Reading

These are most of the books that I have read since March of 2019 when I got my Kindle. This page is supposed to be a backup/replacement of my Goodreads profile.

For some books, I decided not to review & rate them publicly here but I still add them manually without a review so the book count is still correct.

Reading stats

Total books: 62
Average rating: 3.89

2023:
2022:
2021:
2020:
2019:



2022

Brief Answers to the Big Questions
Stephen Hawking (2018)
★★★★☆

Here’s another non-fiction book. This book is a collection of questions mostly about space, the future and technology that Stephen Hawking answers in pretty short chapters. Some questions/answers give insight to his own experiences in his life, both about his work and his personal struggle with his disability, some are about his expectations about the future, for example the impact of the advancement of A.I on humanity.

I expected this book to be drier than it actually was - although some of his answers went into pretty heavy scientific topics, he still managed to explain them in an understandable and often very humorous way.

I also found the afterword by his daughter Lucy, written after Stephen’s death, very touching, it was a great end to a cool book! Overall I think it was extremely interesting and I would definitely recommend it!

Finished: February 2022



Schoolgirl
Osamu Dazai (1939)
★★★☆☆

This was very short and pretty weird book. It’s mostly just the thoughts and ramblings of a girl that is frustrated and looking for her purpose in life. I find it pretty hard to describe the book because there’s not really a storyline, the main character is just reflecting on her current situation and her life & goals in general.

The book is definitely unique but overall I wasn’t blown away a bit.

Finished: January 2022



2021

Schachnovelle
Stefan Zweig (1942)
★★★☆☆

I read this novella pretty spontaneously because I had just really been in a “chess mood” for the last couple of days.

Overall it was surprising how much of a page turner it actually was and it was a nice to read a Austrian book for a change.

Then again - from an emotional point of view this book hardly touched me so I’m giving it 3.5 stars I think. Worth a read but nothing exceptional in my opinion.

Finished: December 2021



The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time, #2)
Robert Jordan (1990)
★★★★☆

Really liked this one. I did take a break of a week or two while I read some different books but overall I like that I got to know the characters even more now and the story is really starting to pick up. I especially enjoyed some of the new friendships that were formed in this one.

I don’t have any big criticism when it comes to the pacing, I think it was definitely better than the first one.

Super curious about the next book because I heard that it’s one of the best in the series!

Finished: November 2021



When Breath Becomes Air
Paul Kalanithi (2016)
★★★★★

This book describes the experiences of a neurosurgeon during his time in medical school to residency and then in the second part how he dealt with his lung cancer diagnosis all the way up until his eventual death.

Loved the writing, obviously an incredibly heavy topic but the descriptions of his time as resident in the hospital and his motivations & reasons to become a doctor in the first place were very insightful. It is also remarkable how realistic and brave he stayed during his illness and the book also shows how the diagnosis changed the lives of not only him but also his wife.

I would absolutely recommend this book, I loved it.

Finished: October 2021