This page lists favorite books I’d like to remember and recommend. For a list filtered and organized through the lens of the five classical elements, please see the Elemental Story Suggestions post.
Science/Historic Fiction
Three Body Problem trilogy by Liu Cixin
Ball Lightening by Liu Cixin
MaddAddam trilogy by Margaret Atwood
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
Classics
Contact by Carl Sagan
The Last Question by Isaac Asimov
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
Starman Jones by Robert A. Heinlein
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Philosophy and History
Our Mathematical Universe by Max Tegmark: On the theory that the most fundamental substrate of all is numbers and mathematics.
Drinking Water: A History by James Salzman: On drinking water environmental science, history, and policy.
Simply Electrifying by Craig R. Roach: On human use of electricity; science, history, and policy.
Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David R. Montgomery: On agriculture and its relationship with soil health; science, history, and policy.
The Great Influenza by John M. Barry: On the 1918 Influenza; science, history.
Language Families of the World by John McWhorter: On human language science and history, with an audiobook spoken by the eloquent author.
Intelligence in Nature by Jeremy Narby: Entertaining and educational, fairly comprehensive book on one aspect of Mind in Nature.
Hyperobjects by Timothy Morton: Technical philosophy textbook about an important context on human perception and place, the scale of hyperobjects.
Ghost in the Wires by William L. Simon, Kevin Mitnick: Impressive and captivating storytelling of Kevin Mitnick’s historic hacking exploits.
Environmental Ethic
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer: #1 book I share if only one book can be recommended.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Agroforestry
Restoration Agriculture by Mark Shepard
Farming the Woods by Steve Gabriel and Dr. Ken Mudge
Silvopasture by Steve Gabriel
Trees of Power by Akiva Silver
It Will Live Forever by Beverly R. Ortiz, Raye Santos, Julia F. Parker
Spirituality and Mysticism
Animal Speak by Ted Andrews: On accessible and practical shamanism.
Healing with Form, Energy, and Light: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra, and Dzogchen by Tenzin W. Rinpoche: Practical Tibetan Buddhist exercises for wellness and mystical progress.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche
The Kybalion by the Three Initiates
The Stellar Man by John Baines
Be Here Now by Ram Dass
Tao Te Ching
Inspirational
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Teachings of Don Juan by Carl Castaneda