Book Reviews
Siddhartha
Hermann Hesse
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse Is one of those rare books that doesn’t just speak to you, it changes something within.
It follows a spiritual journey beyond wealth, rituals, and teachings, showing that truth isn’t given, it’s lived. What stayed with me is its quiet wisdom: real peace comes not from the outside, but from deeply listening to your own soul. Beautifully simple yet full of layers, it made me reflect on what truly matters.
A timeless classic for anyone who has ever paused and asked, What is the purpose of my life?
The Book of Five Rings
Miyamoto Musashi
Every battle is first won in the mind — Musashi’s wisdom begins where the sword ends. Extreme discipline makes you unrecognizable. That’s what Musashi proved through his life and teachings in The Book of Five Rings — a guide not just for warriors, but for anyone seeking mastery over themselves.
1. Earth Ring – Brutal Self-Honesty See things as they are, not as you wish they were. Musashi says you must study both the sword and the pen, body and mind. Before improving, you must face your reality. Imagine someone who believes they work hard, but when they track their time honestly, they find hours lost to distraction. That moment of truth hurts, but it’s the foundation of growth. The Earth Ring teaches that discipline begins with clarity. Lesson: Track everything, know your truth, and accept reality before trying to change it.
2. Water Ring – Flow with Reality Be like water, adapt, don’t break. Once you see your flaws, don’t attack them with impossible plans. If you can’t run five miles, start with one. If you can’t meditate twenty minutes, begin with two. Musashi used every kind of weapon in battle to learn flexibility. Likewise, discipline must bend to life, not shatter against it. Lesson: Small consistent effort beats perfect intentions, flow around obstacles and keep moving.
3. Fire Ring – Turn Anger into Fuel Anger is energy, the question is where you aim it. Most people burn themselves with comparison and jealousy. Musashi turned his rage into training. Instead of hating failure, use it to sharpen focus. When you’re frustrated with your weakness, channel that fire into the next action, not self-criticism. Lesson: Don’t fight your emotions, direct them. Use anger as fuel to destroy laziness, not yourself.
4. Wind Ring – Stay Humble, Keep Learning When you think you’ve arrived, you start falling. Even undefeated, Musashi said, "I have not yet reached the Way." That humility kept him learning from every school and opponent he met. The danger of success is comfort, the belief that discipline can relax. The moment you stop observing yourself, you lose sharpness. Lesson: Stay a student forever. Every level of mastery demands new awareness and new humility.
5. Void Ring – Become Discipline Itself There is no end. The way is the practice. Musashi taught that the void isn’t emptiness, it’s full acceptance. When you realize the struggle never ends, it stops feeling like struggle. Discipline becomes your nature, like breathing. You don’t do it to reach somewhere; you do it because that’s who you are. Lesson: Stop chasing ease. The fight is the path, and the path itself is the reward.
The five rings together form a mirror, showing what it means to live awake, disciplined, and free. Earth shows truth, Water adapts, Fire fuels, Wind humbles, and Void completes. In mastering them, you don’t just learn how to win battles — you learn how to master yourself.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Richard Bach
Most of us live within limits we never question — but Jonathan Livingston Seagull dares to ask, what if life could be more?
Richard Bach’s timeless novella follows a seagull who refuses to accept the ordinary, choosing instead to master flight as an expression of freedom and purpose. It’s not really about a bird; it’s about all of us, our fears, our courage, and our hunger to go beyond what we’re told is possible. Reading it felt like a mirror, asking me where in my own life I’ve settled for less than I could be.
A short yet powerful story, it inspires you to break boundaries and live as if the sky was never the limit.
Clear Thinking
Shane Parrish
Clarity is not about brilliance, it is about avoiding avoidable mistakes.
Clear Thinking is a reminder that most failures in life come from rushing decisions, reacting emotionally, or getting lost in noise. Parrish shows that slowing down and choosing clarity gives you an edge in work, money, and relationships.
The book teaches that success is not about being smarter than others, but about making fewer unforced errors. Shape your environment so the right choices are the easiest, avoid situations where bad outcomes are inevitable, and recognize that small decisions compound into the life you build.
For me, the key learning is simple: protect your ability to think clearly, and you will protect your ability to live well.
The Great CEO Within: The Tactical Guide to Company Building
Alex MacCaw, Matt Mochary, and Misha Talavera
Leadership is not charisma, it is clarity and process.
