Category Archives: Books

I like the idea of this: The Two Story, Climb Inside Bookshelf Tower | Apartment Therapy Chicago.  Sadly, I don’t know if I’d be up to maintaining that many books.  If I were to get something like this due to … Continue reading →

Kristine Kathryn Rusch has an article on ebook publishing Grantville Gazette » Universe Annex » Changing Times (ironically locked behind a paywall). The key quote is Suddenly, a reader can find the story they’ve been hearing about for years with … Continue reading →

This is fun: Inside Google Books: Books of the world, stand up and be counted! All 129,864,880 of you. What I found interesting was the effort they’ve put into defining a book.   You wouldn’t think that the question “Is … Continue reading →

Street-Fighting Math: down and dirty guide to approximation and problem-solving looks like an interesting book.   When I was in high school, my dad taught me to always come up with an estimated answer prior to solving a problem.  If the … Continue reading →

I read The know-it-all: one man’s humble quest to become the smartest person in the world a while back.  I enjoyed it. In this book, A.J. Jacobs tells the story of the year he spent reading through the entire Encyclopaedia … Continue reading →

I recently read Gail Carriger’s Soulless.  The first half came as part of the Hugo Voter’s package.  I really enjoyed it. The story opens with Alexia Tarabotti being attacked by vampire she hasn’t been introduced to properly.  Even more shockingly, … Continue reading →

I recently read Wake by Robert J. Sawyer as part of the Hugo Voters’ Package.  It was great!  As with many of his other books, this story left me with lots of ideas roiling in my mind. Wake tells the … Continue reading →

Robert J. Sawyer said that within a decade full time SF novelist will no longer be a viable profession.  Scalzi responded with The Full-Time SF Novelist: Probably Not as Endangered as You Think « Whatever. As I understand Scalzi’s argument, … Continue reading →

Thanks to the digital package, I’ve read more Hugo nominees than ever before.  It never ceases to surprise me just how out of touch I am with the general SF reader as represented by the Hugos. By and large, these … Continue reading →

John Scalzi  brought my attention to many of the Hugo Nominees available in ebook format: Hugo Voters Packet is Expanding « Whatever.  There’s a lot of good reading material in there. I hadn’t read most of the novels, but I … Continue reading →

David Drake’s post: The Classical Approach describes how the history and literature of Greece and Rome help shape his writing.  It never ceases to amaze me just how alien other human cultures can be.  When you think that these are … Continue reading →

I found this very encouraging Keep Reading.  C.J. Mahaney writes that he feels discouraged because he hardly remembers 1% of the books he reads.  Then he quotes this great sentence from John Piper: I do not I do not remember … Continue reading →

I recently finished The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. I enjoyed it. Sophie and Josh,  teenage twins, are working at their summer jobs in San Fransico when Josh’s employer is attacked by odd creatures looking for a … Continue reading →

Mostly I read for enjoyment. Why do I keep reading books I don’t enjoy?  A good part of it comes from a scarcity mindset – “This book may not be all that good, but it’s here and I may not … Continue reading →

Scott Adams  generally has thought provoking essays up on his blog and this one is no exception:  The Adams Theory of Content Value.  His argument is that soon people will no longer be paid for writing as writing done for … Continue reading →

I had heard good things about Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, so I picked it up at the library a few weeks back.  I made it about 3/4 of the way though the book (the point where they travel to the … Continue reading →

I really like this idea of Jo Walton’s:  Ok, where do I start with that?.  She’s working her way through authors whose books she has on her shelves and suggesting good starting places to get into their work. Almost every … Continue reading →

BoingBoing points to Pulitzer-winning fanfic: a non-exhaustive list. It’s interesting to read the BoingBoing comments.  Most of them declare that the examples on the list are not fanfic, despite admitting that these are derivative works and usually not sanctioned by … Continue reading →

I read about half of Steven E. Landsburg’s More Sex is Safer Sex.  In this book he’s expanded a series of essays on how looking at problems through an economic lens can lead to interesting and eccentric conclusions such as … Continue reading →