Books You Read and Enjoyed in 2020?

[The_Alchemist]

A few that I really enjoyed:
Mastery
Alchemist
1001 Ideas

Hyper Focus
Leaders I enjoyed

What about you guys, how many did you read or enjoy?

[Preety_India]

Becoming Michelle Obama 

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by Preety_India

[DocWatts]

Partly due to getting furloughed for four months due to Covid, I happened to get quite a bit of reading done this year.

_____________________________________

Philosophy

The View From Nowhere - Thomas Nagel
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/257867.The_View_from_Nowhere

Mind and Cosmos - Thomas Nagel
https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Cosmos-Materialist-Neo-Darwinian-Conception/dp/0199919755

A Theory of Justice - John Rawls
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/129237.A_Theory_of_Justice

The Seven Mysteries of Life - Guy Murchie
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/390786.The_Seven_Mysteries_of_Life

The Republic - Plato
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30289.The_Republic

A Theory of Everything - Ken Wilber
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/177152.A_Theory_of_Everything

The Life You Can Save - Peter Singer
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4722934-the-life-you-can-save
 

History

Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16884.The_Making_of_the_Atomic_Bomb

Sapiens : A Brief History of Mankind - Yuval Noah Harari
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens

 

Politics

Trump and a Post Truth World - Ken Wilber
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34089867-trump-and-a-post-truth-world

 

Science

A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17352.Stephen_Hawking_s_a_Brief_History_of_Time

Edited December 1, 2020 by DocWatts

[clararockmore]

Behave by Robert Sapolsky (Why people act the way they do, drawing upon neuroendocrinology, genetics, evolutionary psych, etc--extremely comprehensive and nuanced!)

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (A fascinating and detailed sketch of how human society came into existence over millennia, including all the things we take for granted such as economies, religions, etc.)

Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl Jung (Just so good. Distilled Jung, talking about his life from childhood onward, but describing it all in terms of the mental evolutions he experienced and how those affected his decisions and life's trajectory rather than a straight autobiography)

The Republic, The Apology, Symposium, Crito and Meno by Plato (Finally got around to some classics--still apply today, still held my fascination captive the entire time. Meno was especially interesting to me because of its treatment of how knowledge is acquired--learned from inside rather than outside oneself!)

NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman (An historical account of the treatment of people with autism, and a new perspective on what autism is and how autistic people are often uniquely suited to do extraordinary things but are limited by society and "pathological" constructs)

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (Two stories side-by-side, vaguely humorous, science fiction-y, generally kind of beautiful)

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (I'd never read Dostoyevsky before, but his characters are great. I liked the pacing in which scenes would be very mundane and suddenly explode into huge dramatic moments, and then it would just subside again, usually humorously. However, the ending of this subverted my expectations and made me angry because it was not a satisfying ending for my favorite characters)

Collected short fictions of Jorge Luis Borges (The Circular Ruins is my all-time favorite, but I loved all his other stuff!)

Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks (Sacks' writing is just *chef's kiss* all the time, and in this book he discussed neurological disorders related to music--musical seizures, inabilities to perceive aspects of music, how music can serve as a therapy).

Currently reading: Theory of Colors by Goethe, and a Carlos Castaneda trilogy (Teachings of Don Juan, A Separate Reality, Tales of Power)

 

[DocWatts]

10 minutes ago, clararockmore said:

Behave by Robert Sapolsky (Why people act the way they do, drawing upon neuroendocrinology, genetics, evolutionary psych, etc--extremely comprehensive and nuanced!)

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari (A fascinating and detailed sketch of how human society came into existence over millennia, including all the things we take for granted such as economies, religions, etc.)

Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl Jung (Just so good. Distilled Jung, talking about his life from childhood onward, but describing it all in terms of the mental evolutions he experienced and how those affected his decisions and life's trajectory rather than a straight autobiography)

The Republic, The Apology, Symposium, Crito and Meno by Plato (Finally got around to some classics--still apply today, still held my fascination captive the entire time. Meno was especially interesting to me because of its treatment of how knowledge is acquired--learned from inside rather than outside oneself!)

NeuroTribes by Steve Silberman (An historical account of the treatment of people with autism, and a new perspective on what autism is and how autistic people are often uniquely suited to do extraordinary things but are limited by society and "pathological" constructs)

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (Two stories side-by-side, vaguely humorous, science fiction-y, generally kind of beautiful)

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (I'd never read Dostoyevsky before, but his characters are great. I liked the pacing in which scenes would be very mundane and suddenly explode into huge dramatic moments, and then it would just subside again, usually humorously. However, the ending of this subverted my expectations and made me angry because it was not a satisfying ending for my favorite characters)

Collected short fictions of Jorge Luis Borges (The Circular Ruins is my all-time favorite, but I loved all his other stuff!)

Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks (Sacks' writing is just *chef's kiss* all the time, and in this book he discussed neurological disorders related to music--musical seizures, inabilities to perceive aspects of music, how music can serve as a therapy).

Currently reading: Theory of Colors by Goethe, and a Carlos Castaneda trilogy (Teachings of Don Juan, A Separate Reality, Tales of Power)

 

Noticed some overlap on our two lists; I'll second Jorge Luis Borges, the man can cram more interesting ideas into a ten page short story than some other authors can in an entire novel, with the Library of Babel being my favorite. Strange how relevant it feels in 2020.

[xxxx]

I discovered this about a year ago, but this has been one of the best things I have come across. It has been immensely helpful, and so much fun. It gives you an idea regarding a subject in a concise and clear manner, and thereafter, you can delve much deeper according to your interest. 

It is called Very Short Introductions, a book series published by the Oxford University Press. 

This is definitely a worthwhile investment. 

"Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects — from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, and Literary Theory to History. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume provides trenchant and provocative - yet always balanced - discussions of the central issues in a given topic. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make often challenging topics highly readable. Whatever the area of study, whatever the topic that fascinates the reader, the series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable."

I have also attached the topics and the authors for your reference. It is on Microsoft Excel. (Saved as AVSI Titles) 

The link of the website if you want to check it out:

https://www.veryshortintroductions.com/

AVSI Titles.xlsx

Edited December 1, 2020 by xxxx

[mandyjw]

"Stargirl" young adult fiction novel by Jerry Spinelli I read it on an intuition and its about enlightenment, spirituality and not caring what other people think is the main theme. 

"Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead" by Tosha Silver Absolutely hilarious, entertaining but some of the stories will leave you with chills running up your spine. 

"What's Next After Now?: Post-Spirituality and the Creative Life" - Steven Harrison

"The Nature of Consciousness: Essays on the Unity of Mind and Matter" by Rupert Spira

I Am That- Nisargadatta Maharaj

 

 

 

[clararockmore]

7 minutes ago, DocWatts said:

Noticed some overlap on our two lists; I'll second Jorge Luis Borges, the man can cram more interesting ideas into a ten page short story than some other authors can in an entire novel, with the Library of Babel being my favorite. Strange how relevant it feels in 2020.

I saw that too!  The Republic and Sapiens are great to read around the same time. And The Library of Babel is fantastic. Such a good metaphor.

 

[The_Alchemist]

6 minutes ago, xxxx said:

I discovered this about a year ago, but this has been one of the best things I have come across. It has been immensely helpful, and so much fun. It gives you an idea regarding a subject in a concise and clear manner, and thereafter, you can delve much deeper according to your interest. 

It is called Very Short Introductions, a book series published by the Oxford University Press. 

This is definitely a worthwhile investment. 

"Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects — from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, and Literary Theory to History. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume provides trenchant and provocative - yet always balanced - discussions of the central issues in a given topic. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make often challenging topics highly readable. Whatever the area of study, whatever the topic that fascinates the reader, the series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable."

I have also attached the topics and the authors for your reference. It is on Microsoft Excel. (Saved as AVSI Titles) 

The link of the website if you want to check it out:

https://www.veryshortintroductions.com/

AVSI Titles.xlsx

Yes those are AWESOME!

Also check out:
Tom Butler Bowdon who writes these types of books specifically (50 psychology classics, 50 best ideas from economics, 50 ideas from philosophy)
Graphic Guides: Aristotle, Jung, Nietzsche, Politics, Philosophy

Both are great as well!

[Preety_India]

Are these books expensive? 

Seems like a nice list. 

 

[The_Alchemist]

Just now, Preety_India said:

Are these books expensive? 

Seems like a nice list. 

 

If you don't have the money, just youtube "Book XYZ summary" or "Book YZX Review" and you'll always find something for it.

[clararockmore]

1 hour ago, Preety_India said:

Are these books expensive? 

Seems like a nice list. 

 

I have started using audiobooks almost exclusively to consume books. I have an Audible subscription that I managed to get a free trial for a couple of times, but now I front the $14 a month for it, which gives me another free credit each month. Most books cost 1 credit--there are also some free books offered by Audible, but none of them have piqued my interest.

I generally compare the price of purchasing the audiobook with cash before I decide to use a credit. If a book costs less than $14, it's not worth it to use a credit. I tend to use my credits on more expensive audiobooks, which makes the subscription worth it. I also check the hour-length of each book and make a judgment call about the value, considering the cost of the book vs. the length of the book, before deciding to purchase or not.

However, before I go to Audible, I always check my library's app to see if they're available there. My library system uses Libby, supported by the OverDrive audio system for their audiobooks. I can "check out" any audiobook I want for free using this, which is pretty awesome! The only downside is that the selection can be limited, and sometimes you have to wait for a book that's on hold.

