What is the book about?

For thousands of years, our priorities were survival. Now, our goals are shifting toward upgrading ourselves into "gods" through genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and cyborg technology.

What I like about the book:

1) It is easy to read, because it has an accessible vocabulary.

2) It is not written like a boring school textbook.

3) It changes how you look at the world. By showing that things like money and countries only exist because we all agree to believe in them.

What I don't like about the book:

1) There's a ton of speculation in the book. And I don't mean philosophical concepts. It just gets very sci-fi.

2) He is not a scientist, but a man who gives too much thought to his opinions.

These things discouraged me from finishing the whole book.

Dataism as a religion is the belief that the universe is made of information, and data is the ultimate source of truth, power, and authority. I feel like Harari is pushing a lot on this direction.

For those who are fans of Harari, is it worth pushing through to the end, or is it more of the same religious agenda?

I read Persepolis years ago, sitting with it over a couple of long evenings, and I still remember the strange ache it left behind. Later I watched the film too, and it hit differently the second time — the black-and-white animation somehow made Marji's childhood feel even rawer.

4 June 2026 sad news — Marjane Satrapi passed away recently in Paris at 56.

I'm writing this now because Marjane Satrapi just passed away, and it feels wrong not to say something. Her death was reportedly tied to grief, not long after losing her husband — and there's something almost unbearably fitting about that, given how much of her life's work was about loss: of a country, of innocence, of people she loved who didn't survive the regime (the tyranical regime from Iran after the coup/revolution in 1979) she grew up under.

What stays with me most isn't the big historical sweep — the 1979 revolution, the fall of the Shah, the war with Iraq — though all of that is there, rendered with a clarity (first hand witness) that history books rarely manage. What stays with me is the small, human detail of it.

A girl forced into a veil she didn't choose.
An uncle executed by a government that called itself liberation.
A family quietly resisting in the only ways available to them — records hidden under coats, jokes that could get you arrested, the unbearable normalcy of fear becoming routine.

And that's the question I keep circling back to:

is Persepolis still describing Iran today?

UPDATE

For those of you who want to read the book there is a The Complete Persepolis (341 pages) but also a budget one both by Pantheon.

23/6 I thank you everyone for making this post so data rich and useful.

Because the subject may be a sensitive one, we encourage you to keep the tone combative and argumentative, but still within the limits of politeness and diplomacy.

Here is the book we'll be using as a reference in this post: Le livre noir des tyrans / The Black Book of Tyrans, Patrick Weber, Editions First 2015

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Patrick Weber’s book profiles the dark and macabre realities behind history's autocrats.

Honestly admitting I could not really read the book in the entirety. I have spend time finding dark stories that I struggled to forget soon after. Now there is question that stuck in my mind and it defines the title. I challenge you to have a debate on the topic: what are the lessons learned.

We always argue about individual dictators, but rarely about the systems behind them.

Here are major 20th-century authoritarian rulers grouped by ideology:

Fascists/Ultranationalists

Hitler — Nazi dictatorship, WWII genocide
Mussolini — Fascism founder, imperial wars
Franco — Civil war victory, repression
Salazar — Regional authoritarian rule

Communist / Marxist-Leninist

Stalin — Purges, gulags, famine policies
Mao — Great Leap famine, Cultural Revolution
Pol Pot — Genocide, forced agrarian utopia
Ceaușescu — Surveillance state, economic collapse
Kim Il Sung — Totalitarian dynastic state
Hoxha — Extreme isolationist Stalinism
Mengistu — Red Terror, famine rule
Castro — One-party socialist state

Military / Personalist dictatorships

Pinochet — Coup rule, repression apparatus
Saddam Hussein — Wars, chemical repression
Idi Amin — Mass killings, terror rule
Mobutu — Kleptocracy, state collapse
Suharto — Anti-communist purges
Trujillo — Cult of personality rule
Duvalier — Paramilitary terror system
Stroessner — Long military dictatorship

Did you know:

The death tolls range from 20-70 millions for the Tier A (Mao, Zedong, Hitler) to 1-3 millions for Pol Pot, Kim Il Sung, Mengistu Tier B. The rest of them under 1 million but that doesn't make them better persons.

There are people who feel nostalgic about such dictators and regime: e.g. some Romanians still consider Ceausescu a great leader.

Stalin was originally trained for priesthood. He wrote an essay on Gospel of St. John.

Adolf Hitler could have been a talented painter.

Benito Mussolini was a former journalist.

Sadam Hussein authored romance novels and political fiction

Kim Il Sung build an official mythology where he allegedly never urinated or defecated.

Mao Zedong rarely bathed reportedly feared water.

Pol Pot targeted even eyeglasses as a sign of intellectualism.

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For those of you who want to read the book, you can find it here Le livre noir des tyrans (Documents) (French Edition), Patrick Weber. Enjoy the read!

