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Self-help – self-development
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralle
About The Book
The people of Japan believe that everyone has an ikigai – a reason to jump out of bed each morning. And according to the residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa – the world’s longest-living people – finding it is the key to a longer and more fulfilled life. Inspiring and comforting, this book will give you the life-changing tools to uncover your personal ikigai.
Why I Bought It
This book hasn’t just been on the top of Amazon’s bestselling list for weeks but months. The social media that I frequent – Bookstagram, I see at least one/two other bookstagrammers recommending this self-development tool every day. Apparently, Japanese Books and techniques are all the rage currently. Well-known for their zero mistakes tolerance, the Japanese help the world master their technique in this book.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
About The Book
Paulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and soul-stirring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried near the Pyramids.
Why I Bought It
This particular book is like the HP of non-fiction books. A book-loving cousin told me he reads the book almost every weekend. Wow. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry seemed to have read this book. How did I manage to elude it so far? I had to get.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
About The Book
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
Why I Bought It
While researching for my blog among bestselling books and important keyword terms, this book and questions about it kept popping up. Then I happened upon the author’s website, and I was floored at the way he had built his book blog and book lists. No ads, no pictures. Pure content. Check it out.
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
About The Book
The Classic Text Annotated to Update Graham's Timeless Wisdom for Today's Market Conditions.
Why I Bought It
A book recommended by Market Guru and the richest man in the world, Warren Buffett. Many successful businessmen recommend this as their go-to book for Investments. I’m very curious to read and share what insightful and life-changing tips the book has to offer.
Sapiens : A brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
About The Book
100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens.
How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come?
Why I Bought It
This book was a buy inspired by reading what other book bloggers were recommending.
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
About The Book
A young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. The patterns inside her brain, neurologists discover, have fundamentally changed.
Why I Bought It
Habits can move mountains. That’s what I’ve gathered from the philosophy of success so far. So I had to get this bible explaining the power of Habits. I look forward to reading it.
The Richest Man in Babylon by George Calson
About The Book
Beloved by millions, this timeless classic holds the key to all you desire and everything you wish to accomplish. This is the book that reveals the secret to personal wealth.
Why I Bought It
Any recommendation under Finance books cannot go without mentioning this old classic in Finance.
Memoir
The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank
About The Book
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank’s remarkable diary has become a world classic—a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit.
Why I Bought It
I’ve read this book once before. This story has been the number one memoir for ages. Until recently, it was put on the back shelf because of Michelle Obama's Becoming. A coming-of-age story of a young girl caught in the Nazi War caught my husband’s fancy, and he picked this for me to read. I will re-read it soon for him.
Romance
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
About The Book
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.
Why I Bought It
Any romance reading lists that don’t mention Me Before You in them don’t exist. Unless, of course, it’s the worst romances lists. 😉 Compared to Nicholas Sparks and Nora Roberts, Jojo Moyes is an author I am yet to explore. The movie adapted from this book did very well, and I love Emilia Clarke, the dragon queen, so I was excited to pick this one.
When Love Came Calling by Preeti Shenoy
About The Book
Arush, a nerdy guy, and a British citizen of Indian origins, steps into India first time to volunteer for an Arts educational program. Puja, a confused Kochi girl with wealthy and successful parents, is yet to face the harsh realities of life and find her way in this life. Although very different, their energies are magnetic. Will opposites attract or repel?
Why I Bought It
Being an Indian, I have to read books by Indian authors too, although I don’t enjoy many Indian authors that much. But Shenoy is famous for her YA romances in India, and I was being given an author-signed copy of her newest book. I couldn’t resist.
Thrillers / Murder Mystery
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
About The Book
The story starts with a Journal entry by Alicia Berenson, where she explains that she’s writing this journal because her husband insisted she writes it to express her internal thoughts. Alicia is a painter, and Gabriel Berenson, her husband, is a photographer. They are happily married for seven years. In the second chapter, we learn that one night Gabriel was (murdered) shot by Alicia in the face five times, and since that incident, she has become silent. Her enduring silence turns the story into a grand mystery. She hasn’t spoken to anyone except she drew a painting titled ALCESTIS soon after the murder.
Theo Faber is a psychotherapist who feels uniquely qualified to help Alicia. He wants to be part of this sensational case, and he believes he can make Alicia talk and find what happened that night, even though Alicia has been silent for six years now. An opportunity presents itself with an opening at THE Grove, the forensic institute Alicia is being kept.
Why I Bought It
This psychological thriller has been topping all lists for many months now and I’ve heard it is also being adapted into a movie soon. Given the opportunity, I would love to read all the books being adapted to movies before watching the movie.
