0:00 The Prince 4:05 Artemis 6:45 A History of the World in 12 Maps 10:11 The Good Immigrant 13:37 Legion // The Warmaster 15:07 Memes in Digital Culture 18:49 The Master Algorithm 21:49 worst part of this video :(
If you found The Prince interesting I strongly recommend The Discourses; Machiavelli's companion piece to The Prince. The Prince is Machiavelli's description of how the world works in practice, but in The Discourses he lays out how he thinks the world ought to be. Perhapse surprisingly given the content of The Prince, Machiavelli was an advocate of republics, and personal liberty was at the core of his political thinking. Where men like Stalin and Henry VIII kept annotated copies of The Prince, men such as Rousseau and Washington kept copies of The Discourses. The other reason both works are worth reading, especially if you happen to be a history student like me, is that Machiavelli was the first to advocate using history as a way of predicting and planning for the future. He was also one of the first authors to use footnotes. I know that's boring but as a history postgraduate it is, tragically, interesting to me.
I'd not heard of The Discourses - I'll definitely check them out. Also you absolutely shouldn't think it tragic that you find these things interesting - I thought they were very interesting too!
Thank you for recommending The Discourses 😭. I never recommend people I know to read the book Prince by Machiavelli. One time my lil sis was checking my book shelve and asked me about the book I told her she’s too young to read it. I genuinely think Prince is a great book but for some reason unlike other books I just can’t bring myself to recommend it.
Could you make a video, or even a comment, on your reading routine? I have set regular reading as my goal for the summer but im finding it difficult to establish a solid and regular routine for it.
I like to combine reading with a walk in the woods. I will read for like half an hour then take a 15 minute break to walk to a new spot and continue reading there.
I usually leave my phone in another room when I go to bed in the evening and read then. In this way I read on average around 40-50 pages each night. This way I usually get through a new book each week.
Hi Simon, there is an excellent book called "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman which gives a startling (and often valuable) insight into how and why we make judgements and decisions. With a profound truth at the end of almost every chapter I really think that it's worth adding to your reading list.
I low-key screamed when I saw the notification for this and then had to re-evaluate my entire life... but I'm so glad this is getting to be a regular seasonal thing on your channel! I almost always buy 90% of your recommendations, so my shelves thank you (and my bank account less so, but we're ignoring that)! Edit: RESURRECT THE BOOK CLUB
So excited to see another book video!!! I'm definitely adding a few of these to my Goodreads. Based off of what you've shown in your book videos, I think you'd like Michael Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals".
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, or Disappearance of Childhood also by Neil Postman. These are dense, short books, but not too difficult to go through, written by the social critic a few decades ago, but still INCREDIBLY relevant. Worth a read. It was certainly an eye opener when I first read them last year. Got me started in reading nonfiction intensively.
A book that i feel the audience of this channel would really enjoy is "Deep Work" by Cal Newport. Not sure if Simon already recommended this one, but its a book about focusing and how to get the type of work done that generates value. I typically avoid books self help books that claim to be able teach me some invaluable life skill in the span of 200 or so pages, but this book really told me a lot of the things I needed to be told, and I would even go so far as to say that this is the book that affected my behavior the most in recent memory.
Simon! I am loving each and every of your videos I watch. I never cease to get bored. I have been an individual who has loved watching youtube videos since I was in highschool (~2011). I have made a ton of my own films for friends for fun on the side, and have always wanted to make that leap to produce content on youtube that just expresses myself. I just haven't jumped into doing it yet, but would you argue that even though youtube is getting, if not already, saturated with tons of creators, that it would still be a great thing to do? Would love you response to this!! keep up the content! - Dan
Considering your interest in human history through different scientific and historic approaches to research I think it'd be safe to recommend you about Henry Petroski. Petroski is an engineer but he has mostly done some research in the history of engineering, writing mainly about different aspects of design and the development of certain object through time and taking into account all kinds of shifts in politics, economy, morals and so one. I read two of his books, 'The Book on the Bookshelf' and 'The Evolution of Useful Things' but his most famous one is 'The Pencil'. Between the two that I've read I think 'The Book on the Bookshelf' was a lot more interesting because it offers a broad yet deep exploration of a specific theme: The history of books and how we store them.
in some sense it kindda reminds of 'The Visual Display of Quantitive Information' bridging the weird gap between science. history and design (though this one can't be mistaken for a textbook)
Great video. I like when you talk about books (my passion). Next time you most likely will talk about Philip Pullman, then I think it will be nice if you talk a little about Pullman´s books you had read in the past too. It is just a suggestion. Have an amazing summer reading! :-)
Taking into account how you love Fantasy books, I find strange that you haven't got any from Brandon Sanderson! Try Mistborn for a tidbit, or go stright to the Stormlight Archive, you will love it!
