Weiting's 2021 Books Read and Recommended

Author: Weiting Bollu  |  December 2021

2021 Goal: read 1 book per month

To be honest, I have a very hard time finding time to sit down and read. I'm not a fast reader. I find that I have a hard time focusing on text, videos, and audio for an extended period of time. I have been more of a learn-by-doing human.

I've picked up books, started it, and then stopped reading because "life got busy". That's a sorry ass of an excuse - I know.  I failed to complete several books - all listed below. 

It's emotionally painful for me because I want to read more and I want to read FASTER. There exists knowledge in books and I want to learn more. I believe that life's a lifelong learning journey. 

What's interesting is that it's very different from my ability to do deep work for several hours without interruption. No music, no social media, no phone distractions - I can do that no problem. But when it comes to reading, that is not the case.

With that in mind, I set out to read just 1 book a month in 2021. My thoughts were: if I can just read 1 book a month, I have grown a little bit wiser this month than where I was last month. 

On December 25, 2021, I counted the number of books I read. To my surprise, I finished 15 solid books. I didn't finish 1 book per month as some months got away from me. 

Some may look at this and laugh at the fact I was only able to read 15 books. For me, I celebrated because it's a win in my books and I will take it. 

Next Year's Goal: 24 books, anything else is a stretch goal

See My 2022 Books Journey

"Hoorah, Fully Completed List"

Several pats on the back to myself for completing at least 12 books this year. Whether it was hardcopy, audio, or Kindle - I finished!

Escaping the Build Trap: How Effective Product Management Creates Real Value by Melissa Perri 

[Read in September 2021]

"Started, but Failed to Complete" List

This is the list of books I made an effort to read in 2021 but for some reason or another, I failed to complete it. 

Some, I want to try again in the future. Some, I didn't enjoy it so I will leave it unfinished for now. We'll see.