Books on Og Maciel's Journal

November 2025 Reading Wrap-Up

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

November 2025 Reading Wrap-Up

Another month in the books—though it’s funny to say that, because for most of November I felt like I should have read more. I tried to read more. But the first two weeks dragged, and reading felt like a slog. I’ve written elsewhere about why this month was unusually tough, so I won’t rehash all that here. The short version: work was heavy, stress was high, and my mind was everywhere except on the page.

A Reader's Take on The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A Reader’s Take on The Subtle Art Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

It’s been a while since I’ve written any kind of book review, and mostly it’s because I often feel that when I try, I don’t have the right framework to offer a solid commentary on what I liked, what I didn’t, and why I would—or wouldn’t—recommend a book. When I talk about books that mattered to me or touched me in some way, I usually end up describing them through how they made me feel. I don’t always know how to break things down in a more “literary” way—structure, motifs, themes, and all that—so I tend to refrain from reviewing books at all.

Confessions of a Horror Lover Who's Scared of Horror

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Confessions of a Horror Lover Who’s Afraid of Horror

Photo by m wrona on Unsplash

Okay, I have a confession to make. Maybe it’s a confession and a fact. I’ll start with the fact first: I probably own around a hundred or more books that fall into the category of horror or weird fiction.

That’s mostly because, years ago, a good friend of mine was transitioning from married life to single life and moving to a smaller place. He needed to downsize, and very reluctantly decided to part with some of his books. He sent me a message with a long list of titles and asked if I might be interested in buying a few to help him out.

Crunching the Numbers of a Slow Reading Month

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Crunching the Numbers of a “Slow” Reading Month

]Photo by Aaron Lefler on Unsplash

I got curious. The other day I mentioned that I haven’t really been reading a lot lately, and I tried to pin it on being too busy and too exhausted by the end of the day. Yes, there’s some truth to that — I havebeen very busy — but I still wanted to figure out whether this was an unusual reading year for me or not.

Trying to Read While Life Happens

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Trying to Read While Life Happens

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

Yesterday, after the long day I had, my wife, one of my daughters, and I went to a jazz concert at UNC, something my daughter needed to attend for one of her classes. It was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., with the UNC Jazz Band performing alongside special guest Alex Graham. Turns out the North Carolina Symphony was also in town performing in the larger, more modern adjacent theater, which meant it took us extra time to get there. Finding parking was especially hard, but thanks to the kindness of one attendant protecting the neighborhood lots from concert-goers, we managed to find a spot only a few minutes’ walk from the Moeser Auditorium.

I Asked AI to Analyze My Reading Habits. My Wallet Almost Didn’t Survive.

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I Asked AI to Analyze My Reading Habits. My Wallet Almost Didn’t Survive.

Okay, I confess—I was bored, somewhere between watching an episode of Such Brave Girls and reading, so I opened ChatGPT and asked:

Based on the titles below representing the last digital books I purchased from Amazon, what could be inferred about my reading style and preferences?

Skinbreaker #1
Alchemised
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age

October Reading Wrap-Up: A Month of Chaos, Comics & Quiet Pages

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Photo by Thalia Ruiz on Unsplash

This month of October has been… a very busy one at work, and as a result, I didn’t spend nearly as much time reading as I usually do. Between all the additional stress and prep work required to handle some unexpected complications, I also managed to do a fair amount of writing, so something had to give.

When I wrapped up September, I said I wanted to read some scary books, maybe lean more into sci-fi and less into non-fiction, mostly because I felt like I needed a break from the real world. And if that was true in September, oh boy was it even more true in October.

A Book, a Backyard War, and a Lifetime of Friendship

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Photo by Anna Samoylova on Unsplash

Reading has always been part of my family for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are of my parents buying books from those traveling salespeople who used to go door to door selling encyclopedias—Brittanica, Barsa, Larousse, you name it. We always had a room dedicated to books, where we kept the dictionaries, classic literature, and those giant encyclopedia volumes that made you feel smarter just by being in the same room with them.

Back to the Page: Finding My Way Into the ICQ Sequel

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A couple of days ago, I wrote about getting back into the writing swing of things and adding a few paragraphs to a novel I want to write—a sequel to my book ICQ. It’s kind of funny because when I went to save what I’d written, I started looking for a place to put it and discovered that I had already put something together, probably earlier this year. It was a pleasant surprise to realize that I had already captured some ideas, but it also shows just how much is going on in my life lately that I couldn’t even remember starting it.

