How to Develop Cerebral Abs

Long time! Don’t tell me you didn’t miss me.

After a bunch of useless boring posts, I thought it’s better to write something that interests and helps people, which alternatively means, gets me more visitors (Oh I just love visitors!). And my old posts had also started smelling foul from, well, being old.

So, recently I found myself at a loss. I had no idea what to read next (for girls reading this post, it’s the same feeling you get while choosing what to wear; or moms, what to cook next). So I, of course, employed Google with search terms like “Books that make you think”, “Books expand mind”, “Books get smart”, “Best brain simulating books” etc. And after getting through the lists and reading quiet a lot of the suggested books, I think I am in a position to set down one such list myself.

This list knows no genre boundaries, and unapologetically contains many classic cliched novels for the sole reason that they still rock. Also, this is a very personal list, so all biasness is intentional and not regretted.

Arranged in no particular order:

The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand. There are authors. And then there is Ayn Rand. No adjective can do justice with what I feel for her. Don’t let the reviews fool you, pick it up and decide for yourself.

Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand. Another great work by Ayn Rand. Disclaimer: Don’t read them in quick succession, or your friends might complain that you have changed.

The Lord of the Flies, William Golding. The book goes on to show the savages that we all have inside us, and how it comes out. The story tracks a group of young boys plane-wrecked on an uninhabited island and what follows. It gets a little (just a little) monotonous after a while but picks up soon enough.

Animal Farm, George Orwell. Chances are, if you are searching for books that make you ponder, you have already read it, but no such list is complete without a mention of Animal Farm. And if you haven’t, go start with this one! Also try 1984. Read full review here.

The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy. Ohhhhhoooo, the god of books that will make you stop, and dive into your childhood and then come back, looking down upon yourself growing on the way back.

Jaya, Devdutt Pattanaik. I picked it up because I wanted to learn about Mahabharata, in the most intersting way possible, so that I don’t quit midway (Like I did with the original Bhagvad Geeta). Jaya was the answer. Read if you want to know about what happened before, during and after the age-defining war, in less than 400 pages

Who Moved My Cheese?, Spencer Johnson. Trouble moving on in life, come have some cheese.

Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson. Many books have been written about Steve Jobs, but none as good and complete as the one by Isaacson (I made it rhyme!).

Freakonomics, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.  Hint 1: It is not Economics like you know it. Hint 2: It is not boring.

To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee. It is said, Harper Lee was so overwhelmed by the response this book got, she couldn’t write another one all her life, afraid it won’t be as good as her debut work. Enough said.

The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini. Just click on the link. Praising this book is like saying Barack Obama is the first black President of the Unites States, you already know it.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini. *Goes to the previous Paragraph* *Ctrl+C* *Ctrl+V* Voila! Wonders of the computing world!

A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson. The title of the book could not be more accurate and descriptive. What this book does, neatly, is teach you about atoms and galaxies, without getting irksome. This is one book that makes you say, “That’s enough learning for a lifetime, thank you Mother Earth.” after you finish it.

Einstein: His Life and Universe, Walter Isaacson. Another one by Isaacson (again!). The book captures Einstein’s brilliance and notoriety alike.

Room, Emma Donoghue The book is written from the perspective of a 5 year old; hugely moving. The story describes how a mother, who was abducted in her teens and raped, brings up her child with scarcely any resources, and that too completely in just one Room. How they escape that room is equally exhilarating. Read full review here.

This should be enough to get you started. The list will keep on updating as and when I come across some new good ones.

We know we can never lose our beloved paunches and develop abdominal muscles, largely because it involves getting our lazy asses off the bed. Anyways, it is too mainstream. But exercising the brain is much easy. Heck! You can even do it while eating! I grew a two pack 😀

Ciao!