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Non-Fiction

A short history of nearly everything

A Short History of Nearly Everything

What a journey I’ve been on! In less than 600 pages, I’ve fast-forwarded through the history of the world and of the human species, from the Big Bang to our recent days through most areas of science. This ambitious masterpiece was very informative and written in a conversational style. In fact, I felt like I was sitting in an armchair, by the crackling fire, with a glass of red wine in hand, in the company of a very knowledgeable friend who was explaining to me… Read More »A Short History of Nearly Everything

Humand Kind

Humankind

Do you think humans are selfish, untrustworthy and dangerous creatures? If so, do yourself a favour and read this book. The core message in this book is that most people, deep down, are good-hearted. A perfect read in the current times. The author, Rutger Bregman, is a historian whose optimism is energising. He tells lots of effective stories and provides evidence from psychology, sociology, anthropology and archaeology. He starts developing his theory with a view on the “philosophical boxing ring” that sees two opposite opinions… Read More »Humankind

The Wisdom of No Escape

The Wisdom of No Escape

Peaceful and calm. This is what I felt while I was reading this book. It was easy to read and it came at just the right time. It’s a good reminder to compassionately accept who we are, that we are all interconnected, that suffering is part of life and that it’s not by pushing away painful things that we can be happy. An encouragement to see who we truly are and to observe how we react to our emotions and thoughts. I loved it when… Read More »The Wisdom of No Escape

Mudlarking

Mudlarking

I loved this book even before I bought it. I fell in love with the cover, to start with. It’s so attractive I’m thinking of framing it and hanging it on the wall. It’s the choice of the colours, their combination, the font used and how the text is distributed that is just smart. When I started reading it, I was immediately hooked. The writing is clever and passionate. The author says she’s a daydreamer and manages to pull you into her daydreams. It felt… Read More »Mudlarking

Everything I Know About Love

Everything I Know About Love

I confess. I judged this book by its cover. It was early on a rainy Sunday morning and I was wandering in an empty shop when I saw some books stacked on a table. I went closer and was attracted by this cover, indeed, I liked it so much that I wanted to read the book regardless of what it was about. However, upon reading it, I didn’t relate to the author at all, so I immediately started to feel bored and remained as such… Read More »Everything I Know About Love

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

I liked this book, but I didn’t like it that much. Sometimes I felt it was motivating, but other times I found it a bit “common sense” with what it was trying to teach. The author himself says that he hasn’t made up these habits, that they are just natural laws. It’s well-structured and put together, and I appreciated the examples mentioned. Even if the world has changed since its original publication in 1989, I can see that the content is still relevant today. However,… Read More »The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Intelligenza Emotiva

Emotional Intelligence

I’ve been wanting to read this classic for a number of years and I am so happy I finally got around to it. I found it helpful and engaging that at the beginning of every single chapter there was a practical case to introduce the topic. The author also mentioned many scientific studies to support his theories. Eye-opening, deeply informative, insightful and satisfying, this expertly written book was definitely worth reading. From Goodreads: Everyone knows that high IQ is no guarantee of success, happiness, or… Read More »Emotional Intelligence

The Book of Human Emotions

The Book of Human Emotions

Stop and think about two facts: This goes to show how important it is to start developing an awareness of our emotional life and to that end, this book is a must-read. Informative and witty, it can also be read “on-demand”, given that it is what it says on the cover: an encyclopedia. I found the cultural stories behind the emotions particularly interesting. I had never given enough thought to the fact that emotions can be interpreted differently depending on the time, location, culture, etc.… Read More »The Book of Human Emotions

Ikigai

Do you have a vegetable garden? If not, and if you want to live a long and happy life, you might consider having one. You’ve just learned one of the “secrets” of the longest-living people. Sorry for the spoiler. It wasn’t that much of a spoiler, though, wasn’t it? We already knew that. I have been curious about this book for a while given its aggressive promotion and I have become familiar with the Ikigai diagram even before reading the book. In this read, I expected to find some… Read More »Ikigai

The Art of Happiness

The Art of Happiness

The Dalai Lama believes that the purpose of life is to seek happiness. To achieve this you need to do only one thing: train your mind. Because that’s what happiness is, a mental state. The book is not directly written by him, but instead by a Western psychologist who asks him questions about life. The Dalai Lama’s answers show that his mind is open, flexible and gentle, his humanity is real, his wisdom is deep and his teachings are powerful and effective. Funnily enough, he… Read More »The Art of Happiness