In the book world of 2023, I had a good run with a bunch of reads. Started quite a few, and managed to finish some (marked with an *).
Here's the lowdown on the books and a few thoughts on each:
Greenlights (Matthew McConaughey):* McConaughey's autobiography was pretty cool, full of practical takeaways.
The Earned Life (Marshall Goldsmith):* Goldsmith's "The Earned Life" was a solid read, great for kicking your life into gear, no matter where you're at.
Brain (David Eagleman):* A straightforward exploration of the brain and it's magic—easy to get through, not too complicated.
The Information (James Gleick): A well-written history of information that gave me a new perspective on things we take for granted.
Wanderers, Kings and Merchants (Peggy Mohan):* A left-leaning take on language evolution in India—a deep dive into language science.
Building a Second Brain (Tiago Forte):* A must-read in today's info-rich age, all about cloud computing and organising knowledge.
How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big (Scott Adams):* Scott Adams, the Dilbert guy, dropped some wisdom bombs—worth revisiting for sure. A great book.
Wonder that was India (A.L Basham): A historical gem from over 50 years ago by A.L Basham—good insights into Indian history.
Excellent Advice for Living (Kevin Kelly):* Short but packed with wisdom—highly recommended.
The Song of the Cell (Siddhartha Mukherjee): A well-researched popular science journey through cells— grab it if you have a faint interest in biology.
Death's End (Cixin Liu):** Reread the finale of the "Three Body Problem" trilogy—Sci-fi lovers, this one's a ride.
The Untethered Soul (Michael A. Singer):* A deep dive into philosophy, kind of therapeutic—a solid pick for philosophy buffs. Enjoyed this one.
Adi Shankaracharya (Pavan Verma):* According to me the best-written work on Adi Shankaracharya—well researched and nicely written.
The Dhammapada (Eknath Easwaran):* Solid breakdown of Buddhism's basic principles.
Tao Te Ching (Lao Tze): A bit hard to get by. Might need a decade to grasp it fully. It's kinda cryptic.
Far from the Light of Heaven (Tade Thompson):* Meh sci-fi about a rogue AI taking over a spaceship.
Klara and the Sun (Kazuo Ishiguro):* Disappointing sci-fi from the acclaimed author Ishiguro.
Packing to Mars (Mary Roach): A fun read about astronaut training—definitely pick it up if you're into space stuff.
The Tiger (John Vaillant): The real-life story of an Amur (Siberian) tiger that takes its revenge. A gripping tale.
An Immense World (Ed Yong): A good one by one of the best science writers of the day. Its all about the way animals perceive the world. Read it with your kid. Enjoyable.
So, that's my 2023 in books—some hits, a couple of misses, but overall, a good year of reading.
Check-out some top recommendations below:
16 best books by Wired magazine
The List of Lists from Lithub
The top books list on topics of politics, economics and history
Best Indian books (Fiction and non-fiction) by Moneycontrol
A great selection of lists based on categories by the website Five Books.
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