Reading Blog
2026
5/11/26 - The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury - 251 pages
Not as good as Bradbury's other short story collection (The Illustrated Man), but still fun enough to be worth the small page count.
4/30/26 - Shogun by James Clavell - 1,152 pages
Wow, this was truly an epic read. The narrative was extremely gripping, more so than I expected for a book of this length. I initially found the ending a bit abrupt and off-putting but it's grown on me. Clavell's writing style was a bit grating as well, but I'm willing to look past that given how amazing the story was.
3/15/26 - A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway - 225 pages
A beautiful look into Hemingway's mind, and surprisingly similar to his fiction works. Some of the stories in here didn't quite hit the mark for me, but I'm sure the deficiency is all mine, not Hemingway's. I'd suggest this to anyone who was enamored with his other works, but probably not my recommended starting point.
3/4/26 - The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - 256 pages
Another masterpiece by Hemingway. His books are truly intoxicating - like reading the diary of an exciting, troubled, deeply romantic life. It bears repeating: his writing style is simply the best I've read.
2/21/26 - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - 300 pages
My first taste of Christie's work - it's not hard to see why she's the greatest selling author of all time. This was easy reading, threading the needle between mass appeal and thoughtful writing. A surpsingly quick, delightful read that I'll be recommending to others.
2/15/26 - The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff- 327 pages
I'm normally not one for history books, but boy was this incredible. Having the opportunity to, in 2026, read a narrative novel built from primary sources in the 1760s is simply incredible. Most American students learn the watered-down stories of how the American revolution came to be, but this book is as close to the real deal as we've got - smear campaigns, late-night conspiracies, and all. A fascinating, important read.
1/24/26 - A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway - 349 pages
This book was simply fantastic. Only the second Hemingway novel I've read, but he's quickly become a favorite of mine - I'm not sure I've read a writing style that I like more. Masterful stuff.
1/11/26 - Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey - 706 pages
Not dissimilar to the prior books in this series, although I think their quality is trending slightly in the wrong direction; I found the divergence from hard Sci-Fi in this one to be a swing and a miss. An entertaining read none the less, and I plan to finish out the series.
2025
12/29/25 - The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway - 84 pages
I’ve long believed simple writing is the hardest to pull off, and always heard that none do it better than Hemingway - a theory I can now corroborate. A quick, pleasant story.
12/26/25 - Dracula by Bram Stoker - 426 pages
I was mildly concerned with how readable a novel from the 1800s would be in 2025, but this book pleasantly surprised me. It was creepy and disgusting in all the right ways, and I loved the non-traditional narrator perspective of jumping through characters' journal entries. Bit of a lull toward the end, but it was worth it.
11/27/25 - Arguing with Zombies by Paul Krugman - 414 pages
I'm not sure I've read a book more packed with important political information, nor have I read an author more skilled at distilling their expert knowledge into digestible writing. This book was a gem to read, and I've already begun re-reading certain chapters. I can't recommend this enough to anyone interested in the economics underpinning modern politics.
11/09/25 - Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey - 595 pages
A little step down from book one, but still thoroughly entertaining. The Expanse series, thus far, has been analagous to a blockbuster Sci-Fi action movie; good fun, good action, but not a piece of media that will challenge you in any way. I intially compared this series to Hyperion to some friends, which, in hindsight, was totally off-base; The Expanse is an easier read (and arguably more fun), but it doesn't produce the 'holy shit' moments that stick with you for months like Hyperion does.
10/15/25 - The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury - 280 pages
Books like this remind me of how fun good writing is. The Illustrated Man is a collection of 18 short stories, loosely tied together; some were beautiful, some were terrifying, and all were wonderfully told. This will be my recommendation going forward for those who like Sci-Fi but struggle to finish books. Overall phenomenal read.
9/27/25 - Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery - 259 pages
This book started out a bit slow but I ultimately really enjoyed it. Stories like Grandma Gatewood's are a great reminder that you don't need fancy gear to do extraordinary physical feats as long as you have determination. A really inspiring story, not just for thru-hikers but also those aspiring to continue their active pursuits late in life (like myself).
9/7/25 - Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey - 592 pages
Wow! One of the best Sci-Fi novels I've read, albeit with a weaker ending than I would hope for. My only gripes with this book were 1) the divergence from hard Sci-Fi at the end, and 2) the lack of depth of the female characters. I can look past both of those given how well-crafted the story was, and would still recommend that this moves to the top of the list for any Sci-Fi enjoyers.
8/21/25 - Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden - 320 pages
Mark Bowden has the uncanny ability to take a story that seems like it could be told in 30 pages, and turn it into 300 pages of gripping narrative. This book is a page-turner in every sense of the word, and I did not want it to be over - highly recommend for anyone who's not squeamish. One thing that stood out was Bowden's retellings of soldiers' depictions of what being shot is like; really disturbing detail that you don't get out of most media.
8/9/25 - Birds of Washington by Stan Tekiela - 344 pages
Not the kind of book that you're supposed to read start to finish, but oh well. There's enough birds in the Puget Sound area to necessitate owning a book like this, regardless of any prior birding experience; I also have vague ambitions of being the kind of person who can recognize birds I see while out on a walk, so reading this was my first step in that direction.
8/7/25 - Algorithms by Panos Louridas - 312 pages
A nice quick read (which was probably necessary given my limited exposure to graphs). This book is probably best as a reference book due to its limited audience; too simple for someone with prior knowledge but too complicated for the uninitiated.
7/27/25 - How to Be a Stoic by Massimo Pigliucci - 239 pages
A great introductory work on my favorite school of philosophy. Pigliucci writes not from a place of mastery, but rather as someone who still needs the occasional reminder to embody their virtues - a level of humility that is often missing in works like this, and grounds the reader with tempered expectations. This book does a great job of covering not just the essentials of Stoicism but how they can be applied to a modern life, which I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in living well.
