Tom's bookshelf: read en-US Sun, 04 May 2025 16:41:51 -0700 60 Tom's bookshelf: read 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions]]> 55014663
Cracking the Coding Interview, 6th Edition is here to help you through this process, teaching you what you need to know and enabling you to perform at your very best. I've coached and interviewed hundreds of software engineers. The result is this book.

Learn how to uncover the hints and hidden details in a question, discover how to break down a problem into manageable chunks, develop techniques to unstick yourself when stuck, learn (or re-learn) core computer science concepts, and practice on 189 interview questions and solutions.

These interview questions are real; they are not pulled out of computer science textbooks. They reflect what's truly being asked at the top companies, so that you can be as prepared as possible. WHAT'S INSIDE?

189 programming interview questions, ranging from the basics to the trickiest algorithm problems.
A walk-through of how to derive each solution, so that you can learn how to get there yourself.
Hints on how to solve each of the 189 questions, just like what you would get in a real interview.
Five proven strategies to tackle algorithm questions, so that you can solve questions you haven't seen.
Extensive coverage of essential topics, such as big O time, data structures, and core algorithms.
A behind the scenes look at how top companies like Google and Facebook hire developers.
Techniques to prepare for and ace the soft side of the behavioral questions.
For interviewers and details on what makes a good interview question and hiring process.
Illustrations Illustrations, black and white]]> 712 Gayle Laakmann McDowell Tom 5 tech 4.36 Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions
author: Gayle Laakmann McDowell
name: Tom
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/04
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Staff Engineer's Path: A Guide for Individual Contributors Navigating Growth and Change]]> 61058107
This in-depth book shows you how to understand your role, manage your time, master strategic thinking, and set the standard for technical work. You'll read about how to be a leader without direct authority, how to plan ahead to make the right technical decisions, and how to make everyone around you better, while still growing as an expert in your domain.

By exploring the three pillars of a staff engineer's job, Tanya Reilly, a veteran of the staff engineer track, shows you how to:

-- Take a broad, strategic view when thinking about your work
-- Dive into practical tactics for making projects succeed
-- Determine what "good engineering" means in your organization]]> 335 Tanya Reilly 1098118731 Tom 4 tech 4.37 2022 The Staff Engineer's Path: A Guide for Individual Contributors Navigating Growth and Change
author: Tanya Reilly
name: Tom
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/07
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[System Design Interview � An insider's guide]]> 54109255
What’s inside?
- An insider’s take on what interviewers really look for and why.
- A 4-step framework for solving any system design interview question.
- 15 real system design interview questions with detailed solutions.
- 188 diagrams to visually explain how different systems work.

Table Of Contents
Chapter 1: Scale From Zero To Millions Of Users
Chapter 2: Back-of-the-envelope Estimation
Chapter 3: A Framework For System Design Interviews
Chapter 4: Design A Rate Limiter
Chapter 5: Design Consistent Hashing
Chapter 6: Design A Key-value Store
Chapter 7: Design A Unique Id Generator In Distributed Systems
Chapter 8: Design A Url Shortener
Chapter 9: Design A Web Crawler
Chapter 10: Design A Notification System
Chapter 11: Design A News Feed System
Chapter 12: Design A Chat System
Chapter 13: Design A Search Autocomplete System
Chapter 14: Design Youtube
Chapter 15: Design Google Drive
Chapter 16: The Learning Continues]]> 324 Alex Xu Tom 3 tech 4.29 2020 System Design Interview – An insider's guide
author: Alex Xu
name: Tom
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/05/04
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Python Cookbook: Recipes for Mastering Python 3]]> 17152735 704 David Beazley 1449340377 Tom 5 python, tech Most of the receipts stands for their own and shows, with clear explanations, how to achieve selected goals using elegant, readable, code.]]> 4.35 2002 Python Cookbook: Recipes for Mastering Python 3
author: David Beazley
name: Tom
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2014/10/02
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: python, tech
review:
Very recommended for every python developer.
Most of the receipts stands for their own and shows, with clear explanations, how to achieve selected goals using elegant, readable, code.
]]> <![CDATA[Test-Driven Development with Python]]> 22539134
In the process, you'll learn the basics of Django, Selenium, Git, jQuery, and Mock, along with current web development techniques. If you're ready to take your Python skills to the next level, this book clearly demonstrates how TDD encourages simple designs and inspires confidence.


Dive into the TDD workflow, including the unit test/code cycle and refactoring
Use unit tests for classes and functions, and functional tests for user interactions within the browser
Learn when and how to use mock objects, and the pros and cons of isolated vs. integrated tests
Test and automate your deployments with a staging server
Apply tests to the third-party plugins you integrate into your site
Use a Continuous Integration environment to run your tests automatically]]> 502 Harry Percival 1449365167 Tom 5 python, web, tech 4.50 2010 Test-Driven Development with Python
author: Harry Percival
name: Tom
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2014/12/01
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: python, web, tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Effective Python: 59 Specific Ways to Write Better Python (Effective Software Development Series)]]> 23020812 Actionable guidelines for all major areas of Python 3.x and 2.x development, with detailed explanations and examples Best practices for writing functions that clarify intention, promote reuse, and avoid bugs Coverage of how to accurately express behaviors with classes and objects Guidance on how to avoid pitfalls with metaclasses and dynamic attributes More efficient approaches to concurrency and parallelism Better techniques and idioms for using Python s built-in modules Tools and best practices for collaborative development Solutions for debugging, testing, and optimization in order to improve quality and performance "]]> 227 Brett Slatkin 0134034287 Tom 4 python, tech 4.25 2015 Effective Python: 59 Specific Ways to Write Better Python (Effective Software Development Series)
author: Brett Slatkin
name: Tom
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2015/08/01
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: python, tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Two Scoops of Django: Best Practices for Django 1.6]]> 20754237 446 Daniel Roy Greenfeld 098146730X Tom 0 python, web, half-read, tech 4.37 2014 Two Scoops of Django: Best Practices for Django 1.6
author: Daniel Roy Greenfeld
name: Tom
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: python, web, half-read, tech
review:

]]> Dive Into Python 3 6919462 360 Mark Pilgrim 1430224150 Tom 2 half-read, python, tech 3.86 2009 Dive Into Python 3
author: Mark Pilgrim
name: Tom
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2013/08/30
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: half-read, python, tech
review:

]]> The Quick Python Book 7625855 The Quick Python Book, Second Edition, is a clear, concise introduction to Python 3, aimed at programmers new to Python. This updated edition includes all the changes in Python 3, itself a significant shift from earlier versions of Python.

The book begins with basic but useful programs that teach the core features of syntax, control flow, and data structures. It then moves to larger applications involving code management, object-oriented programming, web development, and converting code from earlier versions of Python.

True to his audience of experienced developers, the author covers common programming language features concisely, while giving more detail to those features unique to Python.

Purchase of the print book comes with an offer of a free PDF, ePub, and Kindle eBook from Manning. Also available is all code from the book.]]> 367 Naomi R. Ceder 193518220X Tom 4 python, tech Part 2 is a nicely organized tutorial for the language. It contains most of the essentials and will give you the feel that you can continue learning by your own (or with more specialized books/tutorials).
Part 3 is much less cohesive then part 2. It seems that the chapter about regular expressions could get into part 2 but the rest of the part is too much esoteric and there are some mistakes through all of it (for example, it refers you to the appendix for more information that is not there).
I didn't read part 4 completely. I've only read the information about working with databases in chapter 24 and it is very well written.
For part 2 I will give 5 start without hesitation. But part 3, although less significant, doesn't deserve it.
After all the book is very recommended.]]> 3.87 2000 The Quick Python Book
author: Naomi R. Ceder
name: Tom
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2013/09/26
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: python, tech
review:
After trying different books for python (Think python, Dive into python 3 and Head first python) I've find this one the best both as learning book as well as reference book.
Part 2 is a nicely organized tutorial for the language. It contains most of the essentials and will give you the feel that you can continue learning by your own (or with more specialized books/tutorials).
Part 3 is much less cohesive then part 2. It seems that the chapter about regular expressions could get into part 2 but the rest of the part is too much esoteric and there are some mistakes through all of it (for example, it refers you to the appendix for more information that is not there).
I didn't read part 4 completely. I've only read the information about working with databases in chapter 24 and it is very well written.
For part 2 I will give 5 start without hesitation. But part 3, although less significant, doesn't deserve it.
After all the book is very recommended.
]]> Python for Data Analysis 14744694 400 Wes McKinney 1449319793 Tom 3 python, tech The book covers mostly pandas and doesn't give much information on numpy and matplotlib, and say completely nothing about scipy, which are all more essential for scientific computing as far as I understand that topic.
On the other hand I'm sure that I will use what I've learned here soon, but only after reading more comprehensive information about the whole scipy stack.]]> 4.17 2011 Python for Data Analysis
author: Wes McKinney
name: Tom
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2013/09/21
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: python, tech
review:
It's not a bad book but if you are looking for a good book for scientific computing with Python you will probably be disappointed.
The book covers mostly pandas and doesn't give much information on numpy and matplotlib, and say completely nothing about scipy, which are all more essential for scientific computing as far as I understand that topic.
On the other hand I'm sure that I will use what I've learned here soon, but only after reading more comprehensive information about the whole scipy stack.
]]> <![CDATA[Two Scoops of Django: Best Practices for Django 1.5]]> 17278772
This book is great for:

Beginners who have just finished the Django tutorial.

