Trevor Noah is a South African comedian, writer, producer, and television host, born on February 20, 1984, in Johannesburg. His upbringing was complicated by apartheid-era laws that made his parents’ interracial relationship illegal. His mother is Xhosa, and his father is Swiss-German. Growing up in Soweto, he experienced firsthand the complexities of race and identity in South Africa, something that would later shape much of his comedy. He started his entertainment career in South Africa, first appearing on television in 2002. By his early twenties, he was hosting shows on national TV and performing stand-up comedy. His routines often focused on race, culture, and politics, blending sharp observations with personal stories. In 2011, Noah moved to the United States. By 2014, he was a contributor on The Daily Show and took over as host from Jon Stewart in 2015. His style was more laid-back than Stewart’s, mixing global perspectives with humor rooted in his South African background. While some viewers appreciated his international take, others felt the show lost some of its bite. Still, he connected with younger audiences, especially on digital platforms. Noah is also known for Born a Crime, his 2016 memoir about growing up in South Africa, which became a bestseller. Beyond The Daily Show, he’s hosted major events like the Grammy Awards several times and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2022. After leaving The Daily Show in late 2022, he shifted focus to stand-up tours, podcasts, and other projects. Offstage, Noah speaks several languages, supports Liverpool FC, and runs a foundation aimed at improving youth education in South Africa. Despite the humor in his work, much of his life—like surviving domestic violence in his family—has been marked by serious challenges, which he addresses with honesty and wit.

Duolingo is an app and website designed to help people learn languages in a simple and engaging way. It’s free to use, though there are paid options that remove ads and offer extra features. The lessons are short and interactive, with exercises that involve matching words, listening to sentences, speaking, and translating. A green owl named Duo acts as the app’s mascot—offering encouragement when you stay on track and reminders when you don’t. The platform offers a wide range of languages, from widely spoken ones like Spanish, French, and Chinese to less common choices like Welsh, Hawaiian, and even fictional languages like Klingon and High Valyrian. Lessons focus on practical, everyday communication—like ordering food or asking for directions—though you’ll occasionally encounter quirky sentences that are memorable in their oddness. Duolingo adapts to your progress: if you’re struggling, it slows down; if you’re doing well, it introduces more challenging material. There are game-like features—points, streaks, and levels—that keep learning motivating and fun. For those looking to go beyond basic lessons, Duolingo also offers podcasts, stories, and interactive exercises to improve listening and reading comprehension. Convenient and easy to use, Duolingo fits into almost any schedule—you can practice on the bus, during a lunch break, or before bed. While it’s not a complete substitute for full immersion or in-depth study, it’s a useful tool for beginners and a good way to keep language skills fresh.

That's right, the Kindle can a great tool for learning Mandarin. You can download a free Chinese dictionary called CC-CEDICT. Then you can tap on any word to get the English translation and the pinyin. There are plenty of Chinese ebooks you can find online for free or purchase on Amazon. I used this method earlier this year to read a few chapters of Harry Potter and now I'm reading The Three-Body Problem by ‎Liu Cixin.

"Project Hail Mary" is a space adventure story written by Andy Weir, the same guy who wrote "The Martian." It's about a man named Ryland Grace who wakes up on a spaceship with no memory of who he is or why he's there. He figures out he's on a mission to save Earth from disaster. The story follows him as he tries to remember his past and complete his mission, which involves a lot of science and problem-solving. Along the way, he meets an alien, and they form an unlikely friendship. The book is full of cool science stuff, suspense, and humor. It's like a mix of a mystery and a space adventure, with a lot of heart. The narration by Ray Porter is superb, with sound effects and excellent voice work.

Long Walk to Freedom is an autobiography by South Africa's first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela, and it was first published in 1994 by Little Brown & Co. The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years spent in prison If you're new to South African history, as I was, this is a great starting point. Why not hear from the man who played a key part in it?

