In comparison to this This Naked Mind, Alcohol Explained dives more into the biochemical angle of drinkiing. Enlightening and shocking.

I've never had alcohol problems. Or so I thought. If you cannot ease into a social night out with strangers without some drinks, if you committed yourself to "just one beer" and end up going on an absolute bender more than five times in a year, then you've got a problem too. Alcohol is just so omnipresent that it's not perceived like a problem, and only when you crave it on a daily basis is it supposed to be dangerous. Thing is, alchohol is a genuine poison that damages the body in such profound ways that one binge session can have long-lasting consequences. This is not something taught in school, for the teachers and writers of textbooks have their fair share of binges of life. So do your parents and friends and almost everyone. It's the one thing all major religions overlap in: don't drink alcohol. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism: all warn of alcohol. Yet it's the most widely ignored tenet of all believers. Obviously I'm not a guy of extremes to say never drink or ever get drunk (although. that's very sound advice too), but the permeance of alcohol into the fabric of our every day life is ludcrious. I've no doubt that in some decades people will look back at our generations and be gobsmacked at how we all drank, just as we now look back on smoking. This Naked Mind provides some truly fascinating insights into how fucked alcohol is.

In '1421', Gavin Menzies embarks on a sweeping odyssey, challenging the very bedrock of historical orthodoxy. Proposing a radical reimagining of the cartographic landscape of the 15th century, Menzies posits that it was the Chinese, rather than Columbus or Magellan, who first navigated the unknown expanses of the world's oceans. The narrative is a rich tapestry of maritime prowess, geopolitics, and arcane exploration, all meticulously pieced together with a blend of dogged investigation and enlightened speculation. Menzies crafts a compelling argument, one that invites readers to interrogate accepted truths and to wade, with unabashed curiosity, into the murky waters of historical revisionism. Whether one emerges as a staunch advocate or a skeptical critic, there's no denying the incandescent brilliance of Menzies' audacious hypothesis.

The concept of "nature" as we know it today wouldn't exist without the polymath scientist slash adventurer Alexander von Humboldt.

Here's the thing: Mark Manson of The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck fame, wrote a pickup book first. I thought very, very carefully before adding this book to the list for the simple reason of shame. Then I realised: why the fuck should I be ashamed? Because of the stigma? Fair enough. Virtually every book about this topic is filled with sexism, sleezy tactics and ascribes puffing yourself to be something you're not. The only relevant elements they convey are of evolutionary biology and aspects of hypergamy. Models is different. Whilst the function expliclity says how to attract women, it teaches you how to just be a better man. In high school, I was a vigin, mainly by merit of feeling inferior of being the poor kid that wore donated clothes, in a school full of rich kids, plus being slightly outcasted for being the straightest A student. I turned that around in university. I became a fuckboy. It took me a long time to realize that just fucking around and being a player was a facade constructed by my inferiority complex as a result of some truly shitty teenage years – a redemption. It wasn't until I read this book in my twenties that I changed. I realized I was hyper-anxious because of childhood trauma, that I was raised in a dysfunctional family plagued by repressed and unrepressed rage, and that my father was a brooding, depressed and broke person that couldn't teach me the basic values of being a good man. Models did a good job in turning that around. I faced the insecurities, and stopped dating for the sake of dating, and started dating for the sake of connecting with the opposite gender in a healthy way. I learned about working on myself in terms of style and honing in the importance of aesthetics which is something women do on a much greater scale and which merits our reciprocal effort, I learned the distinction between honest self-confidence as opposed to fake confidence and, most of all, I learned to be authentic and accept myself (including all the baggage from the past) and value myself and share myself with partners and potential partners. I'm proud of who I am today, dated great women as a result of this book (and not just sexy women), and for the first time was able to hold longer-term relationships not marred by toxicity. Feminists should encourage this book. And men should read it. No shame in reading this.

This timeless testament to the art of human relations. With sagacity and eloquence, Carnegie decodes the nuances of interpersonal dynamics, crafting a manual replete with timeless wisdom. Each page resonates with perceptive insights, making this classic an unerring compass for the social navigator.

