Subzero Blue

Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

I just finished reading “Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking” by Malcolm Gladwell.

The book is about the kinds of decisions and snap judgements we take in the first fractions of seconds we’re confronted with something, how that happens, and how we have this hidden ability to “thin slice” situations, mind read the people in front of us and react according to a wealth of information that is stocked away behind a closed door in what is called our “adaptive unconscious”.

It goes on to tell us to trust these snap judgements of ours more often, and that sometimes they result in better decisions than if we take a lot of time and go through much anaylsis. Still the book shows examples of how that can go wrong, and why. Which leads us to how we can somehow train and develop these snap judgements and make them better and more efficient.

The book tells all this through results of research and real life stories that are woven very nicely together, in a way you won’t get bored.

I bought this book from the book fair, and it was the title that actually pulled me in. I’m not usually into reading these types of books, but still I found this one very interesting, as I do believe in what it’s trying to say, that a part of us, our “adaptive unconscious” as it turns out to be, is able to analyse a situation and reach a correct decision a lot faster than it would take us to think about it consciously and decide what to do.

These snap judgements or gut feelings or whatever you want to call them have come in very handy to me over the years, although I sometimes let myself get carried away by the idea that I have to think things over more before taking my decision, which only complicates things and gets me confused.
So from now on I think I’ll be trying to develop and trust those judgements and decisions more in my everyday life.

How To Be Good (Nick Hornby)

In the halftime of the England-Sweden match last night, I finished reading “How To Be Good” by Nick Hornby.
I’m quite a fan of Nick Hornby and his style of writing. I also really like the movie adaptations of his books.
Thanks to my friend Sleepless Jojo for lending me this book.

I’m going to quote some of the Amazon review on this one because it basically says all I have to say about the book’s story.

How to Be Good, Katie Carr is certainly trying to be. That’s why she became a GP. That’s why she cares about Third World debt and homelessness, and struggles to raise her children with a conscience. It’s also why she puts up with her husband David, the self-styled Angriest Man in Holloway.

But one fateful day, she finds herself in a Leeds parking lot, having just slept with another man. What Katie doesn’t yet realize is that her fall from grace is just the first step on a spiritual journey more torturous than the interstate at rush hour. Because, prompted by his wife’s actions, David is about to stop being angry. He’s about to become good–not politically correct, organic-food-eating good, but good in the fashion of the Gospels.

Back to what I think, well I really liked the book, very enjoyable just like Nick’s other books and very humourous.
This book also makes you think about “good” and “bad” and what lies in between, and where the line should be drawn between being a saint and your personal life.

I recommend this book as well as almost every other book by Nick Hornby. And as we’re on the subject, I also recommend watching the movie “High Fidelity” and “About A Boy” that are based on two of his bestselling novels.

Saturday – Ian McEwan

I just finished reading “Saturday” by Ian McEwan, who won the Booker prize for his book “Amsterdam“.
This is the second book I read by him after his other bestseller “Atonement“, that I read almost a year ago.

This book follows an ordinary man throughout a Saturday whose high promise gradually turns a bit nightmarish. Henry Perowne–a neurosurgeon, urbane, privileged, deeply in love with his wife and grown-up children–plans to play a game of squash, visit his elderly mother, and cook dinner for his family. But after a minor traffic accident leads to an unsettling confrontation, Perowne’s day is thrown out of course.

As with “Atonement”, the first chapter of the book goes very deep into character development, with almost no introduction of any plot, getting you to know the main characters almost inside out.
After he’s done with that, he launches into the story and starts weaving the plot together, pulling you into the smallest details, making you live the day with the main character.

I still can’t get over how much detail he gets into about the characters and events in his writing, without giving you a sense that it’s useless information or boring, in fact you feel it’s all very interesting and quite related to how the rest of the story will unfold, even if it doesn’t.

It’s a pretty good read that I recommend checking out. And if you haven’t read “Atonement“, I recommend that book too, maybe even more than this one.

» You can buy “Saturday” here.

Angels & Demons (Dan Brown)

Today in the lunch break, I finished reading Angels & Demons by Dan Brown.

For people who have already read The Da Vinci Code, this book by the same author isn’t really that different. In fact, the structure of both stories and how they are told is pretty much identical.
So, if you liked one of them, it’s sure you’ll like the other.

This book has a bit more suspense and more twists in it, which I found really cool. In The Da Vinci Code, I was able to guess who the bad guy was pretty early in the story, in this book, it’s harder and more complicated.
That’s something I appreciate in books like this, keeping you on the edge of your seat till the very end, thinking of so many different options.
Still, maybe The Da Vinci Code had some cooler ideas and more symbology which makes it just a bit better.

I’m guessing that if The Da Vinci Code movie does well in the box office, a movie for this one will follow closely, and I hope it does.

I really like Dan Brown’s style of writing and am thinking of going for a third book by him soon, maybe Deception Point or Digital Fortress, although I think a reader once told me the latter wasn’t that good.

Anyway, if I were to rate this book, I’d give it a: 8/10.

High Fidelity – Nick Hornby

Last night, I finished reading Nick Hornby’s bestseller “High Fidelity“.

I’ve been wanting to read this book ever since I saw the movie, starring John Cusack and Jack Black, which I really really liked.

I enjoyed the book a lot, and now I see what a great job they did with the movie transforming the book to film. I really like Nick Hornby’s humour and his first-person narrator style of writing.

