Library

Books that have been escapes from and lenses through which to see the world.

Favourites

A rotating list of books that are stuck in my head and I need to tell others about. More favourites are noted in the ‘Reading list’ below.

Words Are My Matter

Ursula K. Le Guin

Braiding Sweetgrass

Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Wild Places

Robert MacFarlane

Dare to Lead

Brené Brown

English Pastoral: An Inheritance

James Rebanks

East of Eden

John Steinbeck

Bird By Bird

Anne Lamott

Sea of Tranquility

Emily St. John Mandel

The Uncertainty Mindset

Vaughn Tan

Cage of Souls

Adrian Tchaikovsky

American Gods

Neil Gaiman

The Unconsoled

Kazuo Ishiguro

Reading list

What I’m reading and some of what I read. Includes favourites as well as books abandoned.

2024

Title	Author	Thoughts
ReadingThe Ministry of Time	by Kaliane Bradley	—
ReadingMetaphors we live by	by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson	—
The Teller of Small Fortunes	by Julie Leong	Read like a classic adventure story, but a wholesome one.
The House in the Cerulean Sea	by TJ Klune	Playful and warm. Colourful and fun imagery.
Absolution	by Jeff VanderMeer	Not the energy I need right now.
The Haunting of Hill House	by Shirley Jackson	Loved the prose, really enjoyed the read.
Service Model	by Adrian Tchaikovsky	Good read though unsettling while looking at AI start-ups on the side.
These Deathless Shores	by P. H. Low	Had some issues with content.
The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands	by Sarah Brooks	Some beautiful imagery and ideas.
Duma Key	by Stephen King	Not a favourite, but enjoyed it nevertheless.
Winter, or a Town Near Palgrave	by André Alexis	Story fit the format really well. Stories like this make me want to write fiction.
PausedSeeing like a state	by James C. Scott	Taking a break while we move to our new home.
The Bound Worlds	by Megan E. O'Keefe	In contrast to the title, it feels like this world is growing with every book.
The Magicians	by Lev Grossman	I enjoyed it for a time, but in the end it wasn't for me.
Wintering	by Katherine May	Many reflections I relate to strongly, a book I'll likely return to in the future.
Ghost Station	by S. A. Barnes	Good read, feels like there's going to be more to come.
Trio	by Johanna Hedman	It felt like an indulgement to read. Though I was left wondering who the story was truly about.
Shades of Grey	by Jasper Fforde	Wish I had read this first, as you're meant to. Fun exploration of an idea.
FavouriteButter	by Asako Yuzuki	Devoured it (pun intended).
Black River Orchard	by Chuck Wendig	Abandoned, wasn't what I was looking for at the time.
Red Side Story	by Jasper Fforde	Peculiar and good.
Holly	by Stephen King	Always enjoy returning to this character.
Locklands	by Robert Jackson Bennett	Abandoned, wasn't what I was looking for at the moment.
Research for People Who (Think They) Would Rather Create	by Dirk Vis	Nice resource for thinking about research projects, will be coming back to it.
FavouriteThe Tainted Cup	by Robert Jackson Bennett	Great read. One of the best books I've read in a long while.
Fevre Dream	by George R. R. Martin	—
Quiet	by Susan Cain	I related to many stories in the book, lots to reflect on and put into use.
In the Company of Women	by Grace Bonney	Had a copy in the past, got another to have on hand for moments of inspiration.
Sword Catcher	by Cassandra Clare	Enjoyed it much more than I expected. Both excited that there'll be more to come and disappointed that I couldn't get the rest of the story immediately.
Rare Flavours, books 1–3	by Ram V (Author), Filipe Andrade (Illustrator)	In love with the artwork: the lines, the shapes, the colours. The story is also fantastic, looking forward to future instalments.
PausedWinter: Five Windows on the Season - CBC Massey Lectures	by Adam Gopnick	Paused, not the right prose for me these days.
Shubeik Lubeik	by Deeba Mohamed	Beautifully done, art and story both.
Ascension	by Nicholas Binge	Quick and captivating read.
Nettle & Bone	by T. Kingfisher	A new fairy tale and a great one. Absolutely loved it.
The Fractured Dark	by Megan O’Keefe	Really enjoyed it as a continuation of the story.

