Shelf Source: Ben Overmyer

What Book Changed How You Think About the Internet Or Consumer Technology?

Most of the reading I do about the philosophy of the internet, or consumer technology, is online. I have not read a book on this subject in recent memory.

When You Finish a Book That Moves You, What's Your First Instinct?

To write about it.

In a moment like that, I usually take out a physical notebook, like the little neon-green Moleskine I keep on my desk, and jot down some thoughts so I can work them out later in a longer form.

Has A Book Ever Inspired You To Build Or Change Something On Your Site?

Not directly, but many of the books I read end up influencing either the content on my site or how I go about adding to it.

For example, I tend to write more analytical content when I'm reading through a history text, and more reflective content when I'm reading through a philosophical or spiritual book.

What's A Book You've Recommended The Most, And What Does That Say About You?

American Nations by Colin Woodard. It describes the eleven major cultures that make up the United States, and provides a glimpse of what North America could look like if the USA broke apart.

That I recommend it so frequently suggests that either my outlook on the USA's longevity is bleak, or that I want people to dream of a better world. Maybe both.

How Do You Decide Which Books Deserve a Place on Your Site Versus Staying Private?

I don't think there's been a single book I've read that I avoided listing on my website's "books I've read" list. I haven't read anything particularly controversial, though.

If You Could Design a Library That Reflected Your Site's Ethos, What Would It Look Like?

It would be one of those buildings that just grows organically over time.

If we're being fantastical here, I think it would look like an enormous tree house growing slowly up and around an even more enormous tree.

What's A Genre Or Type Of Book You Used To Dismiss But Now Love?

Probably military science fiction.

Until I encountered David Weber's Honorverse (starting with On Basilisk Station), I always thought military sci-fi was just hoo-rah chauvinism with space lasers. Another author who's done fascinating writing in this arena is John Scalzi, with Old Man's War.

How Has Having a Personal Website Changed the Way You Read?

That's an interesting question. I've had a personal website since the mid-90s, so it's been a part of my life since I was a teenager. In 2019 I started listing the books I've read on my site. It's possible that since then I've subconsciously chosen books that won't make me look bad if I posted their titles on my site. I doubt it, though.

What's A Book You Wish More People Would Read, And Why?

Right now, I would say From the Ruins of Empire by Pankaj Mishra.

It describes how the West thoroughly wrecked the societies of the East over the last couple hundred years and how the East developed as a result.

In particular, it changed how I think of the USA, and gave me a much more nuanced understanding of countries like Iran and China.