How to Mind Map by Tony Buzan

How to Mind Map: Make the Most of Your Mind and Learn How to Create, Organize, and Plan by Tony Buzan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To read more reviews checkout: Reviews by Shuvam

1. Introduction:

My constant internet surfing on the topic of productivity has made me a productivity seeker. Not that I am always at peak performance, but I do not leave any chance to add any new weapon to my arsenal. However, inclement my working condition be, I am with sheer will and enough dose of motivation can help me to endure anything. On that line, I learnt about Mind Maps. While there is already a multitude of free resource available online, I feel the creator of this method, Tony Buzan, knows best about how to teach his method to others. Let’s see what we have in-store.

2. Central Theme:

Evident from the title, the book discusses the Mind Map. It is a pocket-sized reference for mind mapping. It lays down the premise of the mind map and its application in brief. For those who are not aware of Mind Mapping, it is a tool which represents information visually, usually with the aid of colours and pictures, and all the tit-bits anchors around a central theme. Below picture can better explain the idea in brief.



The Mind Map as a tool is widely used for note taking, revision tool and for brainstorming sessions. But after reading this guide I learnt various other areas where I can use Mind Maps. According to the author, the possibility of utilising Mind Map is limitless. Although, here I would differ a bit from the author as I sense that ultimately, it’s just a tool and user should use his or her discretion while making its use in day-to-day activities.

Nevertheless, I found it surprising how useful it was for me when I was planning for my Uttarkashi trip (trekking trip). I could identify all the clothing’s that I would need to carry from tip to toe.

3. Pros:

For someone, like me, who is sceptical about everything, this pocket-sized book serves as a great introduction to the topic of the Mind Map. It hardly takes two hours to finish the book, but it teaches you a valuable tool which can save you a lot of time. The technique is particularly advantageous for visual persons.

Author has done a great job in the presentation of the material. It is reader-friendly and plenty of illustrations are present. I enjoyed reading the book since it was concise and full of illustrations. Moreover, it is filled with a few workouts that will give hands-on-experience on how to use Mind Maps.

4. Cons:

The price of the book is the only downside that I feel is the con. Many avid Indian readers might not step up to buy the book when the topic can be learnt at free of cost online. Had it been produced at a special rate in India, the book might grab the attention of Indian readers.

(Price is a special consideration for me and I would be happy to talk about it in the future in a different post).

5. About the book material:

The dimension of the book:15 cm * 14 cm (length to width).
The book material is made of durable paper. Since it has used papers of higher GSM(Gram per square meter, a unit used to identify the type of paper), the book felt a bit heavy. Nevertheless, the quality of the book is and it feels great to hold it in your hand. It is ideal for library storage.

6. Conclusion:

Overall, the book is a great source to be introduced to the topic of the Mind Map. And what could be better than reading from the creator himself? Learn the secret of Mind Mapping and hopefully be relieved from the boring bulletin lists forever.

7. Information:

• Publication: Thorsons
• Year of Publication: 2002
• Author: Tony Buzan
• Number of pages: 128
• Number of Chapters: 5
• Cost of the book: ₹470
• Overall rating: 4/5

Poirot Investigates

Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Disclamir

This is my second novel after animal farm. Generally, I prefer to stick with non-fiction and informative books when writing reviews as I find them easy to assess and evaluate their impact. Moreover, I generally prefer non-fiction books over fiction or stories. But after a long talk with one of my friends I decided to explore other genre and broaden my imagination.

So, I began my journey in unknown territory with the detective genre. It was difficult for me to read it from cover to back in a single stretch as it was a new kind of exercise for my brain. Nonetheless, it was worth it. I would love to explore other genres likewise and I hope that I will be able to read, enjoy and write reviews on them.

