Books Completed: 25
List Notes:
- Only books I finished
- Audiobooks are books
- Includes books I read to my kids that have chapters
List of Books
- A Burglar’s Guide to the City by Geoff Manaugh
- Armada by Ernest Cline
- Bob by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass
- Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World by Michael Pollan
- Inside Voice by Lake Bell
- Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Bruce Headlam and Malcolm Gladwell
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
- Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
- Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
- So Many Steves by Steve Martin
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
- The Baby-Sitters Club #1: Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin
- The Baby-Sitters Club #2: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls by Ann M. Martin
- The Baby-Sitters Club #3: The Truth About Stacey by Ann M. Martin
- The Baby-Sitters Club #4: Mary Anne Saves the Day by Ann M. Martin
- The Baby-Sitters Club #5: Dawn and the Impossible Three by Ann M. Martin
- The Baby-Sitters Club #6: Kristy’s Big Day by Ann M. Martin
- The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
- The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
- Theodore Boone #1: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
- Theodore Boone #2: The Abduction by John Grisham
- Theodore Boone #3: The Accused by John Grisham
- Theodore Boone #4: The Activist by John Grisham
- What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell
Reader’s Notes
Hard Science Fiction
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
My new favorite science fiction book of all time. The audiobook is better for reasons I won’t spoil. In short, the sun (and all the other stars) are dying and our only hope as a planet is an intergallactic research mission to the one star that isn’t.
Historical Fiction
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
Historical fiction about a Ukranian single mother who happened to be the (real) deadliest sniper in World War Two kept me up reading well past my bedtime. I can’t wait to read some more of Kate Quinn’s books.
Dystopian Science Fiction
As I was building a team working on the metaverse, virtual reality, and augmented reality, I thought reading these was far overdue.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
A philosophical mind-bender with tangents into the nature of language and free will. Coined the term “metaverse.” I’m not sure how anyone reads this book and thinks any of it should be emulated.
Armada, Ready Player One, and Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
My favorite of the three was Armada, which seems to be the least well-known. It’s also the only one of these 4 books which doesn’t presuppose the complete downfall of civil society.
Kid Fiction
The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin
I had never read these as a kid, but I have really enjoyed them. They are remarkably deep, painting a vivid world of relationships, adventures, and emotions. Surprisingly, it goes out of its way to portray different types of families and the unique struggles and delights they bring (divorced, remarried/blended, widowed, multi-generational, only children, siblings, etc.) without making them the sole focus of the stories.
Theodore Boone series by John Grisham
The way I describe these books is younger age-appropriate John Grisham. They have the same complex plots, flawed characters, and plot twists he is known for, but they written in slightly more accessible language without the sex and explicit violence.
General Non-Fiction
A Burglar’s Guide to the City by Geoff Manaugh
Part history of heists and thievery, part architectural and spatial treatise, part discussion of the astoundingly complex definition of burglary. It’s bit long and somewhat repetitive in parts, but some passages are so beautifully poetic and lyrical it is all worthwhile.
Personal Development
The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
I’m working my way through all of Patrick Lencioni’s books. Like all the others, this one is excellent.
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
This book was a WOW for me. I wish I had this book when I was 20. It put into words a lot of things I knew or almost knew, in a really accessible way. It was so impactful on me that I bought 10 copies and did a book club with some work colleagues.
Biography and Biography-adjacent
Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon by Bruce Headlam and Malcolm Gladwell
This was a multi-generational homerun. I listened to this audiobook and loved it. Several months later I put it on while I was roadtripping to the Grand Canyon with my parents and kids. My parents are big Paul Simon fans. I grew up with his music. My kids had never heard of him. They all LOVED it. I loved it more the second time. My son said, “That’s one of the best things we’ve ever listened to.” 3 generations, 5-stars.