Theo's Irrational Bookshop
A translation and commentary on Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika exploring the Madhyamaka Buddhist philosophy of the middle way and emptiness.
why buy?
A radical book on what phenomena aren't. A total .deconstruction of metaphysical foundations. This book guides the reader to the limits of reason. Written around the year 150, it is a surprising antithesis to multiple Western theses, before they get to form.
A manifesto-like collection of essays that explores how radical imagination can help envision and build alternative, more just futures.
why buy?
This is book is written in a weird way which I appreciated because it's about experimentation. I remember feeling very inspired after finishing it.
A classic guide to practicing mindfulness in everyday life through simple meditations and practical exercises.
A foundational work of critical pedagogy arguing for education as a practice of freedom in which oppressed people develop critical consciousness to challenge and transform oppressive social conditions.
why buy?
An a-bit-too-polemic book about education-induced suffering that is caused to young humans daily around the world.
A classic collection of Zen koans used for meditation and insight in Zen practice.
why buy?
This is one of the classic Zen books with koans. They make no sense 95% of the time, so read them with at least two accompanying commentaries!
A young activist-hacker gets drawn into a high-stakes battle over civil liberties and government surveillance in a near-future America.
why buy?
This book is awesome because it's the second book in the series that started with "Little Brother". In the book, the protagonist goes to Burning Man, which is the first time I read about it, and the reason I was convinced I had to go there. (But seriously though if you're not a teenage boy you might not love this book.)
A collection of Buddhist meditations exploring emptiness and dependent arising as a path to liberation.
A complete meditation guide that integrates Buddhist wisdom and brain science to develop greater mindfulness.
A foundational psychoanalytic work in which Freud analyzes dreams as expressions of unconscious wishes and explores their meaning through interpretation.
A Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist reflects on finding meaning and hope through suffering and introduces the principles of logotherapy.
why buy?
This book is a classic, and it's also insane. I will tell you why. It was written by the author after surviving the Nazi concentration camps (outrageous story, you have to read it) and then explaining with words how he interpreted his experience and how such an experience gave meaning to his life -- and how any experience can be meaningful, even if it's as terrible as his. The story of his life after is also amazing, so once you finish this book, you should read the author's wikipedia article.
A novel about a woman in Istanbul whose mind revisits her life and friendships in the final minutes after her death.
A guide to finding vividness in spacious clarity.
why buy?
This is a great introductory book to meditation. It starts somewhat antithetically to the existing popular meditation frameworks of the West, which is primarily vipassana.
A nonfiction oral history exploring people's experiences and perspectives on pornography and its cultural and personal impact.
why buy?
This book is about porn, and I didn't love it, but it was interesting to read about a variety of how real people interact with pornography.
A teenager hunts for hidden keys inside a vast virtual-reality universe to win a billionaire’s fortune and control of the digital world.
why buy?
This book is amazing. It's a great sci-fi story. There are a ton of 80s references of which I understood only 10%, but I still loved the book.
A philosophical exploration of Zen Buddhism’s key ideas and practices and what they reveal about mind, reality, and experience.
A proposal for sweeping economic and political reforms that redesign markets and democratic institutions to create a more just society.
why buy?
This book is fascinating because of its core idea, this innovative idea of how markets can be. Honestly though, it felt a bit too long and boring to read in its entirety. Let this not deter you from buying! There is no rule that says all books have to be read cover to cover.
A feminist account of how modern masculinity harms the world and how feminism can help save it, exploring sex, power, trauma, resistance, and persistence.
why buy?
If you're interested in a book that motivates you to do something in the world with respect to love and sexuality, this is a good one. Described as a manifesto and somewhat polemic.
A practical guide to Buddhist mindfulness (vipassana) meditation, explaining how to practice and integrate mindful awareness into everyday life.
A philosophical road-trip narrative that uses a cross-country motorcycle journey to explore the nature of “Quality” and the relationship between rational thought, values, and lived experience.
A complete translated classic introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, presented as teachings and guidance on the Buddhist path.
A dark fantasy mystery in which a teen with the power to read magical threads of fate is drawn into a murder investigation and dangerous secrets tied to her family and the city’s underworld.
why buy?
I haven't read this book but I know it's amazing because it was written by a friend of a friend who went to the same school as me.
A classic guide to the perils and promises of spiritual life, offering practical wisdom for walking a heartfelt spiritual path.
A teen hacker in a surveillance-state near-future fights back after a terrorist attack leads to widespread government monitoring and civil-rights crackdowns.
why buy?
I read 1984 when I was 19 years old and I thought what an awesome book, I wonder if there are others like it. So, I found this book, which is about a teenage hacker who lives in a heavily surveilled San Francisco. We see the protagonist running around the city and the author describing the different neighbourhoods and places, so naturally having so much fun while reading it, I thought I have to go to San Francisco and see all these things in person! Also, this copy is first edition, US hardcover, what a bargain.
A practical guide to developing Buddhist meditative absorption states (jhānas) through concentration practice.
why buy?
So, there are some meditative states called jhana. They bring profound joy and other indescribable states of consciousness that make no sense. This book tells you how to achieve them.
A guide to cultivating the Shambhala warrior’s path by developing mindfulness, fearlessness, and compassionate leadership in everyday life.
why buy?
This is a truly inspiring book. It talks about how to become fearless (a warrior) and how to use this power for the betterment of the world.
An accessible introduction to Tibetan Buddhism for readers seeking to understand and practice its teachings and traditions.
A Buddhist text presenting a philosophical dialogue in which King Milinda questions the monk Nagasena about Buddhist teachings and concepts.
why buy?
This is a fun book albeit a bit more boring that I thought it would be. King Milinda is actually Menander the Saviour, who, after meeting the Buddhist monk Nagasena, became a Buddhist and also the so-called "patron of Greco-Buddhism". Isn't that fascinating?
A mindfulness guide to transforming suffering into peace and happiness through compassionate awareness.
An analysis of wealth and income inequality over the past few centuries and how capitalism tends to concentrate wealth unless countered by policy interventions.
A science-fiction novel about a physicist who travels between an anarchist society and a capitalist world, confronting politics, freedom, and the cost of utopia.
why buy?
Few words can be said about this classic sci fi masterpiece by the inimitable Ursula Le Guin. And no, I will not reveal that I only read half of it because I am afraid of being shamed.
A critique of how capitalism shaped and damaged cryptocurrency and a proposal for how to fix it.
why buy?
A great introduction to the world of cryptocurrencies from a socialist point of view. Not worth if you are familiar with the crypto world as it spends a lot of pages to explain the basics. Fun fact: I bought it from the author himself with Ethereum!
A philosophical guide to navigating life's hardships and finding meaning and direction through practical wisdom.
An exploration of how effective altruism is changing ideas about living ethically and doing the most good with your resources.