My reading shelf

B Is for Bauhaus, Y Is for YouTube

A collection of independent personal essays on modern design and architecture, everyday objects, materials, taste and the cultural meanings of things.

PostCapitalism: A Guide to Our Future

An economic and political book by Paul Mason about a possible transition beyond capitalism. Published in 2015, it combines a history of economic change with an argument about how information technology changes work, production and value. Mason proposes a programme for a different economic order; cheap reproduction of information is only one of its premises.

Surrounded by Psychopaths

A popular-psychology book by Thomas Erikson about manipulation and ways of responding to it. He combines stories about people’s behaviour with his colour-based typology and advice for everyday communication. One concern is the boundary between disagreeable behaviour, deception and the label “psychopath”. This is an account of the author’s approach, not a clinical diagnostic manual.

A World in Disarray

An examination of international order and American foreign policy by Richard Haass, published in 2017. The book moves from the history of relations between states to great-power rivalry and shared global challenges. Its proposed “World Order 2.0” adds obligations towards other countries to sovereign rights. This is a policy argument of its time, not a guide to NATO’s current decisions.

The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World

A financial history tracing debt records and banking, bonds, shares, insurance, property and international financial connections. Niall Ferguson combines explanations of financial instruments with accounts of people and institutions.

Feel-good Productivity : How to Do More of What Matters to You (9781250865052)

A practical book about organising work, motivation, recovery and priorities. Ali Abdaal combines personal accounts, examples and exercises for finding a workable approach to productivity; it is not a clinical manual.

Strategy That Works: How Winning Companies Close the Strategy-to-Execution Gap

A management book about connecting competitive strategy with a company’s everyday operations. Cases from large businesses explore mutually reinforcing capabilities, organisational culture, resource allocation and business development.

The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life

An introduction to game theory for general readers. Avinash Dixit and Barry Nalebuff use examples and problems to explain strategic interaction, equilibrium, commitments, information, auctions, bargaining and incentives.

Rules: A Short History of What We Live By

A history of rules in the Western tradition, from artisanal and culinary precepts to algorithms, laws and everyday norms. Lorraine Daston examines how rules relate to experience, judgment and assumptions about an orderly world.

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

Austin Kleon’s short illustrated book about creative practice: learning from others, finding one’s own work, combining tools, maintaining side projects, sharing work and choosing constraints.

American Dreamer: My Life in Fashion & Business

Tommy Hilfiger’s memoir, written with Peter Knobler, about his life in fashion and business: building a brand, advertising, partnerships and the company’s development. A participant’s personal account rather than an independent study of advertising effectiveness.

The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World

A popular history of precision and its role in engineering. Simon Winchester examines the instruments, standards and production decisions that make it possible to manufacture and combine components.

Mesopotamia

A collection of prose stories and poems about urban life, intimacy, loss and memory.

Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad

Austin Kleon’s illustrated book about sustaining a creative practice: attention to familiar surroundings, everyday work and returning to one’s own observations. Advice and examples rather than a clinical guide.

Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World

Irene Vallejo explores books in the ancient world: writing materials, libraries, scribes and readers. She traces the history of books through people and the ways texts are preserved.

Dim Soli (House of Salt)

A speculative novel set in Kimmeryk after the Flashes, catastrophes that transformed people and the land. In this world, water, medicine and protection all come at a price.

Will

Will Smith’s memoir, written with Mark Manson. Recollections of childhood, family and a life in music and film.

To Pixar and Beyond

A Pixar chief financial officer’s memoir of the strategic and business decisions behind the animation studio’s development, and the tension between creative work and business demands.

Kardashian Kulture

A cultural history of celebrity in which Ellis Cashmore connects mediated fame with gender, sexuality, racial identities, consumption and privacy. The Kardashians are part of a wider argument about audiences and changing cultural norms.

Frankenstein (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel follows Victor Frankenstein, the being he creates and the consequences of abandonment and revenge. Through a polar explorer’s letters and embedded narratives, it explores ambition, the need for companionship and responsibility for another life.

Площі та вежі

@War: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex

Shane Harris investigates the formation of the US military–Internet complex: relations among intelligence agencies, armed forces, technology companies and private security specialists. Interviews, public documents and reconstructions accompany political arguments and forecasts, not present-day technical or legal instructions. The source is the Ukrainian edition jointly published by Nika-Centre and Anetta Antonenko Publishers in 2019, translated by Olena Zamoiska; the original English title is used for navigation, not to claim an English edition was read.

$100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No

Alex Hormozi’s practical guide to designing a commercial offer around the buyer’s desired outcome, obstacles, possible solutions and delivery costs. It also covers pricing, urgency and guarantees. The source is the 2021 English-language Acquisition.com edition; the author’s business stories are not independent evidence of future sales.

