Last updated: August 2024
On the bookshelf:
How to Invest in Real Estate - Brandon Turner
The Clear Quran
Deep Work - Cal Newport
The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
We should factor in things that are inherently unpredictable. The most unpredictable events in history have had the most outsized impact on politics, economics, etc. Learning things can turn Black Swans into “Grey Swans” and will benefit your perspective on seemingly random or unprecedented events.
Follow up: need to reread highlighted chapters and look into NNT’s other books.
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
Great fantasy read. Loved the world building and storytelling but disappointed that the author is taking forever to release the third book in the series. Decided not the read the sequel (The Wise Man’s Fear) because I like series with endings.
Dopamine Nation - Anna Lembke
Dopamine isn’t just the the “pleasure chemical”. Dopamine represents the reciprocal relationship between pleasure and pain. Here are some of my favorite maxims from the conclusion:
The relentless pursuit of pleasure (and avoidance of pain) leads to pain.
Abstinence resets the brain’s reward pathway and with it our capacity to take joy in simpler pleasures.
Instead of running away from the world, we can find escape by immersing ourselves in it
In Praise of Shadows - Junichiro Tanizaki
Traditional Japanese aesthetics is fighting a war against the west. This book helped me appreciate the little things during my trip to Tokyo and Kyoto. The most interesting idea I came across in this book was the idea that American/Western aesthetics have developed to force light onto everything. The author argues that the West’s obsession with light stems from a capitalistic mindset that always wants more, instead of accepting the balance between less and more, or light and dark.
Salt Fat Acid Heat - Samin Nosrat
We under-salt food a lot. Becoming a good chef means developing a good intuition for the interaction between salt, fat, acid, and heat. To do this, taste your food, pay attention to what you’re eating and how it’s made, and be willing to experiment with different flavors, ingredients, etc.
The Poppy War - RF Kuang
Took this one easy, didn’t try to dig too deep into the themes or meanings but really enjoyed the story. Got philosophical and graphic towards the end but was a cool story.
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
There’s a reason this book is so popular. It does a great job combining all of the little pieces of advice you might hear and gives you a structured way to study them and implement them in your life. I especially resonated with the sections about making friends:
You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.
It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow men who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring
Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel García Márquez
This one tested me. It was my first time reading a narrative like this since high school English but I appreciated how the author plays with time, random names and facts that don’t add to the story, and some biblical themes.
For the Culture - Marcus Collins
Culture is the single most influential tool to influence groups of people. If you can bond a culture with a product or movement in a meaningful way you can effectively drive the behavior of that group for a long time. Examples of marketing campaigns from companies like Nike illustrate how Marcus Collins used this thesis to drive impactful campaigns while consulting for some of the biggest brands in America.
Audiences buy products because of their function. Congregations buy products as evidence of their beliefs.
Identity and worldview require alignment. This relationship is the cornerstone of social life and tribal membership.
King Leopold’s Ghost - Adam Hochschild
The history of the Congo reads like a supervillain story. Unimaginable how one person (King Leopold) manipulated foreign governments, social justice warriors, and the money of his own people to build his own personal colony. He then used this colony to spoil his 16 year old wife at age 65????