Loved this video Simon! I found this book through doing some research for my history undergrad dissertation that I'm doing this semester and thought I'd recommend it here for those of your viewers who enjoyed the chapel choir parts of your PhD vlogs. It's called "O Sing Unto The Lord: A History of English Church Music" by Andrew Gant I think you can get it from Waterstones as I had to get it shipped over here to Australia in order to use it for my project. It's fascinating especially as it provides the historical context of well known choral works. A majority of them being the pieces we've sung occasionally in the cathedral choir and in my parish chamber choir (which is essentially the uni's chapel choir but has a mix of us undergrad uni students and lay clerks). That reminds me I need to remake my Goodreads account! The book club sounds fabulous! Have a wonderful day! :-) ~Evelyn (Evie is my nickname)
Outside your usual genres but Into The Wild and Into Thin Air, both by Jon Krakauer are favourites of mine. Both true stories and the writing is gripping. Journalism/ travel writing at its best.
I'm reading "Wild Law" by Cormac Cullinan at the moment, which is a very edifying book about how to build a sustainable society starting from an industrialized world. I strongly recommend this one if you could manage enough time to add it to your list, it's only 200 pages.
I clicked on this video because I saw Phillip Pullman's book and his trilogy was also one of my all-time FAVOURITES (nice use of "clickbait")... fyi your video did NOT disappoint!!
You should do a book review on death by black hole: and other cosmic quandaries. I'm not sure if you've read this book, or done a review on it because I'm quite new to your channel, but I think it would make for a great vid. Keep up the great content!
Recommendations: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and it's sequel if you end up liking it, which is called "The Wise Man's Fear". This was likely recommended to you before, but since I haven't seen it on your to read list I'd like to add it there. Think of this recommendation as an book you can read fairly quickly --when-- if you run out of Warhammer books. The main reason why I'd recommend this book is because Patrick Rothfuss master of words. He clearly puts huge amount of time into every single sentence, and if you like science like system of "magic" you'll love his version. However, there is one drawback: these books were supposed to be part of a trilogy... and the last novel is yet to be released... and there doesn't seem to be any hints of a release date.
Rothfuss is good but I find it far too local. It’s not really a story of scale, rather one of the adventures of one man. Which is fun tho. I recommend it too. (Actually I much prefer the mistborn trilogy)
I've got a few questions for you: 1. How do you choose the books you read? 2. I'm interested in learning about special relativity and general relativity. I am studying mechanical engineering so I've learned up to three dimensional calculus and differential equations on the math side, and then the basic mechanics and electricity and magnetism on the physics side. What books/textbooks do you recommend to read to learn about relativity? Also, thanks for the great content! They've inspired me to get a graduate degree once I finish undergrad.
19:33 - If an "unholy child" of a sequel is made, I hope that the title is "mEMes In diGITaL cULtuRe: on the 'Meme Economy'." As always, thank you for another great video, Simon! ♥ (Speaking of the 'Meme Economy', though, by the time that sequel is published, the Mocking Spongebob meme will probably have virtually no stock value. :( )
I enjoy these videos so much, thank you Simon! As for recommendations, I have really been enjoying Steven Pinker's books. Amazing scientist and great writer. I started with The Language Instinct which was a huge eye-opener (although English isn't my first language so the grammar bits was rather dense for me, I admit), and now I have just started reading The Blank Slate (so far so good) and have more of his work on my to-read list. I think the only bad thing I can say about him is that many books are a bit long. I prefer 2-300 pages tbh, and his tends towards 4-600. But so far I'd say his accurate and funny style of writing makes up for it.
I was in a book store the other night thinking, "I wonder what Simon would recommend...." if only I had waited a few days. Regardless, I picked up "On the Shoulders of Giants" and "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" I think he would approve haha
Do you have a kindle or a nook? If you don't, why not? You can keep your books for eternity without having to worry about wear and tear of everyday use, and other ways books get damaged. You'll also usually get a better price on the electronic version of books. There are lots of books that do not have an electronic version and that stinks.
I'm an economics/ math undergrad and I am so curious about the actual economics behind the "meme economy". I've never learned anything about it because none of my professors would have any idea what I am talking about, but I think it'd be such a cool thing to read about. If there was like a paper released every year reviewing the most popular memes from that year and discussing the economics behind the popularity of them, I'd definitely read.
