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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (by Oliver Sacks)

Being passionate about the brain and how it works, I had heard a lot about the author of this book. Oliver Sacks was a British neurologist who moved to the United States, where he spent most of his career. He was the author of numerous and best-selling books that mainly include the cases of his patients, who were people with neurological disorders. He died in 2015 at the age of 82. Before reading this book, I had watched a film, with Robert De Niro and… Read More »The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (by Oliver Sacks)

Flow

Flow (by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi)

This is one of those books that I kept finding cited in a number of others that I have been reading, so much so that I had already got the concept of “flow” long before I read it. The author with the unpronounceable name – until you learn how to pronounce it – is a Hungarian psychologist who, about 70 years ago, moved to the USA and spent his career there. He died last year (in 2021) at the age of 87. Csíkszentmihályi‘s research and… Read More »Flow (by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi)

Journey by Moonlight

Journey by Moonlight (by Antal Szerb)

This book is special to me, just knowing that I was going to read it at the end of my day made my day happy. A classic of Hungarian literature (Utas és Holdvilág), it was written by Antal Szerb, one of the major Hungarian writers of the 20th century. His works have been translated into many languages. Because of his Jewish background, he faced strong hostility and persecution, until he was atrociously beaten to death by the guards of a concentration camp in 1945, at… Read More »Journey by Moonlight (by Antal Szerb)

The Women of Brewster Place

The Women of Brewster Place (by Gloria Naylor)

I wish I had read the content warnings first: rape, homophobia (strong graphic content), child death, alcoholism, physical abuse and some other bad and heavy stuff that I don’t like to read. I was tempted to not finish it on many occasions, and I did find myself skimming a bit because the writing wasn’t capturing my attention. I could follow it, but I just couldn’t connect to the story. I know this book is considered a classic but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. I’m… Read More »The Women of Brewster Place (by Gloria Naylor)

Evolve Your Brain

Evolve Your Brain (by Joe Dispenza)

Until about 50 years ago, scientists believed that the brain didn’t change after childhood. Now we know instead that the brain can and does change throughout our life. It keeps adapting and reconfiguring its structure, in response to new information, sensorial and environmental stimulation, thoughts and even damage. The brain’s ability to do all this is called neuroplasticity. The scientists who study it and its impact on people’s lives are called neuroscientists. The brain of a child is more plastic, which is why it’s easier… Read More »Evolve Your Brain (by Joe Dispenza)

The Mind in the Cave (by David Lewis-Williams)

What is art? The word art is used today to describe a wide variety of things from prehistoric cave paintings to those apparently nonsensical installations you find in modern galleries. Music and literature are also art but here we’re going to consider visual art only. Is visual art made to be looked at? Is it made for spiritual purposes? Is it made just as a creative outlet? Does art have as many meanings as the artists who make it? Should art be beautiful or just… Read More »The Mind in the Cave (by David Lewis-Williams)

Sapiens

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (by Yuval Noah Harari)

I was really looking forward to reading this book and I had high expectations given that there had been a lot of hype around it. Not only did it not disappoint, but it also even exceeded my expectations. The author, Yuval Noah Harari, is simply a genius. He’s a university professor of history in Israel, so the book is written by somebody who has qualified knowledge. He has made an entire course about the history of humankind too which is available for free on YouTube.… Read More »Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (by Yuval Noah Harari)

A Wartime Memoir: Hungary 1944-1945 (by Alaine Polcz)

This is an autobiographical and historical account of the terrible experiences that the author went through during the Second World War in Hungary. It’s narrated in retrospective which I particularly appreciated as I could get to know the author’s thoughts from a point of view after the fact as well. It’s a raw, sad and often overwhelming read. It was difficult not to pause every few pages to take a break, breath and reflect on how horrifying war is. At a certain point, when I… Read More »A Wartime Memoir: Hungary 1944-1945 (by Alaine Polcz)

Opium – Selected Stories (by Géza Csáth)

This collection of stories was written between 1905 and 1912 and explores some of the darkest sides of human life. The author, Géza Csáth, was born in Hungary at the end of the 19th century. Amongst other things, he was a short-story writer with a short life – he died when he was just 31 years old, shortly after the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire and after escaping from a psychiatric hospital. I’ve read that he had developed an addiction to morphine to deal with… Read More »Opium – Selected Stories (by Géza Csáth)

The Feeling of What Happens

The Feeling of What Happens

This book was, for me, revolutionary and revelatory as it significantly contributed to helping my quest for something I had been keeping asking myself for a very long period of time – who are we? Many self-help books out there say that we are our awareness – the ability to observe our body and what happens within it, including our thoughts and emotions. Thoughts and emotions are just products of our minds. Let’s explain this concept by adopting the opposite approach as these books do:… Read More »The Feeling of What Happens