In a previous post, I mentioned how David Beazley implemented a compiler in Python and Haskell. He did a write up on a 'Haskell-style' parser in Python here.
I'm struck by the raw minimalism and expressiveness of the code. There is no advanced metaprogramming, operator overloading, or even any classes. If you want to see how everything works, the code is right there to look at. Most of the functions are tiny. The way that they compose together is pretty awesome.
In particular, to the question "What can I do to improve my Python skills?".
Much to their surprise, I often suggest doing a project in a completely different language or outside of their area of expertise. I think the main benefit of doing this is that you'll often see a completely different way of thinking about a problem that you can bring home to your own projects.
I'm very excited to try out the parser myself.