2017 Books List

The target was to read 50 books in 2017 😀 but from my count today, I have completed just 26 books and have 7 books that I plan to complete or have abandoned.  My favourites books for this year are books on Nigeria and the Yoruba. Almost all of the books were Non-fiction and were great eye-openers on respective topics.

  1. Boko Haram: Inside Nigeria’s Unholy War by Mike Smith:  This provides a historical background and overview of the Boko Haram sect.  Mike Smith makes the complexities surrounding the sect easy-to-understand.  Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  2. Fifty Inventions that Shaped the Modern Economy by Tim Harford:  Every book by Tim Harford is now a must read for me after reading this book. An entertaining book on how 50 not so obvious inventions shape the modern economy. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  3. The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren: Read this book for a discipleship class. Rick Warren recommends that churches should be seeker focussed and uses his church, Saddleback church as an example. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  4. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah: An amazing tale by Trevor on his childhood in South Africa.  My mother is just like Trevor’s mum when it comes to total belief in Jesus.  Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  5. Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan: I got to know more about Economics from reading this book than all what I was taught in school including my MBA 😛  Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  6. Naked Statistics by Charles Wheelan: Just as with Naked Economics, Charles explains Statistics in an intuitive manner for all to understand. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  7. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni: A brilliant business novel on teams and team building. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  8. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates: This is one of the most popular essays on race that is ever written. What more can I say about Mr.Coates 😀   Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  9. Unbelievable by Katy Tur: A front seat account and entertaining account of the Trump presidential campaign. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  10. The Four by Scott Galloway: This book changed my perspective of the big tech companies. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  11. The Logic of Life by Tim Harford:  Interesting book on “Rational” Economics.  Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  12. Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella: Satya Nadella has transformed Microsoft from “Evil Corp” 😛  Highly recommended book.   Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  13. Killing England by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard:  Very informative book on the Revolutionary War and America’s founding fathers. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  14. I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi: A good personal finance book. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  15. Thank You for Being Late by Thomas L. Friedman: Excellent book on technological accelerations and why 2007 is an important year in Tech. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  16. The History of the Yorubas by Rev Samuel Johnson: My favourite book for 2017. This book provides a detailed account of the Oyo history till the 19th Century. Amazon 
  17. Against the Run of Play by Olusegun Adeniyi: Details of the 2015 elections and events before and after the elections. Amazon
  18. Righteous Encounter and the Making of the Yoruba by J.D.Y Peel: Informative book on Christianity among the Yorubas in the 19th Century. Amazon
  19.  In Africa’s Forest and Jungle (Six Years Among the Yorubas) by Richard Henry Stone:  A memoir of Rev. Stone a Baptist missionary during the Ijaiye War between Aare Kurunmi (Ijaiye) and Balogun Ibikunle and Basorun Ogunmola (Ibadan). Amazon
  20. Mouth Sweeter than Salt: An African Memoir by Toyin Falola: Toyin Falola’s memoir on growing up in Ibadan. I love this book. Goodreads and Amazon reviews. 
  21. A History of Nigeria by Toyin Falola and Matthew M. Heaton: A history of Nigeria till Obasanjo’s civilian rule. Goodreads and Amazon reviews. 
  22. Yoruba Identity and Power Politics by Toyin Falola and Ann Genova: A collection of essays on Yoruba history, culture and identity. Amazon 
  23. Yoruba Elites and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria by Wale Adebanwi: Interesting book on Obafemi Awolowo, Bola Ige, Bola Tinubu and Afenifere. Amazon
  24.  The 100 Business Books of All Time by Jack Covert & Todd Sattersten: Fantastic book on the top 100 Business books. Highly recommended. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  25. The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille: The only fiction that I completed this year. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  26. The Practice of System and Network Administration Vol 1 by Thomas A. Limoncelli, Christina J. Hogan and Strata R Chalup: Must read for sysadmins. This book will serve as my System Administration reference for many years. Goodreads and Amazon reviews.

 

In Progress or Abandoned Books:

  1. IT Architect: Foundation in the Art of Infrastructure Design by John Yani Arrasjid, Mark Gabryjelski, Chris McCain: Amazon 
  2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  3. Origin by Dan Brown: Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  4. Anatomy of Terror by Ali Soufan: Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  5. We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates: Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  6. What Happened by Hillary Clinton: Goodreads and Amazon reviews.
  7. Wild Ride: Inside Uber’s Quest for World Domination by Adam Lashinsky: Goodreads and Amazon reviews.

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