Great recommendations, thank you! Three of my own for now: 1.“Reality Is Not What It Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity” (I listened to the audiobook on Audible) A very digestible history of science leading to a pretty clear lay explanation of quantum gravity. 2. “Soul Drinker.” I read this when I was a teenager so I doubt it’s well written (certainly it has nothing on Dan Abnett) but it was my favorite WH40k book. It portrays Space Marines who believe they are following the will of the Emperor and end up becoming (maybe spoilers?) mutants. I was intrigued by the idea of questioning whether you have become the thing you hate, and questioning whether your former allies are justified in hunting you. 2a. “Deathwing.” A 40k short story anthology with a few standouts: imperial guardsmen struggling to traverse a hellish jungle planet; a Navigator seduced by an Astropath; a Callidus Assassin begins to doubt her identity while on a mission; and the best story was Dan Abnett’s ‘Pestilence,’ where an Imperial agent searches for the source of a plague.
You should check out Endgame, it was a really exciting read and just such a good style. I really enjoyed the 2 books currently published. It's not everyone's thing but give it a chance! :)
I just read the trouble with physics? Good book, even tough it is 10 years+ old its still a very good read. Not the easiest of books to go trough tough.
I am a board member of the university of amsterdam's english student counsil and we put together a lecture about memes for our members. They are fascinating.
I found The Book of Dust to be disappointing. I love His Dark Materials, but Dust was a real letdown. The last half is painfully slow and drawn out. I'm not going to read the next two books. Maybe you'll feel differently. Recommendation--Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro. About a container ship sinking during a hurricane in the Caribbean in 2015. Sort of like the Titanic--everything that *could* go wrong *did* go wrong. Really interesting and enjoyable.
I suggest Sophocles’ The Theben Plays, espcieally the Robert Fagles translation. Also Virgil’s Aeneid is quite fun. As a general introduction to classical antiquity I’d also say read Robin Lane Fox’s The classical world. (Or ignore all of these if you have no interest in the classics, in which case I suggest my favorite book; Scott Lynches Lies of Locke Lamora)
I highly recommend some of the books by John Scalzi whose kinda like a gateway sci-fi writer. I recommend The Collapsing Empire which has todo with an empire going through an environmental catastrophe and has a lot to do also with politics and economics. Another would be The Old Man’s War which is about an 80 year old man joining the space marines. The technology in this book I found absolutely fascinating. I also recommend Sea of Rust which is kinda like an adult version of Wall-E with robot economics and the fall of humanity Also STARSHIP TROOPERS a book that dives into a lot of political structure and insight into a solider’s psychology and some pretty terrifying predictions that may still come to past.
If you like books about how human history was brought out and developed through technology, I think my best recommendation for you would be “diary of a wimpy kid, Rodrick rules” by Jess Kinney. I think it does a great job breaking down the theory of the human conscience and how the modern mind is effected by technology around it.
I think the best advice is to just enjoy and be open to everything, take your time to delve into topics and endevours you enjoy, while trying to stay balanced and studying very well. My best experience was when I studied what I should do and filled all the time remaining with fun, games, tinkering and youtube :)
A few ideas floating in my own "to be read" list: 1. Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming 2. Proof: The Science of Booze 3. Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life 4. Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher 5. Six Not-So-Easy Pieces: Einstein’s Relativity, Symmetry, and Space-Time
I recommend "A little history of the world" by Ernst Gombrich. It's a little gem among history books. It's an overview of the most crucial points in history, up until the 1900s. Every chapter focuses on a different topic and a different geographical area, but we also read about religion, important inventions and the evolution of society. It helps retrace the steps of humanity all the way back to prehistory, and helps you inversent how we came to be as we are now. It's also a very easygoing read, as it was written for children, but I think everyone should read this, as i'm sure almost anyone would find more that a thing that they didn't know before!
I'd also like to see your thoughts on "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos" by Jordan Peterson. Just curious what you think, I liked it a lot even if some of the in-depth analysis of our psyche, went over my head.
"I didn't sign up for this! I signed up for funny pictures of cats!" You're speaking for 99% of internet users nowadays there. 😂 Great review video, as usually you made every single book sound so interesting that I want to read them all!
Hi Simon, thanks for making these video, liked the six easy pieces you recommended, i was wondering could you make a video about self-help books ??? because i never liked these books, even when i was depressed, to be honest, i found them stupid, but few of my good and smart friends like reading them. So, i just want to hear you opinions on them.
