It’s said that you’re better off reading the hundred or so greatest books of all time, over and over again, rather than reading every new book that’s published, or trying to read as many books as you can.

I pondered what my 100 greatest books of all time would be and which of them I’d want to re-visit in 2021. While I didn’t come up with 100, I came up with enough to last me the entire year. Here’s what made my list:

Avthar’s 2021 Essential Books

1. “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman

2. “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle

3. “The Bhagavad Gita” translated by Eknath Easwaran

4. “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari

5. “The Art of Learning” by Josh Waitzkin

6. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho

7. “Become What You Are” by Alan Watts

8. “Direct Truth”, “A Master’s Secret Whispers” and “Atmamun” all by Kapil Gupta

9. “Poor Charlie’s Almanack” by Charles Munger

10. “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert Pirsig

11. “Extreme Ownership” and “The Dichotomy of Leadership” by Jocko Willink

12. “As One Is” and “Total Freedom” by Jiddu Krishnamurti

13. “The Manual” by Epictetus

14. “The Power of Full Engagement” by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

15. “The Path of Least Resistance” by Robert Fritz

16. “Striking Thoughts” By Bruce Lee

Avthar’s 2021 Essential Audiobooks

1. “The Power of Vulnerability” by Brene Brown

2. “Out of Your Mind” by Alan Watts

3. “Falling into Grace” by Adyashanti

4. “Ego is the Enemy” and “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday

5. “Triggers” by Marshall Goldsmith

6. “Rising Strong” by Brene Brown

7. “Tao of Pooh” by Benjamin Hoff

8. “What to Remember When Waking” by David Whyte

9. “Deep Work” by Cal Newport

10. “The Diabetes Code” by Jason Fung

11. “Twelve Rules for Life” by Jordan B Peterson