Vista's Book Recommendations
Curated book recommendations, reading methods, and notes from a working writer. Books that actually changed how I think, not filler.
This is the reading list I wish I had ten years ago. Each recommendation comes with context — why it matters, who it is for, and what to do with it once you have read it.
Latest Articles
-
Visual power in the AI era: three basic skills to make images visible at a glance
What is truly scarce in the era of AI drawing is not tools, but visual judgment. The three basic skills - removing clutter, retaining space, and establishing a unique focus - determine whether your image can be seen and remembered, and also determine whether your Prompt can allow AI to produce commercially usable material.
-
The era of "empathy marketing" is coming: when brands become consumers' AI personal consultants
An LLM knowledge base post by Andrej Karpathy foreshadows a new marketing situation in 2026: consumers have their own AI coaches, and the traditional loudspeaker becomes ineffective. For brands to be invited into these private estates, they no longer rely on precise placement, but on frequency matching of "vibe" - this battle for time sovereignty will rewrite the relationship between brands and users.
-
Use Vibe Coding to build a personal website from scratch: writers can also launch their own digital facade on weekends
When I was working on this website, I realized that what had stuck me for so many years was not technology, but mentality. Vibe Coding in the AI era has changed this thing - you don't need to learn grammar, you just need to learn to explain the picture in your mind clearly. This article shares my own experience along the way, as a reference for fellow writers who also cannot write programs but want a website that truly belongs to them.
-
Read "Hao Hui Reading" from the perspective of the book club host: Turn the books you have read into a part of your life
I have known Hao Hsu-lieh for several years. He is gentle, elegant and bookish. After reading his book "Hao Hui Reading", I sincerely recommend it from the perspective of a person who has organized reading clubs for many years - "Four-One Reading Method" (a story about a book, a sentence about a book, a story about me, a sentence about me) solves the most difficult thing about reading: how to make knowledge really stay and become your point of view, your judgment, and your wisdom in life.
-
Re-read "Sun Yun-suan Biography": The man who used the spirit of an engineer to lift Taiwan up
When the first edition of "Sun Yun-suan Biography" was released in 1989, I immediately bought a copy and read it at home. Re-reading it more than thirty years later, I am still moved by Mr. Sun’s engineering spirit. In this era where the AI wave is sweeping everything, we actually need this kind of pragmatism, focus, and the spirit of solving problems for the country more than ever.
-
Accurate data narrative: Make reports sell for money, the most scarce business translation power in the AI era
Originally published in Economic Daily. Today, as AI and automation tools become more and more powerful, people who can write SQL and pull data are no longer rare. What is scarce are people who can tell business stories with data. This article breaks down the three core capabilities and three implementation actions of accurate data storytelling (Data Storytelling), so that reports no longer lie on the dashboard sleeping, but become business logic that persuades senior executives and customers...
Frequently Asked Questions
-
How many books should I read per year?
Read fewer books, better. Ten books you understand deeply and apply beats fifty you skim. Depth compounds.
-
Should I read physical or digital?
Physical for deep work and annotation, digital for convenience and search. Most serious readers use both — match the format to the job.
-
How do I remember what I read?
Take notes in your own words, not highlights. Summarize each chapter in 2–3 sentences and connect it to something you already know. Teaching forces retention.
-
Is it okay to quit a book I started?
Yes, and you should more often. Life is too short for books that are not working for you. Quit without guilt — you can always come back.
Join 18,000+ Readers
Each week I share practical AI workflows, writing systems, and content strategies. If you want to level up your AI fluency, the newsletter is the best place to start.
Subscribe to the Newsletter