The Other Side of Life

High time I am honest to my blog's title - Preeti Reviews.  I can't recall why I thought 8 years back that I would be posting reviews of anything on my blog, but I did. And so, I got stuck with this lame URL. What's done is done. After 8 years, I decided to honor that commitment and write a real review. I don't think I can even call this a review. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight is the story of Nike and for me, easily one of the most influential books I have ever read. Probably even the most influential book. Everyone wants to know how Nike became Nike. What we don't expect is the story of a normal guy, with a normal background, a normal upbringing, to fight the worlds to make his "crazy idea" come alive. He makes us all root for him, cheer for him and in doing so, cheer for every person who has ever had a passion and fought for it. I have often said this, that for many of us, careers have become an easy way to play catch. I like marketing. No, I...

And I am back with a book review! Book: RIP Author: Mukul Deva No. of Pages: 286 Genre: Thriller, Fiction Publisher: Westland Books RIP by Mukul Deva is a fast paced read, set in the current context of anti-corruption movements, hapless public, politicians who cannot be touched and the general epiphanies about change. The story is about a group of ex-army men who decide to take law in their own hands when numerous protests by activists have no impact on the political class. They turn vigilantes and challenge the Government head-on by assassinating the top brass and making a mockery of their so-called establishment. To counter this group, an alert politician engages a corrupt ex-army man, willing to stoop to any levels and in a story with many twists and turns, the race between the two groups turns nail biting. And finally, ends up in mission possible. The good things first. Its a fast read. Whether you enjoy the story or not, you will definitely finish the book with...

So finally, after much procrastination, I decided to give the Book Reviews Program a shot. And as luck would have it, I got lucky with a great book! The Bankster, by Ravi Subramanian is an exciting read, to say the least. I must confess, I was slightly biased towards the author, having heard great reviews of If God Was a Banker, his first book. Here's the deal. When you are dealing with a subject as complicated as Banking (atleast for me), you need to have a very careful approach. You need to make things sound simple so that I as a reader, get a grip on the story, but at the same time, not make it too simplistic to make me feel dumb and lacking in knowledge. Ravi Subramanian passes this test with flying colors! Dealing with banking, frauds and the complexities of the financial world, he has created a wonderful script, which is easy to understand and at the same time technically perfect. The Bankster is the story of the Greater Boston Global Bank (GB2) and a grou...

It's Wednesday, 3 pm in the afternoon and we just had a team lunch at a pretty cool restaurant, I am sleepy and trying really really hard to look alert even as I slump in front of the monitor. I am not kidding! Remember that Tom 'n' Jerry cartoon where Tom keeps his eyes stretched open with the help of match sticks? I probably need crowbars instead! My only hope of getting out of office without the embarrassment of falling off the chair while drowsing is completing this post somehow! Anyhoo. Moving on to the post. Point is, I always had this thing against Indian authors. Probably because they write much too complicated stuff, not at all to my liking. I like things clean, simple, straightforward.(Not as simple as Chetan Bhagat though!) Basically, I  have too many judgement criteria! Surprisingly, over the past few months, I have come across some really impressive books by Indian authors. I figured, if I can write posts to criticize these guys, I can also write posts to prais...

LOL ...That is easily one of the lamest titles I have ever seen! :) So here's the deal. When I got my hands on a Robin Cook book after a gap of 4 years, I would be lying if I said I was happy..Because, I was ecstatic..Robin Cook was probably never the best author on earth, and most definitely, not a winner of awards, but it worked for me back then. And so running into his latest book sent my adrenaline into a tizzy, taking me back to those days of confused young minds, debating how to sneak in a book in between hectic coaching classes and teachers driving poor minds crazy! I would be understating if I said I liked Robin Cook..I loved Robin Cook, and I had in fact set the indelible record of reading each and every one of his books, till of course, he decided to write one more. And so I had to read Crisis. Crisis is a fast paced story set in the suburbs of Boston. The lead protagonist, Dr. Craig Bowman is a hard working dedicated medical practitioner, caught in an increasingly deep...

I have a candid confession to make..I had not even heard of the genre called "Country Rock" before a chance encounter with this band! And I must say, this has been a pleasant surprise. Lady Antebellum is a country rock music group, creating quite a few rave reviews with the "New Artist of the Year" award by the Country Music Association, and two Grammy Nominations in its kitty. It is composed of Charles Kelley on the lead and background vocals, Dave Haywood on background vocals and guitar and Hillary Scott on lead and background vocals. The band has an interesting mix of voices and sounds. The male and female lead have a comfortable symphony, with terrific vocals, not quite superimposing on each other, and yet making their own marks. Also to credit is their overall look! Very unique combination of two guys and one female, they manage strike a good rapport with listeners. I would not give the band a high score on lyrics, though they have done a pretty good job with t...

What better way to begin blogging than with a review of a music concert! It was Pandit Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar in concert at the beautiful Nehru Park , as a part of the SpicMacay "Music in the Park" series. I was lucky enough to be there, but so were the other thousand odd music lovers who had turned out in huge force, sharing mattresses and chairs, discussing music, weather and the Maestro. My heart swelled with pride when I looked around at the assorted crowd: youngsters in Kurtas waiting to have a piece of the famous "culture cake", middle aged couples desperate for an evening away from normalcy, old people reminiscing Panditji's first time, foreigners impatient to see what the hyped "Indian culture" is all about. It was a weird mix of people, but a sight that made me proud of the city I had been brought up in. In an almost heavenly weather, good music has the power to take you far away, away from trivial problems and musings, and...