100+ books for 2019 (102 actually)..

I love to read – people often ask me how many books I read every year and I always used to hazard- maybe 80? This was mildly unsatisfying so this year (with the aid of my trusty Goodreads app), I decide to set myself a challenge of reading 100 books in 2019. The goal was only a small part of why I decided to record what I read. In 2019, I decided to quantify my life to the degree possible (exercise minutes, meditation etc). Listing the books also helped me keep track of what I was reading and gave me the same satisfaction that my library does. Of lovingly looking at rows and rows of books – a unique combination of pride of ownership and a sense of accomplishment.

I’ve listed the books I’ve read with comments on some that I liked most and least – there is really no logic to the selection. Some were recommended by friends and others were randomly picked at Bookstores, Airports and on Amazon.

Some of the noteworthy mentions from my readings in 2019 are :

1.      The Economic Consequences of the Peace : I started reading the definitive Keynes biography this year by Robert Skidelsky but dropped it midway (don’t remember why but I will certainly pick it up again) and so was very keen to read this rather slim pamphlet as this was Keynes’s first masterly exposition. It is wonderfully well written and it is hard to believe that his prophectic words on how the Treaty of Versailles had the potential to ruin Germany and the Central Powers and leave them susceptible to a demagogue went unheeded.

2.      The Power of Now: Loved it ! I first read this book in my 20’s and immediately dismissed it as New Age nonsense. How wrong I was – this book is life changing.

3.      The School of life: Another powerful book by Alain De Botton – he contends that we spend an awful amount of time learning about ‘things’ but very little about how we should live. How should we conduct ourselves, deal with our kids, think about death, choose a spouse etc – this book is an education all in itself. Very highly recommended.

4.      How proust can change your life: I loved this book so much so that my 2020 resolution is to read ‘In Search of lost time’ in full – all 7 novels and all 4215 pages !

5. AI Superpowers: Fascinating book deserving of its status as the AI bestseller on Amazon- explains the Super App world of the Chinese tech ecosystem. A sudden personal detour later in the book is noteworthy. An eye opener for me. Kai-Fu Lee

6.      The Library Book: The first book I read in 2019 and for me the best book of the year. This is the book for people who love books – ostensibly a description of a fire at the LA Public library (which I was inspired to visit after reading the book) but this is so much more. Susan Orlean

7.      Religion for Atheists: Compelling and conversational like all of Alain de Botton’s work – soothing, intellectually stimulating discussion on how religions compels us to deal with our Humanity, weaknesses and bloated sense of self.

8.      Pax Britanica : The Climax of an Empire : Part 2 of the Trilogy – I still have to read the Third one. Wistful, elegiac but not as compelling as the first in the series.

9.      RANGE : Much talked about book – has made several Best of lists. It’s interesting and I certainly subscribe to the main hypothesis but it is not compelling like a Simon Sinek or Malcolm Gladwell book.

10.  The Anarchy : This made both Barack Obama’s and Imran Khan’s list this year ! Need I say more – liked it more than the White Moguls and the Return of the King.

11.  The Body : I had preordered this book a year ago and was waiting for a repeat of Bill Bryson’s masterly ‘A Short History of nearly Everything”. Its good but fails to delight & elevate to the same degree. 

12.  This could be home : I love Pico Iyer but this book left me cold. It’s a great advert for the Raffles hotel in Singapore (which I like) but very very meagre fare from one of the greatest authors of our time.

13.  King of Capital : The biography of Stephen Schwarzman – he’s now written his Autobiography which has made several best of lists and has been read by every single guy I know in Private Equity. Schwarzman reminds me of the Herndon quote about Lincoln “His ambition was a little engine that knew no rest”. It’s an interesting look not just at an individual but at the entire world of Private Equity in its early days. John Morris

14.  The Age of Surveillance Capitalism : I must confess I am in a minority – I did not care for this book. It is a rant about how Big Tech is spying on us and monetizing our behavior but fails to provide any meaningful solutions. The bile at times is overwhelming and she fails to see any good that has emerged from billions of connections. But then, I’ve never been on Facebook so what do I know.

15.  Apes and Angles : Terrible book – picked it up at the Airport and finished it as I had nothing else to read.

16. The Rosie Project : I have to confess that I picked this books up because it was flagged as one that Bill Gates loved – clearly he saw virtues in this book that I struggled to find. On the positive side, it was an easy and quick read.

I would love to know your thoughts on this.