This has to be one of the best novel ever written. It is both profound and ultimately tragic, successfully intertwining two interconnected stories while dealing with love, morality, and death.

Anna is a likable character but becomes increasingly unbearable as her passion for Vronsky grows. Levin, on the other hand, is a peasant searching for meaning in his life, first through work and later through love. The only drawback is that the lengthy, descriptive chapters about him and the countryside felt boring and unnecessary.

The ending was both expected and unexpected. Tolstoy provides hints of the forthcoming tragedy early in the novel, but the story almost shifts away from Anna, focusing instead on Levin and his existential reflections.

A psychological masterpiece by Dostoevsky. The novel is filled with philosophical and existential questions revolving around the darkest aspects of human nature.

To my surprise, it was very readable. The story, condensed into a matter of days, fully reveals the psyche of each character, particularly that of Raskolnikov, the troubled protagonist who struggles to escape guilt after his crime.

Dostoevsky seems to be drawn to anti-heroes and depicts them with a fascinating realism. The madness and torment of Raskolnikov remind me of the portrayal of the Underground Man, but with much more depth.

A masterpiece by Stendhal. It's been on my bookshelf for 4 years but I somehow never felt compelled to read it... until now. It explores in depth some of the most beautiful aspects of human nature (love, trust), but as a result also reveals the downsides: mimetic desires (jealousy), vanity, rivalry, and hypocrisy.

What is fascinating is that each character is carefully analyzed from a psychological standpoint. The protagonist leaves nobody indifferent. Definitely a lot to learn from his story.

This is the story of the dramatic rise and fall of Silicon Valley's once hottest startup. It is extremely well narrated by Carreyrou, who, notably, faced intense pressure from the company while reporting on the story.

The severity of the actions taken Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani is hardly believable. This book feels surreal. It is certainly the most spectacular failure of the Fake It Until You Make It mantra ever, by far.

There are many lessons to be learned from not ruining a company. Bad Blood is undeniably one of the best books I have ever read.

One of the most enlightening books I have ever read. This is the perfect, fact-based book that goes against mediatized pessimism and fatalism.

Rosling deconstructs many of our irrational behaviors. These are what he calls "instincts", which wrongly leads us to biased and inaccurate judgements about the world.

It's important to remember the real statistics about the current state of the world. Some things are bad but getting better. Everyone should read it.

A collection of sci-fi masterpieces. The beauty of Chiang's writing lies in his ability to incorporate physics and philosophy in such a realistic and captivating way that the stories become unforgettable.

Two common themes throughout his novels are technology and free will. As a technical writer, he brings a strong coherence to his storylines, which then provides a solid foundation for genuine thought.

Exhalation is certainly one of the most brilliant fiction book I have read. And it’s one of those books that you never get bored with.

A very humbling biography about the pursuit of meaning. Frankl's storytelling is really compelling, ultimately making the case that human beings cannot avoid suffering in life.

Reading his story helps put things into perspective. Nothing is as bad as it might seem when compared to Frankl's experiences during the Holocaust.

It also helps in seeking true meaning in one's life through his theory of logotherapy, an existential approach to finding purpose. According to Frankl, our primary drive is not pleasure, as Freud suggested, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.

A great novel on the themes of appearances and the morality of one's image. Wilde has an elegant style filled with insights and wisdom.

Morality isn't explicitly discussed, but the story clearly deals with how one's self-image impact their morality or even ruin their life.

Dorian Gray is the perfect embodiment of a Dionysian man who lives for pleasure. It is in some way a reflection of Wilde's own hedonistic life, but taken to the extreme.

This beautifully written novel tackles some of life's biggest questions. It's about the duality of lightness (freedom) and weight (responsibility), sex and love, compassion and treason, and the complexities of relationships during a time of oppression in Czechoslovakia.

Kundera's style is very pleasing, alternating between different characters and juxtaposing the time and geography of events. There is certainly some uniqueness to this novel, given all the profound philosophical reflections it inspires.

Perhaps the ultimate takeaway is that meaning can be found despite the imperfections and uncertainties of your life decisions.

Everything in life involves tradeoffs. Christian and Griffiths remarkably show that the best way to make them is with algorithms. The book is full of insights, covering many counter-intuitive principles and explaining the foundations behind each.

From a rational standpoint, if questions such as How do we choose a partner? A restaurant? A buyer for a house? interest you, you should probably give this book a try.

An unconventionally good novel about two diametrically opposed visions of life. Both Narcissus and Goldmund seek fulfillment, but they pursue it in different ways. Narcissus attains it through asceticism, while Goldmund chases it through sexual pleasures and artistic expression.

Although this is not a praise for hedonism, I suspect Herman Hesse intended to draw attention to the importance of life's sensual pleasures for living it fully.

In some way, this novel perfectly embodies Nietzsche's conception of Apollonian and Dionysian states.

A beyond useful guide for people with little to no prior exposure to memory techniques. There is a feeling of ecstasy after reading this book for all the realizations it brings.

