What I’ve Been Reading
Book reviews below the intro below
I’ve read more in the last 6 months than I have in my entire life.
I’m not going to share my Good Reads because I want to read in private, and young adult series still make up a double-digit percent of my total books read.
But I’ll share a few reviews below.
Reviews
Disclaimer: I’ve added Amazon afilliate links for the books below.
Dune
Not bad. 3/5 stars?
A bit too much but I forgive a 1960’s author for not catering to my 2025 attention.
I haven’t watched the movie so I can still claim superiority.
James
5/5 stars. I forgot that I loved reading Huckleberry Finn, and love this better.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
3/5 stars. I’m still reading it.
I love Norwegian Wood, so I thought I would read another Murakami novel.
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Vol. 1
2/5 stars. I couldn’t finish it.
The Authoritarians
5/5. No notes.
Love the scientific analysis on human behavior, and the results of the studies on the prevalence of authoritarianism.
Makes me want to move.
Einstein: His Life and Universe
I rated this 5/5 on Good Reads but I literally don’t remember anything from it. Osmosis?
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism
5/5. Crazy if true.
Exposes toxicity of feminism in Tech / Capitalist society, ethics of growth and money at the expense of societal health.
The Infinite Game
5/5. Love Simon Sinek
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
5/5. A good audiobook.
Makes me feel comfortable in the stages before success. When I had the drive and daily practice but did’t believe in myself. Relax. It’s going as planned.
On reading
I’ve stopped reading as much non-fiction, since I’ve decided to be a less serious (aka boring) person.
A couple things have increased my reading volume:
- I don’t force myself to finish something if I don’t like it
No explanation needed. No need to drag out a story you’re no longer interested in.
- I will adjust the speed of an audiobook based on the attention I need to give to my environment
I can do 1.5-2.5x speed if I’m relaxing, and slower if I’m working.
- I allow myself to read multiple things at the same time
Sometimes a story gets a little boring, and I can finish a new shorter story before finishing the longer one.