Time to go over another month of my 2022 reading challenge (rules are posted here). Overall, February was anxious and not a personally productive month. I can probably write a whole post on the whys and hows behind that. But overall, I'm pretty proud of the reading and thinking I was able to accomplish:
- The Hail Mary Project by Andy Weir (Audiobook)
- At one point in time, I could count myself as the type of person growing tired of Andy Weir's "yay science!" brand of writing. My feelings have thawed in the decade+ after Weir's debut novel The Martian. We need all of the "Yay science!" people we can get. I am by no means a science fiction expert. I'm not a big sci-fi reader besides Ender's Game and some dabbling with heavyweights like Neil Gaiman. Hail Mary is a riveting story of a space mission to rescue earth (that's as detailed as I get, no spoilers here). For my taste, the details stray's too far from the "hard" science fiction that made The Martian so enjoyable, but that's just hair-splitting. For March, I plan to keep a sci-fi book in rotation. Any recommendations, dear reader, are appreciated. (★★★★)
- At one point in time, I could count myself as the type of person growing tired of Andy Weir's "yay science!" brand of writing. My feelings have thawed in the decade+ after Weir's debut novel The Martian. We need all of the "Yay science!" people we can get. I am by no means a science fiction expert. I'm not a big sci-fi reader besides Ender's Game and some dabbling with heavyweights like Neil Gaiman. Hail Mary is a riveting story of a space mission to rescue earth (that's as detailed as I get, no spoilers here). For my taste, the details stray's too far from the "hard" science fiction that made The Martian so enjoyable, but that's just hair-splitting. For March, I plan to keep a sci-fi book in rotation. Any recommendations, dear reader, are appreciated. (★★★★)
- Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson (Audiobook)
- This book essentially turned into pleasant background listening on several long, long walks. As a first dive into early American history since high school, I wish I would have picked something that wasn't 24 hours long in Audio form (I think I started this book in December of 2021). Overall, I left with more appreciation for Franklin the man and Isaacson the author. (★★★★)
- This book essentially turned into pleasant background listening on several long, long walks. As a first dive into early American history since high school, I wish I would have picked something that wasn't 24 hours long in Audio form (I think I started this book in December of 2021). Overall, I left with more appreciation for Franklin the man and Isaacson the author. (★★★★)
- How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens (nonfiction, print)
- Easily one of the best books on reading and being a better writer/student/learner. I've read in a long time if I had had this knowledge when I started college, who knows where I would be now! The book is geared towards academic research type-writing, but all of the lessons are easily applicable to anyone who needs to take in content and form their ideas. This will be a book I revisit for years to come. (★★★★★)
- Easily one of the best books on reading and being a better writer/student/learner. I've read in a long time if I had had this knowledge when I started college, who knows where I would be now! The book is geared towards academic research type-writing, but all of the lessons are easily applicable to anyone who needs to take in content and form their ideas. This will be a book I revisit for years to come. (★★★★★)
- The Space Race By Colin Brake, Patrick Chapman, Richard Hollingham, Richard Kurti, Sue Nelson, Helen Quigley, Andrew Mark Sewell (Nonfiction, audiobook)
- This is my first dive into an "Audible Original", and it was less of an audiobook and more of an audio documentary. I'm a space program nerd, and it was great hearing the interviews direct from the astronauts and others directly involved. (★★★1/2)
- This is my first dive into an "Audible Original", and it was less of an audiobook and more of an audio documentary. I'm a space program nerd, and it was great hearing the interviews direct from the astronauts and others directly involved. (★★★1/2)
- So Close, yet so far! I did not complete the 5th book during February! — Better luck next month.
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I'm Tyler Dickey, and this is my blog/newsletter thing that I think should have a proper title, but the only thing harder than actually sitting down regularly to write is coming up with a title. In this, as yet unnamed space, I celebrate my never-ending love for unrestricted and interoperable services like RSS, Email, and telephony. And write about topics that interest me: art, making things, technology, among others.
Website | Instagram | Twitter
I'm Tyler Dickey, and this is my blog/newsletter thing that I think should have a proper title, but the only thing harder than actually sitting down regularly to write is coming up with a title. In this, as yet unnamed space, I celebrate my never-ending love for unrestricted and interoperable services like RSS, Email, and telephony. And write about topics that interest me: art, making things, technology, among others.
Website | Instagram | Twitter