Book Review : March 19, 2011

Few book reviews I have been reading or completed last week

It Happened in India
by Kishore Biyani, Dipayan Kashyap

A very bold narrative about Kishore Biyani's journey while building Pantaloons and Big Bazaar. Gives a clear picture about how the EDLP based model started and succeeded in India and how foreign brands could not really realize the Indian middle class psyche

One thing that struck me about Kishore Biyani is that despite all negative remarks he always made a point to spend money on marketing and branding, probably because his target was the middle class whose decisions are mostly taken not logically but on emotions, feelings and liking. Low price was always there to support that fact

This book was with me for almost 2.5 years, but never read it completely. Last week decided would finish it.

Assholes Finish First
by Max Tucker
The mere mention of the name of this book might raise eyebrows and that's what exactly what reading this book does. The author Max Tucker claims that every incident in this book and the previous book "I hope they serve beer in hell" are real life incidents that happened with him, or to put in a better way, he did them

Rash, in your face, full of abuses and absolutely hillarious but still filled of crap stories, that actually make you laugh and think what kind of a person this guy is. He fully owns the books and incidents in it, and a guy needs balls to do them and them write a book on them

And to see why I read this book, you should read wikipedia page of Max Tucker and his success story. These books sold over a million copies.

If you want to read something crappy but still entertaining in your spare time, read this book

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larrson
Just started reading this book a few days back. Not just another mystery/crime book as per resources. The last book has been a bestseller and been transformed into a movie. Although I haven't seen the movie, nor do I plan to, until I read all the three books in the Millennium Series by Steig Larrson

Stieg Larrson is into intricate detailing when it comes to characters and plots. He doesn't leave any threads loose. I have never read his earlier creations, probably because I never knew about him till I started reading this book

“The Invisible CEO” Puts Together 10 Simple Processes for Success

A.G. Krishnamurthy who is Founder, Chairman and MD of Mudra Communications and Founder of MICA, has come up with his new book “TEN MUCH”.  Picked up this book at Crosswords today and liked it a lot, completed it. Took me 3 hours to finish it, as against 2 which AGK says it should ideally take one to complete.

What’s special about the book? The book is about 10 simple processes rather 10 simple disciplines which AGK puts forward as something we all know about but sometimes just don’t get it right. He has tried to exemplify these 10 principles through various success stories – some known, some unknown – in very simple language which connects to you the moment you start reading through the prologue.

Simple basic processes need to be followed is the gist of the book. Dream Big, Be Positive, Master your trade, Be ethical, Believe in yourself and your team - are few of the basic processes he mentions. Not just talk, but do is the mantra.

TEN MUCH is a must read for budding entrepreneurs.

AGK’s previous works include Dhirubhaism, Against all odds and others.

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Super Freakonomics – Go Read It

Just finished reading "Super Freakonomics"... Freaking awesome it is.. Absolutely entertaining,mind-boggling,insightful and full of information..

What a read it was, right from the first alphabet of the book till the last note. Riveting, absolutely informative. A person like me who likes to read out of the box things, this was an aphrodisiac. Lately I have taken a huge interest in economics and International business. This book literally adds a flavor to these interest levels.

The first one "Freakonomics" landed in my hands, when I was in TCS. I read  few chapters but could not complete it. And now post Super Freakonomics, I am sure I would complete it too.

If you think any of the following questions interest you even a bit, go and read this book.

• Why walking drunk can be fatal as compared to driving drunk?
• How is a street prostitute like a department store Santa?
• What is a "PIMPACT"?
• What the similarity between prostitution and real estate?
• Why a May-birth in Uganda can have 20% increased chances of hearing or learning disabilities?
• How a failed act of terrorism can still levy a huge tax on the common man?
• What is relation between cognitive drift and death of patients?
• Why chemotherapy may not be helping cancer patients at all?
• Why people are altruistic and selfish at the same time?
• Why the death rate post delivery was high in the doctors’ section in the General Hospital in Vienna as compared to the midwives’’ section?
• Why "cheap fixes" or "jugaad" can be much more effective than solutions worth millions?
• Why is ammonium nitrate so much of a vital chemical?
• How pushing warm water down into the ocean will help reduce the formation of life threatening Hurricanes?
• Why Co2 may not be the prime reason for the Global Warming?
• How a hot air balloon and a long pipe hose can reduce the average temperature of Earth?
• Why big-fat volcanic eruptions are good for the planet?
• Who is "Nathan Myhrvold"?
• How "Geo-engineering" may help reduce the threat of Global Warming?
• Why "incentive" is the single most important factor that decides the behavior of a human irrespective of whether it is good or bad?
• How a bunch of researchers taught a group of monkeys the value of money and how the first Monkey-trade happened?

Steven J. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner have done a marvelous job with this book. Apologies for putting few points out of the book on the blog, although I haven't quoted anything that takes away the sheen, it will only build curiosity. All credits to the original authors.

TRUTH is a loaded word

From “Personality Not Included” by Rohit Bhargava

 

“Truth is a loaded word. Marketing is not about the search for truth, and we all know it. If it were, no one would believe that a bottle of water shipped halfway across the world with an image of a Swiss mountain on it was any more healthy than one bottled in a Coca-Cola plant in Connecticut. To compensate for having a less than interesting “truth” behind their products, brands often invent a truth. If I told you the number of times I have been in meetings where people debated whether we should use the word healthful or healthy to describe a product, you’d understand the pain involved in trying to find a truth. Maybe you feel it already.”

 

I like this specifically, because it talks of the falseness of TRUTH in marketing and its so much TRUE…

Quite a pun of words, eh!

 

I am also looking forward to reading “The NEW NEW thing” by Michael Lewis. I borrowed it from my professor, but more of a friend Mr Pankaj Guglani, Founder, REDQUANTA.com

"Personality Not Included" by Rohit Bhargava

Came accross this book "Personality Not Included" by Rohit Bhargava while searching for SMM (Social Media Marketing)

This is his presentation about the making of the book.

[slideshare id=773629&doc=makingofpersonalitynotincluded-1227226837853151-9]

Did you notice the simplisitic nature of this presentation and yet so powerful it is!!

I personally am looking forward to reading this book soon.

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Books I am currently reading

These are the books I am currently reading

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