This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Eric Buitrón López

Overview

Hello everyone! It’s been a while since the last reading journey update. For this update I have 7 books I read in the past 3 months. I’m almost halfway through my reading goal of reading 52 books in the year and now I just have 3 months left so we’ll see how far I get. Let’s dive into the reviews for this entry!

Fiction Reviews

Artemis

Artemis, by Andy Weir, follows the life of a smuggler called “Jazz” who lives in the first and only city on the Moon. Things get complicated when her latest job turns south and she gets involved in a scheme between other parties to get control of the city and the future of the Moon colonization plans. I’m a fan of other books written by Andy Weir and this was the next in the list. Overall, I really liked it and I think that it is a very fun and engaging sci-fi novel. The universe is very well thought out and could probably actually happen in a not so distant future. I would really recommend it to anyone who likes sci-fi or is fan of any of the other books (or their movie/series adaptations) of Andy Weir.

Brisingr

Brisingr, by Christopher Paolini, is the third entry in the Inheritance saga. Eragon and Saphira continue on their quest to help the Varden fight Galbatorix. Throughout the book Eragon learns more about his past and is faced with choices that require up to the ultimate sacrifice by some of his friends/allies. I’m really enjoying reading again through the whole saga and going through all of the important plot points that happen within the book. Anyone who likes to read fantasy and books about magic and dragons will enjoy this saga.

Attack On Titan: Lost Girls Vol 1

Attack On Titan: Lost Girls Vol 1, by Koji Seko, is the first volume of a spin-off manga from the beloved series. In this entry, Annie Leonhart leads the search on a missing girl on a case that gets more chaotic the more she discovers. This occurs one day before the expedition outside the walls where she is tasked with seizing Eren. I’ve been reading the Attack on Titan manga for the last couple of years, and this was the next entry. I liked this story and how it expands on the universe and on this character. Any fans of the manga or the series will enjoy this story.

Snow Crash

Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson, blends action in the Metaverse and in a dystopian reality that draws a lot of similarities to the current state of the US (even though it was published 33 years ago). Hiro Protagonist needs to solve and stop the spread of a new computer virus that could also affect all of humanity. This book was recommended to me several years ago by one of my undergrad professors and I finally read it. Although the book is hard to follow in some parts, I really liked it. I also really liked how much it made me think of current events in the US and in the world in general. Who would’ve thought that 30+ years ago, Neal Stephenson was describing something similar to ChatGPT through the Librarian character or some weird mix between Elon Musk and Donald Trump through Bob L. Rife? Anyone who likes science fiction, futurism, or discussions about the metaverse will find an interesting and entertaining read in this book.

A speech with magical force. Nowadays, people don’t believe in these kinds of things. Except in the Metaverse, that is, where magic is possible. The Metaverse is a fictional structure made out of code. And code is just a form of speech – the form that computers understand.

Batman Hush

In Batman Hush, Batman has to discover who has been manipulating everyone around him in a story that introduces one of his closest villains. I already knew the general details of this story since it is regarded as a classic and is referenced in many places. However, it was until recently that I finally got it and read it. I really enjoyed the story and how it goes over a good portion of Batman’s rogues, his past and also love affairs. Overall, the story gets very personal not only for Batman but for Bruce Wayne as well and I think that it’s a very good read that Batman fans and anyone who likes to read comics in general will enjoy.

Nonfiction Reviews

A Tour of C++ (3rd Edition)

In A Tour of C++ (3rd edition), the designer of C++, Bjarne Stroustrup, describes an overview of everything that modern C++ has to offer including all the new additions to C++20 as well as some of the things to look out for in C++23. In the past few months, I searched for resources to learn more about C++, and this was one of the most recommended books. It made me realize how many things are covered by C++ and also understand some of the details of modern C++ such as move semantics and smart pointers. I think that anyone who already knows how to program in another language or in an older version of C++ will really benefit from having this book.

Clean Code

Clean Code, by Robert C. Martin, goes over several best practices on writing clean code. It also includes several case studies on how code was made cleaner by refactoring. The last part includes a list of heuristics and “smells” that result in a knowledge base for how to write, read and clean code. I had already read this book about 4 years ago during my undergrad and I decided to read it again to remember all of the tips that it gives. It made me realize several things in my master’s project code that weren’t as clean as they could be. Sometimes it’s easy to fall down the easiest path possible without thinking on how that will affect the code (and therefore you or others) in the future. I really recommend this book to anyone who programs and is interested in developing better code.

The next time you write a line of code, remember you are an author, writing for readers who will judge your effort.

Rather than spend your time writing the comments that explain the mess you’ve made, spend it cleaning that mess.

Looking Forward

I’m currently reading The Pragmatic Programmer as well as C++20 for Programmers. Besides these books, I plan on reading more Attack on Titan, finishing the Inheritance Saga and reading more of the books that I bought this year. Look forward for the next update where I’ll hopefully be closer to my yearly goal!

I’d love to hear if you’ve read any of the books I reviewed in this entry or if you have any other recommendations! Let me know in the comments below and see you next time.