Greek myths retold by Stephen Fry. He is both the author and the narrator of this book. His wit and sense of humor come across in both the text and in the delivery. Plus, you actually get to learn Greek myths.

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life is William Finnegan’s story about growing up obsessed with surfing. It’s not just about catching waves—it’s about a whole way of life that’s demanding, addictive, and sometimes dangerous. Finnegan started young, learning to surf in California and Hawaii, and kept chasing waves into adulthood, traveling through places like Fiji, Australia, Indonesia, and Africa. Along the way, he mixes adventure with self-reflection, talking about friendships formed in the water, the culture around surfing, and how it all fit with the times—especially during the social changes of the 1960s and '70s. The book isn’t just about the thrill of surfing; Finnegan dives into the technical side of waves and the patience it takes to master them. He’s honest about his youthful recklessness—like taking LSD before surfing a massive wave in Maui—and the risks that came with his travels, from malaria scares to navigating shady markets. Still, surfing pulls him along, even when he’s juggling a career as a war reporter and later, family life. At its core, Barbarian Days is an old-fashioned adventure tale mixed with a thoughtful look at what it means to be hooked on something so completely. Finnegan’s writing captures both the beauty and the grind of surfing, making you feel like you’re right there with him—whether on a remote beach or paddling out into icy waves off Long Island.

Grammarsen is a desktop app that automatically corrects your selected text using chatgpt, helping you stay focused. No more copy pasting and switching tabs. Simply select some text, press a hotkey, and see the old text gets replaced with the corrected version. Grammarsen saves time for students, writers, marketers, english learners, and anyone who types a lot.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a memoir by Haruki Murakami where he talks about two things that define a big part of his life: running and writing. Murakami didn’t always plan on being a novelist. He was running a jazz bar in his twenties when, while watching a baseball game, he suddenly thought, “I could write a novel.” He gave it a shot, it worked out, and he eventually sold his bar to focus on writing full-time. But sitting at a desk all day, smoking and not moving much, wasn’t doing his health any good. That’s when he picked up running. For Murakami, running is more than just exercise—it’s part of his routine and, in a way, a metaphor for writing. Both take endurance. Both are long hauls where you push yourself day after day, even when you don’t feel like it. The book follows him as he trains for marathons, competes in triathlons, and grapples with the slow decline of his physical abilities as he ages. He talks a lot about acceptance—accepting getting older, accepting bad race times, and accepting that sometimes you just don’t do as well as you hoped. His attitude is basically: That’s life. You move on. The writing style is straightforward, like he’s just talking to you over a coffee. He doesn’t dress things up. Sometimes he rambles, mentioning things like cycling habits or going off on tangents about global warming. At one point, he describes running the original marathon route in Greece—sun blazing, salt stinging his eyes, everything uncomfortable. But through it all, there’s this calm acceptance. He’s not trying to convince anyone to run; he just shares what it means to him. By the end, what sticks isn’t just the running or the writing, but the way he embraces both the highs and the lows—the post-race blues, the joy of finishing, and the satisfaction of something as simple as a cold beer after a long run. It’s a book about effort, routine, and learning to keep going, no matter what.

The best book about the best director in the world. It was such a great book it was adapted into a movie. Bet the other books on this list can't say that!

A Gentleman in Moscow is a historical fiction novel by Amor Towles. It follows Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian aristocrat who, after the Bolshevik Revolution, is sentenced to house arrest in the grand Hotel Metropol in Moscow. Instead of being imprisoned in a cell, he’s confined to the hotel, which becomes both his cage and his world. The story spans several decades, starting in the 1920s and running through key moments of Soviet history. Most of it unfolds inside the hotel, which is no ordinary place—it's a bustling, self-contained universe. Rostov, who begins the story living in a lavish suite, is forced to move into a tiny attic room. Despite this fall from grace, he navigates his new life with wit and charm, forming friendships with the hotel staff, guests, and unexpected visitors. The book isn’t just about the Count’s personal journey—it’s also about how time changes people and places, how history creeps in even when you’re standing still, and how small acts of kindness and loyalty can shape a lifetime. The setting, the Metropol, is richly described, from fine dining rooms to back corridors. There’s a good bit about food, music, and Russian culture, and plenty of philosophical musings, but it never gets too heavy. At its core, the novel is about making the best of what life throws at you. The Count is an old-world gentleman stuck in a new world that wants to forget people like him. How he handles that—sometimes with grace, sometimes with stubbornness—is what makes the book compelling. It's quietly dramatic, occasionally funny, and surprisingly heartwarming, all without needing big action scenes.

