Reading List
I love books. Most of my childhood was spent inside a book (or three). Today, my house has books in (almost) every room.
I keep track of the books I have read – mostly as a reference list because my memory fails me every now and then.
You may notice a downturn in the numbers of books read over the last few years. I am only logged the grown-up books I read here. Our family bedtime routine includes reading one (or sometimes two) kid-friendly books. One day, I will log all of those books too, but that day is not today.
In the meantime, enjoy my list below.
Books Read in 2023
(Total: 9)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| The Midnight Library Matt Haig |
I liked the overall story, but the pace ebbed and flowed. Without spoilers, I actually got bored in the middle, but kept reading because I wanted to know how this story would end. The ending was satisfying, maddening, and depressing. I had a lot of feels iwth this one. | October |
| Agent to the Stars John Scalzi |
This was a great, quick, and highly amusing read. Parts of the book stylistically reminded me of Neil Gaiman (which is always a plus in my book) | September |
| Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow Gabrielle Zevin |
I am not a gamer. I have no idea how I ended up putting this book on my library request list, but I am glad I did. I had some issues with the book (that I will not go into here because spoilers), but despite that, I did not want to put the book down. | August |
| Before the Coffee Gets Cold Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Geoffrey Trousselot (Translator) |
This was such a capitvating story. I had a bit of a slow start with it. There were so many characters and I had a hard time figuring out how they all related to each other. But the end was worth it. | August |
| Stella Díaz Never Gives Up Angela Dominguez |
I originally borrowed this book from the library to read to my daughter, but she became disinterested half-way through. (Perhaps a chapter book on ocean conservation is a bit too much for 5 year-olds?) I finished it on my own and it was great. Maybe we’ll try again in a year or two. | August |
| Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins Reid |
I am a bit ashamed to admit this, but I did not realize this band was fictional until about half-way through the book. I am clearly not up on my 1970s rock bands. I’ll just say that this is how engaging and real-seeming all the characters were. | May |
| The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath |
Inspired to read this after my previous read and I loved it. It definitely took at turn half-way through that I should have expected, but did not. | May |
| The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. Lee Kravetz |
Finally got back to reading and I chose a doozie! I don’t know much about Plath’s work (and this has inspired me to finally read The Bell Jar), but this book was certainly captivating. No spoilers here, but I have some feels about the ending. I get it, but… feels. Still worth the read. | April |
| Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things Josh Clark & Chuck Bryant |
This book is interesting, informative, and funny, just like the SYSK podcast, except, you know, in book form. There were even many (many) parts of the book where I could hear Josh or Chuck’s voice as I was reading. | January |
Books Read in 2022
(Total: 3)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| We Are Not Like Them Christine Pride & Jo Piazza |
I am still processing my feelings about this one. I read it in a day. Scratch that. An evening. I never binge-read because, frankly, I do not have the time or energy, but this book captivated me. An important must-read. | August |
| Fortunately, The Milk Neil Gaiman |
A super quick YA read by my favorite author. It’s silly, quirky, and so much fun to read. | August |
| Cosmic Blackout! (Galaxy Zack #16) Ray O’Ryan |
It has definitely been a rough couple of years for reading, so I eased myself back in with a YA. This was a fun one! | February |
Books Read in 2021
(Total: 1)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky |
Hey books! It’s been a while. Again. Honestly, the only reason I have time to read anything recreationally now is because my 3 year old won’t sleep alone and I can’t fall asleep at 8pm, so I lie down on her floor and read under a blanket. Reminiscent of my teen years, to be honest. Regardless, this book was captivating, relatable, and done in 3 days. (Well, nights.) | August |
Books Read in 2020
(Total: 2)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. Judy Blume |
Hey 2020. This is embarrassing, but it’s been almost a year since I’ve read a grown up book. I decided to start with an “easy” one. Loved it. I wish I read it sooner. | December |
| Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup John Carreyrou |
This book made me so angry, but I could not put it down. Definitely worth the read if you have any interest in startup culture, healthcare, and what not to do. | January |
Books Read in 2019
(Total: 10)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| Version Control Dexter Palmer |
