Christian Keil
Pronounced "Kyle."
I'm the Chief of Staff at
Astranis
, a startup that builds and operates internet satellites.
I'm writing
a book
about entropy and the meaning of life.
I just started
a YouTube channel
, where I share why I'm so optimistic about tech (and talk way too fast in the process)
My better half, Maryli, is way cooler than me. We're at our best when she's pretending to like sports, or I'm pretending to like cooking.
I started tracking my reading in 2014. Happy browsing!
2023 READS
The Kill Chain
Christian Brose
88
/100
tl;dr:
Platforms bad; kill chains good
Genre:
ENTROPY
261
pages
Billy Summers
Stephen King
278
83
/100
tl;dr:
There's more than "good" and "bad"
Genre:
Fiction
514
pages
Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid
Douglas Hofstadter
279
83
/100
tl;dr:
Low-level machines -> higher-level meaning
Genre:
Science
742
pages
What is Life
Erwin Schrodinger
288
81
/100
tl;dr:
Life is self-sustaining order
Genre:
ENTROPY
90
pages
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Robert Pirsig
284
78
/100
tl;dr:
Quality is above subject and object dichotomy
Genre:
Philosophy
430
pages
The Plot
Jean Hanff Korelitz
281
76
/100
tl;dr:
Plot: of land, of book, of crime
Genre:
Fiction
320
pages
If It Bleeds
Stephen King
291
76
/100
tl;dr:
Writers live inside the worlds their stories create
Genre:
Fiction
434
pages
Overthrow
Stephen Kinzer
75
/100
tl;dr:
We love democracy when it is pro-USA
Genre:
ENTROPY
322
pages
Rocket Billionaires
Tim Fernholz
282
72
/100
tl;dr:
Space is expensive
Genre:
Technology
254
pages
Trust Me I'm Lying
Ryan Holiday
290
72
/100
tl;dr:
Press is manipulated more than it manipulates
Genre:
Business
298
pages
The Wires of War
Jacob Helberg
286
68
/100
tl;dr:
China is ready to compete. Are we?
Genre:
ENTROPY
270
pages
International Space Law and Space Laws of the United States
Steve Mirmina and Caryn Schenewerk
280
63
/100
tl;dr:
Space law is more convention than law
Genre:
Law
303
pages
2022 READS
Death's End
Cixin Liu
270
97
/100
tl;dr:
"Possible" is bigger than you think
Genre:
Fiction
721
pages
The Three Body Problem
Cixin Liu
94
/100
tl;dr:
An intergalactic physics war, LFG
Genre:
Fiction
399
pages
Valuable Humans in Transit
qntm
274
92
/100
tl;dr:
Lots of incredible, mind-bending short stories
Genre:
Fiction
101
pages
American Nations
Colin Woodard
262
90
/100
tl;dr:
America was never really united
Genre:
Politics
322
pages
Seveneves
Neil Sttephenson
264
89
/100
tl;dr:
Moon explodes; seven women create new world
Genre:
Fiction
861
pages
The Dark Forest
Cixin Liu
268
89
/100
tl;dr:
Pessimism and optimism are both irrational
Genre:
Fiction
512
pages
Dune
Frank Herbert
250
87
/100
tl;dr:
Knowing the future != changing it
Genre:
Fiction
884
pages
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Ben Horowitz
276
87
/100
tl;dr:
Hard things have no right answers
Genre:
Business
282
pages
Them
Ben Sasse
277
86
/100
tl;dr:
Americans are lonely
Genre:
Politics
253
pages
What Do *You* Care What Other People Think?
Richard Feynman
271
84
/100
tl;dr:
Divergence is a strength
Genre:
Auto/biography
277
pages
The Fabric of Reality
David Deutsch
260
82
/100
tl;dr:
People don't take scientific explanation seriously
Genre:
Science
366
pages
How To Change Your Mind
Michael Pollan
261
81
/100
tl;dr:
Psychedelics are worth studying
Genre:
Science
414
pages
The Beginning of Infinity
David Deutsch
272
79
/100
tl;dr:
Humans are special, because they explain
Genre:
Science
459
pages
Diplomatic History
A Very Short Introduction
255
78
/100
tl;dr:
Modern diplomacy is way more complicated
Genre:
Politics
134
pages
These Truths
Jill Lepore
263
78
/100
tl;dr:
"Land of the free" founded on slavery
Genre:
History
789
pages
Freedom's Forge
Arthur Herman
275
78
/100
tl;dr:
Industry won WW2 for America
Genre:
History
346
pages
International Relations
Very Short Introduction
258
76
/100
tl;dr:
IR = global organization of political authority
Genre:
Politics
123
pages
American Politics
A Very Short Introduction
251
74
/100
tl;dr:
Politcians connect the public to governance
Genre:
Politics
112
pages
Why We're Polarized
Ezra Klein
256
73
/100
tl;dr:
Polarization is a systems, not people, problem
Genre:
Politics
278
pages
