Books I Want to Read

The idea is that this page will be updated periodically with more books that I want to read, my thoughts on the books in the list, and status updates in general.

edit 1 - April 27 2020

Just added some more books, this list is getting longer and I haven’t read at all in months 😶

So in no particular order:

Papillon - Henri Charriere

This has been on my reading list for years. It’s about life in a penal colony in South America. Sounds very juicy!

The Trial - Franz Kafka

I randomly found a PDF of this book somewhere and read the beginning for about 30 minutes and found it quite interesting (same with Metamorphosis) So I bought a physical copy of this book for a trip but I never read it while on the trip.

The Symposium - Plato

This book is a Secret Santa gift from a friend. I am about half way through this short book. Very good to remember that how different Classical Greek society was to ours.

Manual on the Art of Living - Epictetus

Another Secret Santa gift from the same friend. Haven’t started this one yet.

The Opium War - Brian Inglis

I found this one quite cheap at Old Spitalfields Market in London at one of the stalls. The guy there has a lot of paperbacks of classics and popular books for way way under market price. Like way cheaper than any other place I’ve seen anywhere.

Anyways - this looks like a very interesting story.

Mythology - Edith Hamilton

“Start from the Greeks”

Nuff said. This is apparently where one should begin to properly appreciate literature.

The Holy Bible

I am not religious, but again, a lot of great literature references this book. I’d like to also understand this book and see what I can learn from the lessons within.

Stalin, Vol. II: Waiting for Hitler - Stephen Kotkin

Read part Vol. I - was a great read. Kotkin is one of my favorite people lately. A very smart man with poignant and interesting insights about geopolitics. I gorge on any and all podcast appearances and talks with Stephen.

The Years of Lyndon Johnson - Robert A. Caro

Considered to be the greatest biography ever. Kotkin says he was inspired by Caro as well. Naturally something I am interested in.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Malcolm X

Bought this one in Oxford, been meaning to get to it for years

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

One of these books that everyone’s read, so I feel like I should read it at some point

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey

Found this somewhere on a list of recommended books that someone I admire or used to admire had composed. It’s one of those books that appears in many lists.

The Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham

Lots of people credit this book as a big influence in their good financial decisions.

The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

I’ve already started reading this book, found it a bit hard to read. It’s the book that exposed the evils of the Soviet Empire.
I bought this mostly because I am a big fan of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. It’s one of my favorite books.

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace

This book is almost a meme. One day I’ll get to it.

The Anatomy of Story - John Truby

I don’t know how to tell stories well. I hope to fix this one day. (I am aware this is more about film-making, but I still hope to find this useful)

The True Believer - Eric Hoffer

HN boy’s say that it’s a great book and that it explains modern political movements. This one seems to be a juicy one so I am excited to get to it.

Simulation and Simulacra - Jean Baudrillard

Some of my more thoughtful friends have brought this book up several times in the past. I was slightly hooked by the vague title.

Turn the Ship Around! - L. David Marquet

A guy with little experience starts a job as a submarine manager (apologies I do not know the proper terms) and changes the culture of the ship
This is another book that pops up in HN, and another book that I find quite juicy.

Longitude - Dava Sobel

Can’t remember why it’s in my reading list

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

A book that’s been on my list for a long time as well.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

I saw a picture of a page of this book and it seemed awesome

The Guns of the South - Harry Turtledove

What if the South won the Civil War

What an amazing concept. Apparently Mr. Turtledove is the master of alternative history as well, so for a long time this book has been a juicy one on my list.

History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

Originally published in 1776. Nuff said. The idea of such a work being so old is incredibly intriguing.

1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus - Charles C. Mann

A book that describes pre-Columbian Americas. Something I’ve wanted to know more about since watching Apocalypto.

Dostoyesvky, Tolstoy, Bulgakov, et cetera

One day I will get to these greats of Russian literature. I feel like I have a long road