Topi Kettunen

What I Read During the Summer (May-Aug) 2023

Summer months went by fast when you had lot on your hands. Didn’t feel like keeping the reading log up to date during these months, so I’ll just do one big post-summer update here.

Aldous Huxley: Brave New World (reread)

On May, I seemed to be rereading bunch of classics especially with the common theme of dystopian future. Why you might ask? That I don’t know, maybe something inside me just thinks that future depicted in these classics is inevitable. Brave New World is probably one of my favorite books ever written. Wonderful vision of advanced utopia, but at what cost? Masterful critique of the dehumanizing effects of a highly controlled and pleasure-driven society challenges readers to reflect on the consequences of sacrificing personal freedom for comfort and conformity.

George Orwell: 1984 (reread)

Continuing on the series of dystopia and nightmarish tales of possible future. Tale about the dangers of totalitarianism and government surveillance. Serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safeguarding individual freedoms, critical thinking, and truth itself.

William Golding: Lord of the Flies (reread)

More classics! Compelling exploration of human nature and the thin veneer of civilization that separates order from chaos.

J.D. Sallinger: The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye was, one of many, classics that I hadn’t read before and to be honest, wasn’t a huge fan of it. Maybe since I read this as a little bit older. Don’t know. Topics in this book was really interesting, considering teenager alienation, identity etc. While Holden’s struggles in his adolescent were definitely unique, I just felt more annoyed about him that anything else.

Jacques Ellul: The Technological Society

Jacques Ellul: Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes

Ted Kaczynski: Industrial Society and Its Future

Ted Kaczynski: Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How

Every once in a while my inner luddite wakes up and I start hating everything about technology. Reading Jacques Ellul was definitely part of this, but this time it was mainly the death of Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, that brought me to him. While I don’t agree/support on what Ted Kaczynski did, he had some great points about how technology affects us. Ellul was many ways inspiration for him in these sort of anti-technology philosophies and it affection on humans. But Kaczynski and Ellul had one big difference between them, Ellul was a pacifist were as Kaczynski was a domestic terrorist.

Nonetheless, all of these books make some great points about technology so despite your opinion about it, these are definitely worth a read.

Cormac McCarthy: The Road

Cormac McCarthy: No Country for Old Men

During the summer unfortunately we had a couple of passings of great authors, one of which were Cormac McCarthy. I had never read his books before, but I was familiar with as a movie from (No Country for Old Men by Coen Brothers) and I had heard great things about his writing. So I grabbed a copy of The Road and No Country for Old Men, since those were quite highly recommended. And the recommendations were definitely true.

The Road offers a haunting depiction of post-apocalyptic America and the struggles of father and son in this world. Immersing in bleak landscape where hope and love endure against all odds. No Country for Old Men delves into the realms of crime, fate, and the inexorable consequences of one’s choices.

Both of these works showcase McCarthy’s masterful storytelling, unique narrative styles, and philosophical depth, making them essential reads for those interested in literature that explores the human condition in its most challenging and thought-provoking forms.

Richard P. Gabriel: Patterns of Software

Richard P. Gabriel is a pretty known name in the software world and especially in the Lisp world. One of the famous writings of Richard P. Gabriel is the concept of “Worse Is Better” .

Patterns of Software gives a great look into software design, programming and business around it. Definitely a must read for everyone working in this industry.