I didn’t read a huge number of books this year but I really enjoyed the ones that I did read. As per usual, these books were not necessarily published in 2020, they’re just books that I read this year:
- The Three Body Problem Trilogy: No wonder the original Three Body Problem was a Hugo award winning tale that became Mark Zuckerberg’s and Barack Obama’s favorite book. This was seriously one of the greatest books ever written. The subsequent titles in the trilogy, The Dark Forest, and Death’s End, were both a little bit weird but still great in their own right making this trilogy one of the greatest trilogies of all-time an absolute must read for anyone who loves physics and Sci-Fi. Especially since HBO is turning it into a TV show from the showrunners of Game of Thrones!
- Final Jeopardy: In honor of Alex Trebek I decided to read this book about the famed Jeopardy match between IBM’s Watson and human champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. It was a fascinating look at not only Artificial Intelligence but human intelligence as well.
The Science of Rick and Morty: One of my favorite shows of all-time lead me to discovering one of my favorite books of all-time. If you’re a fan of the show this is a must read.
The Devil in the White City: This book intertwines one of my favorite topics, the World’s Fair, with one of my least favorite topics, murder. If you’re a fan of either you’ll enjoy the book, doubly so if you like both. And its apparently getting turned into a TV series on Hulu from Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio!
The Medici Effect: This acclaimed business book details how innovation occurs most often at the intersection of different fields. To truly innovate one should try to find new combinations of old ideas.
CAD Monkeys, Dinosaur Babies, and T-Shaped People: If you love design thinking i.e. the world of Mad Men you’ll this oddly named book as much as I did.
M.I.T. Media Lab: Stewart Brand, famed author of the Whole Earth Catalogs, took an inside look at the world famous M.I.T. to try and figure out what the future of communication and information processing will look like. It’s a great read if you’re interested in media, communications or M.I.T.
Cradle to Cradle: This book not only talks about eco-friendly ways of making products and environmental innovation it also walks the walk as it’s made from a special manufacturing process that doesn’t use traditional paper. And it’s even water proof! Making it the perfect book to read inside the pool during the summer time as I did.
Elon Musk Biography: Elon is a highly driven, very fascinating, and extremely successful person so obviously a biography about his life will deliver an interesting read. The book also delves into how Tesla and SpaceX survived early on and have thus far succeeded so the book is worth reading if you’re a fan of either of those companies as well.
The Wizard of Menlo Park: This year I also read a biography about Thomas Edison, a man with a work ethic that may even surpass Musk’s.
Idea Makers: Stephen Wolfram isn’t just a mathematician and physicist with a ground breaking new Theory of Everything on the way, he’s also an accomplished author who wrote a series of mini-biographies on key mathematical figures that influenced his thinking.
The Formula: This book looks at how algorithms influence our life. Very topical right now considering how influential Facebook and Twitter are in terms of spreading misinformation during an election year.
Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: Is it possible that the Asteroid that wiped out the Dinosaurs was dislodged and sent on its course when the Earth passed through a clump of Dark Matter? Physicist Lisa Randall certainly thinks so and she explains why in this book that also gives an in depth look at asteroids, comets, and other aspects of astronomy and geology.
The Industries of the Future: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s former Advisor for Innovation, Alec Ross, wrote this very informative and highly insightful book about what the future of industry will look like based on current trends.
Imagine: This book about creativity quickly became one of my all-time favorites as it contained some cool anecdotal stories about the creative processes of famous people.
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