This book was wind to the sails of my soul. It uplifted my optimism, reduced my negativity and anxiety, and pulled me towards a path to get closer to my goals. You may think Tony Robbins is tacky, but there's a reason he advises the likes Serena Williams, Ray Dalio or even presidents (such as Bill Clinton). They don't do that for just another motivational coach.

Richard Koch's elucidation of the Pareto Principle in The 80/20 Principle is nothing short of transformative. The book hones in on the asymmetric distribution of efforts and outcomes, exhorting readers to harness this inherent imbalance. Koch's astute observations, intertwined with rigorous analysis, make this work an essential read for efficiency aficionados. He was a fundamental influence to TIm Ferriss and his interviews on the Tim Ferriss shows are phenomenal.

Venturing into the candid recesses of The Truth About Hard Things, one is instantly met with a refreshing, unvarnished perspective on life's challenges. The narrative eschews sugar-coated platitudes, instead favoring raw, unadulterated truths, rendering it a beacon of clarity in a world mired in obfuscation.

The third book that let's me appreciate the positive aspects of religions. Definitely a controversial guy, and I don't acribe to 100% of what he preaches, but he most certainly is a very intelligent and genuine human being who has very worthwhile lessons to share. He taught me what I lacked because I was raised in a value-less family. The importance of some base principles like honesty or thinking beyond yourself. And of accepting pain as part of life without being sucked into its desctructive void of resentment.

Clear eschews the hackneyed tropes of self-help and instead offers a compelling tapestry of actionable strategies, meticulously woven with erudite prose and poignant anecdotes. His thesis on the potency of minuscule adjustments, manifesting monumental change over time, is nothing short of revelatory. Clear's magnum opus doesn't merely pay lip service to transformation; it provides the blueprint. This tome is an indispensable beacon for those navigating the murky waters of habit formation, and I wholeheartedly extol its virtues to anyone with an appetite for profound personal evolution

Mark Manson diving into philosophical ideals, the future of humanity, moral principles and more, doesn't fail to live up to the predecessor of The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck.

Possibly the best non-fiction book title ever conceived. And it also happens to be a great book. Mark Manson is a great yet accessible writer. Subtlety #1: Not giving a fuck is not about being indifferent. It just means you’re comfortable with being different. Don’t say fuck it to everything in life, just to the unimportant things. Subtlety #2: To not give a fuck about adversity, you must first care about something more important than adversity. Subtlety #3: Whether you realize it or not, you are always choosing what to give a fuck about. The key is to gradually prune the things you care about, so that you only give a fuck on the most important of occasions.

Embracing Tara Brach's Radical Acceptance'was akin to embarking on a profound spiritual sojourn. The book is a mellifluous blend of Eastern contemplative traditions and Western psychological insights, offering readers an odyssey of self-discovery and healing. Brach's luminous prose invites one to confront life's vicissitudes with grace and equanimity, making this work an indispensable companion for the modern soul.

The 4-Hour Workweek changed my life. I knew deep inside that I just won't be satisfied in a career where I don't determine my own destiny, where the fruits of my labor aren't towards a project of my own devising. Even if you work in tech at a company with huge prospects, I knew it wasn't for me. It made me quit my job at a company that became a unicorn. Regrets? None. I just wasn't happy. Every fiber of my body wasn't happy. And although a lack of absolute focus and personal circumstances means I haven't reached that stage yet where I achieved something truly grand as of yet (a few failed businesses wholly attributable to personal and family issues, and one rather successful undertaking which briefly made me a millionaire before crashing down again, again because of my inability to hedge against personal life drama), I am 100% never beaten. This app is tangible proof of that. I want to extract the maximum fulfilment from this life by creating things of impact, and I will. And the 4-Hour Workweek was the initial trigger for that, along with introdudcing me to techniques and resources that averted me becoming a neurotic wreck. If you don't want to read this book because it seems too tacky, then lsiten to the Tim Ferriss podcast. Him, Lex Friedman and Joe Rogan are the indisputable heavy-weights in podcasting. Phenomanl and informative interviews with the likes of Eric Schmidt, Mark Zuckerberg, Lebron James etc. Also, Andrew Huberman credits his career traction to a very significant degree to TIm Ferriss.