1. Introduction:

You pick up any book on crime stories and there is a high probability that 1 out of 5 books would be of Agatha Christie who is regarded as the Queen of Crimes. Such high praises of her work lit curiosity in my mind to start my journey in the fictional world with her book. So, I went to my local library and picked up the one which I assumed it will be comfortable to digest for me. And, there I found a compilation of short stories written by her on the cases solved by her heroic character, Hercules Poirot.

2. Central Theme:

The Queen of Crime is famous for writing enticing novels such as ABC murders, The murder in Oriental Express and many more titles. But this book was one of her compilation of short stories in which her detective character Hercules Poirot solves various cases. Each chapter is a stand-alone story and although I did not find any link between them, if there is any please ping me about it.

The best part about these stories is that unlike a novel on a single case that interlinks multifarious perspective and clues, it leaves few clues explicitly which becomes the key to solve the crime. Now, how is that even the best part, to begin with? For instance, there is a cup of black coffee in the murder scene, yet the dead body doesn’t have any stain on her teeth, it implies that the person did not drink coffee before her death. Such facts and others are for readers to deduce. I had the same struggle when I was reading the stories. After a few google searches, I came across an interesting blog which helped me to deal with this mystery. I would suggest you visit the site “She-Wolf” if you read this book.

3. Pros:

As already mentioned, what I hated earlier became the best part of the book. The stories provide you with sufficient material to deduce a reasonable scenario, but not enough to destroy the surprise ending. Two examples are the story of “The mystery of hunter’s lodge” and “The million-dollar bond robbery”. The deduction of Poirot was spot on and I was surprised how each of the cases turned out to be.

4. Cons:

If you are on the same boat with me, then poor vocab can derail your reading. Further, the French phrases in the stories obstructed my already overwhelmed mind. On referring to some forum I learnt that it is not important to understand every French phrase. But I was not satisfied with that. As a result, I would be stopping after reading 2 pages and then searching for the French phrases.

In one of the forum, it was stated that the French phrases are intentionally written by the author to add flavour to their real conversation for e.g. Poirot always refers to Captain Hastings as ‘mon ami’ or my friend in French. Nonetheless, a reference at the end of the book might have made it convenient for the readers to connect with the French phrases better.

5. Conclusion:

I would like to apologise in advance if my lines do not match with the expectations of avid detective novel readers. This is my first novel book and thus I do not have any baseline to compare it with.

In the end, I realise that the book was worthwhile to read. Now I have a few handy short stories which I recite in any event. From the perspective of avid novel readers, you will find it as a great resource to take a break from the long reading season. Agatha Christie is a renowned writer and I am looking forward to reading her books.

6. About the book material:

The dimension of the book: 20 cm * 10 cm.
The book was easy on hands. Although I had picked the book which was published way earlier, the quality of the book was still considerable. The pages were all intact and the book felt light while holding.

7. Information:

• Publication: Harper Collins UK
• Year of Publication: 1923 (Original)
• Number of pages: 153
• Number of Chapters: 11
• Cost of the book: ₹ 299 (Paperback-2017 edition)
• Overall rating: 3.5/5

Mensa Think Smart Book

MENSA THINK-SMART BO by Abbie F. Salny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

To read more reviews check out: Reviews by Shuvam
1. Introduction:

Mensa is an international organization of high IQ people. Originating from England, it has spread across 100 countries, which also include India where I live. Under this impression, I picked up this book. I wasn’t hoping much from a small 128-page book read, but what I found is a profound knowledge that I can utilize everywhere. The question is how this book fairs from all perspective? Before I begin, a brief about the book: It was published by the Harper-Collins publisher and the book which I read was published in 1986.

2. Central Theme:

The book revolves around the subject of intelligence, such as mathematical ability and verbal skills. The subject matter discussed varies in nature, yet they all are relevant as they sum up to make the overall IQ of a person. Each aspect of one’s intelligence is dealt in small bits of the chapter. This makes it reader-friendly as you will be able to absorb new information in a human manner.

