List of What I've Read

Warning: Spoilers on almost every description. Especially in the novel section. 

Non-fiction

• The God Delusion
• by Richard Dawkins - A dense book were Dawkins covers almost every aspect regarding belief in a personal god. His humor and conversationalist writing makes the book enjoyable even through the slow parts. This book helped me understand the evidence and support my view that there is no god. It really leaves you stumped about the fact the most people on Earth believe in an intelligent and personal god.
• Outgrowing God
• by Richard Dawkins
• Astrophysics for people in a hurry
• by Neil DeGrasse Tyson - Tyson is like Sagan's predecessor and is the spokesperson for the importance of science education. The book goes over the basics of space-time, planets, stars, and guiding forces of the universe. It is funny and fun to read and throws in a little philosophy at the end. 
• A Brief History of Time 
• by Steven Hawking - Hawking is a theoretical physicist responsible for advances in quantum physics and black hole theory. He discovered the radiation created by black holes. In the book, he goes over the timeline of modern physics and how it is has changed over time as new evidence came to light. Another reason to love the self-correcting method of science. Throughout the book he injects humor and questions that really make you think. He poses a lot of questions about a god and creater/first-mover without ever really taking a side. 
• How we Believe
• by Micheal Shermer - 
• Blink
• by Malcom Gladwell - 
• Sapiens: A brief History of Humankind
• by Yuval Harrai - Author combines, history, art, science, tech, economics, and many more subject all into one storyline. It helps you understand humanity as a whole and how damn lucky we have made it this far. 
• Talking with Strangers
• by Malcom Gladwell - Mostly a social psych and human behavior analyses. He goes over famous cases like Brock turner and Sandra bland. He leads us through different scientific reasons why interacting with people and strangers is difficult. Things like truth default theory and coupling (e.g. suicidal ideas are coupled with specific methods of accomplishing it). He tells the story that is consistent with what we know about heuristics and cognitive biases. 
• The Gift of Fear
• by Galvin D Becker - Becker is a security expert who's worked with high profile clients. Fascinating book will teach you applicable skills and how to listen in on your brain's million year old danger sensing signals. Cool stories and perspectives. Taught me how to at least listen to my intuition and be more cognizant of internal red flags.
• Why We love
• by Helen Fisher - There isn't much written about the physiology and neurochemistry behind being in love, so I jump at any chance to read about it. 
• Lost Connections
• by Johann Hari - 
• Our Demon Haunted World
• by Carl Sagan - Sagan deepened my appreciation for science beyond what I thought was possible. Such a fun read but you also learn so much! Sagan was way beyond his time in thought. The book talks about the nature of belief and why we tend to turn to tarot card readers, psychics, conspiracy theories, supernatural, etc. for answers rather than the facts of the known universe. 
• On Intelligence 
• by Sandra Blakeslee 
• Nudge
• by Richard Thaler - Thaler introduces a concept known as Decision Architecture which has to do with the way humans make decisions when faced with options and how the designers of the options can affect the decisions. For example, product placement in grocery stores. The stuff at eye-level will naturally catch more attend which leads to more purchases. In the cereal isle, the different cereal brands compete for the child height eye-level because they know that it's the children who will ask their mom's for a specific brand. The implications of theses biases run the gamut from 401k & benefits default plans to the way the government does business and picks vendors. This book is worth reading if you are at position at work or in life in creating options or tools for other people.  
• Thinking Fast and Slow
• by Daniel Kahnanman & Amos - It probably is one of the longest books i've read. I mean really dense. The information is fascinating but difficult to digest. Kahnaman and Amos, are the true fathers of cognitive bias theories and the discovery that we have 2 different, sometimes opposing, operating systems. 
• The Art of Thinking Clearly
• by Dolby - This is one of the first books that got me asking deeper questions about the mind and the nature of reality. Is our perception even a reliable account of the physical world? Should we trust everything we see, hear, and feel? A fun book that compelled me to think about my own behavior. 
• Status Anxiety
• by Alain De Botton - I cannot explain what this did for me, but I will try anyway. Most people don't realize that you are born into a culture with an extremely specific structure. This culture seeps into you the way a white sheet of paper soaks up liquid ink. Its beliefs, outlooks, moods, norms, jokes, etc. become instilled within you, all without the consent or knowledge of the receiver. This book, this work of art, helps distill just how much ink you absorbed, while necessarily forcing you to question the structure of your life and beliefs. For what it means, I have given this book as a gift 3 times now.