The Great CEO Within is a manual for building companies and leaders. It cuts through myths about founders and focuses on what really matters: systems, habits, and culture. The real job of a CEO is creating clarity, building trust, and ensuring that the team works on what matters most.
What I found most valuable is how tactical it gets: writing agendas, giving feedback, building routines of reflection, and learning to coach instead of command. These are small practices that create powerful organizations.
The key lesson is that leadership is not about having all the answers, but about creating an environment where the best answers can emerge. Even outside business, these ideas work for anyone who wants to live with systems, clarity, and growth.
Zorba the Buddha
Osho
We live divided - chasing pleasure like Zorba or seeking silence like Buddha- but rarely whole.
What I love most is how it shows the divided life of man - either as Zorba, lost in pleasure, or as Buddha, lost in silence. Zorba dances, sings, celebrates, but has no depth. Buddha meditates, transcends, but has no song. Both are half, both incomplete.
Osho’s vision of a new man - Zorba the Buddha - touched me deeply: rooted in the earth, yet open to the sky. A being who can love and laugh, yet remain aware and silent.
For me, this book is not just philosophy, it’s a glimpse into the future of humanity, the meeting of matter and consciousness, body and soul.
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu is a book that feels like a breath of fresh air in the middle of life’s noise.
It’s not just philosophy - it’s a way of being, a reminder to flow with nature instead of fighting against it. Through its short verses, it teaches humility, balance, and the beauty of simplicity. For me, it’s like holding a mirror to life, showing that peace is not something to chase but something to align with.
A timeless guide for anyone seeking calmness, clarity, and harmony.
Principles
Ray Dalio
Principles by Ray Dalio is a book full of practical wisdom that bridges life and business.
Ray Dalio shares the principles that guided his journey — from decision-making to radical transparency, and the art of learning from mistakes. What I love most is how it turns complex ideas into simple, actionable habits that anyone can apply. It’s not just about success in work, but about building a framework to live with clarity and purpose.
A powerful guide for anyone who wants to make better choices and grow stronger every day.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Eric Jorgenson
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson is like sitting with a wise friend who talks about life, wealth, and happiness in the simplest way possible.
Instead of chasing shortcuts, Naval shows the value of building specific knowledge, nurturing relationships that compound, and designing a life around freedom. What I love is how practical it feels — not heavy theory, but clear insights that make you pause and rethink how you live and work. It’s a reminder that true wealth is not just money, but peace of mind, time, and choice.
A modern guide for anyone who wants to live smarter, lighter, and more freely.
Poor Charlie’s Almanack
Charlie Munger
Poor Charlie’s Almanack by Charlie Munger is a treasure chest of wisdom from one of the sharpest minds in investing and life.
Through his speeches and timeless lessons, Munger shows the power of mental models, clear thinking, and the habit of constant learning. What stands out is his humor and practicality — it’s not just about money, but about avoiding foolish mistakes and building a life of rational decisions. Reading it feels like getting decades of experience distilled into simple, memorable truths.
A brilliant guide for anyone who values clarity, curiosity, and lifelong wisdom.
Hsin Hsin Ming: The Book of Nothing
Osho
Hsin Hsin Ming: The Book of Nothing by Osho is one of those rare books that feels less like reading and more like sitting in silence with a master.
It takes Zen wisdom and makes it alive — pointing again and again to simplicity, to dropping the constant need to analyze, to just being. For me, it was a reminder that peace doesn’t come from solving everything, but from letting go of the need to solve at all. Each page feels like a gentle nudge away from overthinking and towards direct experience of life.
A beautiful companion for anyone seeking freedom in silence and the joy of nothingness.
The Prophet
Kahlil Gibran
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran is a book I return to whenever I need gentle wisdom and poetic truth.
Each chapter feels like a conversation with the soul — touching on love, work, freedom, and even death with words that are simple yet deeply moving. For me, reading it is like drinking from a quiet spring: refreshing, timeless, and full of grace. It doesn’t just speak to the mind, it seeps into the heart and lingers there.
A short but eternal masterpiece that inspires reflection, gratitude, and a deeper love for life.
Atomic Habits
James Clear
Atomic Habits by James Clear is one of the most practical books I’ve read on personal growth.
What I loved most is how it makes change feel possible — not through giant leaps, but through tiny steps that compound into something powerful over time. The strategies are simple yet effective: build good habits, break the bad ones, and shape your environment so it naturally pulls you towards success. While reading, I kept finding myself nodding and thinking, “Yes, I can actually do this.”
A clear and actionable guide for anyone who wants lasting change without feeling overwhelmed.