
2023 Reading List
Books read and planned for 2023
Dragons of EdenFinishedCarl Sagan1986Sagan traces how the human brain came to be. Clear, curious, and humble — the way science writing should read.- At the Edge of Time: Exploring the Mysteries of Our Universe’s First SecondsFinishedDan Hooper2019The first few trillionths of a second after the big bang was an incredibly active and mysterious time in our universe. Dan Hooper explores these few moments and explain how our universe may have come to be. He takes us to the edge of our current understanding and surveys the various unanswered questions that scientists are struggling with today.
- Creation: Life and How to Make ItFinishedSteve Grand2000The presentation is excellent. Builds up the universe from the most fundamental particle up to life and intelligence. Reframes our understanding of the physical universe as well as what it means to be intelligent. I wish there was more technical discussion on the implementation of the brain. However, the high level ideas are quite useful and goes a long way towards helping you understand the requirements for building truly intelligent life.
- Death's EndFinishedCixin Liu2010A satisfying end to the saga. Wraps up the story well and introduces some hope which was a relief after the dark outlook of the previous book. Surprisingly, was able to continue introducing new concepts and exploring intriguing ideas up to the end.
- Sleeping BeautiesFinishedStephen King, Owen King2017Easy flowing story telling. A gret premise and well executed.
- The Dark ForestFinishedCixin Liu2008A bit dark. Proposes a bleak outlook on the relationship between civilizations in the universe. Incredibly well written.
- The Far Side GalleryFinishedGary Larson1982I deliberately paced myself with this one. I limited myself to 2 pages per night.
- The Three-Body ProblemFinishedCixin Liu2008Profound is an understatment. This well told story introduced many unique concepts. Intelligent use of scientific knowledge.