This is the only audiobook I've ever listened to lol. But it is a very interesting story about Elon, arguably the most interesting person alive.

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Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he? An irresistible interstellar adventure as only Andy Weir could deliver, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian—while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Learning a new language is hard, you need a lot of repeated exposure to the same words to make them stick. Here's the trick I use. I open ThaiPod101's live channel and let it run in the background while I do something else. For example, I can have it open while cooking dinner or tidying up. Even if I look at the screen only occasionally, I still get the benefits of being repeatedly exposed to Thai vocabulary. This works particularly well in combination with other learning methods. If you have a smart TV or a Chromecast, you can even play it on your TV instead of regular TV channels. The channel runs 24/7 and replays ThaiPod101 lessons.

Italki is a platform connecting language teachers, mostly native speakers, with students. You can book, pay, and schedule your classes directly through their website. The classes are one on one, just you and the teacher, and conducted over a video call. I used Italki successfully before going to Thailand for the first time. My wife who is Thai gave me an Italki gift card. There are plenty of teachers to chose from and the rates are affordable. You'll pay anywhere from $10 to about $20 for a class.

"The Black Swan" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb is a seminal work that explores the profound impact of rare and unpredictable events, termed "Black Swans." Taleb argues that these events, which are often overlooked or underestimated, have massive consequences on our world. He highlights the limitations of traditional forecasting methods and emphasizes the need for resilience and adaptability in the face of uncertainty. Blending philosophy, economics, and personal anecdotes, Taleb provides a compelling critique of our understanding of risk and uncertainty. This book is essential for anyone interested in risk management, economics, and understanding the unpredictable nature of our world.

Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life is a nonfiction book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, published in 2018. Taleb’s main point is pretty simple: people should share in the risks of the decisions they make. If you benefit from something, you should also face the downsides if things go wrong. He calls this having “skin in the game.” Without that, people can make reckless choices that hurt others while staying safe themselves. The book covers everything from politics and business to religion and everyday life. Taleb doesn’t hold back on criticism. He talks about how some policymakers and financial experts make decisions that affect millions but don’t suffer when those decisions backfire. He uses examples like bankers profiting during booms but getting bailed out during crashes. Taleb also goes after what he calls “Intellectual Yet Idiot” types—educated people who, in his view, complicate things and give advice without understanding real-world consequences. He argues that real knowledge comes from doing and risking something yourself, not just sitting in a classroom or writing articles. One part of the book dives into how stubborn minorities—like people who strictly follow certain dietary rules—can influence the majority’s choices without even trying. There’s even a section where he talks about religion, saying that the idea of God taking human form (in Christianity) is the ultimate example of having skin in the game. Taleb’s writing style is direct, sometimes blunt, and he isn’t shy about calling out what he sees as nonsense. The book is part of his Incerto series, which looks at uncertainty and risk in modern life. Some people love his no-nonsense approach; others find him a bit too combative. Either way, Skin in the Game is about accountability—if you play the game, you should be prepared to take a hit when things go south.

"Black Panther" is a groundbreaking Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film directed by Ryan Coogler. It follows T'Challa, the newly crowned king of the hidden, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda, as he takes on the mantle of Black Panther. The film explores themes of identity, legacy, and power, while showcasing vibrant African culture and cutting-edge technology. It features a stellar cast, including Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, and Danai Gurira, and delivers a compelling mix of action, drama, and political intrigue.