In Print

Reading “Angels and Demons“ in Italy added the intangible that makes reading a novel just right.  Dan Brown‘s Robert Langdon, the famous Harvard symbologist, is out to solve a mystery about an ancient brotherhood called the Illuminati. The discovery of the existence of Illuminati, through a careful study of a genuine mark left on the body of a victim, sets the wheels of this fantastic novel in motion.  The brotherhood is alive and well and they have in their possession the world’s most powerful agent called Antimatter, and their object is Vatican City. [Read more…] about Dan Brown: “Angels & Demons”

“Getting to Yes“ is quite possibly one of the best negotiation books you will ever read. First published in 1981, the authors founded the first Negotiation Program at Harvard Law School and have been successfully teaching their negotiation technique globally. I enrolled in a one-day course at my company. The course teaches the fundamentals of the book. It was an excellent class taught by two lawyers.  The instructors talked about Roger Fisher as the most prominent author of this book; he is well sought-after by corporations and institutions for arriving at the best results in the most difficult negotiations. [Read more…] about Roger Fisher & William Ury: “Getting to Yes”

I am not a history buff. I had no particular reason to read the “Timeline” other than Michael Crichton wrote it. I am very happy I followed my notion. I read the first 50 pages two months ago, forgot all about it, and then picked it up to keep me company on some long flights. The writing of Crichton is what I crave through and through. The story and plot are sometimes even secondary motives to read a Crichton novel. The first 4 books which I happened to read, in no particular order on Crichton’s account, were brilliantly written, and kept me intrigued to the last page. I was not disappointed here either. [Read more…] about Michael Crichton: “Timeline”

“Sophie’s World” was a long, strange, and most unpredictable novel. This was my very first in-depth reading on philosophy. I read this book over the course of a month, while reading other books in parallel, and sometimes taking a break from it on purpose. Our main character is Sophie Amundsen. A history of philosophy wrapped in great fiction, I was greatly engrossed in Sophie’s story, thoughts and discoveries, and Jostein Gaarder is an intriguing novelist to boot. [Read more…] about Jostein Gaarder: “Sophie’s World”

Oh it is ever so to forget this book is fiction when it has been a true story a hundred times over for countless Iranian women who have left Iran in hopes of a better life. Either they find the suitable spouse with a green card in Iran or else they move in with family and relatives until a suitable spouse is arranged for them by a caring older sister or aunt who knows what is best for them. This much is no fiction.

[Read more…] about Laura Fitzgerald: “Veil of Roses”