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Books I'm reading this December

Books on a bookshelf

This month, all the books I am reading are a continuation of books I began reading last month. I have read a lot more since my last post so I have a bit more insight into the books than I did last time.

For fans of TLDR; here is the run down of the books I am still reading this month:

  1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software, by Charles Petzold
  2. Grokking Algorithms, by Aditya Y. Bhargava
  3. The Eye of The World (Book 1 in the Wheel of Time series), by Robert Jordan

Onwards to a brief overview of this month’s reading list.

Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

Code book cover
Code by Charles Petzold

I started this book sometime last month, and I am currently a few chapters away from finishing. Though it is a small book in size, don’t let its size fool you. This book is packed with knowledge. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I might even go ahead as to say this book is a gem to anyone wanting to understand why computers are the way they are as well as the decisions that lead to particular design elements inherent in computers.

I love how this book is skillfully written. It doesn’t read like a regular technical book but like the author is taking you on one documentary about code and the evolution of computers, building a theoretical computer part by part.

As much as I have enjoyed reading this book, I find myself having to slow down so I can research topics or terms mentioned in the book that I don’t understand, then resume reading. I have found this to be a better way to really understand the condensed material the author discusses and even venture further than the book does in certain topics.

Grokking Algorithms

Grokking Algorithm book cover
Grokking Algorithms by Aditya Y. Bhargava

If you nothing about algorithms and more importantly want to learn, this book can give you a good introduction to basic algorithms that you can use as a foundation for your learning. The illustrations were a welcome approach to explaining complex topics and I found myself breezing through the book at an alarming rate.

For a deeper dive into algorithms and especially how algorithms work with underlying components you may want to pick up a more intense algorithms book like The Algorithms Design Manual by Skienna and read them concurrently.

Currently I am re-reading various topics at a slower pace, coding some examples and deep diving into the topics using other books and online resources.

The Eye of The World

Eye of The World book cover
Eye of The World by Robert Jordan

I began reading this book sometime last month, and I must say, I am in awe of the author. It has been a welcome read on my commutes home from work. I have been able to unwind by letting my imagination dive into the world Robert Jordan weaves in his story.

This book is a well crafted story that has kept me paralyzed with curiosity at every step. It has mystery, adventure, humor and action all neatly packaged in each page turn. I have had to force myself to put it down sometimes in favor of completing other tasks. In some aspects, it reminds me of The Lord of the Rings, with the quests, each character facing a personal challenge, the company and eventually the splitting of the company and so on.

The story follows 3 friends from a small town who are forced to leave their hometown after it gets attacked because of them. They leave in search of answers as to the part they shall supposedly play in an upcoming war as pretold in a prophecy. The prophecy speaks of the reincarnation of a chosen one, but they don’t know for sure who it is, if it is any of them, and whether they shall restore peace or cause untold destruction. Since neither of them have ever left their hometown, it’s an interesting read to see them discover the world outside their little town through their eyes.

Not going to spoil any further, but if you do have a chance, you should read this book. Personally, I am looking to reading more of the series.

I am a couple of chapters shy of the end, and with it comes a bit of sadness that I shall be reading my last page quite soon. Luckily this series has such a huge universe and so many books. I will definitely look out for book 2 in the coming months.


That’s it for my leisure reading this month. Hope you enjoyed reading this post.