Amusing Ourselves to Death
Neil Postman
273
73
/100
tl;dr:
Thank god this guy never saw TikTok
Genre:
Politics
163
pages
Reconstruction
Very Short Introductions
266
70
/100
tl;dr:
A world with Lincoln would have been better
Genre:
History
135
pages
Bringing up the Boss
Rachel Pacheco
259
69
/100
tl;dr:
Gotta learn the basics to manage
Genre:
Business
248
pages
High Growth Handbook
Elad Gil
269
67
/100
tl;dr:
There is a "right way" in Silicon Valley
Genre:
Business
343
pages
Firepower
Matt Lacombe
257
65
/100
tl;dr:
NRA created an ideology and an identity
Genre:
Politics
237
pages
Democracy
Very Short Introductions
65
/100
tl;dr:
Democracy is more than free voting
Genre:
History
120
pages
Neoliberalism
A Very Short Introduction
253
64
/100
tl;dr:
Neolib = intl. development saying "trust us"
Genre:
Politics
127
pages
Ideology
A Very Short Introduction
252
56
/100
tl;dr:
Ideology = impratical, academic political science
Genre:
Politics
128
pages
Geopolitics
A Very Short Introduction
254
53
/100
tl;dr:
This guy's geopolitics is ideologically bankrupt
Genre:
Politics
143
pages
2021 READS
There Is No Antimemetics Division
qntm
94
/100
tl;dr:
Ideas resistant to sharing are mind-bending
Genre:
Fiction
227
pages
Man's Search for Meaning
Viktor Frankl
243
93
/100
tl;dr:
Meaning of life: find meaning in your life
Genre:
Life
165
pages
Liftoff
Eric Berger
92
/100
tl;dr:
SpaceX almost died... many times
Genre:
Business
257
pages
The Topeka School
Ben Lerner
236
90
/100
tl;dr:
Politicians and other experts "spread"
Genre:
Fiction
282
pages
The Circle
Dave Eggers
232
88
/100
tl;dr:
Tech "utopia" doesn't sound so great
Genre:
Fiction
497
pages
Nonviolent Communication
Marshall Rosenberg
229
87
/100
tl;dr:
Observations, emotions, needs
Genre:
Life
219
pages
A Promised Land
Barack Obama
237
86
/100
tl;dr:
Obama did a LOT pre-obstruction
Genre:
Auto/biography
701
pages
Uncanny Valley
Anna Wiener
230
83
/100
tl;dr:
Everyone's equal in SV, some more equal
Genre:
Auto/biography
175
pages
Creativity, Inc.
Ed Catmull
237
78
/100
tl;dr:
Pixar's open culture sparks creativity
Genre:
Business
314
pages
Prisoners of Geography
Tim Marshall
240
78
/100
tl;dr:
Geography determines politics
Genre:
Politics
277
pages
Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper
Fuchsia Dunlop
228
74
/100
tl;dr:
Chinese culture is food
Genre:
Auto/biography
312
pages
Carrie
Stephen King
244
74
/100
tl;dr:
Simple story; creepy imagery
Genre:
Fiction
245
pages
The Art of Loving
Erich Fromm
241
73
/100
tl;dr:
Love is collective and individual both
Genre:
Life
123
pages
The Institute
Stephen King
245
73
/100
tl;dr:
Psychic kids take down the deep state
Genre:
Fiction
557
pages
No Rules Rules
Reed Hastings
239
72
/100
tl;dr:
High talent density, fewer rules
Genre:
Business
272
pages
The All-or-Nothing Marriage
Eli Finkel
242
71
/100
tl;dr:
Set expectations: frequent peaks, valleys okay
Genre:
Life
269
pages
Homo Deus
Yuval Noah Harari
226
70
/100
tl;dr:
Science and humanism run the world
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
402
pages
Already Free
Bruce Tift
246
70
/100
tl;dr:
West = fix what's wrong; East = already free
Genre:
Life
319
pages
The Making of the Atomic Bomb
Richard Rhodes
247
69
/100
tl;dr:
Neutron discovery made use inevitable
Genre:
Science
747
pages
Why We Sleep
Mathew Walker
231
59
/100
tl;dr:
Go to bed and wake up at constant times
Genre:
Science
342
pages
Educated
Tara Westover
249
58
/100
tl;dr:
Disturbing, sad ending; bad people exist
Genre:
Auto/biography
352
pages
Zucked
Roger McNamee
235
55
/100
tl;dr:
Early advisor to Facebook has his regrets
Genre:
Business
335
pages
Valley of the Gods
Alexandra Wolfe
234
50
/100
tl;dr:
The Thiel Fellowship exists, kids are kids
Genre:
Business
256
pages
2020 READS
Genghis Khan
Jack Weatherford
219
94
/100
tl;dr:
Genghis wasn't so bad; his imitators were
Genre:
History
271
pages
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Dave Eggers
200
93
/100
tl;dr:
Novels are weird, man
Genre:
Auto/biography
437
pages
Rosshalde
Herman Hesse
212
93
/100
tl;dr:
Loneliness can be a beautiful emotion
Genre:
Fiction
213
pages
American Kingpin
Nick Bilton
204
91
/100
tl;dr:
Ross wanted to change the world, and did
Genre:
Auto/biography
