My 2021 Readings Review

This year for the first time since 2012, I met my reading objective. Through the last couple of years, I observed that my reading rate is declining, a bad sign that finally I eliminated this year. 

what makes this year a special one for my reading habit, is the new ways, methods and books!

I have been always a fan of Novels (N.B: You may know that I have written one before), Most of my reads were mainly in the literature parts, Mostly Arabic Ones or Translated to Arabic. this Year, My Readings are mostly in English: 11 books out of 14! and only 3 novels!

This Year, for the first time, most of my readings are e-books! 

Only 1 paper book, 10 electronic mostly through my Kindle device, and 3 audiobooks!

This Year I was introduced for the first time to the Kindle device (I know that’s too late!), and for the first time to use the audiobooks (Yes, that’s another late one!) and Yeah both of them are worthy!

Thanks to kindle and audiobooks, they are the reason to met my reading objective for this year! 

The kindle for being always ready next to my bed every night, with me in every travel, in every free time possible, and the audiobooks for the those long hours while driving on the highways, around 50hrs. in the last 3 months only!

I would like to share with you in a nutshell, my reading reviews for 2021, ordered according to my finish date:

1- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (Kindle)

Early January, My mentor recommended to me a list of books to read, this one is the first of the list. 

If you want to enhance a process, you should understand it more, and of course if you want to make better decisions either in business or in personal life, you should understand how your mind works in the decision making process. 

Understanding more about System 1 and System 2, what are the biases that prevent all of us of making the right decisions in the right time, and make poor decisions instead. This books is a must read for every person interested in enhancing his decision making. 

2- Atomic Habits, by James Clear (Paper Book)

Setting Goals can be an easy part of everyday practice, Close your eyes and dream! The execution is the issue. How can you adopt new habits that can help you reach these goals? This books is a clear framework for you to start with, How can you breakdown your habits, Good ones to adopt, Bad ones to avoid. A Highly recommended book for those who are seeking change for good and don’t know where to start.

3- Moonwalking with Einstein, by Joshua Foer (Kindle)

There is always a common concept that Intelligent people don’t have a good memory, Actually this books is promoting the opposite. Having a stronger memory could help people to have higher intelligence. This books is a short memoir from the United States Memory Championship winner, How he adapted new strategies to remember. 

4- That will never work, by Marc Randolph (Kindle)

Marc Randolph is the first CEO and Co-Founder of Netflix, This book is an interesting memoir for the journey of founding one of the most innovative corporates on the planet nowadays. In this book Marc shared how they found the idea, budgeted this startup and went through the journey until their first IPO. All the critics that he faced even from people around him, actually he named the book after his wife critics to the idea, That will never works! ;)

5- Nudge Marketing, by Eric Singler (Kindle)

Another book from my mentor’s recommendations list. If you are interested in Behavioral Economics science as me, and if you are also interested in Marketing (as me too), then this book is highly recommended. Finding the real connection between theoretical science and business application.

This book is a perfect guide for all marketers who aim to use the Nudge effect, a deep understanding for the customers behavior is a must have weapon in the battle nowadays, Setting those tweaks (Nudges) to influence this for good is what Eric mentioned here in easy ways to apply in your business life. 

6- Pages from Naguib Mahfouz Memories, by Ragaa Al Naqash (Kindle)

Naguib Mahfouz is my favorite Egyptian Novelist, In this book through a series of interviews with Ragaa Al Naqash. He shares his memories through his early years as a child tell becoming one of the responsible men of culture in 60s, an finally as the most famous Arab novelist after receiving the Nobel Award. 

7- Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport. (Kindle)

Social Media and Technology is everywhere, although it served us for good. Many drawbacks appeared in our lives in the last decade. Cal Newport introduces in this book the minimalism idea, knowing when just is enough!

Digital minimalists are all around us. They're the calm, happy people who can hold long conversations without furtive glances at their phones. 

8- Nudge The Final Edition, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunsetin (Kindle)

This is another book from my mentor’s recommendations’ list. 

Richard Thaler is a Nobel laureate who received it in Economics Science, and this book is one of the most important books in the behavioral economics science. In this book the authors how to understand, make and the simple tweaks (nudges) that can influence people to make a different decisions, How can those nudges implement a big change in the economy, business and everyday actions!

The authors invented (Decision Architect), people who are to help us make better decisions for ourselves, our families, and our society depending on a good understanding for the decision making process. 

 I chose to read the final edition as it was updated with some issues that are recent like the pandemic management, Sludge and etc.. This book is a must read. 

9- Whisper of Madness, by Naguib Mahfouz (Kindle)

This is the first published book for the famous Naguib Mahfouz, Short stories about the whispers that can lead to madness, love, jealous. although that I am a fan of Naguib Mahfouz, however I didn’t had the chance to read his first writings before. I plan to go through his writings more in the upcoming future following the publishing date.

10- One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Márquez (Audiobook)

The Buendia multi-generational saga was famous for being rich and complicated with many characters that any reader can get lost while reading it, Thanks to audiobooks this didn’t happen to me. The rich and beautiful novel about the irreconcilable conflict between the desire for solitude and the need for love. 

The Colombian novelist received Nobel prize in 1982 and this one is his masterpiece.

11- Originals, by Adam Grant (kindle)

How can you recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt. In this book Grant shares his founds about the non-conformist people can craft the change to the world, with their brand and pioneer ideas, changing the status quo, and how can we originate new ideas, policies, and practices without risking it all?

12- Promised Land, by Barack Obama (Audiobook)

In the first part of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama shares his story from being a young child in Hawaii to the most powerful man in the western world and the first African American to sit in this position when he was elected as the 44th president of the United States. Listening to Barack Obama’s steady voice in those 29 hours was a joyful journey. 

Another thanks to the audiobooks, because this book has been on my list since it’s release, and it was never going to happen without the audiobook!

13- From Zero to One, by Peter Thiel (Audiobook)

From one of the builders of PayPal, sharing the secrets of his long experiments of building startups and adding value to the real world. a new way of thinking about innovation, and to learn asking questions that can lead to unexpected places with a huge impact to the future. 

14- No Rules Rules, by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer (Kindle)

Reed Hastings is the co-founder and the current co-CEO of Netflix. In this book He and Erin Meyer a professor at INSEAD, share with us how can you craft culture that can lead innovation and reinvention, If you are interested in Human Resources management, this book is a manifesto. Thinking about increasing the talent density within your corporate, eliminate the policies and increase the candor within the workforce. No Rules Rules is the untold story of a unique company making its mark on the world, with more than 214M subscribers (customers) worldwide. 

Thanks to the Kindle and the audiobooks, It made my goal much easier! 

In 2022, I hope that I can read more than 20 books, If you read those above mentioned books share with me your thoughts and reviews in the comments below. If you have a book recommendation for me in 2022 please share it with me in the comments.