Here are the books I’ve read, currently reading, or plan to read:
Atomic Habits
I've always struggled with building habits — and stacking those habits. Right from childhood, school days, and into adulthood, building scalable and sustainable habits has been a challenge. This book was like an eye-opener. After reading it, I had a few months of amazing streaks of productivity and happiness. Though I derailed from it, I'm slowly picking things up and glueing things together with habit stacking and tricks like that. I mean, come on — you do get results, but the question is whether you want to continue sustaining those results or not.
Few of my favourite quotes:
"The key to becoming excellent is to do average work on days when you don't feel like it." — Consistency matters more than intensity.
"You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems."
"1% better every day" — Getting 1% better every day is a powerful framework for making substantial and long-lasting changes to our life.
Unfortunately, most of the time I'm focusing on intensity rather than consistency, and sometimes I overengineer things to a minuscule effect, which backfires. I do believe I have improvements to make along that area. And I'm slowly getting there — one step at a time, trying to get 1% better every day.
Few of my favourite quotes:
"The key to becoming excellent is to do average work on days when you don't feel like it." — Consistency matters more than intensity.
"You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems."
"1% better every day" — Getting 1% better every day is a powerful framework for making substantial and long-lasting changes to our life.
Unfortunately, most of the time I'm focusing on intensity rather than consistency, and sometimes I overengineer things to a minuscule effect, which backfires. I do believe I have improvements to make along that area. And I'm slowly getting there — one step at a time, trying to get 1% better every day.
#Completed
The Psychology of Money
I always wondered why people behave a certain way towards money — whether it's me, my family, my friends, society, or anyone. This book helped me get a better perspective. Instead of being too judgmental about how people behave around money, I started being more sympathetic and analytical — understanding why they react a certain way, what their background is, their mindset, their motivation towards money. Especially the fact that how people behave with money is influenced by the decade or generation they were born in — whether there was a stock market boom or crash, a war or not. Societal and economic factors they cannot control. I'm still struggling to let go when people behave a certain way with money or with me, but I believe I'm getting better at it. This is one book we should all read to understand how money works around us — and how we work around money.
#Completed
Man's Search for Meaning
A book for finding purpose and strength in times of great despair.
#Completed
Let's Talk Money
Recommended to me by my brother. While The Psychology of Money helped me see and understand people and their relationship with money in a specific dimension, this helped me see money in a different dimension entirely. I consider myself financially illiterate, and this book acted like a primer — I slowly understood what equity is, what stocks are, what different types of investments are. I'm happy I read this because during my childhood, my thought had always been: "Maybe I want to make enough money so that I don't have to bother about how much I spend." But boy, I was really wrong — that was only one side of the equation. The author made all the concepts simple and easy to understand, no-brainer kind of stuff. It's interesting that somewhere in the book she mentioned that financial products and finance in general are meant to be complicated — for various reasons. Thanks a lot to my brother and to this book.
#Completed
Situational Awareness
The decade ahead: From GPT-4 to AGI to Superinteligence, and the challenges.
#Completed
The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again
When I watched The Lord of the Rings for the first time as a movie, I had no clue what an amazing movie it was. I was just sort of speed-watching it. I was restless, I was impatient. I had no idea of the depth, complexity, sophistication, layering, and the universe that movie has built. Then I watched Hobbit. Again, I didn't fully understand a lot of things. So I re-watched the movies, and slowly started appreciating it over time.
I made up my mind that somewhere along the future I'm going to read the book, but then I wasn't ready for it because I was afraid that I might not understand all the characters and the world. Finally I made up my mind. I started reading The Hobbit, and slowly all the three books. And I would say if there are only 100 books I can read in my lifetime, I'll put The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings into the list.
Thanks to Tolkien as well as the director Peter Jackson for showing me this world. Without the movie, I would have never read this book in the first place.
Amazing book on the adventures of Mr Bilbo Baggins — from his simple, boring life to the most adventurous, bravest, riskiest, and badass one, including a Wizard, Dwarves, Trolls, Elves, Orcs, Wolves, Eagles, Bear Man, Men, and more.
I made up my mind that somewhere along the future I'm going to read the book, but then I wasn't ready for it because I was afraid that I might not understand all the characters and the world. Finally I made up my mind. I started reading The Hobbit, and slowly all the three books. And I would say if there are only 100 books I can read in my lifetime, I'll put The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings into the list.
Thanks to Tolkien as well as the director Peter Jackson for showing me this world. Without the movie, I would have never read this book in the first place.
