Sunday, December 27, 2015

The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World


My personal challenge this year was A Year of Books -- to read a new book every other week.
Reading has given me more perspective on a number of topics -- from science to religion, from poverty to prosperity, from health to energy to social justice, from political philosophy to foreign policy, and from history to futuristic fiction.
This challenge has been intellectually fulfilling, and I come away with a greater sense of hope and optimism that our society can make greater progress in all of these areas.
It's fitting to end the year with The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch, about how the way we explain things unlocks greater possibilities.
To the many thousands of people who followed along with my A Year of Books, thank you! I've had more great discussions about these books than I'd imagined. I'm interested to hear what you all learned along the way, and what books resonated with you most.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

World Order by Henry Kissinger

Just kidding. It's actually World Order by Henry Kissinger -- about foreign relations and how we can build peaceful relationships throughout the world. This is important for creating the world we all want for our children, and that's what I'm thinking about these days.
I am loving reading to Max. Next year looks like it's going to be A Year of Children's Books!

Sunday, November 8, 2015

The Idea Factory

I'm very interested in what causes innovation -- what kinds of people, questions and environments. This book explores that question by looking at Bell Labs, which was one of the most innovative labs in history.
As an aside, I loved The Three-Body Problem and highly recommend it. If you're interested in Chinese history, virtual reality and science fiction -- I'm three for three! -- then you'll enjoy this book. I'm going to try to fit in the sequel before the end of the year as well.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The Three Body Problem

My next book for A Year of Books is The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin.
It's a Chinese science fiction book that has gotten so popular there's now a Hollywood movie being made based on it.
This will also be a fun break from all the economics and social science books I've read recently.
And for those book club members reading along with me -- I apologize for the week delay in sharing this next book. I've been busy with travel and fell a bit behind on reading. We'll catch up by reading a bit faster towards the end of the year!