Here we are again! Another year, another list of favourite books. Similarly to last year, the majority of the titles I read were non-fiction. There were periods of intense reading, around a book a week and then others where work was very demanding and the Sirens of procrastination were singing so majestically, that I couldn’t resist. 😇 I definitely did better than last year, and I hope to keep a healthy reading pace for 2022.

These were the books I liked the most this year, enjoy! ☺️

Why we sleep by Matthew Walker

This was one of the first books I read last year, but it really stuck with me for some time and it was an eye-opener regarding the importance of sleep for good health. In it Dr. Walker is walking us through the current status of sleep research, and answers some important questions, such as: how do caffeine and alcohol affect sleep? What is the long-term effect of sleep loss? Are sleep aids actually beneficial for you? We spend almost a third of our lives sleeping, so at least evolutionally speaking it is crucial for our survival. One of the facts I found fascinating is that twice per year, when we start following daylight saving time, there is a spike in heart attacks, strokes and car accidents, all due to the fact that people sleep one hour less (or more). You can also listen to this NPR podcast, where Dr. Walker discusses his work. I guarantee you that after reading this book, you will definitely have second thoughts the next time you will pull an all-nighter!

The professor is in by Karen Kelsky

This is a book that every grad student and postdoc should read! The title is based on the namesake blog that Dr. Kelsky writes for more than a decade. In this book you can find advice for every step of the way between ABD (all but dissertation as a PhD student) to negotiating contracts as newly hired faculty. I really enjoyed the description of the academic job market, which I only knew vaguely from discussions with senior researchers. I highly recommend the chapter with “The Fullproof Grant Template”. If you want to learn more, you can also follow the namesake podcast that Dr. Kelsky hosts alongside Kel Winhold.

The comfort crisis by Michael Easter

The comfort crisis is one of these books that you keep thinking about in your everyday life long after you have finished reading it (similar to Why we sleep). In it, Easter is making the argument that our current comfortable lifestyle is one of the main causes for many of our physical and mental health issues nowadays. The book follows the author in his backcountry caribou hunting, which is his ‘misogi’ (禊); an ancient Japanese practice, where you are dealing with something that you have 50/50 chance of achieving it. During this journey Easter has to deal with many inconveniences that span from necessities, such as food, to boredom, enduring cold and carrying more than 100 pounds on his back. I enjoyed reading this book, because it makes you questioning things you take for granted, such as food and comfort, and challenges you to change your perspective on certain aspects of modern life. For example, you can stay without food for more than a day, and that will not hurt you (it definitely will be inconvenient, but fasting can also reduce inflammation and boost your cognitive performance). You can also find an interview of the author regarding this book in this podcast. Get a bit uncomfortable, you will be fine! 😉

Black Mirror and Philosophy edited by David Kyle Johnson

During the first pandemic lockdown in 2020, I watched the sci-fi show The Black Mirror. For those that are not familiar with its concept, it is an anthology of episodes, where in each of them a dystopian near-future technology is presented. For example, there is an episode where the personal rating on a mobile app can affect ones social status (hello Instagram!), and another where ones consciousness is transferred into a virtual world after death (sup metaverse!). Some might argue that this was the worst time to watch this show, but I really enjoyed it and now I am considering as one my all-time-favourite series. Every time a series episode ended, I was spending a lot of time thinking about how realistic it was, how far in the future it might happen and what the consequences would be for the people and the society. Thankfully, I found this volume, where each chapter is paired with a series episode, and in it philosophers are addressing and discussing its philosophical questions. It is a very nicely curated volume and its editor David Kyle Johnson, who is Professor of Philosophy at King’s College in Pennsylvania, has a lot of experience in the philosophy of science fiction (You can also watch his lecture series Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy).

The Pope of Physics by Gino Segrè and Bettina Hoerlin

The last (but not least) book for this year’s list is also the only physics-related book. It is a biography of Enrico Fermi, “the architect of the nuclear age”, and one of the most brilliant physicists of the twentieth century. The book follows Fermi’s life from his early life in Rome, to his studies in Pisa and then his professorship back in Rome and eventually his accomplishments in the United States during the 40s. Fermi is since during his career he mastered both experimental and theoretical nuclear physics. It was also very interesting reading about the sociopolitical circumstances during his life, the rise of Benito Mussolini while he was in Rome, his escape to the United States, the WWII effort of the Manhattan project and the post-war era. I really like Gino Segrè’s storytelling, and I also recommend his Faust in Copenhagen book, which deals with the history of quantum mechanics.