333
pages
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
211
90
/100
tl;dr:
Privilege is freedom of mind and body
Genre:
Auto/biography
289
pages
Permutation City
Greg Egan
220
86
/100
tl;dr:
Don't overestimate our self-understanding
Genre:
Fiction
320
pages
Shortest Way Home
Pete Buttigieg
203
85
/100
tl;dr:
Values-led leadership is age independent
Genre:
Auto/biography
330
pages
Consider This
Chuck Palahniuk
207
85
/100
tl;dr:
Suspense is a science
Genre:
Writing
233
pages
How to Win Friends and Infuence People
Dale Carnegie
216
85
/100
tl;dr:
Just be nice and stop talking about yourself
Genre:
Business
248
pages
Diversity in the Workplace
Bärí A. Williams
217
84
/100
tl;dr:
Privilege is freedom of attention
Genre:
Business
98
pages
Can't Hurt Me
David Goggins
199
83
/100
tl;dr:
Pain only stops the weak
Genre:
Auto/biography
356
pages
Dead Wake
Erik Larson
213
81
/100
tl;dr:
Churchill definitely wanted it to sink
Genre:
History
353
pages
The Space Barons
Christian Davenport
198
79
/100
tl;dr:
Space is hard
Genre:
Technology
275
pages
The Everything Store
Brad Stone
215
79
/100
tl;dr:
Founders shape companies to be like them
Genre:
Business
355
pages
Influence
Robert Cialdini
205
78
/100
tl;dr:
The human brain is exploitable
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
280
pages
The Splendid and the Vile
Erik Larson
221
77
/100
tl;dr:
Churchill helped others find their courage
Genre:
History
503
pages
The Gatekeepers
Chris Whipple
209
76
/100
tl;dr:
Strong, not flashy, is best
Genre:
History
316
pages
I Am Legend
Richard Matheson
202
75
/100
tl;dr:
Vampires are people too
Genre:
Fiction
278
pages
The Making of a Manager
Julie Zhou
201
74
/100
tl;dr:
Experience is the only way to learn management
Genre:
Business
256
pages
Predictably Irrational
Dan Ariely
208
74
/100
tl;dr:
Honestly, the title nails it
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
322
pages
Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built
Duncan Clark
218
73
/100
tl;dr:
The strategy to win China: be Chinese
Genre:
Business
264
pages
Only the Paranoid Survive
Andy Grove
214
72
/100
tl;dr:
CEOs are often the last to know about changes
Genre:
Business
198
pages
Chaos Monkeys
Antonio Garcia Martinez
224
72
/100
tl;dr:
Cynicism is the path of least resistance
Genre:
Auto/biography
496
pages
Masters of the Word
William Bernstein
225
64
/100
tl;dr:
New comms centralize power first
Genre:
History
339
pages
Secrets of Sand Hill Road
Scott Kupor
210
63
/100
tl;dr:
VC isn't all that secretive anymore
Genre:
Business
275
pages
How to Be a Bad Emperor
Suetonius
206
55
/100
tl;dr:
Roman Emperors were pretty evil
Genre:
History
135
pages
2019 READS
A Clash of Kings
George R.R. Martin
189
94
/100
tl;dr:
Commoners don't really care about kings
Genre:
ASOIAF
969
pages
A Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin
188
91
/100
tl;dr:
Nobody is safe; love and honor are weaknesses
Genre:
ASOIAF
807
pages
Winners Take All
Anand Giridharadas
181
89
/100
tl;dr:
Everything that's not taxes or government is bad
Genre:
Business
263
pages
A Storm of Swords
George R.R. Martin
190
89
/100
tl;dr:
Weddings are dangerous
Genre:
ASOIAF
1128
pages
Pet Sematary
Stephen King
197
89
/100
tl;dr:
Sometimes dead is better
Genre:
Fiction
395
pages
How The Internet Happened
Brian McCullough
175
88
/100
tl;dr:
Market crashed, technology didn't
Genre:
History
326
pages
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
185
87
/100
tl;dr:
Jobs was mercurial, self-aware, and taken far too early
Genre:
Auto/biography
577
pages
A Dance of Dragons
George R.R. Martin
194
84
/100
tl;dr:
Hopefully not the end of an expansive world
Genre:
ASOIAF
1051
pages
The Master and His Emissary
Iain McGilchrist
196
83
/100
tl;dr:
Right brain rules!
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
462
pages
The Messy Middle
Scott Belsky
183
82
/100
tl;dr:
Entrepreneurship is less glamorous than many admit
Genre:
Business
375
pages
A Feast for Crows
George R.R. Martin
192
82
/100
tl;dr:
The Stark kids stay alive... and Mama is undead
Genre:
ASOIAF
976
pages
Angel
Jason Calacanis
178
80
/100
tl;dr:
Angel investing is high upside, all about hustle
Genre:
Auto/biography
272
pages
Who is Michael Ovitz?
