Books I Read in 2018

2018 Goals

I started 2018 with a goal of reading a wider variety of types of books, and continuing to expand into fantasy lit.

Here are some of my categorical favorites, followed by all the reads I kept track of in Goodreads.

Philosophy

Wittgenstein, Empiricism, and Language by John Cook — Wittgenstein is perhaps both the most influential and the least well understood philosopher of the 20th century. I believe Cook’s interpretation, along with that of Frank Ebersole, make up the most rigorous and fruitful reading of his work available to date.

Nonfiction

Surfaces & Essences by Douglas Hoefstader and — a thoroughly well-researched account of human thought and language, with an important contribution to category theory; incredibly important for the AI conversation, particularly around the issue of what might be taken to constitute genuine “intelligence”—if such concerns can stand up against the business interests presently dominating the conversation.

Fiction

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame — Not sure what to say about this one. Classic.

Fantasy

Age of War by Michael J. Sullivan — this is the only series of Sullivan’s I have read, and it antedates his other works in the world of Elan. The characters and dialog are outstanding.

Memoir

Heavy by Kiese Laymon — I have not read much memoir. I love Kiese for telling this story.

Here’s everything I kept track of in Goodreads: