2023 have-read list
you can find pretty much any book you want to read by just googling "'book_title' pdf". also your local library is really needing you to come in to justify that taxpayer money funded to it, so go get some stuff from there. they have so much more besides books. academic article paywalls can also be pretty easily bypassed by either just going incognito mode, downloading a chrome extension, or in rare desperate cases, a nice, enthusiastically worded email to the author will pretty much guarantee you free access. same applies to news articles (unless it's controlled by mega-conglomerate.) e-mail and google, huge, free, underutilized resources.
the way i read is kind of silly. if something is not interesting me, i feel no urge to force myself through it. so this list below is only books read to their completion. there are plenty more half-way books that didn't make the list, and in many cases those halfways happened to inform me more than a complete novel. sometimes it can be an ego-serving task to write down these finished books, another checkmark into the realm of /smartness!/ what's really important is what is gained from the readings, the quality tenfold surpasses the quantity. in fact, re-reading is probably more worthwhile that reading a new book, and in my cases, i've done my best to go back and atleast review the ones that stuck out to me, or atleast have a conversation with a friend about them.
now, in order...
viktor frankl's
man's search for meaning 1/2 firsthand holocaust recollection from a psychiatrist's pov, 1/2 introduction to logotherapy and its practice.
frankz kafka's
selected works namely, the metamorphosis & before the law.
michael a d'ernico's
behind the beat overview of sampling / machines used in hiphop production
vladimir nabokov's
lolita famous story from the point of view of a pedo
albert einstein's
the world as i see it. a collection of essays, letters, and correspondences from mr einstein..
robert kayosaki's
rich dad, poor dad. a book about the financial lessons and intelligence he gained throughout his life, mostly applied through the lens of real estate and stock trading.
ruud noys'
what is anarchist music? an exploration into the relationship between anarchism and music, and more broadly, anarchism and culture.
nick blinko's
ghost in the chess machine i am not really sure. this is one of the worst books i've ever read lots of typos and punctuation mistakes made its 12 pages an eternity. rip.
e. m. forster's
the machine stops some really early tech fiction. super good short story i recommend.
rick rubin's
the creative act a philosphy book about making the best possible art.
nicholas nassim taleb's
the bed of procrustes a book of aphorisms about the limitations of human knowledge.
albert camus'
the outsider pretty good early absurd fiction. reminds me of my own writing in some ways, which is disappointing. i read it bc it was #1 on a list of best books, uhmmm idk it was good but like best? idk bruh. good asf tho
tim ferris'
tools of titans. a book full of interviews and recommendations from successful people. awesome!!! would re-read and pick through again.
tim ferris'
four hour work week. another book of blogs and marketing that i just can't seem to put down. wtf. it's so good LOL. and practical, atleast, we'll see.
tim ferris'
tribe of mentors kind of like the little version of tools of titans. i've already started a 4th tim ferris book.
naval ravikant's / eric jorgenson's
the navalmanack. book about naval ravikant's philsophy, collecting wisdom from him and other interesting thoughts. i like it.
easwaran eknath's annotated bhavad gita. no link this time, sorry. very interesting. no comments now, they are still brewing. i can say that it feels like a first domino. toppled or placed, i am unsure.
bernard shaw's
maxims for revolutionaries lots of amazing quotables and few i had already heard out of context. interesting what he says on marriage.
nicholas nasim taleb's
skin in the game going through this series, re-reading, all out of order and wack. what a goodie.