A Passage North. Anuk Arudpragasam. 2021.  ISBN 9780593230718. A curious book that hit my inbox. The author is a Tamil who lived in India most of the war of India vs the Tigers.  When he returns home he revisits the war years through the experiences of his family ad a family friend.  He uses descriptive language like DH Laurence – rich and fulsome.  He has a detached roundabout way of writing.  With numerous references to Indian poems on Buddha, you will gain some insights into this and perhaps one South Asian’s philosophical view.

Taste. My life through food. Stanley Tucci. 2021. ISBN 9781982168032.  What a delightful book. Tucci  (an underrated actor in my book) loves food, but to boot he is old school Italian.  So as you meander through his recollections you end up with excellent simple ( mostly) recipes.  Good insights into his life and that of an actor. But he is so ego free in his musings ( yes there is name dropping – but he acknowledges it ala Ryan Reynolds- tongue in cheek ).  I will not spoil your experience by giving away the plot.  Good book, clear writing – useful on a cross country plane ride.

21 Questions for the 21st Century. Yuval Noah Harari,. 2020. ISBN 978-0771048883.  I like this author’s work.  He makes you sit back and think in easy chunks. He is very thoughtful and has addressed these questions in a very strategic order.  He builds to good insights and makes one really take stock of their own ideas.  Would that many of our world leaders had the intelligence to read and work though this book. I found him positive enough to give me hope for the future while being aware of the challenges.  There will be progress to beat our challenges but it will not be regular nor linear. You owe to yourself and your family to read this book.

Seven Eves. Neal Stephenson. 2015. Awesome book.  I always like his work and this one is right up there. What happens to earth if the moon exploded and eventually renders the Earth uninhabitable for thousands of years?  But you have several years to prepare for it.   This book unfolds over 5000 years and is very intriguing.  Its a very large scope for a book. Good character development and context explanations.