Too Much Spanglish, Not Enough Story

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Call it a pet peeve of mine, but I see absolutely no point in writing paragraph after paragraph sprinkled with words from another language—liberally, even proudly—when it adds nothing to the story or style. A word or two here and there, especially terms of endearment, sure.

But when every paragraph has a handful of non-English words dropped in—say, five to ten per page—that’s hundreds of instances across a typical 300-page novel. It starts to feel less like creative flair and more like a recurring speed bump, pulling you out of the story every few lines just to reorient yourself. The constant code-switching becomes the story’s background noise, making you aware of the language instead of the emotion, pacing, or plot.

Because Reading Counts as Self-Care

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Busy day at work, so naturally I had to “blow off some steam” and buy new books, purely for balance, of course ;)

“Alchemised” by SenLinYu
“The Cemetery of Untold Stories” by Julia Alvarez
“Flash Teams: Leading the Future of AI-Enhanced, On-Demand Work” by Melissa Valentine, Michael Bernstein (publishes tomorrow)

And as if that weren’t enough temptation, I just got notified that my library hold, “Prodigal Summer” by Barbara Kingsolver, is ready for pick up.

The Books That Carried Me Through September 2025

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I had told my wife and kids that this September was going to be the month where I’d read all of Shakespeare’s Tragedies, Comedies, Histories, and Romances, starting with “The Tempest” which I’ve read a few times before. It started out slow, as I reacquainted myself with the “thous,” “wonders” and “wherefores,” but after a few pages I was back in the swing of things.

An Unexpected Detour

Instead of moving to “Hamlet” as planned, my wife suggested I read “Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell. She didn’t like it much, but I gave it 5 stars. The novel’s exploration of Shakespeare’s family life and the death of his son Hamnet was deeply moving.

On Reading and writing

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This week I started reading On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, a book that has been mentioned a few times by people I usually interview for my weekly podcast as something that is both inspiring and has had a major impact on their lives and careers. After the third or forth time someone mentioned I finally broke down and got myself a copy at the local bookstore.

End of Year - 2015

Thu, 31 Dec 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Another year has gone by and I guess it is time to review the things I set out to do and grade myself on how well (or poorly) I fared. Here are some of my goals for 2015:

Read 70 Books

Grade: PASS

Even though I had a very, very busy year at work, with many releases of Red Hat Satellite 5 and Red Hat Satellite 6 shipped to our customers, I managed to surpass my goal of reading 70 books, finishing the year with a whopping 79 books read! You can see the books I read here: Year in Books

2014 in Book Covers

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 13:26:00 +0000

For my last post of 2014 I wanted to show, with pictures, the books I read and spent so much time with this year.

Back in January of 2014 I set out to read 30 books as part of my Reading Challenge. I wanted to focus on reading Brazilian authors early on as I felt that I really needed to learn more about Brazilian literature and this time, read books for fun and not because I was told to back when I was much younger.

Books

Sun, 21 Sep 2014 12:07:00 +0000

Woke up this morning and, as usual, sat down to read the Books section of The New York Times while drinking my coffee. This has become sort of a 'tradition' for me and because of it I have been able to learn about many interesting books, some of which I would not have found out on my own. I also 'blame' this activity to turning my nightstand into a mini-library on its own.

Alternatives to NY Times\' Book section

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The NY Times' restriction of 10 articles/month for non-subscribers, online viewers means I won't be reading their Books section anymore. It sort of became a good habit for me and something I look forward to on Sunday mornings: as I drink my coffee and enjoy some peace and quietness as the kids are still asleep, I enjoy catching up with the latest books and reviews. This weekend ritual usually ends with a trip down to the public library with the whole family. Both of my kids are already checking out more books and movies than my wife and I together.

Procura-se: Irani de Castro

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Depois de ter gravado mais de 9 episódios do Castálio Podcast (se você ainda não escutou, não sabe o que está acontecendo), e conversar sobre os acontecimentos, músicas, livros e filmes que moldaram a vida dos meus convidados, comecei a meditar sobre alguns dos livros que eu curtia ler quando garoto. Quando eu ainda morava no Brasil, nós tínhamos uma biblioteca bem variada na minha casa, com livro para tudo quanto é gosto… mas quando me mudei para os Estados Unidos em 1991 (para ler um pouco mais sobre esta história, leia a minha coluna na edição 25 da revista Espírito Livre) eu tive de deixar tudo para trás para trazer somente o que cabia na mala (até parece aquela música do Engenheiros do Hawaii). Foram caixas e caixas de livros que eu tive de doar e eu tenho certeza que nunca mais vou poder recuperar todos eles.

