Ranking every book I read last year
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- I was a busy boy and read 25 books last year - here's my ranking of them! I did cheat a little bit and lumped 15 books of a series into one entry to review, but I figured people didn't want thirty minutes of me dorking out over Gaunt's Ghosts and how good Blood Pact is. First and Only!
My goodreads! / simonoxfphys
Book links:
- Hidden Life of Trees: geni.us/hiddenlifeoftrees
- Lucky Planet: geni.us/luckyplanet
- May We Borrow Your Language: geni.us/borrowlanguage
- If Walls Could Talk: geni.us/englishhome
- Homo Deus: geni.us/homodeusharari
- Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: geni.us/mannhockeystick
- Gaunts Ghosts (1st book): geni.us/firstandonly
- Brothers of the Snake: geni.us/watersofithaca
- Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: geni.us/immortalhenrietta
- The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: geni.us/manwhomistook
- Silk Roads: geni.us/frankopansilk
Previous videos reviewing these books:
- Homo Deus: • Shadow of Sapiens: Hom...
- Spring reads: • What I've been reading...
- Science books: • The Best Pop Science B...
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Gaunt's Ghosts? I see you are also a man of culture. Also, gateway drug is the most apt description for any standalone Black Library novel I've ever heard.
Oh no, more books to add to my already excessively long list
That is a signal of a book reader.
I have a growing library of books I have not read.
@E how can remember that much information ? Especially if it was nonfiction
@E i read 15 a year ..
Watching because I saw ‘Brothers of the Snake’ in that pile! Didn’t realize the thick boys were Gaunts Ghosts, Traitor General was my start to the series and it’s a great read, I couldn’t wait for Armour of Contempt. Started my Warhammer journey with ‘Soul Drinker’, I highly recommend it!
Haven't read Traitor General, but listened to soundtrack someone made inspired by the book - was very evocative. I've only read Necropolis, but the ending was so moving, that am planning to get The Founding and start from beginning soon! :)
I’ve literally read 8 books since the start of isolation and usually I would read that in a year 🙈
Same here
great job
Love my past self
Spoiler alert: you're about to see your failure in the SAT exam but let's see next week..
Nice, another book video! I always really enjoy them
It's good to see you back, Simon! Keep up the good work :) xx
I'm studying med definitely going to read those books! Thank you
Hi Simon! I love that you put out videos like this, because it reminds me of just how much joy and knowledge I can get out of books! I need to read at least some of these! My top book which I read last year was: "When breath becomes air" by Paul Kalanithi, which is such an amazing first person account of terminal illness and mortality. Paul's writing is great and because he's a doctor, he fully understands medically what he's going through, making you feel very closely the inevitability of his death and the hard decisions he and his wife have to make.
When Breath Becomes Air was also my top book of the year. The perspective of the transition from doctor to patient, and as you say, the way it touches on mortality was fascinating. I read the whole book cover-to-cover in one sitting.
Thanks for the video. Added the Silk Roads to read later. Just recently finished "The Little History Of the World", pretty simple, yet enjoyable book about the whole human history up until WWII.
My top 5 from 2019:
1. Introduction to Ethics, George Wall
2. Weapons of Math Destruction, Cathy O’Neil
3. Educated, Tara Westover
4. Memoirs of a Revolutionist, Peter Kropotkin
5. Ethics in the real world, Peter Singer
love your book contents!!!
I would recommend The Expanse series. Maybe Arc of a Scythe.
I love this kind of video.
First and Only!
Behave by R.Sapolsky was one of those non-fiction books, which, alongside books by Y.N.Harrari and O.Sacks, changed how I looked into the world. He talks about why we do the things we do, but in an extremely broad sense - Sapolsky discusses our genetics, hormones, environment, culture, evolution and so on. He talks about how all these aspects influence the way we act and think, he provides a ton of info about various researches, but he does so in a very elegant, welcoming and reader-friendy way. Highly recommended, I think you'd enjoy it. And it has looong in depth chapters :D.
Oh, and Oliver Sacks wrote a ton of books, not only " The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat". Highly recommended checking his other books out. His book "Hallucinations" is probably my favorite non-fiction ever.
Thanks for a great video and keep reading!
This man did not read Bodega: tales of the bodegaverse, my disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined....
Yeah I want him to read Bodega too!!
oh man, you just added the silk roads to my list. my ever growing list! when will i watch netflix?!
I recommend ‘You Talkin’ to Me?’ By Sam Leigh. Through this book one will completely change the way you look at persuasive language and the formation of arguments.