100,000 Words About Love, Including Exclamations

An anthology of 25 writers: stories, essays and lyrical texts on love, desire and intimacy. Its Ukrainian voices range from domestic fiction to an ironic primer and prayer.

Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies

A memoir and self-help book about learning everyday care after a chaotic upbringing. Read in Ukrainian as Купи собі той довбаний букет; neither a psychology textbook nor a universal treatment programme.

Charles de Gaulle

Bernard Phan’s concise historical life of Charles de Gaulle follows the military career, Resistance, state leadership and formation of public memory of de Gaulle. The author’s judgements about France and its institutions belong to the book’s period, not a verified account of present conditions. The source is the Ukrainian edition jointly published by Nika-Centre and Anetta Antonenko Publishers in 2020, translated from French by Zoia Borysiuk; the English display title does not identify a separately read English edition.

Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology

Chris Miller’s history of the semiconductor industry connects invention, manufacturing, state policy and international dependencies. It explains the division of work between chip designers, fabs and equipment makers. The source is Scribner’s 2022 English-language edition, not a current market report.

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

Ed Catmull, writing with Amy Wallace, describes Pixar’s development and ways of managing creative work: candid reviews, unfinished versions, mistakes and the preparation of leaders. This is an insider and studio leader’s account, not an independent effectiveness study. The source is the English-language Random House ebook, 2014.

Felix Austria

A Ukrainian novel set in Stanislaviv, told by Stefa, whose domestic work and devotion bind her to Adelia. Intimacy, inequality and an unreliable voice shape the story.

Fidel Castro: The Last “Catholic King”

A political biography of Fidel Castro by Loris Zanatta, examining the revolutionary leader, his power and his vision of society. The image of a “Catholic king” expresses Zanatta’s interpretation of how a communist project absorbed the language of national salvation and an inherited Hispanic-Catholic tradition. That framework gives the book its polemical character.

Franco: Anatomy of a Dictator

A historical biography of Francisco Franco in which Enrique Moradiellos examines him as a person, a caudillo and the ruler of Spain. His life is considered alongside his leadership style, the justification of his power and the development of the dictatorship. These three perspectives connect the leader’s personality with the system he headed.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Fannie Flagg’s novel follows Idgie, Ruth, the Whistle Stop Cafe and Ninny Threadgoode’s meetings with Evelyn Couch. Dated scenes, conversations and local news items bring together friendship, memory and inequality. The source copy is in English; its publisher and year are unverified. The text contains racist language and depictions of discrimination.

Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit

A 2024 book about how artificial intelligence might change knowledge, politics, security, economics and ideas of human dignity.

Good to Great

A management book in which Jim Collins seeks to explain sustained improvements in company performance. He compares selected successful businesses with others and uses those comparisons to propose management principles. His definition of “greatness” rests on historical financial results, which matters when judging the scope of his conclusions.

History of Eroticism

A philosophical essay by Georges Bataille on eroticism, desire and the place of prohibitions in human culture. Shame, fear, celebration and transgression become ways of exploring the tension between ordered life and what exceeds its rules. The book develops a philosophical argument rather than practical advice about relationships.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties

A short speculative story about two teenagers at an unfamiliar party. A separate English ebook edition of a story first collected in Fragile Things.

I See You’re Interested in Darkness

Criminal psychologist Andriy Haister arrives in Buskiv Sad to search for a missing child. Local indifference and his own doubts complicate a dark Ukrainian thriller with uncanny elements and graphic violence.

My Life and Work

Henry Ford presents his views on production, labour, pay and business organisation. This is the industrialist’s own account and explanation, not an independent critical biography. The source is Uliana Dzhaman’s Ukrainian translation; its metadata names Nash Format as publisher, while the year of this electronic copy is unverified here.

Naked or Covered: A World History of Dressing and Undressing

Mineke Schipper explores the cultural meanings of clothing and nudity through historical examples, religious ideas, travel observations and public disputes. Modesty, bodily display and spectators’ judgements are examined as changing conventions, not a universal code. The source is the Ukrainian edition jointly published by Nika-Centre and Anetta Antonenko Publishers in 2019, translated from Dutch by Oksana Smerek. The English display title renders the Ukrainian title; no separate English edition was used here.

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Chris Voss, writing with Tahl Raz, presents negotiation through listening, questions, handling refusal and checking implementation. Accounts of crisis and business conversations accompany practical influence techniques, not independent validation of every psychological claim. The source is the first English-language HarperCollins / Harper Business ebook, May 2016, EPUB ISBN 9780062407818.