Developers with intermediate knowledge of Django who want to improve their Django projects.]]> 277 Daniel Roy Greenfeld Tom 5 python, web, tech Be aware that this book is not for beginners! But if you want to progress with python + django you're going to appreciate the suggestions found there.]]> 4.26 2013 Two Scoops of Django: Best Practices for Django 1.5
author: Daniel Roy Greenfeld
name: Tom
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: python, web, tech
review:
Can't say I've finish reading this book. It more like a reference you open anytime you need for some extra help on each topic, with emphasis on best practices.
Be aware that this book is not for beginners! But if you want to progress with python + django you're going to appreciate the suggestions found there.
]]> <![CDATA[Python in Practice: Create Better Programs Using Concurrency, Libraries, and Patterns (Developer's Library)]]> 17573566 306 Mark Summerfield 0321905636 Tom 2 python, tech
The best chapter of this book is the one about high-level concurrency. In this chapter Summerfield explain the difference between CPU-bound and I/O-bound concurrency and have a strong suggestions regarding the tools to use for concurrency with python 3. Namely, the suggestion is to use the threading, multiprocessing and concurrent.futures modules and never use locks or other lower level synchronization primitives explicitly, use queues and futures instead. The examples are good, although I found the code unnecessarily complex sometimes.

On the other hand, I found the chapters about design patterns to be much less fruitful. The author attitude is too object oriented for me where things could be done much easier using a decorator or two instead. The code examples too, are complex and non pythonic.

I'm sure that there are much better approaches to high-level networking then those described in this book. The author implement remote procedure call server and client. Simple examples can be done in a simpler manner then the suggested code and advance use cases may prefer higher level 3rd party libraries and frameworks that removes much of the boilerplate (e.g. Django + DRF for REST server + requests based client).

To summerize, the high-level concurrency chapter is really great and deserve 5 stars, but the rest of the book is ranging between 2 and 3.]]> 3.91 2013 Python in Practice: Create Better Programs Using Concurrency, Libraries, and Patterns (Developer's Library)
author: Mark Summerfield
name: Tom
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2014/11/30
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: python, tech
review:
I bought this book primary for its chapters about design patterns as well as the concurrency and the networking chapters (1 to 3, 4 and 6 accordingly). The book doesn't meant to be read from start to finish, but as a reference and guide to each topic separately. I think that from the above chapters I've already read most of the content, as well as the chapter about GUI with tkinter. I have nothing to say though about the two remaining chapters (extending python and 3d graphics).

The best chapter of this book is the one about high-level concurrency. In this chapter Summerfield explain the difference between CPU-bound and I/O-bound concurrency and have a strong suggestions regarding the tools to use for concurrency with python 3. Namely, the suggestion is to use the threading, multiprocessing and concurrent.futures modules and never use locks or other lower level synchronization primitives explicitly, use queues and futures instead. The examples are good, although I found the code unnecessarily complex sometimes.

On the other hand, I found the chapters about design patterns to be much less fruitful. The author attitude is too object oriented for me where things could be done much easier using a decorator or two instead. The code examples too, are complex and non pythonic.

I'm sure that there are much better approaches to high-level networking then those described in this book. The author implement remote procedure call server and client. Simple examples can be done in a simpler manner then the suggested code and advance use cases may prefer higher level 3rd party libraries and frameworks that removes much of the boilerplate (e.g. Django + DRF for REST server + requests based client).

To summerize, the high-level concurrency chapter is really great and deserve 5 stars, but the rest of the book is ranging between 2 and 3.
]]> JavaScript: The Good Parts 2998152 153 Douglas Crockford 0596517742 Tom 5 web, javascript, tech
I've used JS a few time before, but didn't knew exactly what I'm doing. This book explains how to think through the language and how to use it best.
It is not a book for total beginners, you should have a clue about the language before starting to read it. But after that, reading this book will show you the best practices and patterns in JS.

Very recommended for everyone that had a few steps with JS before and want to know how to use it properly for a bigger project!

(I didn't read the chapter about regexp to avoid confusion with python regexp that I'm currently learning and I didn't read some of the appendixes)]]> 4.23 2008 JavaScript: The Good Parts
author: Douglas Crockford
name: Tom
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2014/02/26
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: web, javascript, tech
review:
What a great book!

I've used JS a few time before, but didn't knew exactly what I'm doing. This book explains how to think through the language and how to use it best.
It is not a book for total beginners, you should have a clue about the language before starting to read it. But after that, reading this book will show you the best practices and patterns in JS.

Very recommended for everyone that had a few steps with JS before and want to know how to use it properly for a bigger project!

(I didn't read the chapter about regexp to avoid confusion with python regexp that I'm currently learning and I didn't read some of the appendixes)
]]> Web Audio API 17381721 76 Boris Smus 1449332684 Tom 3 web, javascript, music, tech It feels more like a quick-start guide then as a introductory book.
In addition, it covers a lot of sound synthesis / audio concepts compared to instruction of how to use the api.

Overall, if you are looking for a tutorial and prefer a hard copy over reading from the screen (like me) this book is fine. Otherwise, read some tutorials on the net and you will cover the whole topic much faster.]]> 3.88 2013 Web Audio API
author: Boris Smus
name: Tom
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2014/02/24
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: web, javascript, music, tech
review:
This book is fine, but too shallow.
It feels more like a quick-start guide then as a introductory book.
In addition, it covers a lot of sound synthesis / audio concepts compared to instruction of how to use the api.

Overall, if you are looking for a tutorial and prefer a hard copy over reading from the screen (like me) this book is fine. Otherwise, read some tutorials on the net and you will cover the whole topic much faster.
]]> <![CDATA[Interactive Data Visualization for the Web: An Introduction to Designing with D3]]> 16087610 270 Scott Murray 1449339735 Tom 5 web, javascript, tech Great introduction to D3. But surly not enough if someone want to master it.

I will defenetly come again to this book as a reference for my next visualization.

Very recommended overall]]> 4.09 2013 Interactive Data Visualization for the Web: An Introduction to Designing with D3
author: Scott Murray
name: Tom
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: web, javascript, tech
review:
I've almost finished reading this book. Skipped some parts from the last chapters.
Great introduction to D3. But surly not enough if someone want to master it.

I will defenetly come again to this book as a reference for my next visualization.

Very recommended overall
]]> <![CDATA[Head First Servlets and JSP: Passing the Sun Certified Web Component Developer Exam]]> 58129
Isn't it time you learned the latest (J2EE 1.4) versions of Servlets & JSPs? This book will get you way up to speed on the technology you'll know it so well, in fact, that you can pass the Sun Certified Web Component Developer (SCWCD) 1.4 exam. If that's what you want to do, that is. Maybe you don't care about the exam, but need to use Servlets & JSPs in your next project. You're working on a deadline. You're over the legal limit for caffeine. You can't waste your time with a book that makes sense only AFTER you're an expert (or worse one that puts you to sleep).

No problem. Head First Servlets and JSP's brain-friendly approach drives the knowledge straight into your head (without sharp instruments). You'll interact with servlets and JSPs in ways that help you learn quickly and deeply. It may not be The Da Vinci Code , but quickly see why so many reviewers call it "a page turner". Most importantly, this book will help you use what you learn. It won't get you through the exam only to have you forget everything the next day.

Learn to write servlets and JSPs, what makes the Container tick (and what ticks it off), how to use the new JSP Expression Language (EL), what you should NOT write in a JSP, how to write deployment descriptors, secure applications, and even use some server-side design patterns. Can't talk about Struts at a cocktail party? That'll change. You won't just pass the exam, you will truly understand this stuff, and you'll be able to put it to work right away.

This new exam is tough--much tougher than the previous version of the SCWCD. The authors of Head First Servlets and JSP know: they created it. (Not that it EVER occurred to them that if they made the exam really hard you'd have to buy a study guide to pass it.) The least they could do is give you a stimulating, fun way to pass the thing. If you're one of the thousands who used Head First EJB to pass the SCWCD exam, you know what to expect!]]> 888 Bryan Basham 0596005407 Tom 4 java, web, tech 4.19 2004 Head First Servlets and JSP: Passing the Sun Certified Web Component Developer Exam
author: Bryan Basham
name: Tom
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2012/09/01
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: java, web, tech
review:

]]> Head First Java 231262
The fact is your brain craves novelty. It's constantly searching, scanning, waiting for something unusual to happen. After all, that's the way it was built to help you stay alive. It takes all the routine, ordinary, dull stuff and filters it to the background so it won't interfere with your brain's real work--recording things that matter. How does your brain know what matters? It's like the creators of the Head First approach say, suppose you're out for a hike and a tiger jumps in front of you, what happens in your brain? Neurons fire. Emotions crank up. Chemicals surge. That's how your brain knows.

And that's how your brain will learn Java. Head First Java combines puzzles, strong visuals, mysteries, and soul-searching interviews with famous Java objects to engage you in many different ways. It's fast, it's fun, and it's effective. And, despite its playful appearance, Head First Java is serious stuff: a complete introduction to object-oriented programming and Java. You'll learn everything from the fundamentals to advanced topics, including threads, network sockets, and distributed programming with RMI. And the new. second edition focuses on Java 5.0, the latest version of the Java language and development platform. Because Java 5.0 is a major update to the platform, with deep, code-level changes, even more careful study and implementation is required. So learning the Head First way is more important than ever.