You can remember absolutely anything without tedious repetition (though it helps). All you need is creativity to link what you want to remember with a support—a rhyme, a shape, a place, or an object.

This is the type of book you should read as early as possible in your life.

Outrageous questions and complex answers. This collection of short stories provides a rich ground for imagination.

Chiang is obviously very focused on ideas. There is a lot of science and math involved. There is also a level of abstraction that is beyond good and challenges your own thinking.

The book was great, though some novels ("Tower of Babylon", "Liking What You See: A Documentary") were better than others ("Division By Zero", "The Evolution of Human Science").

The biography of the first Asian Marvel superhero. Simu is a good writer with a great sense of humor.

He has a deep drive that is inspiring to see, especially considering all the pain and sadness he went through as a child. It’s also obvious that he was, and perhaps still is, trying to prove something to himself and to his parents.

Overall, Simu seems to be a genuinely cool guy who is enjoying life after overcoming his personal struggles.

A foundational introduction to philosophy. It's a relatively short book but requires a lot attention and reflection afterward. Russell's writing has the unfortunate quality of being difficult to read, but his arguments and thought process are still quite enlightening.

The first half of the book is more compelling than the second, dealing with theories of knowledge and analysis of reality. I would suggest skipping the other half.

A spiritual guide to self-discovery and fulfillment by Hermann Hesse. It's very short and goes straight to the point. Hesse isn't blindly preaching frugality and asceticism, but instead shows the process behind achieving such an end.

I would say Siddhartha is a shorter, more condensed version of Narcissus and Goldmund. The plot structures and themes explored in both novels are quite similar. The main takeaway, though, is that wisdom cannot be taught — something that translates quite well when trying to teach kids about the world.

Being serious when no one else is means you are not serious at all. Life is essentially a game, and the point is to have fun while playing.

Kundera's style is truly unique, as it charmingly captures many truths about relationships and the pursuit of love (or sex). He has a talent for exposing subtle philosophical fragments and metaphors throughout his novels, which makes for a great read.

However, there is one drawback: the somewhat obsessive tendency to center each story around women and sexual attraction. This focus sometimes causes him to miss opportunities for other deeper reflections.

A rare novel of its kind, narrating the life and thoughts of an anti-hero, the Underground Man. As paradoxical and absurd as his actions might be, they implicitly tell a lot about our own lives. Through the protagonist, Dostoevsky explores existential questions, free will and suffering, while wholeheartedly rejecting rationalism.

This book is an emotional journey where you feel compassion, pity, frustration, empathy, and repulsion all at once. I'm glad I read it, but I probably won't read it again.

One of Nietzsche's foundational piece of work. His arguments are very thought-provoking, the main one being that morality does not improve humans.

Contrary to conventional and religious norms, he challenges the boundaries of Good and Evil, guilt, bad conscience, and ascetic ideals.

His writing style isn't easy to grasp at first, but once you understand the full picture, everything becomes clearer.

This book is a great introduction to Nietzsche's main ideas. It covers his criticism of Socrates, religion, and imposed moral ideals that are often blindly followed. His writing is quite provocative, containing many aphorisms that are deliberately meant to mock the absurdity of such ideals.

This dystopian novel offers a great reflection on women's reproductive rights. It was inspired by real world events such as WWII and the Salem witch trials. I find Atwood's writing to be occasionally clumsy, but her feminist perspective draws a striking parallel with today's society. Women's fight for control over their own bodies has never been more pressing.

Not surprisingly, The Handmaid's Tale has also a reminiscent air of 1984.

A very informative book that addresses current social issues. Duflo and Banerjee effectively counter criticisms related to immigration, trade, and other prevalent beliefs among Americans.

One disappointment is that some chapters are mainly a compilation of references to papers and self-evident observations in economics.

A thought-provoking book on economic growth and degrowth, but outright extreme. Parrique's writing is very polished, using strong metaphors and quotes that effectively support his case.

Many of the ideas exposed have a solid foundation. However, his tendency to fit everything into his narrative while neglecting humanity's adaptability makes the argument less compelling.

Worth reading, though not everything is likely to be agreed upon.

A very concise book on the current state of AI. Lee's background as a computer scientist in both China and the US is particularly valuable for understanding this rivalry.

The rise of AI in China has been exponential, to the extent where it might outclass the US in leading the industry. Alongside this, Lee shares his personal journey and struggles, which gives the book an unexpected emotional depth.

Lee is a remarkable scientist, and for many Americans who are unaware of China's true technological prowess, this book is enlightening.

A guide to a purposeful life devoid of superficiality. McKeown's observations seem very familiar, but they carry significant truth.

I started out thinking that the content was quite basic, but it turned out that it's much deeper than I expected. We often overvalue things that don't deserve it, while undervaluing what truly matters.

The pioneering literary work on the Metaverse, written in 1992. There's quite a nerdy aspect to the book, which is gracefully combined with religion, linguistics, computer science and Sumerian mythology.

The vocabulary initially felt outdated, but the story became more interesting over time. I enjoyed Stephenson's writing style and the lively dynamics surrounding his characters.

