Review: The Dhandho Investor: The Low-Risk Value Method to High Returns

The Dhandho Investor: The Low-Risk Value Method to High Returns by Mohnish Pabrai
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a good book on investing fundas in the equity markets from a very well known name in the American capital markets. I had first come across the author's name when he became famous in 2007 for buying dinner with Warren Buffett along with his partner at Buffett's annual charity auction. Enamoured more about this event than by the author, I had written an amateur piece on value investing on my blog (my link text). So when I came across this book written by Mohnish Pabrai, I just couldn't resist myself.

The author is a self-confessed fan of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger and needless to say there are few innovative original ideas in the book. But the whole idea of value investing was propounded by Benjamin Graham in his book "The Intelligent Investor" which is considered to be the bible of every value investor and popularised by Buffett. The author has lifted examples, quotes and anecdotes from Buffett's life. In fact, his fund Pabrai Funds itself is structured similar to Berkshire Hathaway, as revealed by him.

Coming to the core of the book, this is totally based on American capital markets. The analogy of the Patel community given by the author is interesting but for an Indian it is not at all new. The title contains the word "Dhandho". Any Indian reader would more or less expect some advice in the context of Indian stock markets (ok, so this is about value investing...still !) but there is no reference at all to any other emerging market except the US of A. Also almost a whole chapter is dedicated to financial websites for the American investor which can be useful titbit for investment tips. I wish the author had done some more research in the context of Indian capital markets. It is a tad disappointing when the reference point are the Patels.

Readers are expected to have a basic knowledge of equity markets and financial jargons like present value of future cash flows, intrinsic value, earnings per share etc. Then it becomes enjoyable, especially for the American reader.

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Review: The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion

The Peshwa: The Lion and the Stallion by Ram Sivasankaran
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Purely for Indian history and Indophile buffs, this is the story of Peshwa Bajirao in his pre-Mastani days (If you know about the story of Bajirao and Princess Mastani of Bundelkhand). The book charts Bajirao's life from his infancy under the tutelage of his father Balaji Vishwanath to his fatherhood and his first battle against the Mughals under Chhatrapathi Shahu's rule. When I first got this book in a kindle offer, I was expecting this to be another tome on the Bajirao-Mastani affair which had become popular due to the Hindi movie on the same folklore. But it was a refreshing change to read about Bajirao on his early life.

The author has written in a very simple and lucid manner which makes it much more enjoyable. I was transported back to my childhood days when I used to read more of such stuff. It deals mainly with the conflict between the Nizam-ul-Mulk of the Mughal empire and the Marathas, the military and political ramifications, time bound tradition of honour in the armed forces and glory for he brave. The book ends with the introduction of Princess Mastani which more or less would likely result in a sequel later life of Bajirao. I thoroughly enjoyed this break from thrillers.

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Review: The Wife Between Us

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A story on primarily three characters - the husband, the wife and the other woman and a sincere attempt by the wife to stay sane to keep the marriage alive. This is the short synopsis if I am not supposed to reveal more. However, as the story progresses, the plot unravels slowly.

I was intrigued by the blurb on GR and the excellent reviews, so I bought the kindle version when I got a good bargain. The start was good. However, as the pages turn on, it becomes slow and drags a lot. The drama unfolds largely between the husband and wife and drags on for the most part of the book, which is necessary for the development of the plot. The climax is stunning and not revealed until the last couple of chapters. This is the saving grace of the book. There are moments when it becomes very interesting but few and far between. However, you need immense patience to read this book. It is a psychological thriller with a difference. The characters are well etched out and the writers bring out the complexities fully.

Not for somebody who loves action or wants an edge-of-the-seat thriller.


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Review: Next

Next by Michael Crichton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Actually I liked this book. Don't know why majority readers thought this book was overrated. I was hooked from the word go. Well researched book, the author has taken pains to learn about genes and weave a story around it. The book was also interspersed with articles and essays on biotechnology related subjects.

To make it short, the book is about genetic technology and experiments around it including the discovery of various genes with behavioural traits. There are three or four plots in the book which are unconnected. There are greedy tycoons, unethical scientists and immoral health workers and abundant technical jargon thrown in to make the book interesting to the reader.

Simply put a very engrossing book.

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Review: Dark Matter

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An old friend recommended this book to me offline. Initially I was skeptical since I am not too much into sci-fi thrillers. It started off with a bang. Then it started petering out. About halfway through I was getting impatient to finish the book. But later, it started getting more and more interesting. The climax was stunning to say the least.

The plot is about a scientist and teacher Jason Dessen who disappears when out for drink with his friend. Without giving away too much, Jason embarks on a mind-altering journey seeking his wife, child and his identity.

I am sure a movie based on the book is not too far off. Fantastic book if you are a sci-fi thriller fan.

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Review: A Place Called Freedom

A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A sweeping saga of love, greed, betrayal and revolt combined with period drama is worth a read. A Ken Follett book makes it really special. This is a story of Malachi McAsh who is a Scottish slave working in the coal mines of Scotland owned by a greedy and wily man George Jamisson and his sons. McAsh yearns for freedom from slavery and circumstances arise when he is forced to go to America as a convict. He falls in love with Lizzie Hallim, an aristocrat lady who is married to the villain of the story, Jay Jamisson, the son of George Jamisson. This is the story of McAsh journey to freedom.

The characters are well developed and I loved the character of Lizzie who is portrayed as dare-devil and tom-boyish. You feel for McAsh who never gives up on his dream of breaking free from the shackles of slavery. You hate Jay for his selfishness and bigotry. There are fringe characters like Lennox, Cora and Peggy who complete the story beautifully. A nice and quick enjoyable read. However this cannot be compared to Pillars of the Earth which was a magnificent period drama.

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Review: The Silk Roads: A New History of the World

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of the most beautiful history books I have ever read. It was recommended to me by 7Jane (thank you, 7Jane) and in turn I have recommended this to a few other people. What attracted me was the title and the beautifully designed cover. However, the title was a bit of a misnomer when it says that it is a new history of the world.

The book largely concentrates on Europe and the Middle East with a passing reference to other countries. The book is written in a chronological order starting with the Medieval Age and ending in 2000s. The book gives insights into the political landscape of each region and the history behind the major events that have occurred in the world. Each chapter is divided into different historical periods and each such chapter has small nuggets of information which was absolutely delightful to read.

The author has done a wonderful job putting together such a well researched tome. However, this is not an in-depth research into the history of the world.



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