Fantasy, dystopia and science fiction ask what people become when the rules change.
Reading Archive // Volume 02 // 2009
The Forge and the Far Future
Craft • Power • Belief • Imagined Worlds
In 2009, Sean O'Leary moved freely between books about invented kingdoms and books about shaping metal, brewing beer and making cheese. Heinlein, Brooks, Butcher and Adams shared the year with Machiavelli, Carl Sagan, Saint Augustine and working guides built for the hands as much as the mind.
2009
Archive Volume 02
Political thought, cultural history, skepticism and faith widen the questions behind the stories.
Blacksmithing, brewing and cheesemaking turn curiosity into something tangible.
A Year of Reading // 26 Books
Sean O'Leary's complete 2009 reading list
Follow the year in the order Sean completed each book. Use Goodreads to explore reader reactions and editions, or search Bookshop.org when a title belongs on your own shelf.
26
Books completed
15
Works of fiction
7
Hands-on craft books
Chapter 01 // January–March
Books 01–10
Fire, kingdoms and the machinery of power
01
Angels & Demons
Dan Brown
02
A Blacksmithing Primer
Randy McDaniel
03
Yucatan Before and After the Conquest
Diego de Landa
04
New Edge of the Anvil
Jack Andrews
05
Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold!
Terry Brooks
06
Lord of the Flies
William Golding
07
Dream of the Red Chamber
Tsao Hsueh-Chin
08
The Prince
Niccolò Machiavelli
09
The Black Unicorn
Terry Brooks
10
Small Favor
Jim Butcher
Chapter 02 // May–August
Books 11–16
Strange worlds, long lives and necessary doubt
11
Stranger in a Strange Land
Robert A. Heinlein
12
The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Douglas Adams
13
The Demon-Haunted World
Carl Sagan
14
Methuselah's Children
Robert A. Heinlein
15
Turn Coat
Jim Butcher
16
Time Enough for Love
Robert A. Heinlein
The Reader Behind the Books
Reading widely became part of Sean's creative method.
Stories reveal what people fear, desire and defend. History shows what people have already done. Practical books show how ideas survive contact with the real world. That range remains visible in Sean's fiction, library conversations and public book talks today.
Chapter 03 // September–December
Books 17–26
Games, magic and the satisfaction of making
17
Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card
18
Wizard at Large
Terry Brooks
19
Home Beermaking: The Complete Beginner's Guide
William Moore
20
The Tangle Box
Terry Brooks
21
The Number of the Beast
Robert A. Heinlein
22
The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing
Dave Miller
23
Cheesemaking Made Easy
Ricki Carroll and Robert Carroll
24
Home Cheese Making
Ricki Carroll
25
The Skills of a Blacksmith, Volume II: Mastering the Fundamentals of Leaf-Work
Mark Aspery
26
The Confessions of Saint Augustine
Saint Augustine of Hippo
Keep the Conversation Going
Meet Sean through the books he discusses
Reading lists show the path. Sean's current video and written reviews show what he notices along the way: character, systems, consequence and the ideas a story leaves behind.
Sean O'Leary's Video Reviews
Watch Sean talk through science fiction, fantasy, libraries, writing and the questions that remain after the final page.
Sean O'Leary's Written Reviews
Follow Sean's reading on Goodreads, explore his written responses and visit the author page for his published books.
From Studying Systems to Writing One
Enter the dangerous future of Dan Tesson
Readers drawn to the power struggles, moral pressure and speculative questions running through Sean's reading archive can continue into his own dystopian world. Dan Tesson is a psychological thriller about memory, government secrets, survival and the cost of what should never have been hidden.
Digital Edition
Buy the Ebook
Print Edition
Buy the Paperback
Collector's Print Edition
Buy the Hardcover
Author-Narrated Edition
Buy the Audiobook
Explore the World of Dan Tesson →
