40+ Book Recommendations by Emmett Shear
Understanding Media
Marshall McLuhan
@VinnyKurban Kindle doesn’t generate a list of books you read again this year, unfortunately. Here’s a short list of stuff I remember re-reading at least partially: The Laundry Files series by @cstross HPMOR by @ESYudkowsky Understanding Media by McLuhan Finite and Infinite Games by Carse
Finite and Infinite Games
James Carse
“There are at least two kinds of games,” states James P. Carse as he begins this extraordinary book. “One could be called finite; the other infinite.” Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life; they are played in order to be won, which is when they end. But infinite games are more mysterious. Their object is not winning, but ensuring the continuation of play. The rules may change, the boundaries may change, even the participants may change—as long as the game is never allowed to come to an end. What are infinite games? How do they affect the ways we play our finite games? What are we doing when we play—finitely or infinitely? And how can infinite games affect the ways in which we live our lives? Carse explores these questions with stunning elegance, teasing out of his distinctions a universe of observation and insight, noting where and why and how we play, finitely and infinitely. He surveys our world—from the finite games of the playing field and playing board to the infinite games found in culture and religion—leaving all we think we know illuminated and transformed. Along the way, Carse finds new ways of understanding everything, from how an actress portrays a role to how we engage in sex, from the nature of evil to the nature of science. Finite games, he shows, may offer wealth and status, power and glory, but infinite games offer something far more subtle and far grander. Carse has written a book rich in insight and aphorism. Already an international literary event, Finite and Infinite Games is certain to be argued about and celebrated for years to come. Reading it is the first step in learning to play the infinite game.@VinnyKurban Kindle doesn’t generate a list of books you read again this year, unfortunately. Here’s a short list of stuff I remember re-reading at least partially: The Laundry Files series by @cstross HPMOR by @ESYudkowsky Understanding Media by McLuhan Finite and Infinite Games by Carse
The Rhesus Chart (The Laundry Files Series)
Charles Stross
@VinnyKurban Kindle doesn’t generate a list of books you read again this year, unfortunately. Here’s a short list of stuff I remember re-reading at least partially: The Laundry Files series by @cstross HPMOR by @ESYudkowsky Understanding Media by McLuhan Finite and Infinite Games by Carse
Talent
Tyler Cowen
Tyler Cowen and Daniel Gross's Talent offers strategies on how to spot, assess, woo, and retain highly talented people. How do you find talent with a creative spark? To what extent can you predict human creativity, or is human creativity something irreducible before our eyes, perhaps to be spotted or glimpsed by intuition, but unique each time it appears? The art and science of talent search get at exactly those questions. Renowned economist Tyler Cowen and venture capitalist and entrepreneur Daniel Gross guide the reader through the major scientific research areas relevant for talent search, including how to conduct an interview, how much to weigh intelligence, how to judge personality and match personality traits to jobs, how to evaluate talent in on-line interactions such as Zoom calls, why talented women are still undervalued and how to spot them, how to understand the special talents in people who have disabilities or supposed disabilities, and how to use delegated scouts to find talent. Identifying underrated, brilliant individuals is one of the simplest ways to give yourself an organizational edge, and this is the book that will show you how to do that. It is both for people searching for talent, and for those being searched and wish to understand how to better stand out.Talent by @danielgross and @tylercowen - it’s not often that a book on practical business stuff is really good. This one is both interesting and useful. Lots of great mental models but also practical advice. https://t.co/YUIpOShN89
Burmese Days
George Orwell
Burmese Days by George Orwell. It’s a classic, I’d never read it. Incredible drawing of colonial Burma, written by a master. Not sure what else there is to say. https://t.co/T8ScNax4kN
The Golden Enclaves
Naomi Novik
Burmese Days by George Orwell. It’s a classic, I’d never read it. Incredible drawing of colonial Burma, written by a master. Not sure what else there is to say. https://t.co/T8ScNax4kN
Termination Shock
Neal Stephenson
Burmese Days by George Orwell. It’s a classic, I’d never read it. Incredible drawing of colonial Burma, written by a master. Not sure what else there is to say. https://t.co/T8ScNax4kN
The Golden Enclaves
Naomi Novik
