2018 Books Round Up

Here is my own Yearly Tradition!

Every year I start my first blog post on the books I read the previous year. Here is the list from 2010, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 2017.

Here are the books that journeyed with me in 2018.

Tamil

• Ponniyin Selvan - 1st Part

This is a must read for anyone who loves Tamil. My sister had gifted all the 4 parts and I had some false starts earlier. It was difficult to read at the beginning but the flow kicked in and I was reading at a good pace. The story and plot is intricate and thoroughly enjoyed it. Reading in one's mother tongue is a totally enjoyable experience. 2019 planning to add more Tamil Titles to my reading list.

Fiction

• Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
  
  
  

I enjoyed The Da Vinci Code and wanted a breezy read. So picked it up. Man it was exhausting. Story moves so fast and there is so much of information on European sculptures and churches. Good time pass. If I am going to visit the Vatican will re-read this book. Can enjoy the city.

• Dawn of Wonder - The Wakening

The best book of 2018. Loved every moment of this. Eagerly waiting for the next part. It might be childish at places - but overall the book is brilliant. All the right elements are there - Adventure, Revenge, Love...

Productivity

• Tribe of Mentors - Tim Ferris

I have lot of Gurus and one of them is Tim Ferris. Started reading it in a book shop for time pass, and ended up purchasing it. Full of tips, tricks, hacks from high achievers - entrepreneurs, musicians, olympic athletes. Loved the format of the book - classified into Healthy,Wealthy and Wise.

• Talk like Ted

Read this book before our Annual Company wide Get together - Chaos 2018. Helped me focus my thoughts and keep my talk short. If you have a public speech coming up - read this book. Your audience will thoroughly enjoy your talk.

• How to fly a horse - The secret history of Creation invention and discovery

It was a fun read. We are all creative and we should look to introduce creative methods / hacks in our day to day life and work - and somewhere a breakthrough might happen.

History

• Innovators - How a group by Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson

Journey from the first computer onwards. All the stories are there - Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Linus Torvalds, the pioneers of Chip Fabrication, how Internet came into being, Artificial Intelligence. If you are a worker of this new age ( Information Age ) - it is nice to know how this era came into existence. 

Science Fiction

• Iron Gold - #4 of Red Rising Series

This is a series I have been reading since 2016. The entire series is brilliant. Awaiting #5! 

• Ubik by Philip K Dick.

This is another classic from the author of Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep. A good portion of the story happens after the protagonists die. It is in an in-between state - where the living can still communicate with the dead. If you love Sci-Fi - this has to be in your reading list. Pure Awesomeness this is. 

• Hyperion by Dan Simmons

The plot is really good. 7 Pilgrims are on their way to Hyperion to their certain death. There is this creature - called the Shrike - The God of Pain - that does not obey Physics Laws and kills people left right and center. Each of the pilgrims narrate their story as they travel to the Shrike's temple. One of the pilgrim's - a professor is carrying his daughter who has a condition called Merlin sickness. Time travels backwards for her. It is very touching and this brought tears reading this part of the story.

• Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons

I had to pick the 2nd part in the series. Was so sucked into the plot. How it all unravels. Highly recommend these 2 books. 

• Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Humans kill themselves - the entire species - ( yes we are a talented race and we are idiots ) - save for a Space ship and another solo BioScientist stranded in a capsule orbiting a planet in a far away galaxy. The BioScientist injects the planet with an advanced Virus which helps evolve Monkeys into Humans at a rapid pace. There are no monkeys apparently in that planet - but the virus infects spiders. It is a fascinating journey how the spiders take over the planet and their interaction with the Humans. 

• A big ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White

Loved the imagination of this author. In the future people cast magic spells and shields. Fascinating read. They should make a movie of this - would be a fun watch.

Diamond Age

Another master piece from Nepal Stephenson. Difficult read but the joy is in the grind like his novels. There is an AI book - at the center of this story which can teach a little girl everything and grows along with her. One has to wonder at the breadth of Neal Stephenson's imagination - the elaborate lengths he goes to describe the AI book and how it works.

Biography

• The House that Jack Ma Built

How did this short puny little man become this super successful entrepreneur. Did he get favours from Chinese Govt? How did he build his empire - not one but 3 - Alibaba, TaoBao, Ant Financials. His philosophy and what makes him tick. Fantastic read.

• Notes of a dream

The first authorized Biography of AR Rahman. It was 1992, I was studying for my School Board Exam. People were watching Oliyum Oliyum in the TV. I was a monk during the last few months - so did not bother with the movies / music. I was studying in the nearby room and heard something new - sounded like an Ad - and it was Chinna Chinna Aasai. It was love at first hearing - and there was no looking back. Grew with AR Rahman's melody and beats. It was a nice breezy read. If you love the man, his music - you should read this book. 

• One Life to ride - A Motorcycle Journey to the Himalayas

A ride to Himalayas is the ultimate bike ride. That too solo - a level above. And that too in an age before Internet and Google - multiple levels above. This is a story by a Dentist from Pune. I think this ride happened before Kargil war. Interesting read.

• The Monk of Mokha

If you love coffee you will thoroughly enjoy this book. It is about Yemeni coffee - how our hero - Mokhtar Alkhanshali - went from a doorman to the CEO of a company that imports Yemeni Coffee. His near death experience and single focussed mind. Irony is this was one of the last books I read in 2018 and immediately after that quit coffee temporarily starting this year - as an experiment to see if I can survive. 

Spirituality

• Awareness by Anthony De Mello

This book is written by a Jesuit Priest. Concepts are a mix of Eastern and Western philosophy. Superb light read. This might be the easiest and simplest Spiritual book I have ever read. 

• Teachings on the Bardo - Zurmang Gharwan Rinpoche

I picked this book for Rs.100 in a Sikkim Monastery. It has some crazy s*it in it. Sorry do not have any other way to describe this book. It is about the Bardo State - what happens when the soul transitions from Life to Death and Death to life. The sights a soul will see, the colors, the gods and devils that come to invite the soul to their lands, how to avoid the wrong choices that will make the soul be reborn as an animal or in lower dimensions - and which phase comes after how many hours / days all listed like a manual. Buddhism prepares you for death like no other religion. I have read the Tibetan Book of living and dead which is like a starter. The Bardo book goes very deep - it is the main course.

• Direct Expressions - Namdrol Rinpoche

This is a free book you can pick it from ThekChen Choling in Singapore. A small but beautiful temple which is open 24x7. I was staying in a hotel nearby and ended up attending one of their English Prayer evenings - happens every Thursday evening. This Guru talks in a very simple manner and is very practical. A nice light weight introduction to Buddhism.

• Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic - Osho

We only know about the controversies the media writes about Baba's. They like to write sensational nonsense - that is what sells. Which the masses forward and laugh in Social Media. I had an incorrect impression of Osho earlier - not any more. His teachings, techniques were pretty good - more in tune with the Buddhist Philosophy I keep discovering. One of his meditation retreats the participants were to laugh all week, next week were to dig out the sorrow and bring it out, and third week spend in complete silence. Would love to experience this some day. As per the book Osho was poisoned by America - not sure if it is true - if it is - it is quite sad. 

Thats all folks. Still having some unfinished books I have carried into 2019 - meet you in 2020 Jan with them.