In the crazy, unexpected year that 2020 has been, the one solace I found was in books. Those who know me, know that this is not new. Books have always been my most favourite companions. But this year, I found time to read and re-read more sitting at my desk by the window.
Here are 20 books that shaped my thinking, enjoyment, learning and more for the year. I have included both fiction and non-fiction and my favourite genres from history to crime to finance to general business non-fiction and a memoir.
1. Anarchy: William Dalrymple: I love history and its untold and mis-told mysteries. In this book, William Dalyrmple traces the journey of the East India Company in the country, shapeshifting from traders to rulers. It’s sheer depth of research and yet vivid storytelling made it one of my most satisfying reads of the year. The fact that I needed to read it as background research for the historical non-fiction book I am writing next made it even more interesting. (genre: history)
2. Educated: Tara Westover: As someone who works in Education, I believe in the power true Education has in helping us find our real selves. This memoir is unflinching in its gaze at how Education could be still denied to someone even in this day and age and how the author’s personal fight, with the price one needs to pay for it could have led to such a dramatic journey of self-discovery. (genre: memoir)
3. The Prince who beat the Empire: Moin Mir: Back to history. This one chronicles a part inspirational and part sad story of a king who defied the Empire (British rule in India), to safeguard his family and the line of succession for his daughters, not through battle but through a seemingly impossible legal fight, that too in London. It’s a thoroughly modern story of a man’s struggle despite being a centuries old tale. (genre: history)
4. Where the Crawdads sing: Delia Owens: A searing tale of a young girl who grows up alone, nature as her closest friend and teacher, with visceral descriptions of the natural world at one end and human betrayal on the other. The unexpected murder mystery in the novel just adds to the intrigue with a plot twist at the end that will be a surprise to many unsuspecting readers. (genre: fiction)
5. Psychology of Money: Morgan Housel: This is probably a must-have inclusion in many lists this year. I have loved Morgan Housel’s writing at the intersection of finance and psychology much before I even picked up this book. I liked his writing so much, reading the book was just a no-brainer. It’s insightful without being pedantic. (genre: personal finance)
6. Neapolitan novels (all 4 of them): Elena Ferrante: A tale of two girls, growing up in Naples, battling poverty, violence, jealousy, insecurity, fame and more; their stories and their characters intertwining with each other’s, this book is a fascinating feat in its ability to speak about emotions the way very few can. Again, Education plays a central character here, shaping the future of the two girls in very different ways. If you start the first book, you cannot stop till you finish reading all the 4 books in the series. (genre: fiction)
10.The man who solved the market: Gregory Zuckerman: Another book about money, you ask? Well, as the blurb says, this books talks about a secretive mathematician who became the greatest money-maker of all time. If that doesn’t pique your interest, it’s a story that traces the rise of the quantitative methods that started sweeping across Wall Street. Beyond a story about “quants,” it’s also a story of Wall Street billionaires’ deeper power on society, in ways that are good, bad and dangerous. (genre: non-fiction, finance)
11. Cutting the Gordian Knot: T.N. Hari and Hari Menon: In this book, the authors make a deep investigation into the real state of skilling in the country. What I loved the best was the inclusion of multiple points of view from practitioners without trying to make a judgement or to suggest a one-size fits all approach to what is a classic wicked problem. A must read for all interested in Education and Skilling. Two of Hari’s other books just got launched, ‘From Pony to Unicorn’ and ‘Sailing through a Storm’ and I look forward to reading them during the last week of the year.
12. This will not work: Marc Randolph: In retrospect, great companies and their founders are often spoken about as visionaries. Almost as if they had everything figured out, right from the start. The beauty of this book is does not talk down to readers. It’s a vulnerable account of how the company we today know as Neflix started off as something completely different and even came close to selling out a couple of times before they reached where they are today. Inspiration all of us entrepreneurs need. (genre: non-fiction, business)
13. Devotion of Suspect X: Keigo Higashino: An author who has mastered the craft of the whodunit and the whydunit, Keigo Higashino’s novels do not spell blood, gore and chase. Instead, they invite the reader to play a battle of wits with the narrators(s), all the while building upto a climax that is teasingly difficult to guess. This particular one, right from the title of the book to its plot and its climax are just too engrossing. (genre: fiction)
14.Eleanor Oliphante is completely fine: Gail Honeyman: I read this eerily enough, just before the COVID-19 lockdown. The book is about a woman who ventures nowhere other her weekday office commute and is trapped by loneliness and a past that is never far away. As I started reading the book, I felt a huge sense of sadness that gave way to sheer inspiration for the way the story ended. The lockdown made the story even more urgent. (genre: fiction)
15. Palace of Illusions: Chitra Divakaruni: The way the author builds the unflinching voice of Draupadi narrating the Mahabharata we thought we knew in a way that makes us both question and find answers all over again is nothing short of breath-taking. As I read, I felt like I was in the character’s head, literally experiencing her journey along the way. Masterful. (genre: fiction)
16. The Mistress: Anita Nair: I re-read this book, one of my favourites again this year. And just the beauty of language, the depth of characterization, the deftly inserted classical dance metaphors at critical points in the story, elevates this story of human frailties and strength into an unforgettable saga (genre: fiction)
17. Man called Ove: Fredrick Backman: The book introduces us to a grumpy old man who seems unhappy with everything and everyone. But as it progresses and shows us how Ove came to be the man he is, it also makes us question what we take for granted, about love and kindness. The pace is gentle, the tone both sad and funny, the ending is extraordinary. (genre: fiction)
18: Black Swan: Nassim Nicholas Taleb: I wanted to re-read this book in 2020 to see how Taleb would have interpreted an event like the global pandemic. As he says in his book, the random Black Swan events are nearly impossible to predict and are only rationalized, later. This year, as uncertainty became the reality of our everyday lives, I found the intelligence, satire and knowledge the book imparts really important to hold on to. (genre: business: finance)
19 and 20: Thinking Fast and Slow: Daniel Kahneman and The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis: I had read Thinking Fast and Slow earlier and it’s a fascinating look at how real-life decision making requires a combination of both data and gut. The book is based on the author’s lifelong partnership and research with Amos Tversky. Read it this year along with the Undoing Project by Michael Lewis which speaks about the friendship and the trailblazing journey of the two men. Written in true Michael Lewis style, it also humanizes them, and makes their work more real.
That’s my 20. My bookshelf beckons now with more inviting titles and treasures. Can’t keep it waiting any longer.