Hey everyone,

First, I wish you all a happy new year. This is probably the most eventful year I've had in a while: I went back to school, I returned to piano lessons, and I started this online journey. All these things are probably part of the reason why I've read less books this year at 19 books completely read. But I also didn't finish several books, either because they were boring or it would be better to read them at another time.

Anyway, here is a list of the books I enjoyed the most this year. I think I raved about each book for too long, but I hope you'll bear with me. If you've read or are planning to read any of the books below, reply with any of your thoughts, comments, or questions about them.

1. Educated by Tara Westover

This is my favorite book of the year! I loved everything about it. The author’s recount of her life was eye-opening. The writing was incredible. The core messages were heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. I did not expect a memoir to top my list of favorite books. But then again, vulnerable and intimate stories often resonate with me the most.

It is challenging to contain everything this book embodies in a few sentences. It has themes of familial bonds, self-discovery, abuse, sabotage, and many more. Thankfully, I stumbled upon this excerpt from the book’s synopsis on Goodreads, which captures it perfectly (also because I’m lazy):

Some of the things Tara witnessed and experienced in this book seem absurd. Though most of us just never get to see this side of the world, these types of people, and the things they can do. It broke my heart even more when I realized she was not alone in her experiences. Countless people, especially women, have been belittled, restricted, and abused by those they hold dear—with some wholly unaware.

But my favorite aspect of the book has to be the writing. Tara Westover’s prose is the best I’ve ever read. There were no wasted words. Every sentence felt necessary. She conveyed all her memories and thoughts so vividly and creatively. Her writing was so rich and expressive that I sometimes forgot I was reading a nonfiction book. As a result, I’ve been trying to take from what makes her writing so good and incorporate it into my own work.

This book shows why creating and consuming literature is so important. Educated exposes readers to a culture, an environment, and a family that seems like they should belong to a movie. Through this book, I saw how abuse could leave such terrible wounds. And how the people whom you thought would treat them instead leave them to become scars.

Many of us take our education for granted. It is something you either have or you don’t. It is a tool you can purchase, a badge you show off. But through this story, I’ve learned that education is much more than that. It is a world: one that people enter to transform themselves anew, one that feels far away for some. It is an identity: to learn not only about your surroundings but about yourself. It is independence: the power to stand on your own, to carve your own path in this unyielding journey we call life.

Read my full review here.

2. The Minimalist Entrepreneur by Sahil LavingiaOut of all the business books I’ve read, this is my favorite. The book’s thesis is that successful businesses don’t have to be million-dollar companies, don’t have to take all your time and energy, and don’t have to be founded by top-university graduates. Nearly anyone can build a sustainable, profitable, and meaningful business if they follow a number of core principles.

Entrepreneurship is daunting. It’s too much for common folk like us. It seems like only a special breed of people can pursue it. But if you take away all the unnecessary complications, the core idea of entrepreneurship is easy to grasp: you’re solving problems for people. To become an entrepreneur, you find a problem that people have, create something that will help these people, and sell it to them. This book explains everything so simply and succinctly that it can be a great book to start learning about entrepreneurship.

Although the book does concern leaner, MVP-style businesses that is characteristic of the tech industry. While the principles still apply to companies with different types of products the author is a tech founder so most of his anecdotes and advice clearly have tech in mind.

This book also isn’t condescending and doesn’t reek of privilege: I can’t say the same for many books covering this topic. It’s actually quite a fun read! The author’s insights come from a genuine desire to help other entrepreneurs because he himself aspired to build a billion-dollar company, only to forget why he had started in the first place.

If, and when I do, start my own thing, this book will be a handy little guide. This whole online creator journey I began was actually my way of adopting the first step in this book’s framework on building a minimalist business: starting with community.

Read my full notes here.

3. Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World by Scott Harrison

This is the story of Scott Harrison, the author and the founder of charity: water, a non-profit that provides clean drinking water to developing areas. He talks about how he turned his life around from one of debauchery to one of generosity. He left his nightclub career and joined a trip to Africa with Mercy Ships.

There he witnessed some of the poorest communities in the world: tens of thousands of people under deplorable living conditions, untreated diseases, and dirty drinking water. This experience compelled him to start his own charity that would provide clean water to these people. Today, charity: water has over a million supporters, raised nearly $700 million and built over a hundred thousand water projects in developing countries.

Out of all the books on the list, this one impacted me the most profoundly. It has made me more compassionate, more generous, and more conscious of my privilege. I’ve been giving more gifts (relative to before which was little to none); I give more of my money to those in need; and think I’ve become a little kinder towards everyone around me. Because of this book, one of my dreams is to donate my birthdays to charity and to hold some annual event that encourages giving.

I don’t mean to put myself on a pedestal: I could still be giving so much more. I just want to emphasize just how impactful this book was on my life; and how it could potentially impact yours as well.

If possible, I recommend listening to the audiobook version. Scott narrated it himself and his performance was fantastic. You can tell he cares deeply about the story he’s telling and the message he wants to impart to the reader. I was always immersed. It wasn’t like I was reading a book. It was like he was beside me, telling me his story as if he were my best friend who just came from his trip.

Read my full review here.

4. Peak: A Science of New Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

A fantastic book that provides a simple, effective, and evidence-based framework for improving at anything. The book’s ethos is deliberate practice, the highest form of practice that is summarized in four steps:

1. Define a goal for your practice that improves a specific aspect of your abilities and that pushes you out of your comfort zone.
2. Practice using established training techniques or replicate what the experts in the field do. Avoid distractions.
3. Get feedback on your practice and your work, ideally from a teacher or coach.
4. Reflect on your work, revise your practice techniques, and practice again tomorrow.

This book has been instrumental to my piano-playing journey. It pushed me to finally return to formal lessons after two years and several months of trying to self-study. If you’re determined to improve a certain skill or hone your craft, then I guarantee you’ll get something out of this book.

Anyone can improve, but it requires the right approach. If you aren’t improving, it’s not because you lack innate talent; it’s because you’re not practicing the right way.

Read my full notes here.

5. Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

There’s nothing like a good YA (young adult) fantasy series. This duology is the second part of the larger Grishaverse series of books. But people say these are Leigh Bardugo’s best work so I went with these first. And they did not disappoint.

The duology follows thieving prodigy Kaz Brekker and his small crew of assassins, soldiers, and sorcerers called Grisha as they embark on an impossible heist to infiltrate the world’s most heavily guarded prison. It’s told through a third-person narration of each crew member’s perspective.

The world within these books was vast and enthralling. The author has only scratched the surface of the possible stories they can tell here. Fantasy elements such as magic and culture were explained well and are simple enough for any reader to understand.

But the main highlight of these books was the main cast: I loved everyone. They all come from different walks of life. Each of them is hurting in their own ways, but discover family and belonging in this ragtag crew they’ve formed. The author did an astounding job of making everyone feel alive: their banter, their struggles, and their desires, all struck home.

The author’s writing was on point, especially in Crooked Kingdom. If they sold a collection of all the great quotes in this book, it’d probably be a novel—a novel I’d buy immediately. If you’ve never read a fantasy book before, this would be a great start!

Read my reviews for Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.

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I plan to post this on my blog (and on social media, I think) soon after the New Year's celebrations so look forward to seeing it there.

Also, if you haven't already seen it, I posted a new article on my blog about my experiences with online learning and the joy of finally returning to school this year. I put a lot of effort into writing this and I think it came out pretty well so I hope you'll take the time to read it.

Thank you so much for reading another newsletter post. Have a great day, and I'll see you all in the 2023!

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