Montly Reads: Sep 2024

Hello once again, welcome back to my Monthly Reads: September Edition

A little side note for myself: I need to come up with a new way of welcoming my readers to every article. Hmm!

Fun aside, last month I read two books. One of them just topped my reading list for 2024 and perhaps even stands as the best book I have read so far. Let me begin.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

This is the first Haruki Murakami book I’ve read. Many in your book clubs or close circles would be surprised if you’re an avid reader and haven’t come across Haruki Murakami. That’s what happened to me when a colleague suggested I start with this book.

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki—I fell in love with the book and the author’s writing after just a few pages, and I couldn’t put it down. The story and plot were so gripping. The book is about a railway station building engineer who is cast out from a close-knit group of friends during his teenage years. Not knowing the reason, the protagonist experiences deep loneliness and suffering, eventually embarking on a journey of self-discovery, or “pilgrimage,” before uncovering why his friends abandoned him, 16 years later.

As he gathers the courage to seek the truth by meeting each friend, he encounters unsettling and surprising situations that led to his expulsion from the group.

The story fully engrosses you, and each page draws you deeper into Tsukuru’s colorless world. A glance at the clock will tell you it’s already midnight. I truly enjoyed reading the book, even though the happy ending I was expecting never arrived. Still, that made it the perfect ending to a wonderful story.

After learning more about Mr. Murakami, it seems he has written many books that will keep me occupied throughout 2025. In fact, I’ve already started reading another of his bestsellers, Norwegian Wood.

Found by Naveen Lakkur

I might be one of the few lucky enough to attend Naveen Lakkur’s workshop at my office, which led me to discover his book. The book is about innovation and generating the “winning idea” as you venture into the startup world.

F.O.U.N.D., as the acronym stands for:

• F - Free flow
• O - Orient
• U - Unearth
• N - Negotiate
• D - Determine / Decide

is a framework for evaluating your ideas and deciding whether an idea is a “winning idea” or not. The book includes many case studies from various tech entrepreneurs who used this framework for their startup success.

It’s a short book, and I was so curious to know what it takes to come up with a “winning idea” and succeed in the entrepreneurial world that I finished it in a day. I’m not boasting about my reading speed, but the determination to accomplish something only comes when you’re in the right mindset and naturally motivated. I would say it’s a good book for any beginner venturing into the startup or entrepreneurial world.

In conclusion

Discovering a new best author after reading a wonderful novel with deep emotions and personal discovery, and the other offering a practical guide for innovation and success in entrepreneurial world were enriching.

Until next edition, bye and take care.