A list of books I read. 2024-02-11 The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning Paul Bloom 2021 4.5 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56922622-the-sweet-spot There's a subtle relationship between suffering, meaning, and happiness. I still don't know what it is, but I guess this book is raising a few useful questions. To quote The Guardian: "Bloom endorses motivational pluralism: we're all a tangled mess of complicated drives and enthusiasms, and finding the sweet spot that includes just the right mix of suffering and value and satisfaction is, as the book's subtitle puts it, the "key to a good life"." The Sweet Spot.jpg 2023-12-20 Lewis Carroll 1865 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland It's difficult not to think about Disney's interpretation of the story. The book is quite different. Probably weirder. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.jpg 2023-12-01 The Science and Art of Longevity Peter Attia 2023 4.75 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61153739-outlive I've been listening to Peter Attia's podcast for 4 years now. I like his rather conservative approach to longevity. My personal takeaway is that I should exercise way more and eat more protein. Outlive.jpg 2023-08-27 Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life Bill Perkins 2020 4.25 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52950915-die-with-zero I started reading Perkins' book after hearing him on Peter Attia's podcast. Basically, this is a rich guy telling other people to spend more money, earlier in life. He makes some good points, I guess. Invest in experiences and people. Don't plan to do too many things when you're retired, as people's health get worse rather quickly. He's not wrong, but those are not very original ideas. His most interesting idea is that you should really think about the rest of your life and how you're going to spend your money. And maybe - maybe! - you're saving too much money, even if you're not rich. Maybe. I'm not convinced, as I don't live on a yacht, but I'll think about it. Die With Zero.jpg 2023-08-05 The Computer Science of Human Decisions Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths 2016 4.75 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25666050-algorithms-to-live-by I have a master in computer science, so I often think about the world in terms of algorithms. Some of them are useful on a day-to-day basis. Some of them are useful to better understand the world (so more in a philosophical way, almost). Some of the more advanced concepts coming from machine learning, for example. This book made me realize that there are more links than expected between computer science and the "real world". Algorithms to Live By.jpg 2023-05-31 Victor Hugo 1832 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Dernier_Jour_d%27un_condamn%C3%A9 Un livre absolument fascinant et en avance sur son temps, puisqu'il a fallu attendre presque 150 ans pour que la peine de mort soit enfin abolie en France. Le Dernier Jour d’un condamné.jpg 2023-05-07 Douglas Adams 1984 3.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Long,_and_Thanks_for_All_the_Fish Surprisingly quite boring compared to the previous books in the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy franchise. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.jpg 2023-03-21 Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World Cal Newport 2016 4.75 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25744928-deep-work An important book at this point in my life. I've been implementing Getting Things Done (GTD) for more than 15 years now and I think I've come to terms with the idea that our time is limited (see Four Thousand Weeks and Midlife, for example). The logical conclusion is that we should have a clear set of priorities for all the domains/projects in our lives (e.g. it should be quite clear to anybody that health and the people you love should be at the top of your list) and that when you decide to do something, you should do it with intention and focus, hence the idea that deep work is important. As Newport explains in his book, deep work doesn't come without any effort. You have to decide that you want to work deeply and then make it possible to do it, with strategies such as time blocking, scheduling your days, quitting social networks, etc. Deep Work.jpg 2023-01-28 A Philosophical Guide Kieran Setiya 2017 4.75 https://books.google.com/books?id=fvSnDgAAQBAJ Midlife (Kieran Setiya).md A way better book than Christopher Hamilton's Middle Age, with some relatively actionable pieces of advice. Midlife.jpg 2022-12-29 An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over Jack Schafer & Marvin Karlins 2015 4.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=KKoVBgAAQBAJ The Like Switch (Jack Schafer & Marvin Karlins).md Part of this book contains useful tips to be more friendly to other people (nonverbal cues, showing empathy, etc.). The rest looks like a guide to become a spy. The Like Switch.jpg 2022-11-03 Aldous Huxley 1956 4.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_and_Hell_(essay) Heaven and Hell (Aldous Huxley).md An essay included along with The Doors of Perception. I found it to be a bit more accessible. Heaven and Hell.jpg 2022-10-31 Aldous Huxley 1954 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doors_of_Perception The Doors of Perception (Aldous Huxley).md An intriguing book. A very intellectual take on a mescaline trip, among other topics. Again, I'm not a fan of Huxley's writing. I don't know why exactly. The Doors of Perception.jpg 2022-09-30 Aldous Huxley 1932 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World Brave New World (Aldous Huxley).md It's a classic, but for some reasons I found it very hard to enjoy it. Maybe the vocabulary is harder to understand for non-native English readers than in most books? I don't know. I had to read a summary of the story half-way through to get an idea of what was happening. Brave New World.jpg 2022-08-04 Stefan Zweig 1943 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Joueur_d%27%C3%A9checs Le Joueur d'échecs (Stefan Zweig).md Un très court roman qui m'a vraiment tenu en haleine. Pratiquant la méditation, j'ai par contre été (un peu) amusé par le peu de tolérance à l'ennui du mystérieux personnage du joueur d'échec, pour qui le quotidien dans sa chambre d'hôtel était intolérable. Je ne dis pas que j'aurais été insensible au manque de divertissements, mais la manière dont il décrit ces moments-là m'interpelle. Le Joueur d'échecs.jpg 2022-07-31 A Book About Hope Mark Manson 2019 4.25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_Is_Fucked Everything Is Fucked (Mark Manson).md Coming from quite a different angle (meditation, etc.), Sam Harris also thinks that hope is not as positive as we think. It's basically wanting things to be different than what they are, which is often actually a negative thing. Everything Is Fucked.jpg 2022-06-19 George Orwell 1945 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm Animal Farm (George Orwell).md Another (short) classic I hadn't read yet. I don't know why, but I expected it to be a book for children. I was pleasantly surprised to discover what it really is (i.e. a critique of political systems). Animal Farm.jpg 2022-05-28 Jean-Jacques Rousseau 1782 4.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_R%C3%AAveries_du_promeneur_solitaire Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaire (Jean-Jacques Rousseau).md Ne connaissant rien à Rousseau, j'ai mis du temps à entrer dans cette œuvre, en particulier à cause des passages traitant de la persécution dont Rousseau disait être victime (on a rapidement l'impression qu'il y a là une certaine paranoïa). Les différents chapitres ("promenades") sont autant de thèmes distincts qui sont abordés et on se prend rapidement à un jeu qui consiste à se demander de quoi Rousseau va ensuite parler. Éléments biographiques, retraite sur l'Île Saint-Pierre, réflexions philosophiques (qu'est-ce que le mensonge ?), passion pour la nature et la botanique, etc. sont autant de sujets abordés. Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaire.jpg 2022-04-08 The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life Luke Burgis 2021 4.25 https://books.google.com/books?id=9ty-zQEACAAJ Wanting (Luke Burgis).md A book about mimetic theory. Wanting.jpg 2022-02-11 Hommage à Denis Diderot en trois actes Milan Kundera 1981 4.5 https://books.google.com/books?id=FjHIAAAACAAJ Jacques et son maître (Milan Kundera).md Une variation, au sens musical du terme, de Jacques le Fataliste et son maître, l'un des romans préférés de Kundera. Avec cette pièce de théâtre, plutôt divertissante, j'ai terminé de lire les oeuvres "officielles" de Kundera, c'est-à-dire les oeuvres qu'il reconnaît lui-même comme dignes d'intérêt, le reste n'ayant pas été réédité ou traduit. Je suis prêt pour le prochain livre de Kundera, qu'il est, je l'espère, en train d'écrire malgré son âge avancé. Jacques et son maître.jpg 2022-01-29 Time Management for Mortals Oliver Burkeman 2021 5.