The Woman in the Window by A.J.Finn
About The Book
Anna Fox, a psychiatrist herself, hasn’t stepped out of her house for ten months. It is her habit to watch her neighbors from her window facing the park. Russell’s, her new neighbors have just moved in. Anna sees her own once happy but now separated family in the Russells. Until one day she hears a scream and watches something happen that nobody was supposed to see. But being a loner and a wine addict that she is, no one is ready to believe her. Circumstances reach a point where Anna begins to doubt herself.
Why I Bought It
I love thrillers. It’s my favorite genre. That is the primary reason you’ll see multiple thrillers on my list here. I love reading for a fact. But when it is a book in this genre, my husband claims I gobble the book at the speed of light J.
This particular one picked my fancy because I’ve been hearing about it being adapted into a major motion picture soon. That’s it. I had to read it before the movie was out.
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
About The Book
Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .
Why I Bought It
I hear this is something about a family secret being spilled at the deathbed of a mafia don. And I also heard it’s brilliantly written. There is also a movie adaptation starring Blake Lively announced for this book. It should be a perfect marriage mystery story.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
About The Book
A wedding party. A remote island. 150 guests. Each with a secret. Each with a motive to murder. A storm. A killer among the guests.
Jules, the bride, is the director of an online fashion magazine. Will, the groom, is a TV actor in a popular show on survival in the wild. They are a match made in heaven. But does everyone think so? The exotic island has a past, and so does its guests. Is their coming together at the island a coincidence or a cruel twist of fate? The wedding cake is cut, but so is the lifeline of a person. The fury of the storm brings the realization that a killer also roams among them.
Why I Bought It
A remote, exotic island. A wedding. A storm. And a murder. Everyone is a suspect. Well, my adrenaline is already surging. I’ve already started reading it. The review will come up soon. Without spoilers, of course.
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
About The Book
In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a profound coming of age story and haunting mystery. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens’s debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the child within us, while also subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
Why I Bought It
I got tired of seeing this book recommended so many times by so many people that I went and bought it—not joking. I was also intrigued by the title. What does it mean? Anyone?
Into The Water by Paula Hawkins
About The Book
A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged.
Why I Bought It
Paula Hawkins became hugely popular after The Girl On The Train. I’ve read that. I found it bordering towards gross, with all the brakeless drinking and vomiting all over the place. But I liked her plot. I bought this one with the hope that maybe she has done away with the gross parts of her storyline and come out with something new.
Historical Fiction / Women’s Fiction
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
About The Book
With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War II and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war.
Why I Bought It
I am not someone who picks a historical fiction book. And more so never war based stories. For the single reason that they are depressing. Reading about the pain and suffering, I feel like I could’ve avoided the heartache by merely not reading these books. But then again, these four books have been immensely appreciated all over the world so wholeheartedly. I was charmed.
Interestingly, while doing keyword research for my blog, I discovered that the Nightingale review of my competitor’s blog was the best-ranking page of all her pages. Well, I had to get it and read it.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
About The Book
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women, mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends, view one another.
Why I Bought It
This one’s considered somewhat of a classic, I am told. Compared to the likes of Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, I hear it's another endearing story read by millions, if not billions of people. Can't ignore it, can I?
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
About The Book
New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.
Why I Bought It
This is one book that crops in most 2020 bestselling reads. It’s a mammoth of a book. And yet so many bloggers have named it their best book of the year. My curiosity is piqued.
The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
About The Book
A reimagining of the world-famous Indian epic, the Mahabharat—told from the point of view of an amazing woman. Relevant to today’s war-torn world, The Palace of Illusions takes us back to a time that is half history, half myth, and wholly magical. Narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the legendary Pandavas brothers in the Mahabharat, the novel gives us a new interpretation of this ancient tale.
Why I Bought It
I love reading about Indian mythology. And all I know about this book is that it this a book from Panchali or Draupadi’s perspective of the epic Indian saga called the Mahabharata. That woman's perspective is believed to have kick started the Dharma Yudh between brothers - Pandavas and Kauravas. I had to get into the details of this. If nothing, I applaud the author for her imagination.
Fantasy Fiction
The Hunger Games – 3 books
About The Book
Panem is a country with 13 districts, the 13th one was destroyed earlier because they rebelled against the capital. As I reminder every year now the remaining 12 have a competition where they send 2 12 to 18 year olds – one boy and one girl – to the competition named the hunger games. The games are broadcast throughout the country. The aim is only one to survive till the end.
Why I Bought It
Funny story. My bookworm friend Kritee actually helped me make this purchase. Kritee makes hand-painted bookmarks, and she gifted me a set of 3 hunger games bookmarks. So I had to read this series then. And I don’t live under the stone or in a cave. The popularity of this book is second only to Harry Potter. A few years back, I remember a time where I heard only about The Hunger Games everywhere and anywhere I went. Earlier I was ignorant enough to think they were some kind of new video games, but research (googling) revealed that they were in fact, a book series.
Tell me about your favorite 2020 buys in the comments below.
Happy Reading!
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