Bookmarked Reads

I studied Darwin’s theory of evolution extensively in graduate school. That education primarily began with Darwin and then moved forward. But the more I learn, the more interesting history becomes. And that includes the history of evolutionary thinking. Darwin may have made evolutionary theory a household concept, but he certainly wasn’t the first or only person thinking about this idea. This mon…

Tl;dr — A good, popular history book of the great civilizations and how openness and tolerance were the basic ingredients for success. Yet, it leans more on history than applicable lessons for the modern challenges we’re facing in our own society. I started a book club at my local library (if you’re in the Bay Area and want to attend, check out the details here) and one of the great things about …

Tl;dr — A genuinely fascinating book, and wonderfully researched and sourced. Hao meticulously documents the past decade of OpenAI’s history, and the tensions that arise (and boil over) among its nonprofit vision, corporate reality, and drama of maturity. A great read, yet fundamentally the same story as every other mega tech company in the modern era. Like many people, AI has become technologica…

After a lull of reading the last monthish, I feel like I’m back in the groove of reading and adding books to my TBR. This month, I have deep dives into the ocean — and the word of parasites; the history of the internet, newspapers, and reading; and even a response book to the youth mental health crisis. Happy reading! by Tom Griffiths Published February 2026 from Henry Holt and Co. As much as we …

Tl;dr — A great read on the life and evolutionary thinking of Lamarck, going far beyond the caricature of his work that is often presented post-Darwin. The book’s last section focused on the evolution of evolutionary theory after Lamarck I found uncharitable; but nonetheless a book I highly recommend on the history of evolutionary thinking. I recently read a biography of Alfred Russel Wallace and…

I’ve been on a big kick of reading more history and civics-related books since Trump’s second inauguration and his assault on our institutions, norms, and constitution. I’ll be honest: I simply wasn’t paying close attention during his first term when I was deep in grad school. But I’m catching up and reading widely. This month, in the spirit of 250 years (plus a few weeks) of the U.S., I bring yo…

Tl;dr — A wonderful, engaging read on why you should read the classics. Simultaneously counters leftist critiques of the “great books” while reclaiming them from right-coded arguments. Original, interesting, and a great read. If you’re subscribed to my Substack, it’s likely because you have an interest in non-fiction books — it’s the whole brand, after all. But, lately I’ve been a bit… fiction cu…

Tl;dr — A must read memoir for your TBR. Beautifully written and offers profound insights on the human condition. Regular readers know how much I love a good memoir. It’s an incredibly vulnerable act to share difficult and intimate parts of yourself with the world. It also seems as though it would be incredibly challenging to figure out how to put your experiences into a linear format for readers…

Welcome to the many new subscribers that have accumulated during my impromptu summer break in June. While I managed to read just one little book in May (a fantastic one), I got a few in this past month, and added several to my TBR list. Over the past month I added books on AI, hormones, death, the university, and more. Happy reading! By Liaquat Ahamed Published June 2026 from Penguin Press There’…

So I’ve finished a grand total of… drum roll… zero books this month. None. I’ve read some but just have not felt like reading all that much. I’ve been having a hard time getting into some books and just can’t find something that is hooking me in. But I’ve still come across a number of books that have been added to my list, including a few memoirs and history books, which look fantastic. Tell me i…

Today I have another mini reviews post wherein I write a one paragraph review of books that I’ve read and don’t feel like writing a full review for whatever reason. This post covers three books that I read last fall that all loosely fall within the theme of politics and truth. Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy by Katherine Stewart (2025, Bloomsbury Publishin…

Tl;dr — A well-written, informative book on how immigrants assimilate in the U.S. using big data. But some obvious liberal bias to fit the conclusions into a neat narrative. I don’t read much on immigration policy, but do hold what I think are generally left-center views. Immigrants and immigration are a net good for our country; we need appropriate rule at the borders; and should make reasonable…

So, April flew by in about four days and I barely added enough books to make this post! Highly unusual I must say. But there are some really great new additions that I’m looking forward to reading soon. This month, I bring you books on math, plants, homes, evidence, space, education, and a little biography. Happy reading! By David Ariosto Published March 2026 from Knopf I saw this in the New York…

Tl;dr - Great book covering a wide range of angles to understand wildfires out west, including frontline firefighting experience, indigenous fire management, modern fire management, and environmental policy. When you grow up east of the Mississippi, wild fires don’t take up much space in your day. It’s rainy, snowy and icy (if you’re north enough) — and wet. It rains. It’s humid. But then I moved…

Welcome to the first mini reviews post wherein I write a one paragraph review of books that I’ve read and don’t feel like writing a full review for whatever reason. Because of my inconsistency in posting the last two years, I have a couple dozen books that I’ve read yet never reviewed. Some of these are memoirs, like today’s post, that are wonderful but I don’t love writing full reviews of memoir…

Tl;dr - A solid book on the pedagogical problems in K12 schools, going beyond the banal political polarization, and making the case for classical education in history. The presentation of the book leaves something to be desired, but good content for those interested in this topic. I care a lot about education, and specifically effective pedagogy. It’s clear that something is not going right in ou…

Tl;dr — A fascinating and wonderful mash up of science, philosophy, and memoir to create a can’t put down book. Harden uses religious and moral concepts to frame chapters, covering the behavioral genetics of a wide range of fraught issues in today’s discourse spanning blame, responsibility, and virtue. Five or so years ago, I was still active on (then) Twitter and enthusiastically followed Kathry…

Tl;dr - A great science read for your TBR. Focused on corals, it covers their basic science, geology, fossilization, extinction, and adaptation. Well-written, interesting, and filled with stories of the author’s time in the field doing research. In 2020, I went snorkeling for the first time off the island of St. Thomas in the virgin islands. Growing up in Michigan, and having just moved to Salt L…

It’s been quite a while since I’ve compiled a book guide for you all and I’m excited to share this one with you. This month I’m sharing a human science focused book guide full of wonderfully fantastic reads on a variety of topics within the human sciences. We have death, foresight, language, female evolution, dreams, friendships, navigation, and parenting. I hope you find something worthy of addi…

Disclosure: I am the Director of Communications for the organization Heterodox Academy, an organization that advocates for and against some of the policies discussed in this book. The views expressed in this review are mine and do not necessarily reflect those of HxA. Tl;dr - A timely and persuasive book arguing that universities are inevitably opinionated through the decisions they make. Covers …