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=WFP2DwAAQBAJ Four Thousand Weeks (Oliver Burkeman).md This is a book I really needed to read right now. I tend to commit to too many projects, without completing any of them, which causes anxiety/stress. Life is short/finite. We all have too many things to do compared to the time we have, so we have to get our priorities straight and commit to one important project at a time. Four Thousand Weeks.jpg 2021-12-30 Milan Kundera 1988 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Immortalit%C3%A9 L'Immortalité (Milan Kundera).md Un roman rempli de thèmes qui me touchent : la musique, la pollution sonore (les motos, etc.), la pollution visuelle (les voitures dans les villes), le concept de chemin (qui permet une forme de méditation en marche) vs celui de route (qui permet d'aller d'un point A à un point B), vivre vs être (encore un appel à la méditation au sens moderne du terme, bien que Kundera ne semble pas très familier avec le concept), etc. Kundera oppose toujours assez naïvement la "grande musique" (i.e. la musique classique) et la "musique rock". C'est son côté vieux con, qui me plaît bien, au final. Je prends encore une fois conscience que les romans de Kundera sont difficiles à résumer. Les personnages se croisent. Le récit n'est pas linéaire. Les parenthèses sont nombreuses. Chacune d'entre elle est l'occasion de s'arrêter, de se questionner, de contempler. Oui, il y a définitivement un appel à la méditation et à la contemplation chez Kundera. L'Immortalité.jpg 2021-11-25 Ray Bradbury 1953 4.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451 Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury).md A classic I hadn't read yet. I don't know why, but it evoked eerie and dream-like images in my mind, instead of futuristic ones. I could see David Lynch working on an adaptation. Strangely, it was François Truffaut who directed an adaptation of it in 1966, which I'll probably see soon, out of curiosity. Fahrenheit 451.jpg 2021-10-29 Umberto Eco 1980 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Nom_de_la_rose_(roman) Le Nom de la rose (Umberto Eco).md I watched the movie a long time ago (probably in the 90s). I still remember some aspects of it, which influenced my reading (e.g. picturing William of Baskerville as Sean Connery...). The book itself is brilliant, full of long parts about specific elements, such as a dream Adso had, inspired by the Coena Cypriani, which I really liked (it's very Rabelaisesque at times). Probably a book I'll read again in the future. Le Nom de la rose.jpg 2021-08-03 Duane Tudhal 2021 5.25 https://books.google.com/books?id=zJ4qEAAAQBAJ Prince and the Parade and Sign O' The Times Era Studio Sessions - 1985 and 1986 (Duane Tudahl).md A brilliant book, even better than the previous one. I could almost copy-paste my comments for the book about 1983-84. At the time, I concluded: "He was a really hard-working artist." Yes, Prince was a genius, but he was also very lonely. And weird. It's quite obvious that he worked so much because he didn't really know what to do when not playing music. I hope more books will be released, especially about the 1987-88 years. Prince and the Parade and Sign O' The Times Era Studio Sessions - 1985 and 1986.jpg 2021-06-16 Learning to Love Yourself and Your World with the Practice of RAIN Tara Brach 2020 4.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=2yWHDwAAQBAJ Radical Compassion (Tara Brach).md I'm quite convinced by the RAIN method described in this book, which itself was quite average (i.e. too long for the actual amount of information it contains). Radical Compassion.jpg 2021-05-24 The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words David Whyte 2014 5.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=7BC3rQEACAAJ Consolations (David Whyte).md My second David Whyte collection. I really like his writing. I'm also currently listening to him reading his essays in Sam Harris' Waking Up app. Consolations.jpg 2021-05-05 Ted Chiang 2002 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others Stories of Your Life and Others (Ted Chiang).md Another excellent short stories collection. The movie Arrival, which I really like, was based on one of those stories. The only frustrating thing is that I've now apparently read pretty much everything Ted Chiang ever wrote... Stories of Your Life and Others.jpg 2021-04-30 26 Essays to Reassure and Console The School of Life 2019 4.25 https://books.google.com/books?id=gLT1twEACAAJ The Joys and Sorrows of Parenting (The School of Life).md A bit too short/light, but not bad. I should probably read some of those essays again from time to time. The Joys and Sorrows of Parenting.jpg 2021-03-09 Milan Kundera 1969 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_vie_est_ailleurs La vie est ailleurs (Milan Kundera).md J'ai lu ce livre il y a 21 ans. Je ne m'en souvenais quasiment plus du tout. Un roman réussi à propos de la poésie, du communisme, de l'art, de la politique, de l'amour (y compris maternel), etc. J'ai bien aimé les passages oniriques, en particulier au début. Ce mélange rêve/réalité - qu'est-ce que la réalité ? - est aussi un thème/style que j'apprécie chez David Lynch. La vie est ailleurs.jpg 2021-02-07 Phoenix Kaspian 2020 3.0 https://castaliafoundation.com/ MDMA solo (Phoenix Kaspian).md This was a weird read. There are some good things in this book, obviously inspired by the Internal Family System (IFS) model and Self-Therapy book, but it sounds like it was written by someone who's really paranoid and anti-authority. MDMA solo.jpg 2021-01-15 Ted Chiang 2019 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exhalation:_Stories Exhalation - Stories (Ted Chiang).md I discovered Ted Chiang thanks to the Very Bad Wizards podcast. This is the kind of science fiction I like. I've already bought another collection, Stories of Your Life and Others. Exhalation - Stories.jpg 2020-11-27 Milan Kundera 1972 4.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Valse_aux_adieux La Valse aux adieux (Milan Kundera).md J'ai eu un peu de peine à entrer dans ce roman. Puis on se laisse emmener par ces destins croisés, par ces personnages dont la destinée leur échappe. La Valse aux adieux.jpg 2020-10-12 Why We Age – and Why We Don't Have To David Andrew Sinclair 2019 4.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifespan:_Why_We_Age_%E2%80%93_and_Why_We_Don%27t_Have_To Lifespan (David Andrew Sinclair).md I was already familiar with David's ideas and discoveries. You basically just need to watch a few YouTube videos to learn about them. I was especially curious about his views on how humanity will have to adapt to longer lifespans/healthspans and that part of the book somewhat disappointed me. Not all my concerns were addressed. In particular, automation/machine learning and the facts that a lot of jobs will really disappear at some point, without new jobs to replace them, the need for some form of universal basic income, and the fact that, mathematically, even if we still die, the world population will really become problematic at some point if we keep having children (maybe not in 100 or 200 years, but still). I recently heard David in a podcast briefly mention the fact that human beings will have to find a way to go to other planets in the future (or something to that effect). I guess that's what I expected to read in his book. But he wanted to stay optimistic, so he focused on the near-term future, I guess. Lifespan.jpg 2020-09-06 Self-management - How to Survive and Thrive in the 21st Century Youssef El Baba 2020 3.5 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52431581-the-art-of-living The Art of Living (Youssef El Baba).md This book convinced me that it's time to migrate from my current system (based on G Suite) to a more specific tool (maybe Omnifocus - I was not convinced by 2Do). The Art of Living.jpg 2020-07-14 From the Big Bang to Black Holes Stephen Hawking 1988 4.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Brief_History_of_Time A Brief History of Time (Stephen Hawking).md I don't know why, but I expected something overly-simplified (not to say dumbed-down). Something I could understand. :) I was somewhat surprised to discover that this book tries to explain very hard concepts in a relatively simple way, which still leads to... a complex book with very complex concepts. I don't think you could say it's highly accessible. Which makes me wonder whether anybody could do better than Hawking. I'm not saying he failed. Popularizing science is really hard. I'm just saying I was a bit disappointed. A Brief History of Time.jpg 2020-05-27 Milan Kundera 1995 4.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Identit%C3%A9 L'Identité (Milan Kundera).md Étrange passage de la réalité au rêve, autour de la thématique de l'identité et de ses frontières. L'essai suivant le texte est très éclairant. L'Identité.jpg 2020.05.11 Terry Pratchett 1992 4.