Have you read the Asimov's Foundation trilolgy? Maybe it will be interesting if you want to go down the "economics explored through fiction" road. I wil be definetly read Artemis to explore some of that.
Drop whatever you are doing right now and go get a copy. Essential piece of sci-fi literature. One recomendation for when you get to reading it is try and put the science and technology described in the story in context , it get´s more interesting when you remind yourself it's a 60+ year old novel.
Recommendation: Dreadnought by April Daniels. Transphobia and the impostor syndrome explored through superhero fantasy. If you enjoyed the different perspective from The Good Immigrant, you might enjoy this in the same vein.
Hello, Simon Clark! You make great videos about Physics and related stuff. I am an Indian high school student who is aspiring to pursue a career in Physics. So, could you please suggest me how should I get into the university same as yours?
Hi Simon! I’m currently in year 12 and I’m applying to Oxford this year to study physics. I was wondering what type of predicted grades you had when applying or something equivalent. I’m likely to get A*A*AA as predicted grades for my UCAS form. I know the PAT test is the most important, but Im unsure as to what extent Oxford care about the number of A* predicted grades (above the minimum requirement). Thanks!
Hi, Simon. I like your book reviews. I want to recommend you “Eating animals” by Jonathan S. Foer. The book explains, with extensive research, what eating animals meant two hundred years ago and what it means nowadays with factory farming, which has become the source of 99% of animal products. The book also exposes the terrible consecuenses of factory farming to public health, the environment and, of course, animal welfare. It's an eye-opener and I think you will certainly benefit from it.
I think you should read Grit by Angela Duckworth, it is a scientific look at the idea of innate talent. Then there's iGen by Jean M. Twenge, it explores the generation (us) that has used smartphones all their lives and it lists some truly troubling statistics. And for some weird but absolutely thought-provoking read please try From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty. It's about caring for the dead all over the world, and I know it sounds gross, but it definitely makes a point and shows how clueless we are in the west when coping with death. Also, do you think a TBR list with 60 books is long? That's nice... :D
This was so genuine. Probably one of the best book reviews I’ve seen!
Yay, thank you! I love doing these - I just can't do too many as I need to read a lot for each one!
Simon Clark You’re welcome and kudos to you for putting in so much effort
0:00 The Prince
4:05 Artemis
6:45 A History of the World in 12 Maps
10:11 The Good Immigrant
13:37 Legion // The Warmaster
15:07 Memes in Digital Culture
18:49 The Master Algorithm
21:49 worst part of this video :(
If you found The Prince interesting I strongly recommend The Discourses; Machiavelli's companion piece to The Prince. The Prince is Machiavelli's description of how the world works in practice, but in The Discourses he lays out how he thinks the world ought to be. Perhapse surprisingly given the content of The Prince, Machiavelli was an advocate of republics, and personal liberty was at the core of his political thinking. Where men like Stalin and Henry VIII kept annotated copies of The Prince, men such as Rousseau and Washington kept copies of The Discourses.
The other reason both works are worth reading, especially if you happen to be a history student like me, is that Machiavelli was the first to advocate using history as a way of predicting and planning for the future. He was also one of the first authors to use footnotes. I know that's boring but as a history postgraduate it is, tragically, interesting to me.
I'd not heard of The Discourses - I'll definitely check them out. Also you absolutely shouldn't think it tragic that you find these things interesting - I thought they were very interesting too!
I strongly second The Discourses, a great work indeed!
Great tip
Thank you for recommending The Discourses 😭. I never recommend people I know to read the book Prince by Machiavelli. One time my lil sis was checking my book shelve and asked me about the book I told her she’s too young to read it. I genuinely think Prince is a great book but for some reason unlike other books I just can’t bring myself to recommend it.
Could you make a video, or even a comment, on your reading routine? I have set regular reading as my goal for the summer but im finding it difficult to establish a solid and regular routine for it.
I like to combine reading with a walk in the woods. I will read for like half an hour then take a 15 minute break to walk to a new spot and continue reading there.
@@Bhuyakasha Okay fuck you for having the woods near you. I'M STUCK IN THE DESERT!
I usually leave my phone in another room when I go to bed in the evening and read then. In this way I read on average around 40-50 pages each night. This way I usually get through a new book each week.
I do love waking up to book videos
I could honestly listen to him talk all day. I wish I was as well-spoken
Loved the way you review books, Make a person fall in love with books.