For physical books, I usually just sniff out a used copy on Amazon, or in local used bookstores. If I feel it's urgent, sometimes I'll just buy the book anyway--but I almost always already have many books I could read in the meantime   Libraries are great too, and many offer inter-library loans if the book is not available at the branch you go to!

[Preety_India]

@clararockmore you are so lucky to get used books on Amazon in your country. In my country it's very hard to find a used book in Amazon or other place because most people couldn't afford to buy the book in the first place and if they did they don't wanna sell it at a lower price. 

Wish I was living in America lol, just for the books. 

 

[Megan Alecia]

@clararockmore good taste ?‍♀️ 

[WonderSeeker]

Top 10 this year

1) The Religion of Tomorrow, by: Ken Wilber (Consciousness/philosophy)
2) Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, by: Daniel Ingram (Consciousness)
3) Loving What Is, by: Byron Katie (Self-help)
4) Spiral Dynamics, by: Don Beck & Christopher Cowan (Systems thinking)
5) Food of the Gods, by: Terrence McKenna (Psychedelics/drug culture)
6) LSD and the Mind of the Universe, by: Christopher Bache (Psychedelics/philosophy)
7) Mastery, by: George Leonard (Self-help)
8) Radical Honesty, by: Brad Blanton (Self-help)
9) Thinking in Systems, by: Donella Meadows (Systems thinking)
10) A Second Kind Of Impossible (Physics/geology)

[WonderSeeker]

@Preety_India Try this website: https://www.betterworldbooks.com. I believe they ship internationally for free. They mostly sell used books and are a very green company. I buy almost all of my books from them, and the used ones are $4 a pop!

[Preety_India]

@WonderSeeker  thank you so much. 

Will definitely try that. 

 

[aurum]

Top list for 2020:

 

Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein. This book left me questioning everything I knew and valued. He takes a deep dive into many of the societal problems we face today due to our financial system. As someone with a Masters degree in Economics, I found it extremely enlightening. Lots of practical ideas on how to change things for the better. He also bridges all these ideas with deep spiritual truths. Total masterpiece.

The Moneyless Man by Mark Boyle. Really fascinating book about a man who gave up money to live in a cabin in the woods. Will challenge your beliefs about money, success and the good life. Needs to be read critically and with nuance.

Communion With God by Neale Donald Walsch. This book came after Book 3 of the CWG series. Extremely eye opening, left me in tears.

Slow Sex by Diana Richardson. The essentials of Tantric sex. Made me question everything I thought I knew about what it means to have amazing sex.

Heartsblood by David Peterson. This book is about the spiritual aspects of hunting and what Peterson calls True Hunting. I've never hunted before but this book is persuasive.

Shopclass as Soul Craft by Matthew Crawford. Crawford argues for the value of learning to work with your hands and how it affects you spiritually. I've been so in my head for most of my life that I've ignored working with my hands. This book really got me to question that.

Theta Healing by Vianna Stibal. Amazing read for energy healers! Theta healing is a powerful modality that can create profound shifts for your clients.

[clararockmore]

10 minutes ago, aurum said:

Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein. This book left me questioning everything I knew and valued. He takes a deep dive into many of the societal problems we face today due to our financial system. As someone with a Masters degree in Economics, I found it extremely enlightening. Lots of practical ideas on how to change things for the better. He also bridges all these ideas with deep spiritual truths. Total masterpiece.

That sounds awesome! I've spent a lot of time this past year learning more about economics (coming from the perspective of someone who is decidedly NOT well-educated about the fundamentals of economics and has always been working-poor social class her whole life ) and it's blown my mind just to conceptualize economic systems in a more abstract way. I've ended up getting into bitcoin as a result of this, and there are a lot of well-educated speakers/writers in that space whom I've listened to, but many of them have very different motives in life than I do.

I'd love to read abstract and dense economic ideas coming from someone whose goals might align more with mine. This book sounds like a great avenue for that, so thanks for sharing!!

[aurum]

3 hours ago, clararockmore said:

That sounds awesome! I've spent a lot of time this past year learning more about economics (coming from the perspective of someone who is decidedly NOT well-educated about the fundamentals of economics and has always been working-poor social class her whole life ) and it's blown my mind just to conceptualize economic systems in a more abstract way. I've ended up getting into bitcoin as a result of this, and there are a lot of well-educated speakers/writers in that space whom I've listened to, but many of them have very different motives in life than I do.

I'd love to read abstract and dense economic ideas coming from someone whose goals might align more with mine. This book sounds like a great avenue for that, so thanks for sharing!!

Sounds like it be perfect for you!

I’d recommend the physical copy. The audiobook is good but it’s pretty technical at some points and I had a hard time following. Had to go back and reread a lot of it.