Party ‘Nationalist’: The Paradoxes of Petro Shelest

Yurii Shapoval’s biographical study of Petro Shelest, leader of Ukraine’s Communist Party in 1963–1972. Diaries, recollections and documents examine republican interests, cultural patronage, participation in the Soviet system and political removal. The source is the Ukrainian edition jointly published by Nika-Centre and Anetta Antonenko Publishers in 2020. The English display title translates the Ukrainian title; it does not identify an English edition read here.

Reagan: The Hollywood Years

Marc Eliot examines Ronald Reagan’s radio, film and television years, professional relationships and move into politics. Documents, interviews and memoir-based accounts accompany an explicit authorial judgement, not a substitute for checking chronology or assessing the presidency. The source is the Ukrainian edition jointly published by Nika-Centre and Anetta Antonenko Publishers in 2020, translated by Nataliia Klymchuk. The English title is used for navigation, not to claim an English edition was read.

Signs of Good and Evil: A History of Superstitious Customs

Ari Turunen gathers accounts of superstitious customs, images and rituals, offering cultural explanations of fear, luck and transitions between stages of life. The author’s framework is not independent verification of every historical etymology or psychological theory. The source is the Ukrainian edition jointly published by Nika-Centre and Anetta Antonenko Publishers in 2020, translated from Finnish by Iryna Malevych. The English display title renders the Ukrainian title; no English edition was used.

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed

Ben Rich’s memoir of Lockheed aircraft projects, engineering decisions and the organisation of Skunk Works, written with Leo Janos.

Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle

Dan Senor and Saul Singer examine Israeli entrepreneurship through stories of companies, institutions, migration and state support. They combine argument with participants’ accounts and openly acknowledge their admiration for the subject. The source is Twelve’s first English-language ebook edition, November 2009, not a current statistical guide to Israel.

The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History

Boris Johnson explores the role of character and individual decisions in Winston Churchill’s life. His biographical portrait combines political scenes, humour, counterfactual reasoning and explicit admiration for its subject. The source is the English-language Riverhead Books ebook, copyright 2014.

The Intelligent Investor: A Book of Practical Counsel — Revised Edition

Benjamin Graham examines investment policy, valuation, investor behaviour and the margin of safety. The English-language HarperCollins EPUB, June 2003, combines the underlying fourth revised edition published in 1973 with Jason Zweig’s separately identified new commentaries. Its historical examples are not current financial recommendations.

The Like Switch

A practical guide by Jack Schafer and Marvin Karlins to making contact, building rapport and influencing others. Stories from Schafer’s FBI experience sit alongside advice for everyday relationships. One central framework considers proximity, frequency, duration and intensity of contact; the authors propose applying their observations beyond professional operations.

The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-by-Step Guide for Building a Great Company

Steve Blank and Bob Dorf’s reference manual on finding and testing a business model through customer problems, solution tests and repeatable sales. The ebook includes a strategy guide and separate guides for web/mobile and physical channels. The source is the first English-language K&S Ranch Press edition, September 2012.

The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World’s Most Successful People Launched Their Careers

Alex Banayan pursues stories of famous people’s early careers and unexpected routes to interviews. An adventure about persistence, connections and chance, rather than a tested formula for success.

The Wealth of Nations, Books I–III

The first three books of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, edited by Andrew Skinner. Arguments about the division of labour, exchange, income and economic development.

Things and People: An Essay on Consumption

Wolfgang Schivelbusch’s essay explores consumption as a material relationship between people and things. Philosophical, economic and literary examples trace use, depletion and images of life in the world of objects. The source is the Ukrainian edition jointly published by Nika-Centre and Anetta Antonenko Publishers in 2018, verified against the publisher’s ISBN record. This English display title translates the Ukrainian title; it does not identify an English edition read here.

We Are Bellingcat

Eliot Higgins recounts the development of Bellingcat and open-source investigation, combining a personal history with explanations of research methods.

What to Believe: 10 Proposals for Educated People

Ten essays by Rudolf Taschner on where people seek support and meaning: in nature, God, history, art, the future and themselves. The mathematician draws on philosophy, religion and cultural examples to consider different forms of belief. His proposals are neither mutually exclusive nor a set of proven propositions.

Write! An Easy Path from Idea to Book

A Ukrainian creative-writing workshop on recognising avoidance, drafting, writing dialogue and editing, with exercises, personal stories and irony.

Writing Policy Analysis Is for Everyone

A Ukrainian handbook on analytical writing: from framing a research question and gathering evidence to arguments and recommendations for decisions.

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future

Peter Thiel with Blake Masters examines building new companies through product differentiation, market choice, durable advantages, sales and founding decisions. Developed from Thiel’s course and Masters’s notes, it combines practical questions with a polemical defence of monopoly. The source is the English-language Crown Business ebook, 2014.