Woooo! 👏👏book review 👏👏
The Master Algorithm sounds super interesting. I definedly have to read that atleast. I'm glad these videos are back!
Hi Simon, there is an excellent book called "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman which gives a startling (and often valuable) insight into how and why we make judgements and decisions. With a profound truth at the end of almost every chapter I really think that it's worth adding to your reading list.
Loved this, please read more so we can get more of these videos! I definitely think the book club idea was amazing and you should bring it back!
I low-key screamed when I saw the notification for this and then had to re-evaluate my entire life... but I'm so glad this is getting to be a regular seasonal thing on your channel! I almost always buy 90% of your recommendations, so my shelves thank you (and my bank account less so, but we're ignoring that)!
Edit: RESURRECT THE BOOK CLUB
So excited to see another book video!!! I'm definitely adding a few of these to my Goodreads. Based off of what you've shown in your book videos, I think you'd like Michael Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals".
Happiness- When Simon uploads a video...
Thank you Simon! Always looking forward to your book videos. Love em! Hello from the Philippines!
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, or Disappearance of Childhood also by Neil Postman. These are dense, short books, but not too difficult to go through, written by the social critic a few decades ago, but still INCREDIBLY relevant. Worth a read. It was certainly an eye opener when I first read them last year. Got me started in reading nonfiction intensively.
Love your book recommendations/reviews. Please keep making those!
Would love a book club. I appreciate your honesty when reviewing books btw
Hey, you could make a video about "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance". Love your book reviews by the way. ;)
A book that i feel the audience of this channel would really enjoy is "Deep Work" by Cal Newport. Not sure if Simon already recommended this one, but its a book about focusing and how to get the type of work done that generates value.
I typically avoid books self help books that claim to be able teach me some invaluable life skill in the span of 200 or so pages, but this book really told me a lot of the things I needed to be told, and I would even go so far as to say that this is the book that affected my behavior the most in recent memory.
Simon! I am loving each and every of your videos I watch. I never cease to get bored. I have been an individual who has loved watching youtube videos since I was in highschool (~2011). I have made a ton of my own films for friends for fun on the side, and have always wanted to make that leap to produce content on youtube that just expresses myself. I just haven't jumped into doing it yet, but would you argue that even though youtube is getting, if not already, saturated with tons of creators, that it would still be a great thing to do? Would love you response to this!! keep up the content! - Dan
Considering your interest in human history through different scientific and historic approaches to research I think it'd be safe to recommend you about Henry Petroski. Petroski is an engineer but he has mostly done some research in the history of engineering, writing mainly about different aspects of design and the development of certain object through time and taking into account all kinds of shifts in politics, economy, morals and so one.
I read two of his books, 'The Book on the Bookshelf' and 'The Evolution of Useful Things' but his most famous one is 'The Pencil'. Between the two that I've read I think 'The Book on the Bookshelf' was a lot more interesting because it offers a broad yet deep exploration of a specific theme: The history of books and how we store them.
I've not heard of him before, I'll have to check him out!
in some sense it kindda reminds of 'The Visual Display of Quantitive Information' bridging the weird gap between science. history and design (though this one can't be mistaken for a textbook)
Great video. I like when you talk about books (my passion). Next time you most likely will talk about Philip Pullman, then I think it will be nice if you talk a little about Pullman´s books you had read in the past too. It is just a suggestion. Have an amazing summer reading! :-)
Taking into account how you love Fantasy books, I find strange that you haven't got any from Brandon Sanderson! Try Mistborn for a tidbit, or go stright to the Stormlight Archive, you will love it!
I've been recommended him a few times - I'll have to check his books out!
Loved this video Simon! I found this book through doing some research for my history undergrad dissertation that I'm doing this semester and thought I'd recommend it here for those of your viewers who enjoyed the chapel choir parts of your PhD vlogs. It's called "O Sing Unto The Lord: A History of English Church Music" by Andrew Gant I think you can get it from Waterstones as I had to get it shipped over here to Australia in order to use it for my project. It's fascinating especially as it provides the historical context of well known choral works. A majority of them being the pieces we've sung occasionally in the cathedral choir and in my parish chamber choir (which is essentially the uni's chapel choir but has a mix of us undergrad uni students and lay clerks). That reminds me I need to remake my Goodreads account! The book club sounds fabulous! Have a wonderful day! :-) ~Evelyn (Evie is my nickname)
Outside your usual genres but Into The Wild and Into Thin Air, both by Jon Krakauer are favourites of mine. Both true stories and the writing is gripping. Journalism/ travel writing at its best.
