Tag: blogging

The Guestlist by Lucy Foley-Personal Book Review


A book that was on my reading list for months !! A story themed around a wedding celebration. 
Yes!! It’s unusual to find a thriller around a wedding and this was one reason the book got my interest and the second it being a thriller. 
The writing style is similar to Girl on the Train!!
The Story starts unfolding when family secrets and friends start realising what relationships meant to them. 
While even betrayal of trust is one of the elements of the story where some confessions let out secrets that never unfolded, But the island celebration changes many fortunes and reveals all the secrets. 
A weekend fast-paced thrilling read by Lucy Foley. 

The Ride Of A Lifetime by Robert Iger!

The Ride Of A Lifetime by Robert Iger. This was a book that I read totally by accident- I have been borrowing books during this lockdown from a friend and thank god for the recommendation.

This Book was a beautiful ride into a journey of how much ones goes through to reach the top. But, In an entertainment business & media business, it’s very competitive. During Robert’s tenure, there were so many important acquisitions he acquired and managed to keep re-innovating and to keep Disney relevant as an organisation to an extent that he acquired Rupert Murdoch organisation for Disney and got access to a bunch of media channels including a popular streaming platform of theirs in India the Hotstar app and rebranded Disney+. There are so many insights to share, The relationship with Steve Jobs and how he convinced him and manages to acquire Pixar.

Trivia:

  • Wide World of Sports an ABC Broadcasting channel became the 1st U.S Media house to enter North Korea in the late 70s.
  • Apple & Disney collaborate for Television Shows on iPod Touch.
  • Marvel, 21st century Fox Studio, Star Wars acquisitions by Disney.

 

Robert Iger shares some of his lessons.

  • Tell Great Stories
  • Innovate or Die
  • Relentless Pursuit Of Perfection
  • Take Responsibility, When you screw up
  • Be Decent To People
  • Excellence & Fairness
  • True Integrity
  • Value Ability
  • Ask Question You Need to Ask.
  • Managing Creativity is Art.
  • Don’t Start Negatively
  • Don’t be in the business of playing it safe.
  • Don’t let ambition get ahead of the opportunity
  • We all want to believe we are indispensable
  • A company’s reputation is the sum total of the actions of Its people and the quality of its products
  • Optimism emerges from faith in yourself and in the people who work for you
  • You need to convey your priorities clearly and repeatedly
  • It should be about the future
  • Treating others with respect is an undervalued currency when it to negotiating
  • You have to do the homework
  • If something doesn’t feel right to you, it won’t be right for you.

This is one of the best books, I have read this year! And another interesting bit of news is recently Robert Iger announced he would be taking the role as the CEO For the popular video app Tik Tok an App that is currently banned in India As there have been ongoing conflicts with China.

Being Mortal By Atul Gawande

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

A Book that I have been wanting to read for a while. That was written in twenty fourteen And what better than a pandemic to understand from a doctor on why “Being Mortal” is important and how we aren’t ready to face it and it’s consequences and during this time it’s an apt book to read.

Being Mortal is on the subject of “Death” – Yes, It questions why in medical we don’t discuss death as important as a “life” and how should we deal with the topic of death.

And the book questions us with some thought-provoking questions –

  • If independence is what we live for, what can we do when it no longer be sustained?
  • The real Issues with Nursing homes & how they are solving this problem?
  • What exactly is the job of one in the medical field – Only to ensure the health & Survival? Or is it also to teach & look into the well being of one?
  • Is it true – Once someone loses their physical independence – A life worth of freedom is simply not possible?
  • And Scientist advances have turned the process of ageing & dying into medical experiences & why is it medical world prepared for or in today’s context wasn’t prepared for it?

You must surely read this book once not only because of what all it makes us question. But because a Doctor himself has shared his thoughts & Experiences on how unprepared we are to face Reality.

This is a slightly Emotional, Dull and emphatic read. But A Must Read

Personal Book Review – Becoming & Charles Chaplin !!

 

Becoming by Michelle Obama

I Wouldn’t have really read this book. But, The moment you read It’s written by the former first lady, You know it’s going to be a great read. As it’s going to have things you wouldn’t know about their lives and you also get the chance to know the White House from an insider, The whole architecture, The protocols and the life behind the camera as a president and more importantly Michelle Obama’s journey in life.

Charles Chaplin – Autobiography

I really don’t like reading artist biographies or autobiography’s who have been part of the entertainment industry. For one they could be totally biased, one-sided and slightly boring to read. But Charles Chaplin I have been wanting to read for a long time, a couple of days before we went on national lockdown (25th march ’20’ ) I was about to place an order from the e-commerce website, But did not. Also, having read most of the books that I had already ordered and now worried I had no books to read, First I began scrolling from my contacts and messaged a couple of my “friends” if they could lend me some books. After having waited for too long for them to reply, I browsed through my library at home once again! Maybe there is a book I haven’t read and guess what! I found one of the first editions of Charles Chaplin which was tearing apart and I began reading the book, It was one of the best books I must have read on cinema and actor as it teaches you so much about what goes behind an actor during his preparation and how much effort is it to “Act” and being a superstar of the “silent Era” This fascinated me and within five days I had finished reading the book. Right from his childhood to him coming back from Hollywood and visiting his roots in The UK to him finally settling down in Switzerland to have been married numerous time. About five times and having eleven kids to getting the longest standing ovation in the (Twelve Minutes long ) history of academy awards Charles was one hell of a “Charlie.” It’s a must-read for all and besides Charlie, if you want to read another book on an actor you must! And must read Naseeruddin Shah Memoir – Then one day!

Then One Day!

Yes! This time feels like that moment where you keep making a Bucket list – The To-Do one, Where you plan and keep planning what you will do one day – That one Day where you want to learn how to cook, one day you just don’t want to go to work and laze around at home in your pyjamas. That One Day where you want to learn a language, That One Day you want to Binge, Watch your favourite series and That one day you would like to read that fat book waiting on your shelf, waiting for you to start reading. That one day where you have experienced so much and it is so much you want to express and yes you have written those thoughts in your diary, Word processing application and on your notes.

But, You Tell yourself one day I would like to share my thoughts with everybody. Then that one day comes and you are exhausted doing everything in the routine you have been set in.

Then for a change, you start Listening. Oh! No not! Listening to your parents or sibling. But listening to Podcast. That one sense you have always tried to ignore for the longest time. 

And you realise Oh! just listening can be fun too.