10 Best Books I read during the Pandemic in 2020

With the onset of the Pandemic , a lot of us started working from home and were able to rekindle a lot of old habits. Thus, started my quest to read as many books as possible. I had accumulated a huge list of books for my reading which I was finally able to read. I have listed below my 10 favorite books which I read during this time in no specific order. The list includes both Fiction and Non-Fiction books.

1. India after Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha: Being a history buff this was one book I always wanted to read and I’m glad as it lived up to the hype. The books covers as the name would suggest India’s post independence history right up till 2014. Since I liked this book soo much, I wrote a review for the same which I would like everyone to read.
2. Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt: This is a book which most B-School graduates are advised to read by their Professors, it explains a lot of management concepts in a very succinct way without confusing the reader with a lot of jargon.
3. The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Jack Trout : If there is one book I’d recommend all Marketers , then this is it. It is a small book but yet so powerful with its 22 concepts on Brand Management. Honestly, Branding never seemed so simple and clear as it has been explained in this classic.
4. The Shadow Lines by Amitav Ghosh : This was my first Amitav Ghosh book and it didn’t disappoint, wonderful storytelling with a multitude of characters , across continents and against a backdrop of events from our history. The book is narrated as a series of flashbacks and follows a non linear storyline.
5. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde : Well, again a book that was long pending and finally got the chance to read it, though the book is set in Victorian England, some of the topics the book dwells into seem ahead of its time. It did seem a bit stretched in the middle but worth the read.
6. Marketing Warfare by Al Ries and Jack Trout : Another Classic by Al Ries and Jack Trout , this book gives us a framework on how to look at competition in the marketplace and the appropriate Marketing Strategy. A very lucid and simple book and that’s exactly what makes this book so good. I also did read Positioning : A battle for the Mind by the same Authors and would suggest people can also give it a try.
7. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie : I must say I was a bit skeptical before picking up this book as it is written almost 100 years ago, we all have grown up watching a lot of crime shows and thus I did wonder if it had that element of surprise. However, this book has certainly aged very well. A very good ending to a very good book and one which enthusiasts of murder mysteries’ can try reading.
8. What the Customer wants you to know by Ram Charan: This is a book meant for B2B Marketers, It elucidates very well the concept of value selling and presents a framework for the same.
9. Malgudi Days by R.K Narayan : This book is a series of short stories set in the fictional town of Malgudi which tells the tales of its various characters. The book is very Indian in its storytelling with a lot of nuances of Indian culture which is reflected through its pages. The book almost feels nostalgic as its stories are reminiscent of the stories we read as part of our curriculum in school. Very refreshing and indeed fun as well.
10. Misbehaving by Richard Thaler : Having studied Behavioral Economics in B-School, I was always interested in the subject. Therefore, it was only natural that I would read this book and maybe also the reason I was able to appreciate the book even more. Though the book is meant for all audiences, I still feel there were a few topics where people without a grounding in Economics and Finance might struggle to grasp, but other than that, it was a great read.

Please do feel free to share some other books which you may have read during the pandemic and would like to recommend.

Thanks for reading !