Letters from Skye … a review

The title of this book contains two favourite words, so even before I began reading it, I knew I would like it. The entire book is written in the form of letters – between a poetess Elspeth from Skye and her pen pal David from America, and parallely Elspeth’s daughter Margaret’s letters to various people. Elspeth and David correspond during World War I and Margaret’s letters are based around the Second World War. It all begins when, upon the publication of a book of poems, Elspeth receives a rather sweet letter from a ‘fan’ in America. The story spans two generations, about two decades, two wars, and two continents – finally reaching culmination at the St Mary’s Episcopal Church in Edinburgh (it’s on Palmerston place on the West end, it’s beautiful).

The book is very well written. There isn’t much surprise in the way of the plot because the letters alternate between the two women’s stories and Margaret’s story fills us in on the gaps left in Elspeth’s. So, no surprises, really, but I enjoyed the concept and the backdrop of the war and of life on Skye. Skye is stunning and the idea of a poetess penning her thoughts as poems and letters and slowly but surely falling in love with a man she’d never met is just my type of thing. Let me warn you, however, it might not be everybody’s cup of tea; which is possibly why this book has got mixed reviews on websites etc

But like I said, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It brought scenes from Skye, Edinburgh, and London quite vividly in my head. The writing is atmospheric and evocative; the emotions expressed are very natural and believable. I’d recommend it.

 

Excellence in IT … a review

Not my usual kind of book… but since I began a new job in IT a few months ago and I just had my first performance appraisal for it last week, I thought this book just came along at a good time. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it very much. The author makes some compelling points that are not very obvious. However, I got told the same things at work as well so I was quite impressed. It is a must read if you’re in IT. If you’re not, then you might want to dip in and out, reading the bits that are relevant to your line of work.

Along with championing the good habits, the author also sets out the most common bad habits. I have had five years of technical education, two years of semi-technical work experience, and only four months in my latest IT role. However, I could easily see examples of the pitfall kind of people in my head. They are easy to spot, and knowing what you’re seeing makes it easier to work with them or work around them. It also makes it easier, as an employee, to recognise early signs of behaviours in oneself and sidestep them. We all like to think that we are doing the very best we can in our day jobs. But sometimes, in fact, most of the time, it is not about what we do; it is about how we do it. More and more organisations are hiring based on people standards rather than technical skills and this is why.

 Some other stellar advice – don’t stop learning, don’t be too cocky, never experiment on production systems, be the good man in a storm, keep your chin up. There is even an entire chapter on Stress Management, and that is probably as relevant in any industry, in any workplace. The book wraps up with how to remain critical and relevant in such a fast-changing environment and what separates a good techie from a bad one.

 The final thing that made me really respect the author – the discussion about the importance of documentation. I refuse to buy the bullshit that techies are bad at it. Some very very lazy techie came up with that. I have met some of the foremost researchers in the world in certain fields (and that includes people like Peter Higgs) and if you do not document, you are plain lazy.

Most useful lines ‘Always remember that competency is your responsibility. Moving forward without competency is, in all fairness, your fault and no one else’s’.

Interview with Extraordinary Normal Folks

I got featured in an ongoing #interview series!
Read about it here!

Also because this is a good way to get to know me as me, the person behind the space 🙂

Musing Mondays (January 27)

My Musing:

Remember times before the internet and personal computers, when book reviews were in newspapers alone? When I was in my early teens, I remember waiting eagerly for the weekly supplement to the newspaper that came with reviews. Now, with Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Riffle, blogs and whatnots, I never read reviews in the newspapers anymore.
A lot of people miss those reviews, mainly because they were written well, by professionals, who gave each book its due time. I can’t say I miss those reviews at all. Simply because those two or three reviewers do not represent my tastes in books at all! With the advent of the internet I have relied completely upon books recommended to me by people who recommendations I like! I do not need to buy a book that scores have liked only to be disappointed, and nor must I miss a book that no one’s heard of but I’ve loved!
On social networks, I have built around me a wall of people whose reading inspires me, whose recommendations are worthy of my time, and who have given me the best gift of all – the gift of reading more.
No, I don’t miss the olden days on this one!

Musing Mondays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

Describe one of your reading habits.
Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

Musing Mondays (October 07)

My Musing:

A lot of book related pages on Facebook and elsewhere on the web are very entertaining. I like following them and having various book related things thrown into my face every now and then. One of the most entertaining book blogs I read is the Barnes & Noble blog. I like their posts because they are short, they talk of good books, and they talk about a lot of books that I haven’t heard of, this keeps my appetite up. 

In other news, my most favourite person just finished his Masters degree with a DISTINCTION, no less! I’m so proud; Congratulations V.

AND, this is my 200th post on this blog *ta-da*

Musing Mondays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

Describe one of your reading habits.
Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

Musing Mondays (September 30)

Musing Mondays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

My Musing:

I am on too many social networks. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, Goodreads, Instagram, Flickr… I do them all. I have this blog on WordPress and another one on Blogspot. So when I got another invite to another social network that is meant to be about books, what did I do? I signed up, of course! Have you heard of Riffle? It is like Pinterest, but it is about books and books alone.. so a cross between Pinterest and Goodreads. I have started ‘following’ some boards and the whole deal, but I don’t know where it’s all going to go. I’m happy with Pinterest and I’m happy with Goodreads, but do I want an amalgamation of the two? Do I?
Well I don’t know yet… when I do, I’ll let you know.
Are you on too many social networks?

