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What LightCastle Has Read in 2025 – Part 2

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LightCastle Analytics Wing
August 24, 2025
What LightCastle Has Read in 2025 – Part 2

What LightCastle Read in 2025 highlights the books that have influenced our work and supported our team’s development over the past year. Covering both non-fiction and fiction, these selections reflect our focus on continuous learning and building a knowledge-driven culture.

As we navigate an increasingly complex environment, these books have offered perspectives that inform how we approach challenges and identify opportunities. We invite you to explore the titles that have contributed to our thinking and shaped our approach to problem-solving and innovation.

Discover the Must-Reads that Inspired Us

Making It So

Author: Patrick Stewart

Reviewed by: Bijon Islam, CEO and Co-founder, LightCastle Partners

Making It So

Topic of the Book

Memoir of Sir Patrick Stewart best known for his roles as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men. He reflects on his early journey from his working class roots in Yorkshare to the fame of Los Angeles, California.

Key Takeaways from the Book

  1. Hard Work and Persistence Matters: Sir Patrick Stewart did not get his Hollywood break until he was 40 but all his background and work over the years in Shakespearean theatre paved the way for his memorable screen performances.
  2. Unapologetically being Yourself: You cannot achieve success by insuring against failures. If you want to do something take the steps and be yourself. I really like how he starts each of his shoot by stating “I don’t give a damn” and gives his performance. This helps him leave his shell behind and perform to his very best.
  3. Don’t Dismiss Trying: Born in a working class family where you share bathwater among family members to save resources, not having a toilet in house – Sir Patrick Stewart wasn’t supposed to go into acting let alone become a movie star.

Before The Coffee Gets Cold

Author: Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Reviewed by: Ameera Fairooz, Senior Business Consultant, LightCastle Partners

Before The Coffee Gets Cold

Topic of the Book

Woven through a series of short stories, it tells the story of a café in Tokyo that allows its customers to travel back in time, as long as they return before their coffee gets cold.

Key Takeaways from the Book

It reminds readers to cherish the moments we have with loved ones and to express our feelings before it is too late, as regrets often stem from words left unsaid or time taken for granted. Despite knowing that the past cannot be changed, the characters find catharsis and clarity, allowing them to face the future with a renewed perspective.

Favourite Quote from the Book

“No matter what difficulties people face, they will always have the strength to overcome them. It just takes heart.”

জগৎ কুটির (Home in the World: A Memoir)

Author: Amartya Sen

Reviewed by: Ainan Tajrian, Senior Business Consultant, LightCastle Partners

Home in the World: A Memoir

Topic of the Book

An enjoyable autobiography of Professor Amartya Sen, “Home in the World” is an intellectually engaging journey. The book serves as a time machine, enabling a peek into Professor Sen’s life and connecting key development economics concepts and theories to his life journey. Sen’s way of presenting complex economic concepts through his stories and experiences not only simplifies one’s understanding of the world but also creates a deep connection to social justice.

Key Takeaways from the Book

  1. The more creativity is nurtured, the more you see the colorful rays of innovation, empathy, and divergent thinking.
  2. The beauty of sharing knowledge is when you can democratize its meaning through simple words. Your knowledge output will serve its purpose when it can be easily consumed by any.
  3. Contributing and dedicating to making life better for others, especially the vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, is finding meaning in life.

Favourite Quote from the Book

“Justice is not an abstract ideal; it is the daily struggle to ensure that every individual has the opportunity to live with dignity and purpose”

Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Author: Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein

Reviewed by: Sadia Karim, Business Analyst, LightCastle Partners

Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Topic of the Book

Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness is a highly engaging and accessible exploration of behavioral economics. What makes Nudge particularly compelling is its real-world relevance, especially in policy development. The book highlights how understanding human behavior, shaped by cultural contexts and psychological tendencies, allows policymakers and institutions to craft environments that steer people toward beneficial decisions.

Key Takeaways from the Book

The Illusion of Free Choice:

  1. Traditional economics assumed people were rational decision-makers, but behavioral economics has proven that human choices are often irrational and shaped by subconscious factors.

The Power of Nudging:

  1. A nudge is a subtle influence that guides decision-making without restricting freedom.
  2. Framing effects show how the same information, presented differently, can lead to opposite decisions (e.g., “10% mortality” vs. “90% survival” for surgery).
  3. Social influences, such as marketing strategies, leverage nudging to shape consumer behavior.

