Gift Guide: The best non-business books for 2021 recommended by VCs

In the wake of our very personal Danny Crichton having left the fold to seek out luxurious pastures, The Exchange crew chose to assume the task of accumulating and sharing book recommendations for this year. To gather a broad selection we asked venture capitalists to share their favorite books of the past year and not only books that were written in the year, but also in their minds, but also the books they did in 2021 and wanted to tell others about and split this list in two sections.

This week we're talking about books that don't have a primary emphasis on business. Tomorrow, we'll change the script and explore suggestions that are focused on business. There's a broad fiction focus this morning, as well as a more nonfiction theme for tomorrow, but splitting according to content type ended end up being the best method of separating our collected suggestions into two neat sections.

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In total, we had more than 80 unique recommendations, with several titles collecting more than one nod. It may not surprise you to learn that some science fiction titles were rather popular with the technology investing crew.

Before we dive into the list, let us know that we'll be asking founders to participate. The year before, we conducted collection of data in an informal way. This year, we'll beef up, design an online form, and allow more people to participate.

Let's discuss the top non-business titles from some of the most influential business professionals in the world of startups. (Also, The Exchange will be free of charge for the rest of the week, so everybody is able to read. You can subscribe to TechCrunchand here to read The Exchange from Friday onward.)

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The most highly recommended non-business book in 2021.

There were fewer overlaps with fiction than we expected However, we did discover several common threads. Let's begin with these:

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Written by the creator who wrote "The Martian" (very good) and "Artemis" (also very good), "Project Hail Mary" is a sci-fi romp with the same elements Weir was known for from his earlier works, which included solving problems and space. If you loved "The Martian," you'll enjoy "Project Hail Mary."

Based on suggestions, Jake Chapman as a managing partner at Alpha Bridge Ventures; Zach Coelius, managing director at Coelius Capital; and Ted Dillon, an operating partner of Clean Energy Ventures, all did a smile.

The Four Winds and The Nightingaleby Kristin Hannah

The titles that make up our top-rated section are by the author. Costanoa Ventures' investor Amy Cheetham gave us two titles from one author and so we're putting them together as a set. They're both historical and, in the event that it swayed either way or either way.

"Nightingale" is being turned into a film, as per the website of the author, and has it has made a few bestseller lists. We're not familiar with this author, Cheetham gave us an author to study and we're exactly what we had hoped to discover in this endeavor.

We can recommend recommendations that we will endorse.

The next step is to look into books that have received one recommendation from venture capitalists, but which we've read ourselves and thus recommend.

The Writing By Stephen King

Vertex Ventures' Tessa Chengave "On Writing" her endorsement and said it was "an oldie but goodie" that she's read several times. She added that "people who write in our portfolio" have read it as well.

As professional writers and as such, we can assure you the fact that "On Writing" is a excellent reading. It's challenging as it puts demands on the reader on how to approach rule-breaking for instance. If you're looking to improve your writing and a better communicator, this is worth the time of time you have to spend it.

Similar to this the book by Mark Forsyth " The Elements of Eloquence" -highly suggested by Dillon -- is likely worth reading.

The Shards of Earth, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Sandhya Hegde, the general partner of Unusual Ventures, sent this suggestion. Alex recently finished reading the book after becoming acquainted with Tchaikovsky because of Tchaikovsky's "Children of Time" and "Children of Ruin" titles.

"Shards of Earth" is excellent in that it introduces new flavours to the space-opera genre. If you like space adventures which take you through star systems and civilizations and star systems, then you'll love the novel. The concept of art has a greater part than you'd imagine which gives the antagonists of the book a different tone than the majority of villains do in the world of science fiction.

The Broken Earth trilogy, by N.K. Jemisin

At this point you'll probably have some of her work, because her fan base has become quite large in recent times. Jemisin's "Inheritance Trilogy" is straight-up amazing as the collection of stories called "How Long 'til Black Future Month?"

Perhaps her most well-known novel is her "Broken Earth Trilogy," highly recommended by the Redpoint's Emily Man. Imagine a world in which the Earth itself is a competitor, and where technology and magic are entwined with a passion that we haven't read elsewhere. The books are well worth purchasing as a set and reading. Be sure to block out an event on your calendar that is social. When you've started the series, you'll not ever want to go back.

The Pearl, by John Steinbeck

Thank you for Techstars' Kevin Liu for suggesting "The Pearl," giving us the opportunity to talk about Steinbeck. Although we're mostly acquainted with "Cannery Row" and "Tortilla Flat," there's no reason not to be confined to his lesser worksand also to the wonderful film adaptions to "East of Eden" and "Of Mice and Men."

"The Pearl" is a excellent choice on this list due to its main theme of greed. That, you're aware is a crucial element of investing.

the Three-Body Issue by Cixin Liu

Eclipse Ventures partner Jayson Knafel added this novel to the mix. It is a must to take the time to read the whole "Remembrance of Earth's Past" trilogy in which "The Three-Body Problem" is the first book.

The story focuses on the first contact, the issue of safety for species the extent to which we can explore science in the future, and many more. First book awe-inspiring. The sequel to the series is filled with questions about the nature of humanity and the third book pushes the reader to the bizarre that it's almost philosophical at times. The final installment in the trilogy, "Death's End," is among Alex's most favored books, all the way through. It's just plain bonkers good.

The Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman

We're giving our approval for this book based on the fact the fact that one of our associates read it and enjoyed it. That's another vote that goes along with the Mercury Fund's Aziz Ghanani's vote of support.

"Ove" is not a book about a cheerful person or mind, it's about an unhappy person. However, that doesn't make it less entertaining according to us. It is possible to find the book virtually anyplace, given its ubiquity.