In the initial two chapters, the book describes what is Mensa and the history of Mensa. Then, it proceeds to the main topic in 8 chapters. These chapters agenda consist of core information, followed by many mind-boggling puzzles to solve. The last two chapters consist of a list of puzzles which simulate the standard IQ test conducted by Mensa.

3. Pros:

What I enjoyed about this book is that it is a small read and hence anyone can follow through this book and learn a few fine methods to improve one’s memory. In fact, the 10th chapter “The psychopracticality of everyday life” describes how to use this newly gained information in everyday life. In the meanwhile, it throws light on some of the practical skills such as lateral thinking and cryptography.

4. Cons:

Many times, the author uses Mensa specific examples and tools to explain a certain aspect of information. While puzzles may be okay, the repetition about Mensa while describing something, can feel a bit intimidating to non-members. Also, the puzzles do not come graded according to the level which you will find in other puzzle books, so that can make it difficult for you to gauze your intelligence.

5. Conclusion:

The book is a nice read if you want to learn in brief about how our brain works and how to make optimum use of it. I would recommend this to every reader as it is applicable to everyone. In case, you have already read a great deal on this subject then you might not find anything new as you might have come across a few of the techniques in other books.

108 Questions & Answers on Mutual Funds & SIP

108 Questions & Answers on Mutual Funds & SIP by Yadnya Investments
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To read more reviews check out my blog: Reviews by Shuvam

1. Introduction:

As evident from the title, the book deals with the mutual fund and SIP. The book which I am reading is published in 2017 by notionpress.com. It is written by Yadnya Investment, an online portal for financial advice for the Indians. The book contains 168 pages and it is a collection of mutual fund related financial jargons and doubts explained in simple terms. Let’s discover what the book is about and how the book fairs in all the aspects.

2. Central Theme:

The book revolves around Mutual funds and SIP systems prevalent in Indian Market. As such, it bids to simplify and explain the current mutual fund market in India. Any reader who is curious to know about various facets of a mutual fund will benefit considerably from the book. The Yadnya Investment even has its YouTube channel which will further solidify the content, although the book is a standalone version and can be read on its own.

3. Pros:

Although I was aware of the fact the book is laid down in an FAQ manner, I never expected the book to be so reader-friendly. The book explains the common FAQs asked by the Indian investors regarding mutual fund and systematic transactions such as SIP, STP, and SWP. Since I belong to the engineering background, I was suspicious at first, thinking that the book might simply contain a list of questions and answers. But to my utter surprise, the book was organized in a manner that any layman can read it from cover to cover.

One thing that I would say in advance to the readers is that since the book is organized in a way, you would come across some term which might not be explained in earlier parts. But if you keep patience, then you will realize that authors have explained almost all the terms and jargons that are either relevant or that come in earlier parts of the book. And not just about the funds, but the authors have also explained the process of how you should choose the ideal fund for you.

The book is supplemented with different references that will help readers to further understand the topic in a holistic manner. In this journey, I took the help of invetopedia.com and moneycontrol.com (Note: This is completely my personal experience and I am not doing any paid advertisement in any form). In this way, I could quickly grasp the finance concepts relevant to me as an investor.

4. Cons:

The downside of this book is that it is meant for the Indian financial market only. So, all the examples and figures used in the book are only useful for Indian investors. Also, since the book cannot be updated like web pages, you will need to refer online to know the current values and figures.

Just to mention, I had a class on how to read a corporate balance sheet, complemented by the YouTube videos. So, those who are completely new to finance might feel averse to a multitude of financial jargons at first. For them, I would suggest reading basic finance online or on YouTube.

Now, when it comes to reviewing I would also say regarding the physical structure of the book. The pages were made of excellent quality, but I found the cover a bit disappointing as my book cover was somehow bent outward and it was stiff, which made it difficult for me to change the pages. Nevertheless, the excellent content made up for these slight inconveniences.

