81–90 of 333 posts
* City and the Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
* The Master Magician - Charlie N. Holmberg
* The Algebraist - Iain M. Banks
* Hunters of Dune - Brian Herbert (in progress)
Non Fiction Pick:
* Command and Control - Eric Schlosser
What a crazy life he led.
"Napoleon: A Life" - Andrew Roberts
A gigantic book that still felt rushed because of how much he did during his life.
"Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization" Kriwaczek, Paul
Interesting introduction but I was hoping for more of a focus on a specific period of time. Instead if covers several thousand years of history.
"Buddhism Without Belief" - Stephen Bachelor
Meh.
"The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment" - Copenhaver, Brian
"The Philosophy Book" - Will Buckingham
Great into to the history of Philosophy
"The Vindication of Man" by John C Wright
Great, great series.
- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French
- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr
- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young
- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg
- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell
- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph
- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man
- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari
- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar
- Goliath by Tom Gauld
- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain
- Cure by Jo Marchant
- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur
- Deep Work by Cal Newport
- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
and a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.
This year was rough for me as I had to deal with severe symptoms of anxiety that eventually led to panic attacks. I tried to understand the phenomenon and tackle subjects such as anxiety, consciousness and perceptual experience. Three books are especially interesting in that regard:
- The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness - Antonio Damasio - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125777.The_Feeling_of_Wh...
- Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety - Joseph LeDoux - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398722-anxious?ac=1&fr...
- Seeing Things As They Are: A Theory of Perception - John Searle: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22104265-seeing-things-a...
The first two books are dealing with the neurophysiological aspects, with a focus on the brain and the specific areas involved with physical sensory experiences and/or consciousness. It explains how some areas of the brain are linked to fear and anxiety (fear conditioning, fight-or-flight response, etc.). Reading "The Feeling of What Happens" gives you all the necessary knowledge to fully understand the second book which is a tough read. The book "Anxious" also gives you a glimpse on different methods to treat and prevent symptoms of anxiety (Cognitive behavioral Therapy, SSRI, beta blockers, meditation, etc..). The last book is theoretical but comes as a good complement and gives you a broad understanding on the notion of perception (which is central to the first book).
Knowing which parts of the brain are involved with fear and anxiety and how everything fits together helps me controlling my emotions when physical symptoms of anxiety are appearing (the trigger to panic attacks).
Ask GaryVee by Gary Vaynerchuk
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Give and Take by Adam Grant
Smarter, Faster, Better by Charles Duhigg
- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
- Rework by Jason Fried
- Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam
- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
- The Martian by Andy Weir
- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman