Currently Reading
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Thinking in Systems
Systems-thinking primer that helps me map finance, travel, and QA as living loops.
Notes & highlights
Why it fits: I keep returning to systemic framing, and this book lays out feedback loops, leverage points, and common system traps I can reuse everywhere. Highlights: Crisp writing, cross-domain case studies, and a direct echo of my Five Paradigms mental model.
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Fortune's Formula
A narrative history of the Kelly Criterion that tracks perfectly with my quant investing experiments.
Notes & highlights
Why it fits: I reference Kelly constantly, and this book explains how Claude Shannon and Ed Thorp ported information theory into portfolio sizing. Highlights: Blends math, casinos, and Wall Street with real stories that clarify path-dependent growth and convex strategies.
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The Most Important Thing
Risk philosophy from the cofounder of Oaktree—exactly what anchors the left side of my barbell playbook.
Notes & highlights
Why it fits: I'm obsessed with risk control over raw returns, and Marks pushes second-level thinking plus the behavioral structure behind permanent loss. Highlights: Short, focused chapters with applied insights that dovetail with Taleb's ideas and reinforce my "resilient + convex" thesis.
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Range
A field guide for generalists that validates my habit of porting systems thinking across domains.
Notes & highlights
Why it fits: My path from QA to finance to travel and contemplative practice mirrors the book's case against the 10,000-hour myth. Highlights: Stories of athletes, scientists, and artists paired with the match vs. wicked environment lens that justifies broad exploration.
Completed
The shelf is being catalogued. Check back soon for reading logs.
Wishlist
Wishlist is empty—time to scout new ideas.