Autumn reading list
Every September I clear the nightstand and pick a short stack for the next few months. The rule is simple: no more than five, at least one that has nothing to do with computers, and at least one I expect to argue with.
The stack
- The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman. A re-read. I come back to it whenever I catch myself blaming users for a confusing interface I built.
- Working in Public by Nadia Eghbal. A clear look at how open source maintenance actually works, and who ends up paying for it in time.
- The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder. Old, but the way it captures a small team shipping hardware under pressure has not aged at all.
- A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout. Short chapters, strong opinions. I disagree with maybe a third of it, which is exactly why it is on the list.
- The Overstory by Richard Powers. The non-computer book. Long, slow, and worth it.
How I read now
Paper for fiction, e-ink for anything technical so I can highlight and export notes. Highlights go into a plain text file per book; once a month I skim those files and keep only what still feels useful.
If you have a recommendation in the same spirit, I am always happy to hear it.