
How to Retire: 20 lessons for a happy, successful, and wealthy retirement (*****)
Benz, Christine
I met the author, Christine Benz, when we both worked at Morningstar and was struck by her poise, understated confidence, and popularity among our readers. However, financial topics were never my cup of tea, so I read only a few of her pieces. After a few years, I left Morningstar and returned to my previous company, Encyclopaedia Britannica. A couple of weeks ago, I saw the announcement of a book by Christine, and this time, the topic and the time were just right. I am at that point where I have to think about retirement seriously, and due to my lack of interest in financial matters, I realized I am totally unprepared. So, I decided to learn from one of the best experts on retirement.
The book is divided into 20 chapters, each covering some essential aspects of this challenging topic. In each chapter, Christine interviews an expert in that area and then adds her comments. What surprised me was that many chapters were not about the financial aspects of retirement. I was naively expecting a book about the economic dimension of retirement, but finance is just a tiny part of the puzzle. There are huge emotional issues, health and death considerations, and questions about caregivers. In other words, this is a very complex phase of our lives that happens suddenly. Without adequate preparation, it can only lead to disappointments and unpleasant surprises.
I am extremely happy I picked up this book and feel a little more prepared. More importantly, now I know what I don't know and can learn more. If you are contemplating retirement, especially in the US, I highly recommend this book. If you are like me, you will learn something new or discover a new perspective in almost every chapter.
The Maniac (*****)
Labatut, Benjamín
This is the best historical novel I read in recent times. However, it does not depict the history of a particular time or person but the history of an evolving idea. The idea is that our reality and the nature of our universe can be entirely captured by reason alone. The central character is the polymath John von Neumann, who played a pivotal role in the making of all modern computers. However, it tells the stories of many other scientists from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and ends with the advent of AI during the last decade.
Most of the book is in the form of imagined first-person narratives, but they are based on accurate research. Each character, each narration, made me reevaluate my thoughts about many things -- the role of science, the purpose of discoveries, responsibilities, the nature of our understanding, and the limits of knowledge. The book does not propose a specific point of view but instead makes us think deeply about many things. Isn't that the purpose of any great book?
Personally, I felt that the author's definition of 'reason' is a bit narrow. He defines it in terms of formalist mathematicians, where we now know that it is not a complete system and cannot explain everything. However, suppose we define reason as the mechanism through which we can think step by step, systematically, relying on evidence and testability. In that case, we may not feel as uncomfortable as some of the characters in the book felt.
Above all, it is a book that brings us close to the minds of geniuses. We often use the term 'genius' a bit too loosely. Once we come to know the people in this book, it becomes clear that geniuses are rare human beings who can see the world around us in distinctly unique ways and change our thinking forever. They are all maniacs and often beyond good and evil.
Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI. (*****)
Mollick, Ethan
I would not label it as a profoundly thought-provoking book, but it is indeed very timely. In an environment where everyone is talking about AI, either as a danger to society, as an euphoric innovation, or even as an existential threat, it is time someone wrote a book that has a three to five-year horizon and discussed, in practical terms, how this technology can be used to help in many things we do. The perspective is not to look at it as an independent agent but as a helper, and hence the term co-intelligence.
The book is backed up by actual research that the author and his colleagues have performed in recent years to measure the effectiveness of working with an AI. It is also illustrated by numerous examples of how the author used it in many of his tasks, including as a critic of this book as he was writing it. Only the last chapter goes beyond the near future and explores four possible scenarios as this technology evolves rapidly.
Personally, I have always remained interested in AI and other forms of technology, and I tried to stay in touch with the development. I do not recall a time when it was almost impossible to predict where things would be in just two or three years. Irrespective of what you do, you can benefit from reading this book to gain a little visibility and perhaps gain from this technology.
Berlin Alexanderplatz. (*****)
Döblin, Alfred
This is by far the most surprising novel I have read in many years. I want to emphasize the word "surprising" not just because this book was published more than ninety years ago but also because it would have surprised me if it had been written this year. It feels just that modern and fresh.
Set in the 1920s Berlin, the book chronicles the life of Franz Biberkopf, a person just released from prison. However, it is not the linear tale of an individual but a mesmerizing portrait of a city and a period. Stylistically, I cannot compare it to anything else I have read. There is a little bit of stream-of-consciousness, but it is much more than that. The storytelling perspective constantly changes from first person to third person without any warning. Sometimes, it leaves the main characters and branches out into some other story with no apparent connection to the main plotline. Sometimes, it is just an endless list of street names. Sometimes, it is a visceral description of a slaughterhouse. Sometimes, it is a poem or a song. But all this does not make it into a madhouse of narrative confusion, but magically binds it all together into a single coherent portrait of a time, a city, its people, its politics, and above all, its struggle to survive.
