2021-12-29 | "How to Read" · Hu Shi et al. | Reading | 5.0 | Insights from modern scholars on reading, still valuable even after nearly a hundred years. |
2021-12-23 | "On Beauty" · Zhu Guangqian | Aesthetics | 5.0 | One of Zhu Guangqian's major works on early aesthetic theory, deeply insightful yet accessible. |
2021-12-13 | "2001: A Space Odyssey" · [UK] Arthur C. Clarke | Sci-Fi | 5.0 | A must-read classic sci-fi novel about humanity's past and future. |
2021-12-08 | "A New Day" · Xu Lizhi | Poetry | 4.0 | Observations of the daily life of workers through his poetry. |
2021-12-04 | "Chronicles of Amazon" · Ning Xiangdong | Amazon | 4.0 | Organized major events of Amazon over the years chronologically. The interpretation of the final shareholder letter is worth reading. |
2021-11-27 | "The Legend of the White Horse" · Jin Yong | Wuxia | 4.3 | Another anti-Wuxia novel, with little martial arts description, focusing on Li Wenxiu's unrequited love for Sup. |
2021-11-26 | "The Mandarin Duck Knife" · Jin Yong | Wuxia | 3.0 | A confusing start and an equally confusing ending. |
2021-11-25 | "The Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain" · Jin Yong | Wuxia | 4.3 | Characters appear like in a play, gradually revealing the mystery with each narration, somewhat reminiscent of a detective novel. |
2021-11-22 | "Reading Jin Yong by Liu Shen Lei Lei" · Liu Shen Lei Lei | Wuxia | 4.4 | A new perspective on human relationships. |
2021-11-14 | "The Southern Goods Shop" · Zhang Ji | Novel | 4.5 | The first half discusses various trivial matters of the southern goods shop, rich in local flavor; the second half transforms into a political novel about power and desire. |
2021-11-02 | "In the Thick of It" · Lan Xiaohuan | Politics & Economics | 5.0 | Helpful for understanding some economic phenomena and government decisions around us. |
2021-10-23 | "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" · Jin Yong | Wuxia | 4.4 | The buildup for Dongfang Bubai was extensive, yet he dies just five minutes into the story, which was indeed surprising. |
2021-10-02 | "The Programmer's Mind" · [US] Andy Hunt | Thinking | 4.0 | The Dreyfus model of skill acquisition is interesting. |
2021-09-30 | "The Lost Satellite" · Liu Zichao | Travelogue | 4.5 | Traveling is not just about reaching a place, but touching its history, culture, and soul. |
2021-09-26 | "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" · Jin Yong | Wuxia | 5.0 | Heart-wrenching; Qiao Feng truly deserves to be called a great man and hero. |
2021-09-11 | "The Courage to Be Disliked" · [JP] Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga | Psychology | 5.0 | A great book for self-improvement and self-analysis. |
2021-09-07 | "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" · Jin Yong | Wuxia | 5.0 | "I insist on forcing it." |
2021-08-24 | "The Return of the Condor Heroes" · Jin Yong | Wuxia | 5.0 | Love over heroism; I particularly like this couple's imperfect journey. |
2021-08-21 | "The Kite Runner" · [US] Khaled Hosseini | Novel | 5.0 | About redemption, ethnic discrimination, the Taliban, and Afghanistan. |
2021-08-10 | "Rural China" · Fei Xiaotong | Sociology | 4.5 | A good sociological book about Chinese customs and culture. |
2021-08-07 | "1984" · [UK] George Orwell | Novel | 5.0 | Life under totalitarianism, rebellion, ultimately cleansed. |
2021-08-06 | "The Life of Richard Feynman" · [US] Lawrence M. Krauss | Biography | 4.0 | Not recommended for those without advanced physics education; the book is filled with technical jargon. |
2021-08-05 | "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out" · [US] Richard Feynman | Speech | 4.0 | Content complements "Don't Be Disruptive, Mr. Feynman," with some overlap. |
2021-08-03 | "Feynman's Lectures" · [US] Richard Feynman | Speech | 4.0 | The first topic is great; I haven't quite understood the last two topics yet. |
2021-08-02 | "Why Do You Care What Other People Think?" · [US] Richard Feynman | Biography | 4.5 | Feynman's father's influence on him was profound. |
2021-07-31 | "The Lover" · [FR] Marguerite Duras | Novel | 4.0 | Quite difficult to read; I initially thought my comprehension was poor. Later, I realized the author's writing style consists of memory, psychological description, and narrative, which became easier to understand once clarified. |
2021-07-31 | "Don't Be Disruptive, Mr. Feynman" · [US] Richard Feynman | Biography | 5.0 | A very interesting account of a scientific prankster's growth. |
2021-07-25 | "The Card Note Writing Method" · [DE] Schenk Alrens / Chen Lin | Notes | 4.5 | Atomizing each note, describing it in one's own words rather than copying, establishing connections with existing knowledge, and expanding new meanings. |
2021-07-20 | "The Language of Interaction Design" · Luo Tao | Design & Interaction | 4.0 | A bit verbose at the beginning; the later discussion on design language is quite interesting. |
2021-07-18 | "The Economy of Jiang Village" · Fei Xiaotong / Dai Kejing | Sociology | 5.0 | Seeing the big picture from the small, with rigorous reasoning. |
