Reading.

Non-exhaustive list of books I've read and am reading, in reverse chronological order. Updated on .

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TitleAuthorNotes
Brev från NollpunktenPeter EnglundReading
The Legacy of SpiesJohn le CarréI'm deep into espionage fiction now. Or, I'm deep into John le Carré… This novel was both a prequel and sequel to the author's breakout piece "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold" (which I haven't read yet. Not sure if that's good or bad). I liked the prose and the pacing. His got this way of mentioning information on the fly in sentences which is very well delivered.
The ShardsBret Easton EllisReading
Lou Reed – The LifeMick WallHow many rock bios may be allowed to have something with "life" as suffix?! What I especially liked with this book was that it was… short. I don't mean it's bad! More that all the other bios are so. Damn. Long. But Mick Wall compresses Lou Reed's life and captures the important events into an actually good read.
Stockholm, Sweden
Kent – Texter om Sveriges största rockbandSeveralCollection of reviews and articles about the band Kent, from around 1993 to 2005. I liked the interviews and descriptions of their early career through newspaper texts. The band is no more since a while back, so they obviously don't do these kind of interviews any longer.
Stockholm, Sweden
What We Owe the FutureWilliam MacAskillPhilosopher philosophising about the future.Paused
DetaljernaIa GenbergBest book I've read for a long while. So intimate and delicate. Beautiful prose. Good build-ups. The format of describing the interactions with four people during an unspecified (but guessable) timeline from the perspective of the narrator is so cool.
Fjällnäs, Sweden
David Bowie — A LifeDylan JonesA non-traditional biography of David Bowie. Being a Bowie fan, I loved it. It was constructed as interview format rather than common phrose. It was different than other biographies I've read on Bowie, thanks to the various (well known) voices the author used in the interviews. It felt personal and real.
Fjällnäs, Sweden
Grand UnionZadie SmithJust didn't like it. The short stories weren't captivating enough, and the prose was elegant but unnecessarily complex.Dropped
Four Thousand WeeksOliver BurkemanToo much "self help book" so far. I constantly feel: "this could've been a blog post" and "why did I buy this".Dropped
Att Uppfinna Världen ("Inventing the World")Katrine MarçalHistorical account about how women have been pushed aside over the years when it comes to inventions and innovation.Paused
Vargarna från evighetens skogKarl Ove KnausgårdI loved this even more than "Morgonstjärnan". It's more focused, and showcases Knausgård's ability to tell captivating stories about seemingly mundane characters and scenes. The book treats two characters' everyday life, with varying amounts of trauma and anxieties. The prose is simple: the 700 pages are an easy read. It's really inspiring.
Kalk Bay, South Africa
JackUlf LundellThe generational novel of the Swedish 1970s. Dropped it because it didn't really speak to me. I understand it must've been cool in the 70s, but not so now.Dropped
Häng CityMikael YvesandLovely rendition of a summer in the lives of three 13 year old boys in northern Sweden in 1999. The language used is so very relatable, and so are the pop culture references. Even though "nothing" really happens, the book does describe (quite accurately) feelings, energies, places, activities, and personal traits of people from the eyes of a teenage boy.
LifeKeith RichardsThe autobiography of Keith Richards (guitarist in Rolling Stones).Stockholm, Sweden
Mastering the Art of French CookingJulia Child, Simone Beck, Louisette BertholleI bought the Swedish translation as paperback, and read it all in once – back to back. Quite special for a cooking book. The book includes tips and tricks around techniques, equipment, and ingredients. All the traditional French recipies are in here. What I loved about the recipies was that they were both mechanic but yet very much alive. Meaning, the authors' obsession with details, experimentation, and iteration really shined through.
Stockholm, Sweden
MorgonstjärnanKarl Ove KnausgårdI thought Knausgård would be a hard read, but it was not. "Morgonstjärnan" is so lovely. The author has this superb power of making seemingly mundane everyday people and tasks become interesting. His description are rich, and the pace is perfect. I was really captivated and inspired.
Fjällnäs, Sweden
Once Upon A Time… In HollywoodQuentin TarantinoIt's quite rare that a book is written after a film, and by the film's creator too. I loved this one: it's 100% Quentin Tarantino-ness all way through. He has space to go deeper in the conversations between the characters, whose stories he can give justice too. Like the film, it somehow entertains me without having a real plot.
Stockholm, Sweden
The ClashStrummer, Jones, Simonon, HeadonAn okay account of the history of the band, told by themselves in interview format.
Stockholm, Sweden
ÅlevangelietPatrik SvenssonDropped
Fight ClubChuck PalahniukI honestly think the movie is better. I'm sure the book would be cool if I'd read that first, but I couldn't stand the fast paced dialogue with random sentences thrown in between lines.
Florence, Italy
