Reads, experiences, and listens 1: Nihal Arthanayake

by | Jan 10, 2025 | Uncategorised | 0 comments

During January 2025, broadcaster and author Nihal Arthanayake is recommending a book a day via his Instagram account. As I can’t see these being recorded on a single website or page, I am doing so here. When holding events and speaking publicly, I have found book recommendations one of the things that most generates interest. Yes, people still love a book. Or an audiobook, or both.

So, Nihal’s list, I am devoting a page to it here. Next month, I will start to post some recommendations from myself and others, but now Nihal has the floor, with these choices:

  1. Humankind: A Hopeful History, by Rutger Bregman. Recommendation here.
  2. The Creative Act: A Way of Being, by Rick Rubin and Neil Strauss. Recommendation here.
  3. The Persuaders: Winning Hearts and Minds in a Divided Age, by Anand Giridharadas. Recommendation here.
  4. Life Is Sad And Beautiful, by Hussain Manawer. Recommendation here.
  5. Lobster, by Lollie McNish. Recommendation here.
  6. The Good Immigrant, edited by Nikesh Shukla. Recommendation here.
  7. Tainted Love, by Alex Coles. Recommendation here.
  8. Secret Trips magazine. Recommendation here.
  9. Delayed Gratification magazine. Recommendation here.
  10. The Life Impossible, by Matt Haig. Recommendation here.
  11. Intelligent Change The Three Question Journal, by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee. Recommendation here.
  12. 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, by Elif Shafak. Recommendation here.
  13. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad. Recommendation here.
  14. Rebel Ideas, by Matthew Syed. Recommendation here.
  15. Win Every Argument, by Mehdi Hasan. Recommendation here.
  16. How To Be A Patriot, by Sunder Katwala. Recommendation here.
  17. Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds. Recommendation here.
  18. Empireworld, by Sathnam Sanghera. Recommendation here.
  19. Neither Wolf Nor Dog, by Kent Nerburn. Recommendation here.
  20. A Day In The Life Of Abed Salama, by Nathan Thrall. Recommendation here.
  21. Stolen Focus, by Johann Hari. Recommendation here.
  22. Trading Game, by Gary Stevenson. Recommendation here.
  23. Slow Productivity, by Cal Newport. Recommendation here.

The buying links here are, where possible, to Blackwells, and my image (with book one) above was taken in Orpington Waterstones. Why not buy your hard copy books from an independent bookshop? I bought Nihal’s book Let’s Talk in Beckenham Bookshop. It, too, is recommended. This time, by me.

Darren Weale

Founder, In Tune PR and Co-Founder, Let’s Talk Better campaign, 10th January 2025