Michael Ovitz
179
76
/100
tl;dr:
Appearing all-knowing is a choice; Ovitz made it
Genre:
Auto/biography
356
pages
Tiger Woods
Jeff Benefict and Armen Keteyian
176
75
/100
tl;dr:
Tiger was the best golfer ever, bad at everything else
Genre:
Auto/biography
404
pages
Blitzscaling
Reid Hoffman
184
75
/100
tl;dr:
The Samwer brothers were villains, but also right
Genre:
Business
299
pages
Who
Geoff Smart & Randy Street
193
75
/100
tl;dr:
Even a little structure in hiring goes a long way
Genre:
Business
188
pages
High Output Management
Andy Grove
180
73
/100
tl;dr:
Old-school management by an old-school manager
Genre:
Business
227
pages
What You Do is Who You Are
Ben Horowitz
195
72
/100
tl;dr:
Culture is about your actions
Genre:
Business
246
pages
The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge
Carlos Castaneda
191
71
/100
tl;dr:
Non-ordinary reality can still be logical
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
213
pages
Creative Selection
Ken Kocienda
174
70
/100
tl;dr:
Apple was all about demos and deciding for customers
Genre:
Technology
264
pages
Bad Blood
John Carreyrou
177
69
/100
tl;dr:
Elizabeth Holmes should be in jail
Genre:
Technology
299
pages
The Defining Decade
Dr. Meg Jay
186
68
/100
tl;dr:
Leaving 20s with career and relationship on lock is sick
Genre:
Life
201
pages
The Truth Machine
Michael Casey and Paul Vigna
182
63
/100
tl;dr:
Blockchain can do everything (but not yet)
Genre:
Technology
263
pages
The Blockchain and the New Architecture of Trust
Kevin Werbach
187
55
/100
tl;dr:
Not the hottest take
Genre:
Technology
246
pages
2018 READS
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
JK Rowling
133
99
/100
tl;dr:
Snape is the greatest character ever
Genre:
HARRY POTTER
650
pages
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
JK Rowling
131
98
/100
tl;dr:
Baby Voldemort fights teenage Harry; Cedric dies
Genre:
HARRY POTTER
734
pages
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
JK Rowling
134
98
/100
tl;dr:
The perfect ending to a perfect story
Genre:
HARRY POTTER
759
pages
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
JK Rowling
128
95
/100
tl;dr:
The perfect introduction to a complete world
Genre:
HARRY POTTER
309
pages
The 4-Hour Workweek
Tim Ferriss
152
95
/100
tl;dr:
Automate a lifestyle business, travel the world
Genre:
Religion
376
pages
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
JK Rowling
130
94
/100
tl;dr:
Turns out that Ron's rat betrayed Harry's parents
Genre:
HARRY POTTER
435
pages
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
JK Rowling
129
93
/100
tl;dr:
Harry saves his future wife from an evil diary
Genre:
HARRY POTTER
341
pages
Devil in the White City
Erik Larson
167
93
/100
tl;dr:
Architecture was more dramatic than murder, somehow
Genre:
History
390
pages
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
JK Rowling
132
91
/100
tl;dr:
Harry is the moodiest…. He should've listened to Hermy
Genre:
HARRY POTTER
870
pages
Business Adventures
John Brooks
146
91
/100
tl;dr:
Business is boring unless John Brooks tells the story
Genre:
Business
441
pages
We Were Eight Years in Power
Ta-Nehisi Coates
141
90
/100
tl;dr:
Racism is essential to the American story
Genre:
Politics
367
pages
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Ben Horowitz
138
89
/100
tl;dr:
Management book that admits startups are hard
Genre:
Business
275
pages
Dreams from My Father
Barack Obama
167
89
/100
tl;dr:
People simply want to belong to a larger order
Genre:
Auto/biography
442
pages
Leonardo da Vinci
Walter Isaacson
148
88
/100
tl;dr:
Leonardo: Divergence, procrastination, and observation
Genre:
Auto/biography
525
pages
The Tiger
John Vaillant
153
87
/100
tl;dr:
Tigers are scary
Genre:
History
306
pages
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again
David Foster Wallace
137
86
/100
tl;dr:
DFW saw better than any of us; bummer he's gone
Genre:
Literature
353
pages
The Stand
Stephen King
158
85
/100
tl;dr:
M-O-O-N, that spells "what just happened"
Genre:
Fiction
1153
pages
Shoe Dog
Phil Knight
154
85
/100
tl;dr:
Morality is secondary to winning for Knight
Genre:
Auto/biography
383
pages
The Cosmic Serpent
Jeremy Narby
149
84
/100
tl;dr:
DNA literally communicates with shamans
Genre:
Science
162
pages
The Last Days of Night
Graham Moore
163
84
/100
tl;dr:
Tesla thought, Edison reveled, Westinghouse developed
Genre:
History
366
pages
Turtles All The Way Down
John Green
144
82
/100
tl;dr:
OCD girl battles with disease, young love, and friendship
Genre:
Fiction
286
pages
The Undoing Project
Michael Lewis
156
82
/100
tl;dr:
Good partners share brains
Genre:
Auto/biography
352
pages
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Neil Degrasse Tyson
142
81
/100
tl;dr:
Complex science can be understood simply
