Tortured Tech

Bookworm - The Sequel

31 December 2015

2015 reading list

I tried to edit this post every time I finished a book so this is a rather more complete list than the one from 2014. And ordered. But that still hardly matters…

  • Zero to One - Peter Thiel
    • An easy short read about startups and VCs.
  • The Year Without Pants - Scott Burken
    • An interesting account of how a different approach to running a company can work.
  • The Art of Possibility - Roz & Ben Zander
    • A slow read for me (interrupted by Zero to One), perhaps a bit poetic/fluffy for my tastes but has some interesting stories and insights to improve one’s outlook on life.
  • Think like a freak - Stephen J. Dubner & Steven D. Lewitt
  • It’s not how good you are, It’s how good you want to be - Paul Arden
    • A one-day read. Entertaining advice for the brave…
  • Wool, Shift, Dust trilogy - Hugh Howey
    • Recommended by Robin after [last year’s post about reading]((/learning/2015/02/01/bookworm) and I thank him for it (and the suggestion about Calibre and the e-loan of the first two)… A highly enjoyable story of a rather dystopian future. FWIW I disagree with those reviewers complaining about loose ends not being tied off at the end of the trilogy.
  • Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan
    • Another of Robin’s recommendations and definitely worth a read. Sleeves take on a whole new meaning.
  • Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds
    • The final of Robin’s three recommendations and the one I felt was slowest to get going, I really didn’t feel into the story until about page 125… But it turned out to be a great story after all :smile:
  • The End of Eternity - Isaac Asimov
    • Somehow I found an Asimov story I hadn’t read… Glad I did, it’s up to his usual legendary standard. I do enjoy a time travel story…
  • Freakonomics - Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
    • The book that started a series and somehow it’s the final one I’ve read … thought provoking. Well worth the week or so it took to read.
  • The Great Train Robbery - Michael Crichton
    • One of only a couple of Michael Crichton books I haven’t read. Different to the others but well worth a read.
  • Eaters of the Dead - Michael Crichton
    • The other Michael Crichton I haven’t read. I really like most of his books. If I’d started with this one I may not have read any of the others. Beowulf type story that just didn’t grab me. Gave up having got not quite halfway.
  • The Chimp Paradox - Prof. Steve Peters
    • An interesting read about how people make decisions. But not interesting enough to keep going to the end of the book…
  • Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla is shaping our Future - Ashlee Vance
    • Elon is clearly something of a genius. And a Royal Pain In The Ar*e to work for. This book is a must read. I want a Tesla :smile:
  • Hyperbole and a half - Allie Brosh
    • Only a couple of days’ worth reading on the commute - almost all pages are cartoon-filled. A peek into a depressed mind … more illuminating than you may think.
  • Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
    • A book in the same vein as The Chimp Paradox … and abandoned similarly early.
  • The Churchill Factor - Boris Johnson
    • A recommendation from dad and my first book about Churchill. Excellent all round.
  • Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh
    • The story of Zappo’s. Incredibly interesting, second only to the book about Elon Musk for books I’ve read this year. Although Churchill drives it close…
  • The Facebook Effect - David Kirkpatrick
    • Obviously, the story of Facebook. These massively successful startups have consistent themes: incredibly hard work, serious cash and sailing close to bankruptcy for years.
  • Time and Time Again - Ben Elton
    • I’ve read all but two of Ben Elton’s books. They’re fab. Mix in time travel and you have a surefire winner … for me, anyway. A great holiday read.
  • Gray Mountain - John Grisham
    • My brother-in-law says Grisham’s what you read when you’re too drunk to watch TV. But he doesn’t drink much. I still kinda know what he means … but still enjoy a good Grisham. And Gray Mountain certainly is just that. An excellent holiday read when you’ve finished Ben Elton’s latest slightly ahead of time :grin:
  • Hatching Twitter - Nick Bilton
    • Another recommendation from a colleague and a jolly good yarn about backstabbing founders that just happens to be true (well, at least the author’s interpretation of the truth based on interviews, etc.)
  • Now, discover your strengths - Marcus Buckingham
    • We’re always taught to fill gaps in our knowledge / skills. What if that’s the wrong approach? Why not try to capitalise on your strengths? Vaguely interesting but not enough to keep me away from the next book the second it turned up so I gave up halfway through…
  • Make Me - Lee Child
    • I’m a sucker for a Jack Reacher thriller. Man-lit at its finest :smile: Done & dusted in three days…
  • the everything store - Brad Stone
    • The story of Amazon and yet another recommendation from a colleague. Jeff Bezos is clearly super-smart (though IMHO not in Musk’s league) and super-driven. Equally clearly he’s unbelievably difficult to work for.
  • The Cathedral and the Bazaar - Eric S. Raymond
    • This series of essays explains why open source works and can still enable software engineers to make money. Some of it is a bit tedious / fluffy but overall a worthwhile read for anyone interested in IT.
  • In the Plex (from abebooks rather than Amazon this time) - Steven Levy
    • Another recommendation from a colleague, this time the subject is google and is equally fascinating, if not more so, than the other internet firms.
  • The Burning Room - Michael Connelly
    • One of three random purchases in WH Smiths, after a morning half-term dentist appointment, wanting to delay slightly to give rush hour traffic some time to die down. The strategy worked - the traffic home wasn’t bad and the book has introduced me to a new author I rather like. More man-lit than anything truly great but there’s a newly exposed seam of stories to exploit…
  • You Are Dead - Peter James
    • The second random purchase. Excellent man-lit so another seam of books has been found :smile:
  • When You Dead, You Dead - Guy Martin
    • Straight talking, good stories. Guy Martin is nuts but entertaining with it. The final chapter sums him up: I can’t afford a week off work with a broken back. Madman.
  • A Taste For Death - PD James
    • I must be a product of the blockbuster film generation. This isn’t a book that’s got me hooked - too much detailed descriptions - it seems why use 100 words when 1,000 will do? I’m sure many seasoned readers prefer this depth. Me? I prefer the in-your-face rush of a Lee Child. Still, I’m determined to finish it.
  • Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
    • I’d heard a few people mention this book so when it arrived wrapped under the tree I couldn’t resist having a quick read. Which turned into finishing the book before the PD James which will have to wait for 2016. In short it’s eye opening - in a good way. A good end for the year!

More than a book per fortnight … not sure what I’d’ve guessed but I’m looking forward to 2016’s tomes already!

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