Bookshelf

I love reading! I have a wide range of interests and my favorite books can range from someone’s travel adventures to climbing challenging mountains and mechanisms to build new products as well as effective business strategies.

Rework by Jason Fried and DHH

I loved the strategies they shared about simplifying things and adopting what worked well for Basecamp. I have often found myself going back to this book on multiple occasions.

Lean Startup by Eric Ries

Whether knowingly or unknowingly Eric adopted many Agile practices of fail fast and iterative development of products in this amazing book that challenges fad-following for startups.

Disrupted by Daniel Lyons

This was a very controversial book about Dan’s startup misadventure at famous startup Hubspot. The tone of the book is extremely funny yet thought provoking about the cultural aspects of the Silicon Valley.

Cracking the PM Interview by Jackie Bavaro and Gayle McDowell

This is an interesting book for both experienced and inexperienced product managers alike for different reasons. For experienced PMs, it’s a great gateway into how other established companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc practice product management. While for inexperienced PMs, it’s a great insight into what product management is all about. Even for non-PM folks like engineers, engineering managers or program managers, it acts as a nice insight into the mind of a product manager who often is part of the team.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

This was a personal account of the Everest 1997 disaster by the author that resulted in many lost lives which included many accomplished mountain climbers. Although the book had a subdued climax it really made we wonder if introducing some discipline and structure into these climbing clubs could have saved the day. The book was later made into a feature film.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Another book from the same author, I was impressed by his research into this troubled subject matter. The book is about taking minimalism and simplicity of life to the next level as it describes the life of Chris McCandless who was born and raised into a rich American family but chose a life in the Alaskan wilderness. This was also made into a movie directed by Sean Penn.

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

This was an amazing book that inspired me a lot. Most of people may come away interpreting different things but for me this book was all about following a dream. It seemed to echo, if you dream about making a difference then as long as you persevere against all odds and don’t give up you can make a dent in the universe and make a real difference to other people’s lives. It’s about the journey of Paul Farmer who decided to become a doctor so he could cure epidemics in Haiti and how this singular purpose transformed into an even bigger movement across the world with the birth of his medical organization Partners in Health.

Woman Who Fell From the Sky by Jennifer Steil

This was an amazingly funny book about the misadventures of an American woman who decided to expand her journalism journey into Yemen. It was amazing to see how she embraced the culture and it’s uniqueness with purdah and all.

Honeymoon in Purdah by Alison Wearing

Ever wondered about what a place would be like with the opportunities for you to visit being very slim if at all possible. This is one such book where Alison takes the reader through her journeys and adventures in Iran in a pre-ISIS world. Makes for a very interesting read.