22-08-2005 03:26									#1
	Vacation Book Reading: What did you read? Increase the size of your Attachments

the last 6 days i read

Dan Brown - Digital Fortress : 6/10
Arthur Clarke - The Sentinel : 8/10
Michael Moore - Stupid White Men : 7/10

	22-08-2005 03:38									#2
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1 book in like the last year!

Bill Maher: New Rules : 9/10

	22-08-2005 03:52									#3
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I just finished John Le Carre's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (8/10) and i've started Bill Bryson's "A short story of nearly everything".

	22-08-2005 03:55									#4
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I read these books this summer along with some discussion papers.

Risto Laulajainen: Financial Geography: A Banker's View 8/10
Adrian Goldsworthy : The Complete Roman Army(in finnish) 9/10
Jakobson, Sarvimäki: Perinteen taika. Nykyaika Kiinassa, Etelä-Koreassa ja Japanissa. (The power of tradition. Modern society in China, South Korea and Japan) 9/10
Popol Vuh -/10

	22-08-2005 03:59									#5
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quote: Originally posted by Sava 1 book in like the last year! Bill Maher: New Rules : 9/10

One more than me then

	22-08-2005 04:06									#6
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You gave Digital Fortress a 6/10? I'd give it a 4/10. Mildly entertaining. Cryptonomincon was soooooo much better.

	22-08-2005 04:28									#7
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Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Wee Free Men, A Hatful of Sky, Equal Rites and Jingo By Terry Prachett: lol:

Started Bushworld by Maureen Dowd but fell asleep All the jacket blurbs said it is halarious, biting, etc. I couldn't find a chuckle.

Now I'm reading The Sun and the Moon It's okay; I'm still trying to figure out how it won the Nebula Award.

	22-08-2005 04:29									#8
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Zkib, try Bushwahcked by Molly Ivans instead. She's a hoot.

	22-08-2005 04:31									#9
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A couple of Pratchett books (Night Watch and Monstrous Regiment), which I quite enjoyed. 7/10 and 9/10 respectively

Making marks - discovering the ceramic surface by Robin Hopper, which was invaluable. 10/10

Stayin' alive - survival tactics for the visual artist also by Robin Hopper, which is an interesting read. 8/10

	22-08-2005 04:31									#10
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara Zkib, try Bushwahcked by Molly Ivans instead. She's a hoot.

Okie doke!

	22-08-2005 04:33									#11
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There was a vacation

I have spent the last year reading agreements. To break it up, I read legislation and for a real thrill I read regulations or guidelines.

hmm -- seriously though, my leisure reading has been composed of about a dozen light books that are all pretty instantly forgettable. I just want something to flip through on the bus whenever I'm not semi-asleep

	22-08-2005 04:35									#12
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Europeans needs to remember that vacation is a forbidden word in North America.

	22-08-2005 04:40									#13
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara Europeans needs to remember that vacation is a forbidden word in North America.

Somewhat true-- I have not been away from work for more than 3 days in about 15 months. But then again, 15 months ago I had a month long break but I hardly count unemployment as restful

	22-08-2005 05:19									#14
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Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (a great novel in its own right -- Chabon sort of channeling E.L. Doctrow -- with the history of comic books as its backdrop; check it out!)

J. Maarten Troost, The Sex Lives of Cannibals (one of the funniest travel books I've ever read; check it out!)

And, of course, Hary Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

	22-08-2005 07:39									#15
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Shimon Malin, Nature Loves to Hide: Quantum Physics and Reality, a Western Perspective
Good introduction to quantum physics and the history of it but the second half of the book is bizarre philosophizing.

Colin Bruce, Schrodinger's Rabbits
Good introduction to the many worlds theory.

Jim Al-Khalili, Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed
Good intro to physics.

John Barrow, The Book of Nothing
Excellent for history of mathematics but the astrophysics at the end if confusing.

Michio Kaku, Parellel Worlds

Carl Sagan, Dragons of Eden
Interesting but cognition and biology weren't his strong areas.

Carl Sagan, Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science
Classic.

Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene
Classic.

Samuel C. Weaver, Finance and Accounting for NonFinancial Managers
For school, not pleasure. Got it as a refresher because I don't remember my Principles of Accounting class well. This book doesn't go into anything beyond the first month of the course unfortunately (not surprising. it's for NONfinancial managers though)


and i read a few more but this was back in June and I can't remember their titles. I also read half of Hoftstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach, but all that creating your own mathematical system thing got weird for me.

