Goodreads of March 2022

From the last two posts, it must be quite evident that we spent a long time outdoors last month. This time hikes were the highlight of our trip. I didn’t get as much chance to go through my books. I had downloaded some books on my Kindle app, so at least they were accessible to me throughout the time.

I managed to read 3 books this time, all from the different genres. The kindle books were short and quick to read, while the last book on the list took some time to finish.

Find Layla is a story about a girl named Layla who manages everything around her (including her dear brother) in the best possible way regardless of the toxic environment she lives in. Her mother is abusive, druggie, and full of neglect and her father left them a long time back. Despite this Layla keeps her head high and is unwilling to disclose this secret to society. Being a good student and having an interest in biology, she can’t resist participating in a biome competition through which her secret no longer remains secret. She becomes a sensation in this crazy social media world. How she manages this unwanted attention while protecting her family is the essence of the story. I didn’t find the story too promising and the character Layla turned out to be a confusing personality to me. Neither her motives were clear nor her desires. All author wanted was to make us feel pity for the character. It was an average read.

Quantum Physics: Introduction to Essential Theories, the Behavior of Matter, and How it’s Changing Our Lives is a wonderful gift to all science enthusiasts. The author covers everything about Quantum physics- research and discoveries made so far, contributions of scientists like Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, etc., application of quantum in our daily lives, and future applications which scientists are working on (quantum computers and qubits). Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, quantum duality, entanglement, and other theories and amazing facts are explained in a most engaging way to the reader. Even the theoretical possibility of time travel is explained. I just loved the book, so enlightening.

I would like to add a famous quote about Quantum physics by Murray Gell-Mann presented in the book.

If someone says that he can think or talk about quantum physics without becoming dizzy, that shows only that he has not understood anything whatever about it.

S. No.	Title	Author	Format	Genre	Rating
1	Find Layla	Elison, Meg *	Kindle	Fiction	2/5
2	Quantum Physics: Introduction to Essential Theories, the Behavior of Matter, and How it’s Changing Our Lives	Academy, Pantheon Space	Kindle	Educational	4/5
3	Karachi Vice: Life and Death in a Contested City	Shackle, Samira	Book	Non Fiction	4/5

Karachi Vice: Life and Death in a Contested City is a non-fiction narrative about the violence, gangs’ tussles, and various incidents that happened in Karachi, Pakistan over the years. The author presented a very engaging and interesting story about the city through 5 characters, each helping for the welfare of society in his/her way.

Safdar is the ambulance driver of Idhi fountain- a charitable org that sends its ambulances and medical aid to those in need. With continuous violence due to operating gangs in Karachi, it needs bravado to do the work he does for the people. Siraj is a mapmaker who helps the community with home designs and various development plans for the area. Parveen is an activist who started early in on-street schools as a teacher to educate the people. She tries her best to help people by doing street theater and collecting funds for their welfare. Zille is a famous journalist who has contacts with police as well as gangsters and is mostly the first to reach any crime location. No one else can know how Karachi changes during the years other than him. And Jannat is from a small village called Lal Baksh Kachelo, a private community living there since 1800, who have their own customs and traditions. Jannat is the most educated lady in her village and wants the same for her children. Things get really bad when the construction of Baharia Town, an ambitious housing project starts to destroy their place for illegal possessions of their lands.

The author takes the reader to Karachi through this book and the reader feels pity for the clueless public being affected by the struggles of Gangs, the Government, and the Taliban. Simply a masterpiece. It would be the book of the month.

Happy Reading! Keep Traveling !!!