Ciao Guys,
Mark Twain once said, βa classic is a book which people praise but donβt read.β For example, how many people have actually read Sapiens or just talk about it abstractly?
After a blistering pace during the first half of 2021, I read fewer books in the balance of the year. After preaching against this move, I made the cardinal mistake of getting βstuckβ on one book towards the end of September. Instead of passing, I slogged my way through it wasting various weeks not reading very much at all! However, I reached my goal of reading 30+ books and I look forward to plowing through my bedside table during these winters months.
Enjoy your holidays this week and see you on the flipside.
Cole
The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts
Mother Russiaβ¦ ever fascinating. This book explores the history of a region vastly forgotten reminisce on a golden era where music carried culture and sophistication to remote corners of the country. Bizarrely entertaining for a βhistoricalβ book.Β
The juggernaut. Ayn Randβs pinnacle workβ¦ and it is not just architectural scrutiny that is thrust into your mind, you re-evaluate all your principles in life. While I donβt entirely agree with her principle of objectivism, there is an analysis of manβs ego which is right on. Individualism on paradeβ¦Β
In The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
Growing up going to Nantucket, memories of the whaleboats are everywhere. In fact, descendants of the Coffins, Husseys, etc. still parade around town.Β While Moby Dick gets all the fame, this take on the βmythical whaleβ is really insightful. It deeply analyzes the mental state of the crew from the recounts of the survivors. Drama, a will to live, and a blindness to the unknown. Equal parts horrifying and courageous.Β
Like many kids, there was a brief moment when I wanted to be an astronaut. Probably not like all kids who were watching tv in 1969 when we landed on the moon, but it still holds its rarified air. This Tom Wolfe whirler documents the infancy of NASA and the macho, best-in-breed early days of the space program. Its machine guy style is classic Tom Wolfe and engages space travel in a more romantic way than the capitalist desires of today.Β
Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy
My brother recommend this book to me right after I had my hole-in-one this summer. I had taken a two-year hiatus from the game and on my third hole back, I jarred it. What a game! The book is a fun take on a beautiful round of golf with a special spirit of sorts. While this is a book for true lovers of the game, those who like a philosophical approach to things may enjoy it as well.Β
How Democracies Die by Daniel Ziblatt & Steven Levitsky
Meh, tl; dr β ego, abuse of power, or said differently, lack of democracy. A bit too high brow, but informative. Β
The Electric Kool-Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
I first read this book in college but for the wrong reasons, so I read it again this fall. Only Tom Wolfe can write such a messy book about a time and place and tell a story so well. Just read it, there are many ways to live life!
Master & Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
My second go at this masterpiece, but Iβm reading the wrong version. Made it through this time but it did not grab me in the way that I would expect for a book that was the only novel allowed to be distributed to the population of Russian for many years. Will try a better version/translation again soon.Β
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
My third book on the Murakami crusade. It is fascinating to see the inner monologue of a Japanese culture that expresses itself so little publicly. In the end, we are all humans with needs and a desire for attention.
As is the case in 110% of cases, the book reveals things that a movie could never many times over. While the recent remake of Dune is a fascinating big-screen blockbuster, this gem (the first of a long series), is truly a masterpiece. Who knew that the famous βfear is a mind killerβ¦β is a Frank Herbert original!Β
Out Of The Ether by Matthew Leising
A thrill ride into the early days of Ethereum and cryptocurrencies in general. A bit like an action documentary, this book is packed with anecdotes from the early days of ETH, as well as an insightful background account of its founder Vitalik Buterin. Fun and enjoyable ready for any crypto enthusiast.
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
In a beautiful short book of storytelling, Marco Polo describes magical cities to his guest, the Chinese ruler Kublai Khan, when it eventually becomes evident that he is describing Venice. For any fan of Venice. As Gore Vidal described it on the bookβs jacket, βOf all tasks, describing the contents of a book is the most difficult and in the case of a marvelous invention like Invisible Cities, perfectly irrelevant.β
**click here for my book review from the first half of 2021 π