but how he kept to himself for the most part. I also liked the author's unbiased recount of certain incidents where he felt the right decisions were not made and MGR's lack of trust on certain occasions. I felt MGR was full of charisma, intuition and clever minded when it came to appealing to the public and decision making during challenging times. Although I am not familiar with many of the key events in TN politics, this book was a good peek into all those incidents.

A good book which makes you wanting to know more about the man!