Looking for some inspiration for some books to read during the Christmas holidays

Stand out books for me that I've read this year:

* The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Short, but a great read)

* The Incandescent by Emily Tesh

* The Armchair Universe by A.K.Dewdney (First read this one many years ago, but I've been reading it again)

* Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield (third book in a series, so you'd want to start at the begining with The Apollo Murders)

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker

Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen

Animal Farm by George Orwell (a reread)

Night by Elie Wiesel

Here's my list so far:

Differential Privacy (2025) by Simson Garfinkel. This is an accessible and enjoyable introduction to differential privacy from the MIT Press essentials series.

The Philosopher in the Kitchen (1825) by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. This is a primer on gourmandism or the art and science of cooking, eating, and hosting. An interesting look at the French intellectual milieu at the turn of the nineteenth century.

Relativism and the Foundations of Philosophy (2006) by Steven Hales. This book argues for relativism about philosophical propositions, e.g., metaphysical statements. I came across this book and picked it up after enjoying a few articles from Hales' blog [0].

I usually put up a list at the end of each year. Here's the list from last year [1].

[0] https://hilariusbookbinder.substack.com

[1] https://bcmullins.github.io/interesting-books-2024/

- One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford - Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky - The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

I keep a reading list at quinnkeast.com/reading. Would love to see others’ if any has one to share!

I enjoyed Piranesi by Susanna Clarke the most this year. It has wonderful world building that was reminiscent of The Library of Babel. I'm currently really enjoying We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor. So far it's a very fun spacefaring adventure.

The Creative Act, Rick Rubin

But I do not read a lot of books in a year anymore.

How I Wish I Had Taught Maths by Craig Barton. it really is how i wish.

As a parent, I found "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt insightful and eye-opening.