Book

Short and pithy, I too shall retreat to my tower. Great read, highly recommended.

Information about the book author: Albert Camus title: La Peste pages: 568 Notes and thoughts Messy but longer notes here . A dark and heavy book. It is an extension of L’Étranger ; set in a similar world. Camus even mentions the events of l’Étranger in La Peste. Written just after WWII there are obvious parallels between the citizens of Oran and the Jewish people in Europe. In his city he paints different ways to face adversity through his characters. Some try to flee, others face it head on, others explain it, etc. At the core, Camus explores the ideas of absurdism. Shows us in the book that the world has no meaning but that we can bring meaning to it ourselves. Reminds me of Sisyphus traversing the absurd with a smile.

Information about the book author: Albert Camus title: L'Étranger pages: 180 Notes and thoughts Great book. I highly recommend it. It delves into details of social judgement. This book made me think of how often I get judged not for what I do or say but how I do it or say it. The weight of social norms is heavy and invisible to all.

Information about the book author: John Bogle title: Enough pages: 250 ISBN: 978-0-470-39851-7 Overall thoughs The book is split in two parts. Money Life The first is a critique of the financial sector in the USA and corporate america in general. I profoundly agree with his view; so much so that this part did not bring too much value for me other than precise and novel arguments for opinions I share. ...

You will read less than you think Assume you will read 30 books a year for your entire life between 15 and 85 years old. That is 30 * 70 = 2100 books. I don’t know about you, but I had never done the math and that made me sad. I regret having read a lot of the books I read now! Conclusion: (1) read more, (2) be careful what you select to read. For (1), I now read 1 hour daily. For (2), I try my best to read mostly books published ~100 years before the present day1. ...

Information about the book author: Leo Tolstoy title: The Kreutzer Sonata pages: 128 ISBN-13: 978-0812968231 Thoughts on this book This story is a dark warning of the possessive and sexual nature of relationships. It is also quite tragic since Pozdnyshev (the man and main character who kills his wife) does not seem to be in any sort of control of these emotions. The title is a symbol of this inevitability. The Kreutzer Sonata by Beethoven evoking emotions without control or measure according to Tolstoy. ...

Information about the book author: Tolstoy title: How Much Land Does a Man Need pages: 20 Man needs 1.8m squared to die in. This is a book meant to teach us a lesson. It’s a lesson which we have all heard a million times: “greed is bad”. This simple lesson is more visceral when told by Tolstoy in this book - as most things with him are. ...

Book about the horrors of the caucusus war.

Information about the book author: Ernest Hemingway title: The Old Man and the Sea pages: 128 Highlights and notes As I read this book, I annotated the passages included in this PDF: Candide - Notes Notes and thoughts A super simple short story with an uncomplicated message. The old man’s pursuit made me think of business. The fish being the pursuit of vanity metrics: number of stores, machines, revenues, money raised, and others. The old man loses sight of the end game - he sacrifices his efforts and the life of the fish for nothing. ...

Information about the book author: Voltaire title: Candide ou l'Optimisme pages: 120 Highlights and notes As I read this book, I annotated the passages included in this PDF: Candide - Notes Notes and thoughts It’s incredible how much context is necessary to enjoy this book. If you don’t know about Leibniz or the historical context of the book, you can get lost easily and simply not enjoy the book. ...