I did not really engage with this book until the second half. After that, I was compellingly curious. I feel like the book was a little too soap-opera-ish at times (too many characters), but I really enjoyed how it all came together. | October |
| The Immortalists Chloe Benjamin |
Back to fiction. This story was about a family and a bunch of predictions. I was more interested in some family members than others. And I have so many questions. | September |
| Becoming Michelle Obama |
Continuing with the autobiography streak. Love, love, love this book. Michelle Obama’s life is amazing and her writing is beautiful. | September |
| Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography Neil Patrick Harris |
I have not read a choose your own adventure book since I was a kid. This was a delight. Definitely the most fun I’ve ever had reading an autobiography. | August |
| Clara’s War Clara Kramer |
I have no idea where I picked up this book, but I could not put it down. | August |
| The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Taylor Jenkins Reid |
Book club may be the only reason I find books. My first novel in a while. I could not put it down - I just wanted to keep going at the end of each (very short) chapter. Definitely not for babies. | August |
| Dreams From My Father Barack Obama |
This book took a while to read, but it was worth it. Great book about race, family, and finding yourself. | August |
| Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson |
I am not sure how I missed reading this book growing up. It made me cry. It’s been a while since a book made me cry. | June |
| Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life Amy Krouse Rosenthal |
Yup. It’s been a while. #kids This book was a great dive back into reading a whole book because it is such short snippets at a time. Great bedtime reading. | June |
| Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik |
Thank you to my book club for finally motivating me into reading again. I actually read this out loud to my baby (after her books, that is) at night (and this put her to sleep). But, it did not put me to sleep. RBG is truly amazing! | March |
Books Read in 2018
(Total: 10)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury |
Finally read this classic. Another book club book. | October |
| Cloud Atlas David Mitchell |
Nested stories that are all connected to each other. Very clever. I read this book because of the movie trailer. (I have not seen the movie yet. I am a terrible movie watcher.) | September |
| Accessibility for Everyone Laura Kalbag |
Great, well rounded overview of web accessibility from all perspectives, from design to development to testing. Much of it was review for me because I’ve also been doing a ton of work in this field, but I also learned a lot from this book. | September |
| The Last American Vampire Seth Grahame-Smith |
The sequel to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which I read years ago. I loved that book, but this book was even better. It goes through American history, but in a world where vampires not only exist, but are a critical part of history. So well written. | August |
| Einstein’s Dreams Alan Lightman |
A bunch of stories of fictional worlds that follow the theory of parallel universes. Loved some; others not so much. | August |
| The Nanny Connie Way Connie Simpson |
My first parenting book. I’m sure it won’t be my last. There is some great advice in this book, but it is mixed in with a lot of self-promotional text. I skipped past the testimonials, straight to the good stuff. | July |
| 32 Yolks: From My Mother’s Table to Working the Line Eric Ripert |
Another book club book (after a long book club hiatus.) I had a lot of feelings while reading this book. | June |
| Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue Ryan Holiday |
Interesting read about the Gawker / Hogan case, through the lens of conspiracies in general. There is also a lot of content about conspiracies throughout history that is not particularly relevant to this case, but this book definitely makes you think about power, free speech, privacy, and the state of our legal system. | June |
| Never Have Your Dog Stuffed Alan Alda |
I love biographies and Alan Alda is amazing. | April |
| The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy Vicki Iovine |
Several friends recommended this book to me after I announced my pregnancy. Great advice about all aspects of pregnancy - and way more interesting to read than typical pregnancy books. | January |
Books Read in 2017
(Total: 25)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy! Bob Harris |
I love Jeopardy and this book was both insightful and hilarious. Loved it! | December |
| Go Set a Watchman Harper Lee |
I was debating myself about whether to read this or not. I don’t remember much of To Kill a Mockingbird, but that did not matter too much. Loved it! | November |
| When We Were Animals Joshua Gaylord |
A very compelling and haunting coming-of-age story about a teenage girl, told by her adult self. I’m still processing this one. Loved it! | November |
| The Sleeper and the Spindle Neil Gaiman |
Short and cute, but to be honest, not my favorite. Then again, I might be over the whole fairy tale thing. | October |
| Boys Scott Semegran |
Don’t be fooled by the title. Girls can read this book too. Loved it. Loved it! | October |
