The best books I read in 2024
I read books modestly, dedicating most of my time to technical documentation and contemporary short articles (a blog post of the best from those is incoming). And what I do read I give my best to pick up those books that would interest me the most, and quickly give up if it doesn't hook me in the first 50 pages or so. You may link to me on BookWyrm, or any other Fediverse hub using the same handle: @kotnik@bookwyrm.social.
Fiction
- R. F. Kuang, Babel. A story about a cohort of translation students with deep discussion on language, but also significantly overlapping antrophology, society and politics. One of the best character developments I have read in years, deep into the book I had built complete profiles of each character and I could actually see and hear them.
- Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary. Modern and realistic sci-fi that takes us with intergalactic mission world saving mission, but generously enriched with humor and a story of an unlikely friendship. I very much welcomed optimism of humanity: I think we all need more of that.
Nonfiction
- Benjamín Labatut, The Maniac. A story about János Lajos Neumann, better known as John von Neumann, who was probably, though that is very hard to measure, the most versatile and intelligent human being that ever existed. But also very controversial. It is incredible how much of modernity has been founded and established by this person alone and this book allows us an insight into his personality with lightly fictionalized events from his life.