Viktor Frankl's massive pain and horror experienced in the concentration camps motivates me. Sounds morbid. But it's exactly what he wanted. Man's Search For Meaning should be read by high-school students, for it explores how we can transcend more into humaneness and away from reactivity by consciously extracting meaning and purpose from everything. Frankl was able to convert the abject misery of concetration camp life into a purpose of surviving, and then went on to derive another meaning when getting out. Of ensuring humanity moves forward so things like Nazi Germany do not happen again, by helping people find their purpose and making sure they find good purposes. When I find myself in the darkest moments, I remember how miniature my suffering was and how I owe it to Viktor Frankl to live through the suffering and continue forward despite the suffering for the sake of my purpose, the meaning of I ascribe to life (the meaning is very personal and different for every individual). It's one book that brought me closer to the values of religion; and I'm an atheist.

We like to think ourselves rational creatures, far removed from the impulsiveness of animals. That's a very flawed perception. We are DEEPLY impulsive and still more akin to chimps than the mostly rational superior mammals we think ourselves to be. A shocking number of rooted believes are solely based on what our friends or parents believe, we react very differently to and think very different of people based on their aesthetic looks and perceived status, we make a myriad of decisions and judgements from deceveingly elusive base impulses, and the more limited the cognitive capabilities the more this applies – which is quite ominous considering the average cognitive capability of the population. In a world were differing opinions are magnified and increasinly at louder and fiercer wars with each other, echo-chambered into ever bigger amplitudes, Thinking Fast & Thinkin Slow is one of those books that should be given to every child or teenager as soon as they can comprehend it.

As a fitting sequel to Sapiens, Harari's Homo Deus catapults readers into the future, probing the implications of mankind's insatiable quest for godhood. This prescient narrative delves into the ethical quandaries posed by rapid technological advancements, challenging our very perceptions of humanity. Harari's erudition shines through, crafting a mosaic of future possibilities that's as exhilarating as it is disconcerting. As a futurist and scifi lover, this is pure cocaine in terms of how much I like it.

A magisterial tapestry of humanity's journey through the annals of time. With deft prose and panoramic vision, Harari chronicles our species' odyssey from obscure primates to dominant world-shapers. This tome is a symphony of anthropology, sociology, and history, interwoven with a master storyteller's flair. Phenomenal. Should be part of every high school's literary class.

Lying is a trenchant exploration of the complexities of deception in human interactions. With his characteristic perspicuity, Harris sheds a burning focus on the moral, psychological, and societal ramifications of prevarication, compelling readers to reassess their own relationships with the truth. This concise yet profound treatise is a clarion call for honesty in an age of duplicity and accepted white lies. I really needed this.

Everyone, absolutely every human being that wants to achieve meaningful work in life, needs to read this. If you're content being an average employee at some company, don't worry, you don't need to read it. If you want to become an exceptional employee, have the option to work at exceptional companies, build a business or make powerful art in any form – in essence if you posess a true intention (goals, not wishy-washy dreams) to do your best work in this life, read this book. You know which one of those you are in your heart. Not gonna say more the book will tell you the rest.

A modern day philosopher, Eckhart Tolle, manages to extract a meaning of religion, of the word "God", in a truly profound way. I've always been turned off by the dogmatism, the shallowness and the hypocrisy of so many religions and their practitioners, that I labelled myself an atheist. The Power of Now is finally a set of practical instructions and simple insights into existence, that unlocks spirituality. Also because it refers so accurately to how the unconscious mind work, how we're basically monkeys driven by our genetic programming, and how slowly, as our intelligence evolves, we go to a stage beyond – which is consciousness.