Recommendations

I love recommendations. Whenever I meet someone I often wonder what books, films, podcasts, music and websites they loved and would recommend. That is why I created this recommendations page. I want to get these conversations started and was inspired by some of these recommendations lists I came across on the internet.

• Aaron Schwartz Bookshelf

• Elisa Gabbert Year End Booklist

• Tim Ferris Tribe of Mentors Book List

• Maria Popova’s Favourite Books of the Year

• Ryan Holiday’s Reading List

• Patrick Collison’s Bookshelf

• Dhvanil P’s Bookshelf

• Bill Gates Book Notes

• Ankur Warikoo’s Books I’ve Read

• Ali Abdaal’s Book Notes

• Vaibhav Munjal’s Top 20 Favourite Shows

• Bruce Tetsuya’s 100 Films that changed my life

• Wired Magazine’s Best Podcasts

• Cleo Abrams Vids I Admire

• Varun Duggirala Dial Down Song Playlist

• James Clear’s Best Books List

• Atul Gawande’s Operating Room Playlist

• Seth Godin’s Books for the Journey

• Beer Biceps Life Changing Books

• Steven Bartlett’s My Top Ten Books

• Austin Kleon’s My Reading Year

• Austin Kleon’s Recommendation Bookshelf

• Shane Parrish Books that Changed my Life

• Chalchitra Talks Recommendation Lists

• Lex Friedman’s Reading List

• Khan Academy Book Recommendations

• Sharan Hegde Books on Personal Finance

• Canva’s 30 design books you have to read

• TED’s 68 reads that will inspire you

• Varun Duggirala’s Dial Down Playlist

• Prateek Kuhad’s rollercoasters need to breathe to playlist

• Nikhil D’Souza’s melancholy mind

• Ed Sheeran’s Teddy’s Vinyl Breakfast

• Criterion Collection’s Closet Film Picks

• Zane Lowe’s Apple Music Artist Interviews and Recommendations

I then decided to create my own set of lists about my favourite books, podcasts, films, websites, blogs, articles, episodes and songs on the internet. I left a brief comment or personal note about what stood out for me in this specific recommendation.

My Top Ten Non Fiction Books (Favourite Non Fiction Books)

1. Born to Run by Christopher Mcdougall (on why humans run)

2. Chasing New Horizons by Alan S. and David G. (how we sent a spacecraft to Pluto)

3. The Romanovs by Simon S.M. (on a family that ruled Russia for 300 years)

4. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (makes science easy and fun)

5. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster)

6. Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe (the story of the Oxycontin painkiller)

7. A Brief History of the Future by John Naughton (history of the Internet)

8. Team of Rivals by Doris Kears Goodwin (how to disagree and argue respectfully)

9. Tools of Titan by Timothy Ferris (life notes and tips from a podcast)

10. Velocity of Being by Maria Popova (a collection of letters on the joys of reading)

My Top Ten Fiction Books (Favourite Fiction Books)

1. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (a perfect children’s horror story)

2. One Day by David Nicholls (a couple’s journey over 30 years)

3. Anxious People by Frederik Backman (on the backstories of 8 anxious strangers)

4. Namesake by Jhumpha Lahiri (story of a family’s immigration to the US in 1960’s)

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (good vs evil)

6. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (son of God on adventures)

7. Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra (my favourite cops and goons Bombay book)

8. One Hundred Shades of White (on the many benefits of cooking and family)

9. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (on chemistry and patriarchy in the 60’s)

10. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf (on how love changes and evolves over time)

My Top Ten Films (Favourite Films)

1. Before Sunrise (on romantic love and connecting with strangers on a train)

2. Namesake (on family and settling down in a new country)

3. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (has my favourite film character ever)

4. Finding Nemo (on how parents love their kids)

5. Dil Chahta Hai (on adult friendships in your 20’s and 30’s)

6. Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi (on how your politics changes over time)

7. Perfect Days (on the joys of leading a simple life)

8. One Day (this film made me a lifelong romantic)

9. Cake (sibling bonds in a family drama in Pakistan)

10. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (favourite comedy about a missed planeride)

My Top Ten Documentary Films (Favourite Documentaries)

1. Art of the Steal (on the world’s most valuable private art collection)

2. Icarus (on how athletes gamed a system to win at the Olympics)

3. Searching for Sugarman (on a forgotten musician and his sudden rediscovery)

4. Man on Wire (on a man that decided to do a high wire walk across two towers)

5. Stories We Tell (on investigating your family history)

6. Almost Australian (a 10000 km trip to discover the Australian identity)

7. The Cove (on the dolphin hunting practices in Japan)

8. An Inconvenient Truth (on why climate change matters)

9. For Sama (an epic journey into the female experience of war)

10. An Insignificant Man (on democracy and elections in India)

My Top Ten Podcasts (Favourite Podcasts)

1. Seen and Unseen with Amit Varma (best long form interview podcast)

2. Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd (interviews with artists and actors)

