About book
Author:Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle
Publisher: Transworld Publishers (2012)
Version: Paperback
Completed: 2013
My Rating: 4/5

Comment

I picked this book up at my local library two weeks ago. Why? I am not sure then. Perhaps, the cover attracted me to it. I am the sort of person who you can sell a product to if it's presented with a nice package. The title didn't attract me, neither did I know who the authors were then. Maybe it called to some latent desire about the one aerobic activity that I can relate to. In any case, pick it up I did.

The authors really had a story to tell. It's a story about asking for forgiveness, about having a second chance. Above all, it's a story about grit, determination, and the desire to be the best. Never mind that Tyler didn't win the Tour de France. There are a number of reasons for that. He was constantly fighting with his inner self to race paniagua i.e no drugs, which conflicts with his desire to win. It's such a competitive sport that without external help, read EPO, even the strongest athletic does not stand a chance. Tyler is a moderately clean bloke. He might have hesitated at first, but whatever hesitation he had about taking drugs in a competition eroded when he was accepted to the inner circle. Such is the failings of human beings. We all crave social companionship, so much so that standards are compromised and excuses are made. Team leader Lance didn't have that much hesitation and had an ever greater desire to win. Perhaps that's why he won 7 tour de France consecutively from 1999 to 2005.

Whenever we see the end result of a competition, stage act, examination or perfectly baked and decorated cake, we don't see the sweat and tears that went into the whole process. It's after we hear those stories that makes us reflect upon ourselves and many times, it's a humbling experience. There are many humbling moments in this book, but to me, the one that takes the cake is when Tyler described Nic Jalabert's hand on his shoulder as he was pushing himself to his body to its physical limits telling him that it's just a bike race.

Fast Food Nation

About book
Author:Eric Schlosser
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd (2002/4/4)
Version: Paperback
Completed: 2006
My Rating: 3.5/5

Comment

I bought this book to give me a good reason to avoid the big M.

The verdict: I still hit MacDonald's once in a while. Why: Simple, bang-for-buck. You get better perceived value for your money when you order a set meal there. But the thing is that the marketing people behind the scene really know how to play the cards by getting the children hook on the gifts so that the helpless parent has not much of a choice but to give-in. The truth is, the burgers and the fries ain't half as bad.

To be absolutely fair to MacDonald's, a similar book like this should also be written about the food-chain so that there can be an apple-to-apple comparison. In any case, the things that go into that BigMac sure ain't just beef. That's for sure. At best, there must be parts-of-someone's fingernails, at worst, well, feces or so it seems. Then there are the so called abuse of power all the way from the farm to the person behind the counter. I am not so sure about the working conditions for other countries like Japan though. I guess they must fare better than the part timers in US.
So does eating at MacDonald's make me an accomplice to evils of the open market and industrialization. Perhaps so, but I feel that I am so remotely removed from the actual problems that I don't feel a tinge of guilt every time I eat at MacDonald's. Hey, information maybe power, but sometimes, the stomach and the wallet sure makes more ruckus. Maybe it's high time to hit the revolving-sushi bar or the curry-rice place more often. After I finish my extra-large fries and coke...

State of Fear

About book
Author: Michael Crichton
Publisher: Avon (Oct. 25, 2005)
Version: Paperback
Completed: 2006
My Rating: 3.0/5

Comment

OK, the starting was a real reader magnet. However having finished the book, the first question that came to mind was, I don't see the connection the introduction has with the rest of the book. This is not a thin book but the pages turn real fast when you can't seem to put it down. Although Crichton has put in a lot of research work into this one, story wise, I find it a little unsatisfying. Character development is there, it's just that Crichton put in too much of his own opinion about global warming into this one. The arguments just come across as pretty unconvincing. And, the bad guys seemed really comical like those characters from the animated cartoon series, Wacky Races from Hanna-Barbera.

Prey

About book
Author: Michael Crichton
Publisher: Avon (Nov. 11, 2003)
Version: Paperback
Completed: 2006
My Rating: 3.75/5

Comment

I rediscovered Michael Crichton books after reading this one. Here is a great writer with a MD degree to boot. His previous books, Rising Sun and Disclosure were what got me hooked to this author's novels in the beginning. This book kind of renewed my interest. And it is definitely a good effort from Crichton. Everything in the book was quite believable until the part about swarm taking the form of sinister humans. That was too way over the top for me. Apart from that, the action comes thick and fast. A real page turner.

Life of Pi

About book
Author:Yann Martel
Publisher: Harvest Books (May 3, 2004)
Version: Paperback
Completed: 2006
My Rating: 4.0/5

Comment

After a long abstinence, and due to the overwhelming positive reviews from readers at Amazon.com, I decided to get myself this book. It's a refreshing read indeed. A good 3/4 of the book mentions about this circumstances and life of the shipwrecked duo. I didn't know you can write so much about 2 characters and one of them don't even say anything at all. I like the epilogue which gives a more believable version of the story. All in all, a great story from a great story teller.

Freakanomics

About book
Author: Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
Publisher: Penguin (xxx. xx, xxxx)
Version: Paperback
Completed: 2006
My Rating: 3.25/5

Comment

I can't really say that I didn't see this one coming. The authors gives very legitimate argument for their cases. I think I am open minded enough to agree with most of the authors' research results. Parts about abortion laws and crime being linked to each other is really interesting and original research. Why did the authors' go to such painful length to convince their readers and at some points I feel that they are trying to convince themselves that their results make good argument. If I have the time, I will dig up some of the original papers and read them myself. For now, I think that the book can be written a little more concisely without too much bidding-around-the-bush. For a bestseller book on economics, the authors sure ain't too economical on their words.

When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management

About book
Author: Roger Lowenstein
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (October 9, 2001)
Version: Paperback
Completed: 2004
My Rating: 2.0/5

Comment

I was curious about how academicians at the ivory tower make it big in the finance world when I first learned about this book. The pace seems to slow down after the first chapter where the characters in the story were introduced. There are bits and pieces of nice-to-know information about Harvard and MIT economics PhDs. In fact I was trudging all the way to the finish. With the conclusion known up front, and the abundant so-you-think-you're-smart clichés, the story unfolds rather anemicly. The conclusion can be pretty much summed up by looking the front page flap which shows a graph of the value of Long-Term Capital Management. Maybe a financial buff may enjoy it.