The Struggle of Self-Control & the Need for Nudges:
Many choices are hard because of how we perceive immediate vs. future consequences. For instance:

  1. Benefits Now, Costs Later: Activities like exercise require effort now for future benefits, while habits like smoking provide instant gratification but long-term harm.

Why This Matters for Policy Development?

  1. Behavioral economics has reshaped policymaking by recognizing that people don’t always act in their best interests.
  2. By strategically structuring decision environments, policymakers can help individuals navigate complex choices, whether it’s saving for retirement, choosing a healthcare plan, or reducing harmful behaviors.

Nudge makes it clear: understanding human behavior isn’t just an academic exercise. It’s a powerful tool for shaping society in meaningful way!

Favourite Quote from the Book

“In economics (and in ordinary life), a basic principle is that you can never be made worse off by having more options, because you can always turn them down. Before Thaler removed the nuts the group had the choice of whether to eat the nuts or not, now they didn’t. In the land of Econs, it is against the law to be happy about this!”

Day Trading Attention: How to Actually Build Brand and Sales in the New Social Media World

Author: Gary Vaynerchuk

Reviewed by: Ishrat Ashique ; Senior Specialist, (Marketing and Partnerships), LightCastle Partners

Day Trading Attention: How to Actually Build Brand and Sales in the New Social Media World

Topic of the Book

This book explores how to turn social media attention into real brand value. “Day trading attention” is about mastering the art of capturing, nurturing, and converting attention into sales. Weiner and Miller share actionable strategies for building a strong digital presence, creating content that resonates, and using social platforms to drive growth.

Key Takeaways from the Book

  1. Attention is the New Currency: In the digital age, attention is everything. Mastering how to capture it is the first step toward success.
  2. Platform Strategy: Different platforms, different strategies. Tailor your approach to each social channel.
  3. Content is King: Authentic, engaging content keeps people hooked and builds long-term brand loyalty.
  4. Relationships Over Transactions: Focus on building trust with your audience rather than just pushing sales.
  5. Data-Driven Decisions: Measure everything, engagement, conversions, ROI, to refine your strategy and drive real results.

Favourite Quote from the Book

“In the world of social media, attention isn’t just earned, it’s traded, refined, and turned into something that powers your brand.”

Growth: A Reckoning

Author: Daniel Susskind

Reviewed by: Zahedul Amin, Managing Director and Co founder, LightCastle Partners

Growth: A Reckoning

Topic of the Book

The book explores the role of economic growth over the past 2,000–3,000 years of human civilization. For much of history, the global economy remained stagnant, with intermittent periods of decline, and there was no formal system for measuring economic growth. However, during World War II, a group of economists was tasked with assessing the size of economies to determine military investment.

Key Takeaways from the Book

Policymakers worldwide face the challenging task of balancing competing priorities to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Major carbon-emitting countries must drive aggressive mitigation efforts while also financing climate-vulnerable developing economies.

Favourite Quote from the Book

“How can we look beyond GDP and develop new metrics that balance growth with human flourishing and environmental well-being? How can we be more engaged global citizens? In this age of AI, what does it really mean to be human? And how are our technologies transforming us?”

The Secret History

Author: Donna Tartt

Reviewed by: Nuzhat Naoshin, Human Resources Officer, LightCastle Partners

The Secret History

Topic of the Book

A psychological thriller that follows a group of elite Classics students at a New England college as they become entangled in murder, secrets, and the intoxicating power of beauty, knowledge, and exclusivity.

Key Takeaways from the Book

  1. The Dangers of Intellectual Obsession: The novel shows how a strong passion for classical studies and beauty can lead people to make bad decisions, warning about the risks of intellectual elitism.
  2. Right and Wrong in Human Nature: Through its complex characters, the story shows how ordinary people can do extreme things under certain influences.
  3. Effects of Isolation and Exclusivity: The group’s separation from society makes it easier for them to make unethical choices, showing the dangers of closed-off communities.
  4. The Connection Between Beauty and Fear: The story suggests that beauty and fear often go hand in hand, showing that the most beautiful things can also be dangerous.

Favourite Quote from the Book

“Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.”


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WRITTEN BY: LightCastle Analytics Wing

At LightCastle, we take a systemic and data-driven approach to create opportunities for growth and impact. We are an international management consulting firm which creates systemic and data-driven opportunities for growth and impact in emerging markets. By collaborating with development partners and leveraging the power of the private sector, we strive to boost economies, inspire businesses, and change lives at scale.

For further clarifications, contact here: [email protected]

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