John Keegan's A History of Warfare. I've been reading this
massive tome on and off for the last year. Last
night I finally sat down and finished it. Overall, I'm in
awe of the breadth of this book, and less than thrilled with
the execution. I think it could've been a much better book,
had it stepped back from the details and gave the big
picture first. I'm very glad I read it, though, and plan on
reading some of
Keegan's otherworks.
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian (Conan of Cimmeria, Book
1), by Robert E. Howard. I was looking forward to it,
and then I had it, and then I was sorely
dissappointed. REH's writing is shallow and superficial. I
didn't even finish the book. I will probably give it another
chance one day, but not right now.
Miles, Mystery and Mayhem, by Lois McMaster Bujold. Yet
another Miles Vorkosigan book, entertaining as usual.
Illium, by Dan Simmons. Boring until page 500(!), but the rest
is well worth the wait. Do not read if you don't like ends
which don't really end anything, and leave everything open for
the sequel (c.f. Hyperion's first book).
The Berets, by W.E.B. Griffin. More yummy brain
candy. Yes, I enjoyed it so much that I went back and
reread. I have also just ordered from amazon the last 4
books in the series.
The Berets, by W.E.B. Griffin. More yummy brain candy.
Stephen king's Wolves of the Calla, Dark Tower V
Stephen King's The Gunslinger
Quicksilver, Vol I of the Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson. It's
a 900 page tome about a 300 page story. Interesting in an
encyclophedic sort of way, but the least good (I can't bring
myself to say bad about a Stephenson book) of Stephenson's books.
The Colonels, by W.E.B. Griffin. Yummy brain candy.
Hyperion, by Dan Simmons. Wow! Won the Hugo, and definitely
deserves it.
Young Miles, by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Lots of books I no longer remember... will try to keep it up to
date in the future.
From a Buick Eight, by Stephen King.
What do YOU Care What Other People Think? Further Adventures of a
Curious Character (R.E.P. Feynman)
Feynman's Lectures on Computation, by Richard Feynman.
Fermat's Last Theorem, by Simon Singh.
Pegasus Bridge, by Stephen E. Ambrose. Not quite as good
as Band of Brothers, but definitely enjoyable. Jan. 29, 2003.
An
Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp, by Robert
J. Chassell. This books is a slow and easy introduction to
programming in lisp, and a great introduction to programming for
emacs. Very useful, if you spend most of your days in an emacs
buffer of some kind, as I do.
Down and Under in the
Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow. This is a
good science fiction yarn, with elements drawn from modern day
geek life. Whuffie, for example, is how esteemed you are by your
colleagues - i.e. how many of them read your blog. The book is
available
online, and if you like it, you should buy it. Jan. 11,
2003.
The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose. This is a very complex
book, so complex I almost gave up after the first few pages. To be
read properly, it requiers that you stop and thing about what
Penrose is saying. I did (with the notable exception of the
Quantum mechanics parts, where I just read, mostly without
comprehending), and I'm glad I did. Review by
John McCarthy(!), and another review. Summary:
good, needs to be read again. Jan 06, 2003.
In no particular order: The entire Corps series (volumes 3-8), The
Year's Best S.F, 7, Jackdaws by Ken Follet and many others I forget
right now. I've been lax in updating this page lately.
Night of the Ranger, by Mark
D. Harrell. The story is nice, and the writing is ok, but what
stands out is the realism (I was going to say authenticity, but as
I've never been in a fire battle, I don't really know) of the training
and battle scenes. Recommended.
The Corps, Book I, Semper Fi, by W.E.B Griffin. See advogato
diary. Fantastic, one of the best stories I've read in a long
time.
The Corps, Book II, Call to Arms, by W.E.B Griffin. See advogato
diary. Also fantastic, just as good as the first one, if not
better.
Black House, Stephen King & Peter Straub. See advogato
diary. Very very good, if a bit gruesome towards the end even
for me.
Everything's Eventual, Stephen King. See advogato
diary. Not so good. My least favorite King short stories
collection.
Crypto,
by Steven Levy Short on technical details and long on
politics and business, a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended,
as are all of Levy's books. 03-07-2002.
Number of
the Beast, by Robert A. Heinlein Although this is one of my
favorite Heinlein books, in this reading it seemed threadbare and not
quite as engrossing as it used to be. I hope the magic will be back in
the next reading. Still recommended, 03-07-2002.
The
Longest Day, by Cornelius Ryan Not quite as absorbing as Band
of Brothers, but very detailed. Looking forward to seeing the
movie. Recommended, 03-07-2002.
Band of
Brothers, by Stephene Ambrose A superb WWII book,
following an airborne unit from its beginnings to the day it
disassembled, all through WWII. Very Highly recommended,
16-06-2002.
Plum Island, by
Nelson DeMille The last couple of days have been harrowing,
with my computer's sudden death for a blown up power supply. The only
good spots where when I waited for numerous fsck's to complete, and
passed the time reading this excellent book. The story is not
particularly ingenious, but the characters, especially Detective John
Corey, make it a lovely book to read. Highly recommended, 11-05-2002.
Soul of a
New Machine, by Tracy Kidder - An excellent book, on par with
Levy's Hackers. Made me appreciate my friends in Electrical
Engineering a little bit more than I used to. Definitely recommended,
06-05-2002.
Making
The Corps, by Thomas E. Ricks - A look at USMC (US Marine
Corps) basic trainging. Quite a good book, finished it in one
sitting. An inspiring read, 09-04-2002.
Up
Country, by Nelson Demille - A very good novel, although the
ending left a bit to be desired. Recommended, 22-mar-2002.
Word of
Honor, by Nelson Demille - very good, a court room drama like
court room dramas are supposed to be. The main character, Ben Tyson,
faces tough decisions and makes the right choice, time after time, to
make up for the one wrong choice he made long ago. Recommended!
16-mar-2002.
God
Emperor of Dune, by Frank Herbert - not as good as the third
Dune book (Children of Dune) and not nearly as good as the original
Dune. 12-mar-2002.