I do not have the ability to describe this book adequately. All I can say is if you haven't read it, then make time to do so. It is a long book and sometimes not easy to consume. But if you don't, you will miss out on one of the most profound literary experiences of your lifetime.
Riots & Rockets: A Dash of the Army, A Dose of Politics, and a Life in the Law (*****)
Bowe, William J.
I usually do not rate or review books where I have a personal relationship with the author. I worked with Bill for over 15 years and remained in touch even after that. However, when we worked together, it was primarily a professional relationship, and we never asked each other about our lives before we met at Britannica or about our interests. I just knew he had a passion for photography. I knew him as a corporate legal person, which is rarely very interesting.
Reading his memoir made me realize how many stories can be hidden behind someone's professional identity. I am not claiming that every person we meet has grand stories to tell, but the number of people who do may be more than we think. Not all of them write a memoir, but if we care to make the time and listen, we could hear fascinating stories from entirely unexpected places.
Bill has worked in US Army Intelligence, which has brought him close to major world events. It has also taken him to a tiny atoll in the middle of the Atlantic with a missile test range. He got involved in the anti-Vietnam war protests across campuses. He was part of the political drama surrounding the tumultuous days of Chicago politics when power shifted from Mayor Daley to Byrne and finally to the first black mayor of any large US city. He was intimately involved in the rise and fall of one of the major news services. And finally, he was part of Encyclopedia Britannica as the 250-year-old company transitioned from a print publisher into the digital era and the battle over a patent that could have defined the internet.
How could I have missed all these stories while working alongside him for over a decade? Who knows how many other such stories I missed simply because I never showed interest in other colleagues and justified my indifference in the name of professional distancing?
What Darwin Didn't Know: The Modern Science of Evolution. (*****)
Solomon, Scott
This is one of the best books I have read about the modern understanding of Evolution. There are just a few ideas that come close to the brilliance and power of this one idea—that a purely natural process can generate all the complexity and variety in the living world—no watchmaker needed. A lot of new things have happened in this field since Darwin first published this idea 165 years ago. This book is an excellent summary of all those refinements, corrections, and deeper understanding.
It discusses the different ways evolution happens, the molecular mechanism of heredity, the evolution of the human species, where it might go in the future, the paradoxes that were initially hard to explain, and how humans can change the course of evolution and its consequences.
If you are curious about the animal world and your own species, this book will answer many of your questions.
The Socratic Method: A Practitioner's Handbook. (*****)
Farnsworth, Ward
I picked this book for a specific work-related need. I wanted to learn how the Socratic method could be used to teach any topic to school students. Even though it is an excellent introduction to the practical use of this method, it is not exactly meant for pedagogy.
Having said that, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to become more persuasive in their arguments without taking an adversarial position. This is particularly useful in the current political environment, where we are practicing a style that is diametrically opposite to what this method prescribes.
The Man in the Red Coat. (*****)
Barnes, Julian
It is a bit difficult for me to be excited about a book if I am not that excited about the people or the ideas that fill the pages. I love the writing of Julian Barnes, and I am particularly fond of his subtle sense of humor. This book is no exception. The writing is brilliant, the research is exceptionally detailed, and it is funny and intelligent all through.
The central character is a brilliant surgeon who lived in France at the end of the nineteenth century and early part of the twentieth. The book is set in Paris during the Belle Epoque. The rest of the characters are the who's who of contemporary French and English society: aristocrats, literary giants, artists, and performers—all part of high society. I, for some reason, find little interest in this group of people.
What is remarkable about this book is it portrays all the complexity, hypocrisy, self-adoration, violence, and glamor of this society, but none of them knew at that time that one day we would look back at this period and call it the Belle Epoque.
It was an interesting read, but not much more. It is not a book that changed me in any perceptible way.
Nothing to Be Frightened Of. (*****)
Barnes, Julian
When I reached the fifty-year mark, thoughts about the finiteness of life and death started to crowd my mind. They were not morbid thoughts but the simple realization that my time was limited. I am afraid of suffering but not of death. My regrets are mostly about what I might be missing out on. I want to try many things; I want to read and watch more than I have the time. Above all, I am insanely jealous of younger people, as many of my scientific and technological questions will not be answered before my death. I am envious that they will read books that have yet to be written.
In this book, which is part memoir and part meditation about dealing with the inevitability of death, the author touches upon all the questions and doubts that I have been pondering. Not that we always agreed, but to hear another person articulating the same or similar thoughts is extremely satisfying. His approach to the question is perceptive, deeply philosophical, and emotionally poignant but funny at the same time.
I would not recommend this book to someone still young enough to imagine that life will go on. It is not the theoretical understanding of death that we all do, but a sense of urgency that time is running out. Everything meaningful I do now is a result of this intense realization. But for those who feel that way, this book is a must-read. Only Julian Barnes can turn such a heavy subject into a funny, thoughtful, and engaging read.
