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By Lekshmy Sankar | 17-May-2018

As spring gets into full swing, I wanted to do something special. As a special treat to myself, I made a list of my favorite books that I have been reading. If you have not had the opportunity to read these, they should be on your book list for 2018. If mindfulness and healthy living is part of your life goals, reading can help you become stress-free, empathetic, and help you sleep better. Or if you are like me, reading is just a central part of life. I picked the top three books for each of the following categories that just really spoke to me.

Political:

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles – a descriptive story with a beautiful character. It’s about a man who has separated himself from others (he is under house arrest at a hotel) and learns to appreciate the simple things in life. I think we can all learn from this novel of seeing the beauty and luxury of everyday life.
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Mara – Story about the Chechnya conflict, which I admit I didn’t know much about before reading this. I vaguely remember hearing news stories but never took the time to learn more. It spans the ten years of conflict where we face stories of torture, slavery, loyalty, betrayal but most importantly love.
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce - Bierce has a type of writing that makes you feel like you are part of the action and part of the moment. It's emotional, surreal, and rare.

Biography:

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance - Who doesn't love Elon Musk? It is a very detailed biography where we journey through South Africa to creating and selling Paypal, the beginnings of both Tesla & SpaceX and his vision for the future. One of my takeaways was when Tesla was four hours from not being able to make payroll and shutting down. He hustled and was able to secure another round of funding on Christmas Eve. We learn how he can withstand stress and still make rational and long-term decisions. This man is incredible.
Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens by Eddie Izzard – Izzard is a transgender comedian that I found I had a lot in common with. It felt like he was talking right to me as one of the gang, someone who you can connect with. Like most people, I struggle with trying to figure out who I am, how I got here, and what the future holds. The book helps you realize you are not alone.
A Full Life by Jimmy Carter – I love most of his books, but this one was special. It captures how the President struggled and made it to world’s highest office. Truly inspirational.

Mysteries:

Hidden Pieces by Paula Stokes - This book keeps you guessing with blackmail, craziness, and everything in between. There are little clues that will drive you nuts trying to imagine who did what.
The Fifth Element by Jorgen Brekke – I admit, I picked up this book because I loved the Bruce Willis movie (who doesn’t?). This book has nothing to do with that movie. It’s a bit confusing at first, but it all ends up fitting together like a puzzle. It is one of those novels that once you see the completed puzzle, it just makes sense and you immediately love the book. It’s multi-layered and original with no clear right or wrong. At the end of the day, it was just a fun book to read.
A Criminal Defense by William L. Myers Jr. - This book would make an excellent TV show. I'm usually not the biggest fan of legal dramas because I have seen and read so many that I'm burned out. This book is an exception. It has a gritty lawyer who wants to make the world better and it starts with his wealthy friend who has been arrested for murder. He has to trust his friend that what he is saying is true and that he is innocent when all the evidence points otherwise.

Science Fiction:

Provenance by Ann Leckie - If you have ever read 'Ancillary' books by Leckie, you are going to love this book. It takes place in the same universe. If you have not read those books, you should. The book explores multispecies conflict, robots, and alien ships. It's a space opera that any science fiction fan will love.
Bloodfire by Helen Harper - I loved the whole series. Confession time, I might have read all the books in the series in one sitting. In my defense, it's addicting. I have also decided in my life that if I am going to be a 'were' something, I want to be a 'were-panther.'
White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland - It reminds me of that show 'iZombie,' but this is much funnier. The main character is vulnerable but tough. Sarcasm is the way of life with her. The whole series is a joy to read, and you will be laughing out loud the whole time.

Romance:

Suprise Me by Sophie Kinsella - My favorite type of romance novels is when there is a strong female. It is fun, and I laughed throughout the book. Kinsella never disappoints, her books are fun to read with no thought-provoking drama to consume you.
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett - It's sweet, daring, romantic, funny, heartbreaking, and inspiring book. The banter between the characters is impressive. The characters are easy to fall in love with, and the book is easy to love as well.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - I don't think you can have a romance book list without mentioning this series. There is a TV series on Starz, but the books are much better. It has this fantastic scenery of the Highlands with a strong female caught in the middle between two men from different centuries.

