Since 2018 I’ve been reading far more than I used to. Partly that’s because my kids have grown older and don’t need quite as much of my time (though they still seem to need quite a lot of money). But it’s also thanks to Audible. I’ve been listening to audiobooks while I walk the dog, potter about the house, and commute — effectively turning previously “wasted” time into surprisingly rich reading hours.
Each year, I write a blog post rounding up my favourite reads — you can find that series here. These have become some of my most popular posts, suggesting that quite a few of you are also on the hunt for good books — or at least enjoy mildly judgmental end-of-year lists.
This year, I’ve started using Goodreads to track what I’m reading (or listening to) throughout the year. If you’ve enjoyed my annual roundups, you might like to follow me there. I’m not one for long reviews, but I do keep it updated, and you can see what I’m currently enjoying, abandoning, or pretending to have finished.
Yes, Goodreads is owned by Amazon, which I know some people aren’t wild about. Fair enough. It’s not perfect, but it’s a decent tool for keeping track of books, and I’m finding it quite useful so far.
Books I’ve enjoyed so far in 2025 include:
- Source Code by Bill Gates
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- Money by David McWilliams
- How Big Things Get Done by Bent Flyvbjerg
- The Staff Engineer’s Path by Tanya Reilly
- Lessons by Ian McEwan
- The Secret History by Donna Tartt
- Mania by Lionel Shriver
- On Leadership by Tony Blair
If any of those appeal — or if you’re simply curious about what I’m reading when I’m not wrangling distributed systems or Lego bricks — you can follow me here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/119445213-ian-nelson