GULF JOBS
GULF JOBS
Five Best Books That You Must Read
Boks, books, books. They will increase your lifespan, lower your stress and boost your intelligence. They will give you fuller, thicker hair.
Whatever the breathless claims about reading, one thing is certain: losing yourself in a great novel is one of life’s most enduring and dependable joys. Job satisfaction comes and goes, partners enrapture and abscond, but you can always fall back on the timeless ability of literature to transport you to a different world. From Jane Austen’s mannered drawing rooms to the airless tower blocks of 1984, novels do something unique. They simultaneously speak to the heart and mind. They teach you about the history of our world, the possibilities of our future and the fabric of our souls.
1. The Social Animal
In my humble opinion, the greatest general overview of social psychology ever written.
This book seems to be in such high demand that the Amazon prices are often outrageous.
The demand is warranted however, few books will give you as in-depth, interesting and just a generally well written overview of social psychology quite like Elliot Aronson’s classic.
A must-read if you can obtain it; I consider it the best presentation of social psychology 101 ever written.
2. The Art of Choosing
This is the quintessential read on how human beings make choices and what external influences affect those choices.
I first came across Sheena Iyengar’s work through finding out about her infamous “jam study” through an online publication.
Needless to say, I was fascinated by the idea that choice can actually overwhelm, causing people to delay choosing rather than benefit from the extra options offered. It’s a fantastic read and very enjoyable all the way through, I happen to consider Sheena a great writer as well as a great researcher.
3. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Definitely one of my favorite marketing books ever written , but it’s not something that can only be enjoyed by marketers.
This quote from Mark Twain is included in the book’s description: “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots on.” The authors offer an explanation as to why these ideas can stay with us for so long.
I feel like we all find ourselves asking a similar question at times, as to why something caught on so quickly while something else that may have been superior faded away. Diving a little deeper than the answer of better marketing, this book aims to address the 6 ways certain ideas just stay with us while others slip away.
4.Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
The first book is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The story starts with Number 4 Privet Drive about a boy called Harry Potter who lives in the cupboard under the stairs of a house owned by Mr and Mrs Dursley with their overly spoiled son called Dudley. In the fist quarter of the book it shows how Harry begins to receive letters which are addressed to him, in his cupboard and at the top of the letter a crest show the letters S,G,R AND H embellished with a snake, a griffin, an eagle and a badger. Even though this alone sounds mysterious Mr and Mrs Dursley don't allow him to read the letters and will go to any length to stop him. As the book progresses The Dursleys go away to a hut in the middle of the ocean to ensure no letters can arrive, but at midnight (before Harry's birthday) a giant of a man, later on to be recognised as Hagrid, bursts in and tells Harry he's a wizard! Hagrid also tells Harry how he came to live at Privet Drive as his parents were murdered by the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort. He also gives Harry the letter he had been hoping for for weeks it includes a letter to say that Harry will be attending Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry and a list of essentials for his year ahead.
5. The Lord of the Rings
it was first published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has been a book people have treasured. Steeped in unrivalled magic and otherworldliness, its sweeping fantasy has touched the hearts of young and old alike. Written by Professor J.R.R. Tolkien and consisting of three separate books (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King) The Lord of the Rings was first published by George, Allen and Unwin between 1954 and 1955.
And a magnificent achievement it is; an epic tale of friendship, love and heroism, a book that set the benchmark for all fantasy novels to come. Tolkien's descriptive narrative beautifully depicts Middle-earth and the journey that the Fellowship undertakes will remain with them for the rest of their lives.
It is hard to put into words the happiness that can be felt when reading a fantasy book as good as this and anybody who has never read it should set aside some time to do so. Is it the best fantasy book of all time? In my opinion, yes.
There's no salvation for a fantasy fan who hasn't read the gospel of the genre. The influence of The Lord of the Rings is so universal that everybody from George Lucas to Led Zeppelin has appropriated it for one purpose or another. Not just revolutionary because it was groundbreaking, The Lord of the Rings is timeless because it's the product of a truly top-shelf mind. Tolkien was a distinguished linguist and Oxford scholar of dead languages with strong ideas about the importance of myth and story and a deep appreciation of nature. His epic, 10 years in the making, recounts the Great War of the Ring and the closing of Middle-Earth's Third Age, a time when magic begins to fade from the world and men rise to dominance. Tolkien carefully details this transition with tremendous skill and love, creating in The Lord of the Rings a universal and all-embracing tale, a justly celebrated classic.
6. Gitanjali – Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore is possibly the most famous poet to come from India. For his beautiful, profound and sensitive verses, which expressed his poetic thought, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Being a poet myself, I have always wanted to read his verse. I chanced upon this book and these are my thoughts on the famous collection of poems, “Gitanjali”, the name of which translates to “Song Offerings”.
It doesn’t take a poet to see soul in a poem, but I guess being one helps a lot. For me, the first offering was very profound. A dedication to God, who touches our lives in so many ways that we may not always know. He empties us of wrong thoughts when we are nearing the brim, or using our good thoughts in a wrong way, and fills us with hope again. He lets our mind wander like the music from a flute, and find its own destiny, for we know not whose ears the music goes to.
Most of the poems, if not all in this collection is a dedication to His glory. Another that touched me is the fifth offering, which reminded me of me a long time back, when I used to go to a temple and just sit quietly and mull. When the world outside would be buzzing with excitement, or rushing through with effort, but all I’d be doing is clear my thoughts.
7. CHANAKYA - THE POLITICAL ETHICS OF CHANAKYA
About 2300 years ago the Greek conqueror Alexander the Great invaded the Indian sub-continent. His offensive upon the land's patchwork of small Hindu empires proved to be highly successful due to the disunity of the petty rulers. It was Chanakya Pandit who, feeling deeply distressed at heart, searched for and discovered a qualified leader in the person of Chandragupta Maurya.
Although a mere dasi-putra, that is, a son of a maidservant by the Magadha King Nanda, Chandragupta was highly intelligent, courageous and physically powerful. Chanakya cared little that by birth he should not have dared to approach the throne. A man of acute discretion, Chanakya desired only that a ruler of extraordinary capabilities be raised to the exalted post of King of Magadha so that the offensive launched by the Yavanas (Greeks) could be repressed.
It is said that Chanakya had been personally offended by King Nanda and that this powerful brahmana had vowed to keep his long sikha unknotted until he saw to the demise of the contemptuous ruler and his drunken princes. True to his oath, it was only after Chanakya Pandit engineered a swift death for the degraded and worthless rulers of the Nanda dynasty that this great brahmana was able to again tie up his tuft of hair. There are several versions relating the exact way that Chanakya had set about eliminating the Nandas, and it appears historians have found it difficult to separate fact from folk legend as regards to certain specific details.
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