• Subliminal: How your Unconscious Mind Rules your Behavior
• by Leonard Mlodinow
• The Future of the Space Industry
• by Roger Handberg
• What is Psychotherapy
• by The School of Life
• Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and what the internet can really tell us about who we really are
• by Seth Stephens - Hilarious book he leverages Google searches to understand what people really do. He compares these searches to self-reported surveys to deepen the chasm between what people say and what people actually do.
• The Social Organism 
• by Oliver Luckett & Micheal Casey
• Anthropocene 
• by Erle Ellis - A very short introduction into what many scientist call the Anthropocene. It is the period directly preceding the Holocene epoch. This period is said to be created mostly by human activity in the past 50-60 years. The book is scientific and exhibits data of the rising CO2, NO2, CH4, and a million other things that humans are doing to the planet's natural systems. Basically, we have reached a threshold of change to the ecosystem and the planet's calibrating systems that it will leave a permanent mark on the Earth's strata. 
• Critical Thinking, Science, and Pseudoscience (why we can't trust our brains)
• by Caleb W Lack & Jacques Rousseau - I've been on the hunt for a book like this for a while, so I had really high expectations. The authors (one from Emory) first went over science, critical thinking, and biases. It set the stage for later when they addressed some of the most well-known pseudoscientific claims like alternative medicine, cryptozoology, energy healing, clairvoyance, aliens, and more. I'll start by saying they did a good job at writing the book in a way that anyone can understand. This book is not for the informed as the pace is too slow. And I will knock points off for times they were too lenient or went easy on certain topics which could have used a stronger touch. They were very academic and cautious around certain subjects as if they were trying to appease certain groups. Not to mention how they tried to marry science and religion at the end. There is a lot they didn't address but I'm sure that was on purpose. There is only so much you can fit into one book. Great references and evidence overall though. 
• David and Goliath
• by Malcom Gladwell - The famous story about how David kills Goliath by slinging a rock at his head instead of fighting him conventionally hand-to-hand, serves to show the advantages of being the underdog and learning to win by other means. In other words, being the David in a situation affords you extra ways and methods in which you can win. This is often how smaller companies become market disrupters; they are unbound from the traditional constraints of industry and expectations. The same concept applies to being a small fish in a big pond (like going to Harvard if you are of average intelligence) and being a big fish in a small pond (going to a local college if you are bright). Intelligence and opportunity are relative and it sometimes pays to be the David. 
• Atomic Habits
• by James Clear - Clear talks about an early incident that ruined his baseball career. In the midst of his identity crisis, he transformed himself by dialing in on his habits and strengths. Throughout the book he teaches about the compounding power of many small habits. He goes through different tactics that go along with our nature to ingrain new habits and get rid of the bad ones. I noticed i've implemented a lot of these tricks just by trial and error in my own life. One of the things that stood out to me was the Ulysses Pact. Derived from the story of Ulysses who was the captain who sailed through the sirens. He asked his crew to tie him up so that he wouldn't fall overboard chasing a siren. The Ulysses pact is when you artificially set up a reward/punishment feedback mechanism on a habit. For example, you give your friend 20 bucks on Sunday. And you tell him to give you back $5 every time you go to the gym that week. 
• Liftoff 
• by Eric Berger - The story of the early days of SpaceX and those individuals who made it all possible. Again, I had high hopes for this book since I was waiting months for it to come out. I literally read this entire book in a week. The book delivered ... mostly. Berger interviewed the early engineers and others at SpaceX that played a pivotal role in the early days of SpaceX. I learned things about rocket engineering, government contracts, and the logistics of launching a rocket. The material of the book was fascinating and perfect. The timeline and the details the author decided to put in wasn't always great. But it got the job done. Worth the read and great way to learn more about the early challenges of SpaceX. 
• Freakonomics 
• by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner 

