Overview
Hello everyone! This is my first book review entry of 2026. I've been very busy finishing my master's project, but I managed to read 6 books throughout the first three months of the year. I think I'm still on track to achieve my goal of reading 30 books throughout the year. Especially considering that I'll have a bit more time after my master's, although I'll go into more detail about that in a different blog post sometime soon. Let's dive into the reviews!
Nonfiction reviews
The Pragmatic Programmer
★★★★★ (5/5)
The Pragmatic Programmer, by David Thomas and Andrew Hunt, contains several tips and lessons from different aspects of software development. This book helps develop habits and attitudes with the goal of helping you have long-term success in a software development related career. I've had this book recommended to me by several people throughout my life and I also see it recommended online, so I've been interested in reading it for a long time. Any software developer or even any person that uses programming for anything would greatly benefit from reading this book. This book has definitely given me a new perspective on how to think about certain aspects of software development, and it has so many great tips that I'm sure I'll go back to reread sections of it often in the future.
The Anxious Generation
★★★★★ (5/5)
The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt, describes how mental health in adolescents has plunged since the early 2010s. The author explains why he believes that this is caused by the increased use of social media at a young age and the problems that it has caused. The book also contains several calls to action at different levels in society to help correct this problem. As someone from Gen Z, I felt identified with some parts of what the author mentions and his descriptions also made me realize some negative patterns related to the use of social media that I sometimes fall into. Sometimes it's hard to forget that there's so much more beyond what we see on our screens and I think that everyone would greatly benefit from taking some time every day to just lock your phone, look up, and actually experience what is going on around you.
I think I saw this book one day at my local library and was intrigued by the cover. After reading the description, I was even more intrigued, so I bought it. I think that everyone should read this book. At first glance, it seems to be targeted towards parents with young kids, but I think that the message should be read and understood by everyone in our society.
The costs of using social media, in particular, are high for adolescents, compared with adults, while the benefits are minimal. Let children grow up on Earth first, before sending them to Mars.
Play Unsafe
★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Play Unsafe, by Graham Walmsley, contains tips and advice on how to be a better game master for roleplaying games by planning less and playing more. Recently, I've been looking for books similar to Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master, and this was among the recommendations. While the advice is well suited for game masters working on their improvisation skills, I found it didn't offer many new ideas compared to other books on the topic like Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master. Still, it presents its message clearly and could be valuable for those new to improvisational GMing.
If you find something difficult, do it until it's not. If something scares you, do it until it doesn't.
Fiction reviews
The Hobbit
★★★★☆ (4/5)
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, goes over the story of how Bilbo Baggins got into an unexpected adventure and found himself with an even more unexpected treasure. This book is the prelude to The Lord of the Rings saga, which if you've been following my blog, you'll know is a saga that I've been reading throughout the last couple of years. I really liked the book and the background that it gives on characters that we also get to meet in the other books. The adventure is exciting and the worldbuilding is spectacular. As with any of the other books related to The Lord of the Rings, any fans of the saga or any fantasy fans would have an amazing time with this book.
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
Digital Fortress
★★★★★ (5/5)
In Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown, the NSA has an invincible code-breaking machine that it uses for homeland security. However, the machine encounters a mysterious code that it can't break and now the protagonist, Susan Fletcher, is tasked with figuring out what is happening. Betrayals happen from all sides and the battle to save the agency now becomes a battle for her own life and her loved one's. This is an amazing mystery thriller that will have you want to read it in just one sitting. The book was published in 1998 but the parallels that it has to modern events, such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal, makes it even more interesting and engaging.
I've been planning on reading the books from Dan Brown and while browsing my local bookstore, I found this book and immediately felt compelled to read it. Any fans of Dan Brown, mystery and science fiction will have a great read.
Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil
★★★★☆ (4/5)
Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil, by James Luceno, is a prequel novel to Revenge of the Sith. The book describes the chase that Anakin and Obi-Wan have to try to find more clues about the Sith Lord that they think is behind everything. From the Separatist side, it contains the background of General Grievous and his alliance with Count Dooku and Darth Sidious. I had heard for many years that the Star Wars Legends novels were usually regarded as very well-written fan fiction. Having read previously the Darth Plagueis book, I knew that reading the Revenge of the Sith trilogy of books would be interesting since that is one of my favorite movies from the Skywalker saga. I really enjoyed how the book expands the Star Wars universe and goes into details that the movies didn't cover. It was fun to read although at some points the book can get a bit slow, especially during politically heavy chapters. I recommend reading this book to any Star Wars fan, it will leave you wanting to rewatch Episode III.
Looking forward
You probably noticed that I added my score for each of the books. This is something that I plan on doing from now onward. Currently I'm reading So You Want To Be A Game Master, by Justin Alexander, and I'm about to start A.I. Apocalypse, by Dave Klapwyk. I hope you look forward to the next entry in a couple of months!
Meanwhile, 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!
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