Best of Infotainment/Braingasm books

I repeatedly get requests to do a must read list. So here a list of books that I recommend based on a theme that is close to my heart. If you have read my "Made easy" articles you know what the theme is. In that series I take a technical or some sort of seemingly complex idea and try to attack it from an oversimplified but entertaining angle(often using my brand of weird humour) to make the subject easy to understand. It is meant to show that the subjects themselves are not dry,it is the pompous,jargon filled,pretentiously meandering, intellectual rubbish that people write that make them boring. That series is meant to pique your curiosity and make you want to read more.

I do believe that well-written non-fiction reads like the best fiction. I have compiled a list of books that manage to tickle your brain, enhance your knowledge, expand your mind without tempting you to commit suicide out of boredom. Here's my list of engaing infotainment/braingasm books:

Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan- Who would have imagined that a subject like Economics can be so fascinating and funny. It makes Economics not only understandable, but makes you turn the pages like a kid craving for ice-cream.
Guaranteed to make you go “Oh, I get it now!” many times.

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari - This Israeli author does the impossible: Make you refuse to put an anthropolgy book down as if you are reading a Dan Brown novel. The history of mankind, starting from the earliest hominids. Beautifully written, Engaging, easy to read and eye opening. Bonus point for explaing why an idea like patriotism is so key to our development.

A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson - A popular science book like no other. Nothing is dry when someone as witty as Bill Bryson approaches it. He has a delightful way with words. The book will engage and amuse you. He talks about Big bang, Particle physics, Geology, Newton, evolution of life on earth and such in an accessible and interesting manner. We get to see colourful characters and funny stories about the scientists behind the research and discoveries mentioned.

Stumbling on Happiness by Dan Gilbert - I will simply quote Mark Manson on this: Gilbert is a famous Harvard psychologist who has a knack for coming up with zany experiments that show just how flawed and biased the human mind is. Read This Book If…
…you enjoy Harvard professors who reference The Beatles in every chapter and make jokes about quadriplegics.
…you are interested in behavioral economics and irrational decision-making.
…you’ve always had a hunch that you are completely full of shit but would like 400 pages of psychological research to confirm it for you.

Plato and Platypus walk into a bar - If you think that philosophy is a subject meant only for those Kurta Pyjama wearing bearded intellectuals think again! Authors take a broad area of philosophy, take a famous idea and give a joke that illustrates the idea. One joke for one idea. This unique premise makes it charmingly funny and engaging.

Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant - This is the most insightful book I have read on how those creative Originals manage to be original. Grant tackles ideas at a fast, sometimes frenetic pace. Good research, engaging style and sharp insights make for a compelling read. - There is so much junk written in the name of Self help that when I read a book like this I feel like running to majestic busstand and distributing a copy of the book to everyone. I would give the same compliment for the book "Made to Stick" mentioned below.

Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath About why some ideas become popular and some don't. Written like a self help book. Authors give simple ideas pepper it with great reaearch providing a compelling case. It's a joy to read. "Switch : how to change things when change is hard" is another good book by the same authors.

Books by Malcolm Gladwell - I won't say much as he is already a very famous author. The tipping point, Outliers, David and Goliath, What the dog saw

Born Liars by Ian Leslie - An entire book about lying, wonderfully researched, Ian Leslie dissects the subject through the lens of law, psychology and culture. It's a thought provoking read. You probably didn't know that there are so many things you didn't know about something as simple as lying.

Curious by Ian Leslie - Similar to the book above. It is difficult to imagine that someone can write an entire book on curiosity. Informative and engrossing.

Into thin Air - An account of a team's climb to Himalayas. Author has a rare and dazzling gift to draw you into any story. Don't blame me if you feel like you would want to climb Mount Everest next weekend after reading this book.

Spy the Lie: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Detect Deception. Drushyam movie had showed some of the techniques explained here but it still makes for an interesting read. Who wouldn't want to learn the art of lie detection from the people who used to do that for the CIA?

Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden - The story behind the chase and assassination of Pablo Escobar, the most elusive and powerful cocaine trafficker ever. There also is an excellent documentary based on the book.

The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question? by Leon M. Lederman, Dick Teresi - Here is a Nobel prize winning scientist who writes like a Stand-up comedian. That should be reason enough to read it.

Situations matter by Sam Sommers - This one has a psychology professor exploring the power of context and by the time you finish reading it you will be convinced that you are not as objective as you think you are. An enjoyable guide on how to recognize social influences that shape behavior

48 laws of power - This one is a bit like a compilation of advice on how to use strategies/tactics and cunning to attain power by Chanakya/Machiavelli. Every idea is illustrated with interesing anecdotes.

India After Gandhi, by Ramchandra Guha - A very well researched modern history of India. A must read.

Freakonomics - a thoroughly engaging and surprisingly humorous book that tries to use economics to gain insights about many daily life observations, crime etc.

The Most Human Human: What Artificial Intelligence Teaches Us About Being Alive by Brian Christian - This one uses Artificial intelligence to understand human beings. The subject itself is so fascinating.

E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation by David Bodanis - It does an exquisite job of using anecdotes and history to give a sense of what this equation really means. David Bodanis is a good storyteller and you will never feel like you are reading physics.

Technical Film and TV for Nontechnical People by Drew Campbell - A humourous introduction to nuts and bolts of film production. Very underrated, makes for a breezy read.

The last 3 are not books(though books have been published based on 2 of them):

Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do? A series of lectures by Professor Michael Sandel - This is a course that a professor taught in Harward. Jurisprudence is a very boring subject but Professor Sandel makes it so interesting and accessible that you might want to binge-watch. He uses the ideas of famous philosophers to define what ethics are and what justice really means. Who would have imagined that a classroom teaching video series would have a viral video type of view count on youtube. You will definitely wish that you had a teacher like that. Go to youtube and spend some time on this series. You will thank me later.

Better Explained blog by Kalid Azad - This guy thinks that the way Mathematics is taught in schools is wrong and uses an intuitive approach instead. He uses a commonsensical approach and tries to relate those dry formulae to real life making you go, "Wow! I had never realised that this mathematical idea is so simple". He has earned a great fan following and you will know why once you read his blog.

THE KAIPULLAI'S VETTI THOUGHTS: This guy used to write Cracked magazine type outrageously funny pieces on Indian history. Such a supercool approach to make something as boring as history come alive.

Some more notable books:
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
The Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely - Outstanding experimentally-driven analysis of human irrationality.
Phantoms in the brain by Dr. Ramchandran: If you are into psychology, neuroscience, AI, cognitive science or just plain curious about brain, this is the thing.
The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson - An accessible and entertaining book on the history of finance.
Negotiation Genius by Deepak Malhotra, Max H. Bazerman