The Dick Smith Way
by Ike Bain

After a long time I read an interesting business book organized in short snippets on various topics. For those who don't know Dick Smith, he is the founder of a very large retail electronics chain here in Australia which has now successfully expanded into America. He also has two other successful businesses Australian Geographic and Dick Smith Foods. The writer was Dick Smith's right hand man in all these businesses over a period of 25 years.

This book unlike typical business biographies does not follow the growth of business chronologically, instead Ike has organized this into a more of an advice / lessons kind of way at the same time without loosing its practical feel. The book is filled with anecdotes and experiences of Ike's experiences as the right hand man of Dick Smith (perhaps think of him as Australia's Richard Branson). If Richard Branson was knighted, Dick Smith has been given the similar Australian of the year award. Richard Branson went around the world in a hot air balloon, Dick smith too has similar achievements in adventure, In 1983 he became the first helicopter pilot to fly solo around the world and in 1995 he completed a second helicopter flight around the world, this time from east to west. In 1989, flying a Twin Otter, he completed the first vertical circumnavigation of the world, landing at both the North and South Poles. In 1993 he and a co-pilot completed the first non-stop balloon crossing of Australia.

Almost the same way there are a string of business successes to his credit, Among the various comments and snippets the one struck home base with me was a comment by Dick Smith in which he says he is confident that he can bring any business to success just by purely focusing on customer service and doing it better than the competition. Reading such books really pumps you up especially living in a free economy with unlimited opportunity. Want to start a business or work on your business back from the basics, this would be a good one to read.

Finally the Author rightly sums up his intentions behind writing this book

"I've written this book for business people, for those who might hope to be in business one day, and for people who might not have the slightest interest in a business career but would like to know why Dick Smith is so good at it. I hope you will be entertained by the sense of fun, enthusiasm and adventure that spills out of The Dick Smith Way
–Ike Bain, author.

Blink By Malcolm Gladwell

"Blink" as per the Webster's dictionary means ": A reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly" It is in what happens in this fleeting glance and a fraction of a second is what this book is all about.

For a moment close your eyes and imagine if you are in an interview, you go in and shake the hands of the interviewers and take your seat with the panel introducing themselves. Have you ever felt the vibe of a positive feeling that this meeting is really going to go well. Or conversely you might have felt Oooopps something is wrong. I have had this happen to me time and again, when I give an interview I am pretty sure in the first few seconds / minutes if I will be called for the next round / further discussions or when I have screwed up I know there is no point following up for feedback. Maybe its some little nuances of their facial expressions / the general tone of questions or something in the general pulse of the conversation.

This book is about all those times when you sub consciously assessed the situation in a very short time , call it gut feel, intuition, thin slicing, or any other fancy names. Blink is filled with anecdotes which are sometimes contradictory but nevertheless making a very good read about the varied applications of the subconscious process that goes on in the back of your mind.

Malcolm Gladwell the author has a really active and an informative website, he is a writer for the Newyorker and his website features all his old articles which has a fair bit of overlap with blink. To get an idea of what to expect in blink read this. Its an experiment conducted on the interview example that I explained earlier. The conclusion being that, the interviewers judge whether to accept or reject the applicant in the first 5 seconds and the rest of the half an hour is just a facade to justify the decision made in their subconscious mind.

Firstly I really appreciate the author for having opened up his blog for discussion on his various writings. He goes to great length to discuss his ideas and counter other opinions on his blog, in fact the comments section of his blog is perhaps one of the most intellectually stimulating conversations I have come across in a long time. Here is a very interesting debate about racism and an example used by Gladwell in his book. Please note that here is an author who takes time out to respond to the comments and discuss an issue till its end. and for me personally, he has taken the time out to respond to my mail as well so again he is as good and responsive as an author can get.

He has received fair bit of criticism and this is one of the most critical reviews Blink has received, though having read the book I don't quite agree with what Judge Posner (the reviewer) has to say this review might give you a different perspective. Overall this is a very good read , and I have bought a copy of my own.

The Bitch in the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth About Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage


Now isn't this a title that prods your imagination, when I first saw the book in the recently returned section in the library it caught my attention just as it is doing to you. I am not normally a reader of writings by distraught women writing against MCP (For the not enlightened that was (Male chauvinist pigs), but I just picked this book on a whim because it offered short stories of 5 - 8 pages and I find it convenient to read small stories at a time. Just so that you can skip those that don't look pretty good and keep moving ahead hoping to find something better.

Fortunately I didn't have to do that for this book, none of the 26 stories were so off putting to for me to skip them. The stories are what the title promises, no disappointments there, only the truth about Sex, Solitude, Work, ,,,,etc.

