Reading Period: January 31 - Present
1. Thinking in Systems (A), by Donella Meadows
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3828902-thinking-in-systems
Systems thinking is really interesting. However, I don't think this book was very good, and I wouldn't recommend it to others. The core ideas are cool and could have been summarized in a chapter. Everything else is sort of speculation or anecdotal evidence that fell flimsy and unhelpful. There are ways in which this could have been a mind-blowing book, but instead it fell very flat and was tough to get through.
2. The Second World War (A), by Antony Beevor
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13528287-the-second-world-war
Phenomenal book. Overall one of the darkest, most depressing books I've ever read, but only because WWII was so terrifyingly horrific. 60-90 million dead, mostly civilians. There is no way to hide from the reality of this war and the fact that human history has been continuously plagued by such death and destruction. It's sobering to read such a well written historical account, but it sort of puts a strain on my recent liking of history books. This is certainly going to make the list of top 10 nonfiction books I've read, but its also left me with a source of deep sadness at the victims of prior atrocities and the dark terror or violence. It's hard to see humanity in the same, bright light. But maybe that is exactly the lesson that is most important to learn.
3. Steve Jobs (A), by Walter Isaacson
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11084145-steve-jobs
Pretty horrible person this Steve Jobs guy was. Terrible father, atrocious boss, and overall asshat who has few redeeming qualities. I don't think the book was that great, but partially because Steve's life isn't particularly interesting (outside of Apple), and partially because Walter doesn't have any insightful takeaways (the "closed" Apple vs "open" Microsoft is repeated ad nauseam). There was really only one quote that stuck with me: when Steve was recruiting a lead Pepsi executive, he dropped this banger quote - "do you want to sell sugar water, or do you want to change the world?" I don't think I learned that much about life or business here, and I found it hard to read a dramatic and vaguely positive take on someone I found so insanely dislikable. Overall felt like a waste of my time, and I only pray that I lay on my death bed with a completely different legacy, even if it a billion times shorter lasting.
4. Solaris (A), by Stanislaw Lem
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/95558.Solaris
Pretty interesting book. A little hard to follow at times and I'm not sure I really "got" it, but a fascinating look at alien life that is truly "alien." I also liked the theme that humans may just literally not be equipped intellectually to understand some things, despite our hubris.
5. The Courage to Be (A), by Paul Till
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175141.The_Courage_to_Be
Did not realize that this was a series of religious lectures, or at the very least that religion would be a focal point of the book. I still found it very interesting, and honestly the title "the courage to be" is amazing. Sure, the book is about existentialism, and the core idea is that "courage" is what is necessary in the face of existential terror, anxiety, and the maladies of the modern godless world. This seems like an apt observation, and exactly what the word courage is to mean. Instead of Simone de Beauvior's "ambiguity" angle, this response to existentialism seems more concrete. Courage in the faith of death seems like the purest form of the ideal. However, in my estimation, courage in the face of a meaningless existence, where death is but a permanent end to an already anxiety ridden life with no answers, is true perseverance. Only Sisyphus has courage, no one else does.
6. Finite and Infinite Games (A), by James P. Carse
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16117440-finite-and-infinite-games
Not quite sure what to think. Possibly a worthwhile book because of the core idea, but it could have been 20 pages. I enjoyed the writing style, full of quotes like "moments once reached cannot be reached again" and "your parents may have wanted a child, but they could not have wanted you." Perhaps it's all intellectual snobbery, but the enjoyable kind. Overall it wasn't the greatest book ever but I understand why it's so well known.
7. Consider Phelbas (A), by Iain Banks
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8935689-consider-phlebas
I wasn't a great listener here, and probably could have been more diligent trying to understand the world-building initially. It was an interesting book, but because I knew it was supposed to be Iain's weakest of the series, I was more interested in just getting through it. It was more violent and heartbreaking than I was expecting, and I think I'll really enjoy the rest of the series. I like how bleak the outlook was, and the overall themes were exactly up my alley. Really looking forward to The Player of Games!