Time for

Thoughts, comments, suggestions on the new look?

Joys and Sorrows of Owning a Kindle Keyboard …10 reasons

As promised, here is an unbiased view of owning a Kindle from a very avid reader.

To start off, I’m not a gadget freak, I actively dislike gadgets. Unlike most of my peers, I don’t have a touchscreen phone (or even a smartphone) or a tab. I used my previous laptop for six years and would’ve happily continued had it not been deemed a dinosaur and basically un-repairable. That was precisely why I would probably never have bought myself a Kindle. I wasn’t sure. Just as well that it was a present.

Having said that, it was a lovely present for someone who reads as much as I do. Now to what I really think about it…

1. PRO There is virtually no difference between reading a book and reading the screen, the reading experience  is the same. There is no glare like the computer screen and the eyes don’t get as fatigued either. That is very impressive.

2. CON Show me one Kindle that smells like a book! To me, nothing can replace the feeling of sniffing at a new or old book and inhaling the scent of stories, of characters, of long ago times. There is nothing that feels like the physical act of turning a page, slipping in a bookmark (reluctantly), of furrows on a spine. Nope, I missed that…

3. PRO It is a blessing to be able to choose font size. Oh! I remember reading my edition of Antony and Cleopatra, font size freakin’ 7. 7! I almost went blind! The first time I picked up Gone With the Wind, I put it down after 50 pages because the font size irked me. Blessing to be able to choose.

4. CON Not a lot of people read these days. To be honest, I loved the attention I got whenever I was spotted with a ‘heavy’ book. I loved how people perceived me when I read Shakespeare or Oscar Wilde or Dickens. On so many instances, people have approached me and struck up a conversation to find out why I didn’t look like a nerd if I really was reading nerdy books! On so many instances, i have asked people how they like the book they were reading ’cause I was meaning to pick up the same…
On a Kindle, you never know what a gem/what shit one is reading.

Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. –P.J. O’Rourke

5. PRO So many books I have read over the years, so many book I have wanted to re-read. Now, finally, I can re-read all the Famous Fives and kiddy books. Books that I could never carry around because they finish too quickly. Going back to them is so much easier!
Also, no more worrying what I’ll do if my book finishes!

6. CON I love being in bookstores! I usually spend at least half an hour every week just walking around, browsing, and touching books I want to read. I am going to continue doing that, but maybe the number of people doing that is going down?

7. PRO Obviously, the light is much appreciated. I love reading before I go to bed and it helps immensely that now I don’t have to get out of my cozy duvet and switch off the light!

8. CON Since I have become a student at a foreign country, I have not been able to afford books. Really, I have no idea why books cost so much in the UK! Anyway, along with that, I have also discovered the joy of finding a book in a charity shop! I wouldn’t give it up… it is an amazing feeling going into a shop and having absolutely NO idea what to find.

9. PRO As I said, I like to read before bed. Which means, reading lying down angles my poor neck and every 30 seconds or so, I have to swap the way the book is held. You get the drift if you read lying down; but, with my Kindle, voila! Magic, just stay in one horrible posture angle throughout!

10. CON When I look at one of my books, there is a certain feeling associated with it. All the books I’ve read, all. It’s like having different friends, each one has spoken different things, showed different sights… how do I have separate unique feelings anymore when all I’m looking at looks the same?

Lastly, books = paper = pulp = trees = deforestation. Maybe using a Kindle might just save some trees.

What are your opinions?

 

Birthday Update!

It’s my Birthday today and V has bought me a Kindle!

I have been agonising about whether I want to own one or not for about two years now, and now I finally have it!

The Kindle Keyboard 3G

I will obviously treat you readers with a detailed account of what I think of it, but that’s for another post. Happy birthday to me then 🙂

Beyond books…

The world of books and reading is immense. I’m pretty sure we all know that one person, who’d rather read than do anything else! No wonder, writing, blogging, reading is such a massive market these days. And no wonder then, that there is so much else that is in the market and everywhere around us, that is inspired from books and reading, but has, in fact, nothing to do with it! Take a look at this delightful bag, for instance,

😀

This is so awesome. You can get it for yourself, or as a cheesy present for your girl, or even better, your guy 😉 And this is just a small example… cups, candles, posters, jewellery, you name it! Everything can now be branded with your favourite quote, character, or print. And then, of course, for the people in the digitized world, there are book ‘accessories’; stands for your e-reader, lights, covers, clips, and whatnots!

Gone are the days when all you could buy for an avid reader was a bookmark 😛 The web is full of things that you can buy, all related to reading. Take a look here! Can you possibly think of anything else that’s got to be done?

There’s this blog that I read which introduced me to this shop; I personally think this guy’s work is amazing! They are definitely overpriced though… because his work is worth more than his idea here. What I mean is, I have some amazing lines in pictures in my head too! So all I need is the inclination to put it into a software. The inception of the idea will never be mine, but the work for sure, will be original.

What do you think? Have you ever bought something for a book lover, other than a book? Will you, at some point?