sparklingwatermelon

Lonely Game
The entire book is shrouded in a mysterious greenish-blue image. The protagonist lives in a poetic and vague but unrealistic life. The instant connections, hurts, neglects, and losses between people are all experienced in that dream-like state. I can understand why the author chose to end their own life. It reads beautifully, but once you've read it, you can put it down.

Vulgarly
The best work of fiction I have read in recent years, a portrayal of all living beings. It successfully reproduces the changes in the bustling urban state over several decades, as well as the different life experiences of the protagonists. I can hear the laughter and resentment of different people, and the power within their hearts. The author uses a plain tone to describe vulnerable immigrant and female communities. What is hurting you invisibly, what gives you strength, and what kind of life do you choose?

The Story
Robert McKee's screenwriting textbook. It outlines what makes a good script, what makes a bad script, and what clichés are. After reading this book, I can't appreciate literary works without thinking about themes, plot conflicts, and character arcs. The most significant moment for me: when I was at a museum looking at a Hokusai exhibition, I realized that poetry is life itself. When we say a literary work is good, it's because it truthfully reflects a rich and complex part of life. For example, the hidden desires of a person and their inconsistency with what they say, the gap between ideals and reality, and how everything is complex and never goes according to our will. Life itself is poetry, it can be a pilgrimage, a melodramatic love story, a war epic, and everything is within me. I can choose what plot and characters I want in my own script, and what message I want to convey.

Why Buddhism is True
A combination of Eastern philosophy and evolutionary psychology. It successfully reconciles the incompatible parts of my cognitive systems. It uses a very practical and scientific approach to explain concepts in Buddhism such as emptiness, non-self, and the five aggregates. I discovered that these concepts are all true, and it opened up a new chapter in my life. More importantly, I made a good friend because of it.

Philosophy for Polar Explorers
A very readable and practical book. What kind of mindset and habits does an Arctic explorer need to accomplish the impossible and survive? Planning ahead and staying focused on the present moment. It is also incredibly applicable to our everyday lives. With this book, I completed several projects and dealt with many difficulties.

Faint Shadows in the Distant Mountains
The first work I read by Ishikawa Kazuo. The entire book describes a hazy memory, immersing people in a restless and mournful reflection on World War II and immigration. The design is very exquisite. What is real and what is fictional. After reading the afterword, I finally understood what kind of story it was, and I was amazed.

Nonviolent Communication
How to establish effective connections with people, express your needs, understand the needs of others, and achieve a cooperative relationship based on empathy to solve problems. The framework of the book is very clear, and it is highly practical. Everyone needs to read this book.
Next on my reading list: Never Split the Difference

Chinese Rural Society
Coincidentally, I read this book on the day I went to Wujiang. It is a very good work of comparative sociology, and it also solved a big problem I had at the time: why did I feel so lost when I returned to my hometown, finding it so different from the life I had become familiar with in Western cities? It describes the differences and reasons between rural China and modern cities. Both systems naturally exist and are feasible in their respective environments.
Next on my reading list: Guns, Germs, and Steel

The Light of Self-Nature
A work by Krishnamurti. It has many insights, but the part that overlaps with "Why Buddhism is True" is probably the only part I can understand. I plan to reread it in a few years.

Jiang Xun Talks about Tang Poetry
Jiang Xun is such a peaceful, upright, and reflective old man! He uses poetry to analyze and recreate the flourishing Tang Dynasty, with poets like Zhang Ruoxu, Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, and Li Shangyin, who were all so different yet so beautiful, so good at empathy, and they all bloomed brightly in that era. They all come alive in front of me, injecting new strength into my worldview.

I'll Teach You to be Rich
A personal finance enlightenment. For someone like me who knows nothing about finance and economics, this book is a remedy. It introduces some very basic financial concepts, provides a cognitive framework, and offers practical advice. Compared to the documentary and podcast of the same name, this book has been the most helpful.

Investment 101
Also an introductory book on investment. It may be easier to understand after grasping the basic concepts from the previous book. After reading it, I will have a more comprehensive understanding of investment products.

Sociology That Blew My Mind
A very concise history of sociology. Each page summarizes a major sociological concept in a few sentences, accompanied by illustrations. I just finished reading it yesterday, and I am still digesting the book, trying to establish a framework in my mind for modern ideologies.
Next on my reading list:
Escape from Freedom
Ideology and Utopia
Wild Thinking
Stigma
The Condition of Postmodernity
Between Men
Risk Society