| After Alice Gregory Maguire |
To be honest, this book was very hard to follow, but then again, so is “Alice in Wonderland”. I wanted to spend some more time with some of the characters, but overall, I enjoyed it. | October |
| The Price of Salt Patricia Highsmith |
Loved this book. I don’t remember when or why I picked it up, but I felt the main character’s life so much. Loved it! | October |
| On Beauty Zadie Smith |
I’m undecided on how I feel about this book. It’s a very well-written story that drops you into the life of an academic family. However, I only truly liked one of the characters. | September |
| Lord of the Flies William Golding |
Yet another book club book that I somehow never read as a child. I didn’t hate it. The character development was very compelling but the ending annoyed me. | August |
| The Man Who Could Be King John Ripin Miller |
To be honest, a little slow at the beginning, but towards the end it was very compelling. The events are all fact, but sadly, the narrator is fictional. (I really wanted him to be real.) | August |
| Neverwhere Neil Gaiman |
Another book I read forever ago. It was definitely time for a re-read since I am seeing a theater production of it in a month. Loved it! | August |
| American Gods Neil Gaiman |
I originally read this book forever ago, but I figured it was time for a re-read. Love. This. Book. Loved it! | August |
| The City of Towers (Eberron: The Dreaming Dark Book 1) Keith Baker |
I started playing D&D again after a very (very!) long time and this book was suggested to me. No regrets. | July |
| The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair Joel Dicker |
Another book club book! I normally do not read mysteries, but once I got into this one, I literally could not put the book down. Loved it! | June |
| Dead Trees Give No Shelter Wil Wheaton |
Quick read. Mildly freaky read. So good. Loved it! | May |
| Animal Farm George Orwell |
Re-read this book for my book club. Very interesting reading it after 1984. There are some interesting parallels between the two books. Loved it! | May |
| The Kassa Gambit M.C. Planck |
Another sci-fi book! The sci-fi and political aspects of the book were great; the romance parts were less great. There’s a reason I don’t read romance novels. | May |
| A Darkling Sea James L. Cambias |
It was nice to stretch my sci-fi reading muscles with this one! Great book about alien life, conflict, and research. Loved the fact that the alien life was not humanoid, for a change. | April |
| The Blind Contessa’s New Machine Carey Wallace |
I keep reading books about relationships. Very quick read. Good story. I plead the fifth on my feelings about the ending. | April |
| The Handmaid’s Tale Margaret Atwood |
This month’s book club book! I was angry the entire time I was reading it. Very much worth the read, but I am ready for a less dystopian book now. Loved it! | March |
| The Signature of All Things Elizabeth Gilbert |
And the staying single theme continues! Very compelling book, despite all the biology. (Not my favorite science.) Both Henry’s and Alma’s lives were fascinating to the point where I did not want to put this book down. | March |
| Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own Kate Bolick |
Interesting take on staying single… or rather women staying true to their personal ideals. I wish I was more familiar with the poets she references in the book. | March |
| Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell |
Rereading this book. Not just because of the current state of affairs and certainly not because everyone else is… but because my bookclub is. Scary, but worth it. | February |
| How To Make Sense Of Any Mess Abby Covert |
Very basic book on information architecture. Great for beginners. | February |
| The Gemini Effect Chuck Grossart |
Creepy, messed up, and really compelling. | January |
Books Read in 2016
(Total: 13)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| Pathfinder Orson Scott Card |
Possibly more compelling - and definitely more confusing - than “Ender’s Game”. Didn’t realize it was a series at first. Loved it! | November |
| Miramont’s Ghost Elizabeth Hall |
Very quick and compelling read, but this book made me really angry. Undecided if that is a good or bad thing. | November |
| A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson |
A book about the author and his friend hiking the Appalachian Trail. Fun, but opinionated read. While “Wild” made me want to start hiking, this book kind of makes me want to stop. Not sure what that says about the book or me. | October |
| The Last Woman Standing Thelma Adams |
Very engaging story about the life of Josephine Marcus, the woman who married Wyatt Earp. | October |
| Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Lisa See |
Beautiful story, but hard to read at times. I actually almost put this book down early on because of one particular chapter (reading about foot binding is clearly not for me), but really glad I finished this one. Loved it! | October |
| The Wise Man’s Fear Patrick Rothfuss |
Finally finished book 2! Arguably better than book 1. Really, really (really) can’t wait until book 3. Loved it! | September |
| You Don’t Know JS: Scope & Closures Kyle Simpson |
