The 400 books I have read in the last 2 years

Shivam Duhan
Aug 22, 2017 · 19 min read

The demon-haunted world : science as a candle in the dark by Carl Sagan — Very relevant in today’s era of fake news and misinformation. Talks about pseudoscience and lies and how a scientific approach can help us see the truth and the real reasons behind surface phenomena
Philosophy of scientific method by John Stuart Mill — A very labourious and in-depth discussion of the scientific method with a lot of examples and a way to integrate scientific thinking into real life. It gave me a more detailed understanding of how science works.
The marshmallow test : mastering self-control by Walter Mischel — A classic psychology book on self control. Explains scientific research findings about the benefits of self-control and ways to increase your self control. The things I learned by reading this book helps me a lot everyday.
Common stocks and uncommon profits. by Philip Fisher — A fascinating book on what things you should consider in evaluating the growth potential of a stock and a handy guide on investing.
Our mathematical universe : my quest for the ultimate nature of reality by Max Tegmark — A very thorough book about the mathematics behind the workings of our universe. Mathematics is the language with which we can understand the universe and I like this book because it presents an integrated picture of science and mathematics,
Nature’s mind : the biological roots of thinking, emotions, sexuality, language, and intelligence by Michael Gazzinga — A good book on how our mind and thoughts are shaped by evolutionary processes
Wikinomics : how mass collaboration changes everything by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams — Explains the emerging trend of crowd collaboration and how it can topple many industries.
Why things break : understanding the world by the way it comes apart by Mark E. Eberhart — A very interesting and detailed book on the process of fracture and the subatomic causes behind the breaking or fracturing of a material.
Wonderful life with the elements : the periodic table personified by Bunpei Yorifuji — A delightful book on the Periodic table and the unique properties of its elements
Cradle to cradle : remaking the way we make things by William McDonough & Michael Braungart — A very important book about recycling and the need to design products that can easily be re-purposed to optimize resource use and reduce costs. The book itslef is made of recycled plastic!
Why sh*t happens : the science of a really bad day by Peter J. Bentley — The author goes through a very bad day and describes the scientific reasons behind each one of those mishaps. A good book to develop scientific temper. I started viewing the world with the eyes of a scientist after reading this.
The distracted mind : ancient brains in a high-tech world by Adam Gazzaley and Larry D. Rosen — An amazing book on internet addiction
Gödel, Escher, Bach : an eternal golden braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter — A very interesting and long book on how our brain works and how cognition arises
Napoleon’s buttons : how 17 molecules changed history by Penny Le Couteur, Jay Burreson — An awesome chemistry books containing stories about chemical elements and molecules.
Mad about physics : braintwisters, paradoxes, and curiosities by Christopher Jargodzki and Franklin Potter — Great puzzles and questions about Physics that help you understand difficult physics concepts.
Mad about modern physics : braintwisters, paradoxes, and curiosities / Franklin Potter and Christopher Jargodzki
The drunkard’s walk : how randomness rules our lives by Leonard Mlodinow — A great book on probabilities and how most of our successes can be attributed to pure damn luck. This book has helped me be humble and appreciate what I have.
Predictably irrational : the hidden forces that shape our decisions by Dan Ariely — A book on the irrationality of human beings and how a lot of our decisions are based on biases.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman — A spectacular book on how our brain works and how we can identify the biases in our decision making process that lead to bad decisions. Daniel Kahnemann founded the field of behavioral economics and won a Nobel Prize in economics in 2002. The book also shows how humans make decisions and the reasons behind our particular way of thinking.
Worldchanging : a user’s guide for the 21st century / edited by Alex Steffen, with Carissa Bluestone — A super awesome book on emerging technologies. I especially loved the green tech section.
Weaving the Web : the original design and ultimate destiny of the World Wide Web by its inventor / Tim Berners-Lee — A great book on the origins of the internet, the reasons why it was created, and its future by its inventor Tim Berners Lee. He gives a lot of emphasizes on privacy and the need to empower the user.
How the mind works / Steven Pinker — A detailed exploration into the mind, especially language, by one of my favourite authors.
Greatness : who makes history and why / Dean Keith Simonton — A detailed study on greatness and what makes great people great

