Reading list

What I’m reading and some of what I’ve read.

2023

Title	Author	Thoughts
The Fractured Dark	by Megan O’Keefe
Several short sentences about writing	by Verlyn Klinkenborg
The Sacred Balance	by David Sukuki
The Joy of Abstraction	by Eugenia Cheng	The book is open but I've paused reading it. I'm still intrigued and determined to read it, but need the brain space.
The Blighted Stars	by Megan O’Keefe	Fell into it. On the list of favourites from this year.
The Cartographers	by Peng Shepherd	I am a sucker for books about people being nerdy on a topic.
The Practice	by Seth Godin	Some good nudges that helped me get back to creative work.
Dust	by Hugh Howey
Number9Dream	by David Mitchell	A more experimental read. I wasn't in the best headspace for experiments, sadly.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu	by Susanna Clarke	Delightful, reads like classic fiction from a parallel world.
Shift	by Hugh Howey	Moving away from the show, enjoyed the variety in perspectives in this installment.
Under The Sky We Make	by Kimberly A. Nicholas	Gave me some tools and lenses with which to look at our changing and often on fire world. I'm still sad, I'm still scared.
Thistlefoot	by GennaRose Nethercott	Beautiful ideas about stories and how they interact with the world.
It's Lonely at the Center of the Earth	by Zoe Thorogood	Love the multimedia approach. Also, "... Relatable is the word of the hour" because it's, well, relatable.
Wool	by Hugh Howey	Read it too close to finishing the television series, "Silo", my memories muddled with what I was reading.
The Spear Cuts Through Water	by Simon Jimenez	It reads like a legend. It was unlike anything I've read for so long, really, I don't have the words to describe it.
The Vanished Birds	by Simon Jimenez	Fell into this book. There were some ideas that were beautiful for being perfect in the world created and their simplicity.
Shelterbelts	by Jonathan Dyck	A setting and cast of characters that is close to home. Difficult to read at times.
The God of Endings	by Jacqueline Holland	The opening paragraph still sticks in my head.
Green Grass, Running Water	by Thomas King	I've grown to appreciate a new kind of storytelling through Thomas King.
The Creative Act	by Rick Rubin	Good for bites of inspiration or little nudges into action.
The Relentless Moon	by Mary Robinette Kowal	I had a cold while reading this and it affected how much I took in. But enjoyed it all the same. The acknowledgements at the end of each book in this series add to the satisfaction I take from them.
The Road	by Cormac McCarthy	Stylized writing which gave a lot of power to the narrative.
The Fated Sky	by Mary Robinette Kowal	Felt good to be back in these books. Inhaled the book.
The Book That Wouldn't Burn	by Mark Lawrence
Recursion	by Blake Crouch
The Calculating Stars	by Mary Robinette Kowal	Really enjoyed it while at the same time found moments in it infruriating. Well researched, well written.
On The Shortness of Life	by Seneca	Many sentences that struck me, particularly for where I am right now.
The Ferryman	by Justin Cronin
Sensitive	by Jenn Granneman and Andre Sólo	I related to many parts of this book. Much to reflect on and take into different areas of my life, especially work.
Hell Bent	by Leigh Bardugo	A welcome continuation of Ninth House, fell into and inhaled it.
Fifty Sounds	by Polly Barton	I found new ways to articulate the experience of living in a country where you don't speak the language.
The Housekeeper and the Professor	by Yoko Ogawa	A peaceful read.
Of Mice and Men	by John Steinbeck	It was interesting to read Steinbeck in a different format. Same voice, different space.
The Bluest Eye	by Toni Morrison	New perspectives, new ways of seeing.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi	by Shannon Chakraborty	The book I've enjoyed the most in a long while. Inhaled it.
City of Last Chances	by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Sula	by Toni Morrison	Powerful story. First time I've read Toni Morrison and I'll be looking for more.
The Coral Bones	by E. J. Swift	A good read, though helplessness around climate topics can't be avoided.
Her Body and Other Parties	by Carmen Maria Machado	Some new and some uncomfortable ideas. I think short stories are my newly preferred public transit reading material.
In Limbo	by Deb JJ Lee	Different from what I expected and a different perspective on growing up than I've seen before.
Family Lexicon	by Natalia Ginzburg	Very different narrative style than what I'm used to. It was well suited to remembering family.
From the Wreck	by Jane Rawson	Quiet, strange, with heart.
The Grapes of Wrath	by John Steinbeck	I took so many things from this book. I need more time to simmer on it.
Leech	by Hiron Ennes	It was clever how you needed to put the pieces together yourself.
The Word For World is Forest	by Ursula K. Le Guin	It's all it needs to be. New interpretations of dreaming and of gods.
Fairy Tale	by Stephen King	Different from other King novels I've read. Good “before bed” read.
The Back of the Turtle	by Thomas King	I felt the world reflected back at me, thoughtfully, kindly, and truthfully.
Ordinary Monsters	by J. M. Miro	It crescendoed really well.
Houseboat Chronicles	by Jake MacDonald	A comfortable and comforting read, nostalgic, imagery of a place that feels like home.
The Truth About Stories	by Thomas King	“Just don't say in years to come that you would have lived your life differently if only you had heard this story. You've heard it now.”

