Finished reading: Waves in an Impossible Sea by Matt Strassler is a fascinating, comprehensive, and clear book about field theory in physics. I’ve read a few books on this topic and this is the best one. If you’re curious about particle physics and want to avoid math, you’ll like this one 📚
Finished reading: Shit My Dad Says by Justin Halpern is a lot of fun 📚
Finished reading: If you like creepy, weird books (and I do), you’ll enjoy Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer. But, you have to read the great Area X trilogy first 📚
A fun episode of The Incomparable on my favourite fiction book of 2024
Finished reading: Faith, Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave by Seán O’Hagan is a remarkable conversation about creativity, grief, and religion📚
📚 Although I exceeded my goal of reading 45 books in 2024 by finishing 60 books. I’m going to keep my goal for 2025 at 45, anticipating that I’ll be reading more non-fiction this year which will slow me down – for the better.
Finished reading: The Infernal Machine is another great book by Steven Johnson. I enjoy how he integrates seemingly small technological changes with broad historical trends. Always interesting to read 📚
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
2024 was another great year for books.
My favourite fiction book was Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Non-fiction was As Gods by Matthew Cobb.
![The Gulag Archipelago [Volume 1]](https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/300x/https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%2Fcontent%3Fid%3DrffwDwAAQBAJ%26printsec%3Dfrontcover%26img%3D1%26zoom%3D5%26source%3Dgbs_api)
Finished reading: Translation State by Ann Leckie is another great book in the Imperial Radch series. I’ve enjoyed each one📚
Finished reading: I enjoyed the satirical futility of The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis 📚
Finished reading: A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab is a fun second book of a great series. I’m looking forward to the next one📚
Finished reading: I really enjoyed The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin. The Earthsea series is very good 📚
Finished reading: Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman is a great companion to Four Thousand Weeks (my favourite non-fiction book of 2022). I followed the author’s suggestion and read a chapter a day to help the ideas percolate 📚
Finished reading: Fire Exit: A Novel by Morgan Talty is a good book about the importance of knowing your family’s stories 📚
Finished reading: In The Antidote, Oliver Burkeman makes a lot of sense to me about how to live sensibly and genuinely 📚
Finished reading: For You by Patrick Rhone is full of wisdom in short chapters. I read one every couple of days to let the ideas percolate before rushing to the next chapter📚
Finished reading: Superintelligence: Is Canada Ready for AI? by The Logic is a nice overview of the state of AI in Canada 📚
Finished reading: Fleeced by Andrew Spence will make you mad at the Canadian banks, though he also offers suggestions for fixing the sector📚
Finished reading: As a Gen X, I unironically enjoyed Chuck Klosterman’s entertaining and nostalgic analysis of The Nineties 📚
Finished reading: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh is really good📚
Finished reading: The Armageddon Protocol by Dan Moren finishes a fun series 📚
Finished reading: The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan. I’m simultaneously delighted and intimidated by how long these books are and how many of them are left to go 📚
Finished reading: The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik is a good end to a great series 📚
Finished reading: I enjoyed the rich detail of The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison. I think you need to have liked The Goblin Emperor (which I did) to appreciate this one though📚
Finished reading: The Long War by Stephen Baxter is okay. Not nearly as interesting as the first book in the series and has a rather meandering plot 📚
Finished reading: I mostly enjoyed The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz. Great world building across thousands of years and interesting ideas. The middle third dragged a bit though 📚
Finished reading: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers is delightful. The Monk and Robot series is fun. Sort of like a mirror universe Murderbot📚
Finished reading: The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker is richly detailed with interesting characters and intriguing plot. A nice sequel to The Golem and the Jinni 📚
Finished reading: The Lost Art of Running by Shane Benzie has lots of great anecdotes and tips. I know my running form could be better and this book has both inspired and empowered me to improve 📚
Finished reading: Starter Villain by John Scalzi is a fun, easy vacation read 📚