Top books I read in 2018.
Books are unusual since they give you an entirely new perspective on the subject, full of [arguably positive] biases of the [brilliant] authors. This year marked a change in my reading strategy, unlike before, where I could have read anything I have started reading only the top sellers on Amazon or strongly recommended by someone (Bill Gates list is an excellent source). Also, I have tried to diversify with each book is on a different topic and a book that is on a similar theme to something I have already read is penalized.
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (re-read)— Simply, the most exciting book I have read. The text is full of unusual theories such as religion/money as a story. How humans are different from other animals. How are sapiens different from other humans such as Neanderthals (touché exclusivity)? The book is broad and covers the last 13000 years of human history. Even Barack Obama recommended the same.
To give you a glimpse(it doesn’t even have 0.01% awesomeness of the book 😃 ).
2. India after Gandhi — It is a comprehensive overview of the India post independence. The book is exceptionally well written and takes you through an emotional roller coaster called the Indian independence. The unification of princely states, the strategies by Nehru, Patel, and Menon takes you to an extreme high on the feeling of nationalism [and proud that you are part of a country that is more diverse than Europen Union, on the contrary, the other significant power China is hugely uniform with most of the Chinese are of the Han origin]. Prepare to hit rock bottom when you read of the violence originated in the partition and subsequent decades due to caste/class/religion. A must read if you want to know how an amazingly diverse country, India is and how it beat all the odds to stay unified with democracy.
3. How to win friends and influence people — Definitely indispensable for personal and professional communication. If you are finding it hard to talk to someone in your work or your personal life, follow this. An example is always remembering a person’s name. Next time you are in a coffee shop, take special care to note your server’s name and address him using the same.
From its Wikipedia page, this book will help you in the following areas
1. Get you out of a mental rut, give you new thoughts, new visions, new ambitions.
2. Enable you to make friends quickly and easily.
3. Increase your popularity.
4. Help you to win people to your way of thinking.
5. Increase your influence, your prestige, your ability to get things done.
6. Enable you to win new clients, new customers.
7. Increase your earning power.
8. Make you a better salesman, a better executive.
9. Help you to handle complaints, avoid arguments, keep your human contacts smooth and pleasant.
10 .Make you a better speaker, a more entertaining conversationalist.
11. Make the principles of psychology easy for you to apply in your daily contacts.
12. Help you to arouse enthusiasm among your associates.https://www.wikiwand.com/en/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People
4. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow — Written by the author of Sapiens. While Sapiens was about the past, Homo Deus was about the future. The author still covered some past events to show the trends and predicted the possible outcomes for the future (as indicated by history, it is impossible to predict the future). While Sapiens covered the last 13000 years and was extremely broad, Homo Deus goes deep and can be hard to comprehend sometimes. Another nit is the first half felt repetitive of Sapiens.
5. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products— Another great book but this time on how to build habit-forming products. The book talks about using a simple 4 step model, and we can create such products. The book is pragmatic and as noted on its website provided readers with the following insights. Must have for the first time entrepreneurs.
1. Practical insights to create user habits that stick.
2. Actionable steps for building products people love.
3. Fascinating examples from the iPhone to Twitter, Pinterest to the Bible App, and many other habit-forming products.6. The secret — The most unusual book on the list. The book talks about the mystery of life and how can we use the same to achieve anything in life. Unfortunately, to date, I am unable to apply the same (a nice way of saying the book is full of propaganda). Paradoxically the book can’t be refuted because you have to believe in the secret for it to work and denying the book boils down to disbelieve in the secret 😕.
Buy it if you like this documentary:
7. Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel — A great book if you want to pursue travel full-time (actually read even if you don’t want to do it full time). The book talks about the common traps the first-time traveler get into and other recommendations for traveling.
8. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century —While Sapiens was about the past, Homo Deus about the future, this book is about the present and the most significant issues we see today like false news. Unlike Sapiens and Homo deus, the book is neatly divided into 21 independent chapters each of which is on a different theme and can be read independently. The chapters on terrorism, and immigration and very well-written. Indispensable if you want to spend intelligent in-front of your friends.
9. Factfulness — In this book Hans talk about how the world is much better than we anticipated. The book is an absolute life changer since it removes the anxiety created by constant hype around deterioration of the world. Must have read for everyone by Bill Gates — blog.
10 . Being Mortal — From book’s description:
Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should.
Through eye-opening research and gripping stories of his own patients and family, Gawande reveals the suffering this dynamic has produced. Nursing homes, devoted above all to safety, battle with residents over the food they are allowed to eat and the choices they are allowed to make. Doctors, uncomfortable discussing patients’ anxieties about death, fall back on false hopes and treatments that are actually shortening lives instead of improving them. And families go along with all of it.
Books I plan to read this year (or have already read):
- Gun, Germs, and Steel — It is similar to Sapiens in the theme as it covers the history of the last 13000 years, but the underlying take is entirely different. The book talks about the big question and answers that shaped the world. Watch this 3 part fascinating documentary.
- Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics — Great if you want to understand how economics work.
- The Design of Everyday Things
- Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
- Interpretation of Dreams (Master’s Collections)
- Gifted Hands
In case you have any other recommendations, feel free to post in the comments.