I finally understand closures! You have no idea what a big deal this is to me (unless you are also a JS developer). Loved it! | September |
| Bossypants Tina Fey |
Another book from my bookclub. Seriously funny and talks about just about everything. Loved it! | August |
| Ready Player One Ernest Cline |
Literally the best geeky, gamer, 1980s-nostalgia book I have read. Ever. Loved it! | August |
| Scalable and Modular Architecture for CSS Jonathan Snook |
Reading this for work, actually. The specifics in the book are quite dated, but the overall theory is really great. | August |
| Modern Romance Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg |
Book from my book club. Great insight into how dating has changed over the past few generations. I am not sure if I prefer the old or the new paradigm. Loved it! | June |
| Kitchen Confidential Anthony Bourdain |
Finally got back into reading after a very chaotic few months. Interesting (and very opinionated) read about the restaurant business and food in general. | May |
| The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss |
My friends have been trying to get me into Patrick Rothfuss for years now. They finally succeeded. So good. Starting the next book in 3… 2… 1…. Loved it! | January |
Books Read in 2015
(Total: 25)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) Felicia Day |
So, so good. To be honest, I knew very little about Felicia Day but saw this book in the store and it just spoke to me. And it’s still talking. Loved it! | December |
| Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro |
Creepy. Wonderful. Disturbing. This is a book about a dystopian alternate reality. I don’t have a better description than that, but it was a really good read. Loved it! | December |
| The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon |
Fantastically written story about a teenager who thinks a bit differently. Loved it! | November |
| The Circle Dave Eggers |
Well… that was creepy. This book is very well written, engaging, and hits a little too close to home (at least on the social media and life online fronts). Totally worth the read. Loved it! | November |
| Me Talk Pretty One Day David Sedaris |
Fun read. Personally, I identified more with the first half of the book but definitely enjoyed the whole book. | October |
| Zoe’s Tale John Scalzi |
Really quick, captivating read, set in the Old Man’s War universe. | October |
| The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz |
I completely identified with Oscar, or at least him in his youth and the awkward unpopularity of being a teenage geek. I know that’s not the primary focus of the book, but it kind of is anyway. | October |
| Start Something That Matters Blake Mycoskie |
I love (love!) the idea of combining business and giving. I already knew that TOMS combines the two as their business model, but reading about the specifics and its impact was huge. Definitely a must read - if you are an entrepreneur or not. Loved it! | September |
| The Casual Vacancy J. K. Rowling |
I was really undecided this book in the beginning, but the characters really grew on me in the end. These folks are seriously quirky (and sometimes horrible), but in a fascinating way. | September |
| The Devil in the White City Erik Larson |
This book was fabulous. The art and construction behind the World’s Fair was interesting enough, but coupling that with such a dark parallel story made this book fascinating. Loved it! | August |
| The Einstein Prophecy Robert Masello |
Interesting fantasy / horror book. | July |
| Samarkand Amin Maalouf |
I am usually not one for historical novels, but I was really intrigued by the first part of the book that focused on Omar Khayyam’s life and the Rubaiyat. I suppose I am staying true to my preferences for books that focus on people, rather than events. | July |
| The Woman In Black Susan Hill |
Creepy. Good, but creepy. Good quick read if you like ghost stories. | June |
| The Mermaid’s Sister Carrie Anne Noble |
Just another story about a girl (who might be a stork), her sister (who is very definitely a mermaid), and a boy (who… it’s complicated). | May |
| Wild Cheryl Strayed |
Love, love, love this book. I envy her journey, her courage, and her strength. I picked up this book because I have been craving a change in my life and an idea to figure out what it should be. Loved it! | May |
| Helen of Sparta Amalia Carosella |
A really intriguing and realistic-feeling book about Helen before she was Helen of Troy. (It helps that I am fascinated by ancient Greece.) Loved it! | April |
| Rework Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson |
This book is from 37 Signals. A great source of not-so-traditional, but completely practical business advice. As a newly minted manager, I really appreciated it. Loved it! | March |
| The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman |
I don’t know why, but I was not expecting this to be a children’s book. However, it is Neil Gaiman, so it was awesome. Loved it! | March |
| Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street Michael Davis |
I loved Sesame Street growing up. That show taught me to read. Seriously. Reading about its beginning - the characters, the actors, the CTW - was utterly fascinating. Loved it. Loved it! | February |
