Favourite Books of 2021

I have to admit that reading was not a priority of my 2021, and I was not actively making efforts to read consistently. However, I still managed to read 17 books, mostly non-fiction. I was feeling quite content with that number until I saw that one of my favourite influencers posting that she had read and listened to 174 books in 2021... 😳 She didn’t mean to brag and was almost embarrassed by it. But still, I was shocked. 174!!! At least, coming up with a list of your favourites isn’t very hard when you’ve only read 17. So below are the 8 books I’ve read in 2021 that I would recommend to anyone.

Non-Fiction

Unapologetically Ambitious by Shellye Archambeau ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Both a “professional development” read and a “beach read” depicting Shellye’s personal and professional stories, and how she was able to break barriers and create her own success. Interwoven with step-by-step action we can take to achieve our own goals. Love her direct approach.

"Why guess how to get from point A to point B when you can just ask somebody who's done it before?”

“Act like you know what you are doing, listen hard, and eventually you will know what you are doing.”

Triggers by Marshall Goldsmith ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Another book about habit?” I thought this would be another one of those “duh!” motivational self-development books, and was ready to not make through the first chapter. But it ended up being my favourite book of the year. Goldsmith’s straightforward writing and actionable advice is applicable to anyone looking to improve their personal and professional behaviour.

“We think we are in sync with our environment, but actually it’s at war with us. We think we control our environment but in fact it controls us. We think our external environment is conspiring in our favor—that is, helping us—when actually it is taxing and draining us.”

Show Your Work by Austin Kleon ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This short read inspired me to start this newsletter!

“Don’t show your lunch or your latte; show your work.”

“Part of the art of creating is in discovering your own kind. They are everywhere.”

The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“While successful culture can look and feel like magic, the truth is that it’s not. Culture is a set of living relationships working toward a shared goal. It’s not something you are. It’s something you do.”

“When we hear a fact, a few isolated areas of our brain light up, translating words and meanings. When we hear a story, however, our brain lights up like Las Vegas, tracing the chains of cause, effect, and meaning. Stories are not just stories; they are the best invention ever created for delivering mental models that drive behavior.”

Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir of Anna Wiener who, at age 25, abandoned her drab job in New York for a high-paying customer support role at a Silicon Valley start-up. Having experienced the SV start-up environment, I resonated with a lot of what Wiener wrote. With a light-hearted yet satirical humor, Wiener called out the extreme bro culture and shed light on what it’s like to be a non-tech woman in a boy’s club supported by VC’s and dripping in extravagance.

“The mark of a hustler, a true entrepreneurial spirit, was creating the job that you wanted and making it look indispensable, even if it was institutionally unnecessary. This was an existential strategy for the tech industry itself, and it did not come naturally to me.”

Principles by Ray Dalio ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A classic. Started reading in 2019 but never finished it. Picked up again this year and made it through. Definitely worth re-reading!

"The most important thing I learned is an approach to life based on principles that helps me find out what’s true and what to do about it."

"Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behaviour that gets you what you want out of life. They can be applied again and again in similar situations to help you achieve your goals."

Fiction

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best fiction book I’ve read this year! In spite of the huuuge and angry nest of controversy surrounding this book, I’m still giving it 5 stars, period.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Such a charming and special book. Every sentence is a timeless quote! Grateful for that friend who gifted this to me :)

“Is your glass half empty or half full?" asked the mole.

"I think I'm grateful to have a glass," said the boy.”

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Please share with me your favourite books of 2021 and suggestions on what I should read next!