Second paragraph of third chapter:

Then begins a process of learning and adaptation. Each tool will have its own personality and quirks, and will need its own special handling. Each must be sharpened in a unique way, or held just so. Over time, each will wear according to use, until the grip looks like a mold of the woodworker’s hands and the cutting surface aligns perfectly with the angle at which the tool is held. At this point, the tools become conduits from the craftsman’s brain to the finished product—they have become extensions of his or her hands. Over time, the woodworker will add new tools, such as biscuit cutters, laser-guided miter saws, dovetail jigs—all wonderful pieces of technology. But you can bet that he or she will be happiest with one of those original tools in hand, feeling the plane sing as it slides through the wood.

I got this for F a year or so ago, at his request, but it then bubbled its way to the top of my own reading list so I gave it a try. I am not in any way a programmer, so about 60% of it is completely irrelevant to my life and work; but I was surprised at how pertinent the other 40% is – there is lots here about project management, information management, client management, people management and, simply, management. Perhaps the authors should do a shorter version – “The Pragmatic Programmer for non-programmers managers”, maybe? Anyway, you can get it here.

This was both my top unread non-fiction book and my top unread book acquired in 2023. Next on those piles respectively are South, by Ernest Shackleton, and Hard to Be a God, by the Strugatsky brothers.