Reading List #001

The legendary astrophysicist Carl Sagan captured what is perhaps the best definition of a book there is. He said,

What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you.

According to Sagan, “Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.”

 

In a recently conducted survey on a WhatsApp group among the alumni community, several readers across batches came forward to mention the most recent book they finished reading. One of the readers even rated the book he mentioned.

The books range everything from comic books to non-fiction and everything in between.

Here is a quick peek at the list:

 

  1. Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh (Abraham Finny)

“It is a nice story about a village at the Indo-Pakistan border and how it was affected by communal forces during partitions”, Binny said

  1. Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur by Frank Houghton (Jeremy Daniel)

“Been a while. This is the last one I read. I will give it a 5 star rating.”

 

  1. Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind – Yuval Noah Harari (Moses Ashirvad)
  2. Shadows of the mind – A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness by Roger Penrose (Jason)

      

John Dee admitted that he feels like a philistine because he hasn’t read anything recently.

  1. LINUX Device Drivers (Jeswin)
  2. Jesus’ Son by Dennis Johnson (Joshua)

 

Roslin mentioned that she hasn’t read any books since she completed her MA in English. At the end of her reply, she added an embarrassed smiley.

  1. Archie & Tinkle Digest (Jemima Samson)
  2. Serious Men by Manu Joseph (Rachel)

      

Glady admitted that she hasn’t read anything after she started working. She added a thoughtful emoji  to go with the message.

  1. Nathaniel’s Nutmeg by Giles Milton (Peter)
  2. Staring at the Sun by Julian Barnes (Pearly)
  3. The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell (Annie Livingston)
  4. Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson (Rojo)
  5. Fragments that Remain by Amy Carmichael (Paul Hudson)
  6. Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss (Naladha)

     

 

Several others did not respond to the survey. They were probably too busy reading.

63. CARL SAGAN: Books are awesome

 

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