Books I read in 2023 – Karthik Chidambaram

Happy New Year – 2024. Reading expands your thinking and you get to experiment with different things based on the books you read. Here are the books I read in 2023.

Jinnah India, Partition-Independence (Jaswanth Singh): 

This is a book on the Story of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and narrates what happened in 1947. It was great to go back 75+ years to understand what happened. India was divided randomly without a clear vision. India had a headstart after the split because of existing systems and infrastructure and Pakistan was at a disadvantage according to the author. 

Trust Me I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday: 

How does media work? x How is news created in today’s world and the evolution of media? What do you need to do if you want to be covered by the media? Creating catchy headlines and How do we interpret the news? Do we really need to read them?

Mindset – Carol S Dweck: 

There are two types of mindsets, Growth and Fixed. Each of us has both growth and fixed mindsets. How do we develop a growth mindset? Any skill can be developed over a period of time.

10X is easier than 2X – Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy: 

How do we get to 10X growth? What do we need to do to achieve 10X growth? How do we subtract and multiply?

How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie: 

How to Win Friends and Influence People: I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. This book was written in 1936 and is still relevant today. The ideas suggested in this book work great for our personal lives as opposed to professional environments.

Think Like a Monk – Jay Shetty: 

Being detached, ability to Visualize things, being thankful, and having a routine are some great learnings from this book. Washing our own clothes, dishes and living a frugal life, and keeping things simple were other great ideas offered by the other to think like a monk.

Option B Sheryl Sandberg-& Adam Grant: 

This is not a business book. It is about building resilience especially when you have lost a loved one or their better half. This book talks about how Sheryl Sandberg coped up with the loss of her husband Dave Goldberg.

Wings of Fire- A.P.J Abdul Kalam:

Autobiography of Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, the former President of India. A very inspiring read and also a must-read for all students. How Dr. Kalam transformed from his humble beginnings to the leader he was. 

Think Again – Adam Grant: 

This is a great book that talks about how we do not have to be fixed on certain decisions and things and it is perfectly okay to change our opinion and decision. There are doctors who did not want to be a doctor, however, they ended up choosing to become a doctors. It is okay for them to change their decision and pursue what they want.

Steal like an Artist – Austin Kleon: 

Steal like an Artist: This is a simple and great book. It is more like a guide on how to copy from the best.

Ego is the Enemy – Ryan Holiday: 

This is a book on how Ego is our biggest enemy. Believing in our greatness is the death of our creativity. Success is a team effort and Humility is the cure to ego. We need to work hard. Sweep the floor every day, every hour, and every minute. If we don’t the floor gets dirty. If we are not practicing, someone else out there is always practicing. 

From Strength to Strength – Arthur C. Brooks: 

Strength to Strength: This is a good book to read on finding success, happiness, and purpose in the second half of our lives. How do we have no or less regrets when we look back towards the end of our life?