3. How I Built This with Guy Raz (best podcast on entrepreneurship)

4. WTF with Nikhil Kamath (roundtables to demystify complex topics)

5. Figuring Out with Raj Shamani (on the Indian dream)

6. The Ranveer Show with Ranveer Allahbadia (on creativity and entrepreneurship)

7. Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett (interviews with CEO’s and thought leaders)

8. Acquired Podcast with David Rosenthal and Ben Gilbert (profiles of brand stories)

9. Cyrus Says with Cyrus Broacha (funny interviews with creative professionals)

10. A Millenial Mind with Shivani Pau (interviews with millennials on their careers)

My Top Ten Music Albums (Favourite Songs)

1. Cleopatra by The Lumineers (life story of a female taxi driver from Georgia)

2. A Head Full of Dreams by Coldplay (delving into the self and being open to ideas)

3. Tokens and Charms by Prateek Kuhad (on nostalgia, love and relationships)

4. Songs about Jane by Maroon 5 (on the passion of your first love)

5. Evolve by Imagine Dragons (on believing in yourself in the good and bad times)

6. In a Perfect World by Kodaline (about the longing when relationships fall apart)

7. Kabir Singh Film Soundtrack and Album (songs on love, fights and connection)

8. Rock On Film Soundtrack and Album (songs on the journey of a rock band)

9. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara Film Soundtrack and Album (songs on friends & travel)

10. Jigra Film Soundtrack and Album (songs on sibling bonds)

My Top Ten Television Shows

1. Last Dance (greatest sports documentary ever made)

2. The Office (favourite comedy show ever)

3. This is Us (on raising a family and sibling bonds in the 21st century)

4. Derek (life in a nursing home from the perspective of a care worker)

5. Stranger Things (on a secret government project in a small American town)

6. Broadchurch (on a murder investigation in a small British town)

7. Made in Heaven (on marriages and society in modern india)

8. White Lotus (on dark secrets & twisted truths of guests at a resort)

9. Zindagi Gulzar Hai (a love story that explores gender bias and class structure)

10. Chef’s Table (short documentaries about the best chefs in the world)

My Top Ten Youtube Channels

1. TED, TEDX Talks, TED-Ed (videos on the greatest ideas humans have come across)

2. School of Life (videos on relationships, work and culture)

3. VOX Media (videos that help you understand our world)

4. Talks at Google (talks with experts on their life’s work from the Google Campus)

5. Jaipur Literature Festival (book talks from the Jaipur Literature Festival)

6. INK Talks (talks on innovation and knowledge from India to the world)

7. Food Insider (best food videos on the internet)

8. Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (a compendium of invented words)

9. Couple of Things (interviews with couples about their love stories)

10. Chalchitra Talks (pop culture recommendations and interviews)

My Top Ten Social Media Accounts

1. School of Life Community on Youtube (on life lessons from art)

2. Sahil Bloom on Twitter (on mental models and personal growth)

3. Matt Haig on Instagram (on kindness, compassion and sadness in life)

4. Adam Grant on Linkedin (psychology and organizational culture)

5. Official Stick Reviews on Instagram (the internet’s go to for stick reviews)

6. Maria Popova on Instagram (passages from her favourite books and artists)

7. Humans of Bombay on Facebook (beat of the city, one story at a time)

8. NASA Telescope on Twitter (the world’s most powerful space telescope)

9. Nat Geo on Instagram (animal photos and videos that make you smile)

10. NAS Daily on Facebook (short videos on amazing human stories)

My Top Ten Internet Websites

1. NASA Images (pictures from spacecrafts in orbit)

2. Google Art and Culture (content from 2000 leading museums/archives )

3. Google Earth (renders a 3D representation of Earth)

4. National Geographic Animals (articles and pictures on animals)

5. 100,000 Stars (explore stars in our galaxy)

6. Letterboxd (discover movies, share reviews)

7. Goodreads (discover books, share reviews)

8. Behance (discover designs and portfolios)

9. Wikipedia (find information about anything for free)

10. Chat GPT (helps you get answers and be more productive)

My Top Ten Personal Websites

1. Ankur Warikoo Website (ebooks/threads on finance and social media)

2. Sahil Bloom Website (newsletter/articles on mental models and wealth)

3. Tim Ferris Blog (articles/videos on productivity and learning

4. Ali Abdaal Website (articles/videos on youtube and finance)

5. Paul Graham Website (essays on startups and founders)

6. James Clear Website (articles/threads on new media and pop culture)

7. Sajith Pai (articles on venture capital and technology)

8. Wait But Why by Tim Urban (essays/comics on productivity)

9. Marginalian by Maria Popova (essays/reviews on books and culture)

10. All Things Learning by Radhika Zahedi (articles on learning and leadership)

I hope you enjoyed this recommendations page. I would love to exchange recommendations. Please do leave a recommendation in the comments below. I will respond with a related recommendation of my own.

Abhishek