Top 10 Books of 2020

We all watched the world run out of expletives to describe 2020. Back in April, it certainly did seem like a stinking kettle of fish, especially for bootstrapped folks like us. Thankfully, though, it has accelerated many aspects of our business- especially in areas like UX and digital marketing. 

At the same time, I was fortunate to experience a rapid acceleration in one crucial aspect of my personal life: reading. 

Cooped up indoors for a good part of the year, I decided to take my reading into overdrive. 

Reading widely has been a critical practice that has accrued tremendous benefits to us at The Minimalist. As Matt Ridley says, it is Idea Sex- the furious mating of ideas, that has fuelled the modern-day boom in global world product as well as livelihoods.

This has spurred me to read across a very vast array of subjects and let the ideas simmer- so we can incorporate winning changes in our professional and personal regimes. 

So for those of you who’ve not been distracted by stories of vivacious Instagram models yet, let’s take a drive down Geek Street. 

Here’s a list of my Top 10 reads from 2020. I hope you can use some of them to enrich your own life.

1. Digital Minimalism (Cal Newport): 

[*This book suggestion might sound quite ironic, given that we’re are neck-deep into the business of building engaging and delightful UX for apps. However, once you understand the core message of the book, you’ll realize that it is, in no way, conflicting with our purpose]

If I have to point at one book that has altered my perspective most drastically, it’d be this one. Newport, with his most important (and alarming) piece of work, has sounded the alarm bell for all of us falling prey to the addictive jaws of technology and subsisting on a notif-fuelled existence. Written much before the release of The Social Dilemma on Netflix, this book will give you enough reasons to immediately re-consider your relationship with your mobile phone. For good. Reading ‘Digital Minimalism’ has allowed me not just to take a cautious approach towards app and smartphone usage but also equipped me with a treasure trove of practices that allow me to use technology in moderation instead of allowing technology to use me.

2. The Better Angels of Our Nature (Steven Pinker):

Pinker is the champion of historical narratives that shed light on the human condition. A sweeping tour of our hideous past, with its hauntingly violent imagery and eye-opening stories, this book will teach you how we’re living in the most peaceful time in history. Ever. Don’t believe me? Let Pinker convince you, in 832 pages, how we’ve become one civilized bunch and let go of our primitive, bestial instincts to kill any stranger we see.

3. The Design of Everyday Things (Don Norman):

If you are entrenched in the business of design or building products, this book is of biblical stature. The Design of Everyday Things concisely covers the key ideas and laws that govern good product thinking, and contains many evocative stories of poorly designed products, why they didn't work, and what should be done instead. By lucidly explaining the psychology that makes everyday technology like telephones, doors, car radios, and switchboards usable, Don Norman has given us a beautiful peek into the art of good design. Written in the 80s, this book is way ahead of its time and its principles are as applicable today as they were at the time of writing. At The Minimalist, we swear by the core ideas of this book to build simple, usable, and minimal-effort-inducing products for our clients.

4. Storm In A Teacup (Helen Czerski)

Having run a creative solutions company for more than half a decade now, I often find myself harking back to the good old days of science and engineering- where the order of the natural world piqued our curiosities and took us down dizzying paths of scientific discovery. I always felt challenged by physics, and in an attempt to revisit the beauty of this subject, I picked up this book to learn about some its basic concepts. From how the popping of corn works to how water reaches the top of towering trees, Czerski has written a beautiful book that showcases the ideas of physics at work in day-to-day examples. Accessible, simple, and written for the non-scientific reader, this book will make you fall in love with this branch of science and leave you wanting to explore further. 

5. The Healing Mind (P. Martin)

I was glad I read this one before the pandemic. This one’s an excellent, captivating read on how stress, anxiety, and sorrow open the doors to our body and pave the way towards eventual demise. Littered with amusing literary references of characters who were bested by grief, shame, anger, sorrow, stress, and depression, this book will propel you into thinking more deeply about your mental life and serve as an urgent wake-up call to prioritize peace of mind above all else.

6. The World Until Yesterday (Jared Diamond)

Ever since I was blown away by Guns, Germs, and Steel, I decided that I had to read each and every book written by Jared Diamond. This one didn’t disappoint. Written on the immensely fascinating subject of the lives and practices of tribal societies, this book gives us a delightful look into the ways of the past- from how they had a very different (and much better) approach to conflict resolution to how they treated their children (Spoiler Alert: They didn't beat ’em up and did just fine). There is much to learn from how our ancestors lived. 

7. The Red Queen: Sex And The Evolution Of Human Nature (Matt Ridley)

This is a book on sex. Before you start looking around awkwardly or scroll to get past this point, let me clarify. It is on the evolution of sex- and not about the juicy, physical details of the actual process of copulation. Explaining why sex exists in the first place (which is relevant to the times we’re living in today), Ridley goes on to shed light on the amusing facts about how the two genders have evolved, how they’re different, and what we can learn about why men and women behave the way they do. Though technical at times, this will surely equip you with a ton of important mental models. 

8. Made To Stick (Chip and Dan Heath)

Many people have asked us about how we come up with our signature TM-style ideas. So far, our answer has not been very specific. But after reading through this seminal piece, I would recommend you to drop everything and devour this beauty. Every day, we find ourselves in situations where we have to get our ideas across in interesting ways- so that people listen and don’t just walk away after insulting us with a giant-ass yawn. Recognizing that most of us actually suck at this, the Heath brothers have come up with an excellent read that demystifies the art of powerful ideas and storytelling. Packed with idea clinics and story-demonstrations of their principles, this is a must-read for marketers, authors, entrepreneurs, students, and politicians. 

9. Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker)

Despite the mounting objections to some of the data presented in the book, I decided to read Why We Sleep and I did not regret it. In fact, this one has also deeply altered the way I look at sleeping and impacted a bunch of my life habits. Delving deep on the evolution of sleep, the brain processes at work, the science behind dreaming, and the ravages of alcohol, low sleep, and caffeine, this book will surely spring you into action and help you look at sleep in a very different light. Bonus: This is probably the only book where the author states that he’d be happy if you fall asleep while reading it. I certainly did. 

10. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)

After a good deal of apprehension, I picked up this book, knowing not what was about to hit me. And oh boy, it hit me hard- enough for me to regret not having read any of Dan Brown’s books so far. This is a thriller par excellence, and if you don’t mind a little bit of history sprinkled with your drama, you’re in for a treat. For those of you who are scoffing, thinking that I’m too late to the party- I’ve learned my lesson and am surely going to rummage through Dan Brown’s work with great gusto.

I’d be delighted if you made it this far and have added any of these to your reading list. Like always, I’d also appreciate it if you could share your best reads from the lockdown year on the thread. Hope we all read a lot more in 2021 and learn more about the world, mankind, our past, and where we’re headed!