Books I read in 2024 and I dearly recommend them

2024 was a very fruitful year. I didn’t even have to work that much in order to play the game of gratefulness. The publication of my book The Corporation brought me a lot of reasons to be happy, and I would like to list below the most astonishing ones.

I am very happy with the printed version of the book, and I am certain that without the recommendations from the editor Mugur Butuza and the writer Zully Mustafa this would not have been possible.

Dear ones but also people I don’t know confirmed the usefulness of the book, showing me that I am not alone and, especially, they are not alone. A hearthy thank you to all of you! Without you, maybe I would not have written the book, nor would I be able to continue.

Like in the famous Chirila’s song, I was on the radio (bizarre, but I was not invited to sing) to talk about the event that occurred in autumn at Carturesti Modul Book Store. This lovely chance would not have been possible without my dear writter Ana Barton. Because I would have been very nervous to even remember a word that was said, a dear friend of mine recorded me. I am very proud to share with you the recording (it’s only in Romanian)!

And since there were voices that kept saying that I believe that all peers and managers are toxic, I was helped to prove them wrong by being interviewed by a former colleague of mine. In this video, we talked about the book, about the typologies that ruin our motivation at the workplace and how we can bring change into our work environments. You can watch the interview here.

 

From the books I read in 2024, I dearly recommend the below:

The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Mohsin Hamid

Meeting in Paris – Adriana Bittel

Notes from the inkwell – Ana Barton

Political journal 1939 – 1941 – Martha Bibescu

Catelu 42 Road – Alina Nedelea

English – Wang Gang

Confused – Alex Andronic

Marriage and Morals – Bertrand Russell

The Girl With the Louding Voice – Abi Daré

Three Floors Up – Eshkol Nevo

Searching for Calmness – Gheorghe Filip

The Part of the Other - Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt

Between two worlds. A gynecologist’s memories - Adrian Sângeorzan

Judas – Amos Oz

Alcoforado. A Story – Lucian Vasilescu

Alexandru the Rabbit – Ana Barton

At the Senselles Frog – Ovidiu Chirovici

Shawarma with Ice Cream - Oana Ninica

Time Shelter – Gheorghi Gospodinov

In Praise of Disobedience: The Soul of Man Under Socialism and Other Writings – Oscar Wilde

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian – Marina Lewycka

The Highly Sensitive Person’s Guide to Dealing with Toxic People: How to Reclaim Your Power from Narcissists and Other Manipulators – Shahida Arabi

An Error of Judgement – Pamela Hansford Johnson

Nowhere in Australia – Sergiu Selian

When – Anca Chimoiu

Simon – Narine Abgaryan

The Big Novel of Maths – Mickael Launay

Zero Inside – Lavinia Braniște

Mother or Woman? – Elisabeth Badinter

Life through Thick Lenses – Luminița Rusu

By the Sea - Abdulrazak Gurnah

Night in Caracas – Karina Sainz Borgo

Gentlemen, make an effort – Elisabeth Badinter

Lights and Shadows of the Soul – Petru Creția

Grey Bees - Andrey Kurkov

Thin Walls – Ana Maria Sandu

Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing - Maryla Szymiczkowa

The Extravagant Vlad Musatescu – Dodo Niță

Belial’s Teachings – Vlad Tudosie

The Swimmers – Chloe Lane

The First and the Last Ones – Lyudmila Ulitskaya

A Commuter at the Tropics – Ionuț Șendroiu

The Invisible Runner – Ciprian Măceșaru

The Songs of the Mountains – Magda Isanos

Voices at the Distance – Gabriela Adameșteanu

The Circus in front of the House – Adrian Sângeorzan 

Let’s go home, Son! - Ivica Prtenjača

Avalon. The Secrets of the Happy Migrants – Bogdan Suceavă

Quartet in Automn – Barbara Pym

Ceausescu is Back – Silviu Iliuță

The Natural Order of Things - Antonio Lobo Antunes

Science in the Soul – Richard Dawkins

Whisper – Mircea Pricăjan

Searching for Unhappiness – Ioana Drăgan

Holidays Sound

The Corporation, among the freshest economy and business books

My book, The Corporation. Typologies and Survival Guide, is among the freshest economy and business books.

You can read here the article published on the site of economedia.

No name

 

Sunday

 

Notes from the Inkwell – Ana Barton

At the Gaudeamus Book Fair that took place in December 2024, Ana Barton launched the book called ‘Notes from the Inkwell’, an encouragement printed as a book for people to come back to writing with the fountain pen.

The launch was special too, since the public had to work in order to receive an autograph, namely, to write with a fountain pen on Ana’s recent book. Determined not to let people give excuses, Ana personally handed as a gift a fountain pen to whomever did not have one. And so they could have it at home to use it when they wish to.

A couple of days after the book launch, I opened Ana’s book and reread some of the notes there. I took the pen she gave me and wrote something down. Then, I put the book somewhere close to my desk, so that I don’t forget about writing with the fountain pen.

(Translation of the note and my writing: I dreamed about a story, but I did not wake up to write it down. It’s OK, I’ll find it there, where the dreams gather around. / And I will pay special attention to them, the tricksters, since they love playing hide-and-seek with me.

The smiling face is my Picasso-like signature, for it states that art cannot behave, especially naïve art.)

Vlad Lives On!

Antique bookshops are amazing. I randomly ordered some books and, last night, I was browsing through this one above. Usually, I start with checking the year it was published, and then I search for the name of the editor and other staff that was involved in making the book.

And so I was very happy to find Vlad mentioned a couple of times in this list.

A Movie Recommendation

Hugh Grant seems to want to get rid of the association to romance movies and it works just wonderfully with his role in the movie Heretic.

Presented as a horror, the movie is more a psychological thriller that keeps one nail-biting, while also trying to find the answers to the questions addressed in the movie.

The two main actresses are very convincing, and even though religion is put under scrutiny, one cannot leave the movie theater without asking oneself – what else I believe because of marketing?

Still, I Can Dream