2016 Reading List
I completed my 2016 reading goal (at leat 20 books!) with a few weeks left in the year. I have not blogged about the books since May, so this will be a roundup of everything since then.
10. Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington. We are living in a sleep-deprived culture because we think sleep is the easiest to sacrifice in order to get more done at work, at home or for ourselves. Being sleep deprived impacts a person's well-being and Huffington reviews the numerous research on the topic. People have died from chronic sleep-deprivation and fatigue at worst, and then there are the other effects such as weight gain, and cognitive delays.My takeaway: I have to do better at prioritizing sleep (for me and the family) and to change my mindset that sleep is not unproductive time.
11. Eat, Pray, Love Made Me Do It. This is a compilation of essays from people who made changes in their lives after reading Eat, Pray, Love. Some are simple realizations but others were inspired to take big decisions such as ending bad relationships, quitting jobs and traveling. I read Eat, Pray, Love many years ago so I had to check what this was about. It's interesting how people can take from parts of the book that mean the most to them and then change their lives' trajectory.
12. Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin. I read Rubin's first two books The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. She does a lot of self-reflection and personal experiments to find out what makes her happy. She takes a scientific approach towards self-discovery which not many people do. She believes that once we discover the things that improve our well-being and feelings of happiness, then we can/should make time for those. Better Than Before is on the same vein but focused on habits. Rubin came up with the 4 tendencies framework which explains why habit-forming is easy for some and impossible for others. She presents ideas on how build habits based on the person's tendencies.
13. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. Neil read this and I thought I should, too. =)
14. The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida. The author is a Japanese boy with autism and in this book he answers why children with autism exhibit certain behaviors. This book uses a Q&A format, written in the first person, and provides insight into the thought process of people with autism.
15. Linchpin by Seth Godin. This book focuses on how to make oneself valuable in the workplace, i.e. a linchpin. The thing I most remember is 'to ship', produce results, overdeliver. Reading Seth Godin's books is like getting a reality check on what's really important in order to be successful in business or corporate environment.
16. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Gosh. This book was recommended by my sister, Em. It's the first of three books (Ibis Trilogy) that follow the journey of various colorful characters in India during the Opium Wars. Gosh' characters are so well developed that you can't help but be invested in their stories.
17. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. This is my second reading of this book. I joined a Lean In circle at work and wanted to review the book that started the movement.
18. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer at age 36. He was a neurosurgeon and not unfamiliar with saving people's lives but the table is turned as he deals with his own mortality.
19. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom. Mitch Albom is a gifted writer and this fictional story of the life of musician Frankie Presto was weaved so beautifully that you almost believe he's real. This is probably my favorite from the books I read this year.
20. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This is a very short book, an essay adapted from the TED talk Adichie delivered on feminism. She defines feminism in the modern context and presents a strong case, through insightful arguments and personal anecdotes, for why men and women alike should all be feminists.
21. Uniquely Human by Dr. Barry Prizant. This book acknowledges the special skills, abilities and challenges of people with autism. Prizant's approach is to keep asking why, to understand reason behind the behaviors, observe and leverage the autistic person's interests to engage and teach. This book has a hopeful and light tone which makes it different from other books I've read on autism.
10. Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington. We are living in a sleep-deprived culture because we think sleep is the easiest to sacrifice in order to get more done at work, at home or for ourselves. Being sleep deprived impacts a person's well-being and Huffington reviews the numerous research on the topic. People have died from chronic sleep-deprivation and fatigue at worst, and then there are the other effects such as weight gain, and cognitive delays.My takeaway: I have to do better at prioritizing sleep (for me and the family) and to change my mindset that sleep is not unproductive time.
11. Eat, Pray, Love Made Me Do It. This is a compilation of essays from people who made changes in their lives after reading Eat, Pray, Love. Some are simple realizations but others were inspired to take big decisions such as ending bad relationships, quitting jobs and traveling. I read Eat, Pray, Love many years ago so I had to check what this was about. It's interesting how people can take from parts of the book that mean the most to them and then change their lives' trajectory.
12. Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin. I read Rubin's first two books The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. She does a lot of self-reflection and personal experiments to find out what makes her happy. She takes a scientific approach towards self-discovery which not many people do. She believes that once we discover the things that improve our well-being and feelings of happiness, then we can/should make time for those. Better Than Before is on the same vein but focused on habits. Rubin came up with the 4 tendencies framework which explains why habit-forming is easy for some and impossible for others. She presents ideas on how build habits based on the person's tendencies.
13. Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. Neil read this and I thought I should, too. =)
14. The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida. The author is a Japanese boy with autism and in this book he answers why children with autism exhibit certain behaviors. This book uses a Q&A format, written in the first person, and provides insight into the thought process of people with autism.
15. Linchpin by Seth Godin. This book focuses on how to make oneself valuable in the workplace, i.e. a linchpin. The thing I most remember is 'to ship', produce results, overdeliver. Reading Seth Godin's books is like getting a reality check on what's really important in order to be successful in business or corporate environment.
16. Sea of Poppies by Amitav Gosh. This book was recommended by my sister, Em. It's the first of three books (Ibis Trilogy) that follow the journey of various colorful characters in India during the Opium Wars. Gosh' characters are so well developed that you can't help but be invested in their stories.
17. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. This is my second reading of this book. I joined a Lean In circle at work and wanted to review the book that started the movement.
18. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer at age 36. He was a neurosurgeon and not unfamiliar with saving people's lives but the table is turned as he deals with his own mortality.
19. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom. Mitch Albom is a gifted writer and this fictional story of the life of musician Frankie Presto was weaved so beautifully that you almost believe he's real. This is probably my favorite from the books I read this year.
20. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This is a very short book, an essay adapted from the TED talk Adichie delivered on feminism. She defines feminism in the modern context and presents a strong case, through insightful arguments and personal anecdotes, for why men and women alike should all be feminists.
21. Uniquely Human by Dr. Barry Prizant. This book acknowledges the special skills, abilities and challenges of people with autism. Prizant's approach is to keep asking why, to understand reason behind the behaviors, observe and leverage the autistic person's interests to engage and teach. This book has a hopeful and light tone which makes it different from other books I've read on autism.
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