@drethelin I mean, thematically the books play w similar ideas, but not a plot spoiler
Structures
J. E. Gordon
In a book that Business Insider noted as one of the "14 Books that inspired Elon Musk," J.E. Gordon strips engineering of its confusing technical terms, communicating its founding principles in accessible, witty prose. For anyone who has ever wondered why suspension bridges don't collapse under eight lanes of traffic, how dams hold back--or give way under--thousands of gallons of water, or what principles guide the design of a skyscraper, a bias-cut dress, or a kangaroo, this book will ease your anxiety and answer your questions. Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down is an informal explanation of the basic forces that hold together the ordinary and essential things of this world--from buildings and bodies to flying aircraft and eggshells. In a style that combines wit, a masterful command of his subject, and an encyclopedic range of reference, Gordon includes such chapters as "How to Design a Worm" and "The Advantage of Being a Beam," offering humorous insights in human and natural creation. Architects and engineers will appreciate the clear and cogent explanations of the concepts of stress, shear, torsion, fracture, and compression. If you're building a house, a sailboat, or a catapult, here is a handy tool for understanding the mechanics of joinery, floors, ceilings, hulls, masts--or flying buttresses. Without jargon or oversimplification, Structures opens up the marvels of technology to anyone interested in the foundations of our everyday lives.@cashewroasted @MasterTimBlais https://t.co/WxKH4eOTDK is an excellent answer to your question about why buildings don’t fall down
The Jungle
Upton Sinclair
The Jungle is a 1906 novel written by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair (1878-1968). Sinclair wrote the novel to portray the lives of immigrants in the United States in Chicago and similar industrialized cities. Many readers were most concerned with his exposure of health violations and unsanitary practices in the American meatpacking industry during the early 20th century, based on an investigation he did for a socialist newspaper.The book depicts working class poverty, the lack of social supports, harsh and unpleasant living and working conditions, and a hopelessness among many workers. These elements are contrasted with the deeply rooted corruption of people in power. A review by the writer Jack London called it, "the Uncle Tom's Cabin of wage slavery."Sinclair was considered a muckraker, or journalist who exposed corruption in government and business. He first published the novel in serial form in 1905 in the Socialist newspaper, Appeal to Reason, between February 25, 1905, and November 4, 1905. In 1904, Sinclair had spent seven weeks gathering information while working incognito in the meatpacking plants of the Chicago stockyards for the newspaper. It was published as a book on February 26, 1906 by Doubleday and in a subscribers' edition.@TylerAlterman The Jungle by Sinclair probably counts (food regulation movement) Siddhartha by Hesse seems to have maybe kicked off western Buddhism to me? Ishmael by Quinn is the foundation book for a lot of modern leftist/anarchists
Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse
Blends elements of psychoanalysis and Asian religions to probe an Indian aristocrat's efforts to renounce sensual and material pleasures and discover ultimate spiritual truths@TylerAlterman The Jungle by Sinclair probably counts (food regulation movement) Siddhartha by Hesse seems to have maybe kicked off western Buddhism to me? Ishmael by Quinn is the foundation book for a lot of modern leftist/anarchists
Ishmael
Daniel Quinn
An award-winning, compelling novel of spiritual adventure about a gorilla named Ishmael, who possesses immense wisdom, and the man who becomes his pupil, offers answers to the world's most pressing moral dilemmas. Reprint.@TylerAlterman The Jungle by Sinclair probably counts (food regulation movement) Siddhartha by Hesse seems to have maybe kicked off western Buddhism to me? Ishmael by Quinn is the foundation book for a lot of modern leftist/anarchists
Games People Play
Eric Berne
The fortieth anniversary edition of the groundbreaking best seller examines the interpersonal defenses which individuals construct to avoid dealing with reality in everyday situations in a volume that features a new prologue , as well as commentary by Kurt Vonnegut from his original 1965 LIFE magazine review. Reissue. 20,000 first printing.@michaelcurzi @hyperdiscogirl https://t.co/EcevAjOdF0 the canonical text on games in social contexts
@DRMacIver Huh, I did not take that away from the book. I took away that the emotional label creates the emotion in the same way the word “purple” creates the color purple…which is to say that everyone sees a color between red and blue, they just might or might not explicitly label it.
