April has come to an end, the temperatures are getting cooler and the year is already full on with things to do, see and learn but it’s also a good reminder that I still have many books to read.
Earlier this year I’d planned, among other things, to read about ten books, that’s one every five weeks. Having read just one, it looks like I’m way behind schedule already. Frankly this post itself was supposed to be published in January, but hey, at least it’s not a draft anymore. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So, here it is, the 10 (or so) books I’m gonna read in 2017, in no particular order:
The Magic Mountain – Thomas Mann
This is probably the first book I downloaded to my Kindle Paperwhite e-reader. I actually got this a couple of years ago as a birthday gift from a friend but never really had the time and energy to read it. The book, a long and exhaustive read, a “brick” in softcover form, is regarded as a classic of German literature.
The novel revolves around the life of Hans Castorp, a young man who visits his cousin in a sanatorium in the Swiss alps for a short time but ends up staying more than he has planned. The story explore the routine in the sanatorium while exploring the social life of it’s many inhabitants, including curious characters with whom the hero often engages in epic philosophical battles.
After months of procrastination I finally finished it in March. Unfortunately, my experience wasn’t the best and I felt a bit underwhelmed with the ending.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X
I’ve been heard about Malcolm’s life as a Black activist along the years but never really had the opportunity to know his story. I remember reading some rave recommendations of this particular book and I look forward to get to know his persona better and learn more about the impact he’d had in modern society.
The Accidental Taxonomist – Heather Hedden
Recently, I’ve had difficulties when dealing with categories creation, content organization in some ongoing projects at Porto Seguro Faz. I decided to dig deeper on the matter and look for more information about the topic and found this book which seems to contain some practical tips on creating and maintaining taxonomies, which will come in handy really soon!
Why Only Us – Robert C. Berwick, Noam Chomsky
This book come as a free exit for my curious mind. I think I’ve stumbled upon it after watching the movie Arrival and reading dozens of articles about language and evolution. Also, it’s written by the well-known linguist Noam Chomsky, whom I’ve been curious to read for quite some time now.
Liquid Modernity – Zygmunt Bauman
Bauman seems to be a reference when speaking about modern society and it looks like this book is the must read to understand the topic. I hope it will be as good as people say.
Changer – Matt Gemmell
Matt Gemmell is a guy I’ve followed on Twitter since he was an iOS developer. His first endeavor, Changer, is an action thriller that looks both exciting and promising involving a billionaire, top-secret projects set around cities in Europe. Also part of an ongoing series, it kinda reminds me of the also excellent Millennium trilogy.
What the Dog Saw – Malcolm Gladwell
This one came to me while browsing Amazon. It looks like a cool though-provoking book for curious minds. It seems to be made of a set of essays that explores “the mundane, the underdogs, the overlooked” – the kind of universe I’m constantly interested about.
The Inmates Are Running the Asylum – Alan Cooper
This book’s regarded as an interesting read that explores the presence of technology in today’s life. It has appeared in some “must read“ lists for design books and appears to have some good reviews about it. I hope it shows a provoking perspective for creating digital artifacts.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – Junot Diaz
A book about a disastrously overweight nerdy boy who dreams of being the next J.R.R. Tolkien. The introduction looks absurdly crazy and I really have no idea what to expect from this title but knowing that the story might mix fantasy, science fiction just made me a lot more curious about it.
The Art of Learning – Josh Waitzkin
To finish this list, a book about learning – yes, a motivational book. Waitzkin tells his story as a chess player and championship winner. Looks promising, though-provoking and may teach me some things along the way.
More books to come
There are even more books to read after I finish this list, woot! I guess I should stop writing and go read some, right? Okay, for now I’ll leave five more titles that already are on my wish list. Perhaps you’re getting me one? 😀
Whatcha readin’?
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