Books 2020–2023  ## Metadata - Author: [[December 31]] - Full Title: Books 2020–2023 - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #books - #readinglists - #wordcamp Author: December 31 Source: Personal blog Reference: https://ma.tt/2023/12/books-2020-2023/ date created: 2025-08-21 00:00 --- # Title: Books 2020–2023 — Reading Lists and Reflections ## Table of Contents: - [📚 Overview](#-overview) - [🗓️ 2020 Reading List](#️-2020-reading-list) - [🗓️ 2021 Reading List](#️-2021-reading-list) - [🗓️ 2022 Reading List](#️-2022-reading-list) - [🗓️ 2023 Reading List](#️-2023-reading-list) - [🔗 References](#-references) - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [📖 References](#-references-1) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items (Advocacy & OSPO Alignment)](#-action-items-advocacy--ospo-alignment) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### References: - The original article: Books 2020–2023 on the author’s blog: https://ma.tt/2023/12/books-2020-2023/ - “All book years: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020–2023.” (linked at the end of the article) ## 📝 Summary: The author shares four years of reading lists (2020–2023), noting a temporary shift away from books to other media, then a renewed commitment to reading in 2024. The lists span poetry, sci‑fi, business/leadership, psychology, physics, and culture. 2022 features a focus on AI/ML academic papers with only two books finished; other years show broader, eclectic reading. The post functions as both public record and personal motivation. ## 📖 Main Content: The piece is a concise catalog of books read each year, framed by a short intro about rediscovering the joy of books and setting an intention to read more in 2024. It reflects: - Cross-disciplinary curiosity: from Hafiz and r.h. Sin to Asimov, Ted Chiang, Rem Koolhaas, Kevin Kelly, Carlo Rovelli, Greg Egan. - Leadership and culture building: Ben Horowitz, Patty McCord, Eric Schmidt/Jonathan Rosenberg, Will Guidara, George Lois. - Equity and social awareness: Vernā Myers, Ibram X. Kendi, Naoki Higashida, Justin Farrell. - Time, focus, and productivity: Oliver Burkeman’s “4000 Weeks,” Essentialism. - Tech and AI orientation: 2022’s emphasis on AI/ML papers; Om Malik’s “Broadbandits”; Seven Brief Lessons on Physics. Personal insight: - The lists show a feedback loop between professional interests (leadership, community, tech) and personal growth (poetry, philosophy). - 2022’s pivot to AI papers suggests depth-first exploration over breadth—useful for practitioners needing rigorous understanding. ### 🗒️ Notes - Intro context - Rediscovered joy of books; sharing lists as motivation for 2024. - 2020 highlights - Mix of poetry (Hafiz), sci‑fi (Asimov, Hugh Howey), tech/leadership (Elad Gil, Ben Horowitz, Patty McCord), DEI (Vernā Myers), philosophy/awareness (de Mello, Steiner). - Notable for balancing art and analytics (Seife’s “Zero,” Marks’s “The Most Important Thing”). - 2021 highlights - Strong non-fiction year: trauma (“The Body Keeps Score”), neurodiversity (“The Reason I Jump”), urbanism (Koolhaas), polar studies (two on Antarctica), culture/politics (Shellenberger), sci‑fi novellas (“This Is How You Lose the Time War”). - 2022 highlights - Primarily AI/ML academic papers; only two finished books: “4000 Weeks” and “A Wizard of Earthsea.” - Signals a deep dive into AI fundamentals. - 2023 highlights - Creativity and craft: “Unreasonable Hospitality,” Kevin Kelly, George Lois. - STEM curiosity: Rovelli; Feynman. - Contemporary fiction and identity/community: Zevin’s “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” Radha Agrawal’s “Belong.” - Hard sci‑fi/comp-sci metaphysics: Greg Egan’s “Permutation City.” - Meta - Links back to prior year compilations (2017–2019), forming a longitudinal reading archive. ## 📖 References: - Books 2020–2023 (original post): https://ma.tt/2023/12/books-2020-2023/ - Prior book years index (linked from post): 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020–2023 ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1) Original idea: “I’m a few years behind in posting my book lists... rediscovering the joy of books... motivation to pick it up more in 2024.” Paraphrase: The author hasn’t shared reading logs for several years and, after spending more time on other media, has fallen back in love with books. Publishing these lists is a nudge to read more in 2024. 