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Issacson — An awesome biography of America’s most diversely talented genius. This book is very very inspirational. It inspired me to explore and develop all my talents and become very good in many different fields. Benjamin Franklin was also a very interesting and colourful character which has inspired me to do more interesting things.
The violinist’s thumb : and other lost tales of love, war, and genius, as written by our genetic code / Sam Kean — A fascinating book on stories related to our DNA and how influential it has been throughout our existence. The author also xplores how minor changes in your DNA can have a huge impact on your life.
Spark : the revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain / John J. Ratey — A detailed look into the benefits of exercise

The problems of mathematics / Ian Stewart — A great book on current research in mathematics and how mathematicians solve problems

Einstein: His mind and Universe by Walter Issacson — A stunning but long read about Einstein.
The complete works / general editors, Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor — A book with everything Shakespeare ever wrote. Simply mesmerizing.

Nonzero : the logic of human destiny / Robert Wright — Explains the continued growth of the global economy and everyone’s standard of living by asserting that for one person to win it’s not necessary that another person has to lose. Everyone can improve their lives by collaborating.
King Solomon’s ring : new light on animal ways / Konrad Z. Lorenz — An amazing book on biodiversity and stories about different animals.
The visual display of quantitative information / Edward R. Tufte — One of my favourite books. Teaches you how to ake aesthetically appealing yet information rich and claer cut graphs and charts for displaying information accurately.

Design of Everyday Things, Design of Useful Things and Design of Future Things by Donald Norman — One of the most eye-opening books I have read. Talks about the design of things that we interact with everyday and how a lot of the designs are ill conceived. Gives a guide on how to think about the user and design things who use will be intuitively obvious to the user. Simply amazing. It has allowed me to look at the world around me in a new light and identify bad designs.

Emotional design : why we love (or hate) everyday things / Donald A. Norman
Freakonomics, SuperFreakonomics, and Thinking like a Freak by Steven Levitt and Steve Dubner — An incredible series about economics and the importance of incentives in what we do. Helped me adopt a completely new and unconventional way of thinking that has enriched my life. Allowed me to look at my life in terms of hard advantages and disadvantages rather than getting swept by emotions.
Human capital : a theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education / Gary S. Becker
The economic approach to human behavior / Gary S. Becke — Freakonomics on steroids. Focuses less on ways of thinking and more on analyzing situations using formal mathematics used in economics.
A treatise on the family / Gary S. Becker.
The world is flat : a brief history of the twenty-first century / Thomas L. Friedman — I love this book. A superb book on globalisation, the reasons globalisation occurred, the globalisation will continue , and how to make globalisation benefit everyone.
Lies, damned lies, and science : how to sort through the noise around global warming, the latest health claims, and other scientific controversies / Sherry Seethaler — Another great book on science and ways to look at the crystal clear truth through the fogs of misinformation.
Human : the science behind what makes us unique / Michael S. Gazzaniga — An excellent excursion into our evolution and our unique thought processes.

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari — My all time favourite book. Explains the entire human history in a different way, looking at fundamental causes and reasons behind everything rather than focusing on dates and events. Asks the big questions — Why are we here? Why is the world the way it is? What is the meaning of life? and answers them satisfactorily. This book has had more impact on me than any other. It taught me that most of our culture and the things we do are just results of random accidents rather than something that was planned increase the happiness of all living beings. In fact, history doesn’t care about happiness. There is no evidence that we are happier than our ancestors. Happiness depends on high quality relationships with other people and the ability to understand that all desires and craving are momentary and meaningless. We should focus on seeing things as they are rather than how we want them to be. It also gave a glimpse of what we can expect in the future. Absolutely amazing book.

