Tag Archives: Book review

Rationality, by Steven Pinker

Whenever Steven Pinker, cognitive scientist at Harvard, publishes a book, one should buy it and read it. This is part of living a good life. His books are not easy, although the prose is clear and concise, but they provide … Continue reading

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Four Thousand Weeks, by Oliver Burkeman

Four Thousand Weeks is a book that leans against a recent trend—in non-fiction literature but also in podcasts and Youtube videos—in finding hacks to boost our productivity. It is not really an anti-productivity book. The central message is that the … Continue reading

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Seeds of Science: Why we got it so wrong on GMOs, by Mark Lynas

This is a book that I’ve had wanted to read for a long time. I do not remember when I read about it, but the outline of the book—an early anti-GMO activist explaining how the movement started and how he … Continue reading

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Books Do Furnish a Life, by Richard Dawkins

Yep, I am catching up with book reviews. I have read several this year, although not at the same pace as last year, so there’s a lot of work to do. Let’s dive in. Richard Dawkins, the eminent British biologist, … Continue reading

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The Scout Mindset, by Julia Galef

I have known about Julia Galef for a while, as she hosts the podcast Rationally Speaking. I have talked about this podcast in the past. She used to co-host it with Massimo Pigliucci, a philosopher and authors of several books, … Continue reading

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30 books in 2020

So I read 30 books in 2020. I’m not sure how I did it, but I did it. You don’t believe me? Look at my Goodreads notification: Almost 23 pages per day, which is around one hour of reading. I … Continue reading

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Draft No. 4, by John McPhee

“It takes what it takes” (William Shawn, former editor of The New Yorker) “Get that boy from the Old Vic” (Winston Churchill, referring to Richard Burton) “Write on subjects in which you have enough interest on your own to see … Continue reading

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Keeping at It, by Paul A. Volcker

Paul Volcker, who died this last December at the age of 92, is some sort of almost demi-god among people interested in central banking, monetary policy, and banking regulation; in other words, people like me. I was hence extremely interested … Continue reading

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The Fifth Risk, by Michael Lewis

When I was at the Bank of England, I remember discussing with someone over a coffee about the need to screen new candidates for a willingness to work as public servants. The idea—as argued by my counterpart—was that people who … Continue reading

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National Populism, by Eatwell and Goodwin

National populists prioritize the culture and interests of the nation, and promise to give voice to a people who feel that they have been neglected, even held in contempt, by distant and often corrupt elites. The result of the Brexit … Continue reading

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