Tag: favourite

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power

Industrial capitalism exploited nature and gave us the bounty of comforts we enjoy in the modern era. Surveillance capitalism is exploiting human nature. The consequences are that there is increasingly no refuge, no sanctuary, from the relentless efforts of corporations that are intent on controlling every facet of an individual’s existence. In the current trajectory, it will lead to a further consolidation of wealth and power. Not an easy read, but most definitely a must read.

A Gentleman in Moscow

Sublime, in terms of writing and characters. When Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is sentenced to house arrest (“house” here being the Hotel Metropol) on 21st June 1922, it’s difficult to imagine the remaining 400+ pages being anything other than depressing. But the Count is probably a living embodiment of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, and the story that follows shows “that by the smallest of one’s actions one can restore some sense of order to the world.” An absolutely wonderful read, and in my list of all-time favourites.

The Power of Habit

To paraphrase William Jones, our entire life is a formed from habits, for good and for bad, and they lead us to our destiny. This is a book that can help in all aspects of our lives – from losing weight to building great teams, and at an individual and group level. The narrative style ensures that what could have been a prescriptive book is actually an enlightening and entertaining one!

The Big Book of Science Fiction

An absolute treasure if you’re even remotely interested in science fiction. The stated objective of the book is diversity, and it does justice to it on many fronts – non-English writings, the setting in terms of geography, gender, sub-genres – dystopian, alien encounters, space operas, post-apocalypse, and even satire. 105 stories spanning 1160 pages, this book definitely needs to be on your shelf!