How to Retire: 20 lessons for a happy, successful, and wealthy retirement (*****)
Benz, Christine
I met the author, Christine Benz, when we both worked at Morningstar and was struck by her poise, understated confidence, and popularity among our readers. However, financial topics were never my cup of tea, so I read only a few of her pieces. After a few years, I left Morningstar and returned to my previous company, Encyclopaedia Britannica. A couple of weeks ago, I saw the announcement of a book by Christine, and this time, the topic and the time were just right. I am at that point where I have to think about retirement seriously, and due to my lack of interest in financial matters, I realized I am totally unprepared. So, I decided to learn from one of the best experts on retirement.
The book is divided into 20 chapters, each covering some essential aspects of this challenging topic. In each chapter, Christine interviews an expert in that area and then adds her comments. What surprised me was that many chapters were not about the financial aspects of retirement. I was naively expecting a book about the economic dimension of retirement, but finance is just a tiny part of the puzzle. There are huge emotional issues, health and death considerations, and questions about caregivers. In other words, this is a very complex phase of our lives that happens suddenly. Without adequate preparation, it can only lead to disappointments and unpleasant surprises.
I am extremely happy I picked up this book and feel a little more prepared. More importantly, now I know what I don't know and can learn more. If you are contemplating retirement, especially in the US, I highly recommend this book. If you are like me, you will learn something new or discover a new perspective in almost every chapter.
The Maniac (*****)
Labatut, Benjamín
This is the best historical novel I read in recent times. However, it does not depict the history of a particular time or person but the history of an evolving idea. The idea is that our reality and the nature of our universe can be entirely captured by reason alone. The central character is the polymath John von Neumann, who played a pivotal role in the making of all modern computers. However, it tells the stories of many other scientists from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and ends with the advent of AI during the last decade.
Most of the book is in the form of imagined first-person narratives, but they are based on accurate research. Each character, each narration, made me reevaluate my thoughts about many things -- the role of science, the purpose of discoveries, responsibilities, the nature of our understanding, and the limits of knowledge. The book does not propose a specific point of view but instead makes us think deeply about many things. Isn't that the purpose of any great book?
Personally, I felt that the author's definition of 'reason' is a bit narrow. He defines it in terms of formalist mathematicians, where we now know that it is not a complete system and cannot explain everything. However, suppose we define reason as the mechanism through which we can think step by step, systematically, relying on evidence and testability. In that case, we may not feel as uncomfortable as some of the characters in the book felt.
Above all, it is a book that brings us close to the minds of geniuses. We often use the term 'genius' a bit too loosely. Once we come to know the people in this book, it becomes clear that geniuses are rare human beings who can see the world around us in distinctly unique ways and change our thinking forever. They are all maniacs and often beyond good and evil.
Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI. (*****)
Mollick, Ethan
I would not label it as a profoundly thought-provoking book, but it is indeed very timely. In an environment where everyone is talking about AI, either as a danger to society, as an euphoric innovation, or even as an existential threat, it is time someone wrote a book that has a three to five-year horizon and discussed, in practical terms, how this technology can be used to help in many things we do. The perspective is not to look at it as an independent agent but as a helper, and hence the term co-intelligence.
The book is backed up by actual research that the author and his colleagues have performed in recent years to measure the effectiveness of working with an AI. It is also illustrated by numerous examples of how the author used it in many of his tasks, including as a critic of this book as he was writing it. Only the last chapter goes beyond the near future and explores four possible scenarios as this technology evolves rapidly.
Personally, I have always remained interested in AI and other forms of technology, and I tried to stay in touch with the development. I do not recall a time when it was almost impossible to predict where things would be in just two or three years. Irrespective of what you do, you can benefit from reading this book to gain a little visibility and perhaps gain from this technology.
Berlin Alexanderplatz. (*****)
Döblin, Alfred
This is by far the most surprising novel I have read in many years. I want to emphasize the word "surprising" not just because this book was published more than ninety years ago but also because it would have surprised me if it had been written this year. It feels just that modern and fresh.
Set in the 1920s Berlin, the book chronicles the life of Franz Biberkopf, a person just released from prison. However, it is not the linear tale of an individual but a mesmerizing portrait of a city and a period. Stylistically, I cannot compare it to anything else I have read. There is a little bit of stream-of-consciousness, but it is much more than that. The storytelling perspective constantly changes from first person to third person without any warning. Sometimes, it leaves the main characters and branches out into some other story with no apparent connection to the main plotline. Sometimes, it is just an endless list of street names. Sometimes, it is a visceral description of a slaughterhouse. Sometimes, it is a poem or a song. But all this does not make it into a madhouse of narrative confusion, but magically binds it all together into a single coherent portrait of a time, a city, its people, its politics, and above all, its struggle to survive.