If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect--a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. If you haven't, you're in for a treat. You'll see why people say it's unlike any other Java book you've ever read.

By exploiting how your brain works, Head First Java compresses the time it takes to learn and retain--complex information. Its unique approach not only shows you what you need to know about Java syntax, it teaches you to think like a Java programmer. If you want to be bored, buy some other book. But if you want to understand Java, this book's for you.]]> 688 Kathy Sierra 0596009208 Tom 5 java, tech Studying Java with this book was pretty easy and a lot of fun. The authors defiantly have interesting way of teaching, which I think is great.]]> 4.25 2006 Head First Java
author: Kathy Sierra
name: Tom
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2012/06/01
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: java, tech
review:
Really great book!
Studying Java with this book was pretty easy and a lot of fun. The authors defiantly have interesting way of teaching, which I think is great.
]]> Java in a Nutshell 231264 1224 David Flanagan 0596007736 Tom 3 half-read, java, tech 3.91 1996 Java in a Nutshell
author: David Flanagan
name: Tom
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: half-read, java, tech
review:
Good reference but I don't use it so much because most of the time it is more convenient to use the Java API reference on the net.
]]> <![CDATA[Professional Android 4 Application Development]]> 12337461
The fast-growing popularity of Android smartphones and tabletscreates a huge opportunities for developers. If you're anexperienced developer, you can start creating robust mobile Androidapps right away with this professional guide to Android 4application development. Written by one of Google's lead Androiddeveloper advocates, this practical book walks you through a seriesof hands-on projects that illustrate the features of the AndroidSDK. That includes all the new APIs introduced in Android 3 and 4,including building for tablets, using the Action Bar, Wi-Fi Direct,NFC Beam, and more. This book helps you learn to master the design, lifecycle, andUI of an Android app through practical exercises, which you canthen use as a basis for developing your own Android apps.]]> 864 Reto Meier 1118102274 Tom 2 half-read, java, tech 3.92 2012 Professional Android 4 Application Development
author: Reto Meier
name: Tom
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: half-read, java, tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!: A Beginner's Guide]]> 9282423 Learn You a Haskell for Great Good! is a fun, illustrated guide to learning Haskell, a functional programming language that's growing in popularity. Learn You a Haskell for Great Good! introduces programmers familiar with imperative languages (such as C++, Java, or Python) to the unique aspects of functional programming. Packed with jokes, pop culture references, and the author's own hilarious artwork, Learn You a Haskell for Great Good! eases the learning curve of this complex language, and is a perfect starting point for any programmer looking to expand his or her horizons. The well-known web tutorial on which this book is based is widely regarded as the best way for beginners to learn Haskell, and receives over 30,000 unique visitors monthly.

]]> 376 Miran LipovaÄŤa 1593272839 Tom 5 haskell, tech
I started to learn Haskell a while ago with "Real World Haskell". After few chapters I stopped. There was too much "cognitive overhead" for me.
Not that I think that "Real World Haskell" is a bad book (in fact, I'm planning to read it again, now that I'm a bit more familiar with Haskell), I just feel that Miran Lipovaca, the author, does a really great work in introducing the reader to the world of Haskell gradually enough to reduce the cognitive overhead to a manageable degree using humor and simple yet interesting examples.

In addition, the book structure is also very good. There are enough complex concepts to wrap your head around in the first chapters (pattern matching, understanding the type system, etc.) that you don't really need to think about how to create / compile a module, what the main function does, how to import and such things. They are all presented later in the book, making the first steps easier.

From what I've read in the internet before learning Haskell, I was afraid that Monads will be too complicated for me. I most say that Lipovaca explain the concepts very clearly, making me wonder what all the fuss is about.

Overall I cannot recommend more.]]> 4.32 2011 Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!: A Beginner's Guide
author: Miran LipovaÄŤa
name: Tom
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2015/10/27
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: haskell, tech
review:
This book is absolutely amazing!

I started to learn Haskell a while ago with "Real World Haskell". After few chapters I stopped. There was too much "cognitive overhead" for me.
Not that I think that "Real World Haskell" is a bad book (in fact, I'm planning to read it again, now that I'm a bit more familiar with Haskell), I just feel that Miran Lipovaca, the author, does a really great work in introducing the reader to the world of Haskell gradually enough to reduce the cognitive overhead to a manageable degree using humor and simple yet interesting examples.

In addition, the book structure is also very good. There are enough complex concepts to wrap your head around in the first chapters (pattern matching, understanding the type system, etc.) that you don't really need to think about how to create / compile a module, what the main function does, how to import and such things. They are all presented later in the book, making the first steps easier.

From what I've read in the internet before learning Haskell, I was afraid that Monads will be too complicated for me. I most say that Lipovaca explain the concepts very clearly, making me wonder what all the fuss is about.

Overall I cannot recommend more.
]]> Real World Haskell 3226758 You'll find plenty of hands-on exercises, along with examples of real Haskell programs that you can modify, compile, and run. Whether or not you've used a functional language before, if you want to understand why Haskell is coming into its own as a practical language in so many major organizations, Real World Haskell is the best place to start.]]> 720 Bryan O'Sullivan 0596514980 Tom 0 haskell, half-read, tech 3.95 2008 Real World Haskell
author: Bryan O'Sullivan
name: Tom
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: haskell, half-read, tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stuff Goes Bad: Erlang in Anger]]> 23245313 93 Fred Hebert Tom 0 elixir, half-read, tech 4.33 2014 Stuff Goes Bad: Erlang in Anger
author: Fred Hebert
name: Tom
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: elixir, half-read, tech
review:

]]> Programming Elixir 1.2 28578095
Maybe you need something that’s closer to Ruby, but with a battle-proven environment that’s unrivaled for massive scalability, concurrency, distribution, and fault tolerance. Maybe the time is right for the Next Big Thing. Maybe it’s Elixir.]]> 340 Dave Thomas 1680501666 Tom 5 elixir, tech This book was my first resource in learning elixir. The book is really good! The explanations are clear and the material is very interesting. Note that it goes through the material relatively fast. In that regard, this book won't be good for you if you never programmed before.]]> 4.12 2013 Programming Elixir 1.2
author: Dave Thomas
name: Tom
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2016/06/12
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: elixir, tech
review:
I'm a python developer, with a little java, javascript, and haskell experience.
This book was my first resource in learning elixir. The book is really good! The explanations are clear and the material is very interesting. Note that it goes through the material relatively fast. In that regard, this book won't be good for you if you never programmed before.
]]> Elixir in Action 20524444 351 Saša Jurić 161729201X Tom 5 elixir, half-read, tech Although the book is very dense, I found it easy to read. Highly recommended!]]> 4.55 2015 Elixir in Action
author: Saša Jurić
name: Tom
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2017/03/26
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: elixir, half-read, tech
review:
An amazing resource for anyone who wants to improve with OTP. The author explains elixir basics in a rush to get to the "interesting" stuff, namely: BEAM runtime guarantees, OTP behaviours and supervision trees, and finally how to manage a release.
Although the book is very dense, I found it easy to read. Highly recommended!
]]> <![CDATA[Programming Phoenix: Productive |> Reliable |> Fast]]> 26871792 298 Chris McCord 1680501453 Tom 0 elixir, web, half-read, tech 4.23 2016 Programming Phoenix: Productive |> Reliable |> Fast
author: Chris McCord
name: Tom
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2016/06/12
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: elixir, web, half-read, tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Doing Bayesian Data Analysis: A Tutorial with R, JAGS, and Stan]]> 22758795 Doing Bayesian Data Analysis: A Tutorial with R, JAGS, and Stan, Second Edition provides an accessible approach for conducting Bayesian data analysis, as material is explained clearly with concrete examples. Included are step by step instructions on how to carry out Bayesian data analyses in the popular and free software R and WinBugs, as well as new programs in JAGS and Stan. The new programs are designed to be much easier to use than the scripts in the first edition. In particular, there are now compact high level scripts that make it easy to run the programs on your own data sets.

The book is divided into three parts and begins with the basics: models, probability, Bayes� rule, and the R programming language. The discussion then moves to the fundamentals applied to inferring a binomial probability, before concluding with chapters on the generalized linear model. Topics include metric predicted variable on one or two groups; metric predicted variable with one metric predictor; metric predicted variable with multiple metric predictors; metric predicted variable with one nominal predictor; and metric predicted variable with multiple nominal predictors. The exercises found in the text have explicit purposes and guidelines for accomplishment.

