Books 2020

Looking back at books I read or listened in 2020. I could not finish many books because of lost interest or lack of concentration. Huge progress from 2019 count: 2, and 2018 count: 0. Audio books helped me a lot. It was a great decision to get Audible subscription for some months. I would not have completed most books without the audio book.

Sapiens
100%: ~40% book, ~60% audio book
Really great book to understand how humanity has reached the current state and where it is going. This book opened my eyes to so many concepts, especially understanding Capitalism.

12 Rules of Life
80%: book
Great book for people looking for purpose and meaning in life. Few chapters were really really impactful in my life. You have to get over the fact that Jordan Peterson uses a lot of stories from Bible and Christianity in general.

Educated
100%: ~30% book, ~70% audio book
Good read, story about a home-schooled, christian family girl who overcame so many obstacles to reach Cambridge University and completed her PhD. Educated in the truest sense.

The Richest Man in Babylon
100%: audio book
Small fun read to understand importance of savings and investments, no matter how small.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People
~50%: audio book
Started during covid-19 stay at home orders, did not complete yet because of lost interest. Good concepts about investing time in quadrant 2 activities: which are Important but not Urgent. Will have to read from beginning because of lost continuity.

Logicomix
~50: book
Really nice comic style book about life of Logician Bertrand Russel. The books was really fun to read but I could not complete it because of lack of concentration. Will start again.

The Obstacle is the Way
~100%: audio book
Summary. Perception, Action, Will. See things for what they are. Do what we can. Endure and bear what we must. What blocked the path now is a path. What once impeded action advances action. The Obstacle is the Way: Marcus Aurelius. Learn more about Stoicism. Read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, SI should read Meditations, Seneca and writings by Epictetus.

Books bought but not yet started or just started:

• Why Nations Fail
• Thinking, Fast and Slow
• Becoming Supernatural
• Inward
  

Summary Rule 2/12

• Order is not enough. You can't just be stable, and secure, and unchanging, because there are still vital and important new things to be learned. Nonetheless, chaos can be too much. You can't long tolerate being swamped and overwhelmed beyond your capacity to cope while you are still learning what you still need to know.
• Thus, you need to place one foot in what you have mastered and understood and the other in what you are currently exploring and mastering. Then you have positioned yourself where the terror of existence is under control and you are secure, but where you are also alert and engaged. That is where there is something new to master and some way that you can be improved. That is where meaning is to be found.