Jon Tavernier

Books

My goal is to read 20 books per year. I use GoodReads.com to track what I am reading, have read, and plan to read.

Books I have Recently Read

The most recent books I've read are shown below.

Under the Knife: A History of Surgery in 28 Remarkable Operations

Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the Turbulent Sixteenth Century

A Brief History of Black Holes: And why nearly everything you know about them is wrong

The Killer Across the Table

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Fundamentals of Data Engineering: Plan and Build Robust Data Systems

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

The Monster's Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World

A Philosophy of Software Design

The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean

Nuclear War: A Scenario

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Accelerate: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I

A Million Years in a Day: A Curious History of Everyday Life from the Stone Age to the Phone Age

What an Owl Knows: The New Science of the World's Most Enigmatic Birds

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder

Sociopath

Here Begins the Dark Sea: Venice, a Medieval Monk, and the Creation of the Most Accurate Map of the World

Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks—A Cool History of a Hot Commodity

Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection

Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades

The Age of Wood: Our Most Useful Material and the Construction of Civilization

Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People

A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thinking in Systems: A Primer

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films

Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond

Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Making It So: A Memoir

Freezing Order: A True Story of Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath

Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race

Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder

The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike, #2)

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession

Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

The Last Action Heroes: The Triumphs, Flops, and Feuds of Hollywood's Kings of Carnage

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Built: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Structures

American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century

War Doctor Surgery on the Front Line:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

How Learning Works: Eight Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching

The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)

Summary

I've read 381 books, totaling 118,951 pages since I started tracking in 2008. The ratings breakdown is:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 137 books
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 143 books
⭐⭐⭐ 74 books
⭐⭐ 24 books
⭐ 3 books

All Time Favorites

My favorite books are listed below. I have read a few hundred, and given lots five stars, but here are my faves:

Favorite Tech Books

And here are my favorite technical and work books.