Genre:
Science
208
pages
Principles
Ray Dalio
159
81
/100
tl;dr:
Radical transparency -> success
Genre:
Business
552
pages
Becoming
Michelle Obama
166
80
/100
tl;dr:
Michelle 4 president
Genre:
Auto/biography
421
pages
An Anthropologist on Mars
Oliver Sacks
150
78
/100
tl;dr:
Mental disorders can bring good along with the bad
Genre:
Science
296
pages
Fooled by Randomness
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
173
78
/100
tl;dr:
Magnitude, not frequency, of success is what matters
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
262
pages
Sapiens
Yuval Noah Harari
127
73
/100
tl;dr:
Well, humanity escalated quickly
Genre:
Science
316
pages
Nudge
Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
143
73
/100
tl;dr:
Simple idea: people are lazy, don't change from default
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
271
pages
Draft No. 4
John McPhee
151
73
/100
tl;dr:
New Yorker writer has been doing this for fifty years
Genre:
Writing
192
pages
The Audacity of Hope
Barack Obama
169
73
/100
tl;dr:
Future President tries on his President hat
Genre:
Auto/biography
362
pages
Who Can You Trust
Rachel Botsman
162
72
/100
tl;dr:
Interpersonal -> institutional -> distributed trust
Genre:
Technology
263
pages
The Tribe
Sebastian Junger
157
71
/100
tl;dr:
War and strife bring people closer
Genre:
Auto/biography
136
pages
The Inevitable
Kevin Kelly
140
70
/100
tl;dr:
Futures thinking seems like fun
Genre:
Technology
297
pages
The Wizard of Menlo Park
Randall Stross
170
70
/100
tl;dr:
Edison was anti-semitic, mostly deaf, and a jerk
Genre:
History
290
pages
The Lessons of History
Will and Ariel Durant
164
69
/100
tl;dr:
History repeats, but not simply
Genre:
History
102
pages
Venture Deals
Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson
135
68
/100
tl;dr:
Dull but helpful book on venture finance
Genre:
Business
211
pages
The World As It Is
Ben Rhodes
147
68
/100
tl;dr:
Obama was the real deal
Genre:
Politics
422
pages
Cryptoassets
Chris Burniske & Jack Tatar
136
66
/100
tl;dr:
Good to review
Genre:
Business
284
pages
A Higher Loyalty
James Comey
139
65
/100
tl;dr:
Political-hopeful leads the FBI
Genre:
Politics
277
pages
The Effective Executive
Peter Drucker
160
65
/100
tl;dr:
Executives should be good at their jobs
Genre:
Business
174
pages
1995
W. Joseph Campbell
172
64
/100
tl;dr:
Eventful year, maybe, sweeping impact less credible
Genre:
History
161
pages
Talking to Humans
Giff Constable
145
62
/100
tl;dr:
Here's an idea: talk to customers, but be smart
Genre:
Business
80
pages
Fear: Trump in the White House
Bob Woodward
161
62
/100
tl;dr:
Trump is too disorganized to understand rationally
Genre:
Politics
357
pages
The Race Underground
Doug Most
165
62
/100
tl;dr:
The sorta boring story of the world's second subway
Genre:
History
361
pages
AC/DC
Tom McNichol
171
62
/100
tl;dr:
Electricity, not rock and roll
Genre:
History
186
pages
Yes We (Still) Can
Dan Pfeiffer
155
61
/100
tl;dr:
Obama was the real deal
Genre:
Politics
280
pages
2017 READS
All the King's Men
Robert Penn Warren
103
95
/100
tl;dr:
Talos buys and destroys his way to power… and death
Genre:
Fiction
609
pages
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
99
94
/100
tl;dr:
A story as calm, collected, and interesting as Atticus
Genre:
Fiction
376
pages
The Black Swan
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
125
94
/100
tl;dr:
Stats is horribly broken by mega-outliers
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
379
pages
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
98
93
/100
tl;dr:
YOLO: everyone is small and will die soon anyways
Genre:
Philosophy
172
pages
Let The Great World Spin
Colum McCann
124
93
/100
tl;dr:
Everybody has a story
Genre:
Fiction
350
pages
Discipline and Punish
Michel Foucault
83
92
/100
tl;dr:
Prisons conquered torture, then society
Genre:
Philosophy
308
pages
A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving
106
92
/100
tl;dr:
THE VOICE WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG
Genre:
Fiction
627
pages
Originals
Adam Grant
115
91
/100
tl;dr:
World-changing originality is part-science
Genre:
Design/Innovation
254
pages
Liar's Poker
Michael Lewis
121
91
/100
tl;dr:
Traders make money because someone has to
Genre:
Business
310
pages
A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess
96
90
/100
tl;dr:
A real horrorshow of a veshch, O my brothers
Genre:
Fiction
212
pages
Elon Musk
Ashlee Vance
116
90
/100
tl;dr:
Worldview + Recruiting + Indomitable Will = Musk
Genre:
Auto/biography
392
pages
The Selfish Gene
Richard Dawkins
95
89
/100
tl;dr:
Genes, not people, naturally select
Genre:
Science
266
pages
The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank
81
88
/100
tl;dr:
She had to make it one more month! One!!