2) Original idea: “2022... mostly reading AI and machine learning academic papers... Started a bunch of other books but these were the only two I finished.” Paraphrase: In 2022, the author primarily delved into AI/ML research literature. Although many books were started, only two made it to the finish line. ## 📰 Newsletter: Learning web development is a marathon, not a sprint—much like getting through your reading list. This month, we’re spotlighting hands-on resources for modern PHP and JavaScript in WordPress, fresh updates from core, and a few shiny plugins we can’t stop tinkering with. If you’re leveling up your block development, check out the latest on the Interactivity API, Patterns, and performance wins in core. On the community front, contributor days continue to flourish—newcomers are pairing up with mentors in Make Core and Documentation, and the Five for the Future initiative is seeing renewed commitments across hosts and agencies. Plugin highlights: a11y linting helpers for theme authors, a lightweight image lazy-loading enhancer, and a GitHub Actions starter for automated WP.org deployments. Pro tip: pair your study sessions with a great book—Oliver Burkeman’s “4000 Weeks” and Kevin Kelly’s “Excellent Advice for Living” are perfect companions for sustainable productivity in open source. Have something cool to share? Drop it in your local meetup or post it in the Make Slack—your idea might be the next big thing in the ecosystem. Links: - WordPress Core Dev Notes: https://make.wordpress.org/core/ - Interactivity API overview: https://developer.wordpress.org/block-editor/reference-guides/interactivity-api/ - Five for the Future: https://wordpress.org/five-for-the-future/ ## ✅ Action Items (Advocacy & OSPO Alignment): Prompt to use with future articles: “Analyze how this article intersects with open-source advocacy in the WordPress ecosystem. Map key takeaways to: - Contributor onboarding and retention (tactics, mentorship, documentation clarity). - Sustainable funding models (Five for the Future alignment, stewardship, ethical governance). - Educational impact (curriculum design for PHP/JS/HTML/CSS/Git/GitHub; assessment strategies; learning outcomes). - Community health and DEIB (safety, inclusion, accessibility, global participation). - OSPO readiness (policy, license compliance, risk management, metrics/KPIs, cross-org collaboration). - Public communication (transparency, changelogs, roadmaps, feedback loops). For each section, propose 2–3 concrete actions I can take as a GoDaddy Developer Advocate and aspiring OSPO director, on-stage and off-stage, to foster a sustainable, inclusive contributor community.” How this article aligns: - Lifelong learning: Wide-ranging reading models continuous education essential to effective advocacy and curriculum design. - Leadership and culture: Titles by Horowitz, McCord, Kelly, Guidara inform community culture, feedback, and recognition strategies. - Technical depth: 2022’s AI/ML focus mirrors a leadership practice of deep dives before community guidance—relevant to OSPO due diligence. - DEIB awareness: Works by Vernā Myers, Ibram X. Kendi, and Naoki Higashida support inclusive pedagogy and contributor experience design. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: - Diverse reading across domains correlates with more resilient decision-making in open-source leadership. - Exposure to hospitality and service design literature improves contributor experience and retention. - Deep technical immersion periods (e.g., AI/ML paper sprints) lead to more impactful roadmap decisions in community projects. ### 📊 Methodology: - Mixed-methods study of OSS leaders’ reading habits vs. contributor retention metrics (quantitative: churn, PR throughput; qualitative: interviews). - A/B test contributor onboarding flows inspired by service design principles (measure completion, time-to-first-PR). - Longitudinal diary studies of maintainers incorporating structured learning plans; analyze decision outcomes. ### ❓ Questions: - Which readings most influenced the author’s approach to leadership and community? - How does alternating breadth (books) and depth (papers) affect strategy clarity? - What reading cadence best supports sustainable open-source engagement? ### 🔮 Future Research: - Map reading themes to specific community outcomes (e.g., documentation improvements after certain leadership reads). - Evaluate the efficacy of hospitality principles (“Unreasonable Hospitality”) in open-source contributor experience. ### 💡 Implications: - Curated cross-disciplinary reading programs could be formalized within OSPOs to improve leadership, inclusion, and decision quality. - Embedding service-design practices may reduce contributor friction and increase retention. ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment: Readability: General audience; estimated grade level ~9–10 (short sentences, list-based). - Visual Learners - Present: Clear year-by-year lists; scannable format. - Improve: Add cover thumbnails, category color-coding, simple infographics (genre distribution by year). - Aural Learners - Present: None apparent. - Improve: Offer an audio summary of yearly takeaways; link to author interviews or talks about selected books. - Verbal Learners - Present: Concise descriptions via titles; broad literary variety. - Improve: Add brief annotations per book (1–2 sentences on why it mattered). - Physical Learners - Present: None. - Improve: Provide an actionable “readers’ challenge” or note-taking prompts with spaced-repetition templates. - Logical Learners - Present: Chronological structure; implied categorization. - Improve: Include tags per book (genre/theme), and a matrix summarizing topics vs. years. - Social Learners - Present: Link to prior years; encourages community dialogue implicitly. - Improve: Add discussion prompts and links to a forum or comment thread; host a quarterly reading circle. - Solitary Learners - Present: Minimal commentary supports private reflection. - Improve: Insert reflection questions: “What did this book change about my thinking?” - Naturalistic Learners - Present: Limited; a few titles touch on environment (Antarctica). - Improve: Highlight sustainability-related reads and suggest nature-linked analogies. ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment: - Screen Reader Compatibility: Likely good with native blog structure; lists are readable. Improvement: ensure semantic headings and alt text for any images/covers added. - Keyboard Navigation: Most blogs support this; improvement: verify focus states and skip links. - Contrast and Readability: Use high-contrast theme; avoid low-contrast link colors. - Text Resizing: Ensure responsive typography; avoid text embedded in images; test zoom up to 200% without layout breakage. ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment: - Cultural Relevance: Broad but Western-leaning; includes voices across cultures (Hafiz, Ken Liu). - Improve: Explicitly feature more global authors and perspectives; annotate why they matter. - Inclusive Language: Neutral; minimal prose limits exclusion risk. - Improve: Define any potentially unfamiliar terms in annotations; avoid jargon if commentary is expanded. - Neurodiversity Support: Short, scannable lists help; minimal cognitive load. - Improve: Add headers, bullets, and summaries per year for context. - Representation: Mix of genres/authors, but representation not discussed. - Improve: Track and disclose representation metrics (e.g., author diversity dashboard). - Psychological Safety: No sensitive content; neutral tone. - Improve: Add content notes if future commentary touches on trauma-related works. ### ✅ Logical validity: - The post is informational, not argumentative. Logical structure is chronological and coherent. - Positive reasoning: - Logical Flow: Intro sets purpose; lists follow by year. This clarity supports the stated aim of motivation. - Inductive Hint: Implicit inference that publishing lists fosters accountability; reasonable based on common practice. - Ethical Reasoning: Sharing reading practices models transparent, continuous learning—beneficial norm-setting for a community leader. - Potential weaknesses: - Hasty Generalization (minor risk if inferred): Assuming posting lists leads to more reading lacks explicit evidence. Improvement: Add a note about past outcomes or set measurable goals. - Tone of voice: Brief, reflective, motivational, matter-of-fact. 🔍 DARVO Analysis - Deny: Not present. No rebuttal or denial of accusations. - Attack: Not present. No adversarial language. - Reverse Victim and Offender: Not present. The content is a neutral reading log. - Notes: No DARVO indicators or manipulative framing; neutral affect. ### 🔍 SEO Evaluation: 1) Keywords - Present: “Books 2020–2023,” book titles/authors. Improvement: Add “reading list,” “year in books,” “best books.” - Placement: Title includes years; add keywords in first sentence and subheads. - Variety: Include “book recommendations,” “what I read.” 2) Meta Description - Add: “My reading lists from 2020–2023: poetry, sci‑fi, leadership, physics, DEI, and more—plus why I’m reading more in 2024.” 3) Title Tag - Current is clear; fits 50–60 chars. Consider: “Books I Read 2020–2023 (Reading List).” 4) Headers - Use H2 per year; optionally add brief descriptors (e.g., “2021 — Trauma, Antarctica, and Sci‑Fi Gems”). 5) Content Length - Short; add 1–2 lines of commentary per book for value and search intent. 6) Internal/External Links - Internal: Link each title to any prior reviews; link to prior years archive (already present). - External: Link to author sites or publisher pages for authority. 7) URL Structure - Good: concise, descriptive. 8) Image Optimization - If adding covers: descriptive filenames, alt text with title/author, compressed images. 9) Mobile Optimization - Ensure responsive tables/lists; lazy-load images. 10) User Engagement - Add CTAs: “What did you read?” comments, subscribe, related posts. 11) Schema Markup - Use Article schema; optionally Book and ItemList schema for each year. 12) Social Sharing - Ensure Open Graph/Twitter Cards with a compelling summary image (e.g., collage of covers). ## 🎯 Conclusion: A succinct, multi-year reading ledger that charts curiosity across literature, science, leadership, and culture. It documents a shift toward AI/ML depth in 2022 and a re-expansion in 2023 toward creativity and community. As a public artifact, it invites accountability and conversation, and—if extended with annotations—could become a valuable resource for readers and community leaders seeking cross-disciplinary inspiration. You’ve read all of it (100%). - Summary: The author shares a list of books they have read from 2020 to 2023. The list includes a variety of genres such as poetry, self-help, science fiction, and non-fiction. They express their intention to read more books in the coming year. - URL: https://ma.tt/2023/12/books-2020-2023/ I’m a few years behind in posting my book lists, and past few years a good amount of my book reading time shifted to other mediums. I have