Reading List - 2021

2021 was a satisfying "reading" year. I managed to read 20 books across genres and experimented with new subjects - food, science fiction and sports. I hope you can pick up some of them and add to your longlist.

1. "The Poppy War" by R F Kuang - A fantasy novel set in China - magical, fast-paced and meditative
2. "The Three-Body problem" by Liu Cixin - I finally overcame my hesitation of reading science fiction and realised that humanity can only progress when it understands the potential of science, how societies rise, fall and survive, and human choice. I hope that this spurs me to read Asimov and Clarke (and maybe Dune) in 2022
3. "The Infinite Powers: How Calculus reveals the secrets of the Universe" by Steven Strogatz - I wish mathematics was made interesting and accessible to everyone at school. There would be less phobia and more curiosity
4. "Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji " by Manu Pillai - An account of the history of the South of Vindhyas replete with politics, intrigue, ambition and glory. Like I wrote last year, Manu Pillai should teach how to teach history
5. "Masala Lab: The Science of Indian Cooking" by Krish Ashok - Why no two dals taste the same; why our grandmother's wisdom is unmatched and why great cooks are actually great scientists
6. "Economic Sutra - Ancient Indian Antecedents to Economic Thought" by Satish Deodhar - An account of economic thought and systems in ancient India - more importantly it helps understand that while economic thought and systems evolve, at their core they remain simple. As a side note, IIM Ahmedabad has one of the best collections of books published by their faculty for non-academic consumption.
7. "Venkatesa Suprabhatam: The Story of India's Most Popular Prayer" by Venkatesh Parthasarathy- An insight into how Lord Venkatesa became one of Southern India's most revered deities, the faith of His devotees, the meaning of the prayer and how M S Subbalakshmi's pursuit of devotion and perfection made it an essential morning recital
8. "Beyond a Boundary" by CLR James - with the overhang of the '20-'21 win in Australia fresh in my mind, I decided to read up on cricket. Part personal account, part history and part a meditation on cricket this book provided much needed context to West India cricket and was a perfect nudge to read the next one..
9. "Fire in Babylon: How the West Indies Cricket Team Brought a People to its Feet" by Simon Lister -This book tells you what actually is bravado. It is not about speaking your mind or jumping in joy or heaping abuses -?it is about believing in a higher purpose to your game - that it can genuinely change the way people perceive your race and nation. And that only requires one thing - look the man in the eye and see his fear when he has ducked your bouncer or you have hooked him over the ropes for a six. This book will tell you why our parents both feared and admired the West Indies cricket team of the '70s and '80s
10. "Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success" by Phil Jackson - this was my third sports book of the year. I picked it up to understand more of what made Jackson succeed as a coach with superstars.
11. "Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX" by Eric Berger - Another peek into Elon's world and the struggles behind breaching new frontiers in space travel
12. "Tiananmen Square: The Making of a Protest" by Vijay Gokhale - A great account of the Tinanmen Square protests, the build-up to it and its aftermath. Politics and ideology are much more complicated than we perceive them - they are rigid and yet malleable.
13. "The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers" by Eric Weiner - A quick introduction to philosophical thoughts - almost like a tasting menu. The author leaves it to you to delve deep into what you wish
14. "Another Day of Life" by Ryszard Kapuscinski - An account of the Civil War in Angola and how all strife is meaningless and usually a result of political machinations and ambitions - regardless of which continent one is on
15. "The Story of Our Food" by K. T. Achaya - This book is a quizzer's delight - full of interesting "nuggets" of innformation - also made me realise how history can be written with food !
16. "Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion's Life" by Viswanathan Anand - I picked this up after watching "The Queen's Gambit". At some level I felt a sense of relief - that genius one sees on the chessboard requires insane hours of hardwork and dedication (?? ), at another level you realise that true greatness in any sport is the art of mastering complexity and yet making it simple
17. "Gang Leader for a Day" by Sudhir Venkatesh - I had made up my mind to read about him after he was mentioned in "Freakonomics". A fascinating insights into America's gang culture and the economics and social structures that drive it. Spare a thought to admire the author's courage to spend time with gangs !
18. "Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic" by Osho - An account into Osho's life and thoughts, it will help you understand why he was able to attract such a large following during his heydays
19. "Tintin and Alph-Art", "Tintin in the Congo" and "Tintin in the Land of the Soviets" by Herge. Yes, comics do feature in reading lists - especially when when it has taken me nearly 25+ years to finish the last three of the collection
20. "The World For Sale: Money, Power, and the Traders Who Barter the Earth's Resources" by Jack Farchy - An account of the secretive world of commodity traders and how they are an important part of keeping keeping trade flowing, even if you may dislike them

Happy reading !

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