My 2021 in Books and Podcasts

Yes, not just books I read in 2021 but also podcasts that I listened to!

Books

1) Think Again

I had pre-ordered this book and got my copy in Feb 2021. You will see this book as a must-read in many reading lists and it will continue to top the charts for many years. ‘Rethink’ is a mindset that needs a bit of training to achieve. We all read, learn, and listen to things that ‘affirm’ our beliefs; what do we do when a different belief or point of view comes up? The natural tendency is to ignore that; however, ‘inclusiveness’ has become a buzzword in recent times. Many people now are training themselves to be ‘listeners’ and ‘tolerant’ of such thoughts.

RETHINK is different. What if you were wrong throughout about some core beliefs themselves? You are born and brought up in a part of the world that considers certain beliefs, rituals and traditions are the right things. Your family, practices and education also may have strengthened those systems inside your mind. How do you really see things outside of those decades of conditioning you have gone through? Can you really see things the way someone sees from a different culture and upbringing and most importantly, what if you realize that they were right, and we were wrong? Will you be happy about really unlearning some of your core beliefs, not just superfluous things like daily routines, food habits?

If you must choose just one book for your next year's reading, buy this, and read and read again!

2) Algorithms to Live By

Most people think that the word 'algorithm' is just related to computer programming. The earliest mentioned algorithm is in a four-thousand-year-old clay tablet found in Baghdad, which lists the long division steps. Ancient Arabic manuscripts also say algorithms. An algorithm means a 'finite series of steps to solve a problem'.

This book explores some of the commonly used computer algorithms and their applicability in our day-to-day life. For example, you are looking for a rental apartment after moving into a new city. How many flats should you see before considering that you have one month's time? Apparently, you should search for 11 days, which is 37% of the time available. It's a mathematically proven fact that below or above this threshold, there is a significant chance you may have missed that right choice! There is an algorithm for finding a spouse and finding a parking spot! Sounds interesting; read more in this book.?

3) The Selfish Gene

Evolution by natural selection is one of the most criticized theories, yet it's fundamental and true and not very well understood. This book by Richard Dawkins was written in 1976, much before gene cloning or human genome project was started. It is still the easiest to read to understand how human behavior is governed by genes.

4) The Art of Innovation

Tom Kelley’s book was first released in 2001, talks about innovation in product development and ways to make sure that creative mindset and an early preview of what we know now as ‘Design Thinking’. Examples are quite dated; however, the essence remains valid.

5) Forged in crisis

My manager suggested the book as a guide that can help understand complex developments and cope with crisis-like situations inside and outside of work. I finished this over a weekend, 400+ pages of what could have been written in 200.

The book's first story is about Ernest Shackleton, and I rate this as the best one among all the five. For those who are not American and not well-versed with its history, Abraham Lincoln’s story would seem unusually long and with many irrelevant aspects. The author got carried away and started making this chapter a small biography with lots of domestic political jargon, and I really got lost. Frederick Douglass's tale of ending slavery is narrated much better than Lincoln's story. In hindsight, I felt that the author could have dropped Lincon's chapter and kept this one only in the book. These stories have many common themes of the American civil war and the struggle for slavery abolishment. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's story is from the German Nazi context. This also is too long for what it intends to convey but readable.?The final story, about Ms. Rachel Carson, the author of 'Silent Spring,' is the second-best of all five.

6) Noise:?A flaw in human judgement

Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel prize winner in psychology, explains how noise contributes significantly to errors in all fields. He is also the author of ‘Thinking fast and slow and Nudge, some of my favorite reads. This book, however, felt like it was too long and could have been crisp to put the points across.?

7) Zero to One

Peter Thiel, the founder of PayPal explains his thoughts on entrepreneurship – creating something from zero. Fundamentally it all comes down to obsessing over customers and solving the real problems than copying someone or focusing on beating the competition.