The book is about a thirtysomething English guy who runs a London record store called “Championship Vinyl”. He’s very serious about music and sells all these rare albums and singles on vinyl. His love life is a mess and he’s having a tough time making the transition into adulthood.
It’s a funny, sweet, light take on life and love.

I somehow relate to the main character, not in his life and his unhappiness, but in some aspects of his thinking and personality.

This is a really fun and cool story, so I recommend you both read the book and watch the movie.

My score for this book: 8/10.

The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho

Last night, I finished reading “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. Ok, I know you can’t believe I only read it now, everyone already said that to me, and looked at me in that weird way as if I was living on Mars for the last few years. But well, I only got to read it now, and I totally loved it.

A friend of mine told me a few days ago when I started reading “The Alchemist” that it was the kind of book that would either change your life or change your conception of things. Well, he was right, it did both to me.

This is a really light yet important read, which is very well written and extremely inspirational. As I read in a review somewhere, this book is deceptively simple, yet its ideas are deep ones.

This book came to me in a crossroad in my life, and revived my will to pursue my dreams and bring them to reality. The book talks about our dreams, how the universe gives us omens all the time about how we should follow our dreams and conspires to help us realize them; this book was such an omen for me.

I realize now why everyone who reads this book falls in love with Paulo Coelho’s style and starts reading all his other books. His writing style is beautiful and smooth, and his ideas are clear and powerful.
I think I’ll be doing the same thing too.

My rating for this book would be: 9.5/10.

Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden

“Memoirs of a Geisha” is one of the books I’ve been wanting to read for a very long time, and the fact that a movie based on the novel is out, only made me want to do it faster, because seeing the movie before reading the book would kind of put me off reading it for a while.

Last night, I finished reading the novel, and well, I just loved it. It’s written in such a great style, and takes you through this amazing journey, which is the life of the Geisha Sayuri Nitta.

The book totally sucks you in and makes it so hard to put it down. You basically live through the story, through the flood of emotions and experiences, you visit this fascinating and exotic world, and you draw all these characters and places in your imagination so clearly.

This is certainly one of the best books I’ve read and I fully recommend it to everyone.

My score for it would be: 9.5/10

I can’t wait to see the movie. I saw the trailer yesterday and it looked really cool.

Secret Smile – Nicci French

I just finished reading “Secret Smile” by Nicci French, which is a really good psychological thriller.

To not risk giving the story away, I’ll just give you what is written on the back of the book, that caught me and made me buy the book in the first place.

When Miranda Cotton returns from work to find her new boyfriend, Brendan, reading her diary, she ends the relationship and throws him out of her flat.

Getting Brendan out of her life, however, is not so easy. Two weeks later her sister, Kerry, phones her in ecstasy. She’s in love. She has a new boyfriend. He’s called Brendan…

So Brendan is back in Miranda’s life – with a vengeance. But why has he done this? And what does he want from her?

Soon, what began as an embarrassment becomes like an infestation – and then more terrifying than her worst nightmares.

The book sucks you into the story and throws you into the confusion and suspense the story creates.

I really enjoyed reading this book and think it’s totally movie material. Actually, the way it’s written, it reads out like a movie.
I’m quite sure a movie based on this story would do very well at the box office.

I recommend this book to everyone into thrillers and suspense.
My score for it is: 7.5/10

L’étranger (Albert Camus)

Last night I finished reading “L’étranger” by Albert Camus. Thanks to my dear friend Saqf for giving me this book too.

I haven’t read in French for a very long time. The last time I did, I started reading “The Lord of the Rings” and then stopped halfway through the first chapter because it just didn’t feel right.
In books, like movies, I think it’s best to always read or watch it in its original language; A lot of things are always lost in translation.

Anyway this was a really good read. I really like the style in which it was written and how the story was told.
It totally sucked me in from the opening sentence.

I somehow connected with the main character, Mr. Meursault, who represents the writer’s views, although he is very different from me, but I guess I just understood him, his vision and thoughts about life and the world around us.

It looks at life from an existentialist point of view, from which God doesn’t exist, there are no principles, nothing in life really matters and no matter what everyone’s going to end up dead anyway.

That means that people may only be judged or defined by their actions and choices, and human choices are the ultimate evaluator, and so behaviour doesn’t need to be regulated. Everything becomes relative.

Of course, I don’t fully agree with this opinion, but the book certainly makes you think a lot about life, principles, laws …etc.

I found it really worth the read.
And btw, an English version of the book, “The Stranger”, is available too for those who are interested in reading it but don’t know French.

My score for it: 7/10.

Harry Potter Books Go Digital

J.K. Rowling has made all six Potter novels available for audio downloads.

The digital audiobooks are being released by the Random House Audio Trade Group. They can be purchased through Apple’s iTunes store, for prices ranging from $32.95 for a single book to $249 for the whole series, which, according to Random House, includes a “full color digital booklet” and “previously unreleased readings” by Rowling.

Rowling’s fantasy series, most recently “Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince,” has sold more than 200 million copies worldwide in print editions and more than 5 million as audiobooks, narrated by Grammy winner Jim Dale. But up to now the author had only permitted paper and traditional audio releases.

I think the concept of audio books in an interesting one, although I don’t think I’d ever buy one. I’m more of a real book person; I love the touch, feel and smell of the paper. When I’m reading a book, it’s personal; It’s just me and the book, no one else.
I guess it just wouldn’t feel the same hearing it being read by someone else.