THE BIG PAGE OF BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Books are the greatest invention ever.

But I don’t need to tell you that.

I get asked about book recommendations all the time, so here is a page dedicated to that sole purpose.

There are all kinds of books, so what I’ve tried to do here is to break them down by category/interest given the types of questions I get answered. As such, there will be some books that appear in many of these lists, because they’re relevant to many topics. We good? We good.

Also, a lot of books are listed here, but I’ve given guidance on each one, so hopefully you’ll find something that makes sense for where you’re at/what you’re looking for. Think of it as a big menu - the assumption is you won’t order everything.

I will also update this page as my recommendations change and I read more.

If anything isn’t covered, feel free to DM me and I’ll add a section if I’ve missed anything and have something to add/recommend.

My Absolute All-Time-Favourite Books

1. We Learn Nothing by Tim Kreider

This is the book that made me want to write. Tim’s narration is wonderful, so this works just as well (if not better) on audiobook as it does in print. The print versions have his cartoons though. He’s written another collection called I Wrote This Book Because I Love You which is also wonderful. I was lucky enough to take a writing course with Tim a few years ago, a story for another time.


2. The Fabric of Reality by David Deutsch

The book that put me down the path of physics and philosophy, and to be honest shapes the way I think about everything to this day. The audiobook versions of this book I feel don’t work as well, as you need time to re-read, and the book contains diagrams.


3. Circe by Madeline Miller

One of the few books I started again as soon as it finished. I long to write like this. The audiobook version narrated by Perdita Weeks is wonderful.


4. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

A book I revisit again and again. Simply magical. The audiobook version read by Rupert Degas is beyond brilliant. Note: it’s the first book in a trilogy, and only the first two books have been released.

It’s still worth it though.


5. The Choice and The Gift by Edith Eger

Edith Eger is a survivor of Auschwitz, who went on to become a psychotherapist specialising in PTSD. She’s an absolute badass, unbelievable human being. The Choice and The Gift are two books written by Edith Eger, with the first detailing her life story, and the second focusing more on her practice, perspectives and personal philosophy. I’d recommend reading them in that order. They contain, between them, a lifetime of wisdom, compassion and intelligence. Required reading for every human.


6. A Little Happier by Derren Brown

This short little book condenses insights from Stoicism and other Philosophies on the topic of happiness. It’s genius and wise. The audiobook is narrated by the author and I think he does it wonderfully. There’s a larger version of this book called “Happy” which I’d recommend to anyone who has a bit more time and curiosity.


7. The Science of Storytelling by William Storr

This is ostensibly about writing stories, but really it's about living life. A profound book on the practice that makes us human. I think about this one every day too.

8. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

I didn’t know you could write like that. Better read, in my opinion. It whispers off the page. Go in blind.

Physics Books

These are roughly ranked in order of most accessible to least accessible.

Which isn’t to say that if you’re studying physics/hoping to do so at university that the early books aren’t worth your while. Making complex topics simple, while not dumbing them down, is hard, and requires good writing.

  1. Introducing Quantum Theory (A Graphic Guide) - Short, highly accessible book on Quantum Physics. Illustrated and wonderful.

  2. Why Does E=MC^2 by Brian Cox and Jeff Foreshaw - A really great book talking about the history of the most famous equation of all time.

  3. Black Holes and Time Warps by Kip Thorne - a big book, but don’t let that put you off. It’s really accessible, well written, and full of diagrams.

  4. The Fabric of Reality by David Deutsch - talks about far more than just physics, but offers insights into science as a whole. So it goes on this list.

  5. The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose - this is secretly a university course disguised as a book. I haven’t finished it yet. It’s heavy going but Penrose is probably one of the most brilliant minds of the last century.

  6. Physical Relativity by Harvey Brown - I was lucky enough to be taught by Harvey while at Oxford. This is really a Physics and Philosophy book - talking about the fringe debates related to the nature of time, relativity and associated problems. But here’s the rub, do not approach if you haven’t studied relativity before (or at the very least, don’t intend to) - it’s highly technical in places. I was literally lectured by the guy after three years of studying physics and this took me a long time to digest. But it’s real great.

Special mention: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Someone said to me when applying for Physics at Cambridge that it would be silly to apply and “not read this book”. As such I read it out of fear. Some of the science is a bit dated now, but it’s a classic for a reason, so worth checking out.

I’ve also heard that all of Feynman’s books are brilliant (his ones on physics), but I must confess I’ve never read any (I’ve read Surely You’re Joking, but that’s more about his life). However, you can watch many of his lectures online - I would highly encourage you to do so. Plus, they’re all documented for free here.

On the off chance you read all of these books, feel free to drop me a DM on Instagram, I’ve read a lot more, I just feel these cover a broad spectrum of topcis for the novice to expert.

Philosophy Books

General interest:

  1. Do You Think What You Think You Think? A Philosophical Quiz Book by Julian Baggini & Jeremy Syangroom - an 11 year old could read this and understand it. Covers a lot of ground - theology, morality, theory of mind, all in fun questions. My advice is that you read this, see which chapter grips you, and then seek further books on that.

  2. The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life by Christine Gross-Loh and Michael J. Puett - a great overview of Taoism and Confucianism by some Harvard professors.

  3. Happy by Derren Brown - a great overview (and synthesis) of ideas from Stoicism, Epicureanism, as well as where the idea of ‘happiness’ actually came from. Calling a book ‘life-changing’ is a bit of a cliché, but I do think this book would profoundly change the perspective of many if they read it (for the better, of course)

  4. Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder- a novel which goes through the history of philosophy in narrative form. Fun, accessible and wildly popular.