Absolutely loved this - thank you, Simon! I have resolved to read the top three you recommended here this year :)
Hey Simon, Your videos and the way you explain these books is something I've not seen before, absolutely love it! Also, if I want to start to read the Warhammer series, what should I start off with??
At work atm, dropped a like and will be back later to watch the vid! Keep up the good work!
Thoroughly enjoyed brothers of the snake and agree with most of your recommendations for the best Gaunt’s ghosts books (I haven’t read past traitor general yet)
Hey Simon, I'm also and physics and do music. What was that score on the piano. Anyway I also read a lot, not as much as you but anyway. I really really recommend, anything by Dostoevsky namely (crime and punishment, and brothers Karamazov) life changers. Also recommend War and Peace, but as far as British books, I really really really recommend The Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, the movie Master and Commander (2003) is based on book 1(of the same name) and ten, there are 21 books in the series! (im at book 13) You definitely leave me excited and eager to read Silk Roads, (just got it) and Sapiens. I have to finish war and peace first. Also I read your blog post and have been following you for years, I really wish you luck with those troubles, and glad to see you doing well!
Thanks for recommending The silk road. I really enjoyed reading Sapiens so I'm excited for this one. :) Recommendation from me: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. If you're into medicine, literature, stories of human lives and deliberating meaning of life, you might enjoy it.
Feeling some relief that you didn't talk up any books that I hold in utter contempt. In the last several years, that has happened to me fairly often. OTOH I've also learned that sometimes there is real value in reading bad books. You may be familiar with the Dorothy Parker quote "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." Yeah, I run into those, a lot.
I love your book videos. I read Sapiens last year because you recommended it. I just finished reading Bad Blood by John Carreryrou and I thought it was absolutely amazing and shocking. It's about Theranos and how Elizabeth Holmes was able to fool investors, companies, and consumers. She claimed she had revolutionized biotech that with a drop of blood you could run lots of tests, which did not exist.
This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay. This book is a collection of numerous diary entries that gives you a strong and revealing insight into life as a junior doctor in the most hillarious way.
Crisis in the Red Zone by Richard Preston probably took my spot for favorite nonfiction book of all time this year. As a successor to his older books The Demon in the Freezer and The Hot Zone, it focuses on some of the most important individuals and locations at the heart of the 2014-16 West African Ebola outbreak, as well as the global repercussions it had and will continue to have for years to come.
My top book of last year was Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik. It tackles materials science in such a beautiful and entertaining way you forget you're even reading about concrete and metals. I never knew nonfiction could be so good until this book.
I have a book suggestion!! One of my all time favorite books is Bushman Lives by Daniel Pinkwater. It does do the stop start thing but in a way that I find quite enjoyable.
The Vaccine Race by Meredith Wadham. One of the best books on medicine and medical progress that I've ever read. Similar to Immortal Life but heavier on the science side.
Totally agree about the Lucy Worsley book! Bill Bryson's book on it is really good! I'm also having to research it a bit more in depth for a chapter of my History thesis about the Edwardians :-D
Also my top book is nice and short, Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet
Books I highly recommend:
Fiction: Brandon Sanderson's work, read first 'the stornlight archive' . And in Audible: Sherlock Holmes definitive collection read by Stephen Fry.
Nonfiction: My Journey by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.
What I'm reading now:
Principles by Ray Dalio.
In audible I'm listening to Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Read by Roy McMillan.
the Non-Fiction: My Journey by APJ Abdul Kalam, is it also known as Wings of Fire?
@@theawantikamishra no, these two are separate books.
Great video, thank you very much!
For you, I would highly suggest "Feeding the Fire: The Lost History and Uncertain Future of Mankind's Energy Addiction" by Mark Eberhart.
It is a historical recap starting from the "beginning" of the universe and creation of the first elements building up to present day society. Written by a Mark Eberhart Chemistry Faculty professor.
Thank you again!
Some recommendations sorted by genre...
Fantasy: Stormlight Archive and/or Mistborn Trilogy (Brandon Sanderson)
Fiction: All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
Non-fiction: Book Of Joy (Douglas Abrams with Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu)
Popular science: The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins)
If you're interested in language and how it's shaped history, cultures, people, etc. I would highly recommend:
The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, and Civilization by Martin Puchner.
Super interesting read!
I’ve went from rarely reading when in my youth to reading a book a month and sometimes two or three at a time.
I can’t read fiction any more though.
I came here for the Silk Road book.
I’m probably going to buy it tomorrow.
Oooh im about to start the immortal life of Henrietta Lacks!!
