Batched Books Reviews #2025.7. Non-fiction

Non-fiction

• The Clean Coder (4-/4) — A transformative read for software engineers. Ten years ago it made a huge impact on me as a young dev. I re-read it to see if I’d feel differently today — and I mostly don’t. It’s still the most important career book I’ve encountered. That said, it’s packed with strong opinions, many of which I don’t fully agree with. Still, a must-read for any developer.
• Mastering the System Design Interview (3+/4) — A solid refresher on system-design fundamentals, not just for interviews. While it doesn’t present novel concepts, it offers clear, practical advice and realistic mock scenarios from an Amazon hiring manager. Not a replacement for comprehensive architecture texts, but great for review. The virtual narration doesn’t disappoint.
• Articulating Design Decisions (3/4) — A pragmatic guide to communicating with stakeholders. I picked it up thinking it was about software design, but it turned out to focus on UI and UX (that’s what happens when you pick a book without even reading the description). Helpful nonetheless if you want to refine how you explain reasoning, trade-offs, and design outcomes. Or better understand work of a designer.
• Lean Enterprise (3/4) — A pragmatic guide for scaling Lean and Agile practices across large organizations. I struggled to pinpoint what this book is really about — product development, business strategy, management, engineering practices — all well covered but loosely connected. If I had to summarize, it’s probably “how to be an enterprise without being enterprisy.”
• Be Useful (4-/4) — A motivational, earnest, and refreshingly short book by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The advice is simple, direct, and resonated with me in many places. It’s a motivational book, no doubt, but a damn good one. His narration feels deeply authentic — even if the accent takes a moment to get used to.

Fiction

• The Will to Battle (3/4) — Terra Ignota vol. 3. A literary and deeply philosophical sci-fi novel that’s closer to poetry than typical fiction. Complex but rewarding for readers who enjoy dense, idea-rich storytelling.
• Huntsong (3+/4) — Singer of Terandria, vol. 2. A tightly focused story set in The Wandering Inn universe. Not as rich as the original series, but with its own strengths.
• Defiance of the Fall 15 (3/4) — Still enjoyable, but increasingly less compelling.
• Electric Angel (3+/4) —An atmospheric, tightly paced cyberpunk LitRPG adventure. It feels like playing Cyberpunk 2077 — full of futuristic grit, body augmentation, and fast progression. A bit naive in how fast the plot is progressing, but that’s probably unavoidable cost of being engaging. I sunk in immediately; it’s nicely written and pleasant to listen to, though not particularly deep.
• King of Duels (4/4) — The Wandering Inn vol. 16. The new narrator, Erin Bennett, takes some getting used to but ultimately delivers. Still an excellent read.

Stats:

• Books read this year: ~70 (+10)
• Books on the shelf: 12 (-1)
• Books on the wishlist: 223 (-5)