George's Top 10 Reads of 2023

A good book recommendation is one of the best gifts you can give, to me at least. I read about a book or two a week, and I run out of good options fast! So if you've got some recommendations...let me know!

I've been doing my top ten list for a few years. I read a lot of really great books in just about every subject, but these are the very best from almost every genre, not just cybersecurity! But then I never said I have good taste, so decide for yourself! If you are looking for a book recommendation, I've distilled my list down to the top 5 fiction and non-fiction books I came across in the last year.

George's Top Fiction Picks!

1. Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned BeaumanThis is not just my favorite book of the year, it's my favorite book of the decade. It reminded me a lot of Douglas Adams if he were still writing books today. The book itself defies a summary, but it evokes my memories of Hitchhiker's Guide in a modern day context except they all stay on Earth and no aliens. Just read it.
2. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson I hate to admit that it took me until 2023 to read Cryptonomicon. I've loved Neal Stephenson for years, but I skipped from Snow Crash and went straight to his newer stuff. This book is all things crypto, but the incredible characters bring it to life, and Stephenson's predictions about tech have basically all come true. This is required reading for all nerds everywhere.
3. Last House on Needless Street by Catriona WardThis gem of a mystery has more twists and turns than I could count, it kept me guessing, and guessing, and guessing. And every time, I loved how wrong I was. Let's just say this is a whodunit wrapped around neurodiversity and leave it at that.
4. Cinder Spires by Jim ButcherDear Jim Butcher, if you're reading this, I just want you to know that you're my favorite author of all time. I've read the whole Dresden Files series, so when I heard you wrote a book about steampunk magicians who fly airships, I said "shut up and take my money." There are 2.5 books out so far and I hope you find time to write both more Dresden Files as well as more Cinder Spires. Also, somehow you also perfectly captured what a talking cat would actually sound like, so thanks for that as well.
5. Everyone in My family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin StevensonThe whole mystery genre is about whether or not the Butler did it...so this book flips that. Everyone did it. The really interesting part is who they actually killed and why.

George's Top Non-Fiction picks!

1. The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto MusashiI spent several years in college learning fencing, so when I learned that the greatest swordsman in history wrote a book (circa 1645), I knew I had to read it. As an artist, hearing him write that "to master the way of battle one must become acquainted with every art" really resonated with me. This one is worthy of the same respect and attention that Sun Tsu gets...where Tsu is about strategy, Musashi is about self mastery.
2. Tracers in The Dark by Andy GreenbergBitcoin isn't anonymous, but in the early days everyone thought it was. Consequently, law enforcement agencies all over the world are putting many different kinds of criminals in jail based around the work of a handful of pioneers who helped deanonmize cryptocurrencies, and this book brilliantly captures their stories. Greenberg is a fantastic journalist that focuses on cybersecurity and this one is a must read.
3. Thinking In Pictures by Temple GrandinAutism and Neurodiversity are critical issues that everyone needs to understand today. This book is one of the first books that I'm aware of that was written by an autistic person about how the autistic mind works differently. And at the same time it's also her story about how she learned to successfully live in a world where people don't think the same way she does.
4. Street Without Joy by Bernard B. FallI have to admit that until a few years ago, all I knew about the Vietnam war was based entirely on movies. Fall was a prominent French war correspondent who captures why the French ultimately had to leave Vietnam because of the guerilla warfare tactics that were being employed to defeat a much larger more sophisticated force. It got me thinking about how cybercriminals deploy similar tactics and how maybe we fall for the same tricks just like the French.
5. The Storyteller by Dave GrohlJust wow. By now you probably know Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), but it was really incredible to hear all the stories from his career, like accidentally playing with Iggy Pop or Tom Petty. I had no idea that Ghrol played in a punk rock band before Nirvana (Scream) and now I’ve discovered my new favorite band. This was one of those books where I had to stop reading and listen to all the songs that influenced Grohl along the way.

Before I forget! If you've managed to read this far, I've also written a few books that you should check out. My latest, Project Zero Trust, is one of the top 10 cybersecurity books for all of 2023! And if you liked Project Zero Trust, also check out Well Aware...it kinda won the book of the year award in 2020, so someone somewhere must have liked it too!