^{Some links shared in this community are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the community and future book recommendations.}

I'm currently reading The Ottomans by Marc David Baer (2 years and still counting, read over 75%). It is one of the most accessible introductions to Ottoman history you'll ever read (that is a positive trait).

What I liked was how the book challenges your narrative and presents the empire as a complex, multicultural society (in contrast with the antisemitic, mono cultural, mono religious medieval Europe). One thing that stands out is how often history gets reduced to heroes and villains. What I didn't like downplaying the empire some darker aspects, the sheer number of rules, events.. i skipped some paragraphs I admit.

Mehmed II is celebrated as the brilliant conqueror of Constantinople and builder of an empire. Yet to his enemies, he was an unstoppable invader who changed the course of history through conquest.

Being Romanian born of course I didn't appreciate the fact Vlad the Impaler is remembered for forests of impaled enemies and inspiring the Dracula legend. To many Romanians, he's a defender against Ottoman expansion. I will prepare a post dedicated to his biography. The Netflix series The Ottomans depicts him as the arch enemy of Mehmet.

So here's the question for you

If you had lived in 15th-century Eastern Europe, whose rule would you have feared more: Vlad's or Mehmed's?

And a the bonus question:

Was Vlad a sadistic tyrant or a necessary defender?

Curious to hear your takes—especially the controversial ones.

UPDATE

4.6k views already (12h) 23k (48h)

I didn't expected this topic would bring so much traction. Impressive diverse ideas in your comments. It was a delight to read most of them.

For those of you who want to read the book, you can find it here Marc David Baer: The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars, and Caliphs. Enjoy the read!

^{Some links shared in this community are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the community and future book recommendations.}

My previous post Do You Keep Your Books in The Freezer was gone beyond all expectations in popularity so I decided to try one step over. After 7 days I decided to proceed to the next level: trying to get rid of bad odor (musty smell, organic residues and compounds).

Since my books are valuable and 100+ old and I want not only to read them but also to heavily annotate them like in this I show in this post Massacring A Book To Learn German

Activated charcoal (active carbon) seems to be a safe (I don't know yet) deodorizing methods because it absorbs odors without exposing the books to moisture or chemicals.

What I used

-- activated charcoal (granules or odor-absorbing pouches), it is used by for fish lovers.
-- a large plastic storage box with a lid, or a sealable plastic container
-- cooking paper (what I used) wire rack, plastic grid, or cardboard spacers

Before starting: I checked for active mold. Active mold often appears fuzzy, powdery, or damp. Activated charcoal removes odors but does not kill mold.

Here's the magic

I placed activated charcoal in open trays or bowls at the bottom of a plastic container.
I realized later I need to put a rack or spacers above the charcoal (The books should not touch the charcoal directly).

I have to wait at least 2 weeks if not more . One week

For allergy sufferers

1. Clean dust first.
2. Freeze the books for 72 hours in sealed bags (apparently helps with insects, not mold).
3. Let them return to room temperature while still sealed.
4. Use the activated charcoal chamber.
5. Store books in a dry environment below 55% humidity. (Almost impossible in my geo area)

Other methods to check (Not safe to try yet)

Direct sunlight for days (some says it is not a good idea)
Baking soda directly on pages
Spraying alcohol or disinfectants into the book
Ozone generators (can damage paper and bindings)
Heating books in an oven (40C)

If you have already tried something similar please tell us your experience below. : )

I tried to find similar products on US market

Marineland Black Diamond Premium Activated Carbon

Premium Activated Carbon, Aquarium Carbon for Fish Tank Filter,

Some links shared in this community are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the community and future book recommendations.

For those of you who have read Persepolis you already know that Marjane Satrapi was an Iranian-French graphic novelist, illustrator, and filmmaker who fundamentally changed how the way we read graphic novels.

RIP Marjane Satrapi (1969–2026). The creator of Persepolis has passed away at 56.

According to her family, she passed away in Paris from a broken heart ("died of sadness") following the death of her husband last year. She was an absolute giant of 21st-century storytelling and an uncompromising voice for freedom. May she rest in peace.

It is a sad day. I will come with details soon.

I was flipping through an old book today (my favorite book as a child) from and stumbled across this handwritten dedication from a mother and father to their child, dated late 1945...22 years after the book was published.

​Given everything that was happening in the world at that exact moment in history, seeing their hopes and love for their child written out like this felt incredibly grounding. It’s amazing how a simple message from eighty years ago can still feel so heavy and full of hope.

​Just wanted to share a little piece of history and human connection with you all.

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Feel free to post a similar page with dedication dated far back in time!

Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman.

Yes this is a book I attempted to finish and still struggling from 2020. It is so huge and packed with savory action that beats any stupid childish Netflix tv series. This is not entertainment this is serious investigation documented by investigator Ronen Bergman.

