Antilibrary (Books I Might Read Some Day).

by Martin Pustavrh

Antilibrary is a collection of books we own but haven't read yet. It's a concept popularized by Nassim Taleb.

A good library is mostly filled with books we haven’t read yet. Mine reminds me every day of how much I still have to learn.

The rule for including a book is simple: if I come across the same recommendation at least three times from different sources, such as friends, colleagues, podcasts, then it goes on the list.

I linked to Amazon just because I have a Kindle and that’s where I looked them up, but you can get these books anywhere.

Genres:

Biology

The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-term Health
Justin Sonnenburg, Erica Sonnenburg
The book explains how the tiny microbes living in our gut affect our health, mood, and weight. Modern diets and medicines harm these microbes, causing health problems. The book shows how to feed and protect these good microbes to stay healthy for life.
Link to Amazon

Superlative: The Biology of Extremes
Matthew LaPlante
The book explores the world’s most extreme animals and plants. It explains how studying the biggest, fastest, oldest, and toughest life forms can teach us about biology, evolution, and human health. The book shows the value of nature's “oddballs.”
Link to Amazon

Creativity

The War of Art
Steven Pressfield
The book teaches that a force called Resistance tries to stop us from doing creative work. To succeed, we must become professionals—working daily, no matter the fear or doubt. Discipline and persistence unlock inspiration and help us overcome blocks.
Link to Amazon

How to Fly a Horse
Kevin Ashton
This book shows that creativity and invention come from hard work, patience, and problem-solving. Ashton tells stories of inventors and creators to prove that anyone can make new things through steady effort. It’s a message about persistence and the real process behind creativity.
Link to Amazon

A Curious Mind
Brian Grazer & Charles Fishman
The book explains how curiosity has shaped movie producer Brian Grazer's life. By asking questions and talking with people from all backgrounds, he’s learned more, built better relationships, and found new ideas. The book encourages readers to stay curious to live a more interesting life.
Link to Amazon

Economics

The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves
Matt Ridley
The book explains that human progress and wealth come from trading ideas and goods. Trade and specialization lead to innovation, better living standards, and longer lives. Despite challenges, the book argues that life is getting better due to human creativity and cooperation.
Link to Amazon

Debt: The First 5,000 Years
David Graeber
The book explains explains that debt existed before money and has shaped human society for thousands of years. It shows how debt affects social rules, power, and fairness, and how debt cancellations helped prevent social unrest.
Link to Amazon

History & Civilization

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Jared Diamond
The book explains that differences between societies come from geography, resources, and germs, not intelligence. Some societies advanced faster due to farming, animals, and disease resistance. The book shows history through environment and opportunity, not race or culture.
Link to Amazon

Human Behavior & Psychology

Chimpanzee Politics
Frans de Waal
The book shows how chimpanzees use power, alliances, and friendships like humans do. They fight, make peace, and work together to gain status in their groups. The book helps us understand the roots of human social and political behavior by studying our closest animal relatives.
Link to Amazon

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
Daniel Levitin
The book explains how music affects the brain and emotions. It shows how we recognize patterns, remember songs, and why music makes us feel joy or sadness. The book mixes science and music to reveal why music is so important to humans.
Link to Amazon

Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy
Martin Lindstrom
The book reveals how marketing affects our subconscious brain. Using brain scans, it shows why smells, sounds, rituals, and emotions influence buying more than facts or logic. The book challenges myths like "sex sells" and explains why brands use religion-like rituals to win loyalty.
Link to Amazon

Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul
Stuart Brown & Christopher Vaughan
The book explains that play is a natural, essential part of life for all ages. It boosts brain development, creativity, social skills, and happiness. Play is not just fun but vital for health and problem-solving, helping us stay adaptable and optimistic.
Link to Amazon

The Bilingual Brain: And What It Tells Us About the Science of Language
Albert Costa
The book shows how speaking multiple languages changes the brain and thinking. It explains how bilinguals switch languages and learn differently. Knowing more than one language is a mental advantage, not just a skill.
Link to Amazon

The Scientist in the Crib: What Early Learning Tells Us About the Mind
Alison Gopnik, Andrew Meltzoff & Patricia Kuhl
The book shows that babies are natural learners who explore and figure out the world. It explains that the brain is built to learn from the start and that childhood learning reveals how minds work at any age. Learning is a lifelong skill rooted in early life.
Link to Amazon