  5. The Philosophy of Andy Warhol by Andy Warhol - Kind of a rogue suggestion, but this guy was ahead of his time. Reading this you’ll rethink a lot of the media landscape. It’s all a joke.

Academic:

  1. The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russel - One of the finest philosophical minds in history. Hard going, but necessary if you’re serious about studying philosophy at uni (in my opinion).

  2. On Liberty by JS Mill - kind of hard to go wrong with this one. Extremely important in the history of political philosophy. A must-read for anyone interested in debating.

  3. A New history of Western Philosophy by Anthony Kenny - This is a massive almost encyclopaedic-style book, which covers a huge amount of ground quite succinctly. Accessible to all.

  4. Mortal Questions by Thomas Nagel - occasionally heavy going, but a nice bridge between the academic philosophy world and questions to do with the meaning of life. Academic philosophy is relevant!

Philosophy of Science Books

This is a harder category to put together, as the Philosophy of Science is very broad. First list are all accessible to the non-academic. Second list is more academic texts, but still worth a read if you’re hardcore into it.

  1. What Is This Thing Called Science? by Alan Chalmers - an overview of many of the debates within the Philosophy of Science, and highly accessible

  2. Philosophy of Science - A Very Short Introduction by Samir Okasha - Similar to the above, covers slightly different topics from a different angle. It’s good to read different overviews and takes, especially in philosophy, as everyone has their own biases.

  3. The Fabric of Reality by David Deutsch - look this book covers a lot of ground ok. It’s GOOD.

  4. The Knowledge Machine by Michael Strevens - I’m halfway through this currently, but it gives an overview of the philosophy and history of science. He’s arguing for a case however, rather than giving a direct overview. Still very good so far.

Everything from here leans more into texts you’d read at University, or if you’re really hardcore into it.

  1. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn - It’s hard to understate the impact of Kuhn’s ideas. If you’re planning on studying the philosophy of Science, this is required reading. Extremely readable even if you’re not planning to however.

  2. The Logic of Scientific Discovery by Karl Popper - Reading Popper is simultaneously a delight and a strain, as every sentence is beautifully constructed but he writes so god damn many of them. Still, I’m a big fan, and though others would put him as high up, he’s discussed in every single university course pertaining to the philosophy of science for a reason.

Books on Mathematics

Maths is awesome. It’s the most powerful tool we’ve invented (that sentence a lot of philosophers of maths won’t like but alas). Whether you’re planning on studying physics, maths, or just wish you were more comfortable with it, the following books will help:

  1. Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh - This could be understood and read by everyone, regardless of mathematical background. It’s really just an awesome story, a tale of mathematicians trying to solve a puzzle for hundreds of years.

  2. A Field Guide to Lies and Statistics by Daniel Levitin - there’s not a lot of actual maths in this book at all, however it discusses the branch of mathematics that probably it would pay for most people to understand more in depth - statistics.

  3. The Mathematical Universe by William Dunham - A book that goes through most of the key proofs and mathematicians of history. It’s a really wonderful overview. It does actually go through the maths however. You could still enjoy it skipping those bits, but I encourage you to give it a go if you did maths up to high school level. Lots of the old-school proofs are not hard so much as they are inventive.

Other mentions: From Here to Infinity by Ian Stewart was good fun, as was Chaos by James Gleick.

Other Great Books That Aren’t Easily Put Into A Category

  1. Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter - This book combines maths, art, and the philosophy of mind. It’s a trip. And hard work, but deeply creative and original. I got to meet Hofstadter when he came to speak at Cambridge in my second year. A brilliant and humble guy.

  2. Mistakes Were Made (but not by me) by Carol Tarvis and Elliot Aronson - This book, arguably, should be required reading for every human on earth (along with The Choice, in my opinion). It’s all about our capacity for self-delusion, fiction, and stupidity. Quite harrowing, especially the chapter on love and relationships.

  3. The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr - This book is pretending to be a book about writing stories. It’s really a book about the fabric of our experiences - the stories we write in living our lives.

Non-Fiction

“But Jack this doesn’t make sense as a category as that implies the previous categories were fiction” Look I don’t make the rules OK.

  1. Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller - This is so unbelievably good. A book about taxonomy, ambition, and perhaps the answer to life itself.

  2. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing - An incredible story, beautifully told.

  3. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit - Solnit can seemingly do everything - essays, fiction, investigative non-fiction. This is a wonderful collection. I’d also highly recommend A Paradise Built In Hell, which changed the way I saw disasters and human behaviour.

  4. Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace - I didn’t get why DFW was so great the first time I read him. But in the last couple of years I finally did. He kind of redefined the essay genre. A beautiful mind, gone too soon.

  5. But What If We’re Wrong by Chuck Klosterman - You’ve got to admit, it’s kind of funny you gave me this book.

  6. Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl - A classic for a reason. Heavy going, but profound. Also worth reading Yes To Life which was published from transcripts from his notes.

Fiction

You’ve made it this far - well done.

It’s probably worth saying at this point that the vast majority of books I read are either Fiction or Non Fiction.

I don’t read a huge amount of science, philosophy of maths books generally at this point. I get that sort of thing from NewScientist, reading actual papers, or being directed to various articles and bits from friends who are actual scientists/philosophers.

So here are some of my favourite Fiction books

  1. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

  2. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

  3. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

  4. Circe by Madeline Miller

  5. Dune by Frank Hubert

  6. Shogun by James Clavell

  7. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

And the entire Skulduggery Pleasant book series. He’s a magical talking skeleton detective - what’s not to like people? Cancel literature, it’s peaked. It’s also read by Rupert Degas, who reads Name of the Wind. What more do you want?

OK, that’s it for the first version of this list. I’ll come back and add more, but this should cover off most of the kinds of questions I get for now.

I think I’ll need a page exclusively dedicated to manga…