What if? and Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe — An absolutely fabulous book by the creator of xkcd. Encourages you to stretch your imagination and answer interesting and unique questions using scientific thinking and engineering. A delight. I can read it again and again without the slightest hint of boredom.
Periodic tales : a cultural history of the elements, from arsenic to zinc / Hugh Aldersey-Williams — Interesting stories about different elements of the periodic table. This book weaves together storytelling, science and culture for an awesome combination.
The disappearing spoon : and other true tales of madness, love, and the history of the world from the periodic table of the elements / Sam Kean
Seven elements that changed the world : an adventure of ingenuity and discovery / John Browne
The magical maze : seeing the world through mathematical eyes / Ian Stewart.
The origin of wealth : the radical remaking of economics and what it means for business and society / Eric D. Beinhocker — A great book on how wealth originated and how it evolved.
Principles of economics : an introductory volume / by Alfred Marshall — All about economics

Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru — An incredibly detailed and accurate description of Indian history and culture and the grotesque specifics of the British oppression in India written by the 1st Prime Minister of India.
The fractal geometry of nature / Benoit B. Mandelbrot — An amazing book that blends art and mathematics. Mandelbrot, the ma who invented fractal geometry explains its mathematical beauty.
The signal and the noise : why so many predictions fail — but some don’t / Nate Silver — One of my favorite books. A detailed guide on how to make good predictions. It taught me how to focus on the right things and see things on one else was noticing. It has taught me to think about the world in different ways and combining different perspectives to form a coherent view of where the world is and where it is going.
Chaos : making a new science / James Gleick — A great book on Chaos theory, a branch of mathematics invented in 1970s to deal with systems that are very complex. It has been extremely helpful in increasing the accuracy of weather models and predictions.
A book of traveller’s tales / assembled by Eric Newby — A great anthology of tales written by ancient travelers. Instilled a spirit of adventure in me.
Statistics done wrong : the woefully complete guide / by Alex Reinhart — A book on the mistakes people make in the field of statistics and how to avoid them. Particularly important in today’s world of statistics and information.
The idea factory : Bell Labs and the great age of American innovation / Jon Gertner — How bell labs fostered inter-disciplinary collaboration and innovation. Principles that can be applied to any organization with some modifications.
Innovation the NASA way : harnessing the power of your organization for breakthrough success / Rod Pyle — Describes innovation at NASA and the principles NASA followed to become one of the most innovative organizations in the world.
The innovator’s dilemma : when new technologies cause great firms to fail / Clayton M. Christensen — How startups emerge and why big companies fail to identify and act on emerging technologies.
Seeing further : the story of science, discovery, and the genius of the Royal Society / edited & introduced by Bill Bryson
Guesstimation : solving the world’s problems on the back of a cocktail napkin / Lawrence Weinstein and John A. Adam — A very enjoyable book about how to guess seemingly complex problems in a very short time
The evolution of useful things / Henry Petroski — Another book about the design of the things around us and how they evolved.
An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations / Adam Smith — A must read book on Capitalism and the specialization of labour. Note that most current firms don’t follow his approach.

Das Capital by Karl Marx — One of the best works on economics by the only person who completely understood the industrial revolutions and what changes it was bringing about.
The Moscow puzzles : 359 mathematical recreations / Boris A. Kordemsky ; edited and with an introduction by Martin Gardner — An amazing book of mathematical puzzles
A century of Nature : twenty-one discoveries that changed science and the world / edited by Laura Garwin & Tim Lincoln

The biography of Rabindranath Tagore

Tesla : inventor of the electrical age / W. Bernard Carlson
One, two, three — infinity : facts and speculations of science / George Gamow
The general theory of employment, interest, and money / by John Maynard Keynes

The Gene
For the love of physics : from the end of the rainbow to the edge of time — a journey through the wonders of physics / Walter Lewin with Warren Goldstein
Six easy pieces : essentials of physics, explained by its most brilliant teacher / Richard P. Feynman

