1. Yun Jian, The True Ending of Dream of the Red Chamber
I was floored by the author’s reading of it. This must be the interpretation that comes closest to what the author of Dream of the Red Chamber actually intended. Going by the analysis in this book, the final chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber should have the same vibe as season three of Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive. David Lynch + Cao Xueqin—the images are almost too beautiful to imagine.
2. Stefan Zweig, The World of Yesterday
Holding on to one’s faith in cosmopolitanism amid the rising tide of nationalism.
3. Li Tianfei, You Would Never Have Guessed
One book to put every conspiracy-theory reading of Journey to the West out of its misery.
4. Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers
Science fiction is the skin; political philosophy is the core. The book’s principle of national governance—“rights should match responsibilities”—echoes Taleb’s idea of “symmetry of risk” half a century later. But implementing “symmetry of risk” at the level of an entire country is easier said than done.
5. Ma Boyong, I Don’t Read Much, So Don’t Try to Fool Me
As the book’s own blurb puts it, this collection is “a breathtaking showcase for Ma Boyong’s imagination.” The Prince Ma’s short stories are miles better than his novels. Also, the Zhejiang University edition and the Phoenix Literature & Art edition contain different selections; both are worth reading.
6. Ma Boyong, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ Supporting Cast
Rhapsody on the Goddess of Luoshen Amid Wind and Rain is fully deserving of its reputation as the strongest historical mystery (novel).
7. Tomoyuki Shirai, No One Dies
A delightful science-fiction mystery. A salute to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None: one island, five detectives, dying one by one, coming back to life one by one, each contributing a different school of deduction.
8. My own stuff, my new book: The Advancing Mind: New Psychological Insights for Improving Thinking and Wise Action
I may not be the strongest person out there when it comes to explaining new knowledge, but I do have to be the coolest, right? ^_^
9. My own stuff, my new show: Psychology in Film
The Prince of Practical Knowledge, the cross-disciplinary enchantress, the “teacher who’s a hidden gem”—Teacher Wei’s blood-and-sweat new production. A credit to the industry. Haha.
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