This book is intended for first year graduate students or advanced undergraduates in statistics, data analysis, psychology, cognitive science, social sciences, clinical sciences, and consumer sciences in business.]]> 776 John K. Kruschke 0124058884 Tom 0 half-read, tech 4.38 Doing Bayesian Data Analysis: A Tutorial with R, JAGS, and Stan
author: John K. Kruschke
name: Tom
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/05/04
shelves: half-read, tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[INTROVERTS MAKE BETTER NETWORKERS, SECOND EDITION: How anyone can succeed at networking]]> 49640347 76 Beatrice Freeman Tom 0 to-read 4.33 INTROVERTS MAKE BETTER NETWORKERS, SECOND EDITION: How anyone can succeed at networking
author: Beatrice Freeman
name: Tom
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fundamentals of Software Architecture: An Engineering Approach]]> 44144493
Authors Neal Ford and Mark Richards help you learn through examples in a variety of popular programming languages, such as Java, C#, JavaScript, and others. You'll focus on architecture principles with examples that apply across all technology stacks.]]> 422 Mark Richards 1492043451 Tom 0 tech, currently-reading 4.25 2020 Fundamentals of Software Architecture: An Engineering Approach
author: Mark Richards
name: Tom
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: tech, currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom]]> 96884 297 Jonathan Haidt 0465028020 Tom 0 to-read 4.08 2006 The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Tom
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win]]> 17255186
The company's new IT initiative, code named Phoenix Project, is critical to the future of Parts Unlimited, but the project is massively over budget and very late. The CEO wants Bill to report directly to him and fix the mess in ninety days or else Bill's entire department will be outsourced.

With the help of a prospective board member and his mysterious philosophy of The Three Ways, Bill starts to see that IT work has more in common with manufacturing plant work than he ever imagined. With the clock ticking, Bill must organize work flow streamline interdepartmental communications, and effectively serve the other business functions at Parts Unlimited.

In a fast-paced and entertaining style, three luminaries of the DevOps movement deliver a story that anyone who works in IT will recognize. Readers will not only learn how to improve their own IT organizations, they'll never view IT the same way again.]]> 345 Gene Kim 0988262592 Tom 0 to-read 4.23 2013 The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win
author: Gene Kim
name: Tom
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Accelerate: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations]]> 35747076 288 Nicole Forsgren 1942788339 Tom 0 to-read 4.03 Accelerate: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations
author: Nicole Forsgren
name: Tom
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution]]> 61131333 Unicorns—companies that reach a valuation of more than $1 billion—are rare. Uri Levine has built two.

And in Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution, he shows you just how he did it.

As the cofounder of Waze—the world’s leading commuting and navigation app with more than 700 million users to date, and which Google acquired in 2013 for $1. 15 billion—Levine is committed to spreading entrepreneurial thinking so that other founders, managers, and employees in the tech space can build their own highly valued companies.

Levine offers an inside look at the creation and sale of Waze and his second unicorn, Moovit, revealing the formula that drove those companies to compete with industry veterans and giants alike. He offers tips on:

� Firing and hiring
� Disrupting “broken� markets
� Raising funding
� Understanding your users
� Reaching product market fit
� Making scale-up decisions
� Going global
� Deciding when to sell

Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution offers mentorship in a book from one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, and empowers you to build a successful business by identifying your consumers� biggest problems and disrupting the inefficient markets that currently serve them.]]> 304 Uri Levine 1637741987 Tom 0 to-read 4.34 2023 Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution
author: Uri Levine
name: Tom
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How to Win Friends & Influence People]]> 4865
Since its release in 1936, How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold more than 30 million copies. Dale Carnegie's first book is a timeless bestseller, packed with rock-solid advice that has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.

As relevant as ever before, Dale Carnegie's principles endure, and will help you achieve your maximum potential in the complex and competitive modern age.

Learn the six ways to make people like you, the twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking, and the nine ways to change people without arousing resentment.]]> 288 Dale Carnegie Tom 0 to-read 4.22 1936 How to Win Friends & Influence People
author: Dale Carnegie
name: Tom
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1936
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters]]> 11721966 320 Richard P. Rumelt 0307886255 Tom 0 to-read 4.10 2011 Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters
author: Richard P. Rumelt
name: Tom
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Designing Data-Intensive Applications]]> 23463279

In this practical and comprehensive guide, author Martin Kleppmann helps you navigate this diverse landscape by examining the pros and cons of various technologies for processing and storing data. Software keeps changing, but the fundamental principles remain the same. With this book, software engineers and architects will learn how to apply those ideas in practice, and how to make full use of data in modern applications.


Peer under the hood of the systems you already use, and learn how to use and operate them more effectively
Make informed decisions by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of different tools
Navigate the trade-offs around consistency, scalability, fault tolerance, and complexity
Understand the distributed systems research upon which modern databases are built
Peek behind the scenes of major online services, and learn from their architectures]]> 562 Martin Kleppmann Tom 0 tech 4.72 2015 Designing Data-Intensive Applications
author: Martin Kleppmann
name: Tom
average rating: 4.72
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2025/01/28
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering]]> 13629 The added chapters contain (1) a crisp condensation of all the propositions asserted in the original book, including Brooks' central argument in The Mythical Man-Month: that large programming projects suffer management problems different from small ones due to the division of labor; that the conceptual integrity of the product is therefore critical; and that it is difficult but possible to achieve this unity; (2) Brooks' view of these propositions a generation later; (3) a reprint of his classic 1986 paper "No Silver Bullet"; and (4) today's thoughts on the 1986 assertion, "There will be no silver bullet within ten years."

]]> 322 Frederick P. Brooks Jr. 0201835959 Tom 0 to-read 4.00 1975 The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering
author: Frederick P. Brooks Jr.
name: Tom
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1975
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Software Engineer's Guidebook: Navigating senior, tech lead, and staff engineer positions at tech companies and startups]]> 201545491 413 Gergely Orosz 908338182X Tom 0 to-read 4.07 2023 The Software Engineer's Guidebook: Navigating senior, tech lead, and staff engineer positions at tech companies and startups
author: Gergely Orosz
name: Tom
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love]]> 35249663 Đвтор делитŃŃŹ ŃобŃтвенным опытом и техниками, иŃпользŃемыми в работе Ń Ńамыми извеŃтными компаниями в облаŃти выŃоких технологий. Đ’Ń‹ Ńзнаете, как ведŃщие мировые корпорации Ńоздают Ńвои Đ»ŃчŃие продŃкты и каким образом можно иŃпользовать их опыт.
Книга помогает ŃŃвоить главное: как бы хороŃĐ° ни была ваŃĐ° команда разработчиков - ŃŤŃ‚Đľ не имеет значения, еŃли ей не Đ´Đ°ŃŽŃ‚ работать над тем, что Đ´ĐľŃтойно разработки. СовŃем недоŃтаточно проŃŃ‚Đľ хороŃĐľ Ń‚Ń€ŃдитьŃŃŹ, проектирŃŃŹ продŃкт. Важно ŃбедитьŃŃŹ в том, что этот продŃкт полезен, Ńдобен в иŃпользовании, и его можно воплотить в жизнь.
Книга адреŃована Ń€Ńководителям и ŃобŃтвенникам компаний, ведŃщим инженерам и дизайнерам, разработчикам программных продŃктов - вŃем, кто принимает ŃчаŃтие в процеŃŃе Ńправления продŃктом и Ńоздания того, в чем люди дейŃтвительно бŃĐ´ŃŃ‚ Đ˝ŃждатьŃŃŹ.
Благодаря информации, Ńобранной в книге, менеджеры по ĐĽĐ°Ń€ĐşĐµŃ‚Đ¸Đ˝ĐłŃ ĐżŃ€ĐľĐ´Ńкта и Ń€Ńководители проектов различных отделов производŃтвенной организации наŃчатŃŃŹ правильно определять, что именно хотят полŃчить покŃпатели.
Đздание Ńтанет полезным для команд разработчиков, занимающихŃŃŹ Đ·Đ°ĐżŃŃком новых проектов. Методы, предŃтавленные в книге, позволят вам Ńоздавать абŃолютно новые продŃкты-хиты или ŃоверŃенŃтвовать Ńже ŃŃщеŃтвŃющие товары.]]> 349 Marty Cagan 1119387507 Tom 0 to-read 4.22 2008 Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love
author: Marty Cagan
name: Tom
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Writing for Developers: Blogs that get read]]> 219199634 Pragmatic methods for writing blogs, articles, and other technical pieces that stand out from the crowd!

Do you want to connect with your community, share your state-of-the-art achievements, and help your peers benefit from your hard-fought lessons learned? Do you want to get the kind of attention that expands your career? Master the art of writing engineering blog posts and articles! This comprehensive guide shows you how to create content your fellow developers will love to read and share.

Writing for Developers is full of the practical tips, tricks, and techniques you need to translate the ideas floating around your head into content that’s clear and compelling, including how

� Pinpoint topics that make intriguing posts
� Apply popular blog post design patterns
� Rapidly plan, draft, and optimize blog posts
� Make your content clearer and more convincing to technical readers
� Tap AI for revision while avoiding misuses and abuses
� Increase the impact of all your technical communications

Whether you’re brand new to writing, or a seasoned hand who wants more attention for your work, Writing for Developers will help ensure your writing resonates with readers. This isn’t a generic writing guide—from start to finish, the book is laser-focused on technical topics, writers, and audiences. Authors Piotr Sarna and Cynthia Dunlop combine their differing perspectives as an engineer and professional writer to help you write compelling works. You’ll learn through detailed examples, methodical strategies, and a “punk rock DIY attitude!�

Foreword by Bryan Cantrill. Afterword by Scott Hanselman.

About the technology

A well-crafted technical article can spark a new idea, demystify a technology, expand your perspective, or save you from going down a disastrous path. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “good writer,� you can make a difference by sharing insights and advancing the community. This practical guide shows you how to create blogs, articles, and other content your fellow developers will want to read and share.

