I was not able to get a ton of reading done this year, though I did spend a lot of time reading algebraic geometry texts, which is not reflected in the list below. Certainly the book I enjoyed the most this year was Edward Frenkel’s “Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality”. The subject area itself is fascinating. Definitely read this if you want to know what the Langland’s program is and how it fits in with the bigger picture of modern mathematics. I also loved the way that Frenkel weaved his personal story into the math story in such a smooth manner. The most surprising book for me this year was “A Calculated Life” by Anne Charnock, which I really didn’t like for the first few pages, but which grew and grew into a beautiful story, touching, story.
Non-fiction, ordered by most to least recommended
- Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality by Edward Frenkel
- The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt
- Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
- The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker
- Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson
- Team Geek: A Software Developer’s Guide to Working Well with Others by Brian Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman
- Getting More: How You Can Negotiate to Succeed in Work and Life by Stuart Diamond
- The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Fiction, ordered by most to least recommended
- Sand Omnibus by Hugh Howley
- A Calculated Life by Anne Charnock
- Fear the Sky (The Fear Saga Book 1) by Stephen Moss
- Fear the Survivors (The Fear Saga Book 2) by Stephen Moss
- Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by David Shafer
- The Old Equations by Jake Kerr
- The Robot Chronicles (The Future Chronicles Book 1) with stories by Hugh Howey, Matthew Mather, Samuel Peralta, David Adams, Ann Christy, Nina Croft, WJ Davies, Patrice Fitzgerald, Jason Gurley, Deirdre Gould, A.K. Meek, Edward W. Robertson, Endi Webb, David Gatewood, and David Simpson
- Cronix by James Hider
- Cibola Burn (The Expanse Book 4) by James S.A. Corey
- Glitch: A Short Story by Hugh Howley
- Diaspora by Greg Egan
- The World of Kurt Vonnegut: Peace in Amber by Hugh Howley
- Legendary Detective at the World’s End (Volume 1) by Kaye Wagner
- Pennsylvania Omnibus by Michael Bunker
- A Not So Singular World by Patrick Hatt