I just finished reading a book called Einstein’s Dreams. I think I first read it about 10 years ago and it immediately became one of my favorites so I wanted to read it again. The book is a series of simple but surreal vignettes about time, each illustrating a different world (in the vein of italo calvino’s invisible cities). In some worlds, there’s no concept of the future and people act without fear of consequences…in others, no memories and no past…in yet another, everyone’s lifespan lasts only for a single day.

The vignettes are dreams that a fictional Einstein has while developing a new theory about time in 1905 and in each world, people live and interact depending on the way time moves (or doesn’t move), bringing up all sorts of fascinating scenarios. It’s beautifully written and takes only a few hours to read, but it stays with you and will make you feel grounded and light headed at the same time.

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