2025- Book Reading (so far)

I mostly read nonfiction, with interests that include philosophy, history, and science. However, I am always open to new books. I read fiction occasionally. 

This year, I read some amazing books and want to share them with you. The most important goal of this blog is for you to tell me interesting books I should read. This year, I am focusing mostly on the History of India, Consciousness, and Neuroscience (understanding the brain).   

If you use ChatGPT or Gemini, you can get a synopsis of the book. Therefore, I will add only a few lines from my perspective on why I liked it.

Retirement Journey

This was a fascinating book on how to plan your life and retirement. I had read the article before when I decided to retire. Now, reading the book gave me a new perspective. I wrote about it in a February 2025 blog. 

Consciousness

The Case Against Reality by Donald Hoffmann - The main point of Hoffman is "What we perceive as reality is not the true nature of the world" - this is very close to what Vedanta says. This is a bit hard-to-read book after the first few chapters.   

Consciousness - By Anneka Harris - This is a concise book on what scientists are thinking about consciousness. It is easier to read about the current discussions. It does not cover much or at all how scriptures and spiritual leaders think about it.  

I have written a blog on my readings and exploration of Consciousness so far. I continue to read more about it, and as a next step planning to take some classes on Neuroscience (online).  

Science

It was a fascinating book. In the 1980's I had read a book called "Chancy Chancy World" (something like that) - written by some Soviet author - got it at a cheap price in Kolkata, India.  In the early 1990s, I had read a few books on Chaos theory.  

Is everything pre-determined by the hand of God (or unknown forces), or how randomness and unpredictability shape our lives and the world around us?

To me, the important point to take is that everything that we do is a product of conditions from before, and what we do will impact the future.   It is a very well-written book. I highly recommend it.

This is a very exciting book. Venki is a Nobel Prize-winning scientist. He talks about the biological processing of aging (and also birth). It is truly fascinating how everything works. How DNA is repaired during replication.  This book is like the "Gene" book. Very well written and worth going page by page. Not being trained as a bio-science scientist, I came with a wonder about the evolution process, birth, life, and finally death (an inevitability).    

 It is a very well-written book. I highly recommend it

History of India

This book details how a small company from a dingy place in London went on to rule India. It is very well written. This book is also on Obama's recommended reading list. It tells the story of how war was financed by merchants from India and how the British took advantage. It was towards the end of the weak Mughal empire. Without a central, powerful ruler, the company took advantage of the fragmented India.  It's a history that Indians should be aware of.  It is a 400+ page book, and it was spellbinding to read. A very well-written.  William Dalrymple stays near Delhi and has spent the last 25+ years writing about the history of India in a well-researched manner. Highly Recommended.

This is an amazing, well-researched book about how ideas from India influenced half of the world from the 4th century BC to the 16th century. This is the best book I have read for a while and makes me proud of the contribution of India to the world.  If you have to read a book, read this. 

The last two chapters talk about how the decimal system was invented in India and traveled to the West via Persia. It is a fascinating story. I will do a blog about this in August, which will make the timeline easy to understand (this is as much for me as for anyone else).  Must Read.

I have started reading "The Last Mughal" by William, but I found the above 2 books way better and more fascinating.

William, along with Anita Annd have a podcast called "Empire". I have listened to now 10+ episodes of the history of India. It's totally fascinating. 

Other

Kalam is one of India's great presidents. The "Missile Man" autobiography is inspiring.  I had never read his biography before. It was inspiring, humbling, and full of hope.  

This book was a bit of a stretch. It talks about how information and networks have fundamentally shaped human civilization. After a few chapters, I felt that what Yuval wants to talk about can be done in a more condensed version. I stopped midway. I think this book stretches from his expertise and makes it a mediocre book. I loved his Sapiens and Homo Deus. Skip it.  

This is a fascinating book and much better than "Nexus."  It talks about major revolutions from the 1600s. The Dutch Revolution was the precursor of the East India Company.  Very well researched and written.  I recommend it

The second mountain was a very interesting book.  I like David Brooks as an author and as a NY columnist. His other book on moral character was very good. This one talks about life's two mountains. The first one is about "I"  and the second mountain where we should lose "I" and focus mostly on four things: 1) Vocation, 2) Relationships, 3) Spiritual Inquiry, and 4) Community. 

Ultimately, having relationships is the most important 

This book resonated deeply with me. What David told was an inquiry and realization of his second mountain. Each of us needs to define our own second mountain.      

If you enjoy these types of books and have any recommendations, please share your ideas. I am looking for a book to read.

Website: https://prasantajourney.me