Books in 2021

On my Goodreads 2021 reading challenge, I read 52/50 books in 2021. I managed 47/50 in 2020 (see 2020 reviews) and 26/24 in 2019.

Here’s what I read (best books first).

Mind-blowing

1. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. It’s the best non-fiction I’ve read in 5 years. It focuses Wealth and Happiness. It’s short. I finished it in a day. But it’s deep. I can spend a decade practicing just a single sentence. It’s available at navalmanack.com as a free e-book and audio book.
2. Rhythm of War. The 4th book of the Stormlight Archives is an action-packed fantasy. A great gift for teenagers. In an extra-ordinary magic system, Brandon Sanderson builds up to the greatest climax I’ve read. What an ending!
3. Death Note #1-#12. Light Yagami gets hold of a “death note”. If he writes a name on it, they die. “L” is out to catch him. In a cat-and-mouse psychological thriller, Light and L work next to each other, share their plans, and still try to outwit the other. It’s like chess. The pieces are visible. But it’s the strategy that counts. A brilliant comic series.

Life-changing

1. Atomic Habits. A systematic, well-researched approach to creating (and stopping) habits that last. It’s the best “Habits” book in the market right now..
2. Being Mortal. A thoughtful, practical guide on dealing with old age. Must read for those with aging parents. It helps that Atul Gawande is a great storyteller and draws from his personal experiences.
3. Originals. Teaches you how to be more creative and take risks safely. If Creativity Inc inspired you, this book is a way to build Pixar’s magic into your teams. An easy-to-read piece by Adam Grant, backed by solid research.
4. Combatting Cult Mind Control. The gold-standard in knowing when someone’s in a cult, and how to escape the cult. Opened up a whole new world for me.
5. Rich Dad Poor Dad. Teaches you to make money work for you rather than you working for money. I was shocked when I realized that the middle class buys liabilities (a house to live in) while the rich buy assets (a house to rent out).
6. Think Again. Teaches you how to stop fooling yourself and avoid blindspots by checking your assumptions, enjoy learning from mistakes, and open up people’s minds — especially your own. Yet another easy-to-read piece by Adam Grant, backed by solid research.
7. Influence. A research-backed guide on the science of influencing people subconsciously. Reciprocity, consistency, social proof, authority, scarcity — these are signals we react to unknowingly.
8. Dawnshard. Book #3.5 of the Stormlight Archives. A handicapped shipowner and her winged reptile pet travel to a mysterious island that no one returns from. With a typical Brandon Sanderson climax that moves this from “interesting” to “life changing”.
9. From Data to Stories. The first & only comic data story book, with step-by-step cricket analysis explained by comic characters. This was written by Gramener’s Story Labs team using Comicgen characters.

Interesting

1. The First Law #1-#3. Joe Abercrombie. A wizard assembles 3 flawed heroes for a quest.
2. Shoe Dog. The Nike founder story.
3. Skin In The Game. On accountability & commitment.
4. That Will Never Work. The Netflix co-founder story.
5. Sycamore Row. John Grisham. An old man’s will leaves everything to his servant.
6. A Time To Kill. John Grisham. An African American’s on trial for murdering his daughter’s rapists.
7. The Psychology of Money. How to make money work for you than the other way around.
8. Detective William Warwick #2-#4. Jeffrey Archer. More adventures from Dt. Warwick.
9. Zoom. A wordless book that zooms out on every successive page, and nothing is what it appears.

Readable

1. The Goblin Emperor. Katherine Addison. A Goblin half-son inherits the throne and political intrigue.
2. A Time for Mercy. John Grisham. An African American kid’s on trial for shooting a cop.
3. The Rithmatist. Brandon Sanderson. In a world where chalk drawings come to life, a student investigates murders.
4. Karna: The King of Anga. Kevin Missal. A fictionalized story of how Karna re-takes the kingdom of Anga against Jarasandha.
5. Asterix #34-#38. The latest adventures of Asterix & Obelix, the gauls.
6. Infinity Blade #1-#2. Brandon Sanderson. Deathless immortals battle each other, and discover their origins.
7. Old Man’s War. John Scalzi. Senior citizens are given a physical boost and sent to fight aliens.
8. Measure What Matters. The definitive guide on how to use OKRs (Objectives & Key Results).
9. The Maze Runner #1-#3. Kids escape from a maze prison and discover why they were there.

How I read books

1. Select. I add book recommendations on my GoodReads – to read list. Then I sort by rating and pick the first one I like to read.
2. Listen. I listen to non-fiction audiobooks during walks.
3. Read: I read fiction as ePUBs on my laptop or phone.
4. Stop: I stop reading books that are boring, with no guilt. I’ve better things to do.