Atomic Habits by James Clear

Book specifications

Language: English
Format: Audible
Length: 5 hours
Price: 1 credit via Audible membership
Genre: non-fiction, self-help
How I got to know of this: Don't remember, was in my list since long

Why I picked this book?

This was in my list since long and now when I want to learn some new good habits and break some old bad ones, I wanted to try this for some advice.

Feelings during the reading

I didn't like the opening of the book, all that description of the accident and the tragedy of the writer. I generally do not like it when a book starts with this tragically hurt person and the book goes with his transformation to real hero fo life. I better like it when, the writer starts with his technique and science behind and near the end of book tells how it helped him.

After the tragic part is done and the real content began, I found it practical, brief, and to the point explanation of the psychology behind the habit building or breaking.

Feelings after the reading

I found the advice and the techniques given in the book practical and effective. I could relate to it easily. The idea of cue and reward for new or old habits is something I will remember for long. However, how to make rewards more effective is something unclear still for me. May be I need to go through those chapter once again. Overall, I feel this is coming to be very effective book for me. The last book which felt this effective was ' What to say when you talk to yourself '. Overall, time well spent!

Quotes I will carry from the book

There were many, some of the ideas from this book that I will remember are,

• Habits do not the take freedom but give it to invest your creative power into other things instead of deciding what to wear, when to jog, etc.
• Boredom is good, it is only after you have developed a muscle for your habit that you start excelling it.
• The whole idea of cues for the habits was practical and something I find easy to practice and remember and effective.

The third hotel by Laura Van Den Berg

Book Specifications

• Language: English
• Format: Kindle
• Length: 209 pages
• Price: $ 15
• Genre: Fiction, thriller
• How I got to know of this: http://sonalisbookclub.com/

Why I picked this one?

I haven't read a thriller piece since long. I was usually liking the titles suggested by Sonali so thought of giving this a try.

What this book is about?

This is about a woman who went to Havana for a film festival where she found her dead husband. The story goes in all directions, from she following him to find out what is the truth, to she reminiscing her past from marriage, to small incidents from her lone trips, to childhood events.

Feelings during the reading

It started good and easy, but gets all muddled up in the mid, and end was totally not clear to me. May be I have to read the third part of the book again to understand what actually happened. In the middle it becomes very confusing if she is hallucinating or dreaming or the events are happening for real. For example I couldn't understand if she really saw and met here dead husband or was it hallucination or anything. Similarly, her memories about marriage sounded of a dead marriage since the birth of it, and there was never any reason behind it.

Feelings after the reading

Thank the God, it is over! Empty, confused, and in no desire to re-read even parts of it to understand it more.

Characters I'd like to remember

Isa. The simple, unaware receptionist, living in her own simple world.

Quote that will stay with me

...as though history was not being rewritten all the time.

Ikigai by Héctor García , Francesc Miralles

Book specifications

Language: English
Format: Audible
Length: 3 hours 23 minutes
Genre: non-fiction, self-help, case-study
Price: 1 credit with Audible membership
How I got to know of this book: Audible recommendations

What this book is about

This is about the longevity secrets particular to the people living in Japan, Okinawa island to be particular. It talks about a Japanese concept called 'Ikigai' meaning your will to wake up in the morning, in other words your purpose in life.

Why I picked this book

I have marginally read an article or two about the mysterious and meticulous ways of Japanese lifestyle. Moreover, after I read Kafka on the shore my interest in Japanese culture and their way of thinking sparked up again, and I decided to pick some good book in the category. The title of this one really compelled me to click onto that buy button.

Feelings during the reading

The narration is in a calming tone which gave a sense of relaxation whenever I listened to this book. This eventually lead to listening for longer times and finishing it earlier than expected. The discussions on different parts of Japan and how calm and composed people are there with their vegetable gardens gave me an urge to visit the country. It is almost planned now that I am visiting Japan on my next long vacation plan.

The other interesting thing I felt through the journey of this book, was the enjoyment in the day to day things. I felt surprisingly comfortable and joyous in doing daily chores and doing them well and doing them slowly. It was really magical because I am totally a go-go-go type of person. It is hard for me to sit calmly or find relaxation in those blank stares.

Feelings after the reading

Apart from an urge to visit Japan I am now in the mode of constant exploration of what gives me happiness, like true effortless joy. Not the sense of accomplishment, not the victory but the joy of the process. I kept recalling the scene of the Japanese woman carefully picking the bristles for the makeup brush, smiling and totally engrossed in the activity and unaware of the surroundings.

Quote from the book I will carry

Life is not a problem to be solved.

Apart from quote, I will carry the idea of having the enjoyment in atleast one thing which can be done daily, something like vegetable garden for Okinawa-ians. We all have that activity we love, but we do it only occasionally. This book taught me to do it daily, because that might be my ikigai and I might be wasting my life and energy by bestowing it on other things.

