Enlightenment Now#
Steven Pinker
Rating: 4 / 5
An interesting read that offers an optimistic view of the world and humanity. My main complaint is that the author got a bit distracted with the Trump presidency, making declarations and assertions that just felt like reading a regular NYT or CNN article, departing from the central thesis that the Enlightenment is a robust and enduring process. A shame that there was so much time spent on that in an otherwise thought-provoking book.
Empire of Pain#
Patrick Radden Keefe
Rating: 4 / 5
TK
The Mismeasure of Man#
Stephen Jay Gould
Rating: 4 / 5
TK
For Whom the Bell Tolls#
Ernest Hemingway
Rating: 5 / 5
TK
The Song of the Dodo#
David Quammen
Rating: 4 / 5
Quammen presents his venture into understanding island ecology and evolution with an engaging series of vignettes as he traveled the world. Anyone with an interest in the history of biology will find the topics and information in this book interesting and valuable. It’s a long book, but the topics are so variable, it never felt stale nor boring.
Neutrino Hunters#
Ray Jayawardhana
Rating: 4 / 5
TK
Where the Red Fern Grows#
Wilson Rawls
Rating: 5 / 5
TK
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information#
Edward R. Tufte
Rating: / 5
TK
This Is Your Mind on Plants#
Michael Pollan
Rating: 3 / 5
The first two chapters on poppies and caffeine were pretty interesting, but the last chapter on mescaline lacked substance. A lot of the book was the author’s personal journey which I found relatively uninteresting. Wish there was more on history and physiology of the drugs. The last chapter was a lot of new-age spiritualism cloaked in ancient tradition. The historical aspects were interesting and worth learning about, but a lot of the chapter was spent with the author’s mescaline ceremony (and not-so-subtly virtue-signaling that he takes COVID very seriously until he doesn’t at the end). Rather disappointing ending. Overall, generally an easy read, though I would recommend stopping part way through the last chapter.
A Tale of Two Cities#
Charles Dickens
Rating: 4 / 5
TK
Trust Me, I’m Lying#
Ryan Holiday
Rating: 4 / 5
TK
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court#
Mark Twain
Rating: 4 / 5
TK
The Billion Dollar Molecule#
Barry Werth
Rating: 4 / 5
TK
Scythe#
Neal Shusterman
Rating: 4 / 5
TK
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs#
Steve Brusatte
Rating: 5 / 5
This book is written for the adult who loved dinosaurs as a child but has since strayed. If the title or cover illicit a child-like joy, then I would recommend reading this book. Brusatte provides a comprehensive summary of modern dinosaur knowledge through a narrative of their origin, reign, and extinction. The book is technical enough for someone with an interest in science to comprehend, but not boring for those with advanced knowledge. Brusatte presents the book in an intriguing mixture of literature summarization, historical narratives, and personal adventures. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this guide to dinosaurs and was a touch sad when I finished it.
Bad Blood#
John Carreyrou
Rating: 4 / 5
An absolutely bizarre story, well-written and captivating. Finishing it makes me want to do even more research, watch recording of Holmes speeches and read the contemporary articles from the time. Easy read for anyone interested in biotech or start-ups.
Atomic Habits#
James Clear
Rating: 5 / 5
TK
Educated#
Tara Westover
Rating: / 5
This memoir follows a young woman brought up by mentally-ill, delusional parents in a normal society. Similar to Glass Castle, Educated is engaging for the shear strangeness and irrationality of the story. Westover provides a clear description of the events and, more valuably, insight into her thoughts and emotions at the time and upon reflection. This memoir makes the reader think about the limits of family bonds, specifically, how can a daughter honor her parents when it knowingly damages her physically, mentally, and emotionally?
Why We Sleep#
Matthew Walker
Rating: / 5
TK
Bernoulli’s Fallacy#
Aubrey Clayton
Rating: 3 / 5
Interesting book with a very compelling primary argument that connects the history of applied statistics to the modern-day misuse of the techniques.
Far too much time is spent describing the eugenics of the early 1900s in the heart of the book. The author also states some extreme political beliefs towards the end. These distractions from the main point of the book are what reduced the review from 4 to 3 stars (is wish Goodreads gave us more granularity in the star ratings).
A Farewell to Arms#
Ernest Hemingway
Rating: 4 / 5
TK
Black Rednecks and White Liberals#
Thomas Sowell
Rating: 4 / 5
TK
Samurai William#
Giles Milton
Rating: 4 / 5
A short, fast-paced read of a strange quirk of history. Samurai William recounts the tale of an Englishman who stumbled into Japan on a trading mission then stayed for decades, enjoying a new, successful life after integrating into Japanese society. The author strung together various pieces of primary and secondary sources to weave a single, traceable story, presenting a cohesive narrative supplemented with sufficient context of the time to understand the events. I would recommend this as a quick read to anyone who finds the concept of an Englishman in isolated Japan in the early 1600s.
A Beautiful Mind#
Sylvia Nasar
Rating: 4 / 5
An in-depth biography of a wildly fascinating life. To begin, if you have seen the movie, this is still worth reading. Not only does it cover more of his life, the movie leaves out many key eras, fabricates events, and presents a very different view of the characters and their relationships with Nash. This book is thorough without feeling too verbose. If you enjoy the history of science and technology, you will find many of the passages enlightening as Nash interacted with so many prominent figures of the nuclear era.
The Rise and Reign of the Mammals#
Steve Brusatte
Rating: 4.75 / 5
Paired with the first in the series on dinosaurs, this recounting of the history of mammals is delightful. Brusatte describes the history of mammals, their origins, coexistence with dinosaurs, and their world domination after the extinction. Told in a similar style as the Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, the author presents the information as a combination of personal stories and literature review. The book is very engaging, clear, and information-rich. I would highly recommend reading both of the books in this series.