5. Conclusion:

I understand that the text below will be iterative but for those who are skipping through the article will find it useful. I would recommend this book to all the beginner Indian investors who are interested to learn about Mutual funds and methods of getting into it. Age is not the factor here as the language is plain and simple. I would suggest that you should complement this book with online resources for holistic learning.

For experts or those who are looking for specific advice may better seek financial advice rather than refereeing to the book. Nonetheless, it will serve as a fine refresher course.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Introduction:

I am reading the book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World which is published by Hachette India in the year 2016. It is the fifth book by Cal Newport, the author of the best-selling book, So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love. This book contains 263 pages and it belongs to the self-help/productivity genre. Before I begin my review, I would like to say that I might be a bit biased towards the book as it is one of my favorite books and after scrutinizing everything I believe in what the author wants to say. Still, I had put effort to be as objective as possible.

Central Theme:

The book is all based around one topic “DEEP WORK”. The word ‘deep-work’ is coined by Cal Newport to represent the work and the dedication that a person shows for his time and job. According to the author Deep work is “Professional activities performed in the state of distraction-free concentration that pushes your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.” For minorities, this might be common sense to success, but as the author argues, the majority of knowledge workers are lacking this skill and at the same time such skill is becoming valuable in the current economy.

The book has two parts. In the 1st part, he describes what is deep work and why deep work is important for us. He draws his example from many current generation knowledge workers and shows its correlation with past time craftsman worker theory (On that point, I presume it only strengthens the points from his earlier book “So good they can’t ignore” which speaks about craftsmanship). He also goes on to show how deep work can exponentially improve our work-life balance and at the same time can help to boost our morale and productivity at the same time.

In the 2nd part, he prescribes practical tips on how to help eliminate shallow and non-productive work and replace it with productive deep work. For many of the knowledge worker this part can be difficult to realize, but if put into practice, the author believes, will make your life peaceful and fruitful. He takes snippets from his life events and correlates each rule to a practical example.

Pros:

How do you even know that you need deep work in your life? The author goes on to show varied examples and personality like Bill Gates, Nate Silver, and Carl Jung, etc. who developed this habit (although these personalities would not have described it as deep work) to achieve some of the greatest feat of humankind. All of them are live examples to show what deep work can certainly do for you.

You might say, “So what, I am all right with my current state!”. But that may not be the actual case. The author has gone to great depth to show how we knowledge workers are being pushed to think low productive work like messaging, emails, meetings etc. as the important stuff while neglecting deep work as a tool for success. This is how I feel I came to connect with what the author wants to say and how it can help me to improve my life whether it's professionally or personally.

Cons:

Although it’s a treasure trove of examples, at times the point gets bit iterative. Maybe, the fact that when you are flagging warning against the upcoming trends of today requires you to give multitudes of examples. But nonetheless, I believe the examples could have been written in a few numbers. Also, I was expecting a few exercises that I could have implemented right away. Although more than half of the book includes practical steps, it doesn’t give readers anything immediate to implement on. So many readers might just skip through it as a novel read.

Conclusion:

I was already a great fan of Cal Newport and I follow his blog. And I was happy to get to read this book. I would recommend this book to those who are in the knowledge arena like officers and managers. Also, anyone who wants to improve their productivity and maintain work-life balance should read this book. Since it doesn’t contain much description on sports and other related fields I would say that you may take your time to read it, but not as a first book, since it might be a bit confusing. Also, students can benefit a great deal out of this book.

