2025 (30)

fiction (15)

• The Bright Sword, by Lev Grossman, 2024; 673p 5
• The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, 1939; 455p 5
• Flying Home and Other Stories, by Ralph Ellison, stories written between 1937 and 1954, published in 1996; 182p 4.5

Bobiverse - by Dennis E. Taylor

• We Are Legion (We Are Bob), 2016; 299p 4.5
• For We Are Many, 2017; 301p 4.5

Cradle - by Will Wright

• Unsouled, 2023; 384p 4.5
• Soulsmith, 2023; 384p 4
• Blackflame, 2023; 512p 4.5
• Skysworn, 2024; 384p 4

Dungeon Crawler Carl - by Matt Dinniman

• Dungeon Crawler Carl, 2020; 433p 4.5
• Carl’s Doomsday Scenario, 2021; 364p 4
• The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook, 2021; 534p 4
• The Gate of the Feral Gods, 2021; 586p 4
• The Butcher’s Masquerade, 2022; 732p 4
• The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, 2025; 832p 4
• WIP - This Inevitable Ruin, 2025; 880p

non-fiction (15)

• The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King, by Rich Cohen, 2013; Audiobook 5
• Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World’s Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life, by William Green, 2021; Audiobook 5
• Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers, by Geoffrey A. Moore, 2012; Audiobook 5

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

–T. S. Eliot

• Sam Walton, Made in America, by Sam Walton with John Huey, 1993; Audiobook 4.5
• Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts, by Annie Duke, 2018; 288p 4
• Silence: In the Age of Noise, by Erling Kagge (Author) and Becky L. Crook (Translator), 2017; 158p 4
• The Little Book that Still Beats the Market, by Joel Greenblatt, 2010; 183p 4
• Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace, by Gordon MacKenzie, 1996; 224p 4 (Peopleware bookclub)
• The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success, by William N. Thorndike, Jr., 2012; 226p 4
• Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering, by Malcolm Gladwell, 2024; 304p 4
• The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life, by Steven Barlett, 2023; Audiobook 4
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It, by Michael E Gerber, 2009; Audiobook 4
• Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers, by Chip Heath and Karla Starr, 2002; Audiobook 4
• Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results, by Shane Parrish, 2023; Audiobook 5
• The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, by Jonathan Haidt, 2013; Audiobook 5

Did Not Finish

• In Over Our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life, by Robert Kegan, 1994; 355p Ideas 5 Editing 3 (Peopleware bookclub)

• WIP Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, 2007, 306p
• WIP Good Strategy Bad Strategy
• WIP How to Use Financial Statments: A Guide to Understanding the Numbers, by James Bandler, 1994; 142p
• WIP The New Economics, by W. Edwards Deming, 1994; 234p
• WIP Modern Software Engineering
• WIP The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
• WIP The Anatomy of Fascism

2024 (36)

fiction (11)

• Prophet Song, by Paul Lynch, 2023; 320p 5
• The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon, 2019; 849p 4.5
• Chain Gang All-Stars, by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, 2023; 386p 4.5
• Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, 2005; 524p 4.5
• A Deadly Education, by Naomi Novik, 2021; 336p 4.5
• A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, 1929; 360p 4.5
• Some Desperate Glory, by Emily Tesh, 2023; 436p 4
• The Circumference of the World, by Lavie Tidhar, 2023; 256p 4
• Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse, 1927, translated by Kurt Beals, 2023; 227p 4
• This Is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, 2020; 224p 3.5
• Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, 1854; 325p 3.5

non-fiction (25)

• The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves, by Matt Ridley, 2011; 464p 5
• Same as Ever: Timeless Lessons on Risk, Opportunity and Living a Good Life, by Morgan Housel, 2023; 250p 5
• Going Infinite, by Michael Lewis, 2023; 288p, 5
• The Premonition, by Michael Lewis, 2022; 320p 5
• Berlin, by Jason Lutes. City of Smoke (2000). City of Stones (2008). City of Light (2018). 5
• Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, by Anna Funder, 2011; 307p 5
• The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness, by Eric Jorgenson, 2020; Audiobook - listened 2x! 5
• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, by Greg McKeown, 2020; 304p, both read and Audiobook 5
• Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, by Charles Duhigg, 2024; Audiobook 5
• Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger, by Charles T. Munger, edited by Peter D. Kaufman, 2023; 384p 5
• The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail, by Clayton M. Christensen, 2016; 288p 5
• The Lessons of History, by Will and Ariel Durant, 1968; 102p 5
• Homage to Catalonia, by George Orwell, 1938; 218p 4
• Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, by Carlo Rovelli, 2012; 83p 4
• The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win (Revised), by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford, 2014; 379p 4
• Product Demos That Sell: How to Deliver Winning Saas Demos, by Steli Efti, 2015; 66p 4
• The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team, by Patrick M. Lencioni, 2022; Audiobook 4
• Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling, by Matthew Dicks, 2018; 368p 4 (Peopleware bookclub)
• Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, by Ethan Mollick, 2023; Audiobook 4
• Understanding Variation, The Key to Managing Chaos, by Donald J. Wheeler, 2000; 151p 3.5
• 7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy Kindle Edition, by Hamilton Helmer, 2016; 263p 4 (Peopleware bookclub)
• Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing), by Salman Khan, 2024; Audiobook, 3
• Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond, 2023; Audiobook 3
• The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong, by Lawrence J. Peter and Raymond Hull, 2011 (originally 1969); 192p 3 (Peopleware bookclub)
• The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life, by JL Collins, 2017; Audiobook 2