About the book

Writing for Developers introduces seven popular patterns for modern engineering blogs—such as “The Bug Hunt,� “We Rewrote It in X,� and “How We Built It”—and helps you match these patterns with your ideas. This book covers the entire writing process, from brainstorming, planning, and revising, to promoting your blog in ways that build reputation and generate further opportunities.

What's inside

� Rapidly plan, draft, and review your content
� Build on popular blog post design patterns
� Support your writing with AI
� Increase the impact of all your communications

About the reader

For developers and engineers of all ability levels—even if you’re not a native English speaker and never took a writing class in your life.

About the author

Piotr Sarna is a software engineer and an experienced book and blog author. Cynthia Dunlop has been writing for and with developers for 20+ years.]]> 376 Piotr Sarna 1633436284 Tom 0 to-read 4.23 Writing for Developers: Blogs that get read
author: Piotr Sarna
name: Tom
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design]]> 171691901 122 Kent Beck 1098151240 Tom 0 to-read 3.88 Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design
author: Kent Beck
name: Tom
average rating: 3.88
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems]]> 27968891
In this collection of essays and articles, key members of Google's Site Reliability Team explain how and why their commitment to the entire lifecycle has enabled the company to successfully build, deploy, monitor, and maintain some of the largest software systems in the world. You'll learn the principles and practices that enable Google engineers to make systems more scalable, reliable, and efficient--lessons directly applicable to your organization.

This book is divided into four sections: Introduction--Learn what site reliability engineering is and why it differs from conventional IT industry practicesPrinciples--Examine the patterns, behaviors, and areas of concern that influence the work of a site reliability engineer (SRE)Practices--Understand the theory and practice of an SRE's day-to-day work: building and operating large distributed computing systemsManagement--Explore Google's best practices for training, communication, and meetings that your organization can use]]> 550 Betsy Beyer 149192912X Tom 0 to-read 4.20 2016 Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems
author: Betsy Beyer
name: Tom
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code]]> 35135772 Fully Revised and Updated-Includes New Refactorings and Code Examples "Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand."
--M. Fowler (1999) For more than twenty years, experienced programmers worldwide have relied on Martin Fowler's Refactoring to improve the design of existing code and to enhance software maintainability, as well as to make existing code easier to understand.
This eagerly awaited new edition has been fully updated to reflect crucial changes in the programming landscape. Refactoring, Second Edition, features an updated catalog of refactorings and includes JavaScript code examples, as well as new functional examples that demonstrate refactoring without classes.
Like the original, this edition explains what refactoring is; why you should refactor; how to recognize code that needs refactoring; and how to actually do it successfully, no matter what language you use.
Understand the process and general principles of refactoring Quickly apply useful refactorings to make a program easier to comprehend and change Recognize "bad smells" in code that signal opportunities to refactor Explore the refactorings, each with explanations, motivation, mechanics, and simple examples Build solid tests for your refactorings Recognize tradeoffs and obstacles to refactoring Includes free access to the canonical web edition, with even more refactoring resources. (See inside the book for details about how to access the web edition.)]]> 448 Martin Fowler 0134757599 Tom 0 to-read 4.30 1999 Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code
author: Martin Fowler
name: Tom
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery, 20th Anniversary Edition]]> 52715562 The Pragmatic Programmer, Andrew Hunt and David Thomas codify many of the truths they've discovered during their respective careers as designers of software and writers of code.

Some of the authors' nuggets of pragmatism are concrete, and the path to their implementation is clear. They advise readers to learn one text editor, for example, and use it for everything. They also recommend the use of version-tracking software for even the smallest projects, and promote the merits of learning regular expression syntax and a text-manipulation language. Other (perhaps more valuable) advice is more light-hearted. In the debugging section, it is noted that, "if you see hoof prints think horses, not zebras." That is, suspect everything, but start looking for problems in the most obvious places. There are recommendations for making estimates of time and expense, and for integrating testing into the development process. You'll want a copy of The Pragmatic Programmer for two reasons: it displays your own accumulated wisdom more cleanly than you ever bothered to state it, and it introduces you to methods of work that you may not yet have considered. Working programmers will enjoy this book. --David Wall

Topics covered: A useful approach to software design and construction that allows for efficient, profitable development of high-quality products. Elements of the approach include specification development, customer relations, team management, design practices, development tools, and testing procedures. This approach is presented with the help of anecdotes and technical problems.]]> 352 Dave Thomas 0135956919 Tom 5 tech 4.49 1999 The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery, 20th Anniversary Edition
author: Dave Thomas
name: Tom
average rating: 4.49
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2024/06/08
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves: tech
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook]]> 62322179 - Marty Cagan, Silicon Valley Product Group

Based on 25 years of experience working with thousands of leaders � from early-career product managers to CEOs � Never Search Alone gives readers a time-tested, multi-step process (with exercises, tools, and templates) to find the right job now.

This new approach to looking for a job and building a good career focuses on three big ideas learned from helping thousands of job

Never Search Alone. Because your emotional balance is the most important thing you need to manage in a job search, you need a support group of fellow job seekers that will help you turn insecurity and anxiety into hope, motivation, confidence, and accountability.Candidate-Market Fit. If product-market fit drives company success, candidate-market fit drives career success. So, before you begin interviewing and networking you need to identify precisely what you want and what the market wants. Phyl shows how this key step will help you figure out the intersection between your hopes and dreams and market realities.Four Legs to the Negotiations Stool. There are *four* legs to the negotiations compensation, budget, resources, and support. The last three drive your success in the next job, which is why Phyl asks job seeker’s to emphasize that as much or even more than compensation (though, of course, they will also show you how to ask for more money).
Foreword by Marty Cagan (Excerpt)

For more than 20 years, I’ve encouraged people who are serious about their career to meet Phyl Terry.

Yes, Phyl is one of the best-connected leaders in the industry.

Yes, Phyl is a genuine human being who truly cares about you per- sonally and your career.

But what really sets Phyl apart is that he understands how to harness the power of community.

This book is all about scaling the magic that is Phyl.

I have seen Phyl and the techniques he advocates dramatically improve the career trajectories of countless people.

And not just people who are in mid-career, dissatisfied with their current job, and want to find better.

These techniques are at least as valuable for new college graduates looking for that all-important first professional job.

Or another very difficult but increasingly common older employees who find themselves in need of a new job, yet encountering systemic ageism at every turn.

Which is to say, nearly everyone in the professional workforce can benefit from the techniques in this book.

And one more pro it’s a good idea to learn these techniques before you need them.

When you are able to find a job that you truly enjoy, that leverages your unique skills and talents, where you can receive the coaching necessary to continue to grow and develop to reach your potential, and where you can make a real contribution, you have meaningfully improved your life.

My hope is that this book will help countless people to improve their lives.

� Marty Cagan
Founder, Silicon Valley Product Group December 2021]]> 296 Phyl Terry Tom 0 to-read 4.16 Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook
author: Phyl Terry
name: Tom
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Learning Domain-Driven Design: Aligning Software Architecture and Business Strategy]]> 57573212 340 Vladik Khononov 1098100131 Tom 0 to-read 4.44 Learning Domain-Driven Design: Aligning Software Architecture and Business Strategy
author: Vladik Khononov
name: Tom
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware]]> 3063393 251 Andy Hunt 1934356050 Tom 0 to-read 4.12 2008 Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware
author: Andy Hunt
name: Tom
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Balancing Coupling in Software Design: Universal Design Principles for Architecting Modular Software Systems]]> 56903647
Instead of blindly avoiding coupling, leading software architecture expert Vladik (Vlad) Khononov proposes a novel method that transforms it into a powerful design tool: "balanced multi-dimensional coupling." Khononov begins by surveying existing methods of evaluating coupling, and illuminating their strengths and limitations in the context of modern distributed systems. Next, he introduces a new multi-dimensional coupling model, and demonstrates how to harness it to build modular software.

Instead of focusing solely on a single approach, Balancing Coupling in Software Design illuminates underlying design principles that are ubiquitous in SOA, microservices, DDD, design patterns, and other paradigms, revealing how each of them can fail if thoughtful design principles for coupling are neglected -- and how balanced coupling can make all of them work more effectively.
]]> 320 Vladik Khononov 0137353480 Tom 0 to-read 4.57 Balancing Coupling in Software Design: Universal Design Principles for Architecting Modular Software Systems
author: Vladik Khononov
name: Tom
average rating: 4.57
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/27
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs]]> 43713 657 Harold Abelson 0262510871 Tom 0 to-read 4.47 1984 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs
author: Harold Abelson
name: Tom
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1984
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Philosophy of Software Design]]> 39996759 190 John Ousterhout 1732102201 Tom 0 to-read 4.18 2018 A Philosophy of Software Design
author: John Ousterhout
name: Tom
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[High Performance Browser Networking]]> 17985198
Author Ilya Grigorik—a developer advocate and web performance engineer at Google—starts with the building blocks of TCP and UDP, and then dives into newer technologies such as HTTP 2.0, WebSockets, and WebRTC. This book explains the benefits of these technologies and helps you determine which ones to use for your next application.

