As a writer, I love writing, but I love reading too.

In this short and simple post, I share some of my favourite books.

This is a non-exhaustive list of recommended books, of course.

(This list also does not include my amazing children’s books from Our Amazing Heroes and Our Amazing Pioneers, or my books for general readers like My Father’s Kampung: A History of Aukang and Punggol and my family history books.)

Some of these books are the kind of books you read and reread, finding new insights or ideas each time.

Others are childhood favourites, the sort that first sparked my love for reading and telling stories.

A few are books I stumbled upon by chance, only to realise later how much they resonated with me.

This is just a list of books I’ve enjoyed, books that have mattered to me in one way or another. And there is no right or wrong answer.

If you find something new to read from this list, great. If you have already read them, we have that in common.

Graphic Novels

• Triumph of Two Face, by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake
• The Empire Strikes Back, adapted by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson

Books on Reading or Writing

• Confessions of an Advertising Man, by David Ogilvy
• How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading, by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles van Doren
• The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, by Steven Pinker

History Books

• The Spartacus War, by Barry Strauss
• The Education of Cyrus, by Xenophon
• The Penguin History of Economics, by Roger Backhouse
• The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William Shirer

Singapore History Books

• Diplomacy: A Singapore Experience, by S Jayakumar
• Defending the Lion City: The Armed Forces of Singapore, by Tim Huxley
• One Hundred Years of the Chinese in Singapore, by Sir Song Ong Siang

Self-Help and Other Books I Enjoy

• The Psychology of Money, by Morgan Housel
• Same As Ever, also by Morgan Housel
• How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
• Talent Is Overrated, by Geoffrey Colvin
• Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua
• What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, by Marshall Goldsmith

Looking back at this list, I will admit that this looks like a rather eclectic and random list of books.

However, I personally like these books and enjoyed them, and these were at the top of my mind. Over the years, there were many other books, from a wide range of genres, that I enjoyed reading too.

How about you? What are the books that have brought you joy, shown you new insights, or made you think?

Thank you for reading.

Cheers,
Shawn