Personal Interests

Reading

It is said that reading 3 books on a subject makes you smarter than 95% of the people on the topic at hand. As most popular sayings from the internet, this is probably a ballparked, unscientific estimation, but certainly reading 3 books on a subject should make you more knowledgeable in it.

As an avid reader, my interest in books comprises a great range of topics, so feel free to pick up some recommendations and also email me with some of your own:

Science Fiction

As an enthusiast on the advances of space exploration, I have had my share of good books on this genre. My favorite series include classics such as the five books of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Foundation trilogy, as well as novels such as Carl Sagan's Contact, and a less-known, extraordinary collection of short sci-fi stories called The Fifth Science.

Biography

I find biographies an outstanding source of wisdom from people I highly try to emulate in many aspects; it almost feels like a conversation. Three fantastic books I can recommend here are the following: Richard Feynman's incredible philosophy of getting interested by virtually anything, astronaut Chris Hadfield's rules for living on Earth and Elon Musk's amazing trajectory from South Africa to the summit of technological innovations.

Behaviorism

Psychology is a fascinating subject overall, but one aspect in particular sparks my interest the most: human behavior. The following books truly changed my way of seeing humans forever: The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology, Thinking, Fast and Slow and O livro da psicologia (The Book of Psychology). If you're also interested in the topic, I also highly recommend professor Sapolsky's course on Human Behavioral Biology, from Stanford University.

Spirituality

A deep interest on Buddhism and Spirituality probably came from my passion for psychology and philosophy. I've read many books here, but my favorites would probably be the following: Awareness: The Key to Living in Balance, on how to manage your consciousness to become fully present in the moment, Buddhism Plain and Simple: The Practice of Being Aware, Right Now, Every Day, on understanding more deeply the Buddhist philosophy, and The Book of Emotions: Reflections Inspired by Tibetan Buddhism Psychology, on practical applications of Buddhist philosophy in everyday life.

Futurism

This category comprises anything related to scientific predictions on the future of humanity, an import foundation about growing trends and understanding of the world in general. I grew fond of this topic after reading a few recommendations from Bill Gate's Book List, such as Yuval Harari's Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. I also really enjoyed Michio Kaku's Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, more focused on scientific and technological predictions about the near future.

Productivity

It's easy to get fooled in this subject, as there are many fake gurus and mindless self-help books out there. However, three books that exceptionally captured my interest were: Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers, on general productive habits from an amalgam of successful people, A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science, on the science of learning how to learn, and Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, on the biological impacts of exercise to your mind.