Books Recommendations on Investing by School of Intrinsic Compounding (SOIC) - Basic

SOIC (School of Intrinsic Compounding) is a leading Indian education platform founded by Ishmohit Arora and a team of dedicated analysts. Their mission is to empower retail investors through in-depth investing education, financial research, and practical resources, with a special focus on fundamental analysis and value investing.

I have been a subscriber to their channel for the last 3 years. SOIC frequently shares top book recommendations to build a strong foundation in investing and personal growth. Here are some books endorsed and discussed by the SOIC team:

Behavioral Finance and Psychology

1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini – Explore the psychology behind influence and persuasion.
2. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg – Understanding habit formation and change.
3. Atomic Habits — James Clear – Building effective habits for success.
4. The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova – Exploration of probability and psychology in poker and life.
5. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel – Behavioral influences on financial decisions and money mindset
6. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman – How intuitive and deliberate thinking shape decisions.

Creativity, Productivity, and Growth

1. Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don't Make Sense by Rory Sutherland – Creative thinking and the unexpected power of ideas.
2. Deep Work by Cal Newport -  Techniques to enhance focus and productivity.
3. 10x is Easier than 2X by Dan Sullivan  – Strategies for exponential growth in business and life.
4. Principles by Ray Dalio – Key principles for economic success and personal growth.
5. The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson – Wisdom and advice from entrepreneur Naval Ravikant.

Economic, Historical, and Scientific Perspectives

1. Factfulness by Hans Rosling – A data-driven view on global development and health.
2. The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver – Making sense of complex data and predictions.
3. How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell – Economic insights into Asia's development model.
4. Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by [Author] – The critical role of raw materials in the modern world.
5. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari – Human history is shaped by revolutions in cognition and society

Philosophy and Mindset

1. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl – Reflections on finding meaning in life.
2. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius – Stoic wisdom on resilience, discipline, and personal leadership growth

The Takshashila Institution’s Booklist You Can’t Afford to Miss!

The Takshashila Institution is an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit centre specialized in research and education in public policy, based in Bangalore, India. The institution stands out because it bridges expert knowledge and influential networks, producing independent policy research and fostering rich public discourse to strengthen India’s intellectual engagement.

Why do their book recommendations matter? Simply put, following Takshashila Institution’s book recommendations is important because they are curated by leading scholars and policy practitioners deeply engaged in India’s socio-economic and strategic challenges. 

Books authored by the Takshashila Institution faculty 

1. Missing In Action: Why You Should Care About Public Policy — Pranay Kotasthane & Raghu S. Jaitley (2023)
2. When the Chips Are Down: A Deep Dive into a Global Crisis — Pranay Kotasthane & Abhiram Manchi (2023)
3. We, The Citizens: Strengthening the Indian Republic — Khyati Pathak, Anupam Manur, Pranay Kotasthane (2024)
4. A Visible Hand: Essays on the Intersection of Economics, Politics, and Society — Anupam Manu

Book recommendations by the Takshashila Institution faculty

1. From Jugaad to Systematic Innovation: The Challenge for India  —  Rishikesha Krishnan
2. The Strategy Trap: India And Pakistan Under the Nuclear Shadow — Lt. Gen. Prakash Menon
3. If Then: How One Data Company Invented the Future — Jill Lepore
4. Demagogue: The Fight to Save Democracy from Its Worst Enemies — Michael Signer 
5. The Republic of Beliefs: A Radical Approach to Economics — Kaushik Basu
6. Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell into Tyranny — Edward J. Watts
7. The War That Ended Peace — Margaret MacMillan
8. Ideas: A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud — Peter Watson
9. Maxwell’s Demon: Why Warmth Disperses and Time Passes — Harvey S. Leff & Andrew F. Rex
10. They Made What? They Found What? by Shweta Taneja
11. Space. Life. Matter.: The Coming of Age of Indian Space Research — Various Authors 

Additional  Resource: Discussion Documents & Working Papers

• The Geopolitics of Indian Talent — Satya Sahu, Vanshika Saraf, Adya Madhavan, Rijesh Panicker & Arindam Goswami (2025)
• Recent Trends and Future Trajectories in Geo-Economics — Anisree Suresh, Arindam Goswami, and Rakshith Shetty (2025)
• The Techno-Economic Impact of the Israel-Hamas War — Aditya Ramanathan, Pranay Kotasthane, Sarthak Pradhan, and Satya Sahu (2024)
• A Framework for Governing Emerging Technologies — Bharath Reddy and Shambhavi Naik (2025)