Genre:
Auto/biography
283
pages
The Satanic Verses
Salman Rushdie
108
87
/100
tl;dr:
He's either Archangel Gabriel, or a schizophrenic
Genre:
Fiction
561
pages
Between The World And Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates
84
86
/100
tl;dr:
People who think themselves white break black bodies
Genre:
Auto/biography
152
pages
The Souls of Black Folk
W.E.B. DuBois
92
86
/100
tl;dr:
Emancipation didn't solve the issue of race
Genre:
History
123
pages
Zero to One
Peter Thiel
118
86
/100
tl;dr:
Founders can change the world
Genre:
Business
195
pages
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Thomas Kuhn
85
85
/100
tl;dr:
Normal science doesn't apply in paradigm shift
Genre:
Science
208
pages
Meditations on First Philosophy
Rene Descartes
94
84
/100
tl;dr:
Descartes can do no wrong -- except overthinking
Genre:
Philosophy
59
pages
Brave New World
Aldous Huxley
100
84
/100
tl;dr:
Soma and cloning killed God
Genre:
Fiction
259
pages
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
91
80
/100
tl;dr:
Christian slavers were the worst
Genre:
Auto/biography
76
pages
The Sun Also Rises
Ernest Hemingway
90
79
/100
tl;dr:
Isn't it pretty to think things can work out?
Genre:
Fiction
250
pages
Schindler's List
Thomas Keneally
101
79
/100
tl;dr:
You're safe now; you're with me
Genre:
Fiction
397
pages
Lord of the Rings
JRR Tolkien
105
78
/100
tl;dr:
Servant eavesdrops, rewarded with eternal fame
Genre:
Fiction
1031
pages
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of THE STRUCTURE OF DNA
James Watson
88
77
/100
tl;dr:
25 year old chases girls, Nobel prizes
Genre:
Science
226
pages
The Varieties of Religious Experience
William James
104
77
/100
tl;dr:
The religo-psychical experience is dramatic, also real
Genre:
Religion
385
pages
Predictably Irrational
Dan Ariely
120
75
/100
tl;dr:
Econ is wrong, but irrationality is predictable
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
322
pages
The Lean Startup
Eric Reis
119
74
/100
tl;dr:
Stay small, be fast, get customer feedback
Genre:
Business
284
pages
The Character of Physical Law
Richard Feynman
86
72
/100
tl;dr:
Physicist says all you can say about simple physics
Genre:
Science
173
pages
Influence
Robert Cialdini
123
72
/100
tl;dr:
People use decision shortcuts; salesmen exploit them
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
280
pages
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
87
71
/100
tl;dr:
Sun Tzu says: this is a metaphor for everything
Genre:
Philosophy
60
pages
Born Standing Up
Steve Martin
122
71
/100
tl;dr:
A wild and crazy guy finds a comedy niche
Genre:
Auto/biography
207
pages
The Innovator's Dilemma
Clayton Christensen
109
69
/100
tl;dr:
Boring industries; decent theory
Genre:
Business
220
pages
The Origin of Species
Charles Darwin
89
68
/100
tl;dr:
It's the ciiiiiiirrrcle (tree) of life
Genre:
Science
507
pages
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
Al Ries and Jack Trout
117
68
/100
tl;dr:
…guys I think some of these are mutable
Genre:
Business
132
pages
The Communist Manifesto
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
82
67
/100
tl;dr:
Eff da (bourgeois) police
Genre:
Philosophy
27
pages
Thanks, Obama
David Litt
126
67
/100
tl;dr:
He was there; Obama is the real deal
Genre:
Auto/biography
308
pages
Mythologies
Roland Barthes
107
66
/100
tl;dr:
Austere, french, inside jokes for days
Genre:
Philosophy
274
pages
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Friedrich Nietzsche
97
65
/100
tl;dr:
Nietzsche was a lonely, weird, self-loving genius
Genre:
Philosophy
253
pages
Improv Wisdom
Patricia Ryan Madson
110
65
/100
tl;dr:
Yes, and I wanted more from this book
Genre:
Business
148
pages
Getting to Plan B
John Mullins & Randy Komisar
114
65
/100
tl;dr:
Pivots are cool
Genre:
Business
215
pages
Walden
Henry David Thoreau
102
63
/100
tl;dr:
Arrogant man builds cabin in the woods; loves nature
Genre:
Auto/biography
316
pages
The Credibility Code
Cara Hale Alter
113
63
/100
tl;dr:
Speak good, business good
Genre:
Business
136
pages
Crossing the Chasm
Geoffrey Moore
112
59
/100
tl;dr:
Metaphors = business, apparently
Genre:
Business
241
pages
Inside the Tornado
Geoffrey Moore
111
59
/100
tl;dr:
Metaphors = business, apparently
Genre:
Business
238
pages
Philosophy of Mind
GWF Hegel
93
52
/100
tl;dr:
I understood some of those words
Genre:
Philosophy
96
pages
2016 READS
Infinite Jest
David Foster Wallace
64
96
/100
tl;dr:
Wallace understands (un)happiness, also words
Genre:
Fiction
1079
pages
Charlotte's Web
E.B. White
73
91
/100
tl;dr:
Charlotte is the friend you wish you had
Genre:
Fiction
184
pages
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
76
91
/100
tl;dr:
What did Gatsby love: the light, or the girl?
Genre:
Fiction
180
pages
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
71
88
/100
tl;dr:
Pedophiles can be protagonists too
Genre:
Fiction
317
pages
All The Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
63
85
/100
tl;dr:
Nazis were people too
Genre:
Fiction
530
pages
Consider the Lobster
David Foster Wallace
60
84
/100
tl;dr:
Wallace knows really big words
Genre:
Literature
343
pages
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
J.K. & Others Rowling
68
84
/100
tl;dr:
Bellatrix is Voldemort's baby mama; baby is mean
Genre:
Fiction
308
pages
A Room of One's Own
Virginia Woolf
75
84
/100
tl;dr:
Did Virginia take her own medicine for genius? Maybe.
