Review: Playing to Win

Playing to Win by Saina Nehwal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hooter: A chatty wikipedia page on Saina by Saina

For someone as straight talking and straight forward as Saina having met her (* adds flex *) , I can see how this book resonates with her. Focusses more on the chronological journey she went through and her thoughts along those moments - both high and low. There isn't any "what you can learn from my life motivational stories or anecdotes" trying to break the fourth wall here. It makes her more human and likeable beyond the media press releases we glimpse her personality through.

This is nowhere a literary genius neither is it meant to be but tiny gems like her mom wanted to fashion her around Steffi Graf , her love for ice cream and winning mindset to get through all obstacles - mental and physical, this is a quick breezy read for aimed at Saina fans.



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Review: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hooter: Sri Lankan politics through a dead man's eyes.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is a darkly comedic and thought-provoking novel by Shehan Karunatilaka. It follows the ghost of a photographer, Maali Almeida, who navigates the afterlife and tries to uncover the truth behind his murder. The book delves into Sri Lanka's political turmoil, exploring themes of love, loss, and corruption. The narrative blends mystery, satire, and the supernatural with a unique narrative voice. It's a gripping, multi-layered story that explores both personal and societal struggles. The book was originally titled conversations with the dead and then renamed to this to signify the seven moons before Maali moves on and how he goes about investigating his own death and opens up a spectrum of views into the island nation.

It does get a bit tedious with the violence but also hits hard because of the same.

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Review: Designing Data-Intensive Applications

Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: A foundational view into building big data based applications

This is what you would call an academic approach to Data Engineering - not a corporate cookbook to apply hacks but actually get your fundamental bearings right. Taking the key tenets of data engineering and showcasing the key similarities and differences with each approach, Martin takes you through the structured way of thinking about designing applications that are data heavy.

The clear summary is there is no one technology that is the messiah of all problems, but instead understanding their strengths and weaknesses help identify what combination would work for an end to end business outcome. A good foundational read for individuals looking to build their data engineering careers.

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Review: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: If a children's book started adulting, it'd be this.

A picture book would be mis-stating the depth of what the book has to offer. Light in weight, heavy in content is how I'd summarise the book. In concise and crisp manner, leveraging a few words or a sentence , the author tackles a lot of inspirational points that deem to motivate wherever in your journey you are.

The hand drawn sketches tend not to distract but also complement the otherwise void the book would leave you with.

From "the biggest waste of time being to compare yourself with others" to "the bravest thing to ever say is help", there are numerous quotes that leave you thought provoking prompts to measure up with your life.

Its a cup of hot chocolate on a gloomy, downcast day in your life.

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Review: Normal People

Normal People by Sally Rooney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hooter: If the facebook status "It's complicated" was a book

Raw, painful with a silver lining - are they truly normal people? The protagonists Connell and Marianne literally orbit around each other as life happens around them. From Connell's mom working as a cleaner at Marianne's house - he being popular in school and she the misfit to college having them swap those roles. Whilst you could call them friends with benefits by definition, their relationship is formed at an intellectual and mental level and the physical is a distraction. As they slip in and out of relationships with others, they navigate their own relationship around what life throws at them.

Being teenage love, there is clearly a lot of physical satiation at play that gets thrown around the other oddities life throws at them but there is a bittersweet innocence of those romances beyond the superficial that tugs at the reader. Wish life was like the book as it fast forwards to consequential and pivotal moments in their life skipping the mundane in between.

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