Reading for Joy - Book Review 2023

Fiction:

• The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros: A true page-turner. This book is about Harry Poter met Hunger Games. A true masala book will keep you captive through all 400+ pages. This is a book about the imaginary world of Navarre, where an elite group of dragon riders safeguards the kingdom's borders. At the heart of the story lies a young girl who dreams of joining the dragon riders despite her physical limitations.
• Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros: This is the sequel of the fourth Wing. Though I enjoyed reading it, this is much slower than the earlier book. Some sections were unnecessarily long. I also did not get the ending. I guess for that, I have to read the next book of the series.
• It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover: This is a book about kids who grew up in abusive households. The long-term damage it creates in kid's psychology. How a girl and boy grew up in an abusive household recognizes the pattern and ultimately breaks it.
• It starts with Us by Colleen Hoover: This is a sequel to the earlier book. What happens after you break the cycle of abuse. How do you rebuild life after such trauma?
• Are you god? it's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume: It's a short fun read about an 11-year-old girl's dilemma with religion, growing up in a mixed-religion household.
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: This is a book about a brilliant female chemist in a 1950s male-dominated workplace. Even in the Me Too era, Elizabeth's struggle feels relevant. I personally encountered some of the harassment Elizabeth faced as a minority woman in tech.
• Nora goes off-script by Annabel Monaghan: This is a romance novel about a romance novel writer. Her self-discovery after breaking free from her abusive husband and finding romance again.
• Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng: I'm a big fan of Celeste's novel. But this one has missed the mark for me.

Non Fiction:

• Quits The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke: This book challenges the status quote that sees quitting as a failure. Instead, she argues that quitting can be a powerful tool for making better decisions and achieving our goals.
• Outlived by Peter Attia: This is a book about longevity. It has missed the mark for me. Some of the advice is not practical for regular people. If Attia's research is true, only athletes will live long, everyone else is doomed.
• Circadian Code by Satchin Panda: This is a book about intermittent fasting. Inspired by the book, I gave it a try. But after waking up very hungry middle of the night, I quit. It might be good for people who can follow strictly. but unfortunately did not work for me.
• Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari: I love, love this book. This is the nonfiction equivalent of a page-turner. It is a thought-provoking and insightful exploration of human history from the Stone Age to the present day. The author challenges conventional wisdom and offers a fresh perspective on the major events and trends that have shaped our species. He argues that our ability to be cruel over cooperation has been the key to our success.