My Books of 2019
Reading has always been a big part of my life and 2019 was a big year in terms of reading for me. I was able to increase the number of book I read from 14 books in 2018 to 19 in 2019 (that’s a 35% increase). And I read really interesting books as well - both fiction and non-fiction. Below is the list of books that I read in the year 2019 organized into fiction and non-fiction which some highlights on the books that really stood out to me.
Non-Fiction
Daily rituals by Mason Curry: In this book Mason Curry curates and relates the habit of creatives such as Einstein, Hemingway and Dickens (why are they all white men?). I picked up this book curious to learn if these extraordinary people had extraordinary routines that propelled them into the success that they enjoyed. Spoiler alert: They don’t. Some have simple consistent habits, while a few were eccentric and quite odd but at the heart of the book rings the message of self-awareness (understanding who you are), exploration (to find what works) and showing up. The creative life is not always as romantic as it seems, sometimes it’s routine and mechanical but that’s what makes the romance worth it. Or that’s what makes the romance shine all the more.
Becoming by Michelle Obama: I really enjoyed reading this book because of how you take a peek behind the curtain into America’s first family to discover that - a family. I think the real superpower of this book is to be able to make something so crazily unrelatable somehow relatable.
Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman: Reading this book opened my eyes to see the reason why one must be humble. There are things that influence us, that we are under the influence of that we are unaware of. That’s the role of the book. To bring awareness. To let every reader know that things may not be as they seem. To plant a seed of distrust, that bears the critical fruit, that causes you to pause and ponder what bias you are under. This book humbled me. Humans are confident and now based on this book, we realize how a lot of that confidence is in the air.
How to be interesting by Jessica Hagy: This book has visual thinking, humor and wit. I like Jessica Hagy’s art and I like the way she thinks.
Others
- Fluent forever by Gabriel Wyner
- The hard things about hard things by Ben Horowitz
- Design a better business by Justin Lokitz, Lisa Kay Solomon, and Patrick Van Der Pijl
- Strategic design by Dr. Giulia Calabretta, Prof. Gerda Gemser and Dr. Ingo Karpen
- Platform: The art and science of personal branding by Cynthia Johnson
Fiction
Paper menagerie by Ken Liu: This was my best read of the year. and it led me down this science fiction spiral that I have been unable to come out off even up to the time of writing this. I really really like Ken Liu’s stories. Bla bla bla
No longer at ease by Chinua Achebe: Didn’t even know that things fall apart was a trilogy till I read this book.
The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann: This modern parable about how to make it in business and in life. It was a simple read the message it was selling stayed with me many days, even up till now. It expresses a different attitude to success, a different mindset for success, a much needed definition of what success is and what is really important in life.
I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou: Maya Angelou writes prose as poetry.
Others
- My Sister, the serial killer by Oyinkan Braithwaithe
- Convenience store woman by Sayaka Murata
- The rogue lawyer by John Grisham
- Lock in by John Scalzi
- What we lose by Zinzi Clemmons
So far, 2020 is already looking good in terms of books. I’m sure I would have a (much) longer list for next year.