The Year in [Book] Review - 2024

Inspired by OTT 

1. Dune - Frank Herbert 
2. Masters of the Air - Donald L Miller 
3. A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman 
4. Silent Spring - Rachel Carson 

 Fiction – Preparing for the Russian greats 

1. The Greatest Short Stories of Leo Tolstoy  
2. The death of Ivan Ilyich – Leo Tolstoy 
3. White Nights - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 

Science 

1. The Maniac - Benjamin Labatut 
2. An astronaut's guide to Life on Earth - Chris Hadfield 

Workplace 

1. Exit interview - the life and death of my ambitious career - Kristi Coulter  
2. The Money Trap - Alok Sama 
3. The Peter principle- Laurence j Peter and Raymond hull  

Peek into Japan 

1. Orienting - An Indian in Japan - Pallavi Aiyar 
2. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop -Satoshi Yagisawa 
3. The Life of a Stupid Man – Ryonosuke Akutagawa 

The Power of Choices, Thought, Emotion and Mind 

1. Maybe you should talk to someone - Lori Gottlieb  
2. The Midnight Library - Matt Haig 
3. Zen in the martial arts - Joe Hyams 
4. The Way of Aikido - George Leonard  

Understanding the World 

1. How big things get done - the surprising factors behind every successful project, from home renovations to space exploration - Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner 
2. Ultra processed people - why do we all eat stuff that isn't food and why can't we stop? - Chris Van Tulleken 
3. Anthro Vision - Gillian Tett 
4. Bhog Naivedya - Sujata Shukla Rajan 
5. The Deoliwallahs - Dilip D'Souza and Joy Ma 

Power 

1. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury 
2. Lord of the flies - William Golding 
3. Detective story - Imre Kertesz 

Lives 

1. Troubled - Robert Kim Henderson 
2. Iru - The Remarkable Life of Irawati Karve - Urmilla Deshpande and Thiago Pinto Barbosa 

In 2024, I had made a resolution to pepper my reading with as much fiction as possible. The objective was to prepare myself to read in 2025 the magnum opi of two great authors – Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. And I think I made some steps in that direction.  

 My reading list was also partly influenced by some blockbusters on OTT platforms. Reading "Dune" was an experience that made me understand the movie better. "A Man Called Ove" helped me recreate each word of the protagonist in the voice of Tom Hanks, "Silent Spring" was a reference to understand a part of the motivation of why someone would invite extraterrestrial life in the book "The 3 Body Problem" [read earlier] and "Masters of the Air" added more colour and detail which the series of the same name possibly could not cover  

All of us live with regrets. Some few, some more. One of my regrets is that I left the field of science and technology way too early. Some books only go on to reinforce that opinion.  "Maniac" paints an expansive picture of the genius of John Von Neumann and the impact that he had on the fundamental areas of research in the early to mid-twentieth century. Continuing this theme but in a more light hearted fashion I felt like "Spaceman Spiff" while reading "An Astronaut's Guide to Life of Earth".  

One of the criticisms of corporate lives is the lack of a witty and self-deprecating perspective of the workplace. Stand-ups have attempted to do so but more often than not are not incisive enough. That is where "The Money Trap" and "Exit Interview – The life and death of my ambitious career" come to the rescue. They are fast paced reads into two big ideas of the twenty first century – venture capital and e-commerce. And if you want a taste of 70s nostalgia pick up "The Peter Principle"  

With the books "Days at the Morisaki Bookshop" and "The Life of a Stupid Man" I was introduced to Japanese writing. Incredibly simple at the first glance but rich in depth as you think about it. Reading "Orienting" early in the year kick-started that process. There are a couple more in my unfinished list. Hopefully 2025 will be the year to talk about them.  

"Maybe you should talk to someone" and "Midnight Library" were wonderful reads that are rich in making one think about the power of human thought, choice and emotions. And maybe that is why in some way they rounded off a short burst in understanding that the "mind" matters even more when I came across books on the martial arts.   

"Ultra processed people" is a wake-up call to help understand the ever-changing world of food and why we must be careful in our dietary decisions. "Bhog Naivedyam" served as a strong counterweight with its journey into the fresh "prasadams" that are a part of temple culture. "How Big Things Get Done" was a nice peek into how billions of dollars poured into mega projects can be undone by poor decision making and bravado. "Anthro Vision" brought to fore how important anthropology in understanding the world around us  

Along the way "Lord of the flies", "Fahrenheit 451" and "Detective Story" brought me close to the evil that lies within men and how it rears its head if we are not on guard – and all for the same of one objective – power over other men. The "Deoliwallahs" brought to light how wars lead to the large-scale displacement of communities that have ramifications over decades.  

"Iru – The remarkable life of Irawati Karve" was a very enjoyable read. The life of one of twentieth century's foremost women can serve as an inspiration to many. How original thought backed by hours of relentless hard work and dedication can break down societal barriers in the pursuit of knowledge. The book is a must read for "Puneri Punekars".   

"Troubled" was a powerful memoir of someone who defied all norms to emerge from the trifecta of broken families, bad company and absence of resources to build a respectable life for one self and be extremely honest in using his experiences to put forth the idea of "luxury beliefs".  

Well, that's about it for 2024. Here to another year of Happy Reading for everyone in 2025.