2023 (24)

fiction

• The Raven Tower, by Ann Leckie, 2019; 465p 5
• Baudolino, by Umberto Eco, 2003; 549p 3
• Ysabel, by Guy Gavriel Kay, 2008; 416p 5
• The Last White Man, by Mohsin Hamid, 2022; 188p 5
• Termination Shock, by Neal Stephenson, 2021; 716p 4
• Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver, 2022; 560p 5

The Expanse Series 5

• Leviathan Wakes, by James S.A. Corey, 2011; 592p
• The Butcher of Anderson Station, by James S.A. Corey, 2011; 77p
• Caliban’s War, by James S.A. Corey, 2012; 595p
• Gods of Risk, by James S.A. Corey, 2012; 78p
• Abaddon’s Gate, by James S.A. Corey, 2013; 539p
• Cibola Burn, by James S.A. Corey, 2014; 583p
• Nemesis Games, by James S.A. Corey, 2015; 544p
• Babylon’s Ashes, by James S.A. Corey, 2016; 608p
• Persepolis Rising, by James S.A. Corey, 2017; 560p
• Tiamat’s Wrath, by James S.A. Corey, 2019; 528p
• Leviathan Falls, by James S.A. Corey, 2021; 592p

non-fiction

• The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness, by Morgan Housel, 2020; 224p 5
• Grape Olive Pig: Deep Travels Through Spain’s Food Culture, by Matt Goulding, 2016; 367p 5
• The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human, by Siddhartha Mukherjee, 2022; 484p 4

professional

• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t, by Jim Collins, 2001; 400p 5
• This Might Get Me Fired: A Manual for Thriving in the Corporate Entrepreneurial Underground, by Gregory Larkin, 2018; 136p 2 (Peopleware bookclub)
• Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras, 2004; 368p 5
• How to Measure Anything - 3rd edition, by Douglas W. Hubbard, 2014; 432p 4 (Peopleware bookclub)
• Extreme Ownership, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, 2017; 384p 5

2022 (30)

fiction

• The Sky Is Yours, by Chandler Klang Smith, 2018; 455p 4
• Early Work, by Andrew Martin, 2018; 240p 4
• Barney’s Version, by Mordecai Richler, 1997; 355p 5
• Animal Dreams, by Barbara Kingsolver, 1990; 342p 5
• Half a King, by Joe Abercrombie, 2014; 333p 4
• Brave Deeds, by David Abrams, 2017; 254p 4
• The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, 1993; 177p 4
• Deacon King Kong, by James McBride, 2020; 370p 5
• The Sword in the Stone, by T.H. White, 1938; 358p 4
• Codex, by Lev Grossman, 2004; 376p 5
• Beautiful World, Where Are You, by Sally Rooney, 2021; 368p 5
• How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, by Mohsin Hamid, 2013; 230p 5
• The Promise, by Damon Dalgut, 2021; 242p 4
• Sideways, by Rex Pickett, 2004; 351p, 4

non-fiction

• The Last Old Place: A Search Through Portugal, by Datus C. Proper, 1992; 235p 5
• Eat Pray Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, 2006; 331p 5
• Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin, 50th Anniversary Edition, 2011, originally 1961; 201p 5

Rest at pale evening...
    A tall slim tree...
  Night coming tenderly
      Black like me.