| October Sky Homer H. Hickam |
I watched the movie forever ago, before I knew the book existed. Loved the book - both the historical and scientific parts. Loved it! | January |
| The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells Andrew Sean Greer |
This one is about exploring yourself and how you would live your life if you had been born in a different era. The geek in me has some issues with the time travel aspects of the book, but overall, this was a fabulous book. Loved it! | January |
| Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Ransom Riggs |
Someone recommended this book to me a while ago. I can’t believe it took me so long to read it. Loved it! | January |
| The Ocean at the End of the Lane Neil Gaiman |
I love Neil Gaiman. This is a great fantasy novel about immortals and other worlds. Loved it! | January |
| Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience Jeff Gothelf |
Yes. Yes. Yes. Just yes. If you are in UX, you should read this now. | January |
| Someone Alice McDermott |
I love stories about people. This reads like a biography (sort of), but it is fiction. I really enjoyed it. | January |
Books Read in 2014
(Total: 21)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| The Awkward Human Survival Guide Adam Dachis & Erica Elson |
I got this book somewhat randomly and decided to finally read it because I really am the definition of awkward. | December |
| Dragonfly in Amber Diana Gabaldon |
It’s about time I read another book, right? I started this one in October, but I have been busy and it was long. Like, seriously long. Good book, but I enjoyed book 1 more. | December |
| Once A Runner John L. Parker, Jr. |
I have been doing quite a bit more running lately, so I decided to read a book about competitive running. Holy. Cow. Runners are crazy. | September |
| Blue Willow Doris Gates |
Yes, this is a kid’s chapter book. I read it in about an hour. Another story about family and home. Very different from the last book I read. | September |
| Take This Man Brando Skyhorse |
This book is a great memoir about the author’s search for family, in a very philosophical sense. There is a large cast of characters here, which at times was a little confusing, but worth the read if you can keep everyone straight. | September |
| Learning Responsive Web Design Clarissa Peterson |
I know quite a bit about responsive design already, so most of this book was a review. However, there were some key points that I did learn more about. Great book for a beginner to RWD. | September |
| Life of Pi Yann Martel |
I do not mean to be cliche, but this one is definitely a modern classic. Slow start, but loved it once I was hooked. The end left me with lots of thoughts…. Loved it! | August |
| The Book Thief Markus Zusak |
Oh my goodness! This book was so good. But so sad. But so good. I just finished it and I have no words. But I want all the words. Just read this. Loved it! | August |
| The Long Earth Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter |
Parallel worlds, a soul transplanted in a machine, alternate societies. What’s not to like. Nothing! Except the ending. The ending made me angry. But this book is still totally worth reading. Loved it! | August |
| Stardust Neil Gaiman |
I am clearly on a Neil Gaiman kick. This is a fantasy and a love story. And I don’t mean in the 50 Shades way. This is so much better. | July |
| Smoke and Mirrors Neil Gaiman |
Well that was different. I very rarely read short stories, but I do love Neil Gaiman. | July |
| Team Geek Brian W. Fitzpatrick, Ben Collins-Sussman |
Good book about working as a team in a software development environment, how to deal with other people, and how to lead other people. Also applies to non-geek jobs, but definitely more geared towards geeks like me. | July |
| Outlander Diana Gabaldon |
Several friends recommended this series and I finally got around to reading the first book. Oh my goodness. So much love for this book. I need book 2 now. Like, immediately. Loved it! | June |
| The Light Between Oceans M. L. Stedman |
A book has not captivated me like this in a really long time. I love and kind of hate the story - or at least what happened to some of the characters. That’s all I’m saying. Definitely a must-read. Loved it! | May |
| Javascript: The Good Parts Douglas Crockford |
I work with Javascript every day, so I pretty much just skimmed this book. Really good review of lots of JS concepts. Most was review. Parts were new… which was awesome. This would be really useful for beginners. | May |
| The Astronaut Wives Club Lily Koppel |
Life sort of got in the way reading this book, but it really is a good one. Great look at the lives of the wives of the astronauts through the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions. Loved it! | April |
| 100 Diagrams That Changed The World Scott Christianson |
Really fantastic overview of major diagrams, drawings, and inventions from cave paintings to the iPod. I skimmed through some parts and was fascinated by others. | February |
| Smashing Book #3 1/3: Redesign the Web, The Extension Smashing Magazine |
A series of essays about website redesigns. I found the essays about information architecture and the Smashing redesign (to a responsive site) the most interesting. | February |