Genre:
Writing
114
pages
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
Stephen King
70
80
/100
tl;dr:
Reading a whole book in Morgan Freeman's voice rocks
Genre:
Fiction
87
pages
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card
78
80
/100
tl;dr:
Big bro takes over Earth; little bro kills aliens
Genre:
Fiction
324
pages
The Hunt for Red October
Tom Clancy
72
79
/100
tl;dr:
Clancy'll you miss the good ol' days of hating Russians
Genre:
Fiction
641
pages
When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi
66
78
/100
tl;dr:
Doctor faces death himself
Genre:
Auto/biography
225
pages
The Laws of Simplicity
John Maeda
62
76
/100
tl;dr:
Subtract the obvious, add the meaningful
Genre:
Design/Innovation
100
pages
Animal Farm
George Orwell
74
76
/100
tl;dr:
Pigs can be Communists too
Genre:
Fiction
141
pages
Look Me in the Eye
John Elder Robison
69
76
/100
tl;dr:
Funny, or just aspergian, stories
Genre:
Auto/biography
288
pages
Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil
Hannah Arendt
77
76
/100
tl;dr:
Eichmann was dumb, and maybe also evil
Genre:
History
298
pages
The Victory Lab
Sasha Issenberg
80
76
/100
tl;dr:
Surprising few, politics was data-dumb pre-Obama
Genre:
Politics
375
pages
My Reading Life
Pat Conroy
65
75
/100
tl;dr:
Pat Conroy has read 300 pages a day for 300 years
Genre:
Auto/biography
333
pages
Accidental Empires
Robert X Cringely
61
74
/100
tl;dr:
Bill Gates was mean; it worked
Genre:
Technology
361
pages
Einstein's God
Krista Tippett
59
74
/100
tl;dr:
There are scientists that believe
Genre:
Science
279
pages
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman
Richard Feynman
67
72
/100
tl;dr:
Physicist loves strip clubs, brain teasers
Genre:
Auto/biography
391
pages
The Story of My Experiments with Truth
Gandhi
79
68
/100
tl;dr:
Gandhi thought a lot about food, apparently
Genre:
Auto/biography
505
pages
How I Lost 170 Million Dollars
Noah Kagan
58
52
/100
tl;dr:
Guy got fired; probably due to writing style
Genre:
Technology
112
pages
2015 READS
The Phantom Tollbooth
Norton Juster
36
92
/100
tl;dr:
Bored boy learns to love life
Genre:
Fiction
256
pages
Doctor Sleep
Stephen King
27
90
/100
tl;dr:
Sequel to The Shining; people still shine
Genre:
Fiction
531
pages
11/22/63
Stephen King
35
90
/100
tl;dr:
Time traveler saves JFK, rips time-space
Genre:
Fiction
849
pages
I Am A Strange Loop
Douglas Hofstadter
38
88
/100
tl;dr:
"I" is a strange loop
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
363
pages
It
Stephen King
48
86
/100
tl;dr:
Imagination makes and kills monsters
Genre:
Fiction
1090
pages
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams
Stephen King
56
86
/100
tl;dr:
King turns his real world stories horrific
Genre:
Fiction
495
pages
Think Like a Freak
Levitt & Dubner
33
84
/100
tl;dr:
How to think good
Genre:
Economics
211
pages
we are all completely beside ourselves
Karen Joy Fowler
50
84
/100
tl;dr:
Chimps are people too
Genre:
Fiction
308
pages
The Mind of God
Paul Davies
26
83
/100
tl;dr:
Why can we understand math and physics?
