Zhuangzi

 Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings with selections from traditional commentaries translated by Brook Ziporyn, 238 pages

Zhuangzi was a late 4th century B.C. Daoist philosopher. Zhuangzi's writings have a very poetical style, especially if contrasted with the Daodejing. His writings and philosophy can be hard to define because they have elements of multiple ideas. His writings show him as a mystic, a skeptic, a metaphysical monist, a spirit-body dualist, an intuitionist, a theist, a deist, an agnostic, a relativist, a fatalist, a nihilist, a linguistic philosopher, and an existentialist. 

However, some themes that can be found in his writings include: relative magnitudes in time and space, the emptiness of words, the imperative of self-preservation, and the non-distinction between life and death. 

Readers can choose how to take in this book. They can read just the Inner chapters or any chapters or jump around. The commentaries are optional but can add meaning. I liked this book and recommend it to those interested in Chinese philosophy or those interested in Daoism.