"Infinite Jest" is a trip and the book is absolutely massive. I'd love to hear your thoughts on on it because it's for sure a wild ride.
bookclub sounds good. would give me some external motivation to read more.
A Wild Sheep Chase by Murakami is probably my favourite read from this year. It didn't come out this year, of course.
I'm reading "Wild Law" by Cormac Cullinan at the moment, which is a very edifying book about how to build a sustainable society starting from an industrialized world. I strongly recommend this one if you could manage enough time to add it to your list, it's only 200 pages.
I clicked on this video because I saw Phillip Pullman's book and his trilogy was also one of my all-time FAVOURITES (nice use of "clickbait")... fyi your video did NOT disappoint!!
You should do a book review on death by black hole: and other cosmic quandaries. I'm not sure if you've read this book, or done a review on it because I'm quite new to your channel, but I think it would make for a great vid. Keep up the great content!
Recommendations:
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
and it's sequel if you end up liking it, which is called "The Wise Man's Fear".
This was likely recommended to you before, but since I haven't seen it on your to read list I'd like to add it there. Think of this recommendation as an book you can read fairly quickly --when-- if you run out of Warhammer books. The main reason why I'd recommend this book is because Patrick Rothfuss master of words. He clearly puts huge amount of time into every single sentence, and if you like science like system of "magic" you'll love his version. However, there is one drawback: these books were supposed to be part of a trilogy... and the last novel is yet to be released... and there doesn't seem to be any hints of a release date.
Rothfuss is good but I find it far too local. It’s not really a story of scale, rather one of the adventures of one man. Which is fun tho. I recommend it too. (Actually I much prefer the mistborn trilogy)
I've got a few questions for you:
1. How do you choose the books you read?
2. I'm interested in learning about special relativity and general relativity. I am studying mechanical engineering so I've learned up to three dimensional calculus and differential equations on the math side, and then the basic mechanics and electricity and magnetism on the physics side. What books/textbooks do you recommend to read to learn about relativity?
Also, thanks for the great content! They've inspired me to get a graduate degree once I finish undergrad.
19:33 - If an "unholy child" of a sequel is made, I hope that the title is "mEMes In diGITaL cULtuRe: on the 'Meme Economy'."
As always, thank you for another great video, Simon! ♥
(Speaking of the 'Meme Economy', though, by the time that sequel is published, the Mocking Spongebob meme will probably have virtually no stock value. :( )
New Subscriber here, thank you for sharing. You have a nice persona on camera, very genuine.
That book club idea sounds interesting! Do it!
I enjoy these videos so much, thank you Simon! As for recommendations, I have really been enjoying Steven Pinker's books. Amazing scientist and great writer. I started with The Language Instinct which was a huge eye-opener (although English isn't my first language so the grammar bits was rather dense for me, I admit), and now I have just started reading The Blank Slate (so far so good) and have more of his work on my to-read list. I think the only bad thing I can say about him is that many books are a bit long. I prefer 2-300 pages tbh, and his tends towards 4-600. But so far I'd say his accurate and funny style of writing makes up for it.
I was in a book store the other night thinking, "I wonder what Simon would recommend...." if only I had waited a few days. Regardless, I picked up "On the Shoulders of Giants" and "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" I think he would approve haha
I very much do!
I think you'd enjoy the Ken Follett's Century Trilogy (although this will set you WELL behind on the reading goals, the books are THICC)
Simon, you should have a look at The Nix by Nathan Hill, it's heartwarming and hilarious at the same time :)
I’m just getting into reading, so these videos are quite nice!
Let me know how you get on!
Simon Clark Sure can do!
I recommend: The fifth head of Cerberus (sci-fi). If you find ethics interesting, I suggest books by Plato.
HAHA! suddenly found your channel, and I really enjoy your book review video!! I should definitely read more :)
Have you ever read Terry Pratchett's Discworld series Simon?
Do you have a kindle or a nook? If you don't, why not? You can keep your books for eternity without having to worry about wear and tear of everyday use, and other ways books get damaged. You'll also usually get a better price on the electronic version of books. There are lots of books that do not have an electronic version and that stinks.
One book I would like to know your thoughts about would be Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy (The trilogy in five parts)
Don’t Panic!
I'm an economics/ math undergrad and I am so curious about the actual economics behind the "meme economy". I've never learned anything about it because none of my professors would have any idea what I am talking about, but I think it'd be such a cool thing to read about. If there was like a paper released every year reviewing the most popular memes from that year and discussing the economics behind the popularity of them, I'd definitely read.
