5/5

This was a truly excellent book and I found it at the right time as I was going through my ~5 year cycle of drastically simplifying my life. The authors also gave me a name for the approach I take to reading, while also advocating for a simpler, more focused approach. I enjoy reading widely too much to follow their advice, however.

5/5

A good reflection on New Zealand's drinking culture, written by journalist Guyon Espiner. Guyon had a relatable relationship with alcohol as a younger man, and I found his descriptions of life with less (or in his case, no) alcohol refreshing. This book also dives into the activity of the alcohol lobby in New Zealand, which was interesting to learn about.

5/5

The author experienced the WWII bombing of Dresden as a prisoner of war, hiding in a bunker underneath a slaughterhouse. It took him 23 years to figure out how to describe what he went through during the war, and in the years following, and he decided on a novel (presumably) so that he could distance himself from the events via the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim. A haunting depiction what severe PTSD is like, with some pretty good dark humour thrown in.

5/5

I'm falling further down the cycling rabbit hole. This is the inside story of how doping worked in the Lance Armstrong era of professional cycling, written by one of his close friends and teammates. The logistics involved were incredible; at times taking place in plain sight, with hooded couriers on Vespas being overlooked by fans and media as they all wrestled to catch a glimpse of Lance. The details of the doping itself were also super interesting, and the authors descriptions of what it's like riding in the tour were great.

5/5

Every Christmas I seem to gravitate toward sci-fi books, and this year's installment was not something I'd ever outright recommend to anyone as it's pretty shocking in parts. A tinkerer creates an AGI who decides to adhere to the letter, rather than the spirit, of Asimov's three laws of robotics. This goes superficially well for humanity, but causes some unintended downstream consequences. If you can get past the overt body horror, the story itself is great, well ahead of its time, and of particular interest at the moment given the growing wave of AI-related existential dread. Read it if that's your cup of tea, but don't put me down at the referrer.

5/5

A short book full of very quotable quotes about being an individual, living in the present, and not getting trapped by the need to be consistent with your past actions. Full of flowery, overwritten, biblical prose, but I take it that was fashionable in 1841.

5/5

A 1967 classic on personal effectiveness, written by the man who invented the term "knowledge worker". This book is full of important ideas, and is quite clearly the trunk off of which the modern productivity genre has branched. Peter argues that an effective executive knows where their time goes, focuses on the output of their work rather than the work itself, builds on their strengths, concentrates on high-leverage activities, and makes effective decisions. This book is a how-to manual for each of these behaviours that has aged surprisingly well.

5/5

A collection of the idiosyncratic habits of famous creatives (artists, writers, philosophers, composers). Substance abuse and a strict routine seem to be the two requirements for consistent creative output. The joy for me was in the details. One of my favourite books of 2024 to date.

5/5

This is one of my favourite books. I'm a newbie when it comes to philosophy, and the form of this book makes it the perfect jargon-free introduction to the actual ideas rather than the various -isms that can make the topic seem impenetrable. The ideas presented are deliberately contradictory from one chapter to the next, so it's interesting to see what jumps out at you personally.

5/5

A good discussion of some pretty uncomfortable topics, written by one of my favourite writers. His main idea is reimagining the Left-Right political spectrum by adding a y-axis to account for higher- and lower-order thinking, and using this to explain the US's extreme political polarisation. An excellent read regardless of your political leaning.

5/5

A perfect example of gripping narrative non-fiction. Thoroughly enjoyable read that's hard to put down. The story gets to the point where the author is being used as a bargaining chip between Putin and Trump, truly outrageous stuff. Highly recommended. Pairs well with Once Upon A Time In Russia.

5/5

The main ideas from the world of product design applied to the process of writing a non-fiction book. Work in public, interview target users, aim for timeless appeal, design around a recommendation loop, optimise for value-per-page. Specific to 'useful' (problem-solver) books. The author practices what he preaches, this is a good book.

5/5

How to learn better using desirable difficulty, spaced repetition, generation and reflection. Practical advice for designing learning environments that prioritise actual learning outcomes rather than a comfortable experience for students. The passage from John McPhee was a particular highlight for me. Highly recommended.

5/5

An excellent introduction to project management. Aimed at the 'unofficial' project manager who has wound up doing it by accident—often without formal authority to back them up.

5/5

A sweeping overview of some influential ideas in philosophy, politics, economics, architecture and design. Written at least in part by Alain de Botton. I loved this book, it's served as a good jumping-off point for exploring the standout ideas in more detail.