Amazing book on the adventures of Mr Bilbo Baggins — from his simple, boring life to the most adventurous, bravest, riskiest, and badass one, including a Wizard, Dwarves, Trolls, Elves, Orcs, Wolves, Eagles, Bear Man, Men, and more.
#Completed
The Fellowship of the Ring
Amazing to see how an innocent, pure‑hearted Hobbit—seemingly of no importance to anyone—steps up to carry an impossible burden, and in doing so becomes the key to the greatest challenge in Middle‑earth.
#Completed
The Two Towers
Painful to watch Saruman—the White Wizard, once defined by knowledge, power, and wisdom—give in to darkness, starting with “noble” intentions and ending in catastrophic destruction. I also loved Boromir’s arc: tempted by the Ring, yet ultimately choosing courage and redemption.
#Completed
The Return of the King
A seemingly impossible mission—destroy the One Ring—means walking straight into the heart of Mordor, where Sauron and his armies rule, with the fate of Middle‑earth hanging on it. What stayed with me most was the friendship between Frodo and Sam, and Frodo’s compassion toward Sméagol/Gollum despite everything—knowing all along this was a one‑way journey. And of course: good over evil, not giving up, and the sacrifices of so many—Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, Théoden, Éowyn, Galadriel, Elrond, and the Hobbits—each seemingly “small” on their own, but together making all the difference.
#Completed
Ponniyin Selvan (பொன்னியின் செல்வன்)
My first foray into Tamil historical fiction — and what a way to begin. I'd read plenty of Tamil novels before, but never anything this long or in this genre. This sweeping epic set during the 10th-century Chola Dynasty narrates the story of Arulmozhivarman, who later became the great emperor Rajaraja Chola I. After reading it, I started admiring, respecting, and even fantasising about Tamil history and archaeology — I visited the Thanjavur Periya Kovil (Brihadeeswara Temple) a few times after that. I believe every person should learn about their own history, heritage, and ancestry. Until then, I wasn't particularly proud of mine — but now I am, and at the same time deeply humble. Humble to the point of realising we probably haven't continued the kind of glory we had ten centuries back.
#Completed
Udayar (உடையார்)
I'd re-read Ponniyin Selvan two or three times over the years, but then realised I hadn't fully understood how the Thanjavur Periya Kovil was actually built and what happened after Ponniyin Selvan's ending. I'd been wanting to read the next book for a few years, and then discovered that Udayar is the one. This book was like an entirely different beast — while Ponniyin Selvan had a slightly different flavour with more fictional elements, Udayar felt a lot more factual. It was more political: learning how the temple was built, the kind of threats, challenges, and issues — both internal and external — that the King faced. Oh man! Together, these two books literally made me feel like I time-travelled.
#Completed
Kallikaattu Ithigaasam (கள்ளிக்காட்டு இதிகாசம்)
Oh man. The pain of Paiya Thevar was too much — overwhelming. But sadly, that is the reality of many folks from that part of the world, from where I come from. I still cannot comprehend how he had the grit to fight every single day, every single minute of his life. I wonder why life has to be so hard, so unfair. Does where you're born decide your fate to a significant extent? I feel like he went above and beyond in what he could do. He was genuine. He was kind-hearted. But then — why? Why? Why?
#Completed
Arthamulla Hindu Madham (அர்த்தமுள்ள இந்து மதம்)
TBA: add summary.
#Completed
Manase Nee Oru Mandhira Savi (மனசே நீ ஒரு மந்திர சாவி)
A motivational and spiritual self-help book that serves as a "magic key" for the mind, offering practical wisdom for unlocking one's inner potential and navigating the challenges of daily life.
#Completed
Vetri Nichayam (வெற்றி நிச்சயம்)
One of the early books I was introduced to by my dad during my school days, and I'm forever thankful for that. It helped me positively reinforce that victory is in fact certain. I had a lot of doubts — I still have a lot of doubts about my abilities — but this is one of those books that helps you clear some of them. And what a great writer, author, and orator Suki Sivam is.
#Completed
Wings of Fire
The autobiography of India's "Missile Man" and former President, tracing his journey from a humble background in Rameswaram to becoming the architect of India's space and missile programs.
#Completed
Please Intha Puthakaththai Vangatheenga (ப்ளீஸ் இந்தப் புத்தகத்தை வாங்காதீங்க)
A bestselling Tamil self-improvement book that uses a reverse-psychology title ("Please Don't Buy This Book") to draw readers in, offering simple, no-nonsense methods for personal development and success.
