Another round of thoughts about the recent books I’ve read.

Dark Wire by Joseph Cox

This is the first piece of nonfiction I’ve read since I started reading again. I enjoyed it quite a bit but I’m not too surprised.

A few years back the FBI revealed that they had been behind an encrypted phone being sold to criminals called Anom. This wasn’t a matter of them compromising an existing encrypted phone company, the company’s phones were backdoored from the very beginning and it ended in the largest coordinated criminal takedown operation in history.

Dark Wire follows the story starting from even before the original idea for Anom had taken shape. It takes you through all sides, from the FBI agents behind the operation to Anom’s clueless distributors to the criminals who ended up with a wiretap in their pocket. It’s honestly pretty engaging, raises some interesting ethical questions, and overall I found it to be a good read.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I’m pretty sure this one has achieved classic status so I figured I may as well give it a read. I’m really glad I did!

Turns out that Adams’s type of humor is exactly the kind that I love. It’s dry, matter of fact, goofy, and just really cleverly written. If you haven’t read it already, it’s extremely easy for me to recommend especially considering how quick of a read it is.

I’m planning on watching the movie soon. I’ve seen it once before years ago but have forgotten most of it.

For We Are Many and All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor

These are the second and third books in the Bobiverse series which I’ve been continuing with. Overall I’d say I’ve enjoyed where the series has been going. It’s lost of little bit of the tension and wonder that the first book had, but it’s still entertaining and there’s plenty of developments that help make up for it.

I plan to continue with the fourth book before too long but I’ve had a couple other books I’ve been focusing on in the meantime.

— JP