The Halo Effect
Phil Rosenzweig
Controversial and iconoclastic, a veteran corporate manager and business school professor exposes the dangerous myths, fantasies, and delusions that pervade much of the business world today.@visakanv Incredible book covering this topic: The Halo Effect by Rosensweig. Totally changed how I read business press forever.
Thus Spake Bellavista
Luciano De Crescenzo
In his hillside villa overlooking the Bay of Naples, Professor Bellavista reflects on everyday life in Naples, love, liberty and the state of the world with a group of unemployed student philosophers@jack I remember reading Ishmael in highschool...thought provoking and fun book. If you like Ishamael, I recommend Thus Spake Bellavista. Really fun.
The Story of B (Ishmael Series)
Daniel Quinn
Jared Osborne, a Laurentians priest, investigates an itinerant preacher of unusual power and penetrates his inner circle, where he becomes an anguished collaborator in the dismantling of his own beliefs@jack I remember reading Ishmael in highschool...thought provoking and fun book. If you like Ishamael, I recommend Thus Spake Bellavista. Really fun.
Money
Felix Martin
A historical epic by an Oxford-educated economist traces the development and evolution of money from its origins in the ancient world to the gold standard, challenging conventional understandings while exploring the world's complicated monetary systems. 75,000 first printing.@lisatomic5 Best book for building intuition about the nature of money is “Money: The Unauthorized Biography” IMO
The New Science of Strong Materials
James Edward Gordon
J. E. Gordon's classic introduction to the properties of materials used in engineering answers some fascinating and fundamental questions about how the structural world around us works. Gordon focuses on so-called strong materials--such as metals, wood, ceramics, glass, and bone--explaining in engaging and accessible terms the unique physical and chemical basis for their inherent structural qualities. He also shows how an in-depth understanding of these materials’ intrinsic strengths--and weaknesses--guides our engineering choices, allowing us to build the structures that support our society. This work is an enduring example of first-rate scientific communication. Philip Ball's introduction describes Gordon's career and the impact of his innovations in materials research, while also discussing how the field has evolved since Gordon wrote this enduring example of first-rate scientific communication.@random_scrub @drethelin It’s one of my fav books because it makes a normally dry subject into a fascinating one. Really glad you’re digging it so far!
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Philip K. Dick
Palmer Eldritch returns from the edge of the universe with a drug called Chew-D for the colonists of Mars who are under threat of god-like or satanic psychics that threaten to wage war against the human soul.@tjradcliffe Great books. The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch, or really anything by Dick.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Robert M Pirsig
A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance becomes a personal and philosophical odyssey into fundamental questions on how to live. The narrator's relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reckoning; the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconciling science, religion, and humanism. Resonant with the confusions of existence, this classic is a touching and transcendent book of life. This new edition contains an interview with Pirsig and letters and documents detailing how this extraordinary book came to be. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.@dogukanect Fountainhead. If you can’t bring yourself to read Ayn Rand, then Harry Potter And The Methods Of Rationality. If you can’t bring yourself to read fan fiction, Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a clear winner for this list.
The Master and Margarita
Mikhail Bulgakov
Presents a satirical drama about Satan's visit to Moscow, where he learns that the citizens no longer believe in God. He decides to teach them a lesson by perpetrating a series of horrific tricks. Combines two distinct yet interwoven parts, one set in contemporary Moscow, the other in ancient Jerusalem.@onuryuruten Fun books. I know I recommended it elsewhere, but The Master and Margarita. Alternatively…The Stand, by Stephen King.