been rediscovering the joy of books so here’s what I read the past few years as a motivation to myself to pick it up more in 2024. #### 2020 1. [**The Gift by Hafiz**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DMZ9WW/) 2. [I hope this reaches her in time by r.h. Sin](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078GTFGJN/) 3. [Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G1J1D28/) 4. [Exhalation by Ted Chiang](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GD46PQZ/) 5. [Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China’s Drive for Global Supremacy](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FZ683NB/) 6. [Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QUEHLM/) 7. [Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JHYRAO/) 8. [**High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DRPGGQ7/) 9. [The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JHYRDQ/) 10. [What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NVN4QCM/) 11. [Gideon Falls 1: The Black Barn by Jeff Lemire](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GL6KYHM/) 12. [Gideon Falls 2: Original Sins by Jeff Lemire](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NDKTJJ2/) 13. [Gideon Falls 3: Stations of the Cross by Jeff Lemire](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W6KB77N/) 14. [What if I Say the Wrong Thing? 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People by Vernā Myers](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NYCE44O/) 15. [**The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor by Howard Marks**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004U5Q1O0/) 16. [**Wool by Hugh Howey**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071XO8RA/) 17. [Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076ZHG3H3/) 18. [Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077Y4WVPT/) 19. [Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality by Anthony de Mello](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385249373/) 20. [How to Know Higher Worlds by Rudolf Steiner](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0029XFF6U/) 21. [**No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer**](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081Y3R657/) #### 2021 1. [Broken Stars by Ken Liu](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C75GLGK/) 2. [**The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G3L1C2K/) 3. [Broadbandits by Om Malik](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W7XN3C/) 4. [How to be Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D2364N5/) 5. [**The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BVJG3CS/) 6. [Billionaire Wilderness by Justin Farrell](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YQCNN4N/) 7. [Antarctica: What Everyone Needs to Know by David Day](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NYT9F8L/) 8. [San Fransicko by Michael Shellenberger](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SMFSL5M/) 9. [Antarctica: An Intimate Portrait of a Mysterious Continent by Gabrielle Walker](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006R8PHW0/) 10. [At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WN354G/) 11. [Delirious New York by Rem Koolhaas](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1885254008) 12. [**This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MNG496J/) 13. [**Fallen Leaves: Last Words on Life, Love, War, and God by Will Durant**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IWTWLQC/) #### 2022 This year I ended up mostly reading AI and machine learning academic papers, attempting to “learn AI deeply” as I asked people at [the State of the Word that year](https://ma.tt/2023/01/state-of-the-word-2/). Started a bunch of other books but these were the only two I finished. 1. [4000 weeks by Oliver Burkeman](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FGV64B1/) 2. [A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Guin](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008T9L6AM/) #### 2023 1. [**Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JBCGQB8/) 2. [Belong by Radha Agrawal](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075G4W7MV/) 3. [**Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCF78T14/) 4. [On That Note by Michael Wolff](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YDBJV2Q/) 5. [**Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B13W5GPT/) 6. [**Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman by Richard Feynman**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077J7F78Z/) 7. [Permutation City by Greg Egan](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FDWCPV2/) 8. [**Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Z8VTMYG/) 9. [**Damn Good Advice by George Lois**](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSSH8MQ9/) All book years: [2017](https://ma.tt/2017/12/books-in-2017/), [2018](https://ma.tt/2019/01/39-books-in-2018/), [2019](https://ma.tt/2020/01/29-books-in-2019/), [2020–2023](https://ma.tt/?p=109958)., Books 2020–2023, December 31, 01hk2pf92vrn07ctvn0nvmy134.