View all my reviews

Animal Farm

Animal Farm by George Orwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Introduction
The book “Animal Farm” is written by George Orwell which is a pen name for the author Eric Arthur Blair. The book which I read was published by the Maple Press Publication, India in the year 2010. The quality of the book is well-versed and the illustration at some interval gave it an overall feel of children read. Although I must say this read is not just for kids.
Theme
The book on the surface is all about the lives of the animal and their affair of how they come above their degraded life under the Human only to realize that they got into the hands of another oppressor of their own type. It goes on to show the genesis of struggle and power of common animals, the effort which the animal undertook for their success, but due to cunningness and corruption of few, losing their freedom to a dictatorial animal.
In an analytical view, the book dictates story which is in parallel with the Russian revolution of 1907. Starting from the lines of Marxism to how it turned into Stalinism with time. If you are into history you would be able to realize these dialogues. Although, for kids, it will still be a fun story to read to understand the basic idea about freedom and responsibility without going deep into the matter of communism and the Russian Revolution.
Pros
What I felt the best about this book is the use of punch line and narrative story which binds you to the world of Animal Farm. You can even find many artworks and animated based in this book. But I will suggest you that you should give this book a try. It is short and can be finished within a day or two without exercising much.
Cons
Initially, I assumed that the book is all about Animal Farm, and indeed the plot is set in Animal Farm, the title can be bit misleading since the book has more depth to it than it seems to have. Other than that, I didn’t find much negative about the book.
Opinion
Initially, when I started this book I never had a single idea that it is about the Russian revolution, it is only when I was half-way through that a friend of mine gave me the background idea behind this book. On my research, I was shocked that indeed the book is written in such a language that without this idea, one would think that it is similar to any child’s fairy-tale read which is meant to teach some morale. I started enjoying more when I learned that it deals with the history of communism and describes its short-coming.
Conclusion
I will recommend this book to all who want to have a short yet quality reading. The novel is light-hearted so the serious reader may not find it intensive enough for a regular reading list. Nonetheless, it a great book to read if you want to try your hand on Modern Classic read.

View all my reviews

Man's Search For Meaning

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Introduction
A man’s search for meaning is a book on hope, aspiration and the attitude of meaningful living. Before I elaborate about the book, let me give a brief data. The book is written by Victor E. Frankl who is known as the father of logotherapy, a school of psychology. It is published by Rider publication, in 2008. The book is divided into 3 parts and contains 153 pages.
Theme
The book is a live account of all the events that happened in the life of the author during the Holocaust period. We all know that the Holocaust was one of the atrocious events in the history of mankind and many of the survivors work on the Holocaust, shows as the extent of these tortures and horrific event. Frankl, alike others describe the same terrifying experience.
What differentiates this novel from the rest is that it encourages people to find meaning to the life and the sufferings, a ray of hope for people to stay alive, even in the worst of the conditions. He describes the principles of logotherapy in brief and how he used it in practice at the concentration camps that will become the milestone in his life to eventually teach about logotherapy to others in upcoming life.
Pros
It is the only book by the author where he shares his first-hand experience to logotherapy. While other philosophers and teachers of psychology preach about their theory, Frankl showcases his learning without forceful persuasion and free from vague analogies. I learned a new perspective on facing adversity with meaningful optimism, even though there is no obvious reason to feel good about. One of my greatest takeaways is the quote of Nietzsche which Dr. Frankl mentioned in this book “Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'.” This is so inspiring and yet pragmatic that you would be fired up to follow your life to fullest.
Cons
The writing style of the book is somewhat bit technical. In the second part, he explains the logotherapy in brief which gives us the idea about the main tenants and application of logotherapy. Although the part was not originally included in the original book, the brief introduction was added to clarify the doubt of reader on logotherapy. Although it all nicely wraps the book, I felt that the explanation can be a bit simple with an additional example to help readers to absorb information.
Opinion
I came across the book title through Mark Manson’s book list where he has a list of books that inspired him to write his blog and book. After reading the book I felt content that I got to read this book and understand the principles. The text can be a bit boring but it was worthwhile and useful information. I am looking forward to reading other contents of Victor Frankl to understand logotherapy in a holistic manner.
Conclusion
Anybody who wants to learn about holocaust will benefit from this book. It will also help you to learn a brief about the logotherapy. To understand his principle and its application in brief you should read the third part of the book. For those, who are looking for a theoretical aspect of logotherapy can refer to other works of Victor E. Frankl. Overall, it’s a great book.

View all my reviews