Following contains a collection of some books that excite me. I've excluded books that are usually found on reading lists. I've also excluded books I think aren't as important. These books have either pushed the boundaries of my own thinking or have the potential to do so. I'll add more names soon.

I have read at least two-thirds of the books in the list cover to cover. The rest I use as research tools or plan to finish as soon as time permits. This list owes itself from the Umberto Eco's idea of 'antilibrary' or the Japanese term 'tsunduko'.* For more on this checkout.

  • A swim in the pond in the rain
    Great literary analysis corresponding to the most incredible russian short stories. It's a book form of the incredible George Saunders' MFA course.
  • On all fronts
    Clarissa Ward, the war correspondent's biography. Her own audiobook is great.
  • Midnight's Children
    Probably my favourite book. Although Surprisingly I had difficulty with the Indianised language, but it's definitely worth plowing through. Also Rushdie's Victory City is great as a magical realism intro to Vijaynagar empire in relation to our times. Recommend other works by him. Although haven't picked up Knife yet, prefer reading his creative works.
  • Hhhh - Laurent Binet
    Love the style of writing history through the author's discovery of it. Not to mention this is an incredible WW2 story, at least two movies are based on it. Also 7th Fuction of Language by Laurent Binet is a nerdy joyful read.
  • Team of Rivals
    Apart from great story of leadership, achievement and the life of each of Lincoln's cabinet. This gives a great feel of the times as well. You learn many sociological things about those times.
  • American Prometheus
    Great book obviously. The movie is a Surprisingly close adaptation, apart from some dramatic changes. It's worth going through to learn about oppie's duality of personality.
  • Popper Selections
  • Gitanjali
  • Story of philosophy
    It's old but worth reading. Amazing summaries of all the philosophers and their times. It's worth reading just so you can compare different ideas with each other.
  • Dune - recommend the first two books atleast
    Villeneuve's adaptations are quite amazing but there are limits to how much even two ~3 hour movies can cover. Also reading Dune Messiah is essential to understand dangers of Messiahs themselves.
  • Foucault's Pendulum By Umberto Eco
  • The Art of Doing Science and Engineering
  • Shot to save the world
    Nice history of vaccines
  • Calcutta Chromosome
  • The Dispossessed
    Great story of resource crunched socialism v. extremes of capitalism and a person stuck between them. Also Left hand of darkness, World of Exile and Illusions, the full Hainish cycle, the ones who walk away from omelas, or anything else she wrote.
  • The chip war
    History of chips
  • The Three-Body Problem
    Once you read it you'll realise why it's recommended so much.
  • When we cease to understand the world
    Incredible writing. Although it's important to understand that the fiction part increases as you go through the book.
  • Max Weber - The Protestant Ethic
  • The shadow of the wind
    Great gothic book to read in Barcelona.
  • Shogun
    The rare case where the tv series is better but the book is quite good as well.
  • The debt
    Surprisingly less known book. Great way to understand more anthropological history of money/debt. Although he does not provide any solutions to the problems/criticism he puts out.
  • The Brain in search of itself
    Biography of Santiago Ramón y Cajal
  • Sophie's Worlds
    Great and fun intro to philosophy. Ending might be underwelming but the journey is the point..
  • Development as freedom
    Also the argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen
  • The wizard and the prophet
  • Station Eleven
  • The thing around your neck
  • City of Djinn
  • The Spy who came in from the cold - and everything else by John Le Carre
  • Lock In
  • My name is red

*At this point, in the age of Instagram (and Zoom backgrounds) books have become more ornamental, and the excuse of 'anti-library' is used to not care about reading itself. Huge doubt if this attitude would have made Umberto Eco happy.