#Completed
Steve Jobs
I've been an Apple fanboy since my teenage years. The first time I saw an iPod — the old-school one where you rotate and there's a physical ball in the middle — from my O-level friend in Singapore, oh man, that was surreal. The quality of the first iPod Mini, almost the size of a postal stamp, left me equally taken aback. Then buying a second- or third-hand iPhone 3, then my first MacBook — I was in love with each product, whether it was the technical finesse, the hardware design, the software, or the quality. When I finally read his story, I was able to see the passion, hard work, and grit behind it all. A great salesman with great aesthetic taste. Respect.
#Completed
Elon Musk
I was introduced to Elon Musk through SpaceX while doing my undergraduate final project research in the lab — a PhD student showed me a video of SpaceX launching a rocket and landing it. When I watched it, it felt surreal. I imagine people felt the same way during the historic moon landing. I became an Elon Musk fanboy after that — started reading up more about him, following him, learning about Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and his other ventures. There's a lot of debate and controversy around him, but not everybody can pull off what he has — not even one in a billion. I think he has a knack for enudring/ embracing pain and first-principles thinking, which is something I'm trying to incorporate after learning from him and a couple of other folks I greatly admire and respect — but still struggling and figuring things out.
#Completed
Deep Work
What I love about Cal Newport is that he talks in signs and numbers — which most self-motivation gurus usually lack. Anecdotal evidence is amazing and interesting, but come on, give me the numbers, the facts, the stats. He does it across all three of his books I've read. I believe there's a lot of overlap between Deep Work and Digital Minimalism — end of the day, for us to perform deep work, we have to be digitally minimalistic. I tried a lot of things he recommended, and for a few weeks to a few months it worked out great — but then I spiralled back to my old ways. That said, I believe collectively I've improved, even if I'm not following and implementing things on a granular level day-to-day. Then again, there's a long way to go.
#Completed
Digital Minimalism
I've been a great fanboy of tech and electronic gadgets, but at the same time I've been freaking addicted to them — and I'm struggling to control that addiction. Instead of the device controlling me, I want to control the device. This book helped me sustain that control for a few weeks to a few months, but then I derailed again. That says something about a pattern I always fall into after a while. But at least it gave me the signs, the tools, techniques, and strategies to understand from a psychological, neurological, and various scientific perspectives why we get hooked — and how to fight back.
He talks about how Facebook optimised the red notification button, why all these notifications and alerts are so addictive to us, and how behavioural scientists and engineers — the best in their field — optimise it further to keep us glued to the screen. What incentivises the tech companies to do that, and why it's okay that we find it addictive and struggle to fight it. Because come on — it's science, it's biology, it's evolution.
He talks about how Facebook optimised the red notification button, why all these notifications and alerts are so addictive to us, and how behavioural scientists and engineers — the best in their field — optimise it further to keep us glued to the screen. What incentivises the tech companies to do that, and why it's okay that we find it addictive and struggle to fight it. Because come on — it's science, it's biology, it's evolution.
#Completed
So Good They Can't Ignore You
This book talked a lot about how to compound your career, why you should compound your career, and sometimes why you should not just follow your gut for the sake of following your gut. Why you should build your own niche, work hard, and how to get there. I've always been confused about whether that's the path to success or whether there's some other path. I think I should really re-read it now that I'm in a slightly different — and better — mindset.
#Completed
Oru manitann, oru veedu, oru ulagam (ஒரு மனிதன் ஒரு வீடு ஒரு உலகம்)
I’ve rarely read a book this wholesome and soulful. The father and son—and their perspectives on life, people, hate, anger, love, compassion, sacrifice, money, and judgment—left me speechless. I also loved how the other characters, some of whom seem flawed at first, gradually reveal something more genuine and humane—still imperfect, but real. It had a profound impact on how I think, and how I see (and judge) people.
#Completed
Trends - Artificial Intelligence
Compiles foundational trends with insightful charts/visuals related to AI.
#Completed
Build a Large Language Model from Scratch
Solid book for learning how to build an LLM from scratch.
#InProgress
Let's Talk Mutual Funds
A systematic, smart way to make them work for you.
#InProgress
Will
TBA: add 1–2 line summary.
#InProgress
The Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts
A simple tool that explains the world.
#InProgress
Hands-On Large Language Models
#ToRead
Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again
#ToRead
The AI Revolution in Medicine: GPT-4 and Beyond
#ToRead
The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you
Note: Recommended by my book reading club peers.
#ToRead
If You Live To 100, You Might As Well Be Happy: Lessons for a Long and Joyful Life: The Korean Bestseller
Note: Recommended by my book reading club peers.
#ToRead
Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts
Note: Recommended by senior leader at work.
#ToRead
The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution
Note: Recommended by a Podcast.
#ToRead
Machine Learning Systems
Note: Recommended by LinkedIn Community.
#ToRead