2023

Title	Author	Thoughts
Several short sentences about writing	by Verlyn Klinkenborg	Many good nudges that have helped me reframe what I'm doing or why I'm stuck.
The Sacred Balance	by David Sukuki	A lens that zooms in and zooms out to give you the details to appreciate the big picture.
PausedThe Joy of Abstraction	by Eugenia Cheng	I'm still intrigued and determined to read it, but need the brain space.
The Blighted Stars	by Megan O’Keefe	Fell into it. On the list of favourites from this year.
The Cartographers	by Peng Shepherd	I am a sucker for books about people being nerdy on a topic.
The Practice	by Seth Godin	Some good nudges that helped me get back to creative work.
Dust	by Hugh Howey	—
Number9Dream	by David Mitchell	A more experimental read. I wasn't in the best headspace for experiments, sadly.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu	by Susanna Clarke	Delightful, reads like classic fiction from a parallel world.
Shift	by Hugh Howey	Moving away from the show, enjoyed the variety in perspectives in this installment.
Under The Sky We Make	by Kimberly A. Nicholas	Gave me some tools and lenses with which to look at our changing and often on fire world. I'm still sad, I'm still scared.
Thistlefoot	by GennaRose Nethercott	Beautiful ideas about stories and how they interact with the world.
It's Lonely at the Center of the Earth	by Zoe Thorogood	Love the multimedia approach. Also, "... Relatable is the word of the hour" because it's, well, relatable.
Wool	by Hugh Howey	Read it too close to finishing the television series, "Silo", my memories muddled with what I was reading.
FavouriteThe Spear Cuts Through Water	by Simon Jimenez	It reads like a legend. It was unlike anything I've read for so long, really, I don't have the words to describe it.
The Vanished Birds	by Simon Jimenez	Fell into this book. There were some ideas that were beautiful for being perfect in the world created and their simplicity.
Shelterbelts	by Jonathan Dyck	A setting and cast of characters that is close to home. Difficult to read at times.
The God of Endings	by Jacqueline Holland	The opening paragraph still sticks in my head.
Green Grass, Running Water	by Thomas King	I've grown to appreciate a new kind of storytelling through Thomas King.
The Creative Act	by Rick Rubin	Good for bites of inspiration or little nudges into action.
The Relentless Moon	by Mary Robinette Kowal	I had a cold while reading this and it affected how much I took in. But enjoyed it all the same. The acknowledgements at the end of each book in this series add to the satisfaction I take from them.
The Road	by Cormac McCarthy	The style of the writing gave a lot of power to the narrative.
The Fated Sky	by Mary Robinette Kowal	Felt good to be back in these books. Inhaled the book.
The Book That Wouldn't Burn	by Mark Lawrence	—
Recursion	by Blake Crouch	—
The Calculating Stars	by Mary Robinette Kowal	Really enjoyed it while at the same time found moments in it infruriating. Well researched, well written.
On The Shortness of Life	by Seneca	Many sentences that struck me, particularly for where I am right now.
The Ferryman	by Justin Cronin	—
Sensitive	by Jenn Granneman and Andre Sólo	I related to many parts of this book. Much to reflect on and take into different areas of my life, especially work.
Hell Bent	by Leigh Bardugo	A welcome continuation of Ninth House, fell into and inhaled it.
Fifty Sounds	by Polly Barton	I found new ways to articulate the experience of living in a country where you don't speak the language.
The Housekeeper and the Professor	by Yoko Ogawa	A peaceful read.
Of Mice and Men	by John Steinbeck	It was interesting to read Steinbeck in a different format. Same voice, different space.
The Bluest Eye	by Toni Morrison	New perspectives, new ways of seeing.
FavouriteThe Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi	by Shannon Chakraborty	The book I've enjoyed the most in a long while. Inhaled it.
City of Last Chances	by Adrian Tchaikovsky	It wanted to be a lot and it was, but sometimes it was too much.
Sula	by Toni Morrison	Powerful story. First time I've read Toni Morrison and I'll be looking for more.
The Coral Bones	by E. J. Swift	A good read, though helplessness around climate topics can't be avoided.
Her Body and Other Parties	by Carmen Maria Machado	Some new and some uncomfortable ideas. I think short stories are my newly preferred public transit reading material.
In Limbo	by Deb JJ Lee	Different from what I expected and a different perspective on growing up than I've seen before.
Family Lexicon	by Natalia Ginzburg	Very different narrative style than what I'm used to. It was well suited to remembering family.
From the Wreck	by Jane Rawson	Quiet, strange, with heart.
FavouriteThe Grapes of Wrath	by John Steinbeck	I took so many things from this book. I need more time to simmer on it.
Leech	by Hiron Ennes	It was clever how you needed to put the pieces together yourself.
The Word For World is Forest	by Ursula K. Le Guin	It's all it needs to be. New interpretations of dreaming and of gods.
Fairy Tale	by Stephen King	Different from other King novels I've read. Good “before bed” read.
FavouriteThe Back of the Turtle	by Thomas King	I felt the world reflected back at me, thoughtfully, kindly, and truthfully.
Ordinary Monsters	by J. M. Miro	It crescendoed really well.
Houseboat Chronicles	by Jake MacDonald	A comfortable and comforting read, nostalgic, imagery of a place that feels like home.
The Truth About Stories	by Thomas King	“Just don't say in years to come that you would have lived your life differently if only you had heard this story. You've heard it now.”