	22-08-2005 07:49									#16
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I recently finished Ender's Game - largely because of recommendations here. I thought it was brilliant.

At the moment I'm reading Wilbur Smith's Triumph of the Sun. Sadly, all Wilbur Smith's characters are cardboard cutouts: the tough hero, the sexy heroine, the loyal servant, the dastardly villian, the seductive vixen, etc. If you change the names of the characters, they are identical to previous novels. You don't read Wilbur Smith for great literature though. It is the equivalent of a good popcorn movie. I just wish he would try to write a more important work. Even Stephen King has written a few gems that transcend the pulp fiction style he employs.

	22-08-2005 07:57									#17
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quote: Originally posted by Bkeela At the moment I'm reading Wilbur Smith's Triumph of the Sun. ... I just wish he would try to write a more important work.

Have you read The Sunbird? It's old stuff but it's still my favorite Wilbur Smith book. The Diamond hunters isn't that bad also.
But don't go looking for more character development in these either...

	22-08-2005 07:58									#18
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This summer I read:

'poly 4/10

	22-08-2005 08:03									#19
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quote: Originally posted by Richelieu Have you read The Sunbird? It's old stuff but it's still my favorite Wilbur Smith book. The Diamond hunters isn't that bad also. But don't go looking for more character development in these either...

Yes. I've read everything except Warlock and Blue Horizon.

	22-08-2005 08:06									#20
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quote: Originally posted by Zkribbler Okie doke!

yeah, I've read that Molly Ivins book... great

	22-08-2005 10:26									#21
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara You gave Digital Fortress a 6/10? I'd give it a 4/10. Mildly entertaining.

well i keep telling myself that it wasnt that bad

	22-08-2005 10:29									#22
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My aunt really liked it, then questioned me as to it's possible reality. When the security was about to come crashing down I kept thinking to myself, why don't they just turn it off? If push comes to shove, you can always pull the power cord.

	22-08-2005 10:29									#23
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quote: Originally posted by General Ludd Making marks - discovering the ceramic surface by Robin Hopper, which was invaluable. 10/10

a book about pottery?!?

	22-08-2005 10:31									#24
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He's learning to become a potter, a hairy potter.

	22-08-2005 10:38									#25
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara My aunt really liked it, then questioned me as to it's possible reality. When the security was about to come crashing down I kept thinking to myself, why don't they just turn it off? If push comes to shove, you can always pull the power cord.

brown explained that by saying that the entire daily operation of all goverment and army running the world was depending on that database and the US cant stop controlling the world not for even a single minute

most idiotic hi-tech feature mentioned in the book: screenlock

quote: With a few quick keystrokes, she pulled up a program called ScreenLock. It was a privacy utility. Every terminal in Node 3 was equipped with it. Because the terminals stayed on around the clock, ScreenLock enabled cryptographers to leave their stations and know that nobody would tamper with their files. Susan entered her five-character privacy code, and her screen went black. It would remain that way until she returned and typed the proper sequence.

deep inside me i knew it was risky to get a computer-related novel but i was out of books, and the local shop at the village i was staying didnt have much. lesson of the day: always carry an extra book (or two) on your vacation

	22-08-2005 10:45									#26
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quote: Originally posted by Flubber Somewhat true-- I have not been away from work for more than 3 days in about 15 months. But then again, 15 months ago I had a month long break but I hardly count unemployment as restful

find yourself a better country

	22-08-2005 10:59									#27
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quote: Originally posted by MarkG brown explained that by saying that the entire daily operation of all goverment and army running the world was depending on that database and the US cant stop controlling the world not for even a single minute

Yeah, that's crap. A security breach of that magnitude would require a shut down.

	22-08-2005 11:24									#28
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I'm midway through my early birthday present:

Harry Turtledove - Settling Accounts: Drive to the East

	22-08-2005 11:29									#29
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I have started reading A Fable by faulkner

it is tougher going then I Remember faulker being, probably because I haven't read aynthing that hard in a while

JM

	22-08-2005 11:58									#30
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quote: Originally posted by Jon Miller I have started reading A Fable by faulkner it is tougher going then I Remember faulker being, probably because I haven't read aynthing that hard in a while JM

What's interesting about Faulkner is how much the difficulty of his own writing varies. The Sound and The Fury and Absalom Absalom can be real slogs (though they are in fact two of my favorite books by any author), whereas Sanctuary and Intruder in the Dust are just ordinarily literary, and The Unvanquished is a positively breezy read, as is The Reivers. The guy could really mix it up.