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Carpet_People The Carpet People (Terry Pratchett).md My first book by Terry Pratchett. I've heard a lot from him, but I'm not sure I'm a fan of his style (granted, this is probably not his most representative book). The Carpet People.jpg 2020-04-15 Douglas Adams 1982 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life,_the_Universe_and_Everything Life, the Universe and Everything (Douglas Adams).md I particularly liked the part where Arthur discovered he could fly. Life, the Universe and Everything.jpg 2020-04-10 Paul Éluard 1926 3.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitale_de_la_douleur Capitale de la douleur (Paul Éluard).md C'est certainement très bon, mais ça ne m'a absolument pas touché. Je dois manquer des clés nécessaires pour comprendre ce genre de poésie. Capitale de la douleur.jpg 2020-03-30 Milan Kundera 2009 4.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Une_rencontre Une rencontre (Milan Kundera).md Une rencontre ou Si Milan Kundera avait un blog... Kundera parle de compositeurs, peintres et écrivains/romanciers qui l'ont influencé. C'est toujours très bien écrit, mais ça m'a moins touché, ne connaissant pas la plupart des artistes qu'il mentionne. Une rencontre.jpg 2020-03-24 David Whyte 2019 4.75 https://books.google.com/books?id=2cq2ywEACAAJ David Whyte - Essentials (David Whyte).md I discovered David Whyte in February 2020. I liked his discussion with Sam Harris on the Making Sense podcast. This is the kind of poetry I like. I think. David Whyte - Essentials.jpg 2020-03-24 Denis Diderot 1796 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_le_Fataliste_et_son_ma%C3%AEtre Jacques le Fataliste et son maître (Denis Diderot).md C'est un hasard, mais c'est une œuvre très similaire à Candide, à savoir un "classique pas du tout ennuyeux", très libre dans sa structure (interruptions répétées des récits, discussions imaginaires entre l'auteur et le lecteur, etc.). On est encore relativement proche de Rabelais. Ça se lit très facilement. C'est à la fois léger et intelligent. Jacques le Fataliste et son maître.jpg 2020-02-29 F. Scott Fitzgerald 1925 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald).md I saw the 2013 movie and really liked it. The book is a classic, but it didn't manage to impress me as much. The Great Gatsby.jpg 2020-02-17 Mœurs de province Gustave Flaubert 1857 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_Bovary Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert).md Un vrai classique, au sens où je me l'imagine. Comme Candide, je ne me souviens pas avoir étudié ce livre durant mes études. Je suis content de l'avoir lu avec le recul probablement nécessaire pour l'apprécier. Les longues descriptions typiques de Flaubert ne m'ont pas dérangé. Au contraire, j'ai trouvé son style plutôt impressionnant. Je ne m'étonne pas que l'écriture de cette œuvre ait nécessité plus de quatre ans de la vie de Flaubert. Madame Bovary.jpg 2020-01-19 Agatha Christie 1939 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_Then_There_Were_None And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie).md Crime novels are not my cup of tea and I'm not sure I will ever read another Agatha Christie books in my life, but I had a lot of fun reading And Then There Were None. And Then There Were None.jpg 2020-01-07 Voltaire 1759 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide Candide (Voltaire).md Un texte qui se lit très facilement. Je ne me souviens pas l'avoir étudié durant mes études, mais j'ai eu beaucoup de plaisir à le lire. Je le classerais dans la catégorie "classiques pas du tout ennuyeux". Candide.jpg 2019-12-27 Milan Kundera 1994 4.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Lenteur La lenteur (Milan Kundera).md J'avais déjà lu ce livre, mais je ne me souvenais absolument pas de l'histoire, à part la scène de la piscine. Kundera mène une réflexion sur le monde moderne et, en particulier, sur le rôle des mass media (c'était avant l'apparition d'internet) et celui de la vitesse / de la lenteur dans l'oubli / la mémoire et l'Histoire. Il fait un parallèle avec Point de lendemain de Vivant Denon, démystifie un peu l'épicurisme (qui parle de plaisirs simples, pas de débauche, comme on pourrait le croire) et condamne ces "danseurs" qui font ce qu'on a appelé bien plus tard du virtue signalling. La Lenteur.jpg 2019-12-21 John Armstrong 2012 4.5 https://books.google.com/books?id=g7OxpwAACAAJ How to Worry Less about Money (John Armstrong).md Not a self-help book. Like The Consolations of Philosophy, it's a book that uses philosophy to give us a new perspective on a topic. How to Worry Less about Money.jpg 2019-12-19 Prince Rogers Nelson & Dan Piepenbring 2019 4.5 https://books.google.com/books?id=AWKSDwAAQBAJ Prince died a few months after starting to work on this project. It is what it is and I must say that Dan Piepenbring did a great job with what he had. The Beautiful Ones.jpg 2019-12-11 Milan Kundera 1986 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Art_du_roman L'art du roman (Milan Kundera).md Un regard critique et sophistiqué de l'auteur sur son oeuvre, sur la structure de ses romans, sur le rôle du roman en général, sur le lien entre l'écriture et la musique, sur l'exercice compliqué de la traduction, etc. L'Art du roman.jpg 2019-11-21 A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Inner Wholeness Using IFS, a New, Cutting-Edge Therapy Jay Earley 2009 4.5 https://books.google.com/books?id=Ny96Z7N_ihsC Self-Therapy (Jay Earley).md First, IFS kind of sounded like woo to me, but after a while, it started to make sense. I think I like this approach. It's almost like an algorithm. It's also somewhat related to meditation in general and to loving kindness meditation in particular. I'm going to try it. Self-Therapy.jpg 2019-11-16 Paul Verlaine 1866 4.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po%C3%A8mes_saturniens Poèmes saturniens (Paul Verlaine).md Je n'ai pas accroché. Je crois qu'il va falloir que je m'éloigne un peu des classiques pour que je trouve de la poésie qui me touche vraiment. Poèmes saturniens.jpg 2019-10-02 Franz Kafka 1915 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_M%C3%A9tamorphose J'avais lu des extraits de ce livre en allemand il y a 25 ans, mais je crois ne l'avoir jamais lu en entier jusqu'à présent. Il s'agit ici de la première traduction, celle d'Alexandre Vialatte (apparemment problématique, mais tant pis). La Métamorphose est un texte très prenant, à la fois triste et révoltant, qui nous invite à un peu plus d'humanité. La Métamorphose.jpg 2019-09-17 Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine Derren Brown 2016 4.75 https://books.google.com/books?id=4lB8DAAAQBAJ Happy (Derren Brown).md A pretty good book about stoicism (mainly) and death. Reading A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine was what led me to stoicism as a philosophy of life. Happy takes all those ideas from stoicism and confronts them with real life. It could have been shorter, but it's full of good advice. I guess it's a self-help book, but in the good sense of the word. Realizing that you can't control everything, that you have to prepare for death (both others' and your own), etc. is hard. So, yes, being happy is hard work. You can't just "think positively". That won't work. Bad things will happen. All the time. You have to learn how to react accordingly. The only thing I didn't agree with was Brown's argument that immortality would necessarily be boring. It kind of contradicts the fact that you can learn to not find anything boring (e.g. meditation). But this is a minor point. Happy.jpg 2019-08-06 Douglas Adams 1980 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Restaurant_at_the_End_of_the_Universe The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Douglas Adams).md A good sequel to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.jpg 2019-07-12 A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind Annaka Harris 2019 4.5 https://books.google.com/books?id=k4hRuwEACAAJ Conscious (Annaka Harris).md A good summary of the problem of consciousness. And, yes, panpsychism is probably worth investigating. Conscious.jpg 2019-06-23 Alain de Botton 2000 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Consolations_of_Philosophy The Consolations of Philosophy (Alain de Botton).md I was familiar with Alain de Botton's YouTube videos (The School of Life). I've never been completely convinced by his approach. Is this self-help? Pop philosophy? Something else? I don't know. I'm still not convinced. The Consolations of Philosophy.jpg 2019-06-20 Ursula K. Le Guin 1973 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ones_Who_Walk_Away_from_Omelas The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (Ursula K. Le Guin).md A very short text. I read it after listening to the Very Bad Wizards episode about it. The vagueness of the story reminds me a bit of Jorge Luis Borges. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.jpg 2019-05-21 Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson 2018 4.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=aOlMDwAAQBAJ It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work (Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson).md Not bad. It's like a collection of blog posts. Or a big advertisement for Basecamp. Anyway, a lot of the advice found in this book should be common sense. But it's not, unfortunately. It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work.jpg 2019-05-08 Un temps pour tout Ernest Renan 1881 4.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eccl%C3%A9siaste L'Ecclésiaste (Ernest Renan).md Texte original et étude/commentaire d'Ernest Renan. Le livre en lui-même, faisant partie de la Bible, est court. Le commentaire est nettement plus long, mais pas vraiment "à mon goût". L'approche irrévérencieuse de Dave et Tamler du podcast Very Bad Wizards correspondait plus à ma sensibilité (athée, donc). L'Ecclésiaste.jpg 2019-04-23 Milan Kundera 1979 4.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Livre_du_rire_et_de_l%27oubli Le Livre du rire et de l'oubli (Milan Kundera).md Un livre de Kundera plus inégal, pour moi. On y trouve toujours des passages géniaux et ce mélange entre la fiction, l'essai et l'autobiographie. Et puis, il y a des moments plus confus. Plus étranges. Comme le passage de l'île aux enfants. Je crois que je comprends les éléments allégoriques, mais ça reste malsain. Tout du moins en contraste avec le reste du livre. Le Livre du rire et de l'oubli.jpg 2019-03-29 The New Science of Sleep and Dreams Matthew Walker 2017 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Sleep Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker).md Summary: we should all sleep more. Lack of sleep is bad for... pretty much everything. See also Tips for Getting a Good Night's Sleep. 2021-04-05: see Matthew Walker's "Why We Sleep" Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors. Why We Sleep.jpg 2019-02-19 Louis-Ferdinand Céline 1932 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_au_bout_de_la_nuit Voyage au bout de la nuit (Céline).md Un classique, sur lequel tout a été écrit, par moments un peu difficile à lire à cause du langage parlé (peu de ponctuation, phrases longues, etc.). Il est difficile de ne pas se laisser emmener dans ce voyage un peu fou, souvent sombre, du narrateur, Bardamu, ce anti-héros auquel on finit par s'attacher - un peu, parfois. Voyage au bout de la nuit.jpg 2018-12-31 A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari 2014 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapiens:_A_Brief_History_of_Humankind Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari).md I really enjoyed Homo Deus and since it looks like half of the world has already read Sapiens, I had to read it as well! This is not your usual history book. Harari is strongly opinionated. I'm still bothered by his use of some words (e.g. "religion" for "ideology"), but liked the book nevertheless. It's a bit oversimplistic at times (it especially struck me at the end of the book, where Harari is talking about genetic algorithms and computer viruses), but overall I liked Harari's high-level approach to the subject. For reference: Daniel Miessler's summary of the book. Sapiens.jpg 2018-11-08 82 Brief Essays on Things That Matter Peter Singer 2016 5.0 https://books.google.com?id=P4f8CwAAQBAJ Ethics in the Real World (Peter Singer).md This is the first book by Peter Singer that I've read. It's probably not his best or most well-known book, but I wanted something recent, that was not completely about effective altruism or animal rights (I'm already convinced in both cases), and that would show me how he thinks. As an introduction to his work, I think it's a great book. It's also very easy to read, as it's composed of 82 independent essays (grouped by theme). Ethics in the Real World.png 2018-11-05 What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence Michael Pollan 2018 5.0 https://books.google.com?id=3vk5DwAAQBAJ How to Change Your Mind (Michael Pollan).md The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide was disappointing. This book is way better. It's good journalism. Apart from a tiny bit of quantum mysticism (?) at the end, I found it very critical, informative, and easy to read. The structure of the book is really clear (probably as much as the structure of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide was confusing). It mentions recent studies, but always from a critical angle. Psychedelics are probably not a panacea, but there really is something to them. We need more research, as soon as possible. We have lost enough time since the late 60s. I'm personally especially curious about microdosing: does it work or is it just a placebo? How to Change Your Mind.jpg 2018-09-16 Randy Pausch & Jeffrey Zaslow 2008 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Lecture The Last Lecture (Randy Pausch & Jeffrey Zaslow).md According to my notes, I watched the lecture on July 26, 2008. Ten years ago; I would have sworn that it was only 5-7 years ago! Still according to my notes, I found the lecture "interesting" and "it made me think a little". I was apparently happy that Randy Pausch didn't make any mention of religion (I was in my "God Delusion phase" at the time, I guess). The book is a kind of a making-of. In 2018, I don't know what to make of it. It's moving. It's kind of impressive (Pausch died three months after the book was published). It's somewhat inspiring. I guess the way Pausch lived his life and especially the end of it is a reminder that life is short (again...) and that we should live our life accordingly. The Last Lecture.jpg 2018-09-13 Sénèque 2013 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_la_bri%C3%A8vet%C3%A9_de_la_vie De la brièveté de la vie (Sénèque).md Version Presses Électroniques de France. Traducteur inconnu. Un court essai écrit en 49 (il y a 1969 ans !), mais qui est toujours d'actualité (esclavagisme et orgies romaines mis à part). J'imagine que la traduction fait beaucoup, mais le texte semble vraiment beaucoup plus récent. De la brièveté de la vie.jpg 2018-09-12 Milan Kundera 1986 4.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risibles_Amours Risibles Amours (Milan Kundera).md Publié originellement en 1970. Cette traduction a été revue par Kundera. Il s'agit d'un recueil de textes datant d'avant son premier roman. Je ne sais pas si je l'aurais deviné, mais, le sachant, cela a teinté un peu ma lecture et je dois admettre que j'ai moins aimé ces textes que les romans avec lesquels je suis déjà familier. Je n'ai pas retrouvé le Kundera que j'aime bien et qui mêle avec habileté la fiction, ses connaissance de l'histoire, de l'art et de la musique. On a parfois de la peine à voir la limite entre roman et essai, et c'est ce qui me plaît en général chez lui. C'est beaucoup moins le cas dans ce recueil. Risibles Amour.jpg 2018-09-11 Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions Johann Hari 2018 4.75 https://books.google.com?id=WIg2DwAAQBAJ Lost Connections (Johann Hari).md I don't know if many books have been written before about the "non-biochemical" causes of depression and anxiety, but this book gives a far more plausible explanation of depression than the chemical imbalance theory. Antidepressants don't work well (or at all, in many cases), so we need a new way to look at things. We can't always fix our problems by taking pills. Hari gives us at least seven solutions or, rather, potential avenues to explore. They're not quick hacks. They're difficult to implement. Some of them will probably come from larger societal changes and not from individual efforts. I will have to process my notes and see if I can actually do something actionable from them. Lost Connections.jpg 2018-09-10 Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys James Fadiman 2011 4.0 https://books.google.com?id=CftkAwAAQBAJ The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide (James Fadiman).md An uneven book. It's a collection of texts written by Fadiman, as well as other persons. It doesn't have a clear structure (at least to me). Fadiman believes in God. Not in a personal god, probably, but it's still a bit unsettling. A large part of the book is about the spiritual/mystical aspect of psychedelics. The part about microdosing was far more intriguing. Many studies about psychedelics were done in the 50s/60s and their quality probably leaves a lot to be desired. We need better books about this topic. The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide.jpg 2018-08-02 Jorge Luis Borges 2017 4.0 https://books.google.com?id=5ZJBDwAAQBAJ The Library of Babel and Other Stories (Jorge Luis Borges).md I got this collection mainly