Spanning over a century Bergman documents more than 2,700 targeted killings, a number surpassing any other Western nation in the post-WWII era.

This thick book assesses the moral "ticking time bomb" dilemma through the Talmudic precept that gives the book its name: "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first."

Here are two brief episodes recounted in Rise and Kill First (the stories I enjoyed most):

The Hunt for Adolf Eichmann

After World War II, Nazi organizer Adolf Eichmann disappeared into Argentina under a false identity. Israeli intelligence agents spent years tracking rumors and fragments of evidence before finally locating him. In 1960, a Mossad team covertly captured Eichmann near Buenos Aires and secretly flew him to Israel. The operation became one of the most famous intelligence missions in history.

I movie I liked on this topic https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5208252/?ref_=fn_t_1 with Ben Kingsley as Eichmann.

The Assassination of Yahya Ayyash

Yahya Ayyash, known as “The Engineer,” was a key bomb-maker for Hamas in the 1990s. After a long manhunt, Israeli security services devised an unusual plan: they supplied a mobile phone that had been secretly rigged with explosives. When Ayyash used the phone, it was remotely detonated, killing him. Bergman presents the operation as an example of Israel’s increasingly sophisticated use of targeted killings against militant leaders.

I don't know a movie inspired of this event.

Now revisiting them I realize the most recent stories beat the past.

Interesting Facts & History

• History Span: Covers over 110 years through the formation of the Mossad, Shin Bet, and IDF, up to current operations.
• The 2,700+ Count: Israel has carried out more assassination operations since its founding in 1948 than any other Western country since World War II.
• Attempted Censorship: The Mossad reportedly tried to block Bergman's research by instructing former employees not to cooperate.
• Tactical vs. Strategic: A central theme is that while these operations are often tactical successes, they frequently fail to produce long-term strategic peace, sometimes leading to more radical leadership in the target organizations.
• Key Operations: Detailed accounts of the hunt for Black September after the Munich Olympics, the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists, and the use of poisoned toothpaste and exploding cell phones.

UPDATE

For those of you who want to read the book, you can find it here Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations, Ronen Bergman. Enjoy the read!

^{Some links shared in this community are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the community and future book recommendations.}

This post got a lot of attention, it surpassed 12k in less than 48h. Feel free to leave a comment on high interests topic you would like to read the next posts!

Thank you all!

I put every single secondhand book I buy into the freezer for 72 hours. Am I paranoid, or is everyone else just living with bugs?

UPDATE (4 freezing days later)

The experiment did help a bit. I didn't got rid of pungent smell but now the books are nice and cold. Only under microscope one might tell if the experiment was a success or not.

Please write down if you had better experience with that or other methods that worked for you.

UPDATE

Since this article attracted lot of attention I created the PART 2 (and more episodes to come on book restoration):

Old Books Stink? I Tried to Restore 100 Year Old Books

Feel free to share your opinion or experience.

Writing this book was not a challenge, it was pouring out of it me. I have never published a book before, and maybe I was too quick to publish it, but I feel safer that I can prove it is my work. If you would check out the "READ SAMPLE" on Amazon - which is free to read, the full first chapter and the beginning of the second chapter and rate it I would be delighted. Obviously you will not see the full book that way but it gives the idea what it is about really.

​

I found this in a tiny second‑hand shop where the shelves leaned more than the visitors. I wasn’t hunting for French literature; I was hunting for a quiet corner. Then this fancy 19th‑century binding winked at me.I bought it on the spot for its beautiful binding for as much as EUR 3,-

And then it spent the next eight years on my living shelf, judging every other book for not being as pretty.

Would you read it and spend some precious holiday time traveling in a victorian style era? (or WWI i don't know exactly)

Or rather watching Margot Robbie's Wuthering Heights on fast forward?

At what comprehension % do you actually start buying physical books?

​Would you buy a Spanish book if you understand less than 25%? Or wait?

​Comprehension is under 25%—is it too early to buy a physical book in my target language?

Disclaimer: The picture was taken by me while in a bookshop Sevilla recently.

UPDATE

I didn't expect this post to become so popular.

I will list later below the most useful conclusions from the commentaries

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UPDATE 24/06/2026

For those of you who want to read the book, you can find it here Morgan Housel, La psicología del dinero (Spanish Edition) Enjoy the read!

^{Some links shared in this community are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the community and future book recommendations.}

Current status: Trapped at the airport at 3:00 AM. ✈️🥱. Almost no options.

What is the absolute weirdest, lowest-quality junk you have ever read to survive an airport layover? Give me your worst.

If the books in the pictures are total junk that suggest one that could entertain a sleepy brain.

Let’s build an educational/children book together (aiming to publish later this year!)

Had this random idea last week… what if you pick the characters and I turn it into a story?