2022

Title	Author	Thoughts
FavouriteBraiding Sweetgrass	by Robin Wall Kimmerer	A thoughtful exploration of what's near. I learned so much from this book.
The Spare Man	by Mary Robinette Kowal	First heavy use of different pronouns without making the story about that.
The Great Mistake	by Jonathon Lee	Rich, compelling.
Ducks	by Kate Beaton	Rich storytelling, infuriating story.
Dead Silence	by S. A. Barnes	Eerie for a time.
Babel	by R. F. Kuang	Made for good conversations with my German tutor.
Learning to Talk to Plants	by Marta Orriols, Mara Fay Lethem (Translator)	A quiet read I needed.
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy	by Becky Chambers	A nice continuation.
The Colour Out of Space and others	by H.P. Lovecraft	—
A Psalm for the Wild-Built	by Becky Chambers	The read I needed at the time, loved it.
Eversion	by Alastair Reynolds	Reminded me of something I could never put my finger on.
Klara and the Sun	by Kazuo Ishiguro	I think this one will take two tries—as is common for me with Kazuo Ishiguro.
The Night Circus	by Erin Morgenstern	Loved the imagery.
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words	by Eddie Robson	A new idea, well paired with learning German at the time.
FavouriteSea of Tranquility	by Emily St. John Mandel	The details.
The Watchers	by A. M. Shine	I called it! Then spent the whole book trying to prove it.
The Secret Commonwealth	by Philip Pullman	—
La Belle Sauvage	by Philip Pullman	—
Swims	by Elizabeth-Jane Burnett	—
FavouriteThe Wild Places	by Robert MacFarlane	A favourite, reminded me of my need for wild and where I can find it.
Turning	by Jessica J. Lee	Close to home in many ways, a good read to start the year.
Piranesi	by Susanna Clarke	I expected something different—will have to read again to truly appreciate.
Where the Crawdads Sing	by Delia Owens	Beautiful, inhaled it. Will never see the movie.
The Amber Spyglass	by Philip Pullman	—
The Subtle Knife	by Philip Pullman	—

2021

Title	Author	Thoughts
The Lost Spells	by Robert Macfarlane	—
The Golden Compass	by Philip Pullman	—
Stories of Your Life and Others	by Ted Chiang	Bite size sci fi, some bites good, some bites less so.
High Output Management	by Andrew S. Grove	—
Utopia Avenue	by David Mitchell	Different from the author's other work, but a quiet through line that told you it was still Mitchell.
In	by Will McPhail	Rich storytelling, will recommend to everyone.
Sleep walk	by Adrian Tomine	—
FavouriteDare to Lead	by Brené Brown	Changed so much of how I see my world and myself.
The Art of Logic	by Eugenia Cheng	Changed how I look at my work and at life.
Coaching for Performance	by John Whitmore	—
Billy Summers	by Stephen King	Still Stephen King, yet straying from some of his usual tropes.
The Library of the Dead	by T. L. Huchu	—
The Making of a Manager	by Julie Zhuo	—
Slade House	by David Mitchell	—
The Hidden Palace	by Helene Wecker	Felt good to return to this world and see where the story would go.
Project Hail Mary	by Andy Weir	Fell off, wasn't for me.
The Lost Apothecary	by Sara Penner	—
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue	by V. E. Schwab	—
The Lost Future of Pepperharrow	by Natasha Pulley	I preferred the first one.
The Prince and the Dressmaker	by Jen Wang	Lovely story, illustrations inspired me to draw more.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street	by Natasha Pulley	Didn't go where I expected, really enjoyed it.
The Starless Sea	by Erin Morgenster	Beautiful
The Leader's Guide to Unconcious Bias	by Pamela Fuller	Gave me a new lens with which to look at my relationships, at work and in life.
A Wrinkle in Time	by Madeleine L'Engle	A childhood favourite, picked up again.
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet	by Becky Chambers	Pleasant read, episodic
Seveneves	by Neal Stephenson	Could've ended earlier—so I stopped early.
FavouriteThe Uncertainty Mindset	by Vaughn Tan	Changed how I look at uncertainty, not knowing, and then moving through it.
Contact	by Carl Sagan	—
Mistborn	by Brandon Sanderson	It was interesting to see this author in a new world (of his making).
Babylon's Ashes	by James S. A. Corey	—
Rhythm of War	by Brandon Sanderson	—
Org Design for Design Orgs	by Merholz & Skinner	—
Radical Candor	by Kim Scott	Good idea, but needs to be wielded properly.
Nemesis Games	by James S. A. Corey	—
Cibola Burn	by James S. A. Corey	—
Mismatch	by Kat Holmes	Had a large impact on how I think about inclusive design.
Fictions	by Jorge Luis Borges	“The Library of Babel” is likely my favourite.
Post-Truth	by Matthew D'Ancona	—
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist	by Adrian Tomine	Honest and lovely
Abaddon's Gate	by James S. A. Corey	—
Rules of Civility	by Amor Towles	Didn't enjoy as much as “A Gentleman in Moscow” but still good.
Finder	by Suzanne Palmer	—
Caliban's War	by James S. A. Corey	—
Calypso	by David Sedaris	Always makes me smile
Leviathan Wakes	by James S. A. Corey	—
The Left Hand of Darkness	by Ursula K. Le Guin	—
A Wizard of Earthsea	by Ursula K. Le Guin	—