Boy are you in for a treat! memeinsider.co/
Great recommendations, thank you! Three of my own for now:
1.“Reality Is Not What It Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity” (I listened to the audiobook on Audible) A very digestible history of science leading to a pretty clear lay explanation of quantum gravity.
2. “Soul Drinker.” I read this when I was a teenager so I doubt it’s well written (certainly it has nothing on Dan Abnett) but it was my favorite WH40k book. It portrays Space Marines who believe they are following the will of the Emperor and end up becoming (maybe spoilers?) mutants. I was intrigued by the idea of questioning whether you have become the thing you hate, and questioning whether your former allies are justified in hunting you.
2a. “Deathwing.” A 40k short story anthology with a few standouts: imperial guardsmen struggling to traverse a hellish jungle planet; a Navigator seduced by an Astropath; a Callidus Assassin begins to doubt her identity while on a mission; and the best story was Dan Abnett’s ‘Pestilence,’ where an Imperial agent searches for the source of a plague.
my to read list has over 700 books on it so you're doing pretty well imo
I think restarting the book club would be an amazing idea!!!
You should check out Endgame, it was a really exciting read and just such a good style. I really enjoyed the 2 books currently published. It's not everyone's thing but give it a chance! :)
So many books available and things one wants to do. Any tips on having and managing multiple lives?
I just read the trouble with physics? Good book, even tough it is 10 years+ old its still a very good read. Not the easiest of books to go trough tough.
Napoleon by Vincent Cronin. Saw it was Larry Ellison's favorite and it is definitely one of the best I have read.
I am a board member of the university of amsterdam's english student counsil and we put together a lecture about memes for our members. They are fascinating.
Simon! Love your videos! When will you make your thesis public? (if you can of course) I found the topic very interesting!
When the corrections are finally approved I will!
Thank you for your.... "Rambly, incoherent, all over the place, book review video". Loved it, as always!
I found The Book of Dust to be disappointing. I love His Dark Materials, but Dust was a real letdown. The last half is painfully slow and drawn out. I'm not going to read the next two books. Maybe you'll feel differently. Recommendation--Into the Raging Sea: Thirty-Three Mariners, One Megastorm, and the Sinking of El Faro. About a container ship sinking during a hurricane in the Caribbean in 2015. Sort of like the Titanic--everything that *could* go wrong *did* go wrong. Really interesting and enjoyable.
The unseen world by Liz Moore and yess off we need the book club back!!!
I love these you're great!! Keep 'em coming!
It's 3:52am, I was ready to go to sleep; that was until I opened up UA-cam. Great video!
Same
Sorry lol :P
Yes! More book videos!
By far my favourite UA-camr
I suggest Sophocles’ The Theben Plays, espcieally the Robert Fagles translation. Also Virgil’s Aeneid is quite fun. As a general introduction to classical antiquity I’d also say read Robin Lane Fox’s The classical world. (Or ignore all of these if you have no interest in the classics, in which case I suggest my favorite book; Scott Lynches Lies of Locke Lamora)
I highly recommend some of the books by John Scalzi whose kinda like a gateway sci-fi writer.
I recommend The Collapsing Empire which has todo with an empire going through an environmental catastrophe and has a lot to do also with politics and economics.
Another would be The Old Man’s War which is about an 80 year old man joining the space marines. The technology in this book I found absolutely fascinating.
I also recommend Sea of Rust which is kinda like an adult version of Wall-E with robot economics and the fall of humanity
Also STARSHIP TROOPERS a book that dives into a lot of political structure and insight into a solider’s psychology and some pretty terrifying predictions that may still come to past.
I'm very much down for a book club!
by the way, like this background!! colours are very lively
I love videos like this!
Love ur book vids
Thank you for putting so much effort into this video
Hand on heart, this was the easiest to make video I've done all year. Apparently I should do more like this haha!
If you like books about how human history was brought out and developed through technology, I think my best recommendation for you would be “diary of a wimpy kid, Rodrick rules” by Jess Kinney. I think it does a great job breaking down the theory of the human conscience and how the modern mind is effected by technology around it.
Hey Simon , how do you keep yourself motivated?
Just keep swimming I guess :)
Hmm
Any tips for me? I am a high school student
I think the best advice is to just enjoy and be open to everything, take your time to delve into topics and endevours you enjoy, while trying to stay balanced and studying very well.