I do not have the ability to describe this book adequately. All I can say is if you haven't read it, then make time to do so. It is a long book and sometimes not easy to consume. But if you don't, you will miss out on one of the most profound literary experiences of your lifetime.
Riots & Rockets: A Dash of the Army, A Dose of Politics, and a Life in the Law (*****)
Bowe, William J.
I usually do not rate or review books where I have a personal relationship with the author. I worked with Bill for over 15 years and remained in touch even after that. However, when we worked together, it was primarily a professional relationship, and we never asked each other about our lives before we met at Britannica or about our interests. I just knew he had a passion for photography. I knew him as a corporate legal person, which is rarely very interesting.
Reading his memoir made me realize how many stories can be hidden behind someone's professional identity. I am not claiming that every person we meet has grand stories to tell, but the number of people who do may be more than we think. Not all of them write a memoir, but if we care to make the time and listen, we could hear fascinating stories from entirely unexpected places.
Bill has worked in US Army Intelligence, which has brought him close to major world events. It has also taken him to a tiny atoll in the middle of the Atlantic with a missile test range. He got involved in the anti-Vietnam war protests across campuses. He was part of the political drama surrounding the tumultuous days of Chicago politics when power shifted from Mayor Daley to Byrne and finally to the first black mayor of any large US city. He was intimately involved in the rise and fall of one of the major news services. And finally, he was part of Encyclopedia Britannica as the 250-year-old company transitioned from a print publisher into the digital era and the battle over a patent that could have defined the internet.
How could I have missed all these stories while working alongside him for over a decade? Who knows how many other such stories I missed simply because I never showed interest in other colleagues and justified my indifference in the name of professional distancing?
What Darwin Didn't Know: The Modern Science of Evolution. (*****)
Solomon, Scott
This is one of the best books I have read about the modern understanding of Evolution. There are just a few ideas that come close to the brilliance and power of this one idea—that a purely natural process can generate all the complexity and variety in the living world—no watchmaker needed. A lot of new things have happened in this field since Darwin first published this idea 165 years ago. This book is an excellent summary of all those refinements, corrections, and deeper understanding.
It discusses the different ways evolution happens, the molecular mechanism of heredity, the evolution of the human species, where it might go in the future, the paradoxes that were initially hard to explain, and how humans can change the course of evolution and its consequences.
If you are curious about the animal world and your own species, this book will answer many of your questions.
The Socratic Method: A Practitioner's Handbook. (*****)
Farnsworth, Ward
I picked this book for a specific work-related need. I wanted to learn how the Socratic method could be used to teach any topic to school students. Even though it is an excellent introduction to the practical use of this method, it is not exactly meant for pedagogy.
Having said that, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to become more persuasive in their arguments without taking an adversarial position. This is particularly useful in the current political environment, where we are practicing a style that is diametrically opposite to what this method prescribes.
The Man in the Red Coat. (*****)
Barnes, Julian
It is a bit difficult for me to be excited about a book if I am not that excited about the people or the ideas that fill the pages. I love the writing of Julian Barnes, and I am particularly fond of his subtle sense of humor. This book is no exception. The writing is brilliant, the research is exceptionally detailed, and it is funny and intelligent all through.
The central character is a brilliant surgeon who lived in France at the end of the nineteenth century and early part of the twentieth. The book is set in Paris during the Belle Epoque. The rest of the characters are the who's who of contemporary French and English society: aristocrats, literary giants, artists, and performers—all part of high society. I, for some reason, find little interest in this group of people.
What is remarkable about this book is it portrays all the complexity, hypocrisy, self-adoration, violence, and glamor of this society, but none of them knew at that time that one day we would look back at this period and call it the Belle Epoque.
It was an interesting read, but not much more. It is not a book that changed me in any perceptible way.
Nothing to Be Frightened Of. (*****)
Barnes, Julian
When I reached the fifty-year mark, thoughts about the finiteness of life and death started to crowd my mind. They were not morbid thoughts but the simple realization that my time was limited. I am afraid of suffering but not of death. My regrets are mostly about what I might be missing out on. I want to try many things; I want to read and watch more than I have the time. Above all, I am insanely jealous of younger people, as many of my scientific and technological questions will not be answered before my death. I am envious that they will read books that have yet to be written.
In this book, which is part memoir and part meditation about dealing with the inevitability of death, the author touches upon all the questions and doubts that I have been pondering. Not that we always agreed, but to hear another person articulating the same or similar thoughts is extremely satisfying. His approach to the question is perceptive, deeply philosophical, and emotionally poignant but funny at the same time.
I would not recommend this book to someone still young enough to imagine that life will go on. It is not the theoretical understanding of death that we all do, but a sense of urgency that time is running out. Everything meaningful I do now is a result of this intense realization. But for those who feel that way, this book is a must-read. Only Julian Barnes can turn such a heavy subject into a funny, thoughtful, and engaging read.