Management & Business

The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
Ben Horowitz
The book teaches that running a business is full of tough problems with no easy answers. Leaders must face fears, make hard choices, and keep going even when things get bad. Success comes from honesty, focus, and never quitting.
Link to Amazon

Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big
Bo Burlingham
The book profiles companies that deliberately stay small to protect purpose, culture, and craft. They reject growth-at-all-costs, emphasize deep ties with employees, customers, and communities, and keep control in founders’ hands. “Small giants” measure success by excellence and meaning, not just size or valuation.
Link to Amazon

Math

The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You
Scott Page
The book shows that using many different models helps us understand complex problems better. Instead of relying on one view, mixing models gives clearer insight and smarter decisions. The book teaches how to use data, math, and models to think more wisely in many areas.
Link to Amazon

Medicine

Tripping over the Truth: How the Metabolic Theory of Cancer Is Overturning One of Medicine's Most Entrenched Paradigms
Travis Christofferson, Dominic D'Agostino
The book explains that cancer may be caused by broken cell metabolism, not just genetic mutations. The book shows how old and new science challenges the usual view and offers hope for better, gentler treatments that target cancer’s metabolism.
Link to Amazon

Personal Development

The Power of Persuasion: How We're Bought and Sold
Robert Levine
The book shows how people and companies use tricks to influence our choices without us knowing. It explains why we trust some people and how small actions can make us feel like we owe something. The book helps us understand and resist these hidden pressures.
Link to Amazon

Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else
Geoff Colvin
The book shows that great success comes from hard, focused practice—not from natural talent. Anyone can improve and become excellent by working deliberately and pushing beyond their comfort zone. Talent is less important than effort and discipline.
Link to Amazon

The Complexity of Greatness: Beyond Talent or Practice
Scott Barry Kaufman
The book explains that greatness comes from many things, not just talent or practice. It shows that genes, experience, passion, and mindset all play a part. Greatness is complex and different for every person and field.
Link to Amazon

The Mosaic Principle: The Six Dimensions of a Remarkable Life and Career
Nick Lovegrove
The book teaches that a successful and fulfilling life needs six key skills: a strong moral compass, transferable skills, contextual intelligence, a prepared mind, an intellectual thread, and an extended network. The book encourages broad experience over narrow specialization to handle today’s complex world. It shows how diverse skills help solve problems and build meaning.
Link to Amazon

What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How successful people become even more successful
Marshall Goldsmith
The book teaches that habits that led to past success can block future growth. The book identifies 20 behaviors holding leaders back and offers practical advice to change, helping successful people become even more successful by improving relationships and communication.
Link to Amazon

Think Like a Freak: Secrets of the Rogue Economist
Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
The book teaches how to see problems in new ways by questioning assumptions and thinking differently. The authors show that it’s okay to say “I don’t know”. The goal is to think more clearly and creatively about everyday challenges.
Link to Amazon

Physics

Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe
Lisa Randall
The book suggests dark matter in the Milky Way caused a comet to crash on Earth 66 million years ago, leading to the dinosaurs' extinction. The book links cosmic events, dark matter, and Earth's history, showing the deep connections in the universe. It blends science with the story of life and death on our planet.
Link to Amazon

A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson
The book explores the origins of the universe, Earth, and life, weaving together scientific discoveries across fields like geology, biology, and physics. It presents complex natural history with humor and clarity, making science accessible to all.
Link to Amazon

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Neil de Grasse Tyson
The book offers a concise, engaging introduction to the universe’s origin, cosmic laws, dark matter, dark energy, and our place in the cosmos. It simplifies complex astrophysics concepts for readers with limited scientific background.
Link to Amazon

Sociology

Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think
Bryan Caplan
The book says having kids is more fun and easier than many think. Parents worry too much and try too hard, but genetics mostly shape children's futures. Relaxing and enjoying parenting more can lead to happier families and more children.
Link to Amazon

Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us about Raising Children
Michaeleen Doucleff
The book explores how ancient cultures like the Maya, Inuit, and Hadzabe raise happy, helpful children. The book shows parenting built on trust, cooperation, and giving kids autonomy. It offers lessons to modern parents for raising confident, kind, and responsible kids.
Link to Amazon