November 2020 — What I Read

During the month of November I finished 7 books (didn’t start them all this month though) in part due to audiobooks, the only thing that makes washing dishes bearable. Since I won’t be writing a review for each one of them, I thought I could still share them here in case something catches your eye, as well as some interesting articles I’ve come across.

1. The Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained. This is part of a beautifully designed series of books edited by DK Publishing which summarizes topics and thinkers regarding a certain field of knowledge in chronological order. I read the one about philosophy a few years ago, and this time I decided to try the one about economics. I’m once again amazed at the enormous amount of work and research behind these books. I think this is a perfect introduction to complex concepts that affect our daily lives. As the economist Joan Robinson said: “The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists.”
2. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. This book that talks about death is the most life-affirming thing I’ve read in a long time. You can read my review here.
3. Marie-Antoinette: Princesse autrichienne à Versailles by Kathryn Lasky. Every year I make the same resolution: read a book in French. Well, this year I finally did it (it only took a pandemic). This book is a fictional journal of Marie Antoinette during the year previous to her wedding with the Dauphin of France (who would become Louis XVI) and her first year at the court of Versailles. It’s a fairly entertaining and light read (this is a children’s book), only encumbered by the knowledge of the tragedy that lied ahead for her.
4. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport. One big disadvantage of the highly connected world we currently live in is that our phones, mainly because of social media, have become a constant source of distraction. This book offers advice on how to fight against these distractions and regain some of our focus, however, I’m not sure the actual amount of information in it was enough to require a book.
5. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. An interesting fact I learned reading this book was that according to research the maximum amount of deep work we can aspire to every day is 4 hours (which makes me feel a lot better about myself). The author again gives some advice to achieve this level of deep concentration. This is the same author as Digital Minimalism, but I found Deep Work a much better book. Although I think I’m done with productivity books for a while.
6. The Checklist Manifesto: How to get things right de Atul Gawande. Who would imagine that something as simple as a checklist could have so many benefits? The author gives several real-world examples in which the introduction of checklists has translated into substantial improvements, specifically in matters of life and death, within fields ranging from aviation to engineering and medicine.
7. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft de Stephen King. Even though the advice in this book is aimed at those who aspire to become professional writers, I think they can be applied to any field: do what you love and practice a lot.

Bonus: A few interesting articles

• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Barack Obama’s ‘A Promised Land’ (The New York Times) — According to this review, this first volume of Obama’s memoir is very much like the man himself: reflective, but maybe a little too restrained.
• The 10 Best Books of 2020 (The New York Times) — I haven’t read any of them yet but a few are already on my wishlist.
• How Venture Capitalists Are Deforming Capitalism (The New Yorker) — The incredibly insane world of venture capital companies and how they just love to invest in charismatic but deranged CEOs from Silicon Valley (Adam Neumann from WeWork in this case).

Have you read any of these books? What are you reading now? Tell me down in the comments.