My Books to Read List for 2024

Reading has influenced my life in so many positive ways and my book cabinet is one of my most prized possession (along with my Royal Enfield motorbike and my 2000cc dark beast!). My list of books to read in 2024 is inspired by fellow writers on WordPress who have shared their recommendation of books to read, here is one example.

Contrary to previous years, this year I have pre-decided the books I will read. Surely, this list is not count focused as I am not fascinated by reading milestones in terms of ‘how many’. Instead, I prioritized the titles and themes I want to focus on this year. Although I am conscious that this list can get longer with incoming recommendations, but setting a goal is always a good start. For example, this week a visiting friend mentioned Carl Newport so many times to me that I ended up ordering the author’s book, Deep Work! Yes, I get influenced into book purchases, rather easily!

My preferred genre is management, productivity, personal development and compelling stories, preferably from Indian authors. Therefore, you will see an inclination towards these themes in the collection below. However, I hope this post inspires you or gives you some ideas to create your reading list. Additionally, it’s also an attempt to make a social commitment to my reading goal (idea borrowed from Atomic Habits).

Here is my list of books to read for 2024.

1. The Lesson, by Sowmya Rajendran. I started 2024 with a re-reading of this book. It’s a dark satire which explores the theme of women empowerment and inequality in a rather unique way. It’s a hard hitting thin read which lasts the duration of a typical Bollywood movie but is in no way typical. You can read the review here.
2. Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight. It’s a captivating read which literally ‘runs through’ the story of Nike corporation and its founder Phil Knight. I have already completed reading this book in January’24 (read book review here). If you have interest in autobiography, business, sneakers, or sublime story telling – this book is for you!

Yet to Read

1. Start with Why, by Simon Sinek. I am hoping this bestseller helps to me explore and understand the concept of Why. Atomic Habits helped me understand Why I write, and it has been a joyride since then.
2. The First 90 Days, by Michael D Watkins. I started reading this last year and then broke up with it. This year, I want to give our relationship another shot. I have taken up a new role professionally and hopefully I will get some insights from this.
3. Days of my China Dragon, by Chandrahas Choudhury. This pick is inspired by my curiosity for Indian writing. I am currently reading this (Jan’24). In fact, I am reading it out for my partner. This is the first time we are experimenting with the idea of reading a book out loud for your partner. Have you tried it? PS: Are you looking for an amazing read from an Indian author? Try Ghachar Ghochar – review here
4. Awaken the Giant Within, by Anthony Robbins. It’s been long since I moved away from in your face motivation books. Possibly, this is one of those and that’s the reason it has been sitting on my shelf, unread, for around 5 years. Is it or is it not, surely, I’ll figure that out this year.
5. These Errors are Correct, by Jeet Thayil. For the love of poetry! Jeet is a well known poet. Though I am strongly inclined towards hindi poetry, I want to give this a try. May be there is something to learn, or some inspiration lying out there!
6. The Productivity Project, by Chris Bailey. Its cover says – ‘Proven ways to become more awesome’. Well, I am in!
7. Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance, by Louis Gerstner. A pure play business book and a story of a transformation of a big corporation, the IBM. Undoubtedly, this book has been lurking around in my bookshelf for several years now. Fine, you get my attention this year I said!
8. My Story, by Kamala Das. I’ll be honest – I don’t know much about Kamala Das. That is about to change this year!
9. The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg. Hopefully this inspires me to build some new habits and also help me to continue my existing habits. Do you think it will?

And more…

This year, I’ll read all these books listed above and hopefully more. Along with these focused reads, I’ll have the company of masters of the art of poetry, like Amrita Pritam, Dr. Bashir Badr, Rahat Indori, Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Sahir Ludhianvi to handhold me on my journey of writing poetry and ghazals.

Which books make it your list of books to read in 2024?

I hope this post inspires you to commit to a habit of reading and create a list of books you will read this year. I would love to hear which books are due to get your attention this year. Have you read any of the books listed above? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Cheers, happy reading!

Buy these books on amazon:

1. The Lesson, Sowmya Rajendran
2. Shoe Dog, Phil Knight
3. Start with Why, Simon Sinek
4. The First 90 Days, by Michael D Watkins
5. Days of my China Dragon, by Chandrahas Choudhury
6. Awaken the Giant Within, by Anthony Robbins
7. These Errors are Correct, by Jeet Thayil
8. The Productivity Project, by Chris Bailey
9. Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance, by Louis Gerstner
10. My Story, by Kamala Das
11. The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

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