2021-07-11 | "A Unique Pig" · Wang Xiaobo | Essays | 5.0 | Independent thinking is invaluable. |
2021-07-10 | "Life Montage" · Tian Ran | Album | 4.5 | Beautiful life depicted through brushstrokes; only those who are good at observing life will discover something. |
2021-07-03 | "The History of Spicy Food in China" · Cao Yu | Sociology | 5.0 | The origin of chili, Chinese culture, class metaphors; resolved my long-standing confusion about chili. |
2021-07-03 | "The Design of Everyday Things 2" · [US] Donald A. Norman | Design & Psychology | 4.5 | About complex design, not as engaging as the first volume. |
2021-06-25 | "Twelve Letters to Young People" · Zhu Guangqian | Growth | 4.5 | Chapters on reading, choosing courses for further education, and making friends are outstanding. |
2021-06-23 | "Tolstoy's Last Diary" · [RU] Leo Tolstoy | Diary | 4.5 | Thoughts after reading|Even in the last days of life, still persistently writing and thinking, truly admirable. |
2021-06-19 | "The Sleep Revolution" · [UK] Nick Littlehales | Popular Science | 4.0 | The description of sleep cycles is decent, but the rest is too verbose. |
2021-06-11 | "I'm a Paradox" · [US] Howard Gardner | Philosophy | 4.0 | I didn't quite understand it, but I admire the author's vast knowledge. |
2021-06-04 | "The Silicon Valley Revolution" · [US] Andy Hertzfeld | Biography | 3.5 | Average; mainly due to the fragmented storytelling. |
2021-05-28 | "Complexity" · [UK] Melanie Mitchell | Popular Science | 3.5 | Overview books are still not very meaningful, but the book itself is fine. |
2021-05-20 | "The Nature of Photographs" · [US] Stephen Shore | Photography | 5.0 | Worth repeated appreciation for both photography enthusiasts and ordinary art lovers. |
2021-05-19 | "The Truth About Generic Drugs" · [US] Katherine Eban | Non-fiction | 4.5 | Very exciting, suitable for adaptation into a TV series. The writing style is similar to the article reporting hacker Hutchins in Wired magazine. |
2021-05-08 | "To Kill a Mockingbird" · [US] Harper Lee | Growth & Education | 5.0 | Thoughts after reading|Read it late; this is a great educational book for both children and those with children. |
2021-05-03 | "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" · [US] Ruth Benedict | Japan & Culture | 4.5 | Thoughts after reading|Revisited, gained new insights into some social behaviors of the Japanese. |
2021-04-28 | "The Republic of Light" · [SP] Andrés Barba | Novel | 4.5 | Short and precise, tightly paced, with accurate scene descriptions and profound psychological insights, excellent writing ability. |
2021-04-25 | "Educated" · [US] Tara Westover | Education & Biography | 4.5 | If ignorance has a cost, it is the family and a series of incidents in this book. |
2021-04-23 | "This Is Psychology" · [CA] Keith Stanovich | Psychology | 4.5 | Psychology is a science and should be viewed from a scientific perspective. |
2021-04-11 | "Memories of the Cow Shed" · Ji Xianlin | Cultural Revolution | 4.0 | Good material for understanding the Cultural Revolution, but Ji's writing style is quite difficult to read. |
2021-04-11 | "Scream" · [JP] Yasunari Kawabata | Social Mystery | 4.5 | Although the plot is cliché, it reflects various social phenomena. |
2021-04-09 | "Duku 1803" · Edited by Zhang Lixian | Essays | 4.5 | The poetry illustration section, study section, and Ding Wenjiang section are to my taste. |
2021-04-06 | "Warren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders" · [US] Warren Buffett | Investment | 4.5 | Value investing, long-termism. |
2021-04-05 | "Cognition and Design" · [US] Jeff Johnson | Product Design | 5.0 | Gained insights from cognitive psychology for design. |
2021-04-01 | "Decoding Instagram" · [US] Sarah Frier | Entrepreneurship | 4.5 | Stylish people do stylish things. |
2021-03-24 | "No Rules Rules" · [US] Reed Hastings, Erin Meyer | Corporate Culture | 4.5 | Honesty, freedom, responsibility, transparency. |
2021-03-14 | "The Product Philosophy Behind WeChat" · Zhang Xiaolong | Product | 4.5 | A collection of speeches, not too grand but with detailed analysis. |
2021-03-06 | "Revisiting Netflix" · [US] Marc Randolph | Entrepreneurship | 4.5 | Not a pitch, just a review of entrepreneurship. |
2021-03-04 | "Investment Q&A with Duan Yongping (Business Logic Edition)" · Duan Yongping | Investment | 5.0 | 5 points seem too few; a good introduction to investment. |
2021-02-09 | "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" · [US] Robert M. Pirsig | Philosophy | 4.5 | I like its perspective of seeing the big through the small. |
2021-01-26 | "The Blood-Red Gift Lost in the Sea Breeze" · [Canada] Alistair MacLeod | Short Stories | 4.0 | Delicate writing, sad tone. |
2021-01-17 | "Duku 1802" · Edited by Zhang Lixian | Essays | 4.0 | Thoughts after reading|Wu Xiaotu, Yu Dafu, and Meng Weizai wrote well. |
2021-01-08 | "A Life of Freedom" · Ji Xianlin | Essays | 4.0 | Thoughts after reading|Topics are scattered but not deep; the study abroad section is enlightening. |
2021-01-02 | "The Godfather" · [US] Mario Puzo | Gangster & Mafia | 4.5 | The movie highly restores the novel. |