So it's July 25 reading list
Yup, come back for another book stuff as life was boring lately
How y’all doing?
Long time no writing – it almost feels like I’ve been in limbo these past couple of months. The truth is, sometimes you just need to lay low and focus on whatever’s in front of you.
That’s exactly what I’ve been doing. Floating through my goals, one after another, and trying out new things simply because I’m bored.
I never thought I’d like Japan this much. Now, I just want to go back for more.
I never thought I’d consider getting an MBA (and yes, it’s “an MBA” – still sounds weird, right?). But lately, I’ve been thinking about it.
Things are changing, life moves on, and people change, and I also.
Anyway, here’s what I’ve been reading lately.
Have you heard of Sarah C. M. Paine?
Soooooo, long story.
I went back to the gym
Then I needed something to do while focusing on the gain
So I began listening to a podcast.
By chance, I ended up listening to an interview with Sarah C. M. Paine. Well, maybe not entirely by chance – I’ve been picking more political science content lately as I think about structuring my career more strategically. But still, it felt a bit random at the time.
In short, the best analysis I’ve listened to on Grand strategy and the next thing you know, I bought one of her books.
The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War.
You could have guessed what it's about based on the title. Not exactly the book you read when it comes to career, but I got sidetracked as always.
One of the things that led me to read her book was the conversation (Not exact quote) in the podcast:
Q: How do you know if a book is good?
A: Look for the reference in the book, if it about a country but without any reference from their language, prob shit.
Yes, sir, she read Chinese, Russian, and Japanses. That what I admire, being a person who learn Chinese, German and French (Forgot 80% of everything, thank you the 80/20 law), one of the first thing I read in German was Faust and in French it was Les Miserablé, as you could have guess, I dropped the book on the first few pages, so yeah, I appreciate her effort.
Do you feel poor?
Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else makes you feel poorer
This is an okay book about the ultra-rich – the Plutocrats. It highlights how today’s new super-class shares more in common with each other across countries and cultures than with their fellow citizens.
The author frames this era as the Second Gilded Age, led by finance moguls and tech billionaires who reshape the world around them through sheer power, often cloaked in philanthropy or positioned as thought leaders.
Reading deeper into the author’s background adds another layer. Chrystia Freeland isn’t just a journalist; she became a Canadian MP, later serving as Minister of International Trade, and eventually as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance under Trudeau.
This cabinet… well, it’s not exactly my cup of tea.
One criticism of the book is that while it raises many thought-provoking problems, it offers few real solutions, which, frankly, aligns with the political stance of its author.
This was the first book that made me rethink how I read. Normally, I try to finish every book I start, but not this one. After getting through about a third of it, it started to feel repetitive, so I checked to see what was left. Turns out, not much – seven out of the eight key ideas were already covered in the first 30%. The rest was just the author trying to convince you that those ideas are true.
At that point, I wondered – what’s the point of continuing, especially if the problem is already very true to begin with? So, I dropped it.
At the random 3rd place
The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West.
I don’t know what to write about this book, to be honest. If you know, you know.
Keywords:
Palantir.
Palantir’s name is interesting, as is the name of its sibling company, Anduril.
The author is a philosopher, but for some reason, also leads a software company specializing in military intelligence.
They’re trying to convince people to join them.
If you’ve been in a hole lately, you might not know that defense tech is so hot right now in Europe and the US. Especially after the US pumped more money into it recently. I thought they were about to wind it down, but nope – they just keep the bombs rolling.
Just look at this.
That’s it. Hit me up if you have a company that develops Defense tech.
Oh, and a special thanks to my friend who went to the US and picked up two books for me. You know you’re born with some disadvantages when even getting a book costs extra money and effort. So, treasure what you have, folks in the US.
Here I quote from yet another author.
“The country where you’re born is like winning the lottery. You are a hundred times more likely to start a billion-dollar company if you were born in the US compared to most other countries in the world.”
(Ali Tamaseb, Super Founders: What Data Reveals About Billion-Dollar Startups, Chapter: Founder Demographics)
Then there prob like 2-3 more that I read for work and other stuff.
E.g, Learn from the Trenches: Managing Large-Scale Projects with Kanban is a book you read if you work for big tech.
But those were boring, so there you go, hope this helps, and good luck with the grinding as usual.