Genre:
Science
232
pages
Science and Religion in Quest of Truth
John Polkinghorne
37
82
/100
tl;dr:
Scientifically believing in God is possible
Genre:
Religion
134
pages
Saving the Appearances
Owen Barfield
51
81
/100
tl;dr:
People lived metaphors in the past
Genre:
Philosophy
191
pages
The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-time
Mark Haddon
52
80
/100
tl;dr:
Awkward boy is good at math
Genre:
Fiction
226
pages
The Martian
Andy Weir
29
79
/100
tl;dr:
Stranded astronaut grows potatoes on Mars
Genre:
Fiction
369
pages
The Innovators
Walter Isaacson
45
77
/100
tl;dr:
Collaboration makes computers
Genre:
Technology
488
pages
Modern Romance
Aziz Ansari
43
77
/100
tl;dr:
More options, different problems in love
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
250
pages
A Deadly Wandering
Matt Richtel
57
77
/100
tl;dr:
Don't text and drive, your brain ain't that good
Genre:
Technology
387
pages
Emergence
Steven Johnson
31
76
/100
tl;dr:
2001 book predicts emergent tech well
Genre:
Technology
234
pages
Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Dan Millman
46
75
/100
tl;dr:
Dan probably found zen in a gas station
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
215
pages
Got to Give the People What They Want
Jalen Rose
55
75
/100
tl;dr:
Jalen Rose is a baller
Genre:
Sports
265
pages
Miracles
Eric Metaxas
30
74
/100
tl;dr:
Miracles are real, Metaxas' friends claim
Genre:
Religion
332
pages
The Design of Everyday Things
Donald Norman
39
74
/100
tl;dr:
User error is the designer's fault
Genre:
Design/Innovation
217
pages
Endzone
John U. Bacon
53
74
/100
tl;dr:
Dave Brandon almost broke Michigan
Genre:
Sports
464
pages
Black Holes and Baby Universes
Stephen Hawking
47
72
/100
tl;dr:
Stephen Hawking is real smart
Genre:
Science
175
pages
The Universe in a Single Atom
HH Dalai Lama
32
71
/100
tl;dr:
Being the Dalai Lama would be legit
Genre:
Science
209
pages
Black Holes & Time Warps
Kip Thorne
54
71
/100
tl;dr:
Black holes are probably complicated
Genre:
Science
527
pages
Descarte's Error
Antonio Damasio
42
70
/100
tl;dr:
Emotions guide reason
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
267
pages
24/7
Jonathan Crary
49
70
/100
tl;dr:
Praxis-ing sleep is natural, also eff capitalism
Genre:
Philosophy
128
pages
Against the Gods
Peter L. Bernstein
28
69
/100
tl;dr:
Risk and stats evolved with people
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
337
pages
Belief in God in an Age of Science
John Polkinghorne
44
69
/100
tl;dr:
Religious discovery can mirror science
Genre:
Religion
130
pages
The Drama of the Gifted Child
Alice Miller
41
62
/100
tl;dr:
Author loves her model, not her parents
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
119
pages
Think Big, Start Small, Move Fast
Nicholas LaRusso
40
55
/100
tl;dr:
Mayo learned how to innovate
Genre:
Business
242
pages
2014 READS
Invisible Monsters
Chuck Palahniuk
13
89
/100
tl;dr:
Beauty becomes beast
Genre:
Fiction
297
pages
1984
George Orwell
6
88
/100
tl;dr:
Big Brother
Genre:
Fiction
326
pages
Born to Run
Christopher McDougall
21
87
/100
tl;dr:
Running barefoot with Tarahumara
Genre:
Auto/biography
282
pages
The Origin of Life
Paul Davies
3
82
/100
tl;dr:
All scientific and related issues to life origin
Genre:
Science
256
pages
On Writing
Stephen King
9
81
/100
tl;dr:
Stephen King's autobiography / fiction tips
Genre:
Writing
291
pages
The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
19
81
/100
tl;dr:
Girl meets boy; cancer; sadness
Genre:
Fiction
313
pages
A More Beautiful Question
Warren Berger
16
81
/100
tl;dr:
Questioning: how, why
Genre:
Philosophy
220
pages
The Elements of Style
Strunk and White
12
80
/100
tl;dr:
Writing well
Genre:
Writing
85
pages
This Explains Everything
Various
7
79
/100
tl;dr:
Deep, beautiful, elegant scientific ideas
Genre:
Science
402
pages
The Rosie Project
Graeme Simsion
17
79
/100
tl;dr:
Awkward professor finds love
Genre:
Fiction
292
pages
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll
10
78
/100
tl;dr:
Trippy journey through kid's imagination
Genre:
Fiction
86
pages
Conversations on Consciousness
Susan Blackmore
5
78
/100
tl;dr:
Overview of consciousness debate
Genre:
Science
257
pages
Talking Diabetes with Owls
David Sedaris
18
78
/100
tl;dr:
Hilarious short stories
Genre:
Auto/biography
275
pages
Breakfast of Champions
Kurt Vonnegut
22
78
/100
tl;dr:
America sucks, and so on
Genre:
Fiction
303
pages
American Gods
Neil Gaiman
23
76
/100
tl;dr:
Gods still exist, and they're gullible
Genre:
Fiction
588
pages
The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty
Dan Ariely
20
75
/100
tl;dr:
Everybody lies, but just a little
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
254
pages
Fully Present
Smalley & Winston
15
74
/100
tl;dr:
Science, art, practice of meditation
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
222
pages
Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction
Susan Blackmore
4
73
/100
tl;dr:
Overview of consciousness debate
Genre:
Science
133
pages
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth
Col. Chris Hadfield
24
71
/100
tl;dr:
Being an astronaut would be tough, fun
Genre:
Auto/biography
282
pages
Origins of Life
Freeman Dyson
2
67
/100
tl;dr:
Theory of double origin of life (DNA Last)
Genre:
Science
91
pages
10% Happier
Dan Harris
14
66
/100
tl;dr:
"I thought of a catchy meditation slogan"
Genre:
Psych/Soc/Stats
237
pages
Physics in Mind
Werner B. Loewenstein
8
64
/100
tl;dr:
Brain physics
Genre:
Science
275
pages
The Emergence of Life on Earth
Iris Fry
1
63
/100
tl;dr:
Scientific history of how life began on earth
Genre:
Science
283
pages
The Happiness Project
Gretchen Rubin
25
63
/100
tl;dr:
(Most) moms can be happy too
Genre:
Auto/biography
289
pages
Consciousness
Eva Herr
11
50
/100
tl;dr:
Pseudoscience; quantum consciousness
Genre:
Science
207
pages