Barbarian Days
William Finnegan
Surfing only looks like a sport. To initiates, it is something else entirely: a beautiful addiction, a demanding course of study, a morally dangerous pastime, a way of life. Raised in California and Hawaii, Finnegan started surfing as a child. He has chased waves all over the world, wandering for years through the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, Africa. A bookish boy, and then an excessively adventurous young man, he went on to become a writer and war reporter. Barbarian Days takes us deep into unfamiliar worlds, some of them right under our noses -- off the coasts of New York and San Francisco. It immerses the reader in the edgy camaraderie of close male friendships annealed in challenging waves.@bingfish You win some prize for having three books I have never read before but which all look great. This is a left field recommendation, but based on reading the summary of all three I recommend Barbarian Days.
Shogun
James Clavell
After John Blackthorne shipwrecks in Japan, he makes himself useful to a feudal lord in a power struggle with another and becomes a samurai.@tarkanlar All excellent, but very broad...I'm just going to go with one of my favorite books. I recommend Shogun. Totally different from everything you listed but I think you'll enjoy it.
Shogun
James Clavell
"Here is the world-famous novel of Japan that is the earliest book in James Clavell’s masterly Asian saga. Set in the year 1600, it tells the story of a bold English pilot whose ship was blown ashore in Japan, where he encountered two people who were to change his life: a warlord with his own quest for power, and a beautiful interpreter torn between two ways of life and two ways of love"--Amazon.com.@michaelcurzi Other books you may enjoy that give some of the same strategic maneuvering fun: Shogun by Clavell, the Vorkosigan Saga by Bujold, The Collapsing Empire by Scalzi, The Darkness That Comes Before by Bakker (warning: DARK), Belisarius series by Flint, Furies of Calderon by Butcher.
Shards of Honor (2) (Vorkosigan Saga)
Lois McMaster Bujold
FIRST BOOK FEATURING CORDELIA NAISMITH. Journey back to where it all started, from multiple New York Times best selling author, Hugo Award winner, Lois McMaster Bujold. When Cordelia Naismith and her survey crew are attacked by a renegade group from Barrayar, she is taken prisoner by Aral Vorkosigan, commander of the Barrayan ship that has been taken over by an ambitious and ruthless crew member. Aral and Cordelia survive countless mishaps while their mutual admiration and even stronger feelings emerge. About Shards of Honor: “All in all, Shards is a worthy effort, and worth reading for any fan of SF romance.”—Analog About Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga: “Bujold mixes quirky humor with action [and] superb character development…[E]normously satisfying.”—Publishers Weekly. “One of sf’s outstanding talents . . . an outstanding series.”—Booklist “. . . an intelligent, well-crafted and thoroughly satisfying blend of adventure, sociopolitical commentary, scientific experiments, and occasional perils . . . with that extra spicing of romance. . . .”—Locus The Vorkosigan Series in Story-based Chronological Order Falling Free Shards of Honor Barrayar The Warrior's Apprentice The Vor Game Cetaganda Ethan of Athos Borders of Infinity Brothers in Arms Mirror Dance Memory Komarr A Civil Campaign Diplomatic Immunity Captain Vorpatril's Alliance CryoBurn Omnibus Editions MILES, MYSTERY & MAYHEM contains Cetaganda, Ethan of Athos YOUNG MILES contains The Warrior's Apprentice + stories CORDELIA’S HONOR contains Shards of Honor, Barayarr MILES, MUTANTS & MICROBES contains Falling Free, Diplomatic Immunity MILES IN LOVE contains Komarr, A Civil Campaign MILES ERRANT contains Brothers in Arms, Mirror Dance@michaelcurzi Other books you may enjoy that give some of the same strategic maneuvering fun: Shogun by Clavell, the Vorkosigan Saga by Bujold, The Collapsing Empire by Scalzi, The Darkness That Comes Before by Bakker (warning: DARK), Belisarius series by Flint, Furies of Calderon by Butcher.
