Good morning ☕

- Don’t be a Jerk by Brad Warner

I’ve always been interested in eastern philosophies which drove me to this book.

The author is a (very unusual) Zen Monk who explains the teachings of the Japanese Zen Master Dōgen and how to apply them in modern everyday life.

Dōgen was the founder of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism and the Sōbōgenzō, which was written by him and explained candidly in this book, is highly regarded by this tradition.

In essence, it deals with topics like mindfulness, ethics and the pursuit of a meaningful life.

If you’re into philosophies, mindsets or simply want to understand this niche of thought more thoroughly, this is a great book.

- Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This is the last of a trilogy. The first book is amazing, the second one a little bit less so. The third one (the one I’m reviewing) even less so.

While the world building and themes of the first books were grandiose to say the least, the third book is simpler both in plot & themes.

If you like reading about human nature, identity & memory this might be worth a glance

- We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor

I decided to give this one a go because I was still a little bit tired of non-fiction after “Don’t be a Jerk”.

The book follows a software engineer who gets cryogenically frozen after he dies and wakes up 100 years later as government AI tasked with exploring the Universe on a probe.

There are many themes on this book … ethical dilemmas, existential questions about consciousness and identity, interactions with other sentient beings & his quest to find a purpose in this new existence.

The tone is kind of like “The Martian” … there’s 3 more books to this series and I’m definitely checking those out.

Anyways … hope you find this review useful …

#bookstr

I love Brad Warner's books. Writers on Zen are often high on and themselves and inscrutable ... or high on themselves and mass market. He's clear and humble and also ventures into the deep end of the pool.