| 11/22/63 Stephen King |
I vowed a long time ago to not read Stephen King again because his books kind of creep me out. This one is completely different. Yes, it is 800 pages long, but it is completely captivating. Though perhaps a little frustrating too, depending on your views on time travel. Loved it! | January |
| Old Man’s War John Scalzi |
Classic sci-fi novel that was recommended to me by way too many friends. Totally worth it. This book is a fascinating story about second chances. Loved it! | January |
| Aria Nassim Assefi |
This book broke my heart. That is all. Loved it! | January |
Books Read in 2013
(Total: 19)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| The Design of Everyday Things Donald A. Norman |
Yes, again. I re-read this book for book club. | December |
| And The Mountains Echoed Khaled Hosseini |
This book tells an incredible story about a family. The story itself jumps around enough that I think I need to reread it - mostly because I kept picking up and putting down the book over the course of this month. But definitely worth the read. I cried. In a good way (if that’s a thing). Loved it! | November |
| How to Be an Adult Nerissa Nields |
I am a Nields fan, which is how I heard about this book. I am not exactly her target audience (i.e. my 20s were a while ago), but I did gain a lot of insights from this book. Definitely a good read for this not-quite-20-something who doesn’t always feel like an adult. | October |
| The Other Typist Suzanne Rindell |
This was a very fun book, for varying definitions of the word “fun”. I will not give anything away, but I definitely had different impressions of the book between the first chapter and the last. Very good read. It helps that the 1920s completely fascinate me. | October |
| A Game of Thrones George R. R. Martin |
The first book is almost word for word season one of the show, which was amazing. I usually read books before seeing their TV / movie counterpart, but this was an exception. Love both the show and book. Loved it! | September |
| Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights Steve Portigal |
This is a very insightful book filled with advice on conducting any sort of user or consumer interview. This is something that I feel I should be doing at work, but am often too knee-deep in code. Looking forward to trying out his advice! | August |
| No Frills Magento Layout Alan Storm |
Yes, I know. Another tech book. I have been reading (and re-reading) this book to prepare for the Magento Front-End Developer Certification exam at the end of the month. Incredibly helpful book. Wish me luck! | July |
| JSTL in Action Shawn Bayern |
I have been using JSTL for a while now at work. This book offers a really great summary of the most commonly used tags and includes practical examples. Much of this book was a review, but I still learned quite a number of useful tips and tricks. | July |
| The Woman Upstairs Claire Messud |
A much lighter read after that last book, but not exactly a “light” read. I totally get Nora. | June |
| Team of Rivals Doris Kearns Goodwin |
It actually took me two months to read this book. This book is incredibly dense, but it is an amazing and well-written chronicle of Lincoln’s political career. I have been a life-long Lincoln fan (really!); this was well worth the read. Loved it! | June |
| The Calligrapher’s Daughter Eugenia Kim |
This book was fascinating and frustrating all at the same time - fascinating because Korea is very much in the news now; frustrating because I was hoping for so much more for the main character. Loved it! | April |
| The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln Stephen L. Carter |
This was a really interesting “what-if” book about how Lincoln would have fared if he had survived the assassination attempt. A bit law-ish for me, but completely fascinating. Loved it! | March |
| Granny Torrelli Makes Soup Sharon Creech |
An In2Books pen-pal book and my first for this school year. (Our schedule is a little off.) Great story about friendship. | March |
| The Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster |
Really cute, pun-filled children’s novel that was recommended to me by a friend. | March |
| Developing Backbone.js Applications Addy Osmani |
Great introductory reference for Backbone.js. I am still a newbie to it. It is a difficult read as a book, but has lots of great examples. Definitely need to re-read this one, preferably while developing something. | February |
| 1984 George Orwell |
Another book in my quest to read the classics I missed. Not how I expected that to turn out. | February |
| The Sandalwood Tree Elle Newmark |
Beautiful story about 2 families in India - one in the mid-19th century and one in the mid-20th. | January |
| Holidays on Ice David Sedaris |
Yes, I read a holiday book after the holidays. That is weird. The book was weird. But good weird. | January |
| Learning Javascript Design Patterns Addy Osmani |
After a 1 month + reading hiatus, I started off the new year with a tech book. Why not? This book was hard to read as a narrative, but will be a fantastic resource. | January |
Books Read in 2012
(Total: 26)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Rebecca Skloot |
