Books I read in 2017
Cannot say much good about 2017, but at least I read a bunch of books. More even than I hoped and fewer than I would if I hadn’t slacked off at the end of last year. Not a bad selection either with no duds, but maybe too many work oriented choices and overall intellectually somewhat shallow.
As every year unaffiliated links point to Amazon. They represent mild endorsement and I would also include the two unlinked ones if I could find a place where you can get them online. Book titles are in the languages in which I read them and translations or originals may be worse or better.
Bold, as always, is reserved for those I would recommend: Austerlitz, Stories of Your Life And Others, a sequel The Arab of the Future 2, Fever Dream and a non-fiction book The Mom Test. Of these I would recommend Austerlitz the most even though I am certain it will not be to everyone’s liking. The second book worthy of a special mention is The Mom Test which I believe is the first exception to my unstated policy (until now) of recommending only fiction and general interest non-fiction books. Even if you are not trying to start a business it is still useful to learn how to get useful information and feedback from people without resorting to manipulation.
On to the list:
- Judje na Slovenskem (Jews in Slovenian ethnic territory) by Klemen Jelinčič Boeta. A very short, at time enumerative but always informative history of Jews in Slovenian territories. I became nauseous when reading about 19th and most of 20th century, but would recommend it even more for it.
- How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately by Boris Shekhtman. A very to the point book on techniques you can use to improve how you learn (any) new language. Too early to tell how well they work, but they and exercises look promising and useful also for improving communication in native language.
- Microinteractions: Designing with Details by Dan Saffer. Detailed examination of microinteractions, what makes them work and how to use them to build experiences that are pleasant and memorable. Recommended reading for UX designers.
- Austerlitz by W.G.Sebald. I am struggling to describe this very fine book without saying too much while saying too little. Almost dreamlike, impressionistic meditation where a lot transpires without much happening. Very recommended and worth persisting even if it does not grab you immediately.
- Mobile App Development with Ionic 2 by Chris Griffith. A good introduction to Ionic2 for those new to it. I would like it more if it was more focused (comments related to Ionic 1 are not really useful to anyone) and if testing apps received more space.
- A Burglar's Guide to the City by Geoff Manaugh. A book most easily enjoyed if approached as light entertainment. Starting from an intriguing premise, full of interesting anecdotes and some interesting information, it still felt too long with too little to say. Do not expect a guide!
- Stories Of Your Life And Others by Ted Chiang. I feel I should have liked it more than I did. Every story is original and thought provoking, most of them well written and none badly. Cannot think of a reason why I would not recommend it.
- The Longest Afternoon: The 400 Men Who Decided the Battle of Waterloo by Brendan Simms. Title really sums it up and I can recommend it to anyone remotely interested in the battle of Waterloo. Gripping read that takes no longer than your average movie.
- The Arab of the Future 2: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1984-1985 by Riad Sattouf. Next instalment in trilogy and as good as the first one. Highly recommended.
- Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin. A difficult book to discuss without saying too much, but it is one of the most gripping books I remember reading. Probably unfilmable, but stories don't come much better than this.
- Nemška loterija (German Lottery) by Miha Mazzini. I enjoyed reading this book more than his recent columns (rants). While twist itself will not surprise you, it is well written with some ideas that may elevate it above most summer reading.
- Angular 2 Cookbook by Matt Frisbie. An excellent combination of tips and introduction to Angular 2+ that I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn this framework. It has few minor errors, but none (yet) that would really matter.
- CSS Secrets: Better Solutions to Everyday Problems by Lea Verou. Fantastic book for practically every web frontend developer. At its most superficial it is a well organised cookbook of mostly excellent solutions to commonly found problems. However its real value lies in author's explanations which can teach almost everyone something on how to go about solving CSS challenges.
- Practical SVG by Chris Coyier. A fine introduction to using SVG effectively. If like me you want information about SVG internals, then this is probably not the book you want. Nevertheless it already has proved useful to me.
- Badass: Making Users Awesome by Kathy Sierra. I am a big fan of Kathy, but am a bit perplexed by this book. It's central thesis is interesting: building loyalty by focusing on user's development, but I am not sure how widely can this be used and some research it relies on is questionable. Still, if nothing else it gives you good advice on how to effectively improve your own skills.
- Emil und die Detektive (Emil and the Detectives) by Erich Kästner. I read this book first when I was about Emil Tischbein's age and this fun story aged surprisingly well with its humanistic core as relevant now as it was when it was written. Still, best suited for children and those looking for an easy way in to polishing their German.
- Designing Interface Animation: Meaningful Motion for User Experience by Val Head. A good primer on why and how to use animation effectively in interface design. It is at its weakest, as this type of books generally are, when discussing how to incorporate it in work processes, but all of it is worth reading and I would especially recommend reading e-book version as it makes it easier to use included links to video demos.
- The Family Trade by Charles Stross. A book I probably read at a wrong time. A well written engaging story with mostly compelling characters that sometimes exhibit implausible adaptability to circumstances. An abrupt end on account of book's publishing history did not bother me as much as I expected. Stross is clearly a talented storyteller and I suspect I would like this book more if I read it a couple of years ago.
- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick. Possibly the best business book I've ever read. Excellent advice on practically every aspect of customer discovery without any fluff.
- Učna ura ustvarjalnega pisanja (Lessons or creative writing) by Michal Viewegh. A decent entertainment for a short afternoon with some good lines and with an opinion on good literature that I don't subscribe to.
This year my plan is again to read about 15 books with work related kind being in clear minority, but numbers are not everything and I would be happy even with only 10 mind-stretching ones. I am looking for Dictionary of the Khazars (Hazarski rečnik) in Serbian so any tip would be appreciated. Another challenge to myself is to read at least a book in every language I know well enough. I suspect this is ambitious enough for this year.