On Solitude

This is a great little book, and an excellent ‘user friendly' introduction to modern philosophy. Michel de Montaigne is famous for pioneering what we now call the essay, however I deem him worthy of new fame: making philosophy accessible, funny, and functional. In ‘On Solitude' he reflects on all sorts of odd and every-day facets, such as why we laugh and cry at the same time, why reading brings joy, why fear is the most powerful emotion of all, and (of course) what solitude is. Check this book out if you're in for a quick-ish read but wants something you can scan over a second or third time to extract extra cool insights.