The story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells is incredible and unbelievable. Just read this. Loved it! | November |
| The Marriage Plot Jeffrey Eugenides |
This was a cute story and a fun read, but nothing special. | November |
| The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin |
This book is about how one relatively happy woman spent one year trying to become happier using a very systematic, organized approach. An approach I can relate to. Some great ideas in here. | November |
| Smashing Book #3: Redesign the Web Smashing Magazine |
This book is a must-read if you are a web developer… or if you work with web developers. Eleven articles by eleven authors covering all aspects of a modern redesign, with lots of great tips! Loved it! | November |
| The Sandcastle Girls Chris Bohjalian |
This is an incredible historical love story about a world I really know nothing about. It is beautiful and a little heart-breaking. Loved it! | October |
| How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe Charles Yu |
This book was a riot. Part philosophical; part funny; part sad. Fairly plausible science fiction physics. | October |
| Brave New World Aldous Huxley |
Yes, I just read this book; somehow I missed reading this in school. Fantastic and fascinating book, but it really freaked me out. | October |
| Mobile First Luke Wroblewski |
Read this for our UX book club at work. This book has a lot of good ideas about designing for mobile devices and sparked some great discussions in our group. | October |
| Coraline Neil Gaiman and Dave Mckean |
OK, I know this is supposed to be a children’s book, but it was so creepy! Really good story, though. | September |
| Responsive Web Design Ethan Marcotte |
Read this for our UX book club at work. A great starter book for developers starting to work with responsive websites. Not a complete how-to, but has some great advice. | September |
| Sarah’s Key Tatiana de Rosnay |
This book was just heart-breaking. I could not put it down, actually. Just read it. Loved it! | August |
| Just a Geek Wil Wheaton |
I liked Wil Wheaton before reading this, but I like him more now. A great look into his life after (and during, in a way) Star Trek. Would love to read a follow-up. | July |
| The Long Run Mishka Shubaly |
It amazes me how someone can go from being so messed up to fit enough for ultra-running. What a journey. | July |
| 2084: An Oral History of the Great Warming James Powell |
Global warming is real, people. I do not think this because of this book, but I think this book illustrates a very real possibility for our future. Very scary. | June |
| The Passage Justin Cronin |
This book was amazing. Long, but amazing. It is a combination of a sci-fi, vampire, and post-apocalyptic genre; it is nothing like I have ever read before. | June |
| Shift Tim Kring & Dale Peck |
This book reminds me of “Heroes” (go figure). I do love those kinds of TV shows, but I’m not loving that genre as a book. | May |
| InterWorld Neil Gaiman |
While I do love Neil Gaiman, this one was not quite my favorite. Still really good, though. I mean, what’s not to like about traveling across multiple parallel universes? | April |
| Shatnerquake Jeff Burk |
I do not usually read fan fiction, but I heard about this book and I do love William Shatner. That being said… very strange. Entertaining, but strange. | April |
| Plants Bite Back! Richard Platt |
An In2Books pen-pal book for the fables unit. | March |
| Mockingjay Suzanne Collins |
Book 3. Better than book 2. Not as great as book 1, but really good. I want to say something about the end here, but I wont. Loved it! | March |
| Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Philip K. Dick |
It’s “Bladerunner”, at least in voice and premise, but not quite. Crazy futuristic world; worth the read. | February |
| Steve Jobs Walter Isaacson |
A very honest book about a fascinating man. A must-read for Apple fans (and non-fans for that matter). Loved it! | February |
| Catching Fire Suzanne Collins |
Book 2… almost as good as book 1. So many twists and turns… I need book 3 to come in now! Loved it! | February |
| The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs Jon Scieszka |
An In2Books pen-pal book for the fables unit. | February |
| Comfort Food Kate Jacobs |
A good read, but kind of predictable. I liked “Friday Night Knitting Club” better. | January |
| The Paris Wife Paula McLain |
Hemingway got around… I had no idea. This is fiction, but based on fact and a great read. | January |
Books Read in 2011
(Total: 32)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| The Tortilla Curtain T. C. Boyle |
So heartbreaking. It’s sad that the way the characters think about immigration is very real. Loved it! | December |
| Who Was Daniel Boone? Sydelle Kramer |
An In2Books pen-pal book for the biography unit. | December |
| Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin |
I had heard about the CAI before, but reading about it in biography form is just inspiring. Loved it! | December |
| Great House Nicole Krauss |
Great 4-part book about the history of a desk. Still trying to put the pieces together. | December |
| What did The Ancient Egyptians Do For Me? Patrick Catel |
An In2Books pen-pal book for the history unit. | November |
