The Notebook : A history of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️ An engaging read but with highs and lows, the book is divided into 30 chapters, each focusing on a western-centred story or historical account of notebook use throughout time. Some chapters feature well-known historical figures, while others highlight individuals unfamiliar to me. I particularly enjoyed certain chapters, though I found a few uninteresting and boring. 

My main takeaway was learning about the origins of notebook use in Italy, where bookkeeping was first invented. Over time, notebooks evolved to include copying quotes and passages from major texts as well as messages from friends and family. A major development came when notebooks began to serve as tools for thinking and creativity, this was evident in the practices of famous painters and thinkers, such as Leonardo da Vinci. In the final chapter, the book explores the idea of the notebook not just as a memory aid or thinking tool, but as an extension of the mind itself. 

My favorite chapters focused on Darwin’s use of notebooks during the Beagle voyage. Another chapter examines the diaries and note-taking habits of writers, including Henry James, Patricia Highsmith, and Agatha Christie.

The Solitary Gourmet by Jiro Taniguchi and Masayuki Kusumi.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ A collection of 31 short stories centred on a food-loving man, Goro Inokashira, whose job takes him across Tokyo and other cities. We usually meet him after he’s finished his business negotiations, just as he starts thinking about his next meal. The stories follow him as he selects a restaurant, studies the menu, and decides what to order. As he savours each bite, we share in the simple, infectious joy he finds in good food. 

Satisfying, joyous, contagious and peaceful.

The Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester

👍👍👍 It is an enjoyable read full of interesting ideas but with some flaws. The book is a bit feeble on the science. There are technologies, like new kinds of explosives and new phenomena, like teleportation, which are at the core of the story but which are never explained in any depth. And unsurprisingly, for a book written in the 1950s, its treatment of women is as expected, problematic and appalling. But I'm willing to ignore that. 

The protagonist is the best aspect of the book. He begins as a complete outcast, powerless and unskilled, but gradually transforms into something far more sinister, all while developing a growing philosophical awareness of the consequences of his actions. He’s a deeply layered character: driven by an obsessive thirst for revenge, fueled by rage and ferocity, shaped by the psychological impact of his facial tattoo, and defined by the way he gains new abilities and power. Even his teleportation evolves over time, reflecting his darker transformation. 

I liked the ending. It's fast-paced and chaotic at times. There is a not so unpredictable revelation at the end and a somewhat hazy suggestion of what the future would look like which I enjoyed.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

👍👍👍👍👍 

This book offers a compelling and well-argued exploration of how smartphones and related technologies are harming children’s mental health. 

Haidt begins by examining human evolution in close communities, explaining how early socialisation develops in infancy and why it is essential for well-being. He then traces how these foundations have been disrupted in the 21st century. Haidt frames the modern crisis as a combination of overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world. While digital technologies have existed for decades, he argues that the widespread adoption of smartphones around 2010 marked a tipping point, after which mental health problems among young people rose dramatically. Central to the book is Haidt’s concept of “phone-based childhood”, describing how children—especially teenagers—now live almost constantly online, with minimal exposure to nature, independence, or real-world experiences. 

He identifies four core harms caused by smartphones: 

• Social deprivation 

• Sleep deprivation 

• Fragmented attention 

• Addiction 

Although the effects differ between boys and girls, both are severely impacted. Girls tend to be more affected by social media due to its emotional and relational dynamics, while boys are more vulnerable to video games and pornography, which can lead to increasing withdrawal from real-world engagement. 

My favourite section of the book is the chapter on spirituality. Haidt explores how spiritual practices and shared meaning have historically helped build trust and social cohesion within societies. In contrast, he argues that smartphones and social media promote values and behaviors that undermine these foundations, negatively affecting both children and adults. 

The book concludes with a series of practical recommendations for governments, technology companies, schools, and parents aimed at reducing—or even reversing—the harms of phone-based childhood. Recommend.