21 in 2021: New Year Resolutions

I have never been a fan of resolutions especially because its too mainstream & I tend to lose sight of them when they are numerous. I started using these from last year when I decided to have one key resolution for the year. My last year resolution was to be back to being a vegetarian & thankfully I persevered with it. Hence this year I decided to go ahead with this "resolution ritual" & set a couple of them.

One of the resolution for this year is to finish 21 novels in 12 months. I have already identified 16 of these from fellow bibliophiles & have kept a blank slate for the rest 5. I will take a call on them as I progress through the year. 

Here is my list of top five picks out of the 16 shortlisted ones that I plan to finish.

1. Traction: A startup guide for getting customers by Gabriel Weinberg & Justin Mores

This novel primarily covers different channels to reach your prospect & the dynamics of these platforms. In the digital & post COVID era, we will have to reorient our strategy of customer engagement & customer reach. I look forward to gain insights.

2. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & his years of pilgrimage by Haraki Murakami

I am not an avid Murakami fan but I have read a couple of his novels & definitely he captures my attention as a reader. His writing is descriptive, intuitive & leaves a lot of areas for contemplation. This novel covers primarily the story of a young lad going through upheavals in his personal relationships. I am excited to know how the story unfolds.

3. 21 lessons for 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harreri

I am a huge fan & follower of Yuval's writing. I have read Sapiens twice just to make sure that I don't leave any bit of it. I had pre-decided to have one novel of his in my list. I picked up this because a sample read of the novel gave me an impression that it talks about technology & the two faces of technology. I am waiting to see what unfolds in the novel.

4. The Pity of War by Niall Ferguson

I have recently watched a docuseries on World War II in Netflix & it vividly describes the role that Armed forces played in this. While the docuseries had a neutral stance towards the reason for second world war, this novel is exactly opposite. It covers World war 1 & takes a radical stand. Hence I decided to pick this one up. Its always good to understand different perspectives.

5. Thinking in Systems by Donella H. Meadows & Diana Wright

This book promises to bring together two of my favorite topics: Systems Thinking & Problem Solving. As per reviews, it provides a way to bring clarity in thoughts by thinking in systems & thus help readers take the first step towards problem solving. I look forward to this novel & will surely share my take on them with you all.

I will share the list of the remaining novels in subsequent article. I am open to your suggestions on novel. Do share your suggestion with me.

PS: As we are already 10 days into the new year, I have actually completed one of these novels. I will share my take on that in couple of days.