Books I've Read
These are the books I've read since the beginning of 2016, more or less in the order I read them. There aren't any buy links because I don't want to promote any online seller and I don't know of any open database with a good catalog. I get books from my local library, ebook downloads, or local bookstores.
2017
Tillbaka till Naturen
Beautifully illustrated and simple book to get a better overview of the Swedish nature. The book is divided by seasons and includes several lists of trees, insects, plants, flowers, animals mixed with the author experience of (re)discovering this nature.
Surdegsbröd / Bröd och pizza
Martin is a well-known home baker in Sweden. His blog made me want to pick up these two books in which he explains how to make good sourdough bread at home.
Espressoboken
Nice small book about espresso to feed my interest about coffee. It goes through the history, the culture, the methods and everything that comes with a good cup of espresso.
The Jungle Book
The stories of Mowgly are great. They are much darker than I anticipated after watching the cartoon when I was younger. I didn’t enjoy the other stories that much though. It could be because I didn’t know the characters but I suspect that the introduction of new characters for each of them made it more difficult to create a connection.
2016
The Good Gut
The microbes in our gut are the key to good health and it’s time to take better care of them. Antibiotics, pesticides, C-sections, reduced breast-feeding, extreme sanitisation and pasteurisation are exemples of modern practices that hurt our microbiota and the book goes into details on how to reduce their impact. Fermented foods, dirt, dietary fiber feed the good bacteria.
The Time Machine
This classic brought us time travel and the mind bending issues that come out of it. Short and delightful read.
The Word Exchange
In a dystopian future, people are getting sick because of the devices they are wearing. Is it science fiction?
The Art of Travel
This fabulous book pushes the reader to look at the world more carefully when travelling or not.
The Omnivore's Dilemma
The book was published 10 years ago and most of its ideas have spread since then. Yet it is a good reminder of how the food industry works and what solutions could lead to a better system. Michael Pollan tells nice stories and the book is a great read in general.
The Village Against the World
A small village in Spain and its charismatic leader created an alternative community. In contrast to the rest of the country, people have homes, food, work and overall a better life. It’s a concrete alternative to the struggling capitalist society. The author presents the origins and the limits of this interesting take on the search for a better lifestyle.
Purple Cow
Revolutionary ideas when published in 2003, I didn’t learn much from it in 2016. It’s important to make your product remarkable, this book explains why and how.
How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read
The title says it all but don’t be fooled, this is for book lovers.
The Man in the High Castle
In an alternative reality, the nazis have won the war. This exciting story shows how living in America could have become.
Nourishing Traditions
Sally Fallon relies on the research done by Dr. Weston Price on traditional diets to show how modern process food are bad for health. This book is great mix of research, practical advice and recipes.
Brodo: A Bone Broth Cookbook
Make broth but don’t waste your time with this book.
Catch-22
This classic has great characters, mind bending paradoxes and reveals the absurdity of war. I understand the praise but I did not enjoy this crazy story.
The Vegetarian Myth
Required reading for all vegetarian/vegans. Lierre Keith is sadly too provocative and it’s not the best strategy to convince most but the book contains good arguments for whoever is ready to hear them.
Animal Farm
Inspired by the Russian revolution, Animal Farm is a great political satire and shows how communism can go wrong.