- Learn how TCP affects the performance of HTTP
- Understand why mobile networks are slower than wired networks
- Use best practices to address performance bottlenecks in HTTP
- Discover how HTTP 2.0 (based on SPDY) will improve networking
- Learn how to use Server Sent Events (SSE) for push updates, and WebSockets for XMPP chat
- Explore WebRTC for browser-to-browser applications such as P2P video chat
- Examine the architecture of a simple app that uses HTTP 2.0, SSE, WebSockets, and WebRTC]]> 400 Ilya Grigorik Tom 0 to-read 4.51 2013 High Performance Browser Networking
author: Ilya Grigorik
name: Tom
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software]]> 85009
The authors begin by describing what patterns are and how they can help you design object-oriented software. They then go on to systematically name, explain, evaluate, and catalog recurring designs in object-oriented systems. With Design Patterns as your guide, you will learn how these important patterns fit into the software development process, and how you can leverage them to solve your own design problems most efficiently.

Each pattern describes the circumstances in which it is applicable, when it can be applied in view of other design constraints, and the consequences and trade-offs of using the pattern within a larger design. All patterns are compiled from real systems and are based on real-world examples. Each pattern also includes code that demonstrates how it may be implemented in object-oriented programming languages like C++ or Smalltalk.

]]> 416 Erich Gamma 0201633612 Tom 0 to-read 4.19 1994 Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
author: Erich Gamma
name: Tom
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bass Aerobics Bass Guitar Exercise Book with Online Audio | 52-Week Practice Program for Beginners and Advanced Players | Improve Speed, Dexterity, and Technique]]> 14341643 114 Jon Liebman 1423495632 Tom 0 music, half-read 4.50 2011 Bass Aerobics Bass Guitar Exercise Book with Online Audio | 52-Week Practice Program for Beginners and Advanced Players | Improve Speed, Dexterity, and Technique
author: Jon Liebman
name: Tom
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves: music, half-read
review:

]]> Infinite Jest 6759
Set in an addicts' halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwed-up family to come along in recent fiction, Infinite Jest explores essential questions about what entertainment is and why it has come to so dominate our lives; about how our desire for entertainment affects our need to connect with other people; and about what the pleasures we choose say about who we are.

Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, Infinite Jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. It is an exuberant, uniquely American exploration of the passions that make us human—and one of those rare books that renew the idea of what a novel can do.]]> 1088 David Foster Wallace Tom 0 should-finish 4.26 1996 Infinite Jest
author: David Foster Wallace
name: Tom
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves: should-finish
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma]]> 90590134
We are approaching a critical threshold in the history of our species. Everything is about to change.Ěý
Ěý
Soon you will live surrounded by AIs. They will organise your life, operate your business, and run core government services. You will live in a world of DNA printers and quantum computers, engineered pathogens and autonomous weapons, robot assistants and abundant energy.Ěý
Ěý
None of us are prepared.
Ěý
As co-founder of the pioneering AI company DeepMind, part of Google, Mustafa Suleyman has been at the centre of this revolution. The coming decade, he argues, will be defined by this wave of powerful, fast-proliferating new technologies.Ěý
Ěý
In The Coming Wave , Suleyman shows how these forces will create immense prosperity but also threaten the nation-state, the foundation of global order. As our fragile governments sleepwalk into disaster, we face an existential unprecedented harms on one side, the threat of overbearing surveillance on the other.Ěý
Ěý
Can we forge a narrow path between catastrophe and dystopia?]]> 332 Mustafa Suleyman 0593593952 Tom 0 half-read 3.78 2023 The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma
author: Mustafa Suleyman
name: Tom
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves: half-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Systems Performance (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)]]> 53435218 Systems Performance, Second Edition, covers concepts, strategy, tools, and tuning for operating systems and applications, using Linux-based operating systems as the primary example. A deep understanding of these tools and techniques is critical for developers today. Implementing the strategies described in this thoroughly revised and updated edition can lead to a better end-user experience and lower costs, especially for cloud computing environments that charge by the OS instance.

Systems performance expert and best-selling author Brendan Gregg summarizes relevant operating system, hardware, and application theory to quickly get professionals up to speed even if they've never analyzed performance before. Gregg then provides in-depth explanations of the latest tools and techniques, including extended BPF, and shows how to get the most out of cloud, web, and large-scale enterprise systems. Key topics covered include
Hardware, kernel, and application internals, and how they perform Methodologies for rapid performance analysis of complex systems Optimizing CPU, memory, file system, disk, and networking usage Sophisticated profiling and tracing with perf, Ftrace, and BPF (BCC and bpftrace) Performance challenges associated with cloud computing hypervisors Benchmarking more effectively Featuring up-to-date coverage of Linux operating systems and environments, Systems Performance, Second Edition, also addresses issues that apply to any computer system. The book will be a go-to reference for many years to come and, like the first edition, required reading at leading tech companies.

Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.]]> 928 Brendan Gregg 0136820158 Tom 0 to-read 4.58 2013 Systems Performance (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)
author: Brendan Gregg
name: Tom
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Art of Electronics 7831175 1220 Paul Horowitz 0521809266 Tom 0 half-read 4.75 1980 The Art of Electronics
author: Paul Horowitz
name: Tom
average rating: 4.75
book published: 1980
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves: half-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI]]> 198678736 **A New York Times Bestseller**

'Co-Intelligence is the very best book I know about the ins, outs, and ethics of generative AI. Drop everything and read it cover to cover NOW' Angela Duckworth

Consumer AI has arrived. And with it, inescapable upheaval as we grapple with what it means for our jobs, lives and the future of humanity.

Cutting through the noise of AI evangelists and AI doom-mongers, Wharton professor Ethan Mollick has become one of the most prominent and provocative explainers of AI, focusing on the practical aspects of how these new tools for thought can transform our world. In Co-Intelligence, he urges us to engage with AI as co-worker, co-teacher and coach. Wide ranging, hugely thought-provoking and optimistic, Co-Intelligence reveals the promise and power of this new era.]]> 243 Ethan Mollick 075356078X Tom 0 tech 3.98 2024 Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI
author: Ethan Mollick
name: Tom
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at: 2024/04/27
date added: 2024/04/27
shelves: tech
review:

]]> For Whom the Bell Tolls 46170 For Whom the Bell Tolls. The story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain, it tells of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal. In his portrayal of Jordan's love for the beautiful Maria and his superb account of El Sordo's last stand, in his brilliant travesty of La Pasionaria and his unwillingness to believe in blind faith, Hemingway surpasses his achievement in The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms to create a work at once rare and beautiful, strong and brutal, compassionate, moving and wise. "If the function of a writer is to reveal reality," Maxwell Perkins wrote to Hemingway after reading the manuscript, "no one ever so completely performed it." Greater in power, broader in scope, and more intensely emotional than any of the author's previous works, it stands as one of the best war novels of all time.]]> 471 Ernest Hemingway Tom 0 3.98 1940 For Whom the Bell Tolls
author: Ernest Hemingway
name: Tom
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1940
rating: 0
read at: 2022/07/19
date added: 2022/07/20
shelves:
review:

]]> Slaughterhouse-Five 4981 Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous World War II firebombing of Dresden, the novel is the result of what Kurt Vonnegut described as a twenty-three-year struggle to write a book about what he had witnessed as an American prisoner of war. It combines historical fiction, science fiction, autobiography, and satire in an account of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber’s son turned draftee turned optometrist turned alien abductee. As Vonnegut had, Billy experiences the destruction of Dresden as a POW. Unlike Vonnegut, he experiences time travel, or coming “unstuck in time.�

An instant bestseller, Slaughterhouse-Five made Kurt Vonnegut a cult hero in American literature, a reputation that only strengthened over time, despite his being banned and censored by some libraries and schools for content and language. But it was precisely those elements of Vonnegut’s writing—the political edginess, the genre-bending inventiveness, the frank violence, the transgressive wit—that have inspired generations of readers not just to look differently at the world around them but to find the confidence to say something about it.

Fifty years after its initial publication at the height of the Vietnam War, Vonnegut's portrayal of political disillusionment, PTSD, and postwar anxiety feels as relevant, darkly humorous, and profoundly affecting as ever, an enduring beacon through our own era’s uncertainties.]]> 275 Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Tom 0 4.10 1969 Slaughterhouse-Five
author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
name: Tom
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1969
rating: 0
read at: 2022/03/25
date added: 2022/04/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Black and British: A Short, Essential History]]> 55463220 A short, essential introduction to Black British history

When did Africans first come to Britain?

Who are the well-dressed black children in Georgian paintings?

Why did the American Civil War disrupt the Industrial Revolution?

These and many other questions are answered in this essential introduction to 1800 years of the Black British history: from the Roman Africans who guarded Hadrian's Wall right up to the present day. This new children's version of the bestseller Black and British by award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga is Illustrated with maps, photos and portraits

Macmillan Children's Books will donate 50p from every copy sold to The Black Curriculum.]]> 227 David Olusoga 1529064422 Tom 0 4.49 2020 Black and British: A Short, Essential History
author: David Olusoga
name: Tom
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2022/04/05
date added: 2022/04/12
shelves:
review:

]]> The Road to React 37503118 410 Robin Wieruch Tom 0 4.24 2017 The Road to React
author: Robin Wieruch
name: Tom
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2022/03/18
date added: 2022/03/18
shelves:
review:

]]> Of Mice and Men 170455 This is an alternate cover edition for isbn10: 0141185104; possibly also for isbn10: 0140177396

The compelling story of two outsiders striving to find their place in an unforgiving world.

