Library

Philosophy of Software Design asserts complexity to be the biggest obstacle in software development and talks about managing complexity at a higher level. It is similar to books like "Code Complete" or "Clean Code" but it feels less tactical and more strategical in comparison. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it helped me increase my code quality.

"The Courage to be Disliked" is one of the best books I have read in a while. It challenges some of your core assumptions (like there is no trauma or that the interpersonal relationships are the root of all problems) and provides you with a framework to help you structure your life. It shows a lot of healthy ways to think about the way we approach interpersonal relationships.

Mindset is about two main kinds of Mindsets that people seem to have. A Fixed Mindset is where you believe that you are born with fixed abilities, and you either talented in something or not (hence flawed). How well that you fare with a skill is determined by your innate talents. You have limited or a fixed potential. Think of people saying that they are not good with math or art. They accept their current state of knowledge as their permanent state. In a Fixed Mindset, you shy away from challenges, and you identify with your success and failures. You are afraid of being vulnerable.

A Growth Mindset is a belief that we have an unknowable potential. It is the belief that our abilities are not fixed and can be cultivated through effort. We have the potential to improve and change almost every aspect of our nature. What kind of mindset you have affects a lot of aspects of your life. In the Growth mindset, you welcome challenges and effort. It is not about the outcome but the process. You do not identify with your success or failure.

Two ideas stood out to me in this book. First of all, the book talks about the benefits of having a Growth Mindset but acknowledges that you can’t have that mindset in every aspect of your life. There will be areas in your life where you would be content to accept things as they are. After all, you can’t focus on improving everything. It is a trade-off. And that is OK as long as what you accept doesn’t affect the quality of your life.

The second idea follows the first one. You can have a Growth Mindset in one area of your life and have a Fixed Mindset in other areas without even realizing it. The Fixed Mindset is some sort of protection that we develop to protect us from being vulnerable, but it also prevents us from growing. The book shows you how to identify the manifestation of a Fixed Mindset and tools to fight it off.

I have been trying to practice meditation for a while before reading Power of Now. This book made me understand and appreciate what meditation tries to achieve. The author tends to get a bit unscientific at times, but it is so well-written that I was not bothered by it. The basic premise is that you are not your mind. You have an awareness that observes your mind, and the strive should be to identify with the Awareness that observes and not with your mind that chatters. "The Power of Now" would be my recommended book for anyone interested in meditation.

Art of Loving is a thorough exploration of what love is and isn't. The central premise is that love is not something that you miraculously fall into but something that needs to be practiced and cultivated. Love is a form of art, so it requires a certain dedication to itself. It not only explores romantic love but also other kinds of love such as brotherly love or motherly love. The book feels a bit too academic at times, but it was still a worthy exploration of a subject that is so dear to our lives.

"Clean Code" is an easy-to-read introduction to some elements that make code clean. What clean code means is discussed in the book with opinions from several prominent software engineers. The book offers a lot of tactical tips for writing clean code. It is fairly easy to implement your learnings in your day to day work. It has some sections that can be irrelevant or hard to read if you are not familiar with the Java language. Some advice might also not seem relevant anymore since there is tooling in place that takes care of various aspects of the development process. But this is still a great book to read to improve your code quality and make it cleaner.

According to this book, there are five different ways that people choose to express their affection towards each other (Physical Touch, Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Gift Receiving). You might not feel loved or cared for in a relationship if you and your partner have different languages of affection. This is equivalent to people speaking of the same things but not understanding each other due to a language barrier. Being aware of these differences can help you learn the love language of your partner. This book provides a useful tactical model for thinking about relationships, but I wouldn't call it an essential read.

10% Happier is the story of how the journalist Dan Harris got acquainted with meditation as an outsider and a skeptic. This book can be a good starting point if you are curious about the practice of meditation but feel distanced by the mysticism that surrounds it. He explains how he got into meditation in a very accessible and relatable manner. It is not a life-changing book by any means but can be a light and entertaining read to get your feet wet with the subject.

This is a great book about the possibility of alien life in the universe. It is incredibly imaginative, educative, and entertaining to read. It first explains what the Fermi Paradox is and then offers 50 possible solutions to the paradox. Every solution has something to teach you on subjects like biology, astrophysics, or probability theory. This is a book that is teeming with knowledge, imagination, and inspiration. At the end of the book, the author offers a convincing solution to the Fermi Paradox.

Exhalation is a compilation of sci-fi short stories from Ted Chiang. Don't let the length of his stories to discourage you. There is so much emotion, imagination, and intelligence packed in each of his stories. I could read a full-length book or watch a movie based on the stories that he skillfully constructs. There are few stories in this book that likely won't appeal to you at all. However, his better stories are beyond amazing and make it worth all the effort. I had so many favorites in this book, but "Anxiety is Dizziness of Freedom" might be my favorite short story of all time. It constructs a world where the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics is real, and there is a device available that allows us to communicate with different branches from the time of the split. It is such a great story that is so rich in detail, emotions, and imagination.