One of my new year’s resolutions was to read at least a book a month (pretty oldschool, right?), since I barely reserved some time for reading books in the last couple of years. As the year draws to a close, I reflected on my goal and decided to share what I’ve read in 2016.
- Handelt Jetzt! – Flassbeck et al.
This book sheds some light on the financial system. It discusses some general concepts and gives some insight, unfortunately it was not really as detailed and comprehensive as I hoped. If you have any suggestions on better alternatives, let me know 😉 - Hacker, Hoaxer, Trickster Spy – The many faces of Anonymous – Gabriella Coleman
I really enjoyed reading Gabriella Coleman’s book about the notorious collective, it’s very well researched (as far as I can tell) and I recommend it, especially if you are as enthusiastic about technology as I am. - The Idealist – Justin Peters
Ever since I watched the tragic documentary “The internet’s own boy” about Aaron Swartz, I could not help but research the topics, that interested him a little more. The Idealist was a good starting point for me, I’ve found a lot of interesting stuff in there, so go check it out. - The Boy Who Could Change The World – The Writings Of Aaron Swartz
Another great book about Aaron and the topics he struggled with. Must read! - But How Do It Know – The Basic Principles Of Computers For Everyone – J. Clark Scott
A great explanation of how our computers actually works, which starts at the very basics. I’ve read this book because I wanted to get some deeper insights in the topic, which I did not get. However, I wish I’d have stumbled upon this book earlier, as it would have been a great introduction to some of the subjects I had in university. - Code – The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software – Charles Petzold
Same topic as But How Do It Know, but it’s a little more detailed than J. Clark Scotts book, so it was a little more useful to me. If you already know a thing or to about how computers work, this is the book you should read, as it shows the big picture nicely, but also shows some details you were probably unaware of. For a more detailed summary, just follow the link. - What If: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
The title says it all, just go and read it already. - The Last Wish, Sword of Destiny, Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, The Tower of the Swallow – Andrzej Sapkowski
I’ve stopped reading fantasy novels a while ago, but after playing The Witcher on my PS4, I just had to read the books which inspired this amazing game. It was totally worth it, just ordered the next one 🙂 - Pipe Dreams – Kelly Slater
I stumbled upon this book while I was surfing in France, and even if it was not as well written as I hoped, it was definitely worth reading. Kelly goes through his early days and describes, what kept him going, and what he did to become one of the world’s best athletes. - Die bedeutendsten Mathematiker – Stephanie Fröba & Alfred Wassermann
In this book, some of the most important mathematicians are described, along with some of their work. Unfortunately it did not cover any of the math, but there are more specific books for that I guess. - Creative Schools – Ken Robinson & Lou Aronica
Ken Robinson, who got pretty famous for his TED talk in 2006, explores some of the alternative approaches to education. He describes how children learn and why the standardization of education is not desirable. I wanted to read more about the history of education, as I feel our current system is not working as it should. Unfortunately, I haven’t found any other material on this topic yet, I’d appreciate any pointers 🙂 - Einfach abschalten – Gut leben in der digitalen Welt – William Powers
This book is all about the omnipresence of information in the digital age. It talks about the risks of being connected 24/7, without omitting all the benefits we get from technology.
This makes 16 books so far, so I’ve accomplished my goal and the year isn’t even over yet 🙂
Hopefully I can add another book to this list, before new year!