Drifters in search of work, George and his simple minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and a dream--a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie, struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy becomes a victim of his own strength.

Tackling universal themes and giving a voice to America's lonely and dispossessed, Of Mice and Men has proved to be one of Steinbeck's most popular works, achieving success as a novel, a Broadway play and three acclaimed films.]]> 106 John Steinbeck Tom 0 3.87 1937 Of Mice and Men
author: John Steinbeck
name: Tom
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1937
rating: 0
read at: 2020/01/23
date added: 2020/01/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories]]> 22929586 A Manual for Cleaning Women compiles the best work of the legendary short-story writer Lucia Berlin. With the grit of Raymond Carver, the humor of Grace Paley, and a blend of wit and melancholy all her own, Berlin crafts miracles from the everyday, uncovering moments of grace in the laundromats and halfway houses of the American Southwest, in the homes of the Bay Area upper class, among switchboard operators and struggling mothers, hitchhikers and bad Christians. Readers will revel in this remarkable collection from a master of the form and wonder how they'd ever overlooked her in the first place.]]> 406 Lucia Berlin 0374202397 Tom 0 4.22 2015 A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories
author: Lucia Berlin
name: Tom
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at: 2019/12/01
date added: 2020/01/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Pereira Maintains 7849308
Lisboa, 1938. Bajo la opresiva dictadura de Salazar, el furor de la guerra civil espanola llamando a la puerta y el fascismo italiano de fondo, Pereira, un periodista dedicado a la seccion de sucesos, recibe el encargo de dirigir la pagina cultural de un mediocre periodico. Necesitado de un colaborador, contacta con Monteiro Rossi, joven inequivocamente comprometido con la vida. La intensa relacion que se establece entre el viejo periodista, Monteiro y su novia Marta, cristalizara en una crisis personal, una maduracion interior y una dolorosa toma de conciencia que transformara profundamente la vida de Pereira.]]> 196 Antonio Tabucchi 1847675719 Tom 0 novel 4.11 1994 Pereira Maintains
author: Antonio Tabucchi
name: Tom
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at: 2019/10/09
date added: 2019/10/25
shelves: novel
review:

]]> Ocean Sea 208631 Silk surges with the hypnotic power of the ocean sea.

In Ocean Sea, Alessandro Baricco presents a hypnotizing postmodern fable of human malady--psychological, existential, erotic--and the sea as a means of deliverance. At the Almayer Inn, a remote shoreline hotel, an artist dips his brush in a cup of ocean water to paint a portrait of the sea. A scientist pens love letters to a woman he has yet to meet. An adulteress searches for relief from her proclivity to fall in love. And a sixteen-year-old girl seeks a cure from a mysterious condition which science has failed to remedy. When these people meet, their fates begin to interact as if by design. Enter a mighty tempest and a ghostly mariner with a thirst for vengeance, and the Inn becomes a place where destiny and desire battle for the upper hand. Playful, provocative, and ultimately profound, Ocean Sea is a novel of striking originality and wisdom.]]> 256 Alessandro Baricco 0375703950 Tom 5 novel 4.23 1993 Ocean Sea
author: Alessandro Baricco
name: Tom
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 2019/08/03
date added: 2019/08/07
shelves: novel
review:

]]> Invisible Cities 236219 150 Italo Calvino Tom 0 half-read 3.98 1972 Invisible Cities
author: Italo Calvino
name: Tom
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1972
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/08/07
shelves: half-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[How To Get A Phd: A Handbook For Students And Their Supervisors]]> 28286370 280 Phillips 0335264123 Tom 0 half-read 3.96 1987 How To Get A Phd: A Handbook For Students And Their Supervisors
author: Phillips
name: Tom
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1987
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/10/20
shelves: half-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Deep Learning With Python: Develop Deep Learning Models on Theano and TensorFlow Using Keras]]> 34043770 256 Jason Brownlee Tom 0 half-read 4.04 Deep Learning With Python: Develop Deep Learning Models on Theano and TensorFlow Using Keras
author: Jason Brownlee
name: Tom
average rating: 4.04
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/09/24
shelves: half-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gran Canaria: The finest coastal and mountain walks - 72 walks (Rother Walking Guide)]]> 33830607
Die Wanderungen sind � wie auch die Natur � sehr abwechslungsreich. Auf vielen Wegen wird man kaum einem Menschen begegnen. Die Wanderungen führen auf über 500 Jahre alten Verbindungswegen, den Camino Reales, zu abgelegenen Bergdörfern oder verlaufen entlang der Küsten. Im Zentrum der Insel erheben sich gezackte Bergkämme und bizarre Felsmonolithen auf bis zu knapp 2000 Meter.

Jeder Wandervorschlag bietet eine zuverlässige Tourenbeschreibung, ein Wanderkärtchen mit eingetragenem Routenverlauf und ein aussagekräftiges Höhenprofil. In einer übersichtlichen Kurzinfo sind Busverbindungen, Einkehr- und Übernachtungsmöglichkeiten, Anforderungen, Höhenunterschied und vieles mehr angegeben. GPS-Daten stehen zum Download bereit. Zahlreiche Fotos machen Lust auf Ausflüge in die abwechslungsreiche Bergwelt.]]> 239 Izabella Gawin Tom 4 The only two downsides are:
- The recommended routes. 2 of the recommended routes we did (15 & 37) were among the less interesting routes in our trip.
- It is more about the translation, but the vocabulary is unnecessary complicated. We are not native English speakers but considered ourselves to be competent in English and we struggled with some of the sentences.

Overall, the guide is highly recommended.]]> 4.00 2001 Gran Canaria: The finest coastal and mountain walks - 72 walks (Rother Walking Guide)
author: Izabella Gawin
name: Tom
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2017/01/09
date added: 2017/01/19
shelves:
review:
My partner and I used this guide in our 8 days vacation in Gran Canaria which was dedicated almost entirely for hiking. We hiked around 10 of the routes in the guide and found it to be really good! The information about the routes, the extra notes (like accommodations, refreshments on the way, instructions to get to the route by bus / car, etc.), and especially the walking time indication were extremely accurate.
The only two downsides are:
- The recommended routes. 2 of the recommended routes we did (15 & 37) were among the less interesting routes in our trip.
- It is more about the translation, but the vocabulary is unnecessary complicated. We are not native English speakers but considered ourselves to be competent in English and we struggled with some of the sentences.

Overall, the guide is highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[Sweet Anticipation: Music And the Psychology of Expectation (A Bradford Book)]]> 546037 462 David Huron 0262083450 Tom 4 music Overall, it is well worth reading.]]> 4.20 2006 Sweet Anticipation: Music And the Psychology of Expectation (A Bradford Book)
author: David Huron
name: Tom
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/27
date added: 2016/12/27
shelves: music
review:
Reading chapters 1-6, 9 and most of chapter 10, I think that the book is clearly written (as everything else I read by this author) and survey the field in an interesting and approachable manner. On the other hand, Huron's ITPRA theory, although make a lot of sense, is not directly measured / "perceptualy proofed" in the book. The author usually use the results of several researchers to explain how they support the theory, but it doesn't seems that there could be evidence to reject the theory, which is quiet problematic.
Overall, it is well worth reading.
]]> <![CDATA[Programming for Musicians and Digital Artists: Creating music with ChucK]]> 19485550
Programming for Musicians and Digital Creating Music with ChucK offers a complete introduction to programming in the open source music language ChucK. In it, you'll learn the basics of digital sound creation and manipulation while you discover the ChucK language. As you move example-by-example through this easy-to-follow book, you'll create meaningful and rewarding digital compositions and "instruments" that make sound and music in direct response to program logic, scores, gestures, and other systems connected via MIDI or the network.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

About this Book

A digital musician must manipulate sound precisely. ChucK is an audio-centric programming language that provides precise control over time, audio computation, and user interface elements like track pads and joysticks. Because it uses the vocabulary of sound, ChucK is easy to learn even for artists with little or no exposure to computer programming.

Programming for Musicians and Digital Artists offers a complete introduction to music programming. In it, you'll learn the basics of digital sound manipulation while you learn to program using ChucK. Example-by-example, you'll create meaningful digital compositions and "instruments" that respond to program logic, scores, gestures, and other systems connected via MIDI or the network. You'll also experience how ChucK enables the on-the-fly musical improvisation practiced by communities of "live music coders" around the world.

Written for readers familiar with the vocabulary of sound and music. No experience with computer programming is required.

What's Inside

About the Authors

Perry Cook , Ajay Kapur , Spencer Salazar , and Ge Wang are pioneers in the area of teaching and programming digital music. Ge is the creator and chief architect of the ChucK language.

