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.