2020

Title	Author	Thoughts
The Glass Hotel	by Emily St. John Mandel	—
FavouriteThe Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction	by Ursula K. Le Guin	Changed how I read fiction and thought about stories.
The Lies of Locke Lamora	by Scott Lynch	—
Early Risers	by Jasper Fforde	Nostalic thoughts of winter turn peculiar sense of humour.
The Graveyard Book	by Neil Gaiman	—
Upheaval	by Jared Diamond	—
FavouriteBird by Bird	by Anne Lamott	Was exactly the read I needed at the time.
Kingdom of Copper	by S. A. Chakraborty	—
The Empire of Gold	by S. A. Chakraborty	Different cultural mythology from most mainstream fiction—a nice change.
A Sense of an Ending	by Julian Barnes	—
Dead Astronauts	by Jeff Vandermeer	Fell off.
Dune	by Frank Herbert	Second time read, loved it more than the first.
So You Want to Talk About Race	by Ijeoma Oluo	—
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race	by Reni Eddo-Lodge	—
The End of All Things	by John Scalzi	—
FavouriteThe Ten Thousand Doors of January	by Alix E. Harrow	Lovely, bought copies for multiple people.
If It Bleeds	by Stephen King	—
FavouriteOnce upon a river	by Diane Setterfield	Beautiful book. Was exactly what I needed.
FavouriteThe Essex Serpet	by Sarah Perry	Loved just about everything about this book.
FavouriteCage of Souls	by Adrian Tchaikovsky	A favourite, I've gifted it a few times now.
The Priory of the Orange Tree	by Samantha Shannon	Some nice changes from the usual fantasy worlds.
The Library of the Unwritten	by A. J. Hackwith	A unique and compelling idea.
Creative Confidence	by Tom Kelley	—
The Human Division	by John Scalzi	—
Ninth House	by Leigh Bardugo	—
Six Wakes	by Mur Lafferty	—
Wanderers	by Chuck Wendig	Read just as COVID-19 was coming into the news more. So many blurred lines between fiction and reality.
Radical Focus	by Christina Wodtke	Good to know if only to understand how others see work. But a reminder to not read books like this again.
Good Strategy Bad Strategy	by Richard Rumelt	Gave me the language and structure to talk about what I was seeing at work.
Zoe's Tale	by John Scalzi	—
Jonathon Strange & Mr Norrell	by Susanna Clarke	Fantastic story, possibly multiple books in one.

2019 and earlier

Title	Author	Thoughts
Moby Dick	by Herman Melville	—
The Obelisk Gate	by N. K. Jemisin	Good, but the first story was apparently enough for me.
The Fifth Season	by N. K. Jemisin	Truly unique story.
Children of Time	by Adrian Tchaikovsky	Spiders!
The Last Colony	by John Scalzi	—
The Ghost Brigades	by John Scalzi	—
Skyward	by Brandon Sanderson	—
The Institute	by Stephen King	—
Lock In	by John Scalzi	—
Redshirts	by John Scalzi	This one wasn't for me.
FavouriteThe Unconsoled	by Kazuo Ishiguro	This book opened my eyes to the fact that I needed to quit my job. I come back to this book whenever I need to make a change.
Old Man's War	by John Scalzi	The book where I discovered John Scalzi and then needed to read everything he wrote.
A Gentleman in Moscow	by Amor Towles	Loved the prose.
Desert Solitaire	by Edward Abbey	Beautiful imagery, though some elements showed their age.
The Sparrow	by Mary Dorai Russell	Gripping, unsettling.
FavouriteThe Dark Forest	by Cixin Liu	Fuck. Favourite of the trilogy.
FavouriteThe Bone Clocks	by David Mitchell	When I decided I needed to read everything by David Mitchell.
The Name of the Wind	by Patrick Rothfuss	—
The Bird King	by G. Willow Wilson	—
Travels with Charley	by John Steinbeck	Wonderful, human.
FavouriteEast of Eden	by John Steinbeck	Picked this up on a trip and fell in love with the prose.
Thinking, Fast and Slow	by Daniel Kahneman	—
(An incomplete list)	by	—

Struck through books are those I abandoned—which I’m trying to let myself do when a book isn’t right for me at that moment. Missing thoughts are just me not remembering exactly what I thought at the time.