Skip to main content

Five Non Fiction Books to Read this Lockdown

Across the Globe, cities have been put under lockdown, cutting down on human movements to restrain the contagious COVID-19's spread. 

While some might grumble about their routines to be disrupted, this is an excellent time to spend time with books. I have been asked by many to suggest some reads which they can read digitally. Here is my list of Non-Fiction books you should read while spending time at home.

1. Never Lost Again - Bill Kilday

This book is about Google Mapping and the story behind an App that you use in routine. Increasingly our populace is being dependent on Google Maps, but do you know how it all began? Bill Kilday chronicles the journey very well, since the time John Hanke started Keyhole. Kilday himself was part of Hanke's team from Keyhole days and Google as well. 

It is also an inspiring read for thousands of you who are struggling to rise in their careers, entrepreneurship, or businesses. It was not a smooth path for Hanke and his team and look now, how big Google Maps has grown.


2. Ninety Percent of Everything: Inside Shipping, the Invisible Industry That Puts Clothes on Your Back, Gas in Your Car, and Food on Your Plate - Rose George

Through Ninety Percent of Everything, Rose George takes us to a Voyage aboard a cargo ship. It is the Shipping Industry that impacts our lives in ways we cannot even imagine, and yet we are so unaware of it.

George also explores the challenges facing the Shipping World like the Piracy issues, which have become a new normal for the ships.


3. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End- Atul Gawande

This book is a refreshingly honest work by Atul Gawande, which was published way back in 2014. It approaches subjects like morality and how Physicians deal with it. He refers to his work in the book, bringing some unique perspectives.

In times of a Pandemic, such a book opens your mind to new ideas, answers a few unasked questions, and provides the comfort of the knowledge that Dr. Gawande shares with brilliance.

4. When Change Happens... a Story of Organisational Transformation by Lalit Jagtiani

Change Management is not a new concept, but it will never be as relevant as a time like this when the World is grappling with a perplexing health emergency. Lalit Jagtiani uses a fictional company to highlight the principles of Change Management. 

The wisdom imparted is like a textbook to understand how transformations need to be handled. The author has clearly sought inspiration from his own experiences and crafted a book that should be read to better your career and work style.

5. Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban

Although this book was published last year, it is actually a product of a decade long research by the author. Generic Drugs have taken centerstage according to me in any healthcare system in the World. Eban shines a torch on this industry and reveals something we all should know. After all, our loved ones at some point or another or we do consume generic drugs as prescribed by Doctors. 

It might have been written by an author based in the United States, but this book has a Global appeal owing to the reach of the medicines. Especially for the Indian readers, it touches a chord as the author investigates the big pharma companies in India. The way systems are gamed, and processes manipulated will be an eye-opener for many of you. But it will also make you more aware when you head to the Chemist to replace your prescriptions.

______________________________________________

Of course you can pick a book written by me as well, here is my Amazon Author Link

_______________________________

Do drop in a comment as to what are you reading this April Lockdown 

________


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Also read

Learning from Gardening

While composing status messages, just for fun, I simply jot down anything random that comes to my mind at the moment. Here is the latest FB message i posted few seconds ago. Tushar Mangl learns a lot from his gardening routine. Even when his plants die, he simply feels bad and then goes about to plan for new plants. Mostly because an empty space does not look that good. That is life for you. People will always go away from your life, at one point or another. But you cannot always leave the places vacan t. New plants have to be placed. Optimism has to exist for new flowers to bloom, new leaves to grow. Now, FB only gives me 422 characters to say my point. But my dear blogger, a companion of several years gives me much better platform to elaborate my thoughts. You see, in a flower bed I maintain near stairs of my house I had planted bougainvillea plants on either sides of the bed. As fate would have it, and given my nature of getting too attached to livi...
4 comments
Read more

A suggestion to break the loop of guilt, isolation, and emotional burnout?

Caught in a guilt spiral, isolating quietly, and wondering why rest doesn’t heal you? You’re not lazy—you’re carrying layers of unprocessed emotion and spiritual exhaustion. This is your invitation to pause, reflect, and reset. Let’s explore why you still feel stuck despite good intentions, and discover rituals, reflections, and real reconnection to help you come home to yourself. First Published on 20/06/2008 14:30 Second edition Published on 04/07/2025 12:51 Why do you keep spiraling despite good intentions? Let me ask you this. Have you ever written out a self-care plan so perfectly, maybe in a brand-new notebook—drink more water, meditate, go to therapy—and yet by day three you’re numbly binge-scrolling, wondering what’s broken now ? Yeah. Same. We don’t spiral because we’re undisciplined or lazy. We spiral because the emotional weight we’re carrying goes deeper than we admit. It's not about a missed workout or failing to reply to that one text. It's the inner tug-of...
2 comments
Read more

Cutting people off isn’t strength—It is a trauma response

Your ability to cut people off and self-isolate is not a skill you should be proud of—It is a trauma response Cutting people off and self-isolating may feel like a protective shield, but it is often rooted in unresolved or unhealed trauma and an inability to depend on others. While these behaviors seem like self-preservation, they end up reinforcing isolation and blocking meaningful connections. Confronting these patterns, seeking therapy, and nurturing supportive relationships can help break this unhealthy cycle. Plus, a simple act like planting a jasmine plant can symbolise the start of your journey towards emotional healing. Why do we cut people off and isolate? If you’re someone who prides themselves on “cutting people off” or keeping a tight circle, you might believe it’s a skill—a way to protect yourself from betrayal, hurt, or unnecessary drama. I get it. I’ve been there, too. But here’s the thing: this ability to isolate yourself is not as empowering as it may seem. In fact, i...
Post a Comment
Read more