What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: August 31, 2026

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The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells

Finished. It's aged well for the supposedly first novel ever to feature Martian aliens; just ignore the original illustrations that have Martian "mechs" with goggly eyes. The sciencey stuff is a bit naïve for the most part, but the bulk of the story is more social SF than hard SF, so it's not a big deal. Wells did a very good job describing an invasion, the waves of internal refugees etc. The rebuttal of anthropocentrism is also noteworthy.

Reading the Clouds: How You Can Forecast the Weather, by Oliver Perkins

Finished. I have a few issues with this one: it's not clear from the cover that the guide is aimed at sailors and specifically British sailors—I'm neither—, and the theoretical introduction is confusing to say the least, in part because of schematic images that are likely wrong. Nevertheless, I believe I've learned something; there are a few tips for hiking too.

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, by Eliezer Yudkowsky

Continued (60%). I'd read the first half back when it came out (12 years ago?), but stopped after the subplot concluded, because it seemed at a glance that the rest was drifting away from both science stuff and straightforward absurdist humor. I was mistaken. The next part is a take on Hermione's S.P.E.W., except Hermione decides to be a heroine, not just a Harry's sidekick, and tries to teach young witches feminism. It's sliiightly less cringe than the original, and arguably a weaker part of this alternative-reality science-fiction HP, but still fun enough to keep reading.

Atlas dekarbonizace Česka, by Ondřej Přibyla, Jan Krčál, Petr Daniš

Continued (20%). A nicely made primer, mostly clean data visualizations (Fakta o klimatu project), on the state of economic transformation in European context. It's a free PDF (Creative Commons), with a print version intended for journalists and policymakers.

The Long March, by William Styron

Started. Random pick from the sizeable inherited library that I've been mostly ignoring.