Here’s what I read in August and July:

August

The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa. I read this book two years ago and it’s the best book on meditation I’ve come across. Since I’d fallen off my practice, I figured it was time for a reread so I listened to an audio version on my walks. More than any other book or resource, this book explains the process of meditation and the changes that happen in the mind as one progresses on the path. Especially helpful are the different, progressively complicated mind models that help conceptualise the mind. Highly recommended.

Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug. I read this short book on design in preparation for a work task for a product engineering role. It’s short enough that I finished it in an afternoon, but the lessons are invaluable. Most of the advice seems obvious, but I think that’s the genius of it. Once you read it, you start seeing how many products could be easily improved by following simple rules.

The Life of Greece by Will Durant. Still going through this. Durant traces Greek history from prehistoric times through Homer up to the classical period. A very good read, well-written, and thoroughly researched. Durant is a great writer and makes what might otherwise be dry reading a pleasure.

A Hacker’s Mind by Bruce Schneier. Another of my walking companions. A good book about how a lot of systems are hackable, from social systems to political to economic, and obviously computer systems. Hacking, Schneier says, is when a system is used in a way that it allows, but which its creators didn’t intend. He gives lots of interesting examples including tax hacks, filibusters, economic hacks, and more. This was an enjoyable light read listen, and since I’ve listened to this I’ve been seeing some random exploits all over including one that has saved me a few hundred dollars.

As the author stresses, we must see hacks for what they are - gaps in codification - and keep an open mind when assessing them.

Good Economics for Hard Times by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. To prepare for my Good Economics for Hard Times course final exam, I read the eponymous book by the course instructors. Like the course the book is a tour of the economic issues of the day - migration, climate change, government, economic growth, trade, inequality, and social policy - without the maths and diagrams of, say Macroeconomics or Microeconomics. It’s extremely well written and helped solidify my understanding of the course material.

The Poet Empress by Shen Tao. A pretty good fantasy book. Slightly different from my usual fantasy picks, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

July

Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann. I listened to DDIA on my walks to improve my distributed systems knowledge as I am exploring roles in AI infrastructure. As it turned out I had an interview where I was grateful that I was familiar with some database stuff such as replication, sharding, and transactions. Excellent book, I will definitely return.

The Extinction of Experience by Christine Rosen. Also listened to this on my walks. The Extinction of Experience is about how unmediated experience is disappearing in the modern world, as digital devices take over. As a result we’ve been totally transformed - we are less patient, we are unable to tolerate boredom, we are losing essential social and physical skills - and this looks like it’ll only get worse. After listening to this book I drastically cut down my social media usage, resolved to be more “in the world”, and more mindful of how I spend my time.

Rereads

I also read (and reread) some of Plutarch’s essays in Moralia, some of Montaigne’s Essays, and bits of Mencius.