Book Expo America 2011

Mon, 23 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Taking a day off tomorrow to fly to NYC with my oldest daughter so we can both attend this year’s Book Expo America (BEA) at the Javits Center. We’re both very excited about this chance of seeing so many books and the possibility of meeting some of the authors, such as Mo Willems! Unfortunately I’m going to miss meeting James Dashner as he’s scheduled to give out sample chapters of his upcoming book only on Wednesday.

Book Review: Stories of Your Life: and Others

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

*Disclaimer: My book reviews are my own impressions from my daily readings and are by no means “sponsored” or “influenced” by any company, organization or individuals. I don’t even get money through any referral program, so rest assured that my review is not biased. If you do, however, want me to review a book for your company or organization, feel free to contact me via the comments section and we can work something out. :)*

Book Review: Emblem Divide

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

*Disclaimer: My book reviews are my own impressions from my daily readings and are by no means “sponsored” or “influenced” by any company, organization or individuals. I don’t even get money through any referral program, so rest assured that my review is not biased. If you do, however, want me to review a book for your company or organization, feel free to contact me via the comments section and we can work something out. :)*

Book Review: Mockingjay

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

*Disclaimer: My book reviews are my own impressions from my daily readings and are by no means “sponsored” or “influenced” by any company, organization or individuals. I don’t even get money through any referral program, so rest assured that my review is not biased. If you do, however, want me to review a book for your company or organization, feel free to contact me via the comments section and we can work something out. :)*

Book Review: Catching Fire

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

*Disclaimer: My book reviews are my own impressions from my daily readings and are by no means “sponsored” or “influenced” by any company, organization or individuals. I don’t even get money through any referral program, so rest assured that my review is not biased. If you do, however, want me to review a book for your company or organization, feel free to contact me via the comments section and we can work something out. :)*

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

*Disclaimer: My book reviews are my own impressions from my daily readings and are by no means “sponsored” or “influenced” by any company, organization or individuals. I don’t even get money through any referral program, so rest assured that my review is not biased. If you do, however, want me to review a book for your company or organization, feel free to contact me via the comments section and we can work something out. :)*

Kindle

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Over the holidays I got a second-hand Kindle DX from my sister. As I have been doing some serious reading these last couple of years, an EBook reader was something that both excited and scared me at the same time. Let me explain.

Being able to carry several books, often pretty thick and heavy, in one simple and light device has its advantages. Add to that the massive number of free EBooks and regular plain text books available on web sites such as the Internet Archive, Open Library, Project Gutenberg, and all of a sudden we’re talking about having your own private and portable library on the go! Even Amazon.com has several classic books completely FREE of charge for those who have a Kindle!

31 Books, 13360 Pages and Counting

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

One of my New Year’s resolution for 2010 was the ambitious goal of reading one book for every week of the year! In other words, to read a total of 52 books for 2010! I knew that it would be very hard to complete this resolution without cheating and choosing thin books but I figured: “Aim for the moon, that way, even if you miss you’ll still be amongst the stars!”, right?

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Spent a good chunk of my free time reading all 9 (out of 10) parts of Lovelace and Babbage Vs The Organist this weekend! I don’t know where to begin to describe how incredibly awesome this comic is! The graphics, the clever writing and jokes, even the sometimes absurd plot twists all combine for delivering a fantastic, fun reading experience!

I highly recommend that you read at least a few episodes and allow yourself to wander around the many links and tidbits about Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Quasiamicable Pair, musical instruments, math and many other items in the notes section!

Book Review: Python 3 Object Oriented Programming

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

I can’t claim to have looked hard for a Python book on object oriented programming (OOP) but I was immediately attracted to the title of this book. Sure, you can find small tutorials here and there about some specific facet of OOP but I don’t recall ever reading something that covers designing public interfaces using abstraction, encapsulation, etc, etc with good and practical examples! If you have, please drop me a link in the comments. :)

Review: Django 1.2 E-Commerce

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

“Django 1.2 E-Commerce” starts with a very ambitious goal: design, develop and deploy a functional ecommerce web site for the fictional CranStore.com company. Sounds great, doesn’t it?

I started flipping through the usual introductory pages explaining what Django is and why use it for a project like this. It was all fairly brief which already led me to believe that knowledge of Django’s inner works and basic setup and configuration was required to follow along.

Book Shopping Spree

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Added these books to my personal collection… These are used and even though I feel that I know some of it already, I figured they could be usefull. Should arrive by the end of the week…