8) Daring Greatly

Dr. Brene Brown has influenced me more than any other leader. Her book ‘Rising Strong’ gave me the phrase of ‘Owning your Story’ – I have kept as an everyday reminder from 2018. In this book she examines vulnerability and shame and how these emotions change the way people alter their behavior. Overall, a delightful read if you want to know her better listen to her podcasts.

9) No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention

Fascinating story of Netflix- how it built a team of super talented people, constantly developing them to deliver best outcomes. A strong culture, honest feedback and removing a lot of unnecessary processes and controls. Some parts of this book may seem self-congratulatory and repetitive.

10) Switch – How to change things when change is hard

Again, my favorite authors – Dan and Chip Heath. In their unique story telling style the concept of making changes happen.

11) The Ride of a lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

An autobiographical memoir from Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney company. Disney is currently the largest and most respected media company and has grown from its cartoon and theme park-oriented business to this modern technology company. This book gives insights into handling various aspects of a big organization, leading them to adopt technology, dealing with the governments and authorities. I would have preferred this to be written by someone else like Walter Isaacson to make sure the story telling of the rest of the book was as good as how it started in the first chapter.

12) The Almanack of Naval Ravikant

This book does not belong at the end of the list, it should be on top of the list every year! This is a collection of Naval's tweets, speeches, and quotes on learning to live and walk your own unique path. It's pure wisdom. I may have read and heard all his podcasts and continue to repeatedly listen to them and get a new insight every time I do. Naval inspires countless CEOs, thinkers, and leaders worldwide- I know a couple of Indian startup CEOs who shamelessly copy from here without giving any credit! In summary, this is an indispensable guide for life and the pdf version is free!

Podcasts

As per Spotify's #wrapped2021 data on my listening habits, I spent the most time (450+ hours) listening to Joe Rogan. It's challenging to keep up with Joe, mainly because the episodes are long (3 hours and the longest is >5 hours) as he doesn't seem to believe in timeboxing an enjoyable conversation – which is a good thing. Secondly, these episodes come in quick succession. Joe is liked by many and disliked by many more!! Suppose you are easily offended by guests and host drinking, smoking (even recreational marijuana as happened in Elon's episode) or the language used in the conversations, in that case, this may not be your choice. I don't judge people by these traits. Many of these conversations could be around US domestic issues, but occasionally, you hear from some fantastic people.

Some of my favorite episodes are Elon Musk?| Naval Ravikant?| Mike Tyson?| Yeonmi Park | Jordan Peterson

Number two on the list is Shane Parrish's 'The knowledge Project'. I listen to every episode without fail. Shane, in my opinion, is undoubtedly the world's best interviewer. He asks the question and then listens actively with such an amazing learning mindset – he lets them speak until they finish, no re-phrasing, no translations -just humble meditative listening. His questions are simple and profound, and this podcast has given me more insights into various things and helped me to gather my thoughts during tough times. He is also the founder of fs.blog, a treasure of knowledge.

Some of my favorite episodes are?Adam Grant?| Seth Godin?| Nir Eyal?| Jim Collins?| Chris Voss?| Naval?

Sean talks to some of the most accomplished influencers – athletes, authors, and creative folks. The good thing is, the episodes are usually around one hour long, so when I go for my walks, this fits in perfectly at that time! I like the way he chooses the guests which is not just confined to CEOs or famous authors – there are musicians, athletic coaches, military, neuroscientists, and people who bring in perspectives from different occupations.

Some of my favorite episodes are?Chris Sparks?| Rich Diviney?| Annie Duke?| Safi Bahcall?| Scott Adams?

As mentioned in the book list, Brene Brown is the person to listen- to understand courage, vulnerability, and connections. She is genuine and honest and discusses topics that touch our lives. Many people, including me, struggle with emotions like shame and vulnerability at various stages of our lives. Brene makes you feel that you are not alone and gently nudges you to have those difficult conversations.

Some of my favorite episodes are?Melinda Gates?| Justina Blakeney?| Priya Parker?

12 Books

4120 Pages

Average book length 343 pages

Shortest book 195 pages, longest 529 pages        

List of books I read in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017

#readinglist #Bookstoread #2021inreview