Library

Books

These are 59 books I've read or given up on a significant portion of the way through, occasionally presented with notes.

Imprecise tracking began in 2022, with proper tracking beginning in 2023, so any reading prior to that isn't present.

  1. The Elements of Style

    William Strunk Jr, EB White

    ★★★★☆

    Notes

    A useful book which in some places shows its age. I would recommend it to all writers, if not just to find which parts you disagree with so as to form strong opinions of your own.

    Reads
    • 04/07/2025 - 06/07/2025 | Read

  2. Curse of Lono

    Hunter S Thompson

    Notes

    Hunter's drug habit having taken it's toll, I lost interest. Padded out with quotes and fluff, it reads poorly.

    Reads
    • 29/06/2025 - 06/07/2025 | Did Not Finish

  3. The Rum Diary

    Hunter S Thompson

    ★★★★☆

    Notes

    Every bit as distorted and degenerate as I'd expected and hoped.

    Reads
    • 29/06/2025 - 26/06/2025 | Read

  4. Atomic Design

    Brad Frost

    Reads
    • 15/06/2025 - 24/06/2025 | Read

  5. Web Typography: A handbook for designing beautiful and effective responsive typography

    Richard Rutter

    Reads
    • 11/06/2025 - 17/06/2025 | Read

  6. Sunrise on the Reaping

    Suzanne Collins

    ★★★⯪☆

    Reads
    • 12/04/2025 - 03/05/2025 | Read

  7. Friendship is Optimal

    iceman

    ★★★⯪☆

    Reads
    • 08/04/2025 - 11/04/2025 | Read

  8. The Strange Case of the Moderate Extremists

    Alexander McCall Smith

    ★★★⯪☆

    Reads
    • 24/01/2025 - 25/01/2025 | Read

  9. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

    Hunter S Thompson

    Reads
    • 19/09/2024 - 10/2024 | Read

  10. Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality

    Eliezer Yudkowsky

    Notes

    Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is certainly a long and difficult read, with some rather questionable parts, but some interesting ideas which can be extracted. It has its flaws, and certain bits are contrived, but overall it's quite a worthy experience. I haven't read much fan fiction, but this feels more transformative than the usual. The world is much the same, as are the character names, but their behaviours and the overall approach to everything is almost completely unique. Towards the beginning of the book, I had several issues with it. Rather impressively, almost every gripe turned out to be intentional and was either addressed or resolved by the end.

    Reads
    • 01/11/2024 - 29/12/2024 | Read

  11. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

    JK Rowling

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 08/02/2022 - 12/02/2022 | Read
    • 12/2023 | Read

  12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

    JK Rowling

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 07/02/2022 | Read
    • 12/2023 - 12/2023 | Read

  13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

    JK Rowling

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 24/02/2022 - 31/01/2022 | Read
    • 12/2023 - 12/2023 | Read

  14. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

    JK Rowling

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 17/01/2022 | Read
    • 12/2023 - 12/2023 | Read

  15. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

    JK Rowling

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 07/01/2022 | Read
    • 12/2023 - 12/2023 | Read

  16. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

    JK Rowling

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 02/01/2022 | Read
    • 12/2023 - 12/2023 | Read

  17. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

    JK Rowling

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 01/01/2022 | Read
    • 12/2023 - 12/2023 | Read

