Gian Saß

What I Read In 2015

· Gian Sass

Another 2015 post. This time it’s books. The last year could have not been busier but I managed to read a few books that I found were really interesting. 2015 was the year I actively began reading again, having not done it for quite a while. I hope at the end of this year I’ll have accumulated a bigger variety of books.

The Rosie Project/The Rosie Effect

One of my favorites. The Rosie trilogy by Graeme Simison is about Don Tilman, a geneticist with aspergers, who tries to find his perfect wife. He approaches it in a humours scientific way, which doesn’t yield any result. He then finds a woman called Rosie, by his descriptions totally unsuitable as partner. Don then more and more finds out what true love really means (in such a fantastic humorous way!). Heartwarming novel.

The 4 Hour Workweek

This one is by Tim Ferriss, a tech celebrity I suggest following, he does some really cool stuff! This book is about finding the perfect work-life balance. In short, you need to find your “muse” and build a self-sustaining business. Tim writes how to live like a millionaire without being rich. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to put it to practical use, yet. Being a (high school) student sucks!

The Motivation Hacker

Written by Nick Winter, also a cool guy I follow (he created a game called CodeCombat). Its about overcoming your fears and setting you up for success by hacking your motivation. The novel is really adventurous, and I haven’t been able to put anything to practical use yet, but I will try soon.

How To Lie With Statistics

Written by Darrell Huff and published in 1954, this book describes how people fool you every day using statistics with, including fancy illustrations! Its a splendid read for some quick humour.

Work Hard. Be Nice.

This book is written by Jay Mathews, published in 2009, and handles about how two young teachers created a new school program called KIPP, which stands for Knowledge Is Power Program. I wouldn’t suggest reading this one, except if you’re really into education, about education.

Er ist wieder da (Look who’s back)

Written by Timur Vermes, this novel is about Adolf Hitler returning to Germany in 2012 and trying to become a TV-celebrity. I bought this because it became one of the most popular novels in Germany. The portray of Hitler is done realistically well and is a satirical masterpiece! I highly recommend this one.

The Magic Of Reality

By Richard Dawkins, this book focuses on explanations of religion compared with science. Of course, if you know Richard Dawkins, he is a popular atheist. The Magic Of Reality teaches you how to think like a scientist and observe the world in a different way. This book is written for younger people I found. Wouldn’t recommend it since it doesn’t go very much in depth, but I’m considering to buy more books of Dawkins.

Chase

Written by Dean Koontz, it handles about a former solder who was in Vietnam, now in severe depression and getting followed by a psychopath. My former English teacher gifted me this. It is a good read, but nothing special.