Nihar

I read this book like some people read the Bible or the Gita. MC conceived of 'Flow' and researched it for over 30 years and how it relates to quality of life experience, creativity, happiness. This book is the condensed form of his collected wisdom in simple prose readable by laypeople.

In the first three chapters he lays out the he lays out his views on happiness, enjoyment vs pleasure and how consciousness is the medium through which we experience life. His central point is that control of contents of your consciousness is the major determinant of the quality of your life.

He then goes on to explain flow in a lot of detail with lots of examples, the conditions under which flow can be achieved and gives the reader tools to architect flow experiences in their own lives. It is surprisingly easy to change the environment to create opportunity for flow with most tasks.

== Partial draft, to be completed ==

Pros

A quick and easy read, good pacing with a decent story. The writing flows smoothly without much friction.

Cons

Weak characters, Davenport might have been a very likable guy in 1980s but he's not a very appealing hero, he's also pretty weird with women. The three women in the story are bland and uni-dimensional. I felt there were too many red herrings, some angle that's developed only for it to go nowhere by the next chapter.

This is the first book of the series, so I hope the later ones get better.