What and Why, The Books I Read In 2018

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

This book is about the cycle of life, the exploration of it. The cycle that Siddhartha goes through rhymes with every person’s life. It’s not a one time read, its more than one-time read. The things that you understand from this book and realize from it will change at different points of your life. So don’t just read it, reread it.

Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Taleb is a colorful personality, though he might come across as disrespectful. You will realize within a couple of pages, that this iconoclasm is based on a strong and well-formed point of view. He will challenge your strongly held beliefs. Like most of his books, this one will also stand the test of time. If you are doing an M.B.A or have a career in academics, this book will hurt your feelings.

Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven Levitt

You would be freakishly excited if your interests lie in economics and this was one of your early books. That wasn’t the case for me. But, the cases chosen are immersive, very well analysed and the correlations were illuminating. I only wished some case were cut shorter and diversified.

Phishing For Phools by Robert Shiller

Robert Shiller is the humble guy who predicted 2008 crisis. As markets evolve new inefficiencies are both created and exploited every day. Regulatory authorities and organizations are catching up to these inefficiencies and fixing them. This book is about all these inefficiencies and how they will be exploited. It highlights the contributions of unsung heroes who constantly work to make the system better. Do not argue that fewer regulation will trigger economic growth without reading this book.

Coffee Can Investing by Pranab Uniyal, Rakshit Ranjan, and Saurabh Mukherjea

Stumbled in an airport I picked up this book having no idea who Saurabh Mukherjea is. After reading this book though, I have watched all his interviews. Reading this book is not only a reinforcement of a lot of fundamental principles but also a pleasant surprise to find a great fund manager in Indian investing environment.

Gurus of Chaos by Saurabh Mukherjea

Once I completed Coffee Can Investing, I decided to read other books by Saurabh. This book introduces successful Indian fund managers who are not well known and are media shy. Its a fascinating set of interviews from the corners of the Indian investing world. Worth the time.

Nudge by Richard H Thaler

The problem with most macroeconomic books is, it’s very hard to gain actionable insight that you can apply at an individual level. This book will give you principles that can be converted into practical actions. You will see the impact of the Nudge theory and the reason why Richard received a Nobel prize.

The Four by Scott Galloway

Reading The Four and following Scott Galloway’s YouTube channel L2 is like getting a mini marketing class for free. Scott is just plain funny. He knows how to tell a story and he does. He goes into detail on how the big four companies are the strongest companies ever created, but also what future holds for them in each case. But the most important chapter in this book is not about the four companies, it’s about how you as an individual should navigate through the world of the four.