Compared with last year, I made progress in both the number and the variety of books. I read about 19 books (there may be omissions), covering science fiction, history, mystery, popular science, open source, literature, and more.
Below I list them one by one and give each book a personal rating out of 5.
Rating guide:
- 1/5: not recommended
- 2/5: not very recommended
- 3/5: ok if you have time
- 4/5: recommended
- 5/5: highly recommended
Novels#
The Gadfly#
- Author: Ethel Lilian Voynich
- Genre: classic literature
- Source: WeRead
- Rating: 1/5
The novel depicts Italian revolutionaries in the 1830s resisting Austrian rule and shapes the image of the revolutionary “Gadfly.” It deals with struggle, faith, and sacrifice. Although it is often labeled “red,” to me it reads more like a tragedy about the protagonist’s yearning for paternal love and the pain of never receiving it. Overall, not recommended.
The Thiaoouba Prophecy#
- Author: Michel Desmarquet
- Genre: science fiction
- Source: WeRead
- Rating: 2/5
Honestly, I did not fully understand this book, but many people regard it as a masterpiece. It has some unique settings, such as ranked planets (higher rank, higher civilization) and reincarnation. As a sci-fi novel, it is still interesting.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?#
- Author: Philip K. Dick
- Genre: science fiction
- Source: WeRead
- Rating: 4/5
This is the original novel behind the classic sci-fi film Blade Runner. It follows Rick Deckard for a little more than 20 hours, from one morning to the next, as he hunts androids for a bounty and goes through many twists. It raises questions like whether androids count as human, what makes us human, and if AI becomes indistinguishable from people, does it count as human.
The End of Eternity#
- Author: Isaac Asimov
- Genre: science fiction
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 5/5
I have watched many time travel movies and shows, but this 1955 novel still felt fresh. It is widely regarded as Asimov’s greatest masterpiece. A classic of sci-fi giants and a five-star recommendation.
Ten Night Tales#
- Author: Ma Shitu
- Genre: social realism
- Source: WeRead
- Rating: 4/5
Few people may have heard of this book, but a very famous film was adapted from one of its stories, “Stealing an Official” - the film is Let the Bullets Fly. The book contains ten novellas, all set in the Republican era. Through these stories you can see government corruption, the decadence of the upper class, and the hardship of ordinary people. It is hard to read twice because it is so heavy.
The Travels of Lao Can#
- Author: Liu E
- Genre: travel novel
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 3/5
The Travels of Lao Can is one of the four famous late-Qing satirical novels. It follows Lao Can’s travels (mainly around Jinan) and reflects the suffering of ordinary people in late Qing society. As someone from Jinan, I felt a special connection because the book mentions many local landmarks and place names.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles#
- Author: Agatha Christie
- Genre: mystery
- Source: WeRead
- Rating: 4/5
This is Christie’s first detective novel, and it is also Poirot’s first appearance. Christie’s books need little introduction. Although this debut has some flaws, the strengths outweigh them and it is worth a read for mystery lovers.
The Thirteen Steps#
- Author: Kazuaki Takano
- Genre: mystery
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 4/5
The Thirteen Steps is Takano’s debut and won the 47th Edogawa Rampo Award (the highest honor for Japanese mystery novels). While it is a mystery novel, it uses the story to explore issues like the death penalty system and problems in the law. That is its core spirit.
Tokyo Strange Tales#
- Author: Haruki Murakami
- Genre: fantasy
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 3/5
This is a very short collection of Murakami’s strange stories. Personally I found it less “strange” than expected. If you really value the weird, you can skip it. If you simply like Murakami, it is still a quick and easy read.
History#
The Ming Dynasty Under the Microscope#
- Author: Ma Boyong
- Genre: history
- Source: WeRead
- Rating: 5/5
If you have read Ma Boyong, you will find he is good at starting from “small things” and “small people” and using them to tell a big story. Works like The Longest Day in Chang’an and The Wind Blows from Longxi are like this.
The Ming Dynasty Under the Microscope also starts small, but it is real history, not fiction. Ma Boyong digs into rare Ming-era civil archives and pulls out six grassroots political cases, such as the Huizhou silk case, the Yanggan Academy legal dispute, and the imperial Yellow Register archive.
If you are interested in history - especially micro-history about ordinary people and small events - this is worth a read.
Biography of Su Dongpo#
- Author: Lin Yutang
- Genre: biography
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 3/5
This biography of Su Dongpo was written in English by the master Lin Yutang. I read the Chinese translation, which is a popular edition in recent years. While it is widely read, there are quite a few historical inaccuracies, and it only praises Su Dongpo while avoiding his shortcomings, which feels a bit biased.
A Casual History of Chinese Art#
- Author: Yi Gongzi
- Genre: art history
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 4/5
This is a friendly, accessible introduction to art history. It not only explains the art forms that emerged in each era, but also the history behind them. The book contains many illustrations, so reading it feels like walking through a museum with a guide.
Literature#
Crossing the Blade of Life: Portrait of Jin Yong’s Women#
- Author: Lu Shen Leilei
- Genre: wuxia character commentary
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 4/5
As one of the most incisive commentators on Jin Yong, Lu Shen Leilei has been highly productive in recent years. After his series on reading Jin Yong, he turned his focus to the many female characters in Jin Yong’s works. The analysis is sharp and insightful. If you like wuxia and Jin Yong, this book is worth reading.
The Cambrian of Tang Poetry#
- Author: Lu Shen Leilei
- Genre: Tang poetry and history
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 3/5
Besides Jin Yong, Lu Shen Leilei has long been interested in Tang poetry and has produced many interpretations of Tang poets and poetry. This book tries to sort out the history of Tang poetry. The writing is light and the sources are rich, so it is interesting, but I may have read too much of his style and felt a bit fatigued.
Records of the Gods#
- Author: Yan You
- Genre: mythology commentary
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 4/5
Mythology is a lasting legacy of human wisdom, like the stem cells of cultural genes. In recent years, more myth-based anime and novels have appeared, but there are still few systematic studies of Chinese myths and mythological figures. If you want a structured understanding of Chinese mythology, this is an excellent choice.
Tech and Popular Science#
The Cathedral and the Bazaar#
- Author: Eric S. Raymond
- Translator: Wei Jianfan
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 5/5
This book is known as the “Bible” of the open-source movement. It overturns traditional software development thinking and has influenced the entire software industry. If you are interested in open source or are a software engineer, this is a must-read.
The Mystery of Open Source#
- Author: Shi Si
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 5/5
It answers what open source is, how it was born, when it started, its advantages and shortcomings, and the key figures involved. If you want to understand these topics, this book delivers. The author has worked in open source for years, and this is the first book in their open-source trilogy. Highly recommended.
Walking with Open Source#
- Author: PingCAP
- Source: bought print book
- Rating: 4/5
PingCAP is one of the most successful and leading open-source commercialization companies in China. Its business model and growth path may be hard to replicate, but there are still valuable lessons to learn.
The Battles of Plants#
- Author: Wang Jie and the Science Stories team
- Source: WeRead
- Rating: 5/5
This is a popular science book I highly recommend. It contains many ideas that overturned my understanding, because it incorporates research findings from recent years. It is accessible and fun to read. Even better, it comes from Chinese science writers.
Summary#
I read more books than last year and across a wider range, but overall it was still not a huge number. Quality matters more than quantity. The books above are the ones I finished; many others are in progress, so I did not rate or recommend them.
There is a comment system on this blog. You can log in with your GitHub account to leave a comment. I work in open-source community operations. I am far from an expert, but you are very welcome to connect and discuss. My WeChat ID: zhaofawei26.