The Legend of the Genghis Khan, published by Readomania, as the title obviously suggests, is the story of the world's most fearsome conqueror-one who I had only briefly read about in history books. This book, however, is not sketchy, but in fact, a well-researched and in-depth story about what made him the great emperor of Mongol. The book takes off to a gruesome start (consider this an advance warning so you can brace yourself, but let it not deter you from reading it), taking the reader right in the thick of an ongoing siege, and even as the bloodshed takes places between the pages the narration is such that it keeps you hooked, unable to do much else except cringe and read on. This sentiment and the taut pace continues throughout the book, making it an extremely engrossing read, especially when it comes to describing a world long gone, and yet, one that exists all around us. It makes one pause and ponder whether we've really evolved as a species or are we as barbaric as the Khan even today.

Indian Railways is the largest single-entity employer in India, and the eight largest in the world. This is a fascinating fun fact for those not familiar with the length and breadth of the railway tracks in the country. For those of us who have actually spent most of our summer vacations travelling across that length and breadth it would probably be evidentiary–and we would probably react with a knowing ‘Obviously!’