- *2018 LOCUS AWARD WINNER OF BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL* *2018 HUGO AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST NOVEL* “John Scalzi is the most entertaining, accessible writer working in SF today.” —Joe Hill, author of The Fireman The first novel of a new space-opera sequence set in an all-new universe by the Hugo Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Redshirts and Old Man's War Our universe is ruled by physics. Faster than light travel is impossible—until the discovery of The Flow, an extradimensional field available at certain points in space-time, which can take us to other planets around other stars. Riding The Flow, humanity spreads to innumerable other worlds. Earth is forgotten. A new empire arises, the Interdependency, based on the doctrine that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It’s a hedge against interstellar war—and, for the empire’s rulers, a system of control. The Flow is eternal—but it’s not static. Just as a river changes course, The Flow changes as well. In rare cases, entire worlds have been cut off from the rest of humanity. When it’s discovered that the entire Flow is moving, possibly separating all human worlds from one another forever, three individuals—a scientist, a starship captain, and the emperox of the Interdependency—must race against time to discover what, if anything, can be salvaged from an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse. "Fans of Game of Thrones and Dune will enjoy this bawdy, brutal, and brilliant political adventure" —Booklist on The Collapsing Empire "Political plotting, plenty of snark, puzzle-solving, and a healthy dose of action...Scalzi continues to be almost insufferably good at his brand of fun but think-y sci-fi adventure." —Kirkus Reviews on The Collapsing Empire “Scalzi is one of the slickest writers that SF has ever produced.” —The Wall Street Journal on The Human Division The Interdependency Series 1. The Collapsing Empire 2. The Consuming Fire
@michaelcurzi Other books you may enjoy that give some of the same strategic maneuvering fun: Shogun by Clavell, the Vorkosigan Saga by Bujold, The Collapsing Empire by Scalzi, The Darkness That Comes Before by Bakker (warning: DARK), Belisarius series by Flint, Furies of Calderon by Butcher.
The Darkness That Comes Before
R. Scott Bakker
"This edition first published in paperback in the United States in 2005 by The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc."--Verso.@michaelcurzi Other books you may enjoy that give some of the same strategic maneuvering fun: Shogun by Clavell, the Vorkosigan Saga by Bujold, The Collapsing Empire by Scalzi, The Darkness That Comes Before by Bakker (warning: DARK), Belisarius series by Flint, Furies of Calderon by Butcher.
Belisarius
Paolo Belzoni
@michaelcurzi Other books you may enjoy that give some of the same strategic maneuvering fun: Shogun by Clavell, the Vorkosigan Saga by Bujold, The Collapsing Empire by Scalzi, The Darkness That Comes Before by Bakker (warning: DARK), Belisarius series by Flint, Furies of Calderon by Butcher.
Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, Book 1)
Jim Butcher
In the land of Alera, where people bond with the furies--elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal--young Tavi struggles to cope with his lack of magical talent, until his homeland erupts into conflct between rebels and loyalists and Tavi discovers that he holds the key to his realm's survival. Reprint.@michaelcurzi Other books you may enjoy that give some of the same strategic maneuvering fun: Shogun by Clavell, the Vorkosigan Saga by Bujold, The Collapsing Empire by Scalzi, The Darkness That Comes Before by Bakker (warning: DARK), Belisarius series by Flint, Furies of Calderon by Butcher.
What Got You Here Won't Get You There
Marshall Goldsmith
Your hard work is paying off. You are doing well in your field. But there is something standing between you and the next level of achievement. That something may just be one of your own annoying habits.Perhaps one small flaw - a behaviour you barely even recognise - is the only thing that's keeping you from where you want to be. It may be that the very characteristic that you believe got you where you are - like the drive to win at all costs - is what's holding you back. As this book explains, people often do well in spite of certain habits rather than because of them-and need a "to stop" list rather than one listing what "to do".Marshall Goldsmith's expertise is in helping global leaders overcome their unconscious annoying habits and become more successful. His one-on-one coaching comes with a six-figure price tag - but in this book you get his great advice for much less. Recently named as one of the world's five most-respected executive coaches by Forbes, he has worked with over 100 major CEOs and their management teams at the world's top businesses. His clients include corporations such as Goldman Sachs, Glaxo SmithKline, Johnson and Johnson and GE.@visakanv An entire book on this topic: https://t.co/A3VdJWhBWX It was pretty impactful for me when I was making the transition from manager of a small team to manager of an organization.
