April Book Update

I don’t do many book updates on this blog. In fact I don’t read nearly as much as I would like. I’m a slow reader and in general am more visual, watching videos, movies and games.

I do maintain a reading list profile on Goodreads and welcome friend invites there.

Anyways, I recently finished and started some books that have really impressed me so I wanted to share.

First, I finally finished Permanent Record, by Edward Snowden. It was really good. I related a lot to Ed’s younger experiences with computers and learned a ton about his, um, event. The problems with mass surveillance and the desecration of personal privacy are as important today than ever and this book has fortified me for the fights ahead.

Next I read / browsed through iOS Unit Testing by Example by Jon Reid. I’m a fairly experienced tester so the introduction side of this book was skimmed over pretty quickly but I still picked up a ton of ideas and tricks to keep in mind for future projects. I’m thrilled a resource like this exists. Well technically the book is still in beta, but there is lots there to check out even today.

I’m currently reading three books.

To help me automate and containerize my Elixir project deployments I’m reading Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches by Elton Stoneman. This too is still in beta but all the chapters are currently available. I’m about half way through and have started to apply what I’m learning. I appreciate how the author tries not to assume too much about the reader’s background. DevOps is a deep field and I personal benefit from having, even the basics, explained to me.

Next up is Swift for Good: Volume One by Paul Hudson (and others). I bought this pretty much blind a few months back, mostly to support the cause, but now that I’m reading it I consider it a must read for all iOS developers. I’m about half way through but am picking up MAJOR ideas and am excited to try them out. It reminds me of the The Best Software Writing book published in 2005, which was a repackaging of some of the best blog authors / software developers of the day. If you haven’t checked out Swift for Good yet and are currently doing iOS development, make it a priority.

The third and final book that I just started but have connected with instantly is Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It by Mike Monteiro. I’ve seen Mike speak many times and once again he does not disappoint. I’m a firm believer in coders being responsible for what they build. It all starts with ethics and this book hopefully is helping many search their souls for how they can do good in this world.

If you use Goodreads, consider making a new friend request or posting your own book update. I love discovering what people books are enjoying, even if it takes me a while to finally read them.