Books

Evening Rays, originally uploaded by Sarfraaz.


I am such a huge fan of books, and i wonder how i have not written down about what books i am currently reading in my blog ever ? Well, such is life i suppose. Somethings are taken for granted somethings just slip off from your mind :p

Presently, I am reading an online version of "Thinking in Patterns", available here

A nice quote from this book ...

"We should forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time: Premature optimization is the root of all evil."—Donald Knuth

So many times I have seen that happening in the softwares that i have worked on.

The latest novel that i read was "Overload", by Arthur Healy. Its a very good novel that explains the pressures that exist in a government owned firm, that too if its concerned with "electricity" ... something we all take for granted. Healy is known for his in-depth explanation of the industry he writes a novel on, and this was a very good description of the various factions that exist in a firm that provides the services of electricity. The story itself is very good, with the plot set around the spokesperson of the firm, and how he tries in vain to explain to the world the dangers of not living with electicity, and how the reporters always misinterpret him to gain publicity and leaev out the bland and harsh realities he talks about. It really is very sad to know that you realise the importance of electricity only when you dont have it, and he puts forth that point with a very tragic incident :-( Another twist in the tale, is the terrorism aspect, trying to sabotage the firm on the name of being protectors of the environment. Its a very good dual where you get to learn and appreciate how both electricity and the environment are necessary for human beings and how one should be open to other's thoughts and be ready for a common ground of compromise, without loosing on the main intention of the debate.

I started reading Arthur Healy's books with, "Airport", thanks to Santosh, who told me that Arthur too was of the same class of writers as Crichton. Airport is undoubtedly a blockbuster. I wonder why there hasnt been a movie picturised on it, or may be there is one, and i am unaware of it. Its a simple tale of how an "airport" is managed, with the planes being scheduled and handled to land and take off at precise times, how the insurance firms rely on the worst fear of humans for flying in air, how the mechanics and ground force work countless hours to keep the airports the way they are. Its a story of a series of events on 4 parallel threads that happen in a span of 4 days, and culminate in the last 100 pages. These 100 pages are just sooooo good, that you wont feel like leaving the book .. Arthur's writing really has a great grasping power and you can feel it in this wonderfully descriptive and high tension drama story. He makes you feel the pressures and tensions of the working life in an airport. A marvelous book indeed.

I was a bit disappointed by "Wheels" though, another Healy book, on the automobile industry. Probably, just because i read this book after reading Airport, my expectations were really high, and "Wheels" lacked that punch. It really didnt have a thrilling story, or a central thread that holds the mood of the story. It was a mix of atleast three stories, which did not necessarily converge. But, yeah, none the less, it gave a very good picture of the automobile industry, of its standards, the people that work there, the kind of monotonous work it creates, and how people just life their lives in that work, just because they do not have any other alternatives. The human aspects and pressures surrounding a huge industry as that, is really good to know and understand. Dont expect any gripping story, and you will enjoy this book.

I am now on a month's leave and not going to read any books, for its the month of the World's greatest event on Earth !!! Football World Cup 2006 !!! ... Though, i really do not have any idea on what my next book to read will be, I have got a suggestion that "Fish" is a good book. This is a complete contrast to the genre of books that i read. Its a book on suggestions and practises on time management and attitude handling. Lets, see how many pages of this book I can turn :-) ... only time will tell ....