–Langston Hughes, from “Dream Variation”

professional

• The Essential Drucker, by Peter F. Drucker, 2001; 344p 5 (Peopleware bookclub)
• No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention, by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer, 2020; 272p 4 (Peopleware bookclub)
• The Art of Woo: Using strategic persuasion to sell your ideas, by G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa, 2007; 268p 5 (Peopleware bookclub)
• Masters of Doom: How two guys created an empire and transformed pop culture, by David Kushner, 2003; 301p 4
• The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups, by Daniel Coyle; 304p 4 (Re-read in a bookclub with my newly formed team)
• The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business, by Erin Meyer, 2014; 288p 5
• The Goal, a Process of Ongoing Improvement, by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox, 1984; 337p 5

Five Focusing Steps

1. IDENTIFY the system's constraint.
2. Decide how to EXPLOIT the system's constraint.
3. SUBORDINATE everything else to the above decisions.
4. ELEVATE the system's constraint.
5. If in the previous steps a constraint has been broken GO back to step 1,
   but do not allow INERTIA to cause a system constraint.

real estate

• Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter, 1997; 197p 5
• The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy Real Estate Investor (Volume 1 Beginner), by Amanda Han and Matthew MacFarland, 2016; 200p 4
• Retire Early With Real Estate, by Chad Carson, 2018; 282p 5
• How to Invest in Real Estate, by Josh Dorkin and Branden Turner, 2018; 327p 4
• The Book on Rental Property Investing, by Brandon Turner, 2015; 340p 4

china

• Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China, by Leslie T. Chang, 2008; 434p 4

2021 (27)

fiction

• The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell, 1997; 408p 5
• Beartown, by Fredrik Backman, 2016; 415p 5
• The Bear And The Nightingale, by Katherine Arden, 2017; 347p 4
• The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, by John Le Carre, 1963; 215p 5
• The Library At Mount Char, by Scott Hawkins, 2015; 390p 5
• Tar Baby, by Toni Morrison, 1981; 306p 4
• Imagine Me Gone, by Adam Haslett, 2016; 356p 4
• Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara, 1975; 337p 5
• First Law Trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie 5
  • The Blade Itself, 2006; 536p
  • Before They Are Hanged, 2007; 514p
  • Last Argument of Kings, 2008; 656p
• Weather, 2020, by Jenny Offill; 201p 5

non-fiction

• Titan, by Ron Chernow, 1998; 676p 4
• My Life in France, by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme, 2006; 333p 5
• Empire of the Summer Moon, by S. C. Gwynne, 2010; 319p 5
• Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States, by James. C. Scott, 2017; 256p 5

china

• China Under Mao – A Revolution Derailed, by Andrew Walder, 2015; 344p 4
• Mr. China, by Tim Clissold, 2004; 262p 4

professional

• Competing Against Luck, by Clayton M Christensen et al., 2016; 288p 5
• Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers, by Geoffrey A. Moore, 1991; 227p 5 (Peopleware bookclub)
• A Scrum Book: The Spirit of the Game, by Jeff Sutherland et al., 2019; 574p 5 (Peopleware bookclub)
• The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up To Speed Faster and Smarter, by Michael Watkins, 2003; 212p 5 (Peopleware bookclub)
• Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, by Liz Wizeman, 2010; 292p 4 (Wayfair bookclub)
• Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations, by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim, 2018; 288p 5

interviewing

• Software Engineering Manager Interview Guide, by Vidal Graupera, 2020; 49p 3
• System Design Interview, by Alex Xu, 2020; 322p 4
• Fearless Salary Negotiation, by Josh Doody, 2015; 174p 4

2020 (27)

fiction

• Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders; 364p 5 fresh
• An Artist of the Floating World, by Kazuo Ishiguro; 240p 5
• Waiting, by Ha Jin; 308p 4
• Inland, by Téa Obreht; 386p 5
• Recursion, by Blake Crouch; 324p 3
• Less, by Andrew Sean Greer; 352p 5
• Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee; 496p 5
• Normal People, by Sally Rooney; 288p 5 fresh
• A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry; 628p 5
• Exit West, by Mohsin Hamid; 256p 5 fresh
• The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt; 771p 5
• Annihilation, by Jeff VanderMeer; 208p 4
• The Power, by Naomi Alderman; 400p 3
• Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel; 352p 5 fresh
• My Year of Rest and Relaxation, by Ottessa Moshfegh; 304p 4
• Outline, by Rachel Cusk; 258p 4 fresh
• In the Distance, by Hernan Diaz; 272p 4
• Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward; 288p 5
• Department of Speculation, by Jenny Offill; 177p 5 fresh
• Shuggie Bain, by Douglas Stuart; 430p 5

non-fiction

• Talking to Strangers, by Malcom Gladwell; 400p 4
• Wave, by Sonali Deraniyagala; 240p 5
• The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, by Isabel Wilkerson; 640p 5
• The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company, by Robert Iger; 272p 4
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team; by Patrick Lencioni; 288p 5
• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson; 496p 5
• The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups, by Daniel Coyle; 304p 5