2022

Title	Author	Thoughts
Braiding Sweetgrass	by Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Spare Man	by Mary Robinette Kowal	First heavy use of different pronouns without making the story about that.
The Great Mistake	by Jonathon Lee	Rich, compelling.
Ducks	by Kate Beaton	Rich storytelling, infuriating story.
Dead Silence	by S. A. Barnes	Eerie for a time.
Babel	by R. F. Kuang	Made for good conversations with my German tutor.
Learning to Talk to Plants	by Marta Orriols, Mara Fay Lethem (Translator)	A quiet read I needed.
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy	by Becky Chambers	A nice continuation.
The Colour Out of Space and others	by H.P. Lovecraft
A Psalm for the Wild-Built	by Becky Chambers	The read I needed at the time, loved it.
Eversion	by Alastair Reynolds	Reminded me of something I could never put my finger on.
Klara and the Sun	by Kazuo Ishiguro	I think this one will take two tries—as is common for me with Kazuo Ishiguro.
The Night Circus	by Erin Morgenstern	Loved the imagery.
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words	by Eddie Robson	A new idea, well paired with learning German at the time.
Sea of Tranquility	by Emily St. John Mandel	The details.
The Watchers	by A. M. Shine	I called it! Then spent the whole book trying to prove it.
The Secret Commonwealth	by Philip Pullman
La Belle Sauvage	by Philip Pullman
Swims	by Elizabeth-Jane Burnett
The Wild Places	by Robert MacFarlane	A favourite, reminded me of my need for wild and where I can find it.
Turning	by Jessica J. Lee	Close to home in many ways, a good read to start the year.
Piranesi	by Susanna Clarke	I expected something different—will have to read again to truly appreciate.
Where the Crawdads Sing	by Delia Owens	Beautiful, inhaled it. Will never see the movie.
The Amber Spyglass	by Philip Pullman
The Subtle Knife	by Philip Pullman

2021

Title	Author	Thoughts
The Lost Spells	by Robert Macfarlane
The Golden Compass	by Philip Pullman
Stories of Your Life and Others	by Ted Chiang	Bite size sci fi, some bites good, some bites less so.
High Output Management	by Andrew S. Grove
Utopia Avenue	by David Mitchell	Different from the author's other work, but a quiet through line that told you it was still Mitchell.
In	by Will McPhail	Rich storytelling, will recommend to everyone.
Sleep walk	by Adrian Tomine
Dare to Lead	by Brené Brown	Changed so much of how I see my world and myself.
The Art of Logic	by Eugenia Cheng	Changed how I look at my work and at life.
Coaching for Performance	by John Whitmore
Billy Summers	by Stephen King	Still Stephen King, yet straying from some of his usual tropes.
The Library of the Dead	by T. L. Huchu
The Making of a Manager	by Julie Zhuo
Slade House	by David Mitchell
The Hidden Palace	by Helene Wecker	Felt good to return to this world and see where the story would go.
Project Hail Mary	by Andy Weir	Fell off, wasn't for me.
The Lost Apothecary	by Sara Penner
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue	by V. E. Schwab
The Lost Future of Pepperharrow	by Natasha Pulley	I preferred the first one.
The Prince and the Dressmaker	by Jen Wang	Lovely story, illustrations inspired me to draw more.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street	by Natasha Pulley	Didn't go where I expected, really enjoyed it.
The Starless Sea	by Erin Morgenster	Beautiful
The Leader's Guide to Unconcious Bias	by Pamela Fuller	Gave me a new lens with which to look at my relationships, at work and in life.
A Wrinkle in Time	by Madeleine L'Engle	A childhood favourite, picked up again.
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet	by Becky Chambers	Pleasant read, episodic
Seveneves	by Neal Stephenson	Could've ended earlier—so I stopped early.
The Uncertainty Mindset	by Vaughn Tan	Changed how I look at uncertainty, not knowing, and then moving through it.
Contact	by Carl Sagan
Mistborn	by Brandon Sanderson	It was interesting to see this author in a new world (of his making).
Babylon's Ashes	by James S. A. Corey
Rhythm of War	by Brandon Sanderson
Org Design for Design Orgs	by Merholz & Skinner
Radical Candor	by Kim Scott	Good idea, but needs to be wielded properly.
Nemesis Games	by James S. A. Corey
Cibola Burn	by James S. A. Corey
Mismatch	by Kat Holmes	Had a large impact on how I think about inclusive design.
Fictions	by Jorge Luis Borges	“The Library of Babel” is likely my favourite.
Post-Truth	by Matthew D'Ancona
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist	by Adrian Tomine	Honest and lovely
Abaddon's Gate	by James S. A. Corey
Rules of Civility	by Amor Towles	Didn't enjoy as much as “A Gentleman in Moscow” but still good.
Finder	by Suzanne Palmer
Caliban's War	by James S. A. Corey
Calypso	by David Sedaris	Always makes me smile
Leviathan Wakes	by James S. A. Corey
The Left Hand of Darkness	by Ursula K. Le Guin
A Wizard of Earthsea	by Ursula K. Le Guin

