Below, you can find my ratings, summaries, and notes on the books that I have read. You can always pick up the book, but here are the things that I found most valuable.
For fiction and literature, expect a more reserved approach since I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone that would like to read it in full. For nonfiction, I often highlight what I think is most valuable and sometimes create thorough book notes. The structure of these summaries is based on Ali Abdaal’s Notion template.
Summaries
- The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert CamusThe Myth of Sisyphus outlines the philosophy of absurdism, that ultimately we must resist the absurd in this irrational universe.
- Heartstopper Vol. 1-4 by Alice OsemanHeartstopper depicts the challenges and romance of navigating young love and sexual identity.
- Einstein’s Dreams by Alan LightmanEinstein’s Dreams depicts over 25 scenarios of how time may work differently than in this universe, all in the context of Albert Einstein’s dreams as he’s developing his theory of relativity.
- The Plague by Albert CamusIn The Plague, Dr. Rieux lives through a horrible plague that sweeps the French Algerian town of Oran, told from an absurdist perspective.
- The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas AdamsIn The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur Dent and his friends romp across the galaxy after the Earth is destroyed to create an intergalactic bypass.
- The Elephant in the Brain by Robin Hanson and Kevin SimlerThe Elephant in the Brain dissects the psychology and hidden truths behind the things that we do and how it affects everyday life.
- The Sea by John BanvilleIn The Sea, Max Morden delves into his past, dealing with trauma, grief, love, and loss surrounding his time at small sea-side town.
- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George SaundersGeorge Saunders gives a literary master class on what makes great stories work and what they can tell us about ourselves—and our world today.
- The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm GladwellThe Bomber Mafia had the dream of precision aerial warfare, but this book shows how reality is not always so kind to dreams.
- Outliers by Malcolm GladwellMalcolm Gladwell describes the ways in which successful people have seized the opportunities they were given to get ahead in life.
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. ThompsonA rampant drug-filled escapade in Las Vegas in search of the American Dream.
- The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich EngelsIn The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels outline the injustices to the proletariat and the goals of the Communist party.
- Persuasion by Jane AustenJane Austen’s novel about romance in high society in the 1800’s is surprisingly suspenseful and gripping.
- North by Scott JurekNorth by Scott Jurek details his journey of attempting to set the fastest known time going on north on the Appalachian Trail.
- The Hobbit by JRR TolkienJRR Tolkien narrates a tale of a hobbit, an unexpected company of dwarves, and a wizard retaking lost treasure.
- Norwegian Wood by Haruki MurakamiHaruki Marukami paints a sad yet beautiful picture of a young adult coming to grips with a life filled with suicide and romance in 1960’s Japan.
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray BradburyRay Bradbury develops a dystopian future in which books are burned and the TV is the captor of our attention.
- 1984 by George OrwellGeorge Orwell depicts a protagonist’s journey through an authoritarian regime in a dystopian world.
- Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster WallaceDavid Foster Wallace writes a compelling set of short stories critiquing the behaviour men in society.