Fiction

• The Midnight Library
• by Matt Haig - A cool novel I read with my book club at work. A girl tries to commit suicide. She lives a life out of her apparent control and she has had a lot of misfortune. She enters a near death experience, some quantum realm, where she is allowed to live any life she wants. She selects lives she wish she lived based on regrets and failed dreams. In the cliche way, she comes to learn to learn that you can't just live a life you didn't work for. You'd feel like a fake. My gripe was that the first ten or so lives she tried on were bad or in shitty conditions. I feel like there should have been some challenge to the reader where she actually stumbled across an awesome life. In the end, she chooses to go back to her own life and make this best of it. Reminds me of Jordan Peterson's 12 rules for life. 
• Into the Wild
• by Jon Krakauer -  a somewhat stereotypical story of a young man, Chris Mccandles, that leaves the comfort of his regular life. He begins to hitchhike over North America and wants to live off the land. He ends up in Alaska where a couple of hikers find his body. His family was distraught but at least he lived and died doing what he wanted the most. The book also explores stories of other young guys doing the same. I think men struggle with mental health and building strong social networks. We often feel ostracized and have freaky feelings of self-annihilation.    
• The Top Five Regrets of the Dying
• by Bronnie Ware - My favorite passage in this book: "People play the victim forever ... but who are they kidding? They are only robbing themselves. Life doesn't owe you anything . Neither does anyone else. Only you owe yourself." The book has great quotes from actual people who were in the midst of dying. I sometimes think the dying have a biased view of life in their final moments. Things look differently with death approaching, both good and bad. But like Eckart Tolle says, "the key to life is to die before you die." It's one of the only tools we have as humans that allow us to see clearly for a moment. 
• The Will to Change
• by Bell Hooks - Hooks
• Men Explain Things to me
• by Rebecca Solnit
• The Art of War
• by Sun su
• Brave New World 
• by Aldous Huxley - I found this book somewhere, so I decided to read it. 
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series
• by Douglas Adams - I read the entire series after hearing Elon Musk talk highly about it. It is a very different type of book and has so many layered jokes. 
• Brain On fire
• by Susannah Cahalan 
• Love's Executioner
• by Irving Yalom - I read this book for my class in counseling psychology. I grew to love this book and the author even more. He talks about twelve different patients he provided therapy for, and gives you raw perspective. I could listen to a therapist talk for years. I remember that we had a group discussion in class about the author and some people said he is fucked up and judgmental. I instead thought he was courageous for showing that ugly side of himself which we all have, whether we show it or not. It is one of my favorite books.  It is a raw and a glimpse into his mind. I feel like people nowadays can't write this candidly without being labeled.
• The Fifth Science
• by Exburb1a - a series of short stories by one of my favorite Youtubers. This was a great sci-fi book with stories that were loosely intertwined. I love reading modern sci-fi because writers have new science and information to build off of to create their own vision of the future. 
• Last Chance to See
• by Douglas Adams - Douglas Adams and his friend back in the 80s realize how many species were close to being extinct, so they set out on multi-year journey to visit these rare species and document it. The hope was to bring awareness around the issue. He is hilarious, so it was easy enough to read. 
• Ubik 
• by Philip k. Dick - 
• Confessions of a Sociopath 
• by E.M. Thomas
• Port Noise Complaint 
• by Philip Roth
• Conscious
• by Annika Harris
• Frankenstein
• by Mary Shelley
• The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
• by Douglas Adams - A mixture between the Norse gods and present times. An easy to read novel with funny characters. Adams always finds clever ways to poke at superstition and wishful thinking. He is adept in multiple fields of science. 
• Simulacron-3 
• by Daniel Galouye - Fantastic novel about someone who built a simulator actually learns that he himself, is in a simulated reality. It isn't some grand story about simulated worlds, but rather a moment in time for the main character. He goes through lapses in time and experiences things he cannot explain. Most of the book is pretty straight forwad. Although the plot may sound cliche, Galouye wrote this back in 1964. 
• It's All in the Frijoles
• by Yolanda Nava - 100 famous Latinos share their story and upbringing in Hispanic households. The book is filled with dogma, superstition, unfounded respect to authority, and a christian god. However, there are pockets of entertainment especially if you can relate to having Latino parents and all the crazy shit they think and say. I made it half way through the book but decided not to finish it. I gained what I needed but the writing is too skewed, traditional, pragmatic, and religious for me to find further value. 
• The Bible
• The Qur'an

