This bestseller is probably on every nonfiction lover's shelf. I remember buying it during the height of its popularity, curious to see what all the hype was about. Since I’m a big fan of personal development, I decided to give it a go. I read it once and would like to reread it, as I recall feeling slightly disappointed after finishing. Don’t get me wrong—I really enjoyed it, but the action steps didn’t feel groundbreaking to me. Having explored and applied many habit-building techniques in my 20s, I didn’t find much new information here. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone.

This was the first personal development and mindset book I fell in love with. Mark Manson’s writing style really struck a chord with me—it felt like I was reading my own thoughts on paper. Some people say this book is shallow and that readers are only drawn in by the title, but I completely disagree. If you need a wake-up call to face reality, read this book. It will definitely improve your mindset and leave you wanting to explore even more books on personal growth.

I talked about this book in my previous newsletter, where I shared a few of my DNFed titles, and this was one of them. It’s a very popular book, especially among male readers. While I definitely respect David Goggins' accomplishments, I couldn’t connect with him on a personal level. On one hand, he has an incredibly strong mindset for achieving his goals, but on the other, he seems to lack empathy in his relationships. I think that’s why I didn’t enjoy this book and ultimately couldn’t finish it.

This is a popular productivity book that I haven’t had the chance to read yet. I’m still undecided about whether I should pick it up. On one hand, it’s thematically right up my alley, but on the other, I wonder what this book could offer that countless YouTube videos of 5 a.m. routines haven’t already.

If you’ve read it and want to share your thoughts, just hit the reply button and send me an email.

I read The Three Questions by this author and found it quite mediocre. The Four Agreements seems to be more popular, but I don’t think I’ll be reaching for it. It feels like almost every nonfiction Bookstagrammer has this book on their shelf, but I just don’t see myself gravitating towards it.

Now, here’s a popular book I’ve actually read and would love to reread soon. It’s a personal development classic that helps readers achieve their goals and develop the right mindset for success. Definitely a must-read for anyone who’s pursuing a goal and never stops dreaming.

This book has received quite mixed reviews. Some readers find its teachings controversial and not very applicable. In my opinion, even if you can’t apply every lesson to your personal finances, it can still help shift your mindset on the topic. It encouraged me to develop my own ideas, keeping finance top of mind.

Robert Greene and his books are well-known. If you're interested in "dark" psychology, you've probably come across his work. I haven’t read this one, but I did DNF The Laws of Human Nature. What I dislike about these books is that their premise feels somewhat manipulative.

One of the reasons many people believe financial markets are lawless and irrational—and rigged—is that they follow two sets of rules. The official rules, set by law or by the heads of the exchanges, exist alongside the unofficial rules, or floor rules—which are the ones that actually govern. Break the official rules and you may be fined or jailed; break the floor rules and you’ll suffer worse: you will be ostracized. Regulations vary across markets, but the floor rules are remarkably consistent.

By the canons of orthodox social science, countries like India are not supposed to have an environmental consciousness. They are, as it were, “too poor to be green.” In this deeply researched book, Ramachandra Guha challenges this narrative by revealing a virtually unknown prehistory of the global movement set far outside Europe or America. Long before the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and well before climate change, ten remarkable individuals wrote with deep insight about the dangers of environmental abuse from within an Indian context.

The Declaration of Independence identified two core principles—independence and equality—that defined the American Revolution and the nation forged in 1776. Jefferson believed that each new generation of Americans would have to look to the “experience of the present” rather than the “wisdom” of the past to interpret and apply these principles in new and progressive ways.

In ChatGPT and the Future of AI, the sequel to The Deep Learning Revolution, Terrence Sejnowski offers a nuanced exploration of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and what their future holds. How should we go about understanding LLMs? Do these language models truly understand what they are saying? Or is it possible that what appears to be intelligence in LLMs may be a mirror that merely reflects the intelligence of the interviewer? In this book, Sejnowski, a pioneer in computational approaches to understanding brain function, answers all our urgent questions about this astonishing new technology.

Today's technology has overtaken religion as the chief influence on twenty-first century life and community. In Tech Agnostic, Harvard and MIT's influential humanist chaplain Greg Epstein explores what it means to be a critical thinker with respect to this new faith. Encouraging readers to reassert their common humanity beyond the seductive sheen of “tech,” this book argues for tech agnosticism—not worship—as a way of life. Without suggesting we return to a mythical pre-tech past, Epstein shows why we must maintain a freethinking critical perspective toward innovation until it proves itself worthy of our faith or not.