6/28/25 - How to Teach Economics to Your Dog by Rebecca Campbell & Anthony McGowan - 320 pages
A quirky, entertaining overview of the most important topics in micro and macro economics. It's always important to be reminded of the incredible global impact of the free market system and not lose sight of its ability to lift billions out of poverty, especially with the pervasive negative sentiments of capitalism. As my Dad once said, "it's a shitty system, but better than all the other ones."
5/20/2025 - A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley - 336 pages
An interesting read, although more tailored toward students than I had hoped. The discussion on focused vs diffused learning was eye-opening and makes a compelling argument against procrastination, although I find that to be a non-issue in the workplace compared to the classroom. A bit surprisingly, this book has a great quote about creativity: "The best predictor of how many creative works we produce in our lifetime is ... the number of works we produce." A great, often forgotten reminder.
5/4/2025 - Effective Altruism: Philosophical Issues, edited by Hilary Greaves and Theron Pummer - 258 pages
A collection of essays from many different philosophers, some in favor of effective altruism and some less so. Incredibly thought provoking but not the most approachable; I'd hesitate to recommend this to people, despite it containing a wide range of interesting ideas. Effective altruism is a movement that I find fascinating, albeit not without its problems, so I'm always happy to read more on the topic.
4/12/2025 - Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing by Olga Mecking - 259 pages
This was not a good book, and I’m happy to be done with it; another example of a successful essay that an author turned into a book due to its popularity, not due to having more to say on the topic. One of the only redeeming qualities here is the author’s acknowledgment that you shouldn’t follow her advice if there’s nothing wrong with your life, which is a refreshing perspective in the “self-help” genre.
4/8/2025 - Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It by Daniel Klein - 224 pages
Not the first time I've read this book and certainly won't be the last. My all-time favorite Philosophical read, with a heavy emphasis on existentialism, absurdism, and mindfulness (all topics I find fascinating). I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone interested in philosophy, especially those who finds source material a bit too heady at times.
3/16/2025 - On Tyranny by Timothy D. Snyder - 128 pages
A quick read that I’d recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the rise of modern-day facism. “A nationalist encourages us to be our worst, and then tells us that we are the best. A patriot wants the nation to live up to its ideals, which means asking us to be our best selves.”
3/11/2025 - Atomic Habits by James Clear - 320 pages
A long overdue read given it's popularity; absolutely fantastic book with loads of useful information. Here's my distillation of Clear's main argument: the hardest part of any challenging activity is just showing up; once you’re at the starting line, the rest is easy. Your goals should reflect this reality and focus on just showing up - for example, instead of saying “I will workout more”, your goal could be, “I will drive to the gym 3 days per week after work.” Additionally, strive to remove as much friction as possible for your desired habits. I can personally testify here, as I’ve noticed I play significantly more guitar when I leave my guitar out, in its stand, already plugged into my amp. The slightest amount of friction, such as needing to open up my case, has massive consequences.
3/6/2025 - Deep Work by Cal Newport - 304 pages
My second time reading this book, first while working full-time. There's certainly some good bits in here about focusing on your highest priorities and disregarding everything else, but much of this book is a miss for me; Newport doesn't seem to have any respect for serendipity (something I value highly), instead advocating for scheduling out every minute of each day in advance. Not quite how I want to live my life, even if it makes me less productive.
3/2/2025 - Just Enough Software Architecture by George Fairbanks - 376 pages
Incredibly formative reading on how to architect a software system in the real world. Fairbanks is not an idealist, and recognizes that you can't optimize every part of a system; instead, he argues that you shouldn't even try to do so, opting instead to mitigate the highest priority risks for a given system. While this may sound obvious, it's a shockingly rare mindest in software, and Fairbanks provides techniques for applying this philosophy in an organization where others don't think this way. Highly recommend to anyone who writes software for a living.
2/17/2025 - An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage - 288 pages
Very informative on the influence of food on human history, from pre-agrarian to modern times. I’m definitely prone to the naturalistic fallacy, so it’s probably good for me to read about how unnatural all modern produce is compared to its pre-domesticated predecessors. The chapters discussing communist China and the Soviet Union’s propaganda on the efficacy of their agricultural policies (while in reality they were experiencing some of the worst famines in history) is a great reminder of why freedom of press is so important. Some great fun facts too, e.g. how nutrient deficiency diseases caused by Maize overconsumption led to Vampire folklore. Fascinating read, definitely will become one of my go-to history book recommendations.
2/3/2025 - Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker - 368 pages
Interesting book, not quite what I was expecting; much more of an emphasis on the scientific minutia of sleep as opposed to recommendations on how to sleep better. I guess the title should've gave it away, so that one's my fault. Definitely some interesting tid-bits of information in here, and some frightening statistics about sleeping while drowsy (which I already had strong opinions on). Worth a read if you're interesting in - you guessed it - why we sleep, but otherwise probably a bit too dense.
1/20/2025 - The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons - 517 pages
A great wrap-up to the Hyperion story, although with a bit of a lull in the middle. I think Simmons may have gone a little far into the whole John Keats obsession, but I'm willing to ignore that given how much I enjoyed this series. A necessary read if you enjoyed Hyperion.
1/3/2025 - Hyperion by Dan Simmons - 482 pages
One of the best fiction books I've read in years - a sort of Sci-Fi Canterbury Tales. I found the perspective changes to be a super refreshing way of reading a novel of this ambition, especially with how the different arcs intertwined with one another and built up a fully fleshed out world. Would highly recommend to anyone who likes Sci-Fi.