to read "The Library of Babel", so that I could listen to the Borges' Babylon episode of Very Bad Wizards. I'll just link to my review of the episode. To sum it up: I'm not a fan of Borges (yet). After that, I also read "The Garden of Forking Paths", from Collected Fictions. I'm still not convinced... The Library of Babel and Other Stories.jpg 2018-07-17 An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman Millionaire Mindset Publishing 2017 5.0 https://books.google.com?id=C9qctAEACAAJ Summary - The 4-Hour Body (Millionaire Mindset Publishing).md I'm rating the summary, here, not the original book by Timothy Ferriss. This is the first time I read a non-free summary of a book since my studies. Conclusion: I'm glad I didn't read the way longer book by Timothy Ferriss (The 4-Hour Body). There are a few interesting pieces of information, maybe even some that will lead me to change something in my life, but this summary confirms what I have been thinking for quite some time: Tim and I are not trying to optimize the same things in our lives; Tim is interested in maximizing performance (and book sales); I'm interested in maximizing health/happiness. Does having more muscle or being able to run a marathon lead to happiness? For some people, certainly. For me? I'm not so sure. Summary - The 4-Hour Body.jpg 2018-07-15 The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking Susan Cain 2012 4.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiet:_The_Power_of_Introverts_in_a_World_That_Can%27t_Stop_Talking Quiet (Susan Cain).md This book will probably help me accept the fact that I am introverted and that it's okay, that I don't have to completely change the way I behave. The book itself is rather good, not great. It would have benefited from less "case studies" (i.e. anecdotes) and a more theoretical approach. Quiet.jpg 2018-06-09 Christopher Hamilton 2009 3.0 https://books.google.com?id=_JMSAQAAMAAJ Middle Age (Christopher Hamilton).md This is a book about Hamilton's personal experience, with a lot of quotes, which touches a bit on middle age. It's not uninteresting, but it was not what I expected. Middle Age.jpg 2018-05-11 Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Max Tegmark 2017 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_3.0 Life 3.0 (Max Tegmark).md Having read five books by Ray Kurzweil, I'm quite familiar with artificial intelligence and its consequences. This book focuses on the dangers of AI. Kurzweil was (still is?) an optimist, so it's important to think about what needs to be done, concretely, to make sure we create friendly AIs. To many, it will sound like an exercise in futility (like worrying about overpopulation on Mars, according to Andrew Ng), but I'm now convinced that this is something we really need to get right. And I'm happy that very intelligent people have already been thinking about this problem for years. Life 3.0.jpg 2018-05-10 Charles Baudelaire 1857 4.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Fleurs_du_mal Un classique de la poésie. Objectivement, je vois pourquoi il s'agit d'un classique, surtout si on le replace dans le contexte de son époque, mais je ne peux pas dire que beaucoup des poèmes de ce recueil m'aient vraiment touché. Dans un autre style, Paroles de Prévert m'avait paru nettement plus accessible. Cela dit, je n'y connais rien en poésie et il ne s'agit que du deuxième recueil que je lis depuis mes études. Les Fleurs du mal.jpg 2018-03-29 Milan Kundera 2005 4.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Rideau Le Rideau (Milan Kundera).md J'ai toujours du plaisir à me plonger dans les essais de Kundera, même si je suis parfois dépassé par toutes les références à des auteurs ou compositeurs qui me sont inconnus. Il a toutefois une manière éclairante de mettre en contexte l'art du roman, ce qui rend ce mode d'expression unique, ce qui le fait traverser les frontières, au-delà des cultures soi-disant nationales. J'aime aussi sa façon de faire des parallèles avec d'autres formes d'art et en particulier avec la musique. Au final, Kundera défend la singularité du roman qui est selon lui seul à pouvoir aussi bien rendre intelligible le monde qui nous entoure, les sociétés, les époques, les évènements historiques, etc., beaucoup plus en interrogeant le monde, la psychologie des personnages, qu'en donnant des réponses toutes faites faisant référence à des systèmes de pensée préexistants. Le Rideau.jpg 2018-03-10 Manage Shyness, Improve Your Conversations, and Make Friends, Without Giving Up Who You Are Chris MacLeod 2016 4.0 https://books.google.com?id=SKNajwEACAAJ The Social Skills Guidebook (Chris MacLeod).md Probably the kind of book I should have read twenty years ago. I'm shy. I've always seen it as a handicap. This book contains good "tips", but I guess they can only go so far in improving one's natural tendencies (personality, genes, etc.). The Social Skills Guidebook.jpg 2018-02-05 Milan Kundera 2014 4.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_F%C3%AAte_de_l%27insignifiance La Fête de l'insignifiance (Milan Kundera).md L'un des livres les plus courts que j'aie lu ces dernières années. Le langage est plus familier que dans les premiers livres de Kundera. Ses thèmes fétiches sont présents : les relations hommes-femmes (du point de vue de l'homme), l'histoire, le communisme, l'humour, etc. Je vais faire une comparaison incongrue, mais ce roman m'a rappelé Lapinot de Trondheim, où l'histoire est secondaire et où ce sont bien les discussions entre les personnages qui sont importantes. La Fête de l'insignifiance.jpg 2018-01-28 The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be Armin A. Brott & Jennifer Ash 2015 4.5 https://books.google.com/books?id=nw8WQwAACAAJ The Expectant Father (Armin A. Brott & Jennifer Ash).md A bestseller. A bit too US-centric at times, but this was expected. I skipped some parts about insurances, college savings plans, etc. I guess the rest was pretty good for that kind of books. I'll see in April/May whether it's actually useful or not... The Expectant Father.jpg 2017-12-28 Duane Tudhal 2017 5.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=MrE5DwAAQBAJ Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions - 1983 and 1984 (Duane Tudhal).md I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. I consider myself a harcore Prince fan. I followed him since 1989. His death in 2016 was a traumatic event. There's not much I don't know about his work and in particular about his studio work (official and unofficial). Or so I thought. Tudhal spent more than twenty years doing research for this book (and upcoming books in the same series, I hope), interviewing musicians, engineers, etc. The structure of the book is very clever. It's basically a chronological list of studio sessions, rehearsals, concerts, and major events/releases, but interspersed with relevant bits of interviews, technical details, etc. The list approach really talks to the geek in me and the interviews from different people that were there at the time (1983-84) tell a coherent story. In summary, Prince was a really special musician. I already knew that. We won't see anybody like him again, at least for a very long time. But now I really have a sense of how much time he spent in the studio, days in a row, often all night long (a lot of sessions lasting until 5-6 AM!). That's really impressive. What's also impressive is that some engineers and musicians worked with him in those conditions, some of them answering the phone in the middle of the night and coming to the studio when Prince needed them. Prince had to record music when it was in his head. He was a really hard-working artist. Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions - 1983 and 1984.jpg 2017-11-29 Jacques Prévert 1946 4.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paroles_(Pr%C3%A9vert) Paroles (Jacques Prevert).md Le premier recueil de poèmes que j'ai lu depuis très longtemps (depuis les études, en fait). Je n'avais jamais rien lu de Prévert et ne savais pas à quoi m'attendre. J'ai été agréablement surpris par le côté absurde de ses poèmes. Et par son côté antimilitariste et anticlérical. D'un point de vue plus terre à terre, j'ai apprécié pouvoir lire un livre de manière plus découpée. Il n'y a pas vraiment de continuité, hors des thèmes, entre chaque poème. Cela permet de lire un autre livre en parallèle, par exemple. Ce recueil me motive à lire plus de poésie. Paroles.jpg 2017-10-12 Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions Randall Munroe 2014 4.