  18. If Only They Could Talk

    James Herriot

    Reads
    • 11/04/2023 - 12/04/2023 | Read

  19. The Desolations of Devil's Acre

    Ransom Riggs

  20. The Conference of the Birds

    Ransom Riggs

  21. A Map of Days

    Ransom Riggs

  22. Library of Souls

    Ransom Riggs

  23. Hollow City

    Ransom Riggs

  24. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

    Ransom Riggs

  25. Spurious Correlations

    Tyler Vigen

    Reads
    • 11/04/2023 - 24/12/2022 | Read

  26. Of Mice and Men

    John Steinbeck

    Reads
    • 11/04/2023 - 20/12/2023 | Read

  27. Mostly Harmless

    Douglas Adams

    ★★★★☆

  28. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

    Douglas Adams

    ★★★★☆

  29. Life, The Universe, and Everything

    Douglas Adams

    ★★★★☆

  30. The Restaurant At the End of the Universe

    Douglas Adams

    ★★★★⯪

    Reads
    • 20/05/2022 - 05/06/2022 | Read

  31. Varg in Love

    Alexander McCall Smith

    ★★★☆☆

  32. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    Douglas Adams

    ★★★★⯪

    Reads
    • 08/05/2022 - 17/06/2022 | Read

  33. A Clockwork Orange

    Anthony Burgess

    ★★★★★

    Reads
    • 01/04/2022 - 21/04/2022 | Read

  34. Lost Perth

    Warren Duffy

    ★★★⯪☆

    Reads
    • 13/04/2022 - 13/04/2022 | Read

  35. Kitchen Confidential

    Anthony Bourdain

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 08/02/2022 - 31/03/2022 | Read

  36. Animal Farm

    George Orwell

    ★★★★⯪

    Reads
    • 15/03/2022 - 16/03/2022 | Read

  37. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

    Jack Thorne

    ★★★☆☆

    Reads
    • 01/03/2022 - 12/03/2022 | Read

  38. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

    Suzanne Collins

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 04/03/2022 - 10/03/2022 | Read

  39. Mockingjay

    Suzanne Collins

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 28/02/2022 - 03/03/2022 | Read

  40. Catching Fire

    Suzanne Collins

    ★★★★⯪

    Reads
    • 25/02/2022 - 28/02/2022 | Read

  41. The Hunger Games

    Suzanne Collins

    ★★★★⯪

    Reads
    • 22/02/2022 - 25/02/2022 | Read

  42. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

    Ian Fleming

    ★★★⯪☆

    Notes

    I love the 1968 film so much, and while this is perfectly serviceable as a children's read it lacks any of the same magic.

    Reads
    • 21/02/2022 - 21/02/2022 | Read

  43. Wonder

    RJ Palacio

    ★★★⯪☆

    Reads
    • 14/02/2022 - 16/02/2022 | Read

  44. More Rules for Life

    Kitty Flanagan

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 22/01/2022 | Read

  45. 488 Rules for Life

    Kitty Flanagan

    ★★★★☆

    Reads
    • 21/01/2022 | Read

  46. The Deeper Meaning of Liff

    Douglas Adams, John Lloyd

    Reads
    • 2022 | Read

  47. The Meaning of Liff

    Douglas Adams, John Lloyd

    ★★★★⯪

    Reads
    • 10/01/2022 | Read

  48. Flowers for Algernon

    Daniel Keyes

    ★★★★★

    Reads
    • 03/01/2022 | Read

  49. Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide

    JK Rowling

    Reads
    • 2022 | Did Not Finish

  50. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

    JK Rowling

    Reads
    • 2022 | Read

  51. The Great Gatsby

    F Scott Fitzgerald

    Reads
    • 2022 | Did Not Finish

  52. The Tales of Beedle the Bard

    JK Rowling

    Reads
    • 2022 | Did Not Finish

  53. Quidditch Through the Ages

    JK Rowling

    Reads
    • 2022 | Did Not Finish

  54. Atomic Habits

    James Clear

    Notes

    Repeats common sense ad nauseum.

    Reads
    • 2022 | Did Not Finish

  55. The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

    Bobby Henderson

    Reads
    • 2022 | Read

  56. Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

    JK Rowling

    Reads
    • 2022 | Read

  57. Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies

    JK Rowling

    Reads
    • 2022 | Read

  58. How to Talk to Girls At Parties

    Neil Gaiman

    Reads
    • 2022 | Read

  59. Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists

    JK Rowling

    Reads
    • 2022 | Read