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Will Webberley
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Books Updated 18 June 2025

Around podcasts, I try to listen to or read as many books as possible across a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Some are significant or meaningful, and others are simply guilty pleasures. Thoughts on books I’ve read I sometimes blog about books I’ve read. You can view these posts here. …
book

'Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories' and 'There is No Antimemetics Division' by qntm 2 July 2024

It’s not too often that a book really makes you think – whether this is about yourself and your own position in the universe, or just about bizarre or interesting concepts. I’ve recently happened across a couple of books written by qntm that definitely do both of these things: … Read more (2 minute read)
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Thoughts on book logging 24 March 2023

I’ve been a member of Goodreads since 2013. I follow a few of my friends and family on there, and whilst it was nice to see the types of things people are reading, I only really ever used the service as a way for logging what I had read. The other social aspects didn’t keep me coming … Read more (2 minute read)
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The Idiot Brain by Dean Burnett 8 December 2021

Dean Burnett’s The Idiot Brain is an interesting insight into why people think the way they do, personality, emotion, and the biology of the brain. The author (who happens to live in the same city as me: Cardiff), covers a wide range of examples of human behaviour and relates them to brain … Read more (1 minute read)
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Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed 17 November 2021

I feel that this book really resonated with my own thoughts around the importance of diversity in groups and teams. Matthew Syed’s Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking is a book that examines how effectiveness and output can be dramatically altered through building teams that contain … Read more (2 minute read)
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Extraterrestrial by Avi Loeb 23 October 2021

I often enjoy books that try to take a different view on known events. I don’t mean consipiracy theory - more around thinking laterally or “out of the box”. Such ways of thinking often inspire ideas that drive innovative change, and it’s important in order to counter … Read more (2 minute read)
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This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay 6 October 2021

Having recently read The Secret Barrister, which I loved, I was recommended to also check out This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay. The book is similar to the Secret Barrister in that it’s a collection of insights and stories from a working professional - this time a hospital doctor. The book is … Read more (2 minute read)
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The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken 30 September 2021

The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It’s Broken is an oustanding book. In my opinion it is easily the best book I have read in the past year - certainly the most interesting. The book is written by an anonymous barrister working in the criminal justice system for England and … Read more (2 minute read)
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Columbus Day by Craig Alanson 12 September 2021

Having recently read Project Hail Mary - and rated it highly - Goodreads suggested I try Columbus Day by Craig Alanson. This is the first book in the Expeditionary Force series - one that I hadn’t yet heard of at the time. Although it’s sci-fi, the book is set in the modern-day. Earth … Read more (2 minute read)
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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 14 July 2021

Every now and again it’s nice to dive back into a young adult book. I recently read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The book is a sort of dark romantic/fantasy mashup. It’s about a travelling circus, those who perform in it, and those who run it. Le Cirque des Rêves is not just any … Read more (2 minute read)
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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 5 July 2021

Andy Weir has become renowned over the past decade for his science fiction novels. The Martian (and its movie) was hugely enjoyable and successful. I wasn’t so keen on Artemis, but still did enjoy the excitement of the story. I thought his latest book - Project Hail Mary - was fantastic. The … Read more (2 minute read)
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Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 19 June 2021

Anxious People is a book about an attempted bank robbery in a Swedish town (not Stockholm!). It is written by Fredrik Backman. The story involves a would-be bank robber arriving unexpectedly at an open apartment viewing whilst trying to run away, and taking the prospective buyers hostage in the … Read more (2 minute read)
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The H.G. Wells Classic Collection 26 May 2021

The Classic Collection of H.G. Wells novels contains five well-known stories: The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon, The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The Island of Doctor Moreau. Despite the fame of these novels, I had never read any of them until I recently listened to them via … Read more (3 minute read)
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Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson 25 April 2021

I was recently asked whether Steve Jobs was someone that inspired me. It’s a difficult question, I find; he’s definitely an inspiring person in the sense of his work ethic, the products he envisages, and his way of understanding the needs of the target customer better than they know it … Read more (2 minute read)
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The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes 18 April 2021

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes tells the story of a young English woman - Alice - who marries an American man and moves to a small town in Kentucky in the late 1930s. Not long after arriving in Kentucky Alice realises she may have made a mistake when it comes to her new husband. However, the real … Read more (2 minute read)
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The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah 23 March 2021

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah is a book set out in the Alaskan wild. It tells the story of a young family that move in order to live off-the-grid after the father returns from being a prisoner of war in the Vietnam war. The book mostly focuses on the viewpoint of the daughter, Leni, who is … Read more (2 minute read)
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Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier 17 March 2021

This post contains some of my thoughts on the book Blood, Sweat, and Pixels by Jason Schreier. This book contains a number of stories about how some of the most well-known (and other less well-known) video games are made. The book’s subtitle, “The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How … Read more (2 minute read)
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The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy 10 March 2021

I recently finished reading The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy. This genre of novel (sort of military thriller fiction) is not usual for me and this is the first Clancy book I have read. That being said, the book has been on my “to-read” list for a fair amount of time and so I am … Read more (2 minute read)
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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 13 February 2021

Last week I read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The book won the 2020 Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction. “Set” in Bedford, England, the story starts by introducing the main character - Nora Seed - who feels completely down. She is depressed and thinks that she has nothing further to … Read more (3 minute read)
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Dirty Little Secrets by Jo Spain 31 January 2021

Recently I finished reading Dirty Little Secrets. This is the first book I have read by Jo Spain and the first time I have known of the author. The book first appears as though it’s a typical murder mystery set in a relatively wealthy gated community in Ireland - however the intricacies of the … Read more (2 minute read)
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