Self-Help:

Solve for Happy by Mo Gawdat – This book is terrific. I have recommended it to so many of my friends who need a bit of a pick me up. In fact, it was recommended to me by a dear friend when I was struggling with some work drama. I love self-help novels and go through them like candy. Unfortunately, it's usually the same message, and nothing new is said. Gawdat has a way of writing where you genuinely fall in love with his words. It inspires you, and every chapter puts a smile on your face even when you are listening to him go through losing a son.
You are a Badass by Jen Sincero – I wrote a post a couple of months ago about mindfulness, and one of the comments was to read this book. Yay - thank you! Jen is amazing. If you need a kick in the butt or feel like you are losing in life, well you need to read this. Her way of writing is so real that you feel like you are talking to a friend who slaps you across the face and says 'you got dumped so what?! get out of bed and stop being a loser'. You need that friend.
The Power of No by James Arthur - I struggle with saying 'no.' The book talks about how your life can be defined by how good you are at saying no.

Millennial:

Thirteen Tactics for Realistic Radicals by Saul Alinsky - I don't know if I agree with a lot of his thoughts, but the issues are significant enough that it provokes thought. If you are interested in making a social change, it's a book you should read.
(Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love by Brooke Erin Duffy – Social media has helped us to turn what we love into careers. Duffy explores the tireless work and scrutiny that goes into each of these social media posts.
The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi - I remember trying to read the 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu in high school and thinking it was painful. I did attempt it again after a couple of years and was able to see the comparison to business life with an emphasis on globalization and ended up loving it. Musashi focuses on more small-scale battles. Think of it as getting advice for when you have run of resources and do not have someone to have your back, how do you deal with that situation. A bonus is that I learned more about sword-fighting, which is pretty cool.

Technology:

The Future of Humanity by Michio Kaku - Anything by Kaku is fascinating (that goes without saying). In this book, he talks about why laser porting may be the best way to reach other galaxies and how one day there may be ballet dancers on Mars. He talks about how we need to explore space and leave earth to survive. He is a fantastic storyteller, and I am in love with this book.
Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella - It explores the future of technology while explaining the challenges Nadella faced. He went through trials that I'm not sure I could have dealt with and still be optimistic.
Technically Wrong by Sara Wachter-Boettcher – It’s a fascinating book that analyzes our inherent biases with creating algorithms for the apps that we love. It’s one of those books that makes you realize that stuff you are doing till someone points it out to you.

Business:

The Strategy Paradox: Why Committing to Success Leads to Failure (And What to do About It) by Michael E. Raynor - 'The strategy paradox is that the prerequisites of success are often the antecedents of failure. Faced with this painful trade-off between the returns to bold commitment and the risk of making the wrong commitment, most organizations forgo the possibility of gory for an existence bereft of greatness'. If you want to succeed, you have to commit.
Tools of Titans by Timothy Ferris - I am a huge fan of his podcasts so full disclosure, I might be a bit biased. If you have read his previous books, you might be disappointed because it is different from his previous books. I, however, think it's better - it has a broad sense of insight and inspiring ideas.
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham – It is an older book but still relevant. It teaches you to think about investments as ownership in businesses

Strong Females:

Own It by Sallie Krawcheck - Krawcheck's anecdotes made this book beautiful, raw, and relatable. She talks about how to start those 'courageous conversations' and does it in a way that does not sound condescending. She is quite an inspiration.
Sita by Amish Tripathi – The story of Ram and Sita is definitely not my favorite story growing up because I think it’s ridiculous to tell a story of an obedient wife who gets left at the end of the story for her husband’s absurd honor (talk about sexism – what kind of lesson are we trying to teach our daughters?!). I remember once whining to my mom about this story and my mom telling me that Sita is someone all women should inspire to (let’s just say that conversation did not end well and my mom to this day refuses to bring up the names Ram, Sita, and Hanuman around me). Tripathi gave us a Sita that does inspire.
The Women Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone - The book explores the story of scientific achievement that was overshadowed by gender. What's more amazing is that it took place during a time when a world was going through chaos. The book and the main character Elizebeth should not be overlooked.

Short Stories:

The Sex Lives of African Girls by Taiye Selasi - It's about a girl that lives with her uncle after her mother abandoned her. It's heartbreaking story of the power of wealthy in a struggling poor country with a backdrop of the loss of innocence.
Women Who Launch by Marlene Wagman-Geller - The book is filled with inspiring stores of women who launched these amazing companies that changed the world.
Shifting Sands by Radha Venuprasad – I ran into her book when I was in Kerala. She went to the same school as me (Holy Angels Convent in Thiruvananthapuram), so of course, I bought it immediately. A strong woman in Kerala’s society is intriguing, and the stories are captivating for anyone with a similar background as me or anyone who is curious to know more about women in the Indian culture in this period.

Truthfully, the books I have had a chance to read in 2018 has been so good that I think I could write a couple of more pages of recommendations. Alas, I must wrap up this article. So tell me what your favorite books you have read this year so far are? Any recommendations?

Favorite Books of 2018

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