Bio

• Elon Musk
• by Ashlee Vance
• The Best of Robert Ingersoll
• by Roger E. Greely - Selections from his writings and speeches. Ingersoll was a freethinker from the 1800's. He was many things: agnostic, loving father, served in the armed forces, orator, thinker, and feminist. He was a naturalist and humanist who knew superstition was a err of the mind. Even though it was the late 1800's, he was a freethinker who would mesh perfectly with the greatest minds we have today. The book is broken up by general topics. I wish I could of met the guy. 
• Becoming Myself 
• by Irving Yalom
• How to Tell if Your Boyfriend is the Antichrist 
• by Patricia Carlin

Philosophy

• Man's search for meaning
• by Viktor Frankl 
• The Power of Now
• by Eckart Toley
• Making Sense
• by Sam Harris
• Losing Faith in Faith
• by Dan Barker - Absolutely one of the best and comprehensive books I've read on atheism. Barker used to be a fundamentalist priest for most of his early adult life. His entire world was wrapped up in his religion and beliefs. Once he realized that it may all be a fantasy, he took a leap that most wouldn't. His life has been very interesting and explains many different aspects throughout his book. He is the most courageous and peaceful (not angry or cynical) advocate for separation of church and state and runs the Freedom From Religion Foundation. He also has helped many other clergy members who fear leaving the church, a safe place to be and think. 
• The Varieties of Religious experience
• by William James - a series of lectures by James goes over the range of spiritual and religious feelings humans have. He has been quoted in the AA Big Book. So far, his writing is superfluous and difficult to comprehend. 
• The Voice of Knowledge 
• by Don Miguel Ruiz - This book is from the author of The Four Agreements. The book is supposed to be a practical guide to inner peace, but he mention the Juedo-christian god and some eastern ideas to accomplish this. The book is too mystical for me. His points are arbitrary and mostly his opinion. He ascribes meaning and purpose to things like light. 
• Lying
• by Sam Harris - Harris is beyond clever, truly loves science, and is a truth seeker. He wrote this short book about lying, and why you should never, ever lie (white lies are still lies). Lying is human, normal, and also detrimental to your self-awareness. The book stresses the importance of the truth at all times, and even more importantly, being honest with yourself. If one cannot be honest with them self, they haven't even begun the race of self-improvement.
• Free Will
• by Sam Harris - Got this book to read in a book club, but no one came through. I read it twice over because it is so ridiculous to even consider a thing like free will. The conscious brain is already odd enough with it's different voices, but throw in the fact that we may not really be the captain of the boat ... phew
• God's Debris
• The End of Faith
• by Sam Harris - this was one of the hardest most depressing books I've ever read. I was reading this book during my time in SF, and I remember having to put it down for a couple of weeks and read something else meanwhile. It is dark and direct but real and important. It contributed to my growing evidence of religions' shortcomings and their origin of falsehood. A great book if you think that religion is innocuous. 
• The Moral Landscape
• by Sam Harris - Continuing Harris's theme, he proposes that we use science to dictate morality rather than the antiquated, man-made morality of religion. And not in some scary, utopian way, but using the measurable features of human happiness to guide our moral compass. It doesn't have to be a perfect and definite set of principles, but rather ones we continue to update and consider as our culture and ideas change. He used the analogy of medicine: although medicine is not 100% figured out, we continue to practice it. We use the best evidence-based approaches until something better comes along. However, in the meantime it serves us better than anything else. I.e. it saves lives and improves well-being in general. But ultimately, why should we continue using moral guidelines passed down by who knows for centuries? Who anyway, is sailing this ship? We need to ask ourselves what will ensure the survival of our species longterm. 
• The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of life 
• by Armand Nicholi - Recommended by a friend who was a devote Christian. It was her way of introducing some "scientific" viewpoint through Freud into the discussion of a higher power. 
• Waking Up - A guide to spirituality without religion
• by Sam Harris - 
• The Stranger
• by Albert Camus
• A Job to Love
• by The School of Life
• 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
• by Jordan Peterson
• 12 More Rules for Life: Beyond Order
• by Jordan Peterson