I changed my reading habit and style a bit in 2019. Instead of forcing myself to finish all the books I started, I am reading 5-7 books simultaneously, and not trying to finish each one of them.
I also started investing heavily in books. Following Ramit Sethi’s advice – if a book looks even remotely interesting to me, I don’t think twice before buying it.
I am distancing myself from the attachment of “books”, and learning how to “gain” from them.
That being said, now every book I read, I choose one lesson from the book and apply it in my life.
Some terms and conditions regarding the practice:
- The lesson has to be really practical
- It should be easy to practice
- It shouldn’t take more than 10min a day
So, I chose my books accordingly.
Anyway, here are the best 10 books I read in 2019
MIND FULL TO MINDFUL by Om Sharma
What’s the craziest thing a book has made you do?
I visited the Ashram of the author Om Swami – Badrika Ashram- because of his super captivating writing style.
This book did such magic on me, that I had to personally go and check the author.
I am currently reading two more of his books – If Truth Be Told (A Monk’s Memoir) and A Million Thoughts
As the name suggests, Mind Full to Mindful is a collection of Zen lessons from the author himself.
If you want to learn the art of storytelling, read his books.
THE 10X RULE by Grant Cardone
This is the first audiobook I am listening to while working out in the gym.
And man, what a crazy motivational pump it gives you!
The 10X Rule shows you how success is your duty, obligation, and responsibility.
The idea of the book is – Set your goals 10X higher, take 10X higher efforts, and you will get 10X better results.
And it’s not an exaggeration. I wish I had read this book earlier in my life.
THE ART OF SEDUCTION by Robert Greene
Top 3 takeaways from this book?
- Seduction is a game of psychology, not beauty, and it is within the grasp of any person to become a master at the game. All that is required is that you look at the world differently, through the eyes of a seducer.
- Your greatest power in seduction is your ability to turn away, to make others come after you, delaying their satisfaction.
- Find that childhood insecurity, that lack in their life, and you hold the key to tempting them. Their weakness may be greed, vanity, boredom, some deeply repressed desire, a hunger for forbidden fruit. They signal it in little details that elude their conscious control: their style of clothing, an offhand comment.
Read the full summary here – The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene: Book Summary
EGO IS THE ENEMY by Ryan Holiday
According to the author Ryan Holiday, Ego is an unhealthy belief in our self-importance.
My favorite 3 lessons from this book?
- A true student is like a sponge. Absorbing what goes on around him, filtering it, latching on to what he can hold. A student is self-critical and self-motivated, always trying to improve his understanding so that he can move on to the next topic, the next challenge. A real student is also his own teacher and his own critic. There is no room for the ego there.
- Don’t fake it till you make it. Make it so you don’t have to fake it.
- Instead of pretending that we are living some great story, we must remain focused on the execution—and on executing with excellence. We must shun the false crown and continue working on what got us here.
For Top 15 lessons from this book, visit: Ego is the Enemy: Book Summary
BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert
This book is so close to my heart for all the amazing points it has to offer for a creative person.
Earlier in January’19, I was crying in a public restroom because I didn’t think whatever I was writing was good enough.
But then I bought this book.
And to be honest, this book is the reason how my creativity survived (and also bloomed) in 2019.
If I could just hug one person right now, it’d be the author – Elizabeth Gilbert.
It’s a 10/10 book for me. If you are a creative person, don’t think twice before buying it.
POST OFFICE by Charles Bukowski
I don’t read a lot of fiction. But there’s one fiction writer I love reading – Charles Bukowski.
Like his Factotum, this book is equally amazing.
I had so much fun reading this one!
Charles Bukowski is such a crude writer… you can only experience it by reading his work.
NORWEGIAN WOOD by Haruki Murakami
I wanted to learn more about storytelling. So I asked avid readers around me, “Who’s the best storyteller alive?”
Guess what! Everyone replied with the same name – Haruki Murakami.
So I picked up the first book I could get, written by Haruki Murakami.
And the experience was so awesome! I learned a lot of storytelling techniques just by reading his one book.
A MONK’S GUIDE TO A CLEAN HOUSE AND MIND
After reading this minimalistic and effective book, I started a daily practice of cleaning my washroom – some days the floor, other days the sink or commode.
And yes, it’s a life-altering habit to clean your mind and become more forgiving in nature.
This book is a guide to Buddhist practices.
THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY by Ryan Holiday
“The impediment to action advances action, What stands in the way becomes the way.” (~Marcus Aurelius)
There are three kinds of people in this world –
1. Ones who got destroyed by the tough situations.
2. Ones who somehow survive the tough times.
3. Ones who actually change their tough situations to get the advantage of them.
What kind are you?
Do you get destructive when the times get hard, or do you somehow let the tough time pass through and survive it…
OR
Are you the one who turns the obstacles as a stepping stone?
The book is all about how to treat your obstacle as your way!
BURN THEM DOWN
“I was molested at the age of 7. How can I forgive the person who did that to me?”
Honestly, I didn’t have an answer to her question.
So I asked her what were her options? What could she do to get out of this situation?
I told her what I did when I had to forgive someone who broke me.
And I am telling you as well.
“Burn them down” is a real-life case study of how a person can move on from a tragic past by practicing forgiveness on a daily basis.
On a side note, I couldn’t leave this one out, could I?
Call it self promotion if you want, but this book is definitely one of my best reads of 2019.
Disclaimer:
Bear in mind that the links in this post are Amazon Affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I’ll totally blow on buying and reading more books.
Gracious!
You may also like to check – 16 Best Books I Read in 2018
Leave a Reply