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_If%3F:_Serious_Scientific_Answers_to_Absurd_Hypothetical_Questions What If (Randall Munroe).md Not a bad book, but I must admit that, after a while, the concept (explained in the subtitle - "serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions") gets a bit repetitive. But, yes, some parts were funny and I even learnt some things (and already forgot many of them!). What If.jpg 2017-09-14 Peter Elsdon 2012 4.5 https://books.google.com/books?id=HdO7iH2Sz6IC Keith Jarrett's The Koln Concert (Peter Elsdon).md It's difficult to judge this book fairly, because I'm not a musician and a couple of chapters are pretty technical. That being said, I'm a Keith Jarrett fan, so it was interesting to read about The Köln Concert in several contexts: jazz in general, the 1970s, Keith Jarrett's other solo albums (Facing You in particular), other pianists' solo recordings (e.g. Chick Corea's), Keith Jarrett's 1975 solo tour, etc. The more "philosophical" discussions such as what it means to improvise (vs compose), what it means for a live performance to be released as an album, etc. were also quite illuminating. Keith Jarrett's The Köln Concert.jpg 2017-08-26 A Brief History of Tomorrow Yuval Noah Harari 2015 5.25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_Deus:_A_Brief_History_of_Tomorrow Homo Deus (Yuval Noah Harari).md This is a book I really liked. I heard Yuval Noah Harari on Sam Harris' podcast in March 2017. And then I kept hearing about people reading Sapiens or Homo Deus, so I knew I had to read one of his books... I had completely forgotten about it, but Harari is a vegan, an atheist, and meditates a lot, so I can easily relate to a lot of what he has to say. He also starts his book by mentioning Ray Kurzweil, Aubrey de Grey, and Steven Pinker, people I'm very familiar with, so I was hooked from the very beginning. Now I don't agree with everything he says. This is something I had already noticed during his discussion with Sam Harris, but he uses some words very loosely. For example, he seems to use the word "religion" for "philosophy" and "ideology". I understand why he's doing it, but it doesn't make his point clearer, in my opinion. Just for reference, the word "science" (and related) appears 317 times in the book, "religion" appears 211 times, and "philosophy" appears only 27 times. He also seems to support the non-overlapping magisteria (NOMA) view. I clearly don't agree with him on these points. Contrary to Kurzweil, he knows a lot about history and psychology, so he has quite a different point of view about our future. Whereas Kurzweil is very enthusiastic about uploading our minds to machines and living in virtual worlds, Harari is encouraging us to think about the relationship between intelligence and consciousness, the source of our values (in a world without gods and afterlife), and about how society and politics will work in such a future. Also for reference: Daniel Miessler's summary of the book. Homo Deus.jpg 2017-07-31 The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy William B. Irvine 2008 5.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=yQ59JV_9AfIC A Guide to the Good Life (William B. Irvine).md This very book convinced me that: 1) I really need a philosophy of life 2) stoicism is a good option 3) I'm already doing a lot of things correctly (according to stoicism). These next few months, I hope to "implement" stoicism in a bit more practical and conscious way (using reminders, etc.). A Guide to the Good Life.jpg 2017-07-04 Voltaire 1752 4.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microm%C3%A9gas Micromegas (Voltaire).md Je liste Migromégas ici comme livre. Il s'agit plutôt d'un conte. Un conte philosophique, selon Wikipedia. Est-ce également de la science-fiction ? On y parle de science, de visiteurs de Sirus et de Saturne. Donc je dirais que oui, mais l'idée première est bel et bien de "remettre l'être humain à sa place". Il n'est pas le centre de l'univers. L'humour est également présent dans ce conte et il est difficile de ne pas penser en tout cas un peu aux géants de Rabelais. Micromégas.jpg 2017-06-28 Milan Kundera 1967 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Plaisanterie La Plaisanterie (Milan Kundera).md Il n'y a pas grand-chose que je puisse dire à propos de ce roman qui n'ait pas été déjà dit mille fois. J'aime beaucoup Kundera. La Plaisanterie est son premier roman, que je n'avais pas encore lu. Il s'agissait ici de la traduction française revue par Kundera lui-même. J'ai beaucoup aimé le récit à la première personne, les personnages devenant tour à tour narrateur et leur histoire se rejoignant à la fin. Amour, politique, communisme, tradition, modernisme, vengeance, jeunesse, maturité, musique, etc. Les thèmes sont multiples et il est difficile de ne pas se laisser entraîner par les personnages de ce roman. La Plaisanterie.jpg 2017-05-21 Douglas Adams 1979 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy_(novel) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams).md Another classic. But of course very different from Nineteen Eighty-Four, which I read two months ago. This is the first book by Douglas Adams that I read. His style is surprising, in a good way. This is definitely not "serious" science fiction, which I feared would lessen my interest, but it didn't. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.jpg 2017-04-30 Susan Wolf 2010 4.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=_eoPB9zLXFoC Meaning in Life and Why It Matters (Susan Wolf).md I'm not sure I'm convinced by Wolf's argument: "In arguing that meaningfulness is a distinctive dimension of a good life, different from both happiness and moral goodness, and that the concept of meaningfulness is essentially tied to a commitment to objective distinctions in value, I have tried to show the importance of keeping the vocabulary of meaningfulness and value alive, and of not assimilating or reducing these terms to others that we are more comfortable with in both philosophy and popular culture." I will be very (too) brief, but, intuitively, I would say that Wolf's concept of meaningfulness looks like a kind of mix between self-interest and morality, not a distinct dimension. Of course, it's still important to have a concept of a "meaningful life" and Wolf at least tries to give a definition of what "meaningfulness" is in that context, but I'm not sure this book helped me clarify anything. On the contrary, I would say it made me a bit more confused than before. Meaning in Life and Why It Matters.gif 2017-03-31 George Orwell 1949 5.25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell).md A classic. The more the story progresses, the more it becomes captivating. The ending chapters grab you by the guts, in a kind of crescendo. Many people say that "Nineteen Eighty-Four" is very relevant today, because, according to them, we're living in a society of surveillance (think Facebook, the NSA, surveillance cameras, etc.), but, for me, what strikes me the most is the similarity between the constant lies of the Party and the constant lies of people such as Donald Trump. Of course, fake news is not a new phenomenon, but it is starting to look more and more like it is described in "Nineteen Eighty-Four". Nineteen Eighty-Four.jpg 2017-02-08 James A. Lindsay 2016 4.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=lYAPkAEACAAJ Life in Light of Death (James A. Lindsay).md I agree with the main message of this book. Life is short. We will die. Really die. No heaven, no persistence of a soul, no resurrection, no reincarnation (the author is an atheist). Even if we manage to live longer and/or to upload our minds to machines, Earth will be destroyed by the Sun at some point in the future. And even if we manage to move to another planetary system and/or galaxy, the universe will most probably die as well. Our time is limited. We have to make the most out of it. Mainly by being kind, being with our loved ones, etc. The message is simple. Almost cheesy. This is not a "how-to" book. This is merely a warning. A reminder. I'm not sure I really learned anything. Also, the part of the book about ethical vegetarianism was pretty bad/baffling: the author seems to completely underestimate the suffering of animals in factory farms and doesn't address the environmental impact of meat. Life in Light of Death.jpg 2017-01-20 A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Mark Manson 2016 4.75 https://books.google.com/books?id=yng_CwAAQBAJ The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck (Mark Manson).md A welcome reminder that we should care less about many things. And care more about what we value the most. This is not a revolutionary way of looking at things, but a refreshing, less serious perspective on what meditation already taught me. Daniel Miessler has a summary of the book on his site. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck.jpg 2017-01-01 Une tentation contemporaine David Le Breton 2015 3.5 https://books.google.com/books?id=QVhFBgAAQBAJ Disparaitre de soi (David Le Breton).md Un sujet intriguant (disparition volontaire ou involontaire de son identité, de ses responsabilités, etc.). Un livre malheureusement un peu répétitif. Je m'attendais aussi à une analyse plus éclairante du rôle de la technologie dans nos sociétés. Disparaître de soi.jpg 2016-12-09 Arthur C. Clarke 1953 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood's_End Childhood's End (Arthur C. Clarke).md Childhood's End.jpg 2016-11-17 Amélie Nothomb 1995 4.