Read in 2026

Apr 26, 2026

A Wizard of Earthsea: April 2026

I enjoyed reading an old-fashioned fantasy novel, and love that the author is from Berkeley (which I lived steps away from in Oakland for a while) and then spent her remaining years in Portland, OR (where I live now). Her writing usually has references to the bay area and the pacific northwest, although this book didn't. But it was a great story of a wizard, and a person finding their true self. It also was the first time that I know of where the main character was not a white man as a wizard. Ursula (author) talks about this in some writing and also talked about how she wanted to make a female main character. I think that would have been amazing. But still, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series: The Tombs of Atuan

Project Hail Mary: March 2026

A really great read. I remember enjoying The Martian quite a bit, especially since I was working at NASA at the time and had read that the author talked with some people about various physics and space issues from the center where I worked. This book was such great fun and I had a hard time putting it down. I saw the movie a few days after. It was good and would have been better had I not already read the book. The movie had to take a lot of shortcuts to get through the story. I’m glad I read it first because there was so much more to understand that the movie couldn’t explain in its short time.

Qualityland: March 2026

fun dystopian sci fi that is probably too close to how things are now. Like taking our current reality and putting clown shoes on it. Can’t wait to read the second book.

  • The Next Conversation, March 2026

Conversations aren't about winning — they're about keeping them going. Focus on connecting instead of trying to win, which builds trust and strengthens relationships.

The Three C's Framework The authors system comes down to three principles:

  • Control your tone and reactions
  • Speak with Confidence in your message
  • Aim to Connect — not conquer.

Key Ideas:

  • The Hidden Conversation
    • Every conversation has a subtext beneath the surface. When someone escalates a minor issue to a major emotional reaction, it signals there's an internal conversation happening inside them that you weren't invited to. Recognizing this "tip of the iceberg" is key to responding with empathy instead of defensiveness.
  • You don't have to respond to everything
    • There is no obligation to respond just because someone said something. You get to decide what deserves your energy.
  • Point inward, not outward
    • When defensiveness kicks in, our impulse is to blame or deflect. Instead, take accountability: recognize that impulse and choose to look inward instead.
  • Assertive language matters
    • Small language tweaks, like removing the word "just" from your sentences meaningfully increase assertiveness. Avoiding over-apologizing also builds confidence over time.
  • Values as a compass
    • Your personal values should guide how you show up in conversations, ensuring your words and actions stay aligned with what actually matters to you.
  • Practical Tools
    • Use techniques like "conversational breaths" to regulate emotion before responding, "quick scans" to check your emotional state, and shifting from "you" statements to "I" statements to reduce defensiveness in the other person. One thing that I liked was, "Your first word (as a response) should be a breath"

Better conversations aren't about being a smooth talker or winning arguments. The goal is genuine connection, and every word you choose is either building that or breaking it.

The Order of Time, Feb, 2026

Dismantles our intuitive understanding of time, showing that at a fundamental physical level, time doesn't flow uniformly. Instead, it varies with gravity and speed, has no universal "now," and the distinction between past and future emerges only from thermodynamics and entropy. He argues that what we experience as time is less a feature of reality itself and more a product of our limited, blurred perspective as observers. We perceive time because of what we can't see, not because of what's there. Ultimately, the author reframes time as something deeply human: a story our brains construct from memory, anticipation, and our entanglement with the world, making the book as much philosophy and poetry as it is physics.

Grim Begins, Jan 2026

Story of a Russian/German man in the 80's growing up in east Berlin, escaping and becoming a criminal, then going into a work camp prison and becoming part of the mafia.

The gift of not belonging, Jan 2026

Jan 2026. In addition to introverts and extraverts, there are also otroverts. These are people who don't really feel comfortable in groups and prefer their own company. It details what an otrovert is and how it's an asset. Otroverts naturally think on their own and as a result, many great ideas come from otroverts.

Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone, January 2026

Fast read, a bit childish, but that's what I was looking for. Hard to read without thinking of how terrible a person the author is regarding trans people. Still a fun book to read and I'm looking forward to the rest in the series.