Books I've Read

A collection of books that have offered perspective or pause.

1984

by George Orwell

"War is peace"

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

by Yuval Noah Harari

"A fascinating exploration of the challenges and opportunities of our time."

A Hunger Artist

by Franz Kafka

"I could fast for a long time, but I cannot go on like this."

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

"Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better."

Anxiety: A Philosophical Guide

by Samir Chopra

"Anxiety is not a problem to be solved, but a condition to be understood."

Artificial General Intelligence

by Julian Togelius

"Artificial General Intelligence is a fascinating field that explores the potential of machines to perform any intellectual task that a human can do."

At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails

by Sarah Bakewell

"I have never been sure whether I was more interested in the ideas of existentialism or the people who created them. This book is a wonderful blend of both."

Brave New World

by Aldous Huxley

"'Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly—they’ll go through anything.'"

Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction

by Damien Keown

"A concise and accessible introduction to the principles and practices of Buddhism."

Candide

by Voltaire

"All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds."

Cosmos

by Carl Sagan

"The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be."

Crime and Punishment

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart."

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

by Cal Newport

"A manifesto for a quieter life in a noisy world."

Dune Messiah

by Frank Herbert

"The sleeper must awaken."

Dune

by Frank Herbert

"Fear is the mind-killer."

Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844

by Karl Marx

"The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it."

Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress

by Steven Pinker

"The Enlightenment is an attitude of mind, a way of thinking about the world that is rooted in reason, science, and humanism."

Fahrenheit 451

by Ray Bradbury

"It was a pleasure to burn."

Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

"The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary."

From Sex to Super consciousness

by Osho

"Bliss can only be attained by giving, never by taking."

Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters

by Matt Ridley

"A fascinating journey through the human genome, exploring how our DNA shapes who we are."

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

by Yuval Noah Harari

"A fascinating and provocative look at the future of humanity."

How to Win Friends and Influence People

by Dale Carnegie

"The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it."

Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life

by Héctor García

"Finding your ikigai is not just about living longer, but living better."

Iliad

by Homer

"Sing, goddess, the rage of Peleus' son Achilles, that murderous rage, which cost the Achaeans countless losses"

In the Penal Colony

by Franz Kafka

"'It is a matter of life and death for"

Leonardo da Vinci

by Walter Isaacson

"The greatest genius of all time"

Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth

by Apostolos Doxiadis

"A journey through the foundations of logic and mathematics."

Maus, I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History

by Art Spiegelman

"A haunting tale of survival and memory, where the past is drawn in stark relief."

Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began

by Art Spiegelman

"The second volume of Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about his father's experiences as a Holocaust survivor."

Midnight’s Children

by Salman Rushdie

"I was born in the city of Bombay... once upon a time."

Multi-Orgasmic Man

by Mantak Chia

"The Multi-Orgasmic Man is a practical guide to cultivating and controlling male sexual energy for enhanced pleasure, health, and spiritual growth."

Nemesis

by Isaac Asimov

"The only way to avoid the ultimate catastrophe is to leave Earth."

Nexus

by Yuval Noah Harari

"The future is already here; it's just not evenly distributed."

Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment

by Daniel Kahneman

"Noise is the enemy of good judgment."

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

by Marjane Satrapi

"An extraordinary graphic memoir of a girl's life in revolutionary Iran."

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari

"A compelling overview of the history of our species, from the emergence of Homo sapiens to the present day."

Sophie’s World

by Jostein Gaarder

"A novel about the history of philosophy"

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness

by Eric Jorgenson

"A guide to wealth and happiness"

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

"The Black Swan is a book about the impact of the highly improbable."

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

by John Boyne

"A story of innocence and friendship in the face of unimaginable horror."

The Complete Persepolis

by Marjane Satrapi

"'An extraordinary graphic memoir.' - The New York Times"

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

by Rick Rubin

"To be an artist is to be a conduit, a vessel through which the universe expresses itself."

The God Delusion

by Richard Dawkins

"A delusion is a persistent false belief held in the face of strong contradictory evidence."

The Greatest Salesman in the World

by Og Mandino

"I will persist until I succeed."

The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language

by Steven Pinker

"The mind is a machine that builds language."

The Metamorphosis

by Franz Kafka

"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."

The Principal Upanishads

by S. Radhakrishnan

"The Upanishads are the most ancient and the most modern of scriptures."

The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature

by Matt Ridley

"The Red Queen is a fascinating exploration of the evolutionary forces that shape human nature, with a focus on the role of sex in evolution and the constant arms race between species."

The Stranger

by Albert Camus

"I know, I know. But I don't want to know. I want to live my life."

The Trial

by Franz Kafka

"It's only because of their stupidity that they're able to be so sure of themselves."

Thinking, Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman

"Nothing in life is as important as you think it is while you are thinking about it."

Vigyan Bhairav Tantra

by Osho

"A book that will help you explore the depths of consiousness."

Waiting for a Visa

by B.R. Ambedkar

"The progress of any society depends on the progress of its women."

Walking in Zen, sitting in Zen

by Osho

"A MAN OF ZEN WALKS IN ZEN AND SITS IN ZEN 🧘‍♂️"

Why I am an Atheist

by Bhagat Singh

"Revolution is not only a matter of arms, but also of ideas."

Word Power Made Easy

by Norman Lewis

"A vocabulary is a matter of word-building as well as word-using."

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

by Robert M. Pirsig

"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there."

निठल्ले की डायरी

by Harishankar Parsai

"व्यंग्य अकेले में हँसने की चीज़ नहीं है, वह समाज के साथ हँसने की चीज़ है।"