2022 has been crowned the year where i most read, a nice close to the 4th decade on this planet for me. Despite i did not reach the target i set myself on Good Reads of reading 36 books this year, yet i managed to plow through 30 books, most ever period.
I am not obsessed with quantity don’t get me wrong, but tangible goals help tame that human mind of ours, drives accountability and to me acquiring knowledge through reading is certainly something that deserves this level of accountability.
As i am writing this i am disappointed that none of the Arabic books i read this year made it to my recommendations list. Despite several good reads, yet top nope. Not sure if i am disappointed in my selection or the quality, but anyway i will put more effort next year in a better selection.
The full portfolio of my readings is in the picture at top of the article, but a few books stood out for me this year, and i certainly believe they deserve to be on everybody’s read list or at the least the To Read list. My top picks in no specific order are :
Shoe Dog – Phil Knight
One of the memoirs ever written and stories ever told. Phil Knight recounts the entire history of building the Nike shoe empire. A master class in adapting to business environment, grit and understanding priorities and on top that amazingly written not a single dull moment
Three Daughters of Eve – Elif Shafak
Elif is talented beyond description. You feel relevant to the story the characters, you sympathize and criticise at the same time. Middle eastern writers bring a magnificent spin to characters in the western world, the interaction is just beautiful.
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
Surprisingly or maybe not really its the first novel i read for Matt Haig, after all i think i have not delved enough into fiction. Novels with an outside the box central idea grab my heart. This is not just a stitching of a series of events to create a story, this is creating new universe for the story to exist in. I leave you with one thought, never regret what you think deserves regretting.
The Ride of Life Time – Robert Iger
Interestingly enough as i write this Robert Iger has been re-appointed again as CEO of Disney. After his incredibly run which he beautifully portrays in this memoir, his successor seems to have crashed the ship so he has been called back in for a rescue mission. Successful people who were not founders to me have a special place in my heart, because their drive is coming not for obsession of creation but rather the obsession of perfection, legacy and self fulfilment.
Outliers – Malcom Gladwell
I read 2 books for Malcolm Gladwell this year, this one and “The Bomber Mafia”, while obviously every word Malcolm writes is worth reading, Outliers made my recommendation list. I am sure you have probably already heard about this book, what i am here to tell you is that everything you heard about this book is true, its 200% worth reading and a lot more. One interesting piece of information i learned about Malcolm from reading another book which “Losing the Signal” which talks about the rise and fall of BlackBerry, is that Malcolm and BlackBerry founder were in the same class. That would have been one smart class to be in.
