My Annual Library: Books Read from 2021 to 2025

26-12-2024 – by Gustavo Aquino · 5 min read
Updated on 06-01-2026

#books

Presentation

Reading, for me, before it became work, was and always will be a pastime, going back to school, when I'd read comic books and gaming magazines. Wanting to cultivate that discipline, whether as leisure or to reach personal and professional goals, I've kept an annual list since 2021 of what I've read across those three areas.

This way, the record serves both me and anyone else looking for recommendations, as a way to gauge my past and present interests, which guide my choices and life goals.

Books Read by Year

2025

Category Title Author(s) Theme/Genre Chapters Read / Completed
Leisure The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien Fantasy Completed
Leisure Barren Lives Graciliano Ramos Novel Completed
Leisure The Fable of the Island State: How the Economy and Markets Work José Kobori Finance Completed
Personal Development Life Project: Paths to a Life Worth Living Clóvis de Barros Filho Philosophy Completed
Personal Development Leadership: Emotional Intelligence in Shaping a Successful Leader Daniel Goleman Business & Leadership Completed

2024

Category Title Author(s) Theme/Genre Chapters Read / Completed
Leisure São Paulo in the Skies: The Modernist Revolution in Architecture and Real Estate in the 1950s and 1960s Raul Juste Lores Architecture Completed
Leisure The Lord of the Rings: Single-Volume Edition J.R.R. Tolkien Fantasy Completed
Functional Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow Matthew Skelton; Manuel Pais Business & Leadership 1
Functional Unit Testing Principles, Practices, and Patterns Vladimir Khorikov Software Development 1 ~ 11
Functional Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems Jennifer Petoff; Niall Murphy; Betsy Beyer; Chris Jones Software Development 1 - 3 - 4 - 6
Functional The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership-Powered Company Ram Charan; Stephen Drotter; James L. Noel; Kent Jonasen Business & Leadership 1 - 2 - 3 - 8 - 9
Personal Development The Knight in Rusty Armor Robert Fisher Adventure Completed
Personal Development The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) Seth Godin Business Completed

2023

Category Title Author(s) Theme/Genre Chapters Read / Completed
Leisure Inédita Pamonha Clóvis de Barros Filho Philosophy Completed
Functional No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention Reed Hastings Business & Leadership Completed
Functional The Software Architect Elevator: Redefining the Architect's Role in the Digital Enterprise Gregor Hohpe Software Development 1 ~ 17
Functional The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master Andrew Hunt; David Thomas Software Development 1 ~ 4
Functional Code That Fits in Your Head: Heuristics for Software Engineering Mark Seeman Software Development 1 ~ 7

2022

Category Title Author(s) Theme/Genre Chapters Read / Completed
Leisure Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury Science Fiction Completed
Leisure A Country Called Brazil: The History of Brazil from Discovery to the 21st Century Marco Antonio Villa History Completed
Functional The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change Camille Fournier Business Completed
Personal Development The Big Baby Book Thatiane Mahet Parenting Completed

2021

Category Title Author(s) Theme/Genre Chapters Read / Completed
Leisure The Engineers of Chaos Giuliano da Empoli Politics Completed
Leisure Philosophy for Mortals: Thinking Well to Live Well Daniel Gomes de Carvalho Philosophy Completed
Leisure Brave New World Aldous Huxley Science Fiction Completed
Leisure Around the World in Eighty Days Jules Verne Adventure Completed
Functional The Fourth Industrial Revolution Klaus Schwab Economics Completed
Functional It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work David Heinemeier Hansson; Jason Fried Business Completed

In the coming years, I plan to keep this list updated, aiming to record my reading and share my experiences with other readers. I also hope this list helps me reflect on my interests and stay motivated to keep reading and learning.

See you soon. 📚☕


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Written by Gustavo Aquino, Master of Science, Software Engineer, and founder of Decodifique.com. You can find me on LinkedIn.