How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto

Author: Eric Asimov


In the late nineties, before the widespread popularity of the internet and social rating sites like Yelp, we had to rely on the food critic in the local newspaper to help us discover interesting new restaurants. Eric Asimov's $25 and under column in the New York Times fit the bill and was perfect for our just-graduated-from-college budget. So when I was browsing the new books at my local library, I instinctively picked up this book and started thumbing through the pages.

I stumbled on the pages where he makes fun of the flowery language that serious wine critics use in their "tasting notes". To make his point he compares the tasting notes of three reputable wine critics for the same wine bottle. Not surprisingly they all detect "hints" of different fruits in their notes and it is hard to reconcile how they can all be right. Eric also holds firm with his opinion that the enjoyment of wine has little to do with the ability to detect these nuances. This is precisely how I feel and so felt that it is worth exploring what the New York Times Chief Wine Critic had to say about this.

The book is written well and Eric's experience in editing shows in the well crafted prose that is to the point and crisp. Unfortunately, apart from the critique of the value of the "tasting notes", Eric does not have much to offer in terms of content. He tries hard to be balanced in his views and goes out of his way to be nonjudgmental about an individual's taste in wine. However, it comes across as trite and after a while the analogies to fast food restaurants and the like are more likely to elicit a yawn than offer any value. The best part of the book is that it can be read in a couple of hours. Avoid, unless you have an afternoon to kill.

Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

Author: Atul Gawande


Atul Gawande has been in the news a lot recently, whether it is for his bestselling books, incisive articles in New Yorker and Slate Magazine or his involvement in Public Policy in the US. His most recent book "Checklist Manifesto" didn't seem an interesting enough topic to fill a whole book with, and so I picked an earlier book of his "Complications" to get a peek into what Atul is all about.

I expected a technical book about surgery, written in clinical prose and was happy that it was only around 200 pages of well spaced large font type. But boy, was I in for a surprise. Atul's command over the English language is phenomenal and his descriptions of medical conditions and surgical procedures is so realistic that I could visualize them happening right in front of me. What was even more amazing was his humility and honesty in describing his own capabilities as a resident surgeon and engaging in an open discussion on how fallible doctors are in general. Given the litigious society that we live in, especially in the medical profession, it was a breath of fresh air to read and learn from Atul. He takes on some of the often neglected medical challenges like pain, nausea, blushing, etc. and is able to bring out a well researched topic in a highly readable format.

He is precise in his description and is able to express his thoughts and ideas in a few sentences. Here's an excellent example of how he describes humankind's challenge with obesity: "We are a species that has evolved to survive starvation, not to resist abundance". Overall, I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about the medical profession.

The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage

Author: Cliff Stoll


One of my colleagues at work handed me this book and I could tell from his swagger that he was real confident that I would enjoy this book. I was reading another book at the time and it took me a couple of weeks to get to the Cuckoo's egg, but once I started reading it, I understood that his confidence was well founded.

Cliff Stoll is an astronomer turned systems administrator and this book is about his chasing an intruder into his system, and a whole bunch of military computers. Cliff tells the story with an authenticity that draws you into the story. Despite his lack of formal schooling in Computer Science he is a whiz at hooking up terminals to tap into the intruders connection and observe his every move. Cliff's meticulous notes, analysis and perseverance with the CIA, FBI, NSA, etc. result in his ultimately nailing the hacker. The book reads like a thriller and I am as sure as my colleague was when he handed me the book that you will not be disappointed.

The Billionaire's Apprentice: The Rise of The Indian-American Elite and The Fall of The Galleon Hedge Fund

Author: Anitha Raghavan


Anitha has written a well researched book that explores the successes and failures of the South Asian diaspora. One of the main characters is Rajat Gupta who is one of the millions of "twice blessed" Indians who immigrated to the US and rose to great heights ultimately taking the helm at McKinsey and Co. Rajat's first "blessing" was being born after India acquired Independence from the British in 1947 allowing him access to some of the best higher education in the country. Rajat's second blessing was the passing of the Hart-Cellar Act in 1965 that removed the tight restrictions on the number of immigrants that were allowed into the US from India.

Despite the fact that the characters and material are not particularly colorful, Anitha has done a stellar job researching their history and breathing life into them. Given that I am of Indian descent, I felt the descriptions were very accurate and conjured up images in my mind that seemed spot on. I eagerly lapped up the many little details that Anitha has dribbled throughout the book and I have to confess that it makes for a very entertaining read.

Even if you are not particularly interested in the story about the rise and fall of the Galleon Hedge fund or the success and failure of some of the most prominent Indians in the US, the book does make you think about the fine line that divides a casual chat over drinks into an insider trading charge. I highly recommend this book to anyone curious about Raj, Rajat, Galleon or insider trading in general.

The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World

Author: Niall Ferguson


In this book, Niall Ferguson takes a look at world history through the lens of finance. The first traces of money in most civilizations is the coin and the earliest form dates back to 600 BC in what is now Turkey. Ferguson spends very little time on physical money and quickly moves on to the concept of money lending and how loans got their official start. Banks soon appear in the narrative and no story about them would be complete without paying homage to the Medici family and the vast political clout they commanded through their banking system. From here on Ferguson attributes most major world events like wars and political reigns to the prevailing financial conditions. Given the importance of money and capital it is not inconceivable that finance has played a big part in the success and ruin of many countries around the world.

The second half of the book is devoted to more modern financial instruments like stocks, bonds, insurance and derivatives. The book was completed in 2008, so Ferguson wasn't able to shed too much light on the most recent financial meltdown caused sub-prime loans and securitization of mortgages.

I didn't find any new or thought provoking ideas in the book. However, I definitely learnt a thing or two about finance.