TROUBLE FOR TRUMPETS (Dragonfly Books)
Peter Dallas Smith
Just as the Trumpets, summer creatures who live in a world of warmth and sunshine, prepare to hibernate, the Grumpets, winter creatures who live in the dark, frozen mountains of the north prepare to take over their land.@vgr Best children’s book in this genre: the tragically out of print Trouble for Trumpets
Nonviolent Communication
Marshall B. Rosenberg
Clinical psychologist Marshall B. Rosenberg offers an enlightening look at how peaceful communication can create compassionate connections with family, friends, and other acquaintances.@DRMacIver Nonviolent communication https://t.co/wHUsJ59pOy
- A Lost Ship - A New World A hardened adventurer, marooned on an artificial planet, contends with a hostile post-human entity. Book 2 of the far-future series Inverted Frontier, by the award-winning author of VAST.
Five books I read this year that I recommend: Silver by @LindaNagata (& rest of series) The City & The City by Mieville Money: The Unauthorized Biography by Martin Order Without Design by Bertraud Legal Systems Very Different From Our Ours by Friedman, @DavidSkarbek, and Leeson
The City & the City
China Miéville
Inspector Tyador Borlâu must travel to Ul Qoma to search for answers in the murder of a woman found in the city of Besâzel.Five books I read this year that I recommend: Silver by @LindaNagata (& rest of series) The City & The City by Mieville Money: The Unauthorized Biography by Martin Order Without Design by Bertraud Legal Systems Very Different From Our Ours by Friedman, @DavidSkarbek, and Leeson
Money
Felix Martin
A historical epic by an Oxford-educated economist traces the development and evolution of money from its origins in the ancient world to the gold standard, challenging conventional understandings while exploring the world's complicated monetary systems. 75,000 first printing.Five books I read this year that I recommend: Silver by @LindaNagata (& rest of series) The City & The City by Mieville Money: The Unauthorized Biography by Martin Order Without Design by Bertraud Legal Systems Very Different From Our Ours by Friedman, @DavidSkarbek, and Leeson
Order without Design
Alain Bertaud
An argument that operational urban planning can be improved by the application of the tools of urban economics to the design of regulations and infrastructure. Urban planning is a craft learned through practice. Planners make rapid decisions that have an immediate impact on the ground—the width of streets, the minimum size of land parcels, the heights of buildings. The language they use to describe their objectives is qualitative—“sustainable,” “livable,” “resilient”—often with no link to measurable outcomes. Urban economics, on the other hand, is a quantitative science, based on theories, models, and empirical evidence largely developed in academic settings. In this book, the eminent urban planner Alain Bertaud argues that applying the theories of urban economics to the practice of urban planning would greatly improve both the productivity of cities and the welfare of urban citizens. Bertaud explains that markets provide the indispensable mechanism for cities' development. He cites the experience of cities without markets for land or labor in pre-reform China and Russia; this “urban planners' dream” created inefficiencies and waste. Drawing on five decades of urban planning experience in forty cities around the world, Bertaud links cities' productivity to the size of their labor markets; argues that the design of infrastructure and markets can complement each other; examines the spatial distribution of land prices and densities; stresses the importance of mobility and affordability; and critiques the land use regulations in a number of cities that aim at redesigning existing cities instead of just trying to alleviate clear negative externalities. Bertaud concludes by describing the new role that joint teams of urban planners and economists could play to improve the way cities are managed.Five books I read this year that I recommend: Silver by @LindaNagata (& rest of series) The City & The City by Mieville Money: The Unauthorized Biography by Martin Order Without Design by Bertraud Legal Systems Very Different From Our Ours by Friedman, @DavidSkarbek, and Leeson
Legal Systems Very Different from Ours
Peter Leeson
This book looks at thirteen different legal systems, ranging from Imperial China to modern Amish: how they worked, what problems they faced, how they dealt with them. Some chapters deal with a single legal system, others with topics relevant to several, such as problems with law based on divine revelation or how systems work in which law enforcement is private and decentralized. The book's underlying assumption is that all human societies face the same problems, deal with them in an interesting variety of different ways, are all the work of grown-ups, hence should all be taken seriously. It ends with a chapter on features of past legal systems that a modern system might want to borrow.Five books I read this year that I recommend: Silver by @LindaNagata (& rest of series) The City & The City by Mieville Money: The Unauthorized Biography by Martin Order Without Design by Bertraud Legal Systems Very Different From Our Ours by Friedman, @DavidSkarbek, and Leeson
Chess
Stefan Zweig
@tylerwillis Quickest read: Chess by Zweig stands out for excellent and short. Best read is harder: The Master and Margarita? Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel? 100 Years of Solitude?
