I read things, including: textbooks, novels, comic books, etc. Below is an incomplete list of things I have read, and things I am currently reading, in reverse chronological order.
How to Invent Everything
readingGood so far — sufficient detail to get a strong mental model of things without being too dry.
It does suffer a tad from “itemization”, listing out important things without a particularly strong connective tissue.
Worm
readingExcellent and enjoyable fiction; there are too few hours in the day.
2001: A Space Odyssey
readA good science-fiction novel. I highly recommend pairing with the actual movie, the combined experience is certainly greater than the parts. Arthur C. Clarke shines in poetic bits of writing, but admittedly the ideas aren’t quite as engaging as modern sci-fi novels.
Considering when it was written, however, excellent stuff.
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
readRemarkably entertaining & inventive fiction. This easily takes the spot of my favourite piece of fiction I’ve read (so far). (Notably, I was surprised at how interesting and, even, informative it could be without a scientifically accurate universe: that “good decision-making” can exist regardless.)
Project Hail Mary
readGreat ideas, and surprisingly readable. Definitely “science-fiction” but most concepts are logically justified/grounded.
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!"
readQuite entertaining, and a surprisingly easy read. Recommended to anyone. (Although, if you expected much actual physics, you would be disappointed.)
The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution
readGreat, though a tad too much politics in the latter half for my taste.
The Soul of a New Machine
readQuaint, but nonetheless excellent. A hidden gem of computing culture. High recommendation for a specific kind of reader; if you liked Masters of Doom, possibly you.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
readAged impressively well.
Flash Boys
readGreat, if interested in the subject of HFT.
Stories of your Life
readGood, and may be a great choice for a sci-fi novice, considering the bite-sized stories.
Masters of Doom
readAbsolutely brilliant. In my opinion, faultless. If I could only recommend a single book from this list, it’d be this one.
Watchmen
readUnexpectedly excellent.
Cryptonomicon
readGreat hacker fiction.
Gödel, Escher, Bach
readGreat accompaniment to a Computer Science education, dispels any confusion to what “Computer Science” is, as opposed to “Software Engineering”.
Books I want to read
A wishlist of books:
- Childhood’s End — Arthur C. Clarke
- Thinking Physics — Lewis Carroll Epstein, Paul G. Hewitt
- The Maniac
- ‘What Do You Care What Other People Think?’: Further Adventures of a Curious Character
- How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology