14 books that I attempted to read in 2014

The logic is quite simple. If NYT can publish a list of books, why can't we. And if that logic is not enough convincing, I do have another excuse. This list is not a review-ish review, but more about the reading experience. And yes, I didn't finish some of the books. So this post may also work as a cautionary notice, in case you plan to read any of these books in 2015.

1. Influence, by Robert Cialdini

This is one gem of a book, if you are ok to read long texts. If you are interested to know how to get people's attention when you have faced an accident on a road, or if you want to know why one fatal accident (air or road) is generally followed by multiple such accidents, you might like to read this book. For those who are seriously interested into psychology of marketing, this can be the bible.

Category: Psychology, Marketing





2. The Art of Social Media, by Guy Kawasaki

I had written a longer pre-release review in my blog earlier - here. Excerpts from that: "This book is about execution plans of Social Media. Its not about the Social Media funda or philosophies or strategies to be adopted by different kinds of industries. It doesn't either talk on the Facebook vs. Google+ debate. If you were looking for any of those stuff, don't buy this book.
Then who should buy this book? a. If you are an SM enthusiast, buy this. b. If you are planning to use Social Media for your own business, buy this. c. If you want to sound smart in your agency, while the big guys give fundas on SM, buy this. d. If you are having your own agency and planning to do it better, buy this.

Category: Social Media



3. The Snowden Files, by Luke Hardin

Do you get a high from reading thrillers? Are you a 007 fan? Are you also a techie? Then read this. Claimed to be the real life story of the most wanted man by USA, this book has the account of Edward Snowden and the journalists who had revealed NSA secrets. There are some chilling details about NSA & more about GCHQ. There are certain omission as well. Overall, if you keep a pinch of salt ready, this is a nice read for the techie-thriller lover in you.  
As a bonus, this book would also give you some scoops to be told in the techie parties.

Category: Fiction, Thriller, Politics




4. In Search of Excellence, by Tom Peters
Well, I had heard about this book from many quarters. It appears in many top 10 lists across the web. But I was quite disappointed with the narrative. It seemed common sense, converted into a long text by two Management consultants. With all due respects to the authors, I could not finish this book.

Category: Unknown

5. Contagious, by Jonah Berger
First thing first - I liked this book and could complete it as well. If you are interested about Social Media or want to sell anything, read this. The author is a Marketing professor in Wharton and has done enough research starting from NYT mailing list to the social influence behind what we wear. It goes into stuff like why certain videos go viral while others don't. Quite an interesting read. 

Category: Marketing








6. The Signal and the Noise, by Nate Silver

Ah, THE book. In case you have not heard about the author, check here first. Nate Silver had famously predicted the result of 49 out of 50 states in 2008 US Presidential election by using simple statistics and poll results. And in 2012, he predicted 50 out of 50. While Nate Silver is more famous for his political predictions, the book talks more about sports predictions. And I was so much influenced by the book, that I tried to apply the theories on the 2014 World Cup football results, and also accidentally predicted the winner of all the matches from Quarter Final onwards. Here is one blog that I had posted earlier on Linkedin to share some funda based on newly acquired inputs from Nate Silver.


Category: Statistics, Prediction



7. Think like a freak, by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Why did I bought this book in first place? Because I had bought Freakonomics earlier. Coming from the same stable, this too is a nice read, though at times it becomes a bit monotonous. There are certain theories (like why you should kick the penalty right at the center instead of left or right of the post) which might appear like a cool new thing. However on a second thought, the book appeared to be stretching the ideas of the previous books and complying to publisher's demands. Possibly Levitt & Dubner could better wait for some time to get more valuable contents before coming out with this book.

Category: Pop culture


8. Mastery, by Robert Greene

One more book, which I had bought based on the previous books by the author. While Power (abridged version) was different and so was War, this seemed to be a bit of drag. If you are interested in tidbits from history, you may like this book. For example, it talks in length about Darwin's early life and tries to connect it to his theory. While the historical contexts are interesting in the beginning, it started to become monotonous after couple of chapters. One more book which I could not finish, after starting with lots of hope and enthusiasm. 

Category: Pop Culture, History





9. 21 yaks and a Speedo, by Lewis Pugh

This book is a special one, as I met this guy and got a signed copy this year. The book is more than a book. It's about a man, who swam in North Pole in the extreme cold to make a point that north pole is melting due to global warming. Check this Ted talk to know more about him. And here you can watch the North pole expedition. The book has 21 stories from his own life. And they are fascinating. If you are feeling down, pick this book up, read one of the stories and become a changed man.

Category: Biography, Inspiration, Self Help


10. Playing to win, by AG Lafely

This one is an example of setting wrong expectation amongst the readers about the book by some reviewers and top 10 listers.
This book is about strategies adopted in P&G. If you are interested about FMCG and working on strategies, this can be a good companion. But this is NOT a must read for any and every CEO, as claimed by many reviewers. Another book which was not completed. Possibly I am not ready yet for the book.

Category: Unknown



11. Gramin Bank, Muhammad Yunus (Bengali)
This guy has changed the way Micro lending is done. In this book (originally written in French), Muhammad Yunus has told how all of these started while he was a professor. It gives wonderful insight on the rural economy and how money lenders were using the hapless farmers for making more money. While Muhammad Yunus has his share of criticism from many quarters, and you may be well advised to take the book with a pinch or bucket of salt when he talks about his own achievements, you can still read this book as a lesson on sociology.

Category: Sociology



12. The Motorcycle Diaries, by Che Guevara

This book needs little intro. The wanderer in you would love this book. That Che was a medical student and that he travelled across Latin America with his friend might be already known to you. However this book is less of a fiction and more of a diary. BTW, you don't need to be a communist or wear a Che t-shirt to enjoy this book. It's about a journey - “I now know, by an almost fatalistic conformity with the facts, that my destiny is to travel.”

Category: Biography, Travel, History

13. Truth, Love and a Little Malice, by Khuswant Singh

This got the quota of gossips & spices in my 2014 readings. Khuswant Singh was in his form in this book. Possibly he was the only author who could call himself a 'chamcha'. He has shared many untold stories in this book about Indian politics and journalism. The chapter about Maneka Gandhi and her exit from Indira Gandhi's house had led to legal issues, thus delaying publication of the book. However now that the book is out, you can know a version about Sanjay Gandhi and his families. I guess this is the first book that I read so far, which talks about some positive sides of Sanjay. Interesting weekend / on-the-flight reading.


Category: Biography, Politics



14. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach

I read this book again in 2014. I keep reading it often. There are two diametrically opposite views available on this book/fable. While some people (like me) claim this book to be the most beautiful and inspiring book ever and relish the idea of finding contentment in oneself through perfection, some others hate this book for exactly the same reason. While some people love the philosophies, some others think it as delusional. Try it out if you have not read it yet. You may also like it. “Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect. -And that isn't flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn't have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.” 

Category: Inspirational




PS: After sharing this blog, got couple of links where a good list of books are available. This can work out as the base for the 2015 reading. Keeping the list in the post itself for future reference:

• Financial Times - Business Books of the Decade: http://www.ft.com/ig/business-book-award
• NY Times Editor's choice in early 2014: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/books/review/editors-choice.html?_r=1