The Master and Margarita
Mikhail Bulgakov
Presents a satirical drama about Satan's visit to Moscow, where he learns that the citizens no longer believe in God. He decides to teach them a lesson by perpetrating a series of horrific tricks. Combines two distinct yet interwoven parts, one set in contemporary Moscow, the other in ancient Jerusalem.@tylerwillis Quickest read: Chess by Zweig stands out for excellent and short. Best read is harder: The Master and Margarita? Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel? 100 Years of Solitude?
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Susanna Clarke
All is going well for rich, reclusive Mr Norell, who has regained some of the power of England's magicians from the past, until a rival magician, Jonathan Strange, appears and becomes Mr Norrell's pupil, in a witty fantasy set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century England. Reprint.@tylerwillis Quickest read: Chess by Zweig stands out for excellent and short. Best read is harder: The Master and Margarita? Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel? 100 Years of Solitude?
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez
The evolution and eventual decadence of a small South American town is mirrored in the family history of the Buendias.@tylerwillis Quickest read: Chess by Zweig stands out for excellent and short. Best read is harder: The Master and Margarita? Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel? 100 Years of Solitude?
Order without Design
Alain Bertaud
An argument that operational urban planning can be improved by the application of the tools of urban economics to the design of regulations and infrastructure. Urban planning is a craft learned through practice. Planners make rapid decisions that have an immediate impact on the ground—the width of streets, the minimum size of land parcels, the heights of buildings. The language they use to describe their objectives is qualitative—“sustainable,” “livable,” “resilient”—often with no link to measurable outcomes. Urban economics, on the other hand, is a quantitative science, based on theories, models, and empirical evidence largely developed in academic settings. In this book, the eminent urban planner Alain Bertaud argues that applying the theories of urban economics to the practice of urban planning would greatly improve both the productivity of cities and the welfare of urban citizens. Bertaud explains that markets provide the indispensable mechanism for cities' development. He cites the experience of cities without markets for land or labor in pre-reform China and Russia; this “urban planners' dream” created inefficiencies and waste. Drawing on five decades of urban planning experience in forty cities around the world, Bertaud links cities' productivity to the size of their labor markets; argues that the design of infrastructure and markets can complement each other; examines the spatial distribution of land prices and densities; stresses the importance of mobility and affordability; and critiques the land use regulations in a number of cities that aim at redesigning existing cities instead of just trying to alleviate clear negative externalities. Bertaud concludes by describing the new role that joint teams of urban planners and economists could play to improve the way cities are managed.I just finished Order Without Design by Alain Bertaud https://t.co/g50OWJy7qS. If you care about the nuts and bolts of creating functional cities that actually serve the poor as well as the wealthy, this book is a must read. Clear eyed, well researched, and engagingly written.
Man After Man
Dougal Dixon
SCIENCE/MATHEMATICS@sknthla "Man after Man". I have no idea if it holds up but as a 10 year old I found it fascinating.