Time to share my reading list from 2021.
One strategy which I have started following recently is to read multiple books in parallel. This allows me to pick a book based on my mood or mental state. On the down side, it results in a large number of unfinished books at any point of time. But, finally I am always reading something which I like.
- How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates: If there is one book which everyone must read in 2022, this is the one. It describes the problem of Climate Change in detail, breaks it into small pieces and then proposes various solutions for each of those pieces.
- The Ape that Understood the Universe by Steve Stewart-Williams: For a very long time, I was looking for a book on evolutionary psychology. I tried “Selfish Gene” earlier, but didn’t find it an easy read. In this book, the author summarizes the work done by evolutionary psychologists till date and presents it in a very accessible manner.
- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: This book dives deep into human behavior related to money.
For me, 2021 was a year of failure and self-realization. I tried multiple experiments, failed or moderately succeeded in most of those. That forced me to look inside. I realized that to be happy, I need to seek for the things which I already have, rather than the things which I don’t have. That is the theme of the next set of books I read. These books are either about spirituality without religion (I am an atheist) or about mental health. These are strongly inspired by Buddhist, Stoic or Hindu philosophies, but the authors have picked up only those concepts and practices that are still relevant today and can be strongly validated by rationalism and science.
- The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Alan Singer
- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B Irvine
- unMIND, A Graphic Guide To Self-realization by Siddharth Tripathi
- The Mindful Way Through Anxiety by Susan M. Orsillo, Lizabeth Roemer
I maintain a list of books (here) I like, recommend or plan to read in future (anti-library). I would appreciate it if you could help me to grow this list by sharing your recommendations.
Arnab Biswas 