5 Awesome Books for Reading!

I’ve blanked out! I’m neglecting my blog! I’m woefully short of ideas & topics, feeling quite blue and appear to finally have HIT the phenomenon called ‘Writers’ Bloc’.

To keep my blog going, I’ve compiled a list of my 5 top favourite books. These books have pretty much moulded my thought patterns and outlook towards life (in & around me).

1.) India Unbound: Arguably the BEST book depicting the India story. The author, Gurcharan Das, analyzes India since the days of Alexander and brings us to speed with the current scenario. Historic, economic, political, social and cultural aspects are looked into to give us an in depth idea as to how India has developed through the ages. The New York Times sums it up best as "Something tremendous is happening in India, and Das, with his keen eye and often elegant prose, has his finger firmly on the pulse of the transformation.” Truly an amazing book which I can (and do) read over & over again.

2.) Predictably Irrational: This book shot author Dan Ariely to fame, and quite deservedly so! We humans are endowed with brains which differentiates us from animals. Hence, we must take rational decisions. However, we humans defy logic and take a lot of irrational decisions. That irrationality, however, has a pattern to it; that irrationality can be predicted! Dan Ariely shows us how through witty experiments and case studies. A must read for someone who wishes to understand human psychology better.

5 of my all time favourites. What about yours?

3.) Chanakya Neeti: Many self help and personality development books are sold worldwide. However, there are some books which drive wisdom and composure. These lessons are more valuable towards leading a peaceful and stable life than all the self help books cumulatively. Contrary to the common belief, Chanakya and his lessons existed long before Niccolò Machiavelli, which makes the former the pioneer of such lessons. These lessons are not on how to handle people and win friends, but how to live a fulfilling life.

4.) Rich Dad, Poor Dad: Robert Kiyosaki, in this best seller, talks about something which supplements EQ & IQ to aid us in finance management – FQ (Financial Quotient). He points out (again, through examples) how we can construct and maintain a financial portfolio to lead a better and more financially secure life. The pointers he provides in the book are not difficult to implement; they simply demand a certain level of innovation and intelligence to handle finances. That innovation and intelligence is present in all of us… we simply have to use it to our benefit.

5.) Linchpin: My sister hates self help books, and frankly speaking, so do I. Let’s face it – most of us hate these Achieve Your Dreams books. The name and the tagline of this Seth Godin book sound very similar to one of those and the book starts off slowly. However, as the chapters progress, we get a glimpse into Godin’s lateral thinking mind. He focuses on the well known fact that there is little to differentiate amongst us. How can we really be different? By adopting a lot of principles which the world refrains from using. He leads us onto a mindset which we can adopt; a mindset which does not have to be filled with positivity. His book further substantiates the proverb “To be seen, be different.” And his idea of being different is being logical, which 90% of the herd does not adhere to.

Apart from these, there are awesome novels like The Immortals of Meluha series, The Animal Farm, Paths of Glory, etc. Do share your favourite books with me. It’ll be fun to get to know and read new stuff.

Cheers.