21 BOOKS FOR 2021
Updated: Jul 15, 2021
Hello and Welcome to my book club. I have read about 27 books in the first half of 2021- 15 are complete and 6 are partially read/I am currently still reading hence 21. I am either struggling to finish the other 6 or have set them aside for now, so why count?
What Kind of Reader am I?
My favourite non-religious non-fiction and fiction books of all time are: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho respectively.
I am currently into non fictions - autobiographies, self help and motivation, finance and psychology-ish books. I do read fiction and have read a copius amount of literature from Romance to Greek Mythology before but I am currently not into fiction, though I'm not necessarily averse.
I prefer reading multiple books concurrently.
WHAT AM I CURRENTLY READING? WHY?
1. Deep Work By Cal Newport
Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. I believe that there is a lot to be gained in learning to be focused and limiting distraction. I am interested in Prof. Newport's ideas in general and on productivity in particular.
2. Beyond Order by Jordan Peterson
Prof. Peterson is a very interesting thinker and psychologist. I am therefore interested in his work even though I do not agree with all his ideas. This is a follow up on his book 12 rules for life.
3. The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson
Isaacson has written biographies of some of the greatest people of all time including Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin so when he wrote about Jennifer Doudna, naturally I had to read it.
Prof. Jennifer has got to be one of the GOATs of this century - for one she received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Emmanuelle Charpentier, "for the development of a method for genome editing." She is a biochemist who has done pioneering work on gene editing and whose work has impacted and will continue to impact the world at large.
4. The Autobiography of Malcolm X
I think this speaks for itself
5. Good Economics for Hard Times - Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo
I have been meaning to read this book ever since Bill Gates included it in his reading recommendations in 2019 but I never got around to it. The book is by 2 Nobel Laureate Economists who discuss issues like immigration and trade. While the book focuses on rich countries, I think people outside such economies can benefit from understanding policy debates. The world is not isolated - the immigration policy of Germany is of concern to Syrians and Nigerians as much as it is of concern to the French.
6. How to win friends and Influence People
One can always improve on their social skills, particularly as an INTP.
WHAT I HAVE READ AND FINISHED
The Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck
Talking to Strangers
The Psychology of Money
Daring Greatly
Never Split the difference
This is going to hurt
Outliers
How to Steal Like an Artist Trilogy
Rising Strong
Range
Atomic Habits
What I know for sure
Driven to Distraction
Radical Candor
I will give more detailed reviews of these but you may request that I review some before others. Some reviews are hyperlinked above or available on site.
Books I may not Finish- Will finish later or lost interest in
1. Noise - for later
2. Fahrenheit 451 - lost interest
3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Skimmed through
4. I will Teach you to be rich - We didn't hit it off, might go back later
5. Sapiens - I know this is a cult favourite but I struggle to justify the bulk - I feel like it could be shorter and it goes round and round
6. Measure What Matters - Very interesting but set aside for now.