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Catilinaires Les Catilinaires (Amelie Nothomb).md Les Catilinaires.jpg 2016-11-12 Bernard Stiegler 2015 3.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=izV9CAAAQBAJ L'emploi est mort, vive le travail (Bernard Stiegler).md L'emploi est mort, vive le travail.jpg 2016-11-08 James A. Lindsay 2015 4.5 https://books.google.com/books/about/Everybody_Is_Wrong_about_God.html?id=rLozrgEACAAJ Everybody Is Wrong About God (James A. Lindsay).md Everybody Is Wrong About God.jpg 2016-10-13 Tiffany Jaquet 2016 4.5 http://www.plaisirdelire.ch/jaquet-tiffany/t-jaquet-lenfant-du-placard L'Enfant du placard.jpg 2016-10-02 Identification criteria and first findings Christophe Barbey 2015 4.0 http://www.peace.ax/images/stories/pdf/Christophe_Barbey_non-militarisation.pdf More of a working paper than a book, but received as a printed book, so I'm including it here. Non-militarisation - countries without armies.jpg 2016-09-28 A Dialogue Sam Harris & Maajid Nawaz 2015 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_and_the_Future_of_Tolerance Islam and the Future of Tolerance (Sam Harris & Maajid Nawaz).md Islam and the Future of Tolerance.jpg 2016-09-15 Vers une bienveillance pour tous Matthieu Ricard 2014 5.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=pHmuBAAAQBAJ Plaidoyer pour les animaux (Matthieu Ricard).md Plaidoyer pour les animaux.jpg 2016-06-19 Why Science and Religion are Incompatible Jerry Coyne 2015 4.75 https://books.google.com/books/about/Faith_Versus_Fact.html?id=ra26oQEACAAJ Faith Versus Fact (Jerry A. Coyne).md Faith Versus Fact.png 2016-04-24 Milan Kundera 1984 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Insoutenable_L%C3%A9g%C3%A8ret%C3%A9_de_l%27%C3%AAtre L'Insoutenable Legerete de l'etre (Milan Kundera).md L'Insoutenable Légèreté de l'être.jpg 2016-03-01 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 1943 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Petit_Prince Le Petit Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery).md Le Petit Prince.jpg 2016-02-23 How Superintelligence, Nanotechnology, and Transhumanism Will Transform the Planet Michael M. Anissimov 2015 3.0 https://books.google.com/books?id=iB6ICgAAQBAJ Our Accelerating Future (Michael M. Anissimov).md Our Accelerating Future.jpg 2015-12-29 Milan Kundera 1993 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Testaments_trahis Les Testaments Trahis (Milan Kundera).md Les Testaments trahis.jpg 2015-12-18 Paul Chiusano & Runar Bjarnason 2014 4.75 https://books.google.com/books?vid=1617290653 Functional Programming in Scala (Paul Chiusano & Runar Bjarnason).md Functional Programming in Scala.jpg 2015-10-03 Amélie Nothomb 1992 3.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygi%C3%A8ne_de_l%27assassin Hygiene de l'assassin (Amelie Nothomb).md Hygiène de l'assassin.jpg 2015-09-26 Ralph Leighton & Richard Feynman 1988 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surely_You%27re_Joking,_Mr._Feynman! Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Ralph Leighton & Richard Feynman).md Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!.jpg 2015-07-19 John Christopher 1988 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=The_Tripods#When_the_Tripods_Came When the Tripods Came (John Christopher).md When the Tripods Came.jpg 2015-06-28 John Christopher 1968 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=The_Tripods#The_Pool_of_Fire_.281968.29 The Pool of Fire.jpg 2015-06-20 John Christopher 1968 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tripods#The_City_of_Gold_and_Lead_.281968.29 The City of Gold and Lead (John Christopher).md The City of Gold and Lead.jpg 2015-06-04 John Christopher 1967 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tripods#The_White_Mountains_.281967.29 The White Mountains.jpg 2015-05-27 Ben Goldacre 2012 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Pharma Bad Pharma (Ben Goldacre).md Bad Pharma.jpg 2015-03-24 Amélie Nothomb 1999 4.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupeur_et_Tremblements Stupeur et Tremblements (Amelie Nothomb).md Stupeur et Tremblements.jpg 2015-03-21 François Rabelais 1534 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargantua See comments for "Pantagruel". Gargantua (Francois Rabelais).md Gargantua.jpg 2014-12-30 Paulo Coelho 1988 3.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Alchimiste French translation of "O Alquimista" by Jean Orecchioni. L'Alchimiste.jpg 2014-12-23 Searching for Meaning in the Twenty-First Century Carlo Strenger 2011 5.0 https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Fear_of_Insignificance.html?id=kYkqAQAAMAAJ The Fear of Insignificance (Carlo Strenger).md The Fear of Insignificance.jpg 2014-10-31 Carl Sagan 1980 5.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos_(book) Cosmos.jpg 2014-10-18 Roald Dahl 1991 5.25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Collected_Short_Stories_of_Roald_Dahl The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl.jpg 2014-09-27 A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion Sam Harris 2014 5.0 https://books.google.com/books/about/Waking_Up.html?id=dmhNAgAAQBAJ Waking Up (Sam Harris).md Waking Up.jpg 2014-09-02 Peter Boghossian 2013 5.0 https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Manual_for_Creating_Atheists.html?id=CBzunAEACAAJ A Manual for Creating Atheists (Peter Boghossian).md A Manual for Creating Atheists.jpg 2014-08-11 Albert Camus 1947 5.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Peste La Peste (Albert Camus).md La Peste.jpg 2014-04-26 Paul Thagard 2010 4.5 https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Brain_and_the_Meaning_of_Life.html?id=vS9jZWduGewC The Brain and the Meaning of Life (Paul Thagard).md The Brain and the Meaning of Life.jpg 2014-02-27 Covers Play 2 Peter Hilton, Erik Bakker & Francisco Canedo 2013 5.0 https://books.google.com/books/about/Play_for_Scala.html?id=cV24kgEACAAJ Play for Scala.jpg 2014-02-23 A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play Neil A. Fiore 2007 3.5 https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Now_Habit.html?id=obLBn7OKcI8C The Now Habit (Neil Fiore).md The Now Habit.jpg 2014-01-11 Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist Christof Koch 2012 5.0 https://books.google.com/books/about/Consciousness.html?id=q2xDfZ_TC-gC Consciousness (Christof Koch).md Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist.jpg 2013-12-16 Joshua D. Suereth 2012 4.5 https://books.google.com/books/about/Scala_in_Depth.html?id=4VCfSgAACAAJ Scala in Depth.jpg 2013-12-06 Gilbert Bruchez, Philippe Curdy & François Baillifard 2009 4.5 https://books.google.com/books/about/Pierres_%C3%A0_cupules_et_autres_pierres_gra.html?id=y2h-KQEACAAJ 2013-11-21 François Rabelais 1532 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantagruel Pantagruel (Francois Rabelais).md Middle French version, so quite a difficult read. Difficult to rate. Pantagruel.jpg 2013-10-21 Amélie Nothomb 2000 4.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9taphysique_des_tubes Metaphysique des Tubes (Amelie Nothomb).md Métaphysique des tubes.jpg 2013-10-17 Richard Dawkins 2006 5.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Selfish_Gene The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins).md 30th Anniversary edition. The Selfish Gene.jpg 2013-08-01 Lawrence M. Krauss 2012 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Universe_from_Nothing A Universe from Nothing (Lawrence M. Krauss).md A Universe from Nothing.jpg 2013-06-07 Ernest Hemingway 1952 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Vieil_Homme_et_la_Mer French translation of "The Old Man and the Sea" by Jean Dutourd. Le Vieil Homme et la Mer.jpg 2013-05-08 Albert Camus 1942 4.75 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mythe_de_Sisyphe Le Mythe de Sisyphe (Albert Camus).md Le Mythe de Sisyphe.jpg 2013-03-07 Amélie Nothomb 2009 4.