Book Recommendations

Books flow through our lives, year after year. What we read defines what we think, and vice versa. Our thinking changes probably more as a result of encountering new ideas and arguments, and less as a result of genuine insight and internal processing. 

Today, even the idea of a book is in transition: books become electronic files, we have short attention spans, and we live in an avalanche of information and ideas. Books compete with websites and magazines that report news and interpret them for us, like the BBC, the New York Times, the New Yorker Magazine, the London Review of Books, or Scientific American. These opinion-forming websites deliver a continuous stream of interesting articles, papers, and commentary that makes real books almost obsolete. In addition, there is an abundance of information on encyclopedic websites like the Wikipedia, Wolfram Alpha, the Stanford Encyclopedia,  or the Encyclopedia Britannica.

So why do we still need books? Because we seek more than just information, we want to understand and discuss the deeper issues of our times. Unlike magazines, internet news or e-mails, books tell us a richer and more comprehensive story. Reading books is essential if we want to discover new ideas, concepts, movements, or ways of thinking. A good theory defines the way we think about a field; some books lead to paradigm shifts in our thinking.

Reading a whole book is not easy; one needs a culture of reading and a commitment to learning. Research shows that it improves and transforms our thinking process and contributes to improved concentration, active imagination, as well as language capabilities. 

The reading suggestions below reflect only my own preferences. I'll suggest a list of 20 books I highly recommend, and then a few more sorted by subject area. At the end, there is a long list of books sorted by author. 

I hope you will find something interesting! 

Current Selection: 20 Books


(Updated on 6/22/23)

Philosophy

Politics /Critical Theory

Anthropology / Social Theory

Psychology / Psychotherapy

Psychoanalysis

Sciences

Environment / Life Sciences

Economics

History

Theology / Spirituality

Literature

Miscellaneous

List by Author's Name