Surely you’re Joking, Mr. Feynman
A short history of nearly everything / Bill Bryson
The principles of science; a treatise on logic and scientific method by Stanley Jevons
Engineering tomorrow : today’s technology experts envision the next century / Janie Fouke and Trudy Bell, IEEE
Powers of ten : a book about the relative size of things in the universe and the effect of adding another zero / Philip and Phylis Morrison
The long tail : why the future of business is selling less of more / Chris Anderson
The Human Genome Project : cracking the genetic code of life / Thomas F. Lee
Applied imagination; principles and procedures of creative problem-solving. Osborn, Alex F.
The annotated Flatland : a romance of many dimensions / by Edwin A. Abbott ; introduction and notes by Ian Stewart.
How we decide / Jonah Lehrer
Life’s matrix : a biography of water / Philip Ball.
A thousand years of nonlinear history / Manuel DeLanda
This idea must die : scientific ideas that are blocking progress / edited by John Brockman
Fooled by randomness : the hidden role of chance in life and in the markets / Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The ultimate resource / by Julian L. Simon
200 puzzling physics problems / P. Gnädig
Animal spirits : how human psychology drives the economy, and why it matters for global capitalism / George A. Akerlof and Robert J. Shiller
From here to infinity / Ian Stewart
Flow : the psychology of optimal experience / Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The Sacred beetle and other great essays in science / edited by Martin Gardner.
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: an inquiry into values, by Robert M. Pirsig
The pleasure of finding things out : the best short works of Richard P. Feynman / by Richard P. Feynman
Guns, germs, and steel : the fates of human societies / Jared Diamond
Genome : the autobiography of a species in 23 chapters / Matt Ridley
Work in The 21st Century Frank J. Landy

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Rusty by Ruskin Bond

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

1984 by George Orwell

A Christmas Carol

Lord of the Rings series

Harry Potter series
28 science fiction stories. Wells, H. G.

20000 leagues under the sea, around the world in 80 days, journey to the cetner of the world by Jules VErne

Fondation series by Issac Asimov

The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by
In an uncertain world : tough choices from Wall Street to Washington / Robert E. Rubin
Silent spring / by Rachel Carson
The ascent of money : a financial history of the world / Niall Ferguson
The beginning of infinity : explanations that transform the world / David Deutsch
Social : why our brains are wired to connect / Matthew D. Lieberman
In search of Schrödinger’s cat : quantum physics and reality / John Gribbin
The revenge of Gaia : earth’s climate in crisis and the fate of humanity / James Lovelock

Feynman Lectures on Physics series
Physics for science and engineering students, by W.H. Furry, E.M. Purcell, and J.C. Street
Powering the future : a scientist’s guide to energy independence / Daniel B. Botkin
Environment : the science behind the stories / Jay Withgott, Scott Brennan
The art of electronics / Paul Horowitz
The dreams that stuff is made of : the most astounding papers on quantum physics — and how they shook the scientific world / edited, with an introduction, by Stephen Hawking

Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

SuperIntelligence by Nick Bostrom

Elon Musk : Tesla, SpaceX, and the quest for a fantastic future / Ashlee Vance.
Death by black hole : and other cosmic quandaries / Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Naked statistics : stripping the dread from the data / Charles Wheelan
The power of habit : why we do what we do in life and business / Charles Duhigg
The tipping point : how little things can make a big difference / Malcolm Gladwell
The stuff of thought : language as a window into human nature / Steven Pinker
Ignition! An informal history of liquid rocket propellants. By John D. Clark
Nudge : improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness / Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein
The everything store : Jeff Bezos and the age of Amazon / Brad Stone.
The idea factory : learning to think at MIT / Pepper White
The joy of x : a guided tour of math, from one to infinity / Steven Strogatz
Zero to one : notes on startups, or how to build the future / Peter Thiel
How to lie with statistics / by Darrell Huff
The omnivore’s dilemma : a natural history of four meals / Michael Pollan
World order / Henry Kissinger
Microcosmos : four billion years of evolution from our microbial ancestors / Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan
The intelligent investor : a book of practical counsel / Benjamin Graham
How to win friends and influence people / Dale Carnegie

Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo

Who will Cry When you die and The monk who sold his ferrari by Robin Sharma
The Muqaddimah; an introduction to history, translated from the Arabic by Franz Rosenthal
Consilience : the unity of knowledge / Edward O. Wilson
Inventing the 19th century : 100 inventions that shaped the Victorian Age from aspirin to the Zeppelin / Stephen van Dulken
Inventing the 20th century : 100 inventions that shaped the world : from the airplane to the zipper / Stephen Van Dulken
The world without us / Alan Weisman
Misbehaving : the making of behavioral economics / Richard H. Thaler

Mindset — the new psychology of success: Dweck, Carol S

Grit — the power of passion and perseverance: Duckworth, Angela

Peak — secrets from the new science of expertise Loan Author: Ericsson, K. Anders.
The complete works of O. Henry
On human nature / Edward O. Wilson
The sixth extinction : an unnatural history / Elizabeth Kolbert.
Essentials of Indian statecraft; K̇autilya’s Arthasastra for contemporary readers [by] T. N. Ramaswamy.
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed / Jared Diamond
The principles of psychology / William James
The most of P. G. Wodehouse
The selfish gene / Richard Dawkins
The better angels of our nature : why violence has declined / Steven Pinker
The rise and fall of the great powers : economic change and military conflict from 1500 to 2000 / by Paul Kennedy
The short stories of Ernest Hemingway
Voyages and discoveries; the principal navigations, voyages, traffiques, and discoveries of the English Nation. Edited, abridged, and introduced by Jack Beeching. Hakluyt, Richard,
Superstructures in space : from satellites to space stations — a guide to what’s out there / Michael H. Gorn.
The singing Neanderthals : the origins of music, language, mind, and body / Steven Mithen.
The science of good and evil : why people cheat, gossip, care, share and follow the golden rule / Michael Shermer.
The moon is a harsh mistress [by] Robert A. Heinlein
The Facebook effect : the inside story of the company that is connecting the world / David Kirkpatrick
The creating brain : the neuroscience of genius / Nancy C. Andreasen
Curiosity : an inside look at the Mars rover mission and the people who made it happen / Rod Pyle
Proof : the science of booze / Adam Rogers.
Why the West rules — for now : the patterns of history, and what they reveal about the future / Ian Morris
Art as experience, by John Dewey.
The English traveller and the movement of ideas, 1660–1732 [by] R. W. Frantz
Moonshot : the inside story of mankind’s greatest adventure / Dan Parry.
Hot, flat, and crowded : why we need a green revolution — and how it can renew America / Thomas L. Friedman
The one minute manager / Kenneth Blanchard
Teachings from the worldly philosophy / Robert Heilbroner.
The astonishing hypothesis : the scientific search for the soul / Francis Crick
The Columbian exchange; biological and cultural consequences of 1492 [by] Alfred W. Crosby
Connected : the surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives / Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler
The airplane : how ideas gave us wings / Jay Spenser
Why people believe weird things : pseudoscience, superstition, and other confusions of our time / Michael Shermer
Pandora’s seed : the unforseen cost of civilization / Spencer Wells
Lights out : a cyberattack, a nation unprepared, surviving the aftermath / Ted Koppel
Good to great : why some companies make the leap — and others don’t / Jim Collins
The remains of the day / Kazuo Ishiguro
The aviators : Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the epic Age of Flight / Winston Groom
A mathematician’s apology / by G.H. Hardy
The effective executive / Peter F. Drucker

Dan Brown — Inferno, Da Vinci Code, Digital Fortress,

Jane Austen — Sense and sensibilty, Pride and Prejudice
The Powerhouse — Inside the Invention of a Battery to Save the World: LeVine, Steve
Dreamland — adventures in the strange science of sleep: Randall, David K
The inevitable : understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future /: Kelly, Kevin
Irrationally yours : on missing socks, pickup lines and other existential puzzles /: Ariely, Dan
The rise and fall of nations : forces of change in the post-crisis world /: Sharma, Ruchir
Business adventures — twelve classic tales from the world of Wall Street Brooks, John
Smarter faster better — the secrets of being productive in life and business: Duhigg, Charles
How not to be wrong — the power of mathematical thinking: Ellenberg, Jordan
Fractals, googols, and other mathematical tales: Pappas, Theoni.
The End of Average — How We Succeed in a World that Values Sameness: Rose, Todd
The adventures of Penrose, the mathematical cat: Pappas, Theoni
The great surge — the ascent of the developing world: Radelet, Steven C

