David Griver

This is one of those cases where the goodreads rating system doesn't really match the way a book should be rated. Five stars, goodreads tells us, we should interpret as ‘this book was amazing'. This book isn't particularly fun to read. It's a book that quite drily chronicles the research that has been done on psychedelic drugs. The subject matter however, is indeed nothing short of amazing, and that's why it deserves five stars. Anyone who is interested in the use of psychedelic drugs for healing and/or spiritual exploration should read this book.

Many of the ideas are nothing new (to me), and I think Cain uses both anecdotes and research in a simplistic way that mainly serves to support her message of empowerment for introverts. However I do find her writing style to be engaging, comforting and inspiring. 4/5 stars - If I treat this book as an editorial on culture intended to empower people, as opposed to a fair exposition of the psycholgical research on introversion and personality in general.

This book is a treasure. I must admit, Oliver Sacks is not the best of writers, his prose can be a bit dry and dare I say clinical at times. But he more than makes up for it with great insight and a host of unparalleled stories about the weird and wonderful world of super-specific neurological conditions. Sack's book is a collection of fairly casually reported highly interesting, clinical cases from his career as a neurologist. At times funny and at times tragic, sacks manages to bring the human element into each of these cases, while also shedding light on how the mind works in the process.

I went into this book aware of the enormous hype around it, so naturally I was prepared to be - if not disappointed - somewhat underwhelmed, but boy was I whelmed! Kuhn's book (essay?) is the perfect illustration of how seemingly banal theories can become illuminating when fleshed out in repetitive detail. It's also an exemplar of skillful writing (apart from the odd sentence with one too many parts), exact choice of scope, careful thought, and brilliant insight.

In conclusion, the hype is, without a doubt, justified!

It's quite rare these days to encounter science fiction that feels this fresh and exciting. With the popularity of shows like Black Mirror many science fiction tropes have been overdone and cliched. This is science fiction at its best. Incredibly creative stories that are based on solid (although speculative) science. This is a must-read for anyone with an interest in sci-fi.

Shogun is the story of an english sailor that shipwrecks on the coast of japan. Really though its a story about the clash of radically different cultures. James Clavell manages to pull of a bit of a magic trick with this book. You start the book feeling like a foreigner to the story, the english sailor is lost and confused, and so are you. Slowly but surely though, you learn to understand and love the japanese way. By the end of the book it feels like you've been culturally assimilated! The scope is huge without sacrificing the intricate details and the character development is very well done.

Historical Accuracy aside, Shogun is a masterpiece of historical fiction. Be warned though, this book will make you really really want to visit Japan.

I almost rated it 4 stars because at times I found it three-quarters-baked, a bit over-general, and not entirely convincing. But taking into account the enormous scope and ambition of the book, which is actually quite awe-inspiring, I've decided to go for 5. The central thesis is both fascinating and has far reaching implications. It's a bit of a slog at times, but worth it!

Dennett sets himself an ambitious goal with the title “Consciousness Explained”. This book is obviously not the be-all and end-all of explanations about this famously slippery subject, but it's an impressive attempt in the right direction. Dennett's writing is easy to follow, but by no means is this a superficial book. This book really digs into the subject of human consciousness, with all its nitty gritty details and confusing edge cases.

Dennett's approach here is courageous, while many philosophers sit around contemplating the inherent mysteriousness of the subject matter, reiterating why the hard problem is just so damn hard, Dennett takes a no-nonsense approach, carefully and systematically unpacking the tricky concepts that relate to the subjective-objective gap while clearing away muddled concepts such as qualia. Far from abstract philosophy Dennett firmly grounds his ideas in modern neuroscience.

Not many books have made me stop and think as much. Dennett manages to clarify a lot of confusion about the subject while offering surprisingly robust alternatives. This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in neuroscience and/or philosophy of mind. Whether or not you agree with Dennett's ideas.

While some aspects of this book might come off as despriting the takeaway can and should be understood as liberating - we are not individually responsible or to blame for our suffering in life. And on the flip side, the sooner we come to grips with the true causes of suffering the sooner we can work together to fix them.

Regardless, the intersection between mental health, politics, economics and power is endelessy interesting and neglected for obvious reasons, I would consider this a must read..

Catch-22 is almost unequivocally the best work of fiction I've ever read. It's definitely a grower, but boy when it does, you're in for a wild ride. Reading this book you are bombarded with a slew of hilarious stories about an insane cast of characters. Slowly but surely there comes into focus a tragic tale of a bunch of officers trying to make it through a horrible war with their mind and body in one piece. This novel manages to capture with perfect clarity the absurdism of war and the (funny) craziness of bureaucracy and hierarchy. Never has a book managed to be so funny and sad at the same time. Not to mention the fact that it's endlessly quotable:

“They're trying to kill me,” Yossarian told him calmly.
No one's trying to kill you,” Clevinger cried.
Then why are they shooting at me?” Yossarian asked.
They're shooting at everyone,” Clevinger answered. “They're trying to kill everyone.”
And what difference does that make?”

Stop what you're doing, and go and read this book right now, force yourself to read the first 150 pages no matter what, it takes a while to “get it” but once you do, boy will you be glad.

It's a shame (but maybe not a surprise) that Huxley and Orwell get all the love in the world of utopian fiction because The Dispossessed really should be considered (as of now) the apotheosis of the genre. Le Guin doesn't give herself the easy way out, and every time you think you have her perspective figured out she introduces more subtly, and more complexity, but never too much for you to handle - it's artful.

It's hard to find faults in the book, it's dense with beautiful ideas and even more beautiful prose. The only fault one could find in the book is that it contains so many great sentences in a row that unless you're vigilant to remain appreciative, you're likely to stop noticing them. Any of Le Guin's sentences in any other novel would be a rare gem, the kind that makes you stop for a second to digest and appreciate. But here - they are like pebbles on a beach.

One of the things that's amazing about this book (There are too many to list) is how well Ursula manages to wind together the threads of the “Big Ideas”: Anarchism, Mysticism, Taoism, Science, Technology, with the threads of “Small Ideas”: Love, Work, Play, Relationships, etc.. Creating a beautiful tapestry that somehow seems to contain everything that you could ever care about (and more).

If you haven't read this book, read it now! (It might change your life)