Suggestions From A Nerd - Christmas Holidays 2020 Edition

By Wisley Lau

It’s the end of 2020! And boy was it a tough year for all of us (including the nerds out there). But since you the reader, like almost everyone in the world by now, are staying at home and deprived after watching every single show on Netflix, here are some interesting books to read and entertain!

If you want to learn new skills… read Oh Cook! by James May

Funny and sometimes boring TV car presenter James May has published a companion book to his new Amazon show which bears the same name. May, a person who very seldomly cooks, writes down sixty recipes with easy steps and beautiful photographs. After reading this book, you can try experimenting in the kitchen, and maybe, you can create the same delicious recipes James has created for his book. If you are interested in the steps being shown to you in video form, you can go to Amazon Prime to watch the video. But if you don’t have the resources, you can watch full episodes with English subtitles for free on https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Hy4y1z7Ea

If you want to be inspired… read A Promised Land by Barack Obama

In 2008, history was been made. Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States. And now, four years since his departure from the White House, comes this well-written and inspirational book, telling his experiences and tales during his 2008 campaign for president and his experiences on legislation, diplomacy, and more. It is a fairly long book but an interesting read into his personal thoughts and journeys. You can read an excerpt from The New Yorker at https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/02/barack-obama-new-book-excerpt-promised-land-obamacare, while you can also read Becoming by Michelle Obama, a book that equally inspires readers to pursue their dreams.

If you want to read comic books but also learn something cool… read Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth Of Mankind (Volume 1) by Yuval Noah Harari

There is a good chance you have seen historian Yuval Noah Harari’s books on bookshelves and book recommendations from teachers and websites. But this graphic novel makes the hard concepts easy to understand, by using colorful characters, Yuval takes us on a tour through space and time, delving into the mystery of how humans are so different from other animals. If you liked this book, you can read the full-text version of Sapiens, also Homo Deus, and 21 Lessons For The 21st Century, all from the same author, which will provide you with new enlightenment and knowledge on humanities and the world we live in.

If you want to read a humorous and heartwarming story… read Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

Nowadays, rarely can people say their birth is already a crime, but Trevor Noah, a mixed-race kid living in apartheid South Africa, is one of those people. A future comedian and host of The Daily Show, Trevor candidly retells the stories of his youth, from jumping off a car to making decisions for her mother after she got stabbed by Trevor’s stepdad, the book is full of humor, charm, and heartwarming tales of interactions between Trevor and his mother.

If you want to read something that brings up an urgent issue… read A Life On Earth By David Attenborough

Sir David Attenborough is widely known as TV’s most famous environmentalist, with his smooth narration guiding us through the wonders of the natural world and the animals that inhabit it. Now, he has written a book documenting the dramatic change to the environment. When asked what this book is about, he said it is a witness statement to the damage humans have done to the natural world. In the book, he tells us his experiences in the wild and brings up the urgency of action needed by humans. For more information related to the climate crisis, do read Greta Thunberg’s book Nothing Is Too Small To Make A Difference, and Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power

If you are excited and/or worried about what is going to happen in 2021… read The Economist’s The World In 2021

The world is unpredictable, yet The Economist wants to predict the future with its reporters and guests. After two decades, predicting what will happen in 2021 to me is the hardest one they can do. Next year will be a year of luck, chance, and risk-taking, The Economist says for next year. For the near future and global politics savvy nerds, this “book” will be perfect for you. And if you want to get more predictions, Bloomberg Businessweek’s The Year Ahead special and The Wired World In 2021 can be the spare magic 8 balls for your reference.