We often believe that sci-fi writers predict the future, but perhaps it's the other way around: people draw inspiration from sci-fi to shape the present.

A terrifying story about the rise of high-frequency trading (HFT) during the 2000s. Michael Lewis goes beyond the common understanding of the stock exchange to explain its newly emerging practices.

There are quite a lot of technical jargon involved, but Lewis does a good job clarifying them. It's nonetheless repetitive and sometimes lacked a clear story line with multiple stories intersecting.

Perhaps the most astonishing part was about Spread Networks, a $300 million secret project that involved laying 827 miles of fiber-optic cable from Chicago to New Jersey. Its sole purpose was to reduce data transmission time from 17 to 13 milliseconds for traders to outpace others.

A comprehensive analysis of the current state of the world against widespread hopelessness. Pinker urges us to step back and appreciate modernity for what it truly is, rather than how it might appear.

This book often felt more like an extensive academic paper, with relevant references but burdened by name-dropping and lists that made some parts seem superficial.

Having read Hans Rosling's Factfulness, I must say that Enlightenment Now felt somewhat repetitive and less objective in presenting the author’s case.

An interesting overview of the foundations of Machine Learning. LeCun's writing is quite concise and has the quality of avoiding unnecessary jargon.

There is still a lot of technical knowledge involved, and some parts required extra effort to be understood. The chapter on backpropagation could be better explained, and some of LeCun's ideas would benefit from more detailed arguments.

A bold attempt to capture the complete history of the human species. Harari provides some very interesting insights, but some parts are only superficially covered and argued. I guess this is the natural downside of writing about long periods of history.

The fundamental idea revolves around our common "shared myths" that made cooperation and civilization possible. Interestingly, it makes you think about why you are what you are today and what made it possible.

A provocative book on the ethics and pathways of superintelligence, an advanced form of AI extending far beyond human abilities. I often had to pause to reflect on Bostrom's analysis, which opened my eyes to the safety issues surrounding superintelligence — something to be taken much more seriously than we might think.

Bostrom clearly exposes the potential societal, economic, and civilizational impacts that superintelligence might have on our future. Though the reading wasn't easy, I enjoyed his interdisciplinary approach, incorporating mathematics, neuroscience, and philosophy.

This is a general introduction to AI. As a physicist, Tegmark has the ability to discuss many concepts from a scientific standpoint.

He also explores possible pathways and ethical considerations as the technology advances. Some parts were repetitive, others were outdated.

A guide to building companies through startups. The book introduces many foundational ideas, but also includes repetitive advice, often trying to fit the "lean" narrative.

It's worth reading if it's your first read on startups, but otherwise it might not provide much new insight.

Cal Newport’s blueprint for achieving productivity. I was disappointed by this book as I expected more scientific evidence rather than loads of examples attempting to prove the benefits of deep work.

Deep work is undoubtedly an important concept but could be covered in a simpler way. Unless you struggle terribly with focus and have no idea of what you might be missing, this book may not be helpful.

An exploration of J.D. Vance's story as an unconventional hillbilly from Middletown, Ohio. I couldn't have picked a better time to read it. It carries emotional weight and explores the sociology of some white working-class regions in Appalachia.

Regardless, I expected more from the storytelling and writing. It's very repetitive, and I could feel Vance generalizing a lot of his experiences to fit a unique success story. There are probably too many unnecessary attempts and anecdotes to showcase his upward mobility through his time in the Marine Corps and later as a Yale graduate.

A bit disappointed by this novella from Stefan Zweig. It follows the story of a woman whose life is abruptly changed in a single day after encountering a gambling addict.

I read it in one sitting but remain skeptical about the overall conclusion. It implicitly draws parallels to Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina, but its shorter length tends to make it feel more superficial than a real experience.

The origin of one's desires is imitation. This is Girard's main idea in the book, where he explains the mechanism behind mimetic (or triangular) desire. This feature of desire reveals a lot about human nature and how others shape what we ultimately want.

The first few chapters do a pretty good job of covering this concept. However, most of the pages go through examples from the literary works of Flaubert, Proust, Stendhal, Cervantes and Dostoevky (which you should preferably read beforehand).

I remain somewhat skeptical that Girard did not consider any genuine, direct desires. Does that imply that all desires are destined to be desires of others, and none are truly ours?

This is a collection of quotes from Stoic philosophers. I read one page each day for a year and enjoyed some of the ideas exposed.

The formatting of this book isn't the best, though. It's too short to completely immerse myself in; reading more would have felt like I wasn't reflecting enough.

Wasn't as good as I hear people say it is. It felt more like a collection of quotes, methods, and tools rather than an intellectual discovery.

I stopped reading at one point and picked it back up a month later.

Tim is obviously a very interesting person, but I'd recommend reading his blog or listening to his podcast instead, as they are much more insightful.

This is a depiction of Isak Dinesen's (Karen Blixen) Kenyan lifestyle from the 1910s to the 1930s. The surrounding settings are intriguing, but the main issue is the lack of a clear storyline.

The stories about wildlife and colonialism could have been great, but I couldn't finish the book.