Last year I was on the trails for 100s of hours and audiobooks were great companions on all those long-distance runs.
There are some books that I re-read at the start of the year, others I will re-read this year, and then some that I had dreaded finishing or had to leave unfinished.
Books I re-read:
- 12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson – sets the tone for the entire year, encourages to do things that are outside the comfort zone, and teaches sacrifices do not go in vain.
- The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel – the book explains money lessons in simple yet effective terms. Keeps me on track and doesn’t let me deviate from the plan.
Books I will re-read:
- The course of love, Alain de Botton – the author was recommended to me by a colleague I respect and this definitely did not disappoint. The book is set as a love story about a young couple from the Isle of Skye and Highlands. With all the ups and downs during the course of a relationship, I could relate to each stage the couple were in and realized there always more to learn about the significant other. I had already gifted this book to 3 friends who got married this year.
- On Confidence, Alain de Botton – I suffered tremendously from imposter syndrome last year and this book was a great help in showing the way out.
- Mastery, Robert Greene – the journey of Mastery is boring. Embrace the boring.
Books I enjoyed/gifted the most:
- Behave, Robert Sapolsky – this is an extraordinary book and I probably retained ~10% of it, but just learning about the human mind was a treat. Recommend pairing it with Sapiens.
- Elon Musk, Walter Issacson – excellent biography, couldn’t put down.
- Sita, Devdutt Pattanaik – the story of Ramayana narrated by Sita.
- Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott – I wish I would’ve picked this book earlier.
- Tracks, Robyn Davidson – read the book after watching the movie. The book is about Davidson’s 2,700 km trek across the deserts of Australia using camels she trained. I loved my dog even more after reading the book.
Books I didn’t finish:
- Discipline is Destiny, Ryan Holiday – I don’t think I needed to read this book. Same monologue and repetitive examples.
- One of them, Musa Okwonga – This book was referenced in a different book I was reading but picking it was a mistake.
- The 50th Law, Robert Greene & 50 Cent – super repetitive.
A complete list of all the books I read with reviews is here.