The science of getting rich by Wallace D Wattles

Book specification

• Language: English
• Genre: Non-fiction, self-help
• Length: 2 hours 4 mins
• Format: Audible
• Price: 1 credit with my audible membership
• How I got to know of this: After reading 'The Secret', this book always remain in my radar as its inspiration

What this book is about

The law of attraction.

Why I picked this book

I liked 'The Secret' mainly because of its comprehensive nature and brevity and I was curious to read the book which served as the inspiration of it. In other words, I was interested in learning what the original idea was like.

Feelings during the reading

It was not well narrated. The thing I used to like most about the audible versions was the narration, but this one just screwed it. Never imagined such a flat narration on audible, almost felt like a computerized reading of the book. Might be because I bought its English version from audible.de, which might not be the usual choice of people, hence not well taken care. So, this was a lesson for me  to better utilize audible country wise memberships.

Anyhow, coming to the content of the book, it was as expected. It felt very much like The Secret but only a bit more verbose, or might be because of the flat narration. There was nothing too new to learn if you have already gone through The Secret, but could be a good revision. But if it is your first book in the category, then I will recommend the physical or kindle version, because the things are really to make a difference in your attitude if read right.

Feelings after the reading

I knew it all, so nothing new for me but definitely could be a good revision if not for this flat narration. Lesson learned, I am never going with this narrator ever again. By the way the name of the narrator is Grainne Regan. So if I come across this name again, I'll just skip the title.

Quote I will carry from this book

I do not remember the exact lines but the idea about if you are getting into the competitive mindset then you are not using the learning of the book right. Also, there is abundance in nature, you are not taking something from anyone rather you are creating for yourself.

Jet Lag by Ann Birstein

Book specifications

• Language: English
• Genre: non-fiction, travelogue
• Size: 78 pages
• Format (I used): Kindle
• Price: $1.99
• How I got to know of this book: http://sonalisbookclub.com/

What this book is about

Writer's experience of a group Europe trip to get a closer view of Life (or death to be more accurate) of Jews during the Nazi rule. This is a true account of events written in a style of travel-journal.

Why I picked this one 

Since I moved to Berlin,  my interest in to the history of the place increased. More so because every day I go to work which is across the street to one of the most withstanding reminder of it -- the Berlin Wall. Also, every touristy place I go in or around has something Jew all the time.

But it always felt too much to go through that painful accounts of the events. I read The diary of a young girl by Anne Frank few years back, but it didn't have the account of holocaust events. And this time I wanted to know about them but I do not want to know too much.

In this quest, every title I came across felt too heavy so I kept skipping them until this one. Mainly because it is from the same angle as I wish to be -- a touristy angle.

My feelings during the reading

The feeling of horror of what a human being can endure and impose on others. For the two days in which I completed this, I felt I practiced more endurance in my day to day activities, like when I felt tired of walking I thought I can definitely complete this, there were people on this very land who had to walk across cities and that too all starved. When I felt hungry with no shops of choice around, the scene of people eating the grass because they were starved kept flashing before my eyes. I never felt it is too crowded in s-bahn now, since my mind kept recalling the scene of people stuffed into trains and that too for the destination 'death', it felt comforting now that my journey will end in 5 minutes and I will reach a nice workplace. It was a weird kind of motivation to me, the kind I've never felt before.

I also realized that how ignorant we become as a tourist and definitely learned a thing or two to be more careful about. Definitely one might now know a lot about the history of place and sentiments of the place around, but it is good to skim through a few blogs before travel or at least be patient through the trip by not over-reacting to the monuments and the memorials.

My feelings after the reading

The first feeling that came to me once I finished this was, what will be the hell like, if this all happened on earth by humans to humans. I felt at loss of imagination.

I felt accomplished, since now I had a 'little' more closer look at the sufferings of the people but without overwhelming details. I could continue sleeping well at nights, but since there were enough details I could see the Jewish memorials  in a different light now. In a gist, This has a perfect blend of historical events and the current sentiments around it. Also, it is perfect length. Before starting, 78 pages felt too less for this, but at the end it felt just the right. Mostly because some of the scenes it creates were too heavy in emotions and will linger with you for long. Definitely, you do not need too many of them. Also, you do not want it to be mixed with too many reactions of the people of today that they loose the intensity of the events. Hence, a perfect mix of both!

Characters from this book that will stay with me

• Uri - I will just say I would be too happy to have such a good guide in some of my trip
• Rachyl - I learned from her when not to use your too practical or vocal self. A specific scene that kept coming in this regard is: the group was in one location where Jews were kept and were talking of the miseries of the time. Rita was explaining how they were to use the toilets for a minute and half only to which she added it was a good thing that they didn't have any under-wears to take time. To this Rachyl added, and the toilet papers! True and practical but felt not required and insensitive.
• Max and Rita - I will just remember them.

Quote I will carry from this book

...there is always a joke...