Reading

Now reading

• A Philosophy of Software Design — a short, honest argument for complexity as the thing we most owe our readers.
• The Design of Everyday Things — rereading with fresh eyes on what “obvious” actually costs.

Recently finished

• The Pragmatic Programmer — still the best collection of habits I’ve read on doing the work well. (2025)
• Designing Data-Intensive Applications — the clearest map of the storage and streaming tradeoffs under everything I build. (2025)
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance — a reminder that “quality” is a way of paying attention. (2024)

All-time favorites

• Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs — the book that taught me programs are ideas, not instructions.
• The Timeless Way of Building — about architecture, but really about how living things emerge from repeated small choices.
• The Elements of Style — a tiny book I reread every few years to remember that clear writing is clear thinking.
• Moby-Dick — the best thing ever written about obsession, and one I never finish in the same place twice.

This list changes often — it’s a snapshot, not a promise.