“Hot Zone” by Richard Preston is about the Ebola outbreak and is an interesting read. I read it in high school. Also keep up the good work, I love your channel and have been a very silent member since 2017!
If you like books that help with understanding the world, I totally recommend Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. It's about the work they won a nobel prize for and gives a great insight into development and behavioural economics. For the same reasons "Thinking, fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman is amazing.
Also if you loved Silk Roads (like I did), you'll also like everything Jared Diamond wrote (e.g."Guns, Germs & Steel" or "Collapse").
My favorite fiction book of 2019 is Endgame: The Calling by James Frey.
For nonfiction, I'd recommend How To by Randall Munroe but I'm sure you know all of his books :)
My top book was The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. It's a fiction book about an unnamed whisky priest in Mexico during the '30s when priests were persecuted by the Mexican state, especially in the southern regions of Mexico. I devoured it. The story was deeply touching and I read it three or four times last year. Another one was Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. This one was also moving, but more personally as opposed to seeing the tides of faith, like in The Power and the Glory. Overall, incredible books that I'd recommend to anyone.
Definitely putting the top 3 on my reading list. Awesome video. I'd recommend some books but they've been mostly about atheism and it's pitfalls, not sure if that's your cup of tea. If you wanna bite, I would recommend "I don't have enough faith to be an atheist." It's interesting if you are religious or not. A new way of seeing things, I guess. Also finally read Sapiens and it is beautiful.
If you want a beautifully written science book: The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli.
Just to note, Benedict Cumberbatch reads the audiobook version, so extra plus if you listen on audible!
Thank you for ask adding to my TBR list btw! lol Honestly, great reviews and suggestions.
Excellent non fiction books on Octopuses (I am applying for marine biology and have a slight obsession) The Outer Minds ,and The Soul Of the Octopus
Found a book a while ago at my college's library book sale called Where the Wizards Stay up Late, about the creation of the internet. Might be interesting. I haven't gotten to it yet.
If you haven't read them already, i think you'll like Jared Diamond - Swords, Horses & Germs, and also Ian Morris - Why the West rules - for now . I havent read Silk Road yet (on the top of my list now); absolutely loved Immortal Life of H L.
Silk roads is a nice book! got to read some of the other ones you mentioned tho. Since your last video I read:
Persian Fire by Tom Holland
The Little Prince by Antonie De Saint-Exupery
The World in Conflict by John Andrews
China A History by John Keay
The History of the Medieval World by Susan Bauer
Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy by Serhii Plokhy
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The War of the Roses by Dan Jones
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Volume 2 by Douglas Adams
Othello by William Shakespeare
India: A Short History by Andrew Robinson
The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethian England by Ian Mortimer
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
How to be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman
The Cantebury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Poetics by Aristotle
The Opium War by Julia Lovell
Hamlet by Shakespeare
Still Friends by Saul Austerlitz
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Volume 3 by Douglas Adams
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare
The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
The Complete Fables by Aesop
The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt by Joyce Tyldesley
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Macbeath by Shakespeare
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca
Ok, so, what I recommend: China by Kaey is a amazing book in the general history of China, probs the best one out there. Chernobyl by Phloky is AMAZING!!! Really best book i read this year I think. Also Gatsby is suprisingly funn!! Leviathan Wakes is good fun too. All quiet on the western front is also a lot of fun. Don Quixote is alright, but loong.
But yeah, Chernoby by Phloky is the best one I read of the above.
omg such a book list can we be friends omg
Trees are fascinating - Dr. Clark 2020.
Read Henrietta lacks and it is absolutely one of my favourite books of all time. However I can not get through the man who mistook his wife for a hat... I wish I could since I’m a medical student but Yeesh is it a hard pill to swallow.
I am currently reading 'Why We Sleep' by Matthew Walker- although not written in the same smooth and poet format as the 'HeLa' or 'The Man Who Mis...' books - it is a great and interesting read from a purely scientific standpoint! :)
I have to recommend global magic by Alf hornborg and fossil capital by Andreas Malm.
The Stormlight Archive - can't go wrong
Interesting video
Completely agree with your review of the secret life of trees, in fact I think I gave up on it...
I did too! Just couldn't face any more after about a quarter
Interesting background!
yes the silk roads is a fantastic book - i apporve
Please do an updated version!
If you loved Oliver Sacks, I highly recommend Siddhartha Mukherjee, especially The Emperor of Maladies. It's a 'biography of cancer', so a heavy subject matter but I highly recommend it. Mukherjee's writing, to me, come across as inspired by Sacks and it's very well executed.
