Every year, I spend a lot of time on choosing the books I want to read. I find my recommendations from a variety of sources - reading lists, Reddit, friends, popular culture, and mentions in books. And this end of year list is something I do to point out the brightest ones from a sea of innumerable beautiful stars. Let's jump right into it.
1. Tiger Woods - Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian
I’ve always been fascinated by the lives of sport stars, successful entrepreneurs, and other such elite performers and achievers. So I read a lot of biographies and memoirs. They don’t necessarily give me a blueprint on how to lead my life but show me all the required steps to success. Unfailingly, I’ve found some common traits in all of them - discipline, sacrifices, mental fortitude, failures (and then rising up back again), etc. And Tiger Woods’ biography told me all about it and a lot more.
2. The Dalai Lama’s Cat: A Novel - David Mitchie
I read this book at a turbulent time in my life. And it helped calm the waters. I did not know what to expect out of this book since I knew nothing about it and had only picked it up after my wife’s recommendation. It explains some of the tenets of Buddhist philosophy in the most charming way. As I read it, I felt a sense of peace and serenity envelope me. And as soon as I finished, I picked up next in the series.
3. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
There are good chances that a lot of you have read this. It is an undeniable classic with timeless advice that is still relevant today. I first read this as a teenager and I remember instantly feeling more connected with fellow humans and less anxious in company of others. The reason I picked this book again last year was to feel that connect again. It reminded me of all the intricacies of human nature that I didn’t intuitively understand. And I see myself revisiting this regularly - as a guidebook for life.
Other Notable Mentions:
Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5 was a great war (or anti-war) novel and I already feel like reading it again. Trevor Noah’s memoir Born A Crime told me a lot about apartheid in South Africa.
I hope you do get around to reading some of these. If you like these recommendations, check out the rest of my reading list here.
Lists from previous years: