Summary of Recently Read Books
Table of Contents
- Top
- Economics Books
- Principles of Economics (3rd Edition) by Mankiw
- The Economics Classroom That American High School Students Learn
- Figure Explanation Ready for Action: A Textbook That Thoroughly Explains the Mechanisms and Business of the Financial Industry in One Book
- Figure Explanation Ready for Action: A Textbook That Thoroughly Explains the Mechanisms of Bonds in One Book
- Practical Books
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (Complete Translation)
- How to Win Friends and Influence People (Paperback Edition)
- Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace)
- Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World - and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
- Are Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is
- GO OUT: Only Those Who Jump Out Succeed in This Era
- Intuition
- Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
- The University of Tokyo Graduate Pro Gamer: Logic Is No Match for Passion After All
- The Art of Competition: Umehara's Way
- Become Stronger, Just One Thing a Day
- Economics and Behavioral Economics
- 24 Divine Knowledge to Not Lose to Real Estate Agents - Official Supplementary Reader of "Honest Real Estate"
- The Truth About Algorithmic Trading
- Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much
- How to Use Behavioral Economics
- Physical and Life Hack Books
- What Every Pianist Should Know About Their "Body"
- 50 Ways to Befriend the Piano: How to Use Your Body
- Optimize Your Brain and Double Your Abilities: Brain Science Methods to Increase Work Accuracy and Speed
- Techniques for Not "Putting Things Off"
- Nutrition Books
- Fascinating Illustrated Guide to Nutrients That Will Keep You Up at Night
- Fascinating Illustrated Guide to Proteins That Will Keep You Up at Night
- Nutrition Basics That Will Serve You for Life
- Definitive Encyclopedia of Nutrition Basics
- Perfecting Muscles with Nutrition! Invincible Muscle Training Diet
- Art and Literature Books
- World History of Bizarre Books: Stories of "Crazy Books" That Move History
- Western-style Houses You Must See Before You Die: The Greatest Masterpieces
- Relearn Western Art History in 2 Hours by Going to Ueno
- Learn 4 Years of Western Art History in 10 Hours
- All About Mucha
- Kazuo Oga: The Man Who Drew Ghibli's Backgrounds
- Blue Archive Official Artworks
- Blue Archive Official Artworks 2
- Design Books
- Easy-to-Understand Drawing Taught by a Product Designer
- I See, I See, Design <A New Design Book to Enjoy with Your Eyes>
- New Decorations. A Book on Design Layouts Focusing on Decorations
- After All, White Space. A Book on Design Layouts That Utilize White Space
- Various Colors. A Book on Design Layouts Focusing on Color Schemes
- Entertainment Books
- Mari Yamazaki's World Wanderings
- Commoner's Michelin - Tokyo Gourmet Guide for the Common People
- Collection of Nara Tales, Past and Present
- Thailand Vehicle Journey
- BLEACH (Complete Series)
- The Stars My Destination
- The Martian (New Edition)
- The God of the Slow Heights
I've read various books recently, so I'm summarizing ones that might be of general interest as a reminder. I'll add a brief comment, but if there's a lot to write, I plan to summarize in separate articles as needed.
By the way, I've been using Bookmeter to keep track of books I've read recently. It's free and can be registered privately, which is helpful. Also, many books were (essentially) free with Kindle Unlimited.
Economics Books
Principles of Economics (3rd Edition) by Mankiw
While the title might make it seem like a very rigid book, the content is actually written in a very easy-to-understand manner with plenty of concrete examples. Recommended for those who want to delve deeper into economics.
The Economics Classroom That American High School Students Learn
While the content is textbook-like, it's very carefully written and easy to read. It covers a wide range of topics with appropriate depth.
Figure Explanation Ready for Action: A Textbook That Thoroughly Explains the Mechanisms and Business of the Financial Industry in One Book
A familiar book from Gijutsu-Hyoron Co., Ltd. While it only covers introductory parts due to its broad content, it's easy to understand with abundant illustrations.
Figure Explanation Ready for Action: A Textbook That Thoroughly Explains the Mechanisms of Bonds in One Book
Although by a different author, this is another book from Gijutsu-Hyoron Co., Ltd. This one focuses on bonds, maintaining the same level of clarity. Recommended for those wanting an introduction to bonds.
Practical Books
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (Complete Translation)
The King of self-help books. The principles are concisely summarized, so it's not an exaggeration to say that most self-help books and slogans in the world are either concretizations or rehashes of this. It's frequently quoted in other books as well.
How to Win Friends and Influence People (Paperback Edition)
This is another famous book focusing on human relationships. Rather than being a collection of techniques as the title might suggest, it's closer to self-help, giving it a more essential feel.
Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace)
This book interprets what's known as meditation from an engineer's perspective and breaks it down into training (SIY). It covers everything from the effects of meditation itself to specific training methods, making it easy to understand and implement. While meditation might sound dubious to some, I think we can feel the immeasurable benefits of being able to control our emotions and thoughts on a daily basis.
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World - and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
This book explains the importance of thinking based on data rather than being overly pessimistic or dramatic. The content is extremely important, especially for investors, and just knowing this tendency could lead to potential strategies.
Are Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is
This book is full of small anecdotes and many stories that are useful for essential problem-solving. Published in 1987, the translation is incredibly difficult to read, so it might be worth checking out the original.
GO OUT: Only Those Who Jump Out Succeed in This Era
While it contains content true to its title, it also touches on making the unconscious "cheerful" to lead to positive thinking, which seems to connect to meditation, discusses the limitations of logical thinking and art, and includes ophthalmological topics. Many of the peripheral parts are thought-provoking, making it an interesting book.
Intuition
A book by shogi player Habu. It's filled with many insightful tips. There are many points that connect to The 7 Habits, suggesting that the essential parts are interconnected.
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
This is a novel based on Jesse Livermore. The content is almost autobiographical, with detailed descriptions of the situations at the time. While financial markets have changed compared to that era, it depicts universal lessons and is insightful.
The University of Tokyo Graduate Pro Gamer: Logic Is No Match for Passion After All
The Art of Competition: Umehara's Way
Become Stronger, Just One Thing a Day
These are autobiographies of professional gamers. They depict the pursuit of long-term growth over short-term victories in order to keep winning in the harsh world of competition. You can glimpse the thought processes involved in competing at the top level.
Economics and Behavioral Economics
24 Divine Knowledge to Not Lose to Real Estate Agents - Official Supplementary Reader of "Honest Real Estate"
I haven't read the original "Honest Real Estate," but the content is quite general. The candid aspects of the real estate industry are revealed through interviews, providing valuable insights. When you think about it, even something like property boundaries is ambiguous, right?
The Truth About Algorithmic Trading
Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much
(Details in a separate article)
How to Use Behavioral Economics
Physical and Life Hack Books
What Every Pianist Should Know About Their "Body"
This became a topic in the rhythm game community. I had never thought about it before, but I realized it's an essential aspect. I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate it into my own play.
50 Ways to Befriend the Piano: How to Use Your Body
Same as above. Reading both deepens understanding even further.
Optimize Your Brain and Double Your Abilities: Brain Science Methods to Increase Work Accuracy and Speed
A book about using the reward system mechanism to form habits and utilizing hormone functions to improve sleep quality.
Techniques for Not "Putting Things Off"
This book is more like self-help for goal achievement rather than behavioral economics content. As the title suggests, it's full of specific tips.
Nutrition Books
Fascinating Illustrated Guide to Nutrients That Will Keep You Up at Night
Fascinating Illustrated Guide to Proteins That Will Keep You Up at Night
Nutrition Basics That Will Serve You for Life
Definitive Encyclopedia of Nutrition Basics
Perfecting Muscles with Nutrition! Invincible Muscle Training Diet
Overall, these books emphasize the importance of protein. Take the necessary amount in small portions. I'm searching for meals that are nutritionally balanced, require little cooking time, and don't get boring, but I haven't found the solution yet. Currently, complete meals seem to be a powerful tool, so I'm trying various options.
Art and Literature Books
World History of Bizarre Books: Stories of "Crazy Books" That Move History
From obvious oddities like the Voynich Manuscript to the Asahi Shimbun's special on fake news, this book covers interesting subjects and summarizes them beautifully.
Western-style Houses You Must See Before You Die: The Greatest Masterpieces
Many existing Western-style houses have become tourist attractions. Until now, I had only recognized them as big houses, but understanding the famous ones changes your perspective.
Relearn Western Art History in 2 Hours by Going to Ueno
This book is about relearning Western art history by visiting the National Museum of Western Art in Ueno and adding commentary as you go. It uses a conversational format and the clever approach of touring in reverse order to make it easy to understand.
Learn 4 Years of Western Art History in 10 Hours
While the content is systematic, each part is summarized in short, tip-like text, making it easy to read.
All About Mucha
Although he's a super famous artist, I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know much about him at all. I read this book after being shocked by a Mucha exhibition I stumbled upon while traveling. It provides detailed explanations of his activities, which could be called the ancestor of modern illustrators, and the hidden purposes behind them.
Kazuo Oga: The Man Who Drew Ghibli's Backgrounds
I hadn't paid much attention to backgrounds before, but when they're isolated, you can really see the amazing quality of Ghibli movie backgrounds. The quality was incredible even in Totoro, making me want to watch the films again.
Blue Archive Official Artworks
Blue Archive Official Artworks 2
To truly appreciate the overwhelming quality of the illustrations, I recommend the large physical books.
Design Books
Easy-to-Understand Drawing Taught by a Product Designer
Even for engineers, there are often times when you want to draw a simple box to convey an idea. This book simply describes perspective content that's useful to know in such situations.
I See, I See, Design <A New Design Book to Enjoy with Your Eyes>
A book that graphically represents the components of design. It can be used like a dictionary, so having one on hand is helpful.
New Decorations. A Book on Design Layouts Focusing on Decorations
After All, White Space. A Book on Design Layouts That Utilize White Space
Various Colors. A Book on Design Layouts Focusing on Color Schemes
The above three books are by ingectar-e. These books contain design corrections, allowing you to compare before and after. Even if you're not a designer, you can learn about the intentions behind designs, making them very interesting.
Entertainment Books
Mari Yamazaki's World Wanderings
Known for JAL's in-flight magazine and Thermae Romae. It's interesting with somewhat niche stories from around the world.
Commoner's Michelin - Tokyo Gourmet Guide for the Common People
A book that compiles common gourmet foods, which seemed like it should have existed but didn't. The name is good.
Collection of Nara Tales, Past and Present
I don't really understand the geography since I don't live in Nara, but the atmosphere alone is plenty interesting.
Thailand Vehicle Journey
A travel guide focused solely on vehicles. It's a format I haven't seen much, so it feels novel.
BLEACH (Complete Series)
I often see meme images, but I had never read the original series, so I read it all at once. It was interesting throughout, but around volume 10 was particularly good with a storm of famous quotes.
The Stars My Destination
Although it's a book from 1980, it's still an interesting SF with dizzying developments even when read today.
The Martian (New Edition)
As it's the original work for the movie "The Martian," many people might be familiar with it. If you've played Factorio, you can read it with a lot of empathy.
The God of the Slow Heights
It's hard to categorize, but it might be called a daily life suspense? Anyway, it's very interesting. A storm of foreshadowing, no spoilers allowed.
