Recent Books I Liked — Principles, Secondhand Time, Second Life of Nick Mason, Lab Girl, In the Garden of Beasts

  • Principles by Ray Dalio.  Overly long, and probably only relevant to those who have already had a lot of good fortune in life, but still a interesting read and worthy input for anything thinking about how to manage their career.
  • Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets by Svetlana Alexievich.  Fascinating insight into modern Russia.  The sense of loss due to the collapse of the Soviet Union is worth reading about and understanding.
  • The Second Life of Nick Mason by Steve Hamilton.  Fun thriller about an ex-con trying to get free of his past.
  • Lab Girl by Hope Jahren.  Compelling autobiography of a scientist and mother, a deeply human story.
  • In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.  Life in Nazi Berlin pre the full outbreak of WWII.  The temperature in the pot slowly rises…