My best experience was when I studied what I should do and filled all the time remaining with fun, games, tinkering and youtube :)
A few ideas floating in my own "to be read" list:
1. Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming
2. Proof: The Science of Booze
3. Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life
4. Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher
5. Six Not-So-Easy Pieces: Einstein’s Relativity, Symmetry, and Space-Time
i enjoyed this.
Nick kyme, Gav thorpe are my favorites
Artemis is a welding manual
😂
I recommend "A little history of the world" by Ernst Gombrich. It's a little gem among history books. It's an overview of the most crucial points in history, up until the 1900s. Every chapter focuses on a different topic and a different geographical area, but we also read about religion, important inventions and the evolution of society. It helps retrace the steps of humanity all the way back to prehistory, and helps you inversent how we came to be as we are now. It's also a very easygoing read, as it was written for children, but I think everyone should read this, as i'm sure almost anyone would find more that a thing that they didn't know before!
I'd also like to see your thoughts on "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos" by Jordan Peterson. Just curious what you think, I liked it a lot even if some of the in-depth analysis of our psyche, went over my head.
I hope the prince is as good as you said!
I am envious, but interested in knowing how many (not research-related) books did you read during your doctoral research?
"I didn't sign up for this! I signed up for funny pictures of cats!" You're speaking for 99% of internet users nowadays there. 😂 Great review video, as usually you made every single book sound so interesting that I want to read them all!
Hi Simon, thanks for making these video, liked the six easy pieces you recommended, i was wondering could you make a video about self-help books ??? because i never liked these books, even when i was depressed, to be honest, i found them stupid, but few of my good and smart friends like reading them. So, i just want to hear you opinions on them.
Book club yes please definitely
love your book ewviews
Remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro is amazing
*clap
Book
*Clap
Review
I hope more people get it :)
I was gonna like this comment
But am I _gonna_
Have you read the Asimov's Foundation trilolgy? Maybe it will be interesting if you want to go down the "economics explored through fiction" road. I wil be definetly read Artemis to explore some of that.
I've been meaning to read some Asimov for AGES, I really must get on it
Drop whatever you are doing right now and go get a copy. Essential piece of sci-fi literature.
One recomendation for when you get to reading it is try and put the science and technology described in the story in context , it get´s more interesting when you remind yourself it's a 60+ year old novel.
You should read "thinking fast and slow", mind blowing book
I shall check it out!
Recommendation:
Dreadnought by April Daniels.
Transphobia and the impostor syndrome explored through superhero fantasy. If you enjoyed the different perspective from The Good Immigrant, you might enjoy this in the same vein.
Hello, Simon Clark! You make great videos about Physics and related stuff.
I am an Indian high school student who is aspiring to pursue a career in Physics. So, could you please suggest me how should I get into the university same as yours?
Hi Simon! I’m currently in year 12 and I’m applying to Oxford this year to study physics. I was wondering what type of predicted grades you had when applying or something equivalent. I’m likely to get A*A*AA as predicted grades for my UCAS form. I know the PAT test is the most important, but Im unsure as to what extent Oxford care about the number of A* predicted grades (above the minimum requirement). Thanks!
Read homo deus. Similar to sapiens, but a brief history of future and where we are headed. Very good👌
yo i remember doing The Good Immigrant for a book log last year good read
Hi, Simon. I like your book reviews. I want to recommend you “Eating animals” by Jonathan S. Foer. The book explains, with extensive research, what eating animals meant two hundred years ago and what it means nowadays with factory farming, which has become the source of 99% of animal products. The book also exposes the terrible consecuenses of factory farming to public health, the environment and, of course, animal welfare. It's an eye-opener and I think you will certainly benefit from it.
Please resurrect the book club, i've been waiting so long 😭
Frankenstein, Drakula, 1984, 12 rules to life: an antidote to chaos
Manga carta, any of Lokes work, rules for radicals and some of Karl Marx work- just try not to get radicalised
I think you should read Grit by Angela Duckworth, it is a scientific look at the idea of innate talent. Then there's iGen by Jean M. Twenge, it explores the generation (us) that has used smartphones all their lives and it lists some truly troubling statistics. And for some weird but absolutely thought-provoking read please try From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty. It's about caring for the dead all over the world, and I know it sounds gross, but it definitely makes a point and shows how clueless we are in the west when coping with death.
Also, do you think a TBR list with 60 books is long? That's nice... :D
YES what ivebeen waiting for!
Hey Simon, I hope you don't get influenced much by the first one(full of dictators' conspiracies, it seems). Please remain the good person you are :)
Don't worry - I think I've come out the other end the same person!