Table of Contents]]> 344 Ajay Kapur 1617291706 Tom 4 music Second, I think that the authors try to "sell" the book to the reader way too often. When something new is demonstrated, it is almost always followed by statements that praise the language and the feature. As a reader, I decided to read this book because I believe that chuck is worth learning. Showing the selling features of the language in the introduction will be enough.
Next, I would like to mention one good thing about the book, and this is its appendices. Most programming books I read are not useful as reference books. This one, however, include most of the information necessary as reference in the appendices. It includes libraries and unit generator "catalogs", and useful information for installing and running the program in different scenarios. As opposed to the rest of the book, the appendices are also more dense, which is, IMHO, a good thing.
Finally, I would still recommend the book to someone who want to learn chuck. Apart from the criticism above it is well written and well organized. And it is the only book to learn chuck at the moment.]]> 4.09 2014 Programming for Musicians and Digital Artists: Creating music with ChucK
author: Ajay Kapur
name: Tom
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2016/06/13
date added: 2016/06/15
shelves: music
review:
First, I would like to note that I came to this book after knowing other programming languages. I know that the book is intended for "musicians and digital artists" who never programmed, therefore, this complain is somewhat unfair. The authors repeat themselves too much, and the book is very slow, making it a bit hard to read. The code snippets exemplify this issue: there are inline comments in the code, additional annotation around it, and explanation of the annotations in the text body. It is 3 times repetition! I found myself skimming through the text when it explains a code snippet and just read the comments / annotations. In that case, I would prefer only comments or only annotations.
Second, I think that the authors try to "sell" the book to the reader way too often. When something new is demonstrated, it is almost always followed by statements that praise the language and the feature. As a reader, I decided to read this book because I believe that chuck is worth learning. Showing the selling features of the language in the introduction will be enough.
Next, I would like to mention one good thing about the book, and this is its appendices. Most programming books I read are not useful as reference books. This one, however, include most of the information necessary as reference in the appendices. It includes libraries and unit generator "catalogs", and useful information for installing and running the program in different scenarios. As opposed to the rest of the book, the appendices are also more dense, which is, IMHO, a good thing.
Finally, I would still recommend the book to someone who want to learn chuck. Apart from the criticism above it is well written and well organized. And it is the only book to learn chuck at the moment.
]]> Daemon 7575294 508 Daniel Suarez 1847249612 Tom 1 half-read, novel 4.00 2006 Daemon
author: Daniel Suarez
name: Tom
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2006
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2016/06/13
shelves: half-read, novel
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mel Bay Basic C6th Nonpedal Lap Steel Method]]> 356552 96 DeWitt Scott 0786614498 Tom 4 music, half-read I'm a musician and know reading and theory, so I don't know how this book will be for a complete newbie. But for one who know the basics and want to learn really unique instrument this book is very helpful.
By the way, it isn't even similar to guitar.]]> 3.71 1996 Mel Bay Basic C6th Nonpedal Lap Steel Method
author: DeWitt Scott
name: Tom
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/06/12
shelves: music, half-read
review:
I'm only at the beginning of the book, but it is very good.
I'm a musician and know reading and theory, so I don't know how this book will be for a complete newbie. But for one who know the basics and want to learn really unique instrument this book is very helpful.
By the way, it isn't even similar to guitar.
]]> <![CDATA[Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman]]> 5608045
Compiled from years of research, many interviews, and feedback from O'Reilly's online forum, these patterns address difficult situations that programmers, administrators, and DBAs face every day. And it's not just about financial success. Apprenticeship Patterns also approaches software development as a means to personal fulfillment. Discover how this book can help you make the best of both your life and your career.

Solutions to some common obstacles that this book explores in-depth ]]> 165 Dave Hoover 0596518382 Tom 2 - There were situation in which I faced a really problematic code base. Things where over-complicated and the design lead to error prone code. Working in such environment is frustrating. I tend to believe that I tried to improve the code base and made things better but I'm not sure that it will be true. I was hoping to know how to deal with this frustration better; how to manage to be proud in the code I'm writing without struggling with management whenever I refactor the code base and introduce features that will simplify the overall system.
- Scoping the work you are expected to do is a hard problem. How can one promise anything (deadlines) in this situation?

Overall, most of the advice in this book felt trivial for me. And the advice I was looking for was missing.

Note that I didn't read all of it. Actually, due to the structure of the book, it is hard to tell what portion of it I did read. I would guess that it is somewhere between 60% to 80%.]]> 4.11 2009 Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman
author: Dave Hoover
name: Tom
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2016/06/12
shelves:
review:
When I started to read this book I thought that there are no useful patterns that could help me in my journey as a junior developer. Today, I think that there are several common pitfalls and sources of frustration that developers usually face. However, I didn't find a lot of help for these in the book. Let me give concrete examples:
- There were situation in which I faced a really problematic code base. Things where over-complicated and the design lead to error prone code. Working in such environment is frustrating. I tend to believe that I tried to improve the code base and made things better but I'm not sure that it will be true. I was hoping to know how to deal with this frustration better; how to manage to be proud in the code I'm writing without struggling with management whenever I refactor the code base and introduce features that will simplify the overall system.
- Scoping the work you are expected to do is a hard problem. How can one promise anything (deadlines) in this situation?

Overall, most of the advice in this book felt trivial for me. And the advice I was looking for was missing.

Note that I didn't read all of it. Actually, due to the structure of the book, it is hard to tell what portion of it I did read. I would guess that it is somewhere between 60% to 80%.
]]> The Broom of the System 6750 467 David Foster Wallace 0142002429 Tom 4 novel 3.84 1987 The Broom of the System
author: David Foster Wallace
name: Tom
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2013/09/19
date added: 2016/06/12
shelves: novel
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments]]> 6748 Infinite Jest.]]> 353 David Foster Wallace 0316925284 Tom 5 novel 4.24 1996 A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments
author: David Foster Wallace
name: Tom
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2013/06/23
date added: 2016/06/12
shelves: novel
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas]]> 74908 110 Roger W. Sinnott 1931559317 Tom 5 astronomy 4.46 2006 Sky & Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas
author: Roger W. Sinnott
name: Tom
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/06/12
shelves: astronomy
review:
As a beginner I think its a great sky atlas. Don't see reason to use any other more detailed one.
]]> <![CDATA[Turn Left at Orion: Hundreds of Night Sky Objects to See in a Home Telescope � and How to Find Them]]> 11375656 256 Guy Consolmagno 0521153972 Tom 5 astronomy This book is great for solving this beginners problems by help the user find the most interesting things in the sky for every season.
In addition, there is some information regarding the objects which is great.
I'm using this book a lot at every skygaze.]]> 4.48 1990 Turn Left at Orion: Hundreds of Night Sky Objects to See in a Home Telescope – and How to Find Them
author: Guy Consolmagno
name: Tom
average rating: 4.48
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/06/12
shelves: astronomy
review:
It seems common that someone buys a scope and don't know what to look for with it.
This book is great for solving this beginners problems by help the user find the most interesting things in the sky for every season.
In addition, there is some information regarding the objects which is great.
I'm using this book a lot at every skygaze.
]]> <![CDATA[Making Musical Apps: Real-time audio synthesis on Android and iOS]]> 13226987 120 Peter Brinkmann 1449314902 Tom 5 music 3.75 2012 Making Musical Apps: Real-time audio synthesis on Android and iOS
author: Peter Brinkmann
name: Tom
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2013/02/10
date added: 2016/04/18
shelves: music
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Classical Form: A Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven]]> 1091702 320 William E. Caplin 019514399X Tom 0 to-read, music 4.21 1998 Classical Form: A Theory of Formal Functions for the Instrumental Music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven
author: William E. Caplin
name: Tom
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/03/17
shelves: to-read, music
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Music: A Very Short Introduction]]> 784170 This very short introduction, written with both humor and flair, begins with a sampling of music as human activity and then goes on to consider the slippery phenomenon of how music has become an object of thought. Covering not only Western and classical music, Cook touches on all types from rock to Indonesian music and beyond. Incorporating musical forms from every continent, Music will make enjoyable reading for beginner and expert alike.
About the Series: Combining authority with wit, accessibility, and style, Very Short Introductions offer an introduction to some of life's most interesting topics. Written by experts for the newcomer, they demonstrate the finest contemporary thinking about the central problems and issues in hundreds of key topics, from philosophy to Freud, quantum theory to Islam.
]]> 143 Nicholas Cook 0192853821 Tom 4 music 3.52 1998 Music: A Very Short Introduction
author: Nicholas Cook
name: Tom
average rating: 3.52
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2015/06/27
date added: 2016/03/17
shelves: music
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The not so short introduction to LaTeX 2e]]> 6351420 157 Tobias Oetiker Tom 4 3.90 2002 The not so short introduction to LaTeX 2e
author: Tobias Oetiker
name: Tom
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2014/03/11
date added: 2014/03/11
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Signal Processing for Communications (Communication and Information Sciences)]]> 2972010 371 Paolo Prandoni 1420070460 Tom 0 half-read 4.20 2007 Signal Processing for Communications (Communication and Information Sciences)
author: Paolo Prandoni
name: Tom
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2007
rating: 0
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date added: 2013/12/23
shelves: half-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pro Git (Expert's Voice in Software Development)]]> 6518085
A book by Git experts to turn you into a Git expert. Introduces the world of distributed version control Shows how to build a Git development workflow.]]> 290 Scott Chacon 1430218339 Tom 4 half-read 4.17 2009 Pro Git (Expert's Voice in Software Development)
author: Scott Chacon
name: Tom
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Getting Started With Raspberry Pi (Make: Projects)]]> 15842796 161 Matt Richardson 1449344216 Tom 4 3.86 2012 Getting Started With Raspberry Pi (Make: Projects)
author: Matt Richardson
name: Tom
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2013/06/05
date added: 2013/06/24
shelves:
review:

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