Waiting to Read

Feynman's stories about Feynman. I've heard these anecdotes second-hand for years; time for the source.

Early Dilbert. I keep a few of these around for whenever I need a quick laugh at the office's expense.

Calvin and Hobbes. No justification required.

King mostly without monsters — a widowed writer and a haunted house. Interested in how he sustains suspense when nothing is chasing anyone.

A little book of puzzles for travelling. Not literature, just good fun for a long drive.

A Koontz thriller I haven't started yet. His chase stories rarely disappoint me.

Asimov's farewell to Seldon — written last but set at the beginning. I'm saving it for the end of the re-read.

Where it all began — psychohistory is still one of my favourite ideas in science fiction. Re-reading the whole saga in order, starting here.

The furthest point of the saga. Re-reading in order so I arrive here properly, the way I did the first time.

The Mule is the stress test of psychohistory — the one individual the mathematics can't predict. The best of the original trilogy.

Asimov's return after thirty years, and the book that starts stitching the robot and Foundation universes together. Curious how it reads now.

Heinlein's late-career spy story. He's a favourite from way back, so this one has been on the list a while.

This book was featured on the Physics World podcast.

The stories that gave us the Three Laws. I read them as a child and they shaped what I expect robots — and robot stories — to be.

More early Dilbert for the office-humour shelf.

Ten thousand jokes, most of them older than I am. You don't read it so much as raid it.

A young Hari Seldon. The prequels came later, but I'll take any excuse to spend more time in this universe.

Darrow and the colour-coded society of Mars. It comes so highly recommended that I'm saving it for a proper holiday read.

A classic I somehow never got to. First contact done as pure engineering: a survey mission through a vast, silent alien cylinder.

Grisham in scrappy street-lawyer mode. His books are reliable company, which is exactly what I want sometimes.

Closes the original trilogy with the search for the Second Foundation itself. The mentalics-versus-mathematics finish is the part I remember best.

A Koontz mystery built on an unexplainable plane crash. The premise alone earned it a spot on the list.

Heinlein's most argued-about book. I want to read what he actually wrote rather than the arguments about it.

This is proving harder to read than I expected. I'm going to put it aside for now.

This is proving harder to read than I expected. I'm going to put it aside for now.

Twenty years of the best short science fiction in one volume. One to dip into between novels rather than read straight through.

Asimov's robot who petitions to become human — the positronic idea taken to its logical conclusion. A childhood read I want to revisit.

The strips plus Watterson's own commentary on them — the commentary being the part I am really buying it for.

Statistics taught with cartoons. If it makes one confusing idea stick, it has done its job.

Late Heinlein, reportedly starting as a comedy of manners before swerving into his multiverse. We shall see.

The book version of every meeting I've ever sat through. Queued for the next time work gets absurd.

A judge with a kill list and an investigator who won't let go. A classic Grisham setup.

Seven ways maths quietly runs everyday life. Yates was good on the podcast, so the book made the list.

The second Baley and Daneel mystery — a murder on a world where people can't stand to share a room. Another childhood read I want to revisit.

Cartoonists making fun of technology, which deserves it. For the coffee table more than the reading chair.

Grisham goes historical — a decorated veteran shoots the town pastor and won't say why. The hook got me; the book is waiting.

The third robot mystery, and the one that ties toward Foundation. Re-reading these in order alongside the rest of Asimov.

A Ludlum thriller from his prime years. Sometimes you just want the world saved at a breathless pace.

The short story that grew into 2001, plus other early Clarke. Worth having for the title story alone.

The Silmarillion was one of my favourite books growing up because it felt like reading the history of Middle-earth rather than a typical fantasy story. I really enjoyed how deep the lore goes and how serious the tone is, especially the creation stories and the long conflict over the Silmarils. The tragedy around Fëanor and the Elves made the world feel heavy and real. It’s not the easiest book to get through, but if you like detailed world-building, it’s worth the effort.

The sequel, queued so there's no waiting once I finish the first. I've been burned by gaps between series books before.

The classic on showing data honestly. I've seen it quoted so often that reading the source felt overdue.

A Roman-inspired fantasy with a magic system built on ceding your strength to those above you. The premise alone sold me.

The whole of history in one heavy volume. Not a book you finish — a book you keep visiting.

Picked up while on a Baldacci streak. A Washington thriller about a cop just out of prison, trying to claw her way back onto the force.

A Far Side collection I haven't got to yet. They've all earned the benefit of the doubt.

A cheerful tour of everything physics can't explain yet. Honest science with jokes — my kind of pairing.

Cham and Whiteson on the universe's open questions. I like books that are upfront about what we don't know.

King's newest story collection. His short fiction has been strong lately, so expectations are up.