Books
August 29, 2020
A list of some books that I have read.
On this page I will list some books that I have read. I like reading on a wide variety of topics, I practice this activity as a form of studying on a regular basis for which I set aside time, and also as a form of entertainment in parallel. I do not read only one book at a time. I start off with several books and finish them at different intervals. This also helps me to progress on books that I find difficult to focus on for a long period of time. I read paper printed books and digital ebooks on a Kobo reader (you can instally an open source OS on it!) as I wanted to avoid using the Amazon eco system. I also listen to audio books. I also have a few lists of books that I want to complete, one of them is a list of Russian literature novels. I read books in 3 languages, mainly in English, German and French.
One of my favorite books is Der Zauberberg by Thomas Mann. Why do I like this book in particular? I like the way the author constructs his sentences, uses extensive vocabulary in a way that just is naturally pleasing, has the ability to describe the scenes and emotions of the plot in a way I can only admire! It is really a piece of art, it feels like consuming a very delicious liqueur with chocolate.
I do not like books that are by default full of vocabulary crafted together to impress in a way as if it is a form of encryption requiring you to spend a long time decrypting each sentence. I’m a fan of the KISS principle: Keep It Simple Stupid.
Currently I have also embarked on a journey of reading Russian literature and to me it comes into the same league as the Der Zauberberg book. It gives me a similar joyful experience of beautifully complexly crafted sentences without necessarily requiring you to decrypt each sentence. That is a beautiful poetic flow that makes the whole reading experience fun and the whole plots with all their complex twists and turns remain thrilling page turners to look forward to read in the early hours of the dark cold mornings where time stands still for a moment before the hectic vibrant street noise animal awakens. It is at that time of the day that I can feel the most intense the era of these books, the 18th century for instance.
In Mauritius, being in the tropics, we have high humidity and lots of insects which means storing paper printed books in cup boards can mean some of these books will over a few years start to deteriorate in it’s quality and slowly break apart. Certain paper quality holds better than others. Cheap books printed on recycle paper do not last long. Cup boards with glass doors seem to give the books a longer lifetime threshold. A few challenges when you want to keep a paper printed book collection.
I practice my reading in a seated position on a non-upholstered wooden chair, where I have the book lying on the desk so that I don’t have to hold it up most of the time. And sometimes seated in the sofa. If it’s a study book, I will take notes on the side.
The list below is not a recommendation list neither a review, that might come in the future if there are certain books I would recommend for certain topics. The lists intent is also to share with my reader friends what I have read, just like I like strolling through the lists of books my friends have read.
There are some sources that I like for finding great study material, one of them is Farnam Street.
You can share with me about your reading experiences in the comments section below.
Philosophy
Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
This is my second book of this author. Sapiens been easier to retain a few concepts from. It’s the kind of book that requires two readings on my part with notes taking. The elaborate in depth thought structures are interesting takes.
Science Fiction
DUNE by Frank Herbert
A great science fiction classic! Enjoyed reading it. Particularly liked how the author described the characters minds.
Comics
Berlin by Jason Lutes
A big comic novel. Berlin nostalgia!
Blankets by Craig Thompson
A big comic novel.
habibi by Craig Thompson
A big comic novel.
Entertainment
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
Suspense page turner.
Novels
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
I have a friend who is a book author and he has shared with me a list of books that he likes. This one is one of them. I read it usually at night at 3am when I wasn’t able to sleep. So I read this book over the course of several years… It’s like a trip in a time machine when reading this book. And having been personally in some of the mentioned places gives a different tone to the whole perception and personal interpretation while reading…
A little life by Hanya Yanagihara
A tough long sad read! Great book! Impressive how the author can conjure the lives of these characters and all these nuanced details!
SHANTARAM by Gregory David Roberts
This was a big page turner book. I really liked this book, you get to be immersed in amazing adventures with roller coaster rides of emotions from laughter to sadness. It was really fun to read and a way to travel to India through all the scenes.
A Bend In The River by V. S. Naipaul
A novel that takes you back to the seventies in the eastern part of Africa. What spoke out to me in this novel is certain changes I have witnessed personally and well described in the book as a story. Like I can relate this with what I saw as a child in Mauritius in the late 80s, for example low work purposeless motivation morale and how current generations have a desire and drive to be very busy and work hard with big goals in mind. Would like to read some more novels of this author!
Supply Chain
Free Trade by Kathiann M. Kowalski
A simple book to get introduced to the topic of Free Trade.
Guide To Supply Chain Managment by David Jacoby
A book on supply chain management.
Managing The Supply Chain by David Simchi-Levi, Philip Kaminsky and Edith Simchi-Levi
A book on supply chain management.
Modeling The Supply Chain by Jeremy F. Shapiro
This is more a technical study book. Yet a great way to get an idea of different approaches to supply chain.
The New Science of Retailing by Marshall Fisher and Ananth Raman
Was just curious to read that in line with my supply chain research.
The Travels Of A T-Shirt In The Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli
A nice way to look at the supply chain.
The Industries Of The Future by Alec Ross
Which industries was it again?
History
Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
You’ll look at humans in a different way after reading this. I would combine this book with the book “The Origins of Political Order” by Francis Fukuyama.
The Origins of Political Order – From Prehuman Times To The French Revolution by Francis Fukuyama
Asks some great questions such as Why did certain systems of order take place in some geographic locations and not elsewhere and tries to answer them.
The Fortunes of Africa – A 5000 Year History of Wealth, Greed and Endeavour by Martin Meredith
Great book! Not a dry history book! A real page turner! You’ll learn a lot from this book.
Biographies
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
A great page turner read on the story of Nike! It’s really a great book worth a read!
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
You’ll look at Apple products differently after this read! Getting to read on his life was interesting, you get to see how stuff can get done in a different way. The Focus, the Obsession, the Perfection!
Personal Development
The Anthology of Balaji by Eric Jorgenson
They managed to hype this book enough to get me to buy it. Was it worth it? For me personally not. I prefer Balajis podcasts, it’s nice to listen to some futuristic visionaries.
Start With Why by Simon Sinek
Why?
The Creators Code by Amy Wilkinson
What code was it again?
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
Learn the basics of saving and compounding.
The Way Of The Seal by Mark Divine
The amount of todos in that book are too overwhelming for me! I think I would burn out 🙂
Finance
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Was an interesting read for getting different perspectives and mental models. Also fun, the stories!
Rich Dad’s Retire Young Retire Rich by Robert T. Kiyosaki
I don’t recall much from this book. I would have to check in my notes. However it can also be a fun motivational read to get you to look at your plans and goals in a different way. There is always a good amount of take aways from his books!
Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant by Robert T. Kiyosaki
This mental model of the Cashflow Quadrant is really great to grasp and was a useful read! It can give you a new way of looking at where people are in position to how they make a living, their frame of thinking, bias and limitations and what it takes to move from being an Employee into becoming a Business owner and Investor. It is simple to understand and easy to use even in your day to day chats with people, it can give you an idea where they are coming from and their reasoning on what base it is built.
Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Just good for a read, there was nothing in particular that got my attention.