For all the Male brothers out there, pick this book because this would give you the other perspective of what it feels to be on the other end of the nightly consummations. What happens when a few years after marriage the kids and family take precedence over sex and romance. The book and its writers are based in in America so many of the examples (for example living in ) are not really relevant in the Indian context, but nevertheless the after marriage monotony is the same all over the world so it still makes an interesting read. Generally speaking Read it if you can get it from a library or borrow from a friend, I wouldn't spend my money to keep a "Bitch" in my house.

McDonald's: Behind the Arches
by : John F. Love

If you have ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at every Mc Donald's restaurant this is the book for you. How does Mc Donalds have your order ready by the time you drive through from the order mike to the pick up window? What is the story behind the Clown Ronald Mc Donald and why is he so popular today (by some records he is second in popularity in the US only to Santaclaus) as the Mascot of Mc Donalds? This is the book to read.

The books starts when Mc Donalds was just a fledgling operation , a single store sun by the Mc Donald brothers who have discovered a better, faster and a more efficient way of running a Fast food Joint and then takes you on a Roller coaster ride of the history of Mc Donalds from day one till about 1986 when the books was originally published and Mc Donalds became the huge monolith that it is today. The evolution part is really interesting, for example why and how do Mc Donalds French fries taste the same all around the world, and what is the secret behind those french fries, with just the right amount of crispiness, the soft insides and the tasty golden crust. did you know the Mc Donalds fries are dipped in a light sugar solution just before frying to give that golden brown color.

The book gives you a good insight into the mind and thinking of founder of modern day Mac Donald's - the indomitable Ray Kroc and the hundreds of suppliers and franchisees who made Mc Donalds the success that it is today. The author is of course unabashedly positive about the company and the people behind the scenes but I guess that is the compromise you have to make if you want the inside view of such a business. After all why should people speak to you if you are going to write a critical commentary of their business.
But critical or not, the book is an immensely good read and with 450 + pages in pretty much detail. Should be a must read for anyone entering into a franchising / food business.

For Marketing fanatics the pages present very good lessons in how Mc Donalds initially stumbled and how it got back on track when the chain expanded internationally customizing to just the right amount to local tastes.

PS: This is not from the Book , Also have a look at the regional Mc Donalds dishes and the amount of customization they have done here.

Being Indian
by Pavan K Verma

"Ethos" as per the dictionary means "the distinctive spirit of a culture or an era" and the Indian ethos is what this book is all about. A true feast for Indians and foreigners alike, this is a must read for anyone interested in the Indian culture. The book describes precisely the inner workings of an Indian mind, why the Indians are the way they are?

I haven't read anyone else describing an abstract concept like "Indian ethos" so very well. The book is filled with anecdotes and accounts of various glaring contrasts and contradictions that make India.

The Author, Pavan K Verma was High Commissioner for India in Cyprus and has held other assorted positions in the Indian Diplomatic service. Coming from such a very learned man of such high social standing the book is surprisingly down to earth. When you read, It becomes obvious that the author has had his ears very close to the ground. Personally I liked the book and I recommend to any one who seems interested / curious about Indians.

Best of all , I had written a small mail to Pavan, generally thanking him for writing the book, and he was courteous enough to reply back. I got a reply the very next day :

thank you hari for your appreciation for my book. i wrote as honestly as i could, and i am glad some people have liked what i have said. we shd certainly try and meet when i am next in mumbai or pune, best, pavan

Now this might seem a small thing , but well I am impressed. By the book and by the Author.

Hats off to you, Sir!

Title: Callgirl: Confessions of a Double Life
Author: Angell, Jeannette


I picked this book because the cover design and the title looked interesting, and the book lived up to what it promised in the cover : Confessions of a Double Life

Reading it you have a strange feeling that the she is talking to you in person and challenging your notions about the sleaze and the sex industry. This book will change the way you think about call girls, ( i.e. if you think about them all the time, this is a must read)

An interesting look at the life of a woman leading a double life - as a college professor by day, and professional call girl at night. Provides some very good insights into why people do, what they do.

The most touching part for me in the book is where, she is with an old male friend to whom she confesses about her working as a call girl and looks forward to his support, and in the midst of the conversations out of the blue he lays down some cash on the table and asks her to give a B***J**. Now If you though she is already a Call girl, so whats the harm in giving another BJ. You ought to read this book, Big time!!!!

The description of what goes on in her mind then is really moving. Do you find Psychiatrists analyzing offering to analyze people in their free time ?? or Scientists coming and doing research when they go home??
Get off !!! my friend !! If you think call girls are nymphomaniac lesbians, you have been watching too many porn movies! Its just a Bloody JOB,,,, and they can't wait until it gets over. If she screams your name in ecstasy , it doesn't mean she's enjoying it. It just means that she is being good at her job and that you are more likely to call her next time.

In all if the purpose of a book is to give the reader a different perspective, this book more than serves the purpose.

Rating : 7 out of 10