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Recommended Reading

General Mathematics

  • Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart
    • UToronto Library
    • This book is a light and conversational introduction to lots of cool ideas in modern mathematics. It had a big impact on me when I first read it as an undegraduate. What’s a set? It’s bag with stuff in it. What’s a set of sets? Well, a bag full of bags!
  • Mathematical Snapshots by Hugo Steinhaus
    • UToronto Library
    • This is a collection of curious and interesting facts in mathematics. It is not expository, and contains no proofs, but gives an idea of what mathematics is about. Lots of great topics for seminar talks.

Fiction

  • Fictions by Borges

    • UToronto Library
    • As a highschool student, I was absolutely obssessed with Borges. I read everything that I could get my hands on. Eventually, I started to learn Spanish to read him in the original. Fictions is an astounding collection of short stories. It simultaneously sparked my interest in philosophy and mathematics.
      • The Library of Babel
      • Pierre Menard, the Author of Don Quixote
      • The Babylon Lottery
      • Funes, the Memorious

  • Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

    • UToronto Library
    • Deep and philosophically fascinating science fiction. When I was a graduate student, we passed this one around the office and all had our favourite stories. My favourites are:
      • Understand
      • The Story of Your Life
      • Seventy-Two Letters

Non-Fiction

  • The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas
    • UToronto Library
    • Short, deep, thought-provoking essays by a modern Montaigne. Lewis Thomas was an American physician and essayist who wrote broadly about medicine, science, culture, and biology.
      • The Music of This Sphere (local copy)
      • Your Very Good Health
      • Social Talk
      • The World’s Biggest Membrane
  • The Hand: How Its Use Shapes the Brain, Language, and Human Culture by Frank Wilson

Productivity and Life Skills

  • How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein
    • UToronto Library
    • This is the original guide to time management. It introduced the hugely influence “ABC method” of setting priorities. The language and examples are a bit dated, but the content and ideas are timeless. Every year or so, I dip into it and learn some new insight about managing my time and priorities.
  • How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams
    • Toronto Public Library
    • The cartoonist behind Dilbert explains the principles of that he uses succeed in life. The book draws on a lot of experience in the corporate world, and extensive reading about psychology. Chapter 30 “Happiness” (local copy) preaches the importance of: flexible schedules, sleep, diet, exercise, and imagination.

Reading and Writing

  • Professor as Writers by Robert Boice
    • UToronto Library
    • Summarizes decades of original research on the writing habits of academics. It gives concrete evidence that daily writing with self-imposed boundaries leads to highly productive scholarship. A must read for anyone doing academic writing. For another guide to this style of working, without so much background, see How to Write a Lot by Silvia (UToronto Library).
  • The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
    • UToronto Library
    • The Classic introduction to style and writing well. People take issue with it sometimes, and there are inaccuracies in it. However, it is The Classic and everyone ought to read it several times.
  • The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker
    • UToronto Libary
    • This is a lot heavier than Strunk and White, but much more accurate and well thought out. Definitely a deep-dive in to style. I learned a lot about linguistics from reading this book.
  • Clear and Simple as the Truth by Thomas and Turner
    • UToronto Library
    • This book presents a very philosophical take on style. It describes the classic style as practiced by Montaigne, Descartes, etc. This book deeply influenced the way that I think about the purpose of expository writing.
  • How to Read a Book by Adler and van Doren
    • UToronto Libary
    • A dense and technical book about doing textual research in the humanities. Full of insightful distinctions about levels of reading and techniques for skimming and summarizing material.
  • How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens
    • UToronto Library
    • This is a deep-dive in to note-taking techniques and zettelkasten (German: box of notecards). It advocates for writing very concise notes but connecting them in a hyperlinked manner. It is very preachy and over-simplifies the complexities of the writing process. For a contrasting view, see Rank and File by Minto.

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