Fatih Arslan
Software engineer at PlanetScale and creator of the vim-go plugin; writes at arslan.io.
A Dog's Heart by Mikhail Bulgakov
It wasn't my favorite, but it was very different. Like eating food that tastes nothing like what you're used to. For that reason alone, I'd recommend it.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich
This was probably my favorite book of the year. Gombrich wrote it in six weeks at age 26, aiming to explain world history to children. The result is remarkably readable.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
It's a little outdated, but still worth reading just to see how the world has, or hasn't, changed in the past 40 years.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
I loved it so much that I bought two more copies, one for my wife and one for my sister.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber
It's a dense but good book, and I really enjoyed it. Definitely worth reading.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
Caps Lock by Ruben Pater
It's not neutral and very political, but it gave me a different perspective on how design serves people. Highly recommended.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
From Nerd to Pro by Patrik Rolf
I really enjoyed it, and it gave me a very different view of the coffee world. Definitely worth reading if you're into coffee.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler
I had some high hopes for this book, but I'm not sure I liked it that much.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
How to Take Smart Notes by Sönke Ahrens
Write notes in your own words, connect them to existing notes, and let ideas emerge from the connections. I wrote a whole blog post about this, so go ahead and read it. Highly recommended.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan
The story is very intriguing. Humanity finds a dead body on the moon. The caveat? The body is 50,000 years old. The story starts slow, but then the pace becomes phenomenal. Highly recommended.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
Kaput by Wolfgang Münchau
Definitely a good read. It's an easy read, but will give you a good perspective.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
Sid Meier's Memoir by Sid Meier
As someone who poured hours into that game, I really loved this book.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey
I'm mixed on this book. It doesn't really offer actionable exercises, and the Self 1 and Self 2 framing didn't fully convince me.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
The Notebook by Roland Allen
Another favorite of 2025. The author traces the evolution of notebooks, from wax tablets and parchment to paper, and examines how figures like Leonardo, Darwin, and Newton used them to develop ideas.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
Ways of Seeing by John Berger
I really liked this book, especially because I want to learn more about art, but it wasn't an easy read.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
I enjoyed the themes. It's a very easy read. The topics aren't very deep, and you shouldn't expect anything literary.
on arslan.io · 26 Dec 2025
Everything Fatih Arslan recommends — not just books — on rcmnd →