books i read

2024

• hear the wind sing
• pinball 1973
• colleen’s book (strive)
• not the end of the world
• a case for solar engineering
• measurements in geochemical carbon dioxide removal 1st edition
• death’s end
• the world for sale
• under a white sky
• there is no antimemetics division
• the spirit of somerville by gene brune

2025

• when we cease to understand the world: i thought this was a non fiction book then it got strangely personal and i realized it was a mix of non fiction and fiction. i enjoyed the non fiction pieces. i did not like the fiction pieces. i just like reading about scientists and mathematician’s lives. 4/10
• silent spring: i think every person who works in climate should read this classic. you can understand why this book made the impact it did. concise, clear to point out links between input and output, with consequences that every human can relate to. very great 10/10
• extrastatecraft: probs the worst book i read this year, i got halfway and decided im not masochistic enough to finish it. one of those books that you could summarize in an essay. i wished it was more applicable to the real world rather than being really wishy washy and prolonged. 2/10
• a world history of mining: banger! this was like the world for sale but a little less theatrical. just some good facts and history about mining in a global context. i enjoyed this book, took me a month but it was a good month indeed. 8/10
• surely you’re joking, mr feynman  : i loved this book. silly, whimsy, easy to digest, inspiring in some ways but mostly just a curiosity-induced fever dream. i think this is a great book for a teenager to read… not so much about physics in here but just a fun, interesting life! 8/10
• mountains beyond mountains: my book of the year. tracy kidder is a fantastic storyteller and i was sobbing throughout this book. i felt seen to a whole different degree when it came to paul farmer and “doing things that don’t scale because it’s the right thing to do”. i know this is a very idealistic way of portraying him, but no matter; this is how i also want to be. though i do admit i do not think public health is my calling… but so much admiration to those in the field. i want to be a Good Person Doing Good Things For The World and that avenue is through climate. 11/10
• among schoolchildren: ok kidder cooked with MBM but schoolchildren got a bit dull to me, especially near the end. i think it was highly personal and made me empathize harder with public school teachers, especially in underfunded areas, and how important of a lever education is. makes me very proud that canada has some high-paid teachers in comparison to our southern counterparts. as it should be. 6/10 (also I got this from a free little library!)
• expecting better: this was the #1 “parenting book” recommended from a sci perspective (supposedly) and I did not enjoy it. I understand the sentiment of trying to reduce fear mongering but i think it read more like copium for deferring responsibility away from oneself during pregnancy. coming from someone who drank 2-3 times a week, I was more than willing to give up my delicious wines to prevent ANY harm to baby, even if risk was “minimal”. Kinda scary how this book brushed it off (and many other things) so easily! Popsci books are not Very Good in this regard 3/10
• I, robot: read this in the week I visited Morgan and Shen in Vancouver off of Morgan’s bookshelf. It was entertaining enough for a night read but not that memorable to me lol 5/10
• fermats enigma: fun!!! stem history book and number theory? Two of my fav categories so it’s a no brainer that I enjoyed this. So awesome to read how so many iconic mathematicians connected with one another. Wiles is also just such a sentimental guy who just bleeds passion for the subject. Well written and def a page turner! 9/10 (I got this for $2 at Vancouver’s library sale and it was also signed by singh!! Imagine my surprise)
• the wizard and the prophet: great book, really frickin long though lol. Took me 2 months to peel away cover to cover. really enjoyed childhood upbringings of vogt and borlaug, especially loved the chapters on energy. brought in a lot of diverse perspectives around abundance vs conservationism that made me fall quite square in the middle depending on the topic in question. 7.8/10
• the handmaid’s tale: read this because I heard it was going to banned in alberta lmao. very easy read, and especially relevant to read while I was 6+ months pregnant lmao. Entertaining enough but I don’t think I’d actually read this again nor did it leave me feeling any sort of enlightenment around women’s rights lol 6/10

•⁃Lee Kwan Yew, The Singapore Story: got through ~65% of this before giving birth and found myself quoting historical events and outcomes in singapore in response to many a tech person’s utopia design. not only is this book extremely captivating in the way its written (many ‘bite sized’ chapters recounting a specific period of time), but it’s extremely direct with LKY’s lessons/learnings. also enjoyed many of the commie quips he had. i thoroughly enjoyed reading this and i’ll finish it eventually once mac gives me more sleep lol 8.5/10