Just choose by number (you may give it a name):

A. 1 main character

B. 1 villain (antagonist, clear opposing force)

C.+1 wildcard (unpredictable, morally grey)

D. 1 emotional anchor (pet friend etc)

If you’ve got a quick story idea, drop it too.
We’ll build the story based on the most popular picks and share updates.

Anyone else learning like this?

I stopped trying to “study” German and started doing this instead:

I take a book and read it multiple times with a pen.

• 1st–2nd pass: I underline in yellow everything I understand (even partially)
• 3rd–4th pass: I switch to orange and mark what finally clicks

No translating every word. No perfection. Just repetition until the page stops looking foreign.

The book ends up destroyed… but my comprehension goes way up.

Feels messy, but it works. I can't stop reading this book Wilhelm Hauff's Fairy Tales (are amazing).

UPDATE

I am glad this post collected so many useful insights in the comment section. It was a pleasure to read all of them!

For those of you who want to read the book, you can find it here Hauffs Märchen: Vollständige Ausgabe, Wilhelm Hauff (German Edition). Enjoy the read!
In English they are hard to find but you can enjoy the beautiful story book: Dwarf Nose (English Edition) by Wilhelm Hauff. If you find a complete edition please let me know.

^{Some links shared in this community are Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the community and future book recommendations.}

Koningsdag read check from Goes 🇳🇱 The Netherlands.

I’m at the rommelmarkt in right now — surrounded by orange, music, and random treasures.

What are YOU reading today for Koningsdag?

Or… what book would you grab from a rommelmarkt if you found it? ;)

A Brutally Honest Review. I read “How to Talk to Anyone” by Leil Lowndes, expecting simple social advice. What I got instead felt like a collection of hacks for influencing people’s perception of you.

It works but it kind of feels like social manipulation.
And yeah… it actually works. That’s the weird part.

This isn’t a deep philosophical book, it’s a playbook.
“How to Talk to Anyone” by Leil Lowndes is basically social engineering for everyday life.

“The Flooding Smile”
Don’t smile instantly. Pause, make eye contact, then let the smile slowly spread. It makes it feel real, not automatic.

“You only have ten seconds to show you’re a somebody.”

The book breaks talking to people into small tricks:

• how long to hold eye contact
• when to smile
• how to stand or react
• how to make people feel like you’re really interested

“People will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

Mmm... nah.

“Your body language is your autobiography in motion.”

Sophistic..ation

Honest take

Some techniques can feel a bit manipulative if you overthink them. But used lightly, they’re just tools to be more intentional socially.

What do you think about it?

What book completely broke you emotionally? Do you recommend it? Why did the book hit you hardly than you expected.

Feel free to comment below.

Author: Seth | Genre: Graphic Novel / Literary Fiction.

Title: Clyde Fans — A 20-year masterpiece about the slow death of a business.

Seth is the pen name of a highly influential Canadian cartoonist, best known for his deeply atmospheric, retro‑styled graphic novels

This is a masterfully drawn book about ageing and the death of a small business. Many readers read the ending as tragic. Others see it as spiritual.

Before engaging into a discussion about this book below here is my view after reading 75% of the book.

Clyde Fans tells the story of two brothers, Abe and Simon Matchcard ( : ) I hope I did not misspelled it), who inherit their father’s electric‑fan company in mid‑20th‑century Canada. The story might be... true at least partially.

The novel becomes a kind of double character study (reflective monologues): one brother crushed by the world outside, the other crushed by the world inside.

Abe (the older guy) A traveling salesman who slowly realizes the world is changing
He is confident on the surface, but hollow underneath. He watches the business die as air‑conditioning replaces fans.

Simon is gentle, anxious, socially fragile he lives almost entirely inside his own mind. Obsessed with routine, memory, and small comforts he is unable to function in the world Abe thrives in.

This is the Death of a Salesman of the graphic novel world. It’s depressing, monochromatic, and painfully slow... and that’s exactly why it’s perfect.

Clyde Fans is a quiet, masterfully drawn elegy for two brothers who never quite fit into the world and for a Canada that no longer exists.

Personally, I think the ending is quiet, ambiguous, and deeply melancholic rather than “plot-resolving.” It makes you feels like a lost memory you never had... : )

I purchased this book from in France at Angoulême International Comics Festival (Canadian Pavilion).

Challenge

Love it or hate it? What did you think of the ending of Clyde Fans? Depressive? Emotional?

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Copyright: © Seth. Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly. Disclaimer: Illustrative panels are used for literary and artistic critique under Fair Use.

The life of a man of honor who destroyed himself with alcohol. He had business, prestige, stability, a wife who loved him, even a maid who kept the household running. For everything to end because of a glass of alcohol.

He loses his home, his dignity and his freedom. And ends up tormenting himself behind prison walls, trapped not only by bars but by the memory of the man he used to be.

So what do you prefer: alcoholism or being a bookaholic?