I had never thought that there would ever be such time in this busy world when I will be able to shortlist my favorite books. But I have realized with time that you are provided with option to do everything in life and so I grabbed opportunity to do few things I always wanted to do but could never get out time for them.
Finally I finished reading this book titled The Google Story written by David A. Vise. And in this way, I found two more favorite books.
I always prefer to read at-least one programming book in parallel with another non-programming one so that my interest remain balanced. It has been like that since I came out of grad.
In 2005, it was J2EE training along-with Five Point Someone and after a gap of year, I again stinted for reviving my offline reading habit. This time, I chose Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates along-with The Google Story by David A. Vise. I liked both of the books specially because they happened to be opposite to what common perception goes about such books.
The SCJP book was much fun than serious programming stuff and it kept bringing grins over face again and again – Kathy writes so beautifully that she never lets you feel like dipping into serious things at all. By the time, you start realizing that you have to be serious while reading book about such an important exam, you find that you are already finished with it.
The other book which is about one of the funkiest companies of our time which goes quite seriously investigating into the details of the building of Google and deep into its business. David keeps you glued to the book and never makes you realize that you have understood so many things about business in such a short time. Once you start reading book, you find yourself unable to take a break before finishing at-least the present chapter. It is made so much interesting.
Both of the books went above my expectations and hence, the are the recent additions in my Favorite Books library. I could never like Five Point Someone although it gave me some unnecessary advantage :).
One reason for not liking it was that there was unnecessary introduction of exterritorial and unrelated material. For example intentional insertion of sex to attract more readers even knowing that most of them are going to be conservative Indians (who wouldn’t like book not because they aren’t inclined towards western trends but because book introduces vague & unrealistic cultural as well as moral values). And the whole act performed by and Indian passed out from top Indian Technology and Management Institutes. Perhaps that’s why, because of over-learned management fundas, he mixed lot of sex with study just as a good mix of God, Sex, India and China sell like anything in marketing arena huh. This was one reason, despite being interesting, FPS couldn’t inspire me to read his next book – One Night @ The Call Center, which failed very badly.
I was thinking that that’s all 2 books I am going to read offline in 2007 but then, there may be 4 because I have been forcefully made to read another interesting book (according to recommending authority). I have already started reading it which will be running in parallel with another programming book…may be some new programming language this time. Names??? That is one thing I learnt from The Google Story – don’t rant or beat about something you are not assured of. So I will keep my cards unopened till I myself could decide if I should go on with the books or not. And also, many times, secrets attract more audience!!
Last words –
Don’t Be Evil
:M)
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