Books I read in 2017 📚
1. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone 📖
Who should read: Anyone interested in building their own startup and curious about how small companies make transition to large corporation
Key takeaway: I loved the concept of Frugality and the way Jeff Bezos implemented that concept into his business. I really like his idea of building business for long term and not go for the short term gains. He follows customer-centric type of business, which is the ideal way one should do business. I also like the idea of decentralisation of power and not the top-down approach which Microsoft follows.
Consider checking out my book review on Goodreads:
2. Hackers & Painters by Paul Graham 🎨 💻
Who should read: If you want to hear contrarian views about world and interested in programming, design, art and artists.
Key takeaway: The book helped me see programming as a form of Art. I loved the 14 principles of Good Design mentioned in the book. I have written a blog post supporting these principles with interesting examples. Please make sure to check it out! 💟
3. The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss ⏳
Who should read: If you want to escape work and enjoy life. You want to spend most of your time doing skilled work and outsource rest of the shallow works. If you want to make use of cheap labor in India by making them write emails, read this book. If you want to get more done in less time, this book throws light on that.
Key takeaway: Tim gives useful hacks on how to get what you want, enlighten you with different productivity tools.
Follow my book expedition as I read 4-Hour Workweek:
4. Deep Work by Cal Newport ⏰
Who should read: If you want to know more about concentration, how to maintain focused work schedule and be productive.
Key takeaway: I got to know the difference between deep work and shallow work. I tried going into deep focus mode but it’s tough, you need lot of practice and distraction free environment.
5. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson 🐀
Who should read: Any one who would like to hear an interesting story and learn valuable lesson about being open to change. This book is meant primarily for people who fear change or have resistance towards change.
Key takeaway: Read the book, the quotes written on the wall are damn interesting. It’s a short read.
6. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight 👞
Who should read: You love memoirs, passionate about sports or startups or want to read an inspiring story.
Key takeaway: I learnt valuable lessons on leadership, negotiation etc. It was one of the most interesting books I have read so far.
I have written a separate blog post describing my thoughts. Do read it.
7. Rework by by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson 👌
Who should read: If you hate corporate corporate meetings 🙌, you should definitely read it. Must read for all entrepreneurs.
Key takeaway: I ❤️ this book. ️I learnt so many things about what startup should not do to avoid the trap.
8. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance 🚀
Who should read: Only meant for crazy people!
Key takeaway: This book made me realize my lost love for Science and in particular Physics. I admire what Tesla and Space X are building for this world.
9. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries 👍 💸
Who should read: Must read for young entrepreneurs!
Key takeaway: Reduce the time in launching your product to get valuable feedback. Don’t waste time building a full blown perfect product.
10. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown ㊙️ 🎭
Who should read: If you’d like to read a thrilling story on deciphering codes, there is no better book to read than Dan Brown’s novel based in Paris.
Key takeaway: I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was written exceptionally well. This was my first proper fiction read so it was awesome.
11. A Hundred Little Flames by Preeti Shenoy 👴 👫
Who should read: This book is for those who admire nature’s beauty and enjoy listening to grandpa or grandma life experiences. The story is all about relationships among family members and friendships.
Key takeaway: The best part of the book was the places where events took place. It was an immersive experience. I have very fond memories of time I have spent in villages, so that made it even more special. I also want to inculcate the habit of writing diary entries after having read this book.
If you like to know more about the book and my thoughts, make sure to check out my blog post:
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⚪️
Thanks for reading! Hope you had a great year 😄
