About Me
Family Life
My name is Michael Hall, and I’m blessed to share life with my wife, Hailey—we’ve been married since October 2, 2021, the Feast of Our Guardian Angels. We live in St. Louis, Missouri, where we enjoy our life together. (No kids yet, but we do have our beloved cat, Momma, who keeps us company and often gets our attention!) I often visit my parents and sometimes help my dad with a project—he’s very hands-on but retired now. He previously worked as a pipefitter-welder. I also have two brothers, and family has always played a central role in my life.
Hailey’s natural talent is art, which I’ve come to love, appreciate, and thoroughly enjoy. She is such a creative person, and I’m more technical (being an engineer). We support each other in our talents—and in our marriage. Her art is inspiring—not only for its creativity and beauty, but also in the way it reflects how we share our life together. We love spending time with each other, whether it’s taking little trips, visiting family, or simply enjoying the day-to-day.
One of the most meaningful parts of our relationship is our shared Catholic faith. We regularly attend Mass together, and our faith often shapes our conversations, choices, and outlook on life.
Faith Life
My Catholic faith is at the center of my life—and it’s something my wife and I share deeply. We are parishioners at Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church in St. Louis, where we’re grateful to be part of a vibrant and faithful community. I strive to live out the universal call to holiness through daily prayer, the rosary, and attending daily Mass. I also make time for spiritual reading and Eucharistic adoration, all of which help me draw closer to God and grow in faith.
I strive to live out my faith with integrity every day. (After all, what is the point of faith if it’s not lived authentically?) I support the dignity of every human life and, for many years, attended the March for Life. I am a Cooperator of Opus Dei—a personal prelature of the Catholic Church whose name means “God’s Work.” Opus Dei (particularly at Wespine) has played an important role in my faith formation, encouraging me to seek, love, and serve God in the ordinary circumstances of daily life.
The Eucharist—the Body and Blood of Christ—is central to my faith life. In a photo from our wedding, my wife and I are receiving the Eucharist together—Christ at the center of our marriage from the very beginning. We trust the Lord that marriage is forever and that He will hold us together.
Professional Life
I am a Lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis, where I teach computer engineering to students. I am joint between two departments: Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) and Electrical & Systems Engineering (ESE).
I began my teaching career in Spring 2020 as an Adjunct Instructor, where I taught for five semesters before being hired full-time as a Lecturer in Fall 2024. Before transitioning to academia, I worked as a Software Engineer at VelociData and OpenVault for nine years. During that time, I focused on software development, deep research, and creating innovative solutions to complex problems. My experience in industry has shaped my approach to teaching, and I am passionate about preparing students for the challenges they will face in their future careers.
I enjoy both professional and personal development and growth. I am always seeking opportunities to learn and improve, which helps me better serve my students. To learn more about my professional work, visit my academic website.
Personal Interests
Outside of work, I enjoy a range of hobbies that keep both my mind and body active. Computers have been a lifelong passion of mine—one I credit to my dad, who introduced me early on to math and computers. Over the years, I’ve built and maintained my own systems, set up networks, run servers, and written custom programs and scripts. My current setup includes a FreeBSD-based server with ZFS storage, which supports not only my tech projects but also my wife’s artwork. We collaborate often—she creates, and I handle the high-resolution scanning and graphics editing, archiving it all on our home server.
In addition to technology, fitness has become an important part of my life. I was introduced to weightlifting by my best friend from high school and college, and I’ve been committed to the gym ever since. I also enjoy cardio through running and elliptical. As someone who is pro-life, I joined LIFE Runners, a national running team dedicated to the pro-life cause. Being part of this community has brought not only fitness but also fellowship and friendships. I’ve run over 30 races—mostly 5Ks—and even completed a half-marathon. Unfortunately, a lingering foot injury has put running on pause for now, but I hope to return to it when I’m able.
I’m a bit hands-on—though not nearly as much as my dad and brother. Still, I’ve learned a lot from them over the years, slowly collecting tools as needed and taking on house projects from time to time.
Above all, I’m a life-long learner. I read daily—sometimes for fun, often for study—and find that steady learning fuels both my personal and professional life.
Hailey Hall Art
My wife, Hailey, has a natural gift for art—something I’ve come to deeply admire and support. What began as encouragement for her creative passions has grown into a meaningful collaboration between us.
Our journey started with Hailey’s manuscripts. She has written several children’s stories, including An Aunt’s Animal Alphabet and Passion Flowers in Bloom, a book of religious poetry and art. We worked together to publish An Aunt’s Animal Alphabet, with Hailey illustrating every page and me handling much of the technical and production work. What we didn’t anticipate was how much effort goes into marketing and sharing a book after it’s published—something we’re still learning and growing in.
This experience led us to form a small side business called Hailey Hall Art. Through it, we sell her books, as well as art prints and other merchandise featuring her original work. While this isn’t my full-time job, it has become a meaningful part of our lives—a shared creative endeavor that combines her artistry with my technical support, including scanning, graphics editing, and designing and hosting our website.
To support this effort, we maintain an author website, where readers can explore Hailey’s books, and read updates, along with a separate online art portfolio to showcase her growing body of artwork.
Along the way, we’ve come to appreciate how important customer reviews are—not just for visibility, but for truly connecting with readers and audiences. That realization has inspired me to start writing book reviews myself, both to support others and to improve how we reach our own readers.
Book Reviewer
The inspiration to write book reviews began with a simple idea: if we want customer reviews of our own books, then we should do the same for others. It’s a way of giving back and supporting fellow authors. What started as a small gesture of appreciation has since grown into something I genuinely enjoy—and it’s actually one of the main reasons I created this website.
Up to this point, I’ve shared my reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram. Now, I have a dedicated space—this website—to collect all my book reviews in one place and, possibly, to write other articles that interest me down the road.
So, what kinds of books do I review? I read daily as part of my morning routine—a drink in one hand with some caffeine to help me wake up, a book in my other hand, and a cat on my lap who wants company. What I read depends on whatever I’m interested in at the time, or what someone has recommended to me. Sometimes I read books by authors I know—friends or acquaintances—and I want to support them in their publishing journey. Other times, I’m simply reading for the joy of it. My reading tends to span a variety of genres: fiction and nonfiction, literature, spiritual and religious works, and technical books related to my profession.
So, welcome to this growing collection of book reviews. I hope you find something here that resonates with you, inspires you, or simply helps you discover perhaps your next great read.