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Book List 2020

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By Rafferty Uy 3 min read

The year 2020 is known by many as a very bad year. COVID-19 that struck on 2020 will go down in history books. The year 2020 for me, however, was a very good year. It was a year when I got to spend more time with my family (due to working from home most of the time). It was also a year of self-reflection (due to stay-at-home isolation) which allowed me to discover more about myself and what I find truly important.

In terms of book reading, I started the year reading professional books in software engineering (pre-pandemic). I then gravitated to learning how to be a better father to my son and leader to my colleagues. At the heart of it, I discovered that I find servant-leadership as one of my top personal Why.

Personal Development

  1. The Bible (ESV)
  2. Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets: 5 Questions to Help You Determine Your Next Move by Andy Stanley
  3. Enemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley (MUST READ)
  4. High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way by Brendon Burchard
  5. Negative Self-Talk and How to Change It by Shad Helmstetter
  6. Simple Habits for Complex Times: Powerful Practices for Leaders by Jennifer Garvey Berger and Keith Johnston

Family

  1. 52 Things Sons Need from Their Dads by Jay Payleitner (MUST READ)
  2. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay Gibson
  3. Fatherless Generation: Redeeming the Story by John A. Sowers
  4. From Fatherless to Fatherhood by Omar Epps
  5. Triggers: Exchanging Parents’ Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses by Amber Lia and Wendy Speake

Leadership

  1. 7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner, and Lane Jones (MUST READ, very relevant to professional/business teams)
  2. Optimize Your Strengths: Use Your Leadership Strengths to Get the Best Out of You and Your Team by James Brook and Paul Brewerton
  3. Lead Like a Shepherd: The Secret to Leading Well by Larry Osborne

Professional Development

  1. .Net Core in Action by Dustin Metzgar
  2. C# In Depth, Fourth Edition by Jon Skeet
  3. Cloud Native Patterns by Cornelia Davis
  4. Docker In Action, Second Edition by Jeff Nickoloff and Stephen Kuenzli
  5. The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-class Agility, Reliability, & Security in Technology Organizations by Gene Kim, Jez Humble, Patrick Debois, and John Willis

Finance

  1. How to Day Trade for a Living: Tools, Tactics, Money Management, Discipline and Trading Psychology by Andrew Aziz
  2. Investment Alchemy: A Guide to Asset Allocation by Guy Baker and Richard Jensen
  3. More Than Financial Advisory by Finexis

Book Summaries

This year, I learned that my company gives us a free subscription to getabstract.com. This allowed me to read books quickly and decide if I should by the full version. Here are the book summaries that I read from this provider.

  1. 1% Better Every Day by James Clear
  2. Beyond Talent: Become Someone Who Gets Extraordinary Results by John Maxwell
  3. How to be an Inclusive Leader: Your Role in Creating Cultures of Belonging Where Everyone Can Thrive by Jennifer Brown
  4. How to Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens
  5. It’s the Manager (From Gallup) by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter
  6. Simple Habits for Complex Times: Powerful Practices for Leaders (1st Edition) by Jennifer Garvey Berger and Keith Johnston
  7. The Curious Advantage by Paul Ashcroft, Simon Brown, and Garrick Jones
  8. The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson
  9. Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
  10. Top 10 Digital Transformation Trends for 2021 by Daniel Newman
  11. Total Focus: Make Better Decisions Under Pressure by Brandon Webb and John David Mann

Final Thoughts

To keep track of what I’ve been reading over the years, I created this new book list reference page.

I’ve read a total of 21 books + 11 book summaries this year. While I initially planned to read a wider variety of books this year, I found that God wasn’t finished with what He has been working with me on last year. Last year was when God taught me about being more vulnerable (through Brené Brown’s books). This year, God went further and uncovered heart issues and areas which I find deeply important. So I look forward to what 2021 will bring.

Happy New Year! Have a blessed 2021!

Life
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