Waqas Younas

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

I picked this book up, and I liked it. On the surface, it's about wizards and magic, but there's more to it. Every now and then, Ursula Le Guin sprinkles in some wisdom.

on thoughts.wyounas.com · 30 Dec 202420mo

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin

It's a nice, short, and moving memoir by the comedian and actor Steve Martin. The book details his early working days at shops and clubs, his relationships, and eventually his rise to fame. He shared his struggles, his failures, long hours of practice, his reflections to refine his craft, and his efforts to find his own unique voice as a comedian. Any memoir that only talks about successes and never discusses struggles, rejections, or weaknesses is suspect. This one is not. What I like about his writing is that it feels candid and, at times, funny.

on thoughts.wyounas.com · 30 Dec 202420mo

Human, All Too Human by Friedrich Nietzsche

I have never read a philosopher who had more penetrating thoughts in a book. Some of his ideas hit you like a thunderbolt.

on thoughts.wyounas.com · 30 Dec 202420mo

Less Than One by Joseph Brodsky

This book is a collection of essays, and some of them are quite profound. One of his essays on Dostoevsky is particularly insightful; it left such an impression on me that I reflected on it and wrote an essay of my own.

on thoughts.wyounas.com · 30 Dec 202420mo

Oresteia by Aeschylus

His thoughts on human psychology and the way he crafted his stories are why I liked this book. I have to admit, there is a lot in it that I need to absorb. I'll surely be re-reading this one sometime soon. It's one of those books that one ought to read multiple times in life because I'm certain that every time we read it, it will offer something new.

on thoughts.wyounas.com · 30 Dec 202420mo

Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot

I came across this book accidentally, but I'm so glad I did. Pierre Hadot was a French philosopher who could not only philosophize but also write simply—an ability not common among top-tier philosophers, if I may say so with respect.

on thoughts.wyounas.com · 30 Dec 202420mo

Principles of the SPIN Model Checker by Mordechai Ben-Ari

This book gave me both insight and a deeper curiosity about the subject. This book introduces the SPIN model checker and exposes the reader to the nuances of verifying programs using SPIN. A nice feature of the book is how it explains concepts using thoughtfully developed, freely available tools (such as jSpin) that the author created for pedagogical purposes. It's a demanding book, but the content was interesting. The book presents details about concurrency, temporal logic, non-determinism, advanced SPIN topics, and even case studies. I've already written a few blog posts about the topics I explored while reading this book, and I plan to write more. Overall, it's a good book. I'm sure I'll revisit the latter half again.

on thoughts.wyounas.com · 30 Dec 202420mo

The Best of Tagore by Rabindranath Tagore

Some of his essays are thought-provoking. His reflections on education, nationalism, and other topics are not only stirring but also showcase literary brilliance. The man could write.

on thoughts.wyounas.com · 30 Dec 202420mo

The Strangest Man by Graham Farmelo

I found this an engaging biography and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

on thoughts.wyounas.com · 30 Dec 202420mo

The argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen

It's stimulating work as well as easy to read. Although parts of South Asia are not commonly known to have an argumentative gene, Amartya Sen convincingly shows that Indian history is deeply rooted in an argumentative tradition. He masterfully weaves evidence and tales to make his point.

on thoughts.wyounas.com · 30 Dec 202420mo