| The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins |
This is a must-read for all geeks; it is so captivating. Must read the others now! Loved it! | November |
| The Help Kathryn Stockett |
Such a great story, and very well written! Loved it! | November |
| The Friday Night Knitting Club Kate Jacobs |
This book is marginally about knitting; it is more about family and support…. Great book! Loved it! | November |
| My Life with Charlie Brown Charles M. Shultz |
I love “Peanuts”! Reading Shultz’s articles so much insight into his philosophy and work ethic. Loved it! | October |
| Planting Dandelions Kyran Pittman |
Great book about the author’s emigration to the US and her adventures in family life. | October |
| First Year Letters Julie Danneberg |
An In2Books pen-pal book for the fiction unit. October | |
| How I Killed Pluto And Why It Had It Coming Mike Brown |
Yes, Pluto did need to go down. Intriguing book around the drama of astronomy research. | September |
| My Sister’s Keeper Jodi Picoult |
This book broke my heard so many times, but totally worth the read. Loved it! | September |
| Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs Chuck Klosterman |
This is probably one of the most sarcastic books I have ever read. | August |
| Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog John Grogan |
This book was incredible and heart-breaking. Almost makes me want a dog. Almost. Loved it! | August |
| Writing Out The Notes: Life in Great Big Sea Bob Hallett |
Interesting insight into the music world (not just GBS), but so many references I just did not get. | July |
| World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Max Brooks |
This was pretty intense - a “real” account of the next world war… against zombies. | July |
| Diary of a Mad Fat Girl Stephanie McAfee |
Another super quick read. And yes, quite mad. | June |
| Declaring Spinsterhood Jamie Lynn Braziel |
Super quick read. Declaring spinsterhood almost sounds like a fabulous idea. | June |
| Water for Elephants Sara Gruen |
Gorgeous love story. I have not seen the movie yet; hoping it is as good as the book! Loved it! | June |
| The Zombies of Lake Woebegotton Harrison Geillor |
This may be my favorite zombie novel (so far, at least). Loved it! | May |
| The Wizard of Menlo Park Randall Stross |
Great bio of Thomas Edison, including some very interesting (and amusing) stories here. Loved it! | May |
| It Could Be Worse. You Could Be Me. Ariel Leve |
This is one of the more depressing books I have read this year. Wow. | April |
| The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest Stieg Larsson |
Book #3 is the weakest book of the trilogy, but I needed to see how the story ends. Great ending! | April |
| The Girl Who Fell From The Sky Heidi W. Durrow |
Fantastic story about a girl who survives a horrible family tragedy… based on a true story. | March |
| What Will the Weather Be? Lynda DeWitt |
An In2Books pen-pal book for the science unit. | March |
| The Girl Who Played With Fire Stieg Larsson |
Holy cow. I’m in love with this series. Another amazing mystery that made me literally scream. Loved it! | March |
| Committed Elizabeth Gilbert |
This book reviews so many philosophies on marriage. This book was very eye opening. | February |
| Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti Gerald McDermott |
An In2Books pen-pal book for the social studies unit. | February |
| The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson |
A great mystery… and I normally don’t like mysteries. | February |
| Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith |
I did not care for the original, but really enjoyed this version. Zombies make the story better. | January |
| Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Doreen Rappaport |
An In2Books pen-pal book for the biography unit. | January |
Books Read in 2010
(Total: 10)
| Book | Thoughts | Date Read |
|---|---|---|
| The Five People You Meet in Heaven Mitch Albom |
I’m not sure if I believe this is what heaven is really like, but I like the idea of it. | December |
| Mummies Joyce Milton |
An In2Books pen-pal book for the history unit. | December |
| The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe C.S. Lewis |
I tried to read this book when I was much younger and just could not get into it then. Glad I finally read it now. | November |
| A Short History of Women Kate Walbert |
Fantastic book that follows a family of women through different stages of their lives. Loved it! | November |
| Donovan’s Word Jar Monalisa DeGross |
An In2Books penpal book for the fiction unit. | October |
| Neverwhere Neil Gaiman |
I’ve loved every Neil Gaiman book I’ve read so far. It definitely reads like a movie (and I believe it is one). Loved it! | September |
| Foundation and Empire Isaac Asimov |
Book 2 of the Foundation series. Not bad, but not as good as book 1. | September |
| Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Seth Grahame-Smith |
My favorite president and my favorite fictional subject matter. It doesn’t get better than this. Loved it! | August |
| Designing the Moment Robert Hoekman Jr. |
This was a fabulous, and very obvious, book on website user experience. Loved it! | August |
| Stern Men Elizabeth Gilbert |
I may be Ruth… at least partially. | August |