The good, the bad and the ugly - My 2021 Booklist
BOOK REVIEWS BY BINOD
The book is an integral part of my daily routine and I make it a point to read at least 50 pages a day.
These days I read a lot and I feel I must a) keep some record and b) share my findings with the rest of humanity. Because some books are simply spectacular and unforgettable and …err…because I am a self-proclaimed good guy.
So here is the roll call of all books I’ve read from 1 January 2021 to 31 Dec 2021. As a bonus, I’ve thrown in the three I liked the most and the three that promised so much only to disappoint.
The books are all non-fiction. I think the last time I read any fiction was a decade ago with Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series.
All I read
Here's the list, in the order in which I read them.
1. The power of others by Michael Bond
2. The evolution of everything by Matt Ridley
3. Emotional intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry
4. Billion-dollar whale by Bradley Hope
5. You’re about to make a terrible mistake by Olivier Sibony
6. Uncanny valley by Anna Wiener
7. Personality isn’t permanent by Benjamin Hardy
8. Between two fires by Joshua Yaffa
9. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
10. Tomorrow vs yesterdays edited by Andrew Keen
11. Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
12. Stillness is the key by Ryan Holiday
13.Empty planet by John Ibbitson and Darrell Bricker
14.The psychology of money by Morgan Housel
15. The silk roads by Peter Frankopan
16. Change by Damon Centola
17. Think again by Adam Grant
18. Working backwards by Colin Bryar and Bill Carr
19. The emperor of all maladies by Saurabh Mukherjee
20.Late bloomers by Rich Kaarlgard
21. City of djinns by William Dalyrimple
22. Tim Cook by Leander Kahney
23. Nice girls still don’t get the corner office by Lori Frankel
24.No rules by Reed Hastings
25.Hillbilly elegy by JD Vance
26. Nature via Nurture by Matt Ridley
27. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
28. When the body says no by Gabor Mate
29. Monkey business by John Rolfe & Peter Troobe
30. How I learned to understand the world by Hans Rosling
31. How innovation works by Matt Ridley
32. Things a little bird told me by Biz Stone
33. Thank you for being late by Thomas Friedman
34. The half-life of facts by Samuel Arbesman
35. Eight thousanders by Reinhold Messner
36. The 10x Rule by Grant Cardone
37.A rude life by Vir Sanghvi
38.The almanack of naval ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
39. How confidence works by Ian Robertson
40. The future of money by Easwar Prasad
41. Beyond order by Jordan Peterson
42. Know thyself by Stephen Fleming
43. Exponential by Azeem Azhar
44. Talking to my daughter by Yanis Varoufakis
45. Humor, seriously by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas
The Top 3
This is of course difficult and highly subjective. I rate them largely based on how much I learned (and how much I took pics and posted on several WhatsApp groups!), how well I recall their messages/examples and how much I enjoyed reading the book.
So, with the usual drum rolls and fanfare, I hereby declare my top three books for the year 2021 to be:
1. The almanack of naval ravikant by Eric Jorgenson
2. Nice girls still don’t get the corner office by Lori Frankel
3. The psychology of money by Morgan Housel
The winners may step up and collect the prize.
The Bottom 3
This list is also tough to make and of course subjective. I rate them based largely on how little I learned, how little l recall of their messages/examples and by how much I was disappointed.
My worst three books for the year 2021 are:
1. Beyond order by Jordan Peterson
2. Billion-dollar whale by Bradley Hope
3. The future of money by Easwar Prasad
I hope you find entertainment, education and insight in the above books (except the worst three of course).
Read. For life. (With a nod and wink to Volvo)