13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck

Book Title: 13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck
Author: Ashwin Sanghi
Genres: Non Fiction
Rating: 4

The journey of life isn’t exactly easy… Some people make it through hard work and talent. Some fall by the wayside. And some people are just plain lucky. They are blessed with Bloody Good Luck!
But is it possible to attract good luck? Can we train ourselves to be lucky? Apparently it seems that Dame Luck isn’t that fickle. She is well within our reach. In his first non-fiction foray, bestselling author Ashwin Sanghi explores that critical, much-longed for element called luck.
Through entertaining and informative anecdotes, narrations of personal experiences and vignettes of homespun wisdom, Ashwin gives us a whole new insight into how people can work towards being lucky.

Review

I have been meaning to read Ashwin Sanghi for a long time but never managed to. So, 13 steps to bloody good luck, the author's first attempt at non-fiction is my first read by him. That said, the writing style doesn't pose itself as a subject for review. It is neither impressive nor dull. The concept is agreeable and makes you think. Basically, the author argues that luck isn't a factor that cannot be controlled. He proposes that one can increase their good luck by changing their Attitude and/or approach towards 13 factors. As with any other self help book, I was excited to find out how much I could agree to the contents and to what extent I can benefit from it.

Matches made in Heaven

Book Title: Matches made in Heaven
Author: Sundari Venkatraman
Genres: Fiction
Rating: 3

A collection of 13 romantic short stories based in India; a culture rich country steeped in tradition. Inspiration struck me from newspaper articles, TV shows and hearing people talk. The short stories are based on that fact that arranged marriages thrive right alongside love matches in India.

Review

Matches made in Heaven, a collection of romantic short stories, would make a blissful read when you are on a flight for a vacation or getting a pedicure done or hmm, u get the drift right? Relaxed and joyful and pampered.  The stories are straightforward, the characters unassuming. All the stories have been based on a spark of thought from real life. The transition from one story to next was quick and easy, given that I read a handful of stories at a time. On a similar note, I wish the Author had avoided repeating the same style of describing the character's appearance and their romantic encounters.

Baby Read-Aloud Basics

Book Title: Baby Read Aloud Basics: Fun and Interactive Ways to Help Your Little One Discover the World of Words

Author: Caroline J. Blakemore and Barbara Weston Ramirez

Genres: Non Fiction

Rating: 5

Decades of research have proven the value of reading aloud to children, and the years between birth and age two are arguably the most crucial for language development. As a parent, it's important that you help your baby acquire the foundation they need to speak earlier, read on their own sooner, and benefit from an increased vocabulary and attention span.
Baby Read-Aloud Basics shows you how to establish an effective daily read-aloud routine to take charge of your baby's future understanding and success. Organized around the six stages of early language development from birth to age two, the book provides simple but effective techniques to help you

Review

Books on Pregnancy, Parenting and the non-existent baby manuals - you have read it all. How about a book on how to read to your baby? When is the right time to start reading to your Baby? As soon as your Baby can listen! When does a Baby start listening/observing?  We all, possibly, know the answer from our childhood dose of Abhimanyu's story and what modern-day research tells us. As early as possible! But do you know what kind of books to pick at each stage? And how to read so that your Baby gets the most out of it? Baby Read Aloud Basics:Fun and Interactive Ways to Help Your Little One Discover the World of Words by Caroline J. Blakemore and Barbara Weston Ramirez has the answers.

A new play area for a new home!

As I mentioned in this post previously, we moved to a new home and had to redo the play area for my LO again. Here is a pic,

And a mini library. This got her so excited!!

Breach

Book Title: Breach
Author: Amrita Chowdury
Genres: Fiction
Rating: 3

How secure are your secrets?

Weeks before Acel is ready to file the global patent application for Colare, a wonder drug for pancreatic cancer, the research data stored at its offshore data center in Mumbai goes haywire and Dr. Udai Vir Dhingra, the charismatic, Ivy-educated young leader of its Indian business, gets blamed.

The trail leads to Raghu Damodaran, a precocious teen exploring the very edges of what can be done in cyber space, and then gets lost.

Battling market pressures, media leaks, livid American bosses and crumbling relationships, Vir must find the real perpetrators or see his career - and his life - spiral downwards. Swept into a shadowy world of masked online identities and muddied digital footprints, Vir discovers that nothing is easy or obvious, and everything has a price.
Set in Mumbai, Washington DC and Suzhou, in an online-meets-offline adventure of cyber threats and IP espionage, drug research and medical ethics, strained affairs and lost love, disillusionment and hopelessness, Breach is a clever, fast-paced thriller full of surprises.

Review

I did read that blurb before starting to read the book but I imagined it would just have a hint of technical stuff. Now, having read the book , am surprised at how much research and understanding should have gone behind it. Its a well-researched and well-executed cyber thriller with a refreshing plot. With a long-forgotten software engineer background, I kept wondering how much of this will a 'layman' reader understand but from the other reviews on goodreads, I believe the Author has passed with flying colours on that aspect.