Global inequality — a new approach for the age of globalization: Milanovi?, Branko

Prisoners of geography — ten maps that explain everything about the world: Marshall, Tim
The moral economy — Why good incentives are no substitute for good citizens: Bowles, Samuel
Deep work : rules for focused success in a distracted world : Newport, Cal

Concrete economics — the Hamilton approach to economic growth and policy: Cohen, Stephen S
The third wave — an entrepreneur’s vision of the future: Case, Steve.
Why is milk white? : & 200 other curious chemistry questions /: Coelho, Alexa
Invisible influence — the hidden forces that shape behavior: Berger, Jonah

Superforecasting — the art and science of prediction: Tetlock, Philip E
100 essential things you didn’t know you didn’t know — math explains your world: Barrow, John D
From silk to silicon — the story of globalization through ten extraordinary lives: Garten, Jeffrey E.
What the dog saw, and other adventures: Gladwell, Malcolm
My best mathematical and logic puzzles: Gardner, Martin
Stuff matters — exploring the marvelous materials that shape our man-made world: Miodownik, Mark
Altruism — the power of compassion to change yourself and the world : Ricard, Matthieu
Economics rules — the rights and wrongs of the dismal science Loan Author: Rodrik, Dani.
The haves and the have-nots — a brief and idiosyncratic history of global inequality Loan Author: Milanovi?, Branko.
The book of general ignorance Loan Author: Lloyd, John.
Success and luck — good fortune and the myth of meritocracy Loan Author: Frank, Robert H.
Economic thought — a brief history Loan Author: Kurz, Heinz D.
More human — designing a world where people come first Loan Author: Hilton, Steve.
The art of happiness — a handbook for living Dalai LAma
Reinventing discovery : the new era of networked science / Michael Nielsen
Experiencing the past — on the character of archaeology Loan Author: Shanks, Michael.
Travels in Asia and Africa, 1325–1354, translated and selected by H.A.R. Gibb, with an introduction and notes. Ibn Batuta,
The travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian. The translation of Marsden revised, with a selection of his notes. Edited by Thomas Wright. Polo, Marco,
A tour of the calculus / David Berlinski.
The thirteen books of Euclid’s Elements, translated from the text of Heiberg, with introd. and commentary by Sir Thomas L. Heath.
Generation me : why today’s young Americans are more confident, assertive, entitled — and more miserable than ever before / Jean M. Twenge.
Soap, science, and flat-screen TVs : a history of liquid crystals / David Dunmur, Tim Sluckin
Understanding globalization : the social consequences of political, economic, and environmental change / Robert K. Schaeffer.
Inverting the pyramid : the history of soccer tactics / Jonathan Wilson
In the land of invented languages : a celebration of linguistic creativity, madness, and genius / Arika Okrent.
The three-pound universe / Judith Hooper and Dick Teresi.
The journals of Captain James Cook on his voyages of discovery / edited by J.C. Beaglehole.
Marco Polo : from Venice to Xanadu / Laurence Bergreen.
A budget of paradoxes, by Augustus De Morgan
Narrative of voyages and travels, in the northern and southern hemispheres: comprising three voyages round the world; together with a voyage of survey and discovery, in the Pacific Ocean and oriental islands. Delano, Amasa,
Where wizards stay up late — the origins of the Internet: Hafner, Katie.
The last lecture / by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow.
Visions of technology : a century of vital debate about machines, systems, and the human world / edited by Richard Rhodes.
Second thoughts : critical thinking for a diverse society / Wanda Teays

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Shivam Duhan

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Computer Science & Innovation @ Stanford. Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Entrepreneurship & Innovation @ Purdue. I want to learn everything from everyone :)