NON-FICTION: CLIFFSNOTES FOR THE MODERN 'READER'.

shah Rukh Nadeem is on a mission. The 'premier booktuber' of Pakistan, who runs the YouTube channel 'Book Buddy', wants to inculcate the habit of diligent reading among people. To do so, he has brought out Readistan, which aims to build the mental acumen, knowledge and insights of Pakistani readers.

Nadeem's objective seems to stem from the increasingly limited amount of time people can allocate to reading. Time is one of the modern world's most valuable commodities and it is unfortunate that reading for leisure has been among the earliest casualties of living the fast-paced life. There are innumerable works of fiction and non-fiction that merit our attention, but simply not having the time means we are the ones losing out on important knowledge.

This makes the blurb on the back of Readistan - 'The book has been designed to ensure that readers enjoy the breathtaking wisdom that is embedded in its words' - all the more appropriate. As the front cover succinctly explains, here we have 50 of the 'best books ever', compressed to be read in 10 minutes each.

The author discusses a range of genres, from philosophy and business management to self-help, fiction, autobiography, motivation, sociology, psychology, politics, current affairs and history. He has picked from the most popular books in each genre and analysed them in a clear, complete and comprehensive manner.

A Youtuber picks 50 books from a diverse range of genres and summarises their content in a conversational way for those who are struggling with time to read in their fast-paced lives

Early in Readistan is the chapter 'The Story of My Life'. This is quite interesting in itself, as Nadeem tells of his personal history, especially his teenage years, when his parents inspired him to develop an interest in reading. Despite financial limitations - at one point, he and his four siblings had to sit out an entire year of school because there was no money to pay their fees - his parents ensured they had access to the weekend edition of Dawn newspaper, so that their learning 'was not compromised.'

The analyses of the 50 books that make up Readistan begin with a review of Man's Search for Meaning, written in 1946 by Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist and founder of logotherapy Viktor E. Frankl. At the launch of his own book, Nadeem stated this was a deliberate choice, because of how Frankl explains the importance of finding one's purpose in life.

The analyses are penned in a simple, engaging and...