/bookshelf

Books in my backpack or nightstand at the moment

Well-written biographies can be just as gripping as fiction. They come with dynamic characters, narrative arcs, and the added bonus of being true stories. By reading about how extraordinary people navigated their lives—what choices they made and what ripples they left behind — I'm reminded of how different (and yet how similar) we all are. Many of these are windows into mindsets that changed the world.

Though I haven't read as many design books as I'd like, a lot of my design understanding comes from podcasts, blogs, or hands-on experiences. Books that do make it onto my shelf usually teach me to look at the world with a critical eye — how form, function, and aesthetics come together in everything from user interfaces to physical products.

I love design reads that blend theory with practical examples, offering something I can experiment with right away.

Before I turned 19, fiction was my main reading staple. Everything from Tintin and Asterix to Hardy Boys and, eventually, thrillers by Alistair MacLean. Fiction offers a unique kind of education — it sneaks up on you with big life lessons wrapped in captivating stories.

Good thing about reading fiction from a very young age is that it sets you up for a lifelong habit of reading.

Reading these taught me that good fiction can leave a deeper imprint than many non-fiction titles. Characters we love (or hate) sometimes reflect who we are or who we want to be.

History reminds me that progress is a gradual accumulation of countless steps, missteps, and serendipities. I like history that challenges preconceived notions, showing how entire societies form, adapt, and collapse.

if you click on the first link of a random Wikipedia article and keep clicking the first link that follows, odds are you'll eventually land on Philosophy. It highlights how philosophical questions form the bedrock of every field.

I tend to impulse-buy Philosophy books because their covers and back blurbs captivate me. The paradox is that these books often raise more questions than they answer, but that's precisely what keeps me coming back. I appreciate how they expand my thinking, even if they leave me with more questions than I started with.

The best psychology books are like good code documentation — they help debug the human mind. I started with classic behavioral experiments (Stanford, Milgram) that shocked me into realizing how malleable our minds are. Now I read books that challenge my mental models, from evolutionary psychology to modern neuroscience. Like a personal manual for understanding why we do what we do.

This is a broad umbrella for anything from cutting-edge biotech to theoretical physics. My favorite kind of science writing achieves a rare balance: it lays out complex theories with clarity, but never loses sight of the wonder that drew people to these fields in the first place. I'm also drawn to books on tech's impact on society—where we are today and where we might be headed tomorrow.

I'm captivated by the interplay between scientific breakthroughs and their moral, philosophical, or social repercussions.

Science Fiction is my fun playground for big ideas — futuristic, inspiring, and at times surprisingly prescient. I'm not a fan of bleak dystopias; I prefer authors who imagine brighter possibilities (or at least intriguing ones) for humanity. Hard SF that respects scientific principles is my sweet spot, especially if it weaves technology and human drama in a seamless way.

I have a personal aspiration to write more science fiction myself one day. It's exciting to think about the worlds and technologies we can envision — or even help create.

Startups are exciting! They're unpredictable but also exhilarating—like living case studies of human collaboration, creativity, and resilience. They remind me that great ideas often come paired with risks. The journey of building something from the ground up never fails to keep me on my toes.