American PsychoBret Easton EllisThe book is a lot more psycho than the movie. More explicit than I thought. The unreliable monologues of the narrator are amazingly written, and there are more layers to the book than just the obvious one.
Florence, Italy
What I Talk About When I Talk About RunningHaruki MurakamiI love Murakami's straight forward language. This one made me want to start running. He's very honest about himself in this semi-biography, but never sentimental. Feels very Japanese.
Florence, Italy
Samlade VerkLydia SandgrenThis is an epic describing the live of a couple of individuals from the 1970s until the 2010s in Gothenburg, Sweden. It really touched me, on several layers. I'm very sentimental about the city Gothenburg, and I was constantly impressed by the cultural references, the plot, and the language of the relatively young author. There's this amazing melancholia hanging over the whole work.
Österlen, Sweden
Zen Mind, Beginner's MindShunryu SuzukiIt took me a long time to finish this very thin book. The language is dense, and I wanted to soak every page in. I had to re-read a couple of sentences. But I liked it as a whole, especially the laser focus of the author's message.
Stockholm, Sweden
IshmaelDaniel QuinnA philosophical discourse about the evolution of homo sapiens. Some things are controversial, like population control. The book's dialogue is about biodiversity, climate change, urbanisation: a lot of contemporary topics. It's a nice pairing together with Sapiens.
Österlen, Sweden
HeraklesTheodor KallifatidesI like mythology, especially like Greek mythology. This book is a novel – I guess a bit dramatised – about the life of the hero Hercules. It was good, very vivid and nuanced.
Stockholm, Sweden
Normal PeopleSally RooneyI saw the series before reading the book, and both formats have their charm. The author has a great language, and manages to capture the atmosphere that surrounds that age from high school to university.
Stockholm, Sweden
Cosa NostraJohn DickieA non-fiction history about the Sicilian mafia. Entertaining.
Stockholm, Sweden
About A BoyNick HornbyVery 'fun' and unforeseeable language. The thoughts of the two main characters – the man and the boy – are written in a way that feels authentic. I liked the randomness and quick turns of the book.
Stockholm, Sweden
Jag Kan Ha FelBjörn Natthiko LindebladWritten by a Swedish businessman who became a Buddhist monk for 17 years. It's not a classic self help book, nor some kind of teaching about Buddhism. It's merely his story, with some of his philosophies thrown in. He mixes serious subjects with wit.
Stockholm, Sweden
The GodfatherMario PuzoEven better than the movie. More details (of course), and deeper descriptions of characters.
Stockholm, Sweden
The AlchemistPaolo CoelhoI loved it in the beginning, but then it turned out to be boring New Age-y stuff.
Sri Lanka
The ZahirPaolo CoelhoLike The Alchemist, this one was boring. Poorly written, boring plot, and not believable at all.
Sri Lanka
The Snow LeopardPeter MatthiessenA travel diary of an American in an expedition into the Himalayas. He's real goal is to catch a glimpse of the very shy Snow Leopard. This travel text captures the beauty of Zen without speaking too much about it. It's kind of dense at times, but very, very grand.
Sri Lanka
Men Without WomenHaruki MurakamiI like short story collections, and Murakami's language is the best. Read this.
Sri Lanka
The Sun Also RisesErnest Hemingway
Barcelona, Spain
A Brief History of TimeStephen Hawking
Stockholm, Sweden
A Little LifeHanya YanagiharaThe saddest book I've read in all my life. But oh so good.
Stockholm, Sweden
21 Lessons for the 21th CenturyYuval Noah Harari
Stockholm, Sweden
Hero — David BowieLesley-Ann Jones
Lisbon, Portugal
SapiensYuval Noah Harari
Nice, France
The Mountain ShadowGregory David RobertsSequel to Shantaram. Not as good, but nevertheless a good sequel.
Gothenburg, Sweden
M TrainPatti Smith
New York, USA
A Moveable FeastErnest Hemingway
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Essential HemingwayErnest Hemingway
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dancing with the Devil in the City of GodJuliana Barbassa
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Just KidsPatti SmithVery touching, and beautifully written.
San Francisco, USA
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceRobert M. Pirsig
Vienna, Austria
W. Axl RoseMick Wall
Gothenburg, Sweden
Becoming Steve JobsBrent Schlender & Rick Tetzeli
Gothenburg, Sweden
Steve JobsWalter Isaacson
Gothenburg, Sweden
ShantaramGregory David Roberts
Gothenburg, Sweden
Scar TissueAnthony KiedisRaw and honest.
Gothenburg, Sweden
Into the WildJon Krakauer
Paris, France
Black SabbathMick Wall
The RoadCormac McCarthyThe minimal language is perfect.
Life of PiYann Martel
Calgary, Canada
InfinityBrian Clegg
Calgary, Canada
ReworkJason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
Calgary, Canada
The Holy Blood And The Holy GrailM. Baigent, R. Leigh & H. Lincoln
Calgary, Canada
No One Here Gets Out AliveJerry Hopkins & Danny Sugarman
Calgary, Canada
Interview wih the VampireAnne Rice
Calgary, Canada
Led Zeppelin – When Giants Walked The EarthMick Wall
Kauai, Hawaii
Hammer of the Gods – The Led Zeppelin SagaStephen Davis
Kauai, Hawaii
The Old Man and the SeaErnest Hemingway
1984George Orwell
Animal FarmGeorge Orwell
The SilmarillionJ.R.R. Tolkien
BilboJ.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the RingsJ.R.R. Tolkien

71 books | Feed