[First published Dec 2017]

When the year began, one of my resolutions was to read 52 books in 2017 -- essentially one a week. I haven’t quite gotten there yet; with two weeks left, I'm still 7 books short.

Some themes have emerged though. I read a number of books on data governance, data modelling and strategy, for work. It was good learning and intriguingly reminds me of philosophy class — data modelling is a very logical process and defining/ using terms precisely is also a skill that philosophy hones... Another cluster of books centred around self-awareness. I particularly enjoyed Brene Brown's "Daring Greatly", which was a lesson to lean into vulnerability, uncomfortable though that is. Richard Bolles' "What Color Is Your Parachute?" was also very instructive -- it helps you distill what makes you you into a few handy sentences. Given the lively state of Singapore politics this year, it was timely to read Sonny Liew's fantastic "The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye". This should be on students' reading lists or curriculum (if it's not already)! What better way to support a local illustrator who won the Singapore Literature Prize for fiction in 2016, and three Eisner Awards in 2017?

Nevertheless, I have a great weakness for fiction, and read more memoirs than usual. Some extended thoughts on four memorable reads:

William Gibson's "Neuromancer” **stood out for its evocative cyberpunk world-building that reputedly inspired the 1999 Matrix films. Although written more than 30 years ago, it remains one of the freshest concepts and writing styles I've come across in science fiction or fantasy. (It's one of those experiences where you just know you have encountered a classic - like Ender's Game, or Dune). In contrast, Patrick Rothfuss' "The Wise Man's Fear", while definitely a blinding page-turner, I thought lacked the gravitas and elegance that would elevate it over time.

Khalil Gibran's “The Prophet” is so luminous and truthful, it reminds me what words can do, and should be: such beautiful and simple phases that make me pause at almost every sentence. Such insight into humanity and all the complexities of the heart:

"And let your best be for your friend.

If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.

For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?

Seek him always with hours to live."

I have such awe for a master at his craft. I only wish I had read this earlier.

J.D. Vance's much vaunted 2016 memoir "Hillbilly Elegy" offered a penetrating glimpse into a different way of life and culture in America. (I also had flashbacks of Jennifer Lawrence's breakout role in 2010's Winter's Bone...) It's popularity, I think, stemmed largely from the fascination people had regarding Trump's ascendancy to president, and the allure of an underdog (Vance) triumphing against the odds. Although the author "made it", the path he took (U.S. Marines, Yale Law School) is not for everyone. It would be interesting to hear ideas on how change could come about more systematically.

Jeffrey Gettleman's "Love, Africa" attempts to paint an epic where he's torn between his twin loves (journalism in Africa and the woman he loves back in America). I'm not quite sure the arc worked, although it certainly is a compelling hook. Where this Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist excels is capturing that finely-tuned sense of adventure to remote and disturbing realms -- in pursuit of the scoop -- to places in the thick of action -- the thriving concupiscence of dreams, desire, despair. "There's this notion, lived just about every day out here, that nothing's easy but anything's possible." If that doesn't jump in you; if that doesn't stir up memory or yearning, then I suppose you may find less to appreciate. But for those who glimpse in these words a kindred spirit, then I say you will enjoy the transport of remembering how you once felt -- discovering a place again for the first time, with clear-eyed crystalline wonder, your blood singing in your veins, the world strange and alive.

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Full list below; standouts marked with *

Fiction / Poetry

• *The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, Sonny Liew

• *A Hero of our Time, Mikhail Lermontov

• *Neuromancer, William Gibson

• *The Prophet, Khalil Gibran

• *Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi

• State of Wonder, Ann Patchett

• The End of the Affair, Graham Greene

• The Go-Between, L.P. Hartley

• Persuasion, Jane Austen

• Dream Work, Mary Oliver

• Silence, Shusaku Endo

• Fathers and Sons, Ivan Turgenev

• The Silent Wife, A.S.A. Harrison

• The Wise Man’s Fear, Patrick Rothfuss

• The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruis Zafon

Memoirs

• *Love, Africa: Two Roads Home, Jeffrey Gettleman

• *Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance

• Yes Please, Amy Poehler

• Neither Civil nor Servant, Shing Huei Peh

• When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi

History / Politics / Psychology

• *Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, Brene Brown

• *Portfolios of the Poor: How the World’s Poor Live on $2 a Day, Daryl Collins

• *What Colour is Your Parachute 2017, Richard H. Bolles

• The Transformation of the World, Jurgen Osterhammel

• Grit, Angela Duckworth

• Slavery, Inc., Lydia Cacho

• Constructing Singapore: Elitism, Ethnicity and the Nation Building Project, Michael Barr

• The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality, Angus Deaton

• The Gift of Fear, Gavin De Becker

Data Governance / Strategy

• *Data Modeling Made Simple, Steve Hoberman

• *Data Stewardship, David Plotkin

• *Building a Digital Analytics Organisation, Judah Phillips

• Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim

• The IBM Data Governance Unified Process, Sunil Soares

• Database Processing: Fundamentals, Design and Implementation, David M. Kroenke

• Beyond Strategy, Robin Speculand

Faith

• Heretics, G.K. Chesterton

• The Insanity of God, Nik Ripken

• Tramp for the Lord, Corrie Ten Boom

• Divine Direction, Craig Goeschel

• All the Places to Go, John Ortberg

Easy reading / Slightly trashy

• Techbitch, Lucy Skyes

• City of Ashes, Cassandra Clare

• City of Bones, Cassandra Clare

• Six Years, Harlan Coben