2020

Title	Author	Thoughts
The Glass Hotel	by Emily St. John Mandel
The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction	by Ursula K. Le Guin	Changed how I read fiction and thought about stories.
The Lies of Locke Lamora	by Scott Lynch
Early Risers	by Jasper Fforde	Nostalic thoughts of winter turn peculiar sense of humour.
The Graveyard Book	by Neil Gaiman
Upheaval	by Jared Diamond
Bird by Bird	by Anne Lamott	Was exactly the read I needed at the time.
Kingdom of Copper	by S. A. Chakraborty
The Empire of Gold	by S. A. Chakraborty	Different cultural mythology from most mainstream fiction—a nice change.
A Sense of an Ending	by Julian Barnes
Dead Astronauts	by Jeff Vandermeer	Fell off
Dune	by Frank Herbert	Second time read, loved it more than the first.
So You Want to Talk About Race	by Ijeoma Oluo
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race	by Reni Eddo-Lodge
The End of All Things	by John Scalzi
The Ten Thousand Doors of January	by Alix E. Harrow	Lovely, bought copies for multiple people.
If It Bleeds	by Stephen King
Once upon a river	by Diane Setterfield	Beautiful book. Was exactly what I needed.
Cage of Souls	by Adrian Tchaikovsky	A favourite, I've gifted it a few times now.
The Priory of the Orange Tree	by Samantha Shannon	Some nice changes from the usual fantasy worlds.
The Library of the Unwritten	by A. J. Hackwith	A unique and compelling idea.
Creative Confidence	by Tom Kelley
The Human Division	by John Scalzi
Ninth House	by Leigh Bardugo
Six Wakes	by Mur Lafferty
Wanderers	by Chuck Wendig	Read just as COVID-19 was coming into the news more. So many blurred lines between fiction and reality.
Radical Focus	by Christina Wodtke	Good to know if only to understand how others see work. But a reminder to not read books like this again.
Good Strategy Bad Strategy	by Richard Rumelt	Gave me the language and structure to talk about what I was seeing at work.
Zoe's Tale	by John Scalzi
Jonathon Strange & Mr Norrell	by Susanna Clarke	Fantastic story, possibly multiple books in one.

2019 and earlier

Title	Author	Thoughts
Moby Dick	by Herman Melville
The Obelisk Gate	by N. K. Jemisin	Good, but the first story was apparently enough for me.
The Fifth Season	by N. K. Jemisin	Truly unique story.
Children of Time	by Adrian Tchaikovsky	Spiders!
The Last Colony	by John Scalzi
The Ghost Brigades	by John Scalzi
Skyward	by Brandon Sanderson
The Institute	by Stephen King
Lock In	by John Scalzi
Redshirts	by John Scalzi	This one wasn't for me.
The Unconsoled	by Kazuo Ishiguro	This book opened my eyes to the fact that I needed to quit my job.
Old Man's War	by John Scalzi	The book where I discovered John Scalzi and then needed to read everything he wrote.
A Gentleman in Moscow	by Amor Towles	Loved the prose.
Desert Solitaire	by Edward Abbey	Beautiful imagery, though some elements showed their age.
The Sparrow	by Mary Dorai Russell	Gripping, unsettling.
The Dark Forest	by Cixin Liu	Fuck. Favourite of the trilogy.
The Bone Clocks	by David Mitchell	When I decided I needed to read everything by David Mitchell.
The Name of the Wind	by Patrick Rothfuss
The Bird King	by G. Willow Wilson
Travels with Charley	by John Steinbeck	Wonderful, human.
East of Eden	by John Steinbeck	Picked this up on a trip and fell in love with the prose.
Thinking, Fast and Slow	by Daniel Kahneman
(An incomplete list)	by

Where I haven't included “Thoughts”, it‘s because I can‘t recall my impressions of the book.

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