This is my curated personal reading log; a collection of media I thought was worth saving because it was novel, interesting, thought provoking, or well written. I read a lot, but less than 10% of what I consume makes it onto this list—only the pieces interesting enough that I might want to come back to them. But, of the things worth saving, probably 95% are on here. (At least, since Feb 2021)

<aside> ⚠️ DISCLAIMERS

My summaries for each item are super haphazard and incomplete. They are more notes-to-self with a key point or two that stood out most (whether I think it’s true or not), not any kind of deep engagement with the piece. No note is my complete, nuanced thoughts on a subject, obviously.

I don’t 100% agree with almost anything on this list. In fact, I read things I disagree with on purpose, for perspective, and in case I'm wrong. Things are linked here not for being gospel truth, but for teaching me something even if I think the rest is nonsense.

Relatedly, inclusion in this list is not a personal endorsement. I believe we can learn something positive from everyone, regardless of their other flaws.

Ratings are for novelty and quality at that specific time—a great piece may be rated low because I’d already been exposed to the ideas, or a mediocre piece rated high because it was my first encounter with an interesting idea. (The 4-5 boundary is particularly blurry.)

My opinions change over time as I learn more. The older something is, the more likely my views have evolved since then.

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“value+novelty” ratings meaning:

1-3 (0%): Maybe interesting but not worth saving—not in this list.

4 (~50%): Baseline interesting and worth saving, I may want to come back and reference it; this is already the top 5-10% of what I read.

5 (~35%): Distinctly novel or thought provoking above the baseline of 4.

6 (~13%): Unusually novel and well written, really made me think. Definitely worth coming back to periodically.

7 (~2%): Truly exceptional/singular, timeless. I strongly encourage pretty much everyone to read this.

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(note: default view is just the 6+ rating highlights — adjust the sort & filter to explore more)

Media

Stuff I recommend and subscribe to but is underrepresented in this list:

• xkcd — One of the greatest pieces/collections of media in the world. Funny, delightful, nerdy, and even educational
• Acquired Podcast — Generally great. 3h deep dives on some interesting company, how they came to be, and how to think about their strengths and weaknesses at different points in history. Ben and David are also great storytellers; I listen 70% for education and 30% entertainment. IMHO sometimes their analysis is a little off, but mostly they seem pretty sharp, and the history is always solid. Realistically pretty much every episode is a 4 or 5, but I didn’t start putting them in as I listened and now there are too many :P
• Money Stuff — This one is 40% education, 60% entertainment, and wow is Matt Levine good at both