Shen's Reading List

This is my reading list. It is a record of books that I am currently reading, or that I have read. I decided to keep a public reading list so I can better share the books that are on my mind with my friends and correspondents, as well as to help myself keep track of my reading. Reading is very important, to both the practice of Philosophy, as well as the pursuit of a contemplative life. This list is organised chronologically by the calendar week (there being approximately 52 weeks in a year), with the latest (i.e. current) entry on top.

2022

Week 20 (2022-05-16) Current Week

I am currently reading:

• Letters to a Young Poet, by Rilke
• The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, by Julian Jaynes

Week 19 (2022-05-09)

• Letters to a Young Poet, by Rilke
• Phaedrus, by Plato
• The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, by Julian Jaynes

Week 18 (2022-05-02)

• The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann
• The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, by Julian Jaynes

Week 17 (2022-04-25)

• The Ethics of Ambiguity, by Simone de Beauvoir
• Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect, by Spinoza

Week 16 (2022-04-18)

• Go Down Moses, by William Faulkner
• The Ethics of Ambiguity, by Simone de Beauvoir

Week 15 (2022-04-11)

• Meno, by Plato
• The Souls of Black Folk, by W. E. B. Du Bois

Week 14 (2022-04-04)

• Heart of a Dog, by Mikhail Bulgakov
• To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf

(Past entries in 2022 were not recorded)

I try to read at least one book a week, although depending on the length of the work, it may take longer. Consecutive entries of the same work (i.e. across weeks) means I am still reading it. I usually keep two books open with me at any given time, generally a work of non-fiction and a work of fiction. I like alternating between the two as time and circumstance dictates.

I generally do not take notes while I am reading, unless it is for a very dense work, such as Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, or Sartre's Being and Nothingness. My notes for Being and Nothingness are publicly available as a Github repository.

All links to the books are to their canonical English-language Wikipedia page (if available), or otherwise to their publisher's website. There are no affiliate links on this website.

As of always, if you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions for future reading, please feel free to contact me! I love conversations with interesting strangers, and I would be delighted to have more book recommendations.