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Tim Urban's Top Book Recommendations

Want to know what books Tim Urban recommends? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Tim Urban's favorite book recommendations of all time. At Shortform, we know books. Our book guides are the best in the world. Learn why.

Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life book cover1

Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life

Nir Eyal

4.1
You sit down at your desk to work on an important project, but a notification on your phone interrupts your morning. Later, as you're about to get back to work, a colleague taps you on the shoulder to chat. At home, screens get in the way of quality time with your family. Another day goes by, and once again, your most important personal and professional goals are put on hold.

What would be possibl
The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #1) book cover2

The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #1)

Cixin Liu, Ken Liu

4.2
The Three-Body Problem is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience the Hugo Award-winning phenomenon from China's most beloved science fiction author, Liu Cixin.

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plan
3

The Fountainhead

Ayn Rand

4.1
The revolutionary literary vision that sowed the seeds of Objectivism, Ayn Rand's groundbreaking philosophy, and brought her immediate worldwide acclaim.

This modern classic is the story of intransigent young architect Howard Roark, whose integrity was as unyielding as granite...of Dominique Francon, the exquisitely beautiful woman who loved Roark passionately, but married his worst enemy...and of
Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind book cover4

Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind

Annaka Harris

4.2
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"If you’ve ever wondered how you have the capacity to wonder, some fascinating insights await you in these pages.” --Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals

As concise and enlightening as Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, this mind-expanding dive into the mystery of consciousness is an illuminating meditation on the se