Bookshelf
Books that shaped my thinking. Each one comes with a personal note and the key takeaway that stayed with me.
The Upanishads
by Eknath Easwaran (Translation)
Key Takeaway
Tat Tvam Asi — Thou art That. The individual self and the universal Self are one. This single insight is the foundation of all Vedantic philosophy.
The philosophical crown jewel of the Vedic tradition. Easwaran selects the most important Upanishads and presents them with clear introductions that make the abstract tangible. The Katha Upanishad (Nachiketa's dialogue with Death) reads like a thriller. The Isha Upanishad is just 18 verses but contains an entire worldview. Start here if the Vedas feel intimidating.
Read February 2026
The Bhagavad Gita
by Eknath Easwaran (Translation)
Key Takeaway
You have the right to perform your duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Focus on the process, surrender the outcome.
The single most important book in my spiritual journey. Krishna's counsel to Arjuna on a battlefield is really a conversation about how to live — with purpose, without attachment, and in alignment with your Dharma. Every reading reveals a new layer. Easwaran's translation is clear without diluting the depth.
Read January 2026
Atomic Habits
by James Clear
Key Takeaway
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Small habits compound into remarkable results.
The definitive guide to building good habits and breaking bad ones. Clear breaks down habit formation into four laws — make it obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying — that are immediately actionable. What sets this book apart is the emphasis on identity-based habits: instead of focusing on what you want to achieve, focus on who you want to become.
Read December 2025
Autobiography of a Yogi
by Paramahansa Yogananda
Key Takeaway
The spiritual path is real, experiential, and available to everyone — not reserved for monks in caves. Science and spirituality are not opposites; they are two sides of the same truth.
A life-changing book. Yogananda's journey from a young seeker in Kolkata to bringing Yoga to the West is extraordinary. What makes it special is that it doesn't ask you to believe — it describes direct spiritual experiences with such clarity that you feel pulled toward your own practice. Steve Jobs read this once a year. There's a reason.
Read November 2025
Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
Key Takeaway
Our minds operate in two systems — fast intuitive thinking and slow deliberate thinking. Most of our errors come from relying on System 1 when we should engage System 2.
A masterpiece on human decision-making by the Nobel laureate. Kahneman reveals the biases and heuristics that shape our judgments — from anchoring to loss aversion to the planning fallacy. Essential reading for anyone who makes decisions (which is everyone). Changed how I think about risk assessment in both trading and professional life.
Read October 2025
Siddhartha
by Hermann Hesse
Key Takeaway
Wisdom cannot be taught — it must be experienced. The river of life teaches more than any scripture, but only if you learn to listen.
A beautiful novel about a young man's spiritual journey in ancient India. Hesse captures the tension between seeking truth through teachers and finding it through direct experience. The river scene at the end — where Siddhartha finally hears the unity of all things — is one of the most powerful moments in literature. Short, profound, and deeply moving.
Read September 2025
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
by Eric Jorgenson
Key Takeaway
Seek wealth, not money or status. Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. Learn to sell. Learn to build. If you can do both, you will be unstoppable.
A compilation of Naval's wisdom on wealth creation and happiness. What makes this special is the clarity of thought — Naval distills complex ideas into tweet-length insights that stay with you. The sections on specific knowledge, leverage, and judgment are worth re-reading quarterly. Free to read, priceless in value.
Read August 2025
Inner Engineering
by Sadhguru
Key Takeaway
The quality of your life is determined by how well you manage your body, mind, emotions, and energy. Yoga is not about bending your body — it's about engineering your inner self.
Sadhguru breaks down Yogic science into practical, modern language. Whether you agree with everything or not, the core message is powerful: you are the architect of your inner experience, and there are tools — ancient, tested tools — to master it. The chapters on the nature of mind and the mechanics of joy are particularly insightful.
Read July 2025
Deep Work
by Cal Newport
Key Takeaway
The ability to perform deep work is becoming increasingly rare at exactly the same time it is becoming increasingly valuable. Those who cultivate this skill will thrive.
Cal Newport makes a compelling case for focused, distraction-free work as the key competitive advantage in the knowledge economy. The practical strategies for building deep work habits are immediately applicable. Changed how I structure my workday — dedicated blocks of uninterrupted focus have doubled my output.
Read June 2025
Man's Search for Meaning
by Viktor Frankl
Key Takeaway
Those who have a 'why' to live can bear with almost any 'how.' Meaning is found not in circumstances but in how we respond to them.
Written by a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, this is perhaps the most important book I've ever read. Frankl's insight — that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it and find meaning in it — is transformative. A book that puts every complaint, setback, and hardship into perspective.
Read April 2025