Top in my list are Homo deus and Voyagers of Hell. Both r awesome books.
You might enjoy Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum by Wallace-Hadrill.
The affirmation by Christopher priest was pretty good imo.
Excuse me but I’m going to need more book videos than this
Please
Love these book videos! Would love more of these review videos.
Just finished reading "Cant Hurt Me " by David Goggins. Best book I have ever read.
How so? - I heard it was great, but I didn't understand why that... is?
@@umb3rto641 have you seen the JRE podcast with him? If you havent you should watch it, its number 1080. It's really really good. Its basically a summary of his book tbh.
@@giovannicarmona1050 I'll surely give it a go, right when I will have a little more free time...
Please read Behave by Robert Sapolsky, The First Cell by Azra Raza and DNA Is Not Destiny by Steven J. Heine!
I recommend Haruki Murakami Blind Willows
A book the changed my way to look at the work is the Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker
I'm curious what you would think of the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. It is science fiction dystopia and touches themes on leadership and rebellion.
Have you tried any books by Sam Kean - I have a feeling you will like them
@Simon can you review Doughnut Economics?
Read Use of Weapons, Ian M Banks. The Culture series is really good.
I read Consider Phlebas and really enjoyed it! Will have to give this a go
The Inheritance Cycle are an amazing series of books with possibly one of my favourite magic systems in any fantasy, I definitely recommend reading them!
I agree. I think the magic system is one best Ive read about.
"Why would you watch this Simon dude? He's just a PhD student in Atmostpheric Physic, have a tight curriculum, giving opinion and suggest books?"
You've answer your own question right there
No longer a student, he's a doctor of atmospheric science!
Do not get too disappointed with the new Silk Road. It has unfortunately not much to do with the original. Well, not surprising as he had covered the whole history in the first Silk Roads, which was as you said great to read.
what physics book should I read if I just ended high school?
Simon has a few existing videos on physics book recommendations
Hey, best book I read last year was Dominion by Tom Holland, would definitely reccomend
Silkroads was book of the year for me in 2017...
Are you planning to read "The Infinite and the Divine" WK 40k book by Robert Rath? It is stand alone as far as i understand, and it is about a rivalry between two necron lords over the millenia! I have not read it yet, but it looked interesting from the description and one comment in particular really made me laugh. I quote: " This is a book about two immortal NERDS fighting and trolling each other over a mcguffin" :)) If that doesn't sell it, I don't know what will :))
If only I could include comic books as the “books” I read because I unfortunately haven’t read an actual book in years lol
Can't see why not mate :)
If you have not read the books by Steven Strogatz, Please give it a try. I anxiously await your review
"but I figured people didn't want thirty minutes of me dorking out over Gaunt's Ghosts and how good Blood Pact is"*
* - citation needed
Well, if there's demand...
@@SimonClark do a special channel for that
@@SimonClark I would recommend to read "commentary on the 11th contentions" by Dr Timothy Winter (professor at university of Cambridge) - here's an example of him speaking: ua-cam.com/video/3kDbqABvEN0/v-deo.html
What’s that book in the background?
You should maybe read books from Vaclav Smil if you like non-fiction in a more elaborate, textbook like style
Great youtube channel btw! I love every production from you that I have watched thus far.
Silk roads is such a good book, love it
You can try Word Perfect if you like Etymology
I was just watching your book videos
And you read my mind
That's what i need. Thanks bro
Are u gonna follow back on good reads 😇😇 pleaseee?
I hate if they change the size of the books during a series O-o
Why are they doing it?
Do you have read any science book recently?
I absolutely love your book reviews! Also, I think you would enjoy The Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov, one of the best sci-fi books ever written!
Good to see a fellow 40k fan!
I would suggest you read The Skeptics Guide To The Universe.
It's a great book about science, critical thinking and science communication. It covers a broad range of topics including conspiracy theories, logical fallacies and the traps of pseudoscience.
Is "a mind for numbers" a good book
how many words did you not know? in those books.
Alchemist by Paolo Coilo is magnificent one
Gaunt's Ghosts is fucking ace. Sure as sure.
Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
I would recommend Losing Earth: A Recent History by Nathaniel Rich! It looks at the decade(s) following 1979 when it became clear in the scientific community that climate change was happening and that there is a solution to it. How did we get here- fossil fuel industry's lobby, climate denialism, failed policies , etc.
What's the first of the warhammer series ?
First and Only! Though I'd definitely recommend Brothers of the Snake as the better introductory read