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Voyage_d'hiver Le Voyage d'hiver.jpg 2013-02-19 Bertrand Russell 1925 4.75 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_I_Believe What I Believe (Bertrand Russell).md What I Believe.jpg 2013-02-04 The Secret of Human Thought Revealed Ray Kurzweil 2012 5.0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Create_a_Mind How to Create a Mind (Ray Kurzweil).md How to Create a Mind.jpg 2012-12-06 Douglas Crockford 2008 4.25 https://books.google.com/books/about/JavaScript_The_Good_Parts.html?id=PXa2bby0oQ0C JavaScript - The Good Parts.jpg 2012-11-28 Albert Camus 1942 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27%C3%A9tranger L'Etranger (Albert Camus).md L'Étranger.jpg 2012-11-05 How Science Can Determine Human Values Sam Harris 2010 5.25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moral_Landscape The Moral Landscape (Sam Harris).md The Moral Landscape.jpg 2012-09-19 Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself David McRaney 2011 5.25 https://books.google.com/books/about/You_Are_Not_So_Smart.html?id=7qJfuAAACAAJ You Are Not So Smart (David McRaney).md You Are Not So Smart.jpg 2012-04-26 Sam Harris 2012 5.0 https://books.google.com/books/about/Free_Will.html?id=iRpkNcRt1IcC Free Will (Sam Harris).md Free Will.jpg 2012-04-06 Ben Goldacre 2008 5.25 https://books.google.com/books/about/Bad_Science.html?id=wICuv0ePMYoC Bad Science (Ben Goldacre).md Bad Science.jpg 2011-11-14 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur Derek Sivers 2011 4.75 https://books.google.com/books/about/Anything_You_Want.html?id=962NZwEACAAJ Anything You Want.jpg 2011-10-20 Sam Harris & Annaka Harris 2011 4.5 https://books.google.com/books/about/Lying.html?id=4nMOmwEACAAJ Lying.jpg 2011-08-13 A Thought Experiment Scott Adams 2001 4.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God%27s_Debris God's Debris (Scott Adams).md God's Debris.jpg 2011-07-08 Vincent Golay & Mix & Remix 2010 5.0 https://books.google.com/books/about/Institutions_politiques_suisses.html?id=wPdyAAAACAAJ Institutions politiques suisses.jpg 2011-03-20 Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon & Bill Venners 2008 5.25 https://books.google.com/books/about/Programming_in_Scala.html?id=MFjNhTjeQKkC Programming in Scala.png 2011-02-01 Realize the Secrets of Your Telomeres for a Longer, Healthier Life Michael Fossel, Greta Blackburn & Dave Woynarowski 2010 4.75 https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Immortality_Edge.html?id=loTusEZNu7oC The Immortality Edge.jpg 2010-09-27 Daniel Gilbert 2006 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stumbling_on_Happiness Stumbling on Happiness.jpg 2010-08-30 Alternative Medicine on Trial Simon Singh & Edzard Ernst 2008 5.25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick_or_Treatment Alternative Medicine on Trial.jpg 2010-07-01 Mind over Matter in Modern Medicine Dylan Evans 2004 5.25 https://books.google.com/books/about/Placebo.html?id=GDUuMHQO6nMC Placebo.jpg 2010-06-03 Le pouvoir de guérir Danielle Fecteau 2005 2.5 https://books.google.com/books/about/L_effet_placebo.html?id=v3unAAAACAAJ L'effet placebo.jpg 2010-04-30 Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization Dave Logan, John King & Halee Fischer-Wright 2008 4.25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal_Leadership Tribal Leadership.jpg 2010-02-16 Daniel Pennac 1990 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Petite_Marchande_de_prose La Petite Marchande de prose.jpg 2009-08-16 Daniel Pennac 1987 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_F%C3%A9e_Carabine La fée carabine.jpg 2009-06-27 Nine Steps to Living Well Forever Ray Kurzweil & Terry Grossman 2009 5.0 https://books.google.com/books/about/Transcend.html?id=J0XFdYjYE9AC Transcend.jpg 2009-06-12 Daniel Pennac 1985 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Au_bonheur_des_ogres Au bonheur des ogres.jpg 2009-05-27 La fatigue chronique, fléau des temps modernes Philippe-Gaston Besson 2000 4.25 https://books.google.com/books/about/Je_suis_fatigu%C3%A9_mais_je_ne_sais_pas_pou.html?id=Br4TAAAACAAJ Je suis fatigué mais je ne sais pas pourquoi.jpg 2009-05-27 Maurice Chappaz 1995 4.5 https://books.google.com/books/about/Le_gar%C3%A7on_qui_croyait_au_paradis.html?id=-5kbAQAAIAAJ Le garçon qui croyait au paradis.jpg 2009-05-18 Live Long Enough To Live Forever Ray Kurzweil & Terry Grossman 2004 5.25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Voyage:_Live_Long_Enough_to_Live_Forever Fantastic Voyage.jpg 2009-04-25 Daniel Pennac 2007 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagrin_d%27%C3%A9cole Chagrin d'école.jpg 2009-04-10 Régis Jauffret 2005 4.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiles_de_fous 2009-03-27 Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt 2008 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysse_from_Bagdad Ulysse from Bagdad.jpg 2009-03-08 Boris Vian 1947 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Automne_%C3%A0_P%C3%A9kin L'Automne à Pékin.jpg 2008-12-29 Eric van der Vlist, Danny Ayers, Erik Bruchez, Joe Fawcett & Alessandro Vernet 2006 3.5 https://books.google.com/books/about/Professional_Web_2_0_Programming.html?id=hyV-IX8W30QC Professional Web 2.0 Programming.jpg 2008-12-17 Yann Arthus-Bertrand 2006 4.5 https://books.google.com/books/about/365_jours_pour_r%C3%A9fl%C3%A9chir_%C3%A0_notre_Terr.html?id=5P7GAwAACAAJ 365 jours pour réfléchir à notre Terre.jpg 2008-08-17 Bruce Eckel 2006 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking_in_Java Thinking In Java.jpg 2008-03-24 Douglas Coupland 2006 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPod JPod.gif 2008-02-16 Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, And Join The New Rich Timothy Ferriss 2007 4.75 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_4-Hour_Workweek The 4-Hour Workweek.jpg 2008-01-28 The Art Of Stress-Free Productivity David Allen 2002 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done Getting Things Done.jpg 2007-07-08 Muriel Barbery 2006 5.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27%C3%89l%C3%A9gance_du_h%C3%A9risson L'Élégance du hérisson.jpg 2007-05-08 Robert-Vincent Joule & Jean-Léon Beauvois 2002 4.25 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petit_trait%C3%A9_de_manipulation_%C3%A0_l%27usage_des_honn%C3%AAtes_gens Petit traite de manipulation a l'usage des honnetes gens (Robert-Vincent Joule & Jean-Leon Beauvois).pdf Petit traité de manipulation à l'usage des honnêtes gens.jpg 2007-02-25 Richard Dawkins 2006 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_God_Delusion The God Delusion.jpg 2006-10-10 Boris Vian 1947 5.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27%C3%89cume_des_jours L'Écume des jours.jpg 2006-08-20 When Humans Transcend Biology Ray Kurzweil 2005 5.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Singularity_Is_Near The Singularity Is Near.jpg 2006-05-14 Dan Brown 2003 4.5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code The Da Vinci Code.jpg 2005-08-16 Laurent Gaudé 2004 4.5 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Soleil_des_Scorta Le Soleil des Scorta.jpg 2005-06-10 Milan Kundera 2003 5.0 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Ignorance L'Ignorance.jpg 2005-05-22 The Music of Miles Davis 1980-1991 George Cole 2005 5.25 https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Last_Miles.html?id=ZcnGp0740TMC The Last Miles.jpg 2004-09-19 Ray Kurzweil 1999 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Spiritual_Machines The Age of Spiritual Machines.jpg 2004-02-10 Neil Gaima 1998 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miroirs_et_fum%C3%A9e Miroirs et fumée.jpg 2004-01-24 Franz Kafka 1933 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Proc%C3%A8s Le Procè̀s.jpg 2002-??-?? Milan Kundera 1993 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Testaments_trahis Les Testaments trahis.jpg 2002-05-04 The Electric Explorations of Miles Davis 1967-1991 Paul Tingen 2001 https://books.google.com/books/about/Miles_Beyond.html?id=LA_2EZtLQ5AC Miles Beyond.jpg 2001-09-26 Franz Kafka 1938 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Ch%C3%A2teau Le Château.jpg 2000-??-?? Milan Kundera 1969 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_vie_est_ailleurs La vie est ailleurs.jpg 2000-02-?? John Searle 1999 https://books.google.com/books?id=ff41AAAACAAJ Le mystère de la conscience.jpg 1999-??-?? The Man And His Music Ian Carr 1991 https://books.google.com/books/about/Keith_Jarrett.html?id=HhWLjNdg3uUC Keith Jarrett - The Man And His Music.jpg 1998-??-?? L'autobiographie Miles Davis & Quincy Troupe 1991 https://books.google.com/books/about/Miles.html?id=puBfGwAACAAJ Miles - L'autobiographie.jpg 1996-??-?? Franz Kafka 1927 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Am%C3%A9rique Read in 1995 or 1996. L'Amérique.jpg 1996-09-21 Michel Butor 1957 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Modification La Modification.jpg 1996-07-08 Henri Michaux 1938 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plume_(Michaux) Plume.jpg 1996-07-04 Daniel Pennac 1992 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comme_un_roman Comme un roman.jpg 1996-07-01 Milan Kundera 1984 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Insoutenable_L%C3%A9g%C3%A8ret%C3%A9_de_l%27%C3%AAtre L'Insoutenable Légèreté de l'être.jpg 199?-??-?? Arthur C. Clarke 1982 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_:_Odyss%C3%A9e_deux 2010 - Odyssée deux.jpg 199?-??-?? Arthur C. Clarke 1968 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_:_l%27Odyss%C3%A9e_de_l%27espace_(roman) 2001 - L'Odyssée de l'espace.jpg 199?-??-?? Milan Kundera 1994 https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Lenteur La Lenteur.jpg