Hope everyone’s doing well. I turned 30 a few days ago. Still don’t know how I feel about it. I’ve been reading a ton lately. Perhaps it’s related.
Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson – one of America’s great writers on the importance of finding your own way and following your conscience; probably the most nourishing book of the batch, and a relatively short read too (Kindle says 88 pages)
So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport – how the young and ambitious should think about their careers; I strongly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t found their “calling”; here’s my 1-page guide
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville – a French philosopher’s view of 1800s pre-Civil War America; I read 1/3 of it; it gives you more context for, and appreciation of, the development of American governance and values
The Essential Difference by Simon Baron-Cohen – describes the difference between a primarily “female” brain (one that is more empathetic and social) and a “male” brain (one that is more systematizing and analytical); cool fact: Simon is the cousin of Sacha Baron-Cohen (aka Borat)
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott – a novelist’s memoir-slash-how-to on the writing process; I read 1/3 of it; I enjoyed the autobiographical parts; the writing advice was mostly familiar territory (e.g., Stephen King on writing, Stein on writing)
Berkshire Hathaway Letters to Shareholders (1965-2013) by Warren Buffett – the 20th century’s most successful public markets investor with stories, lessons and his trademark humor; I read ~10 letters, some of which are master classes in finance and investing, plus it’s only $2.99
Windfall by McKenzie Funk – a description of global warming and its effects on commerce and trade; I read 1/4 of it but was hoping for deeper, perspective-rearranging analysis and data (and some investment ideas!)
Antifragile by Nassim Taleb – as the world becomes more complex, it has a tendency to create more structure and organization, but the ensuing rigidity weakens our ability to deal with large external shocks (the chances of which, ironically, increase with complexity); it’s a valuable perspective, but I struggle with his writing style (it’s an uncanny valley of folksy, technical and philosophical)