Format: TITLE Author YYYY-MM-DD (approximate read date) Rating Scale: 1-10. 1=Miserable, painful (did I even finish it?) 5=Neutral (I'm no better or worse off for having read it) 10=Mind bogglingly good ---------------------------------------------------------------- Red Mars Kim Stanley Robinson 2005-05-01 This book had some real potential, and made good on about half of it. I don't think Robinson quite decided what the book was about: was it about this wonderful new world of Mars, to be explored, or was it about these intense interpersonal relationships of the first 100 settlers? The result at the end is that I felt unsatisfied, as though the book didn't reach closure. Perhaps that's natural, considering there are two sequels, but based on other Robinson books I've read, I suspect he has trouble providing closure. I also wish it was more clear which charateristics of Mars were factual, and which were invented. I'm grotesquely bothered by the notion that wind-powered-heat generators would provide any net terraforming effect. Rating: 6 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Krakatoa - the day the world exploded Simon Winchester 2005-05-01 I started into this book, and voraciously consumed the first hundred pages or so. Now, I find the book back on my shelf, unfinished. The story, unlike the volcano, evidently "fizzled". I may pick it up again at some point, though. ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Science of Cooking Peter Barham 2005-05-01 ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Years of Rice and Salt Kim Stanley Robinson 2005-02-01 A bit slow and unfocused. Starts off very interesting, but over the many reincarnations of the characters, it was hard to stay interested. Rating: 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Eagle's Cry David Nevin 2005-07-31 Historical fiction, a recounting of 1800-1803, the death of G. Washington through the Lousiana Purchase. It took me a long time to get through it, but ultimately it was a good read. Well timed for my visit to New Orleans. Rating: 6 ---------------------------------------------------------------- First Meetings in the Enderverse Orson Scott Card 2005-07-31 A collection of short stories involving characters in the Ender universe. Very large print, and took me only a couple of hours to finish. Card's usual appealing writing style (clear and without pretentious adornments) was present and it was entertaining to fill in backstories that are neglected in his longer-format works. Rating: 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------- A Traveler's Guide to Mars William K. Hartmann 2005-10-15 A fairly interesting description of geology, geography, and meteorology on Mars. Includes many wonderful images from rovers and explorers. Unfortunately, the book predates Spirit and Opportunity. This book might not have much appeal to most, but for space affictionados, it's wonderful. ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Bear and the Dragon Tom Clancy 2006-05-01 He's so long winded it's amazing. Nothing happens for hundreds of pages. He's name-dropping incessantly, I guess in an attempt to lend "authenticity" and "realism", but it's just annoying. Rating: 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Out of Gas: The End of the Age of Oil David Goodstein 2006-10-01 An interesting analysis of the rate of consumption and discovery of oil, well written and with convincing evidence to support its conclusions. In essence, the argument is that we are discovering oil at a rate lower than our consumption (our rate of "production", he points out, is not a good figure-of-merit for the long-term viability of the fuel supply.) The only down side is that I think the book was a bit overpriced, even for the paperback edition. Rating: 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Quicksilver Neil Stephenson 2007-01-30 This book came highly recommended to me, but I found it incredibly tedious. 900+ pages in which numerous storylines are conjured up, followed, traveling through numerous changes in voicing (one chapter is written in screenplay format, another as excerpts from a protagonist's secret journal)... here's the rub: by page 850 or so, it becomes painfully obvious that none of these story lines are going to be resolved. The literary promise of fulfillment (even partial fulfillment-- I knew this was merely volume 1 of a 3 volume "cycle") was betrayed. And, gosh darnit, I hate it when alternative histories name drop, such as in the first chapter where the scraggling young lad who helps the protagonist happens to be Benjamen Franklin. That's just lame. Rating: 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Stumbling on Happiness Daniel Gilbert 2007-02-17 A cognitive psychologist describes our brain's mechanisms and shortcomings with regard to predicting and recalling experiences. It's pretty well written-- lots of neat summaries of psychological experiments to think about, with a light and often humorous writing style. At page 200 of its 240 pages, I think he started to run out of new things to say, and it dragged a bit, but I'd have to recommend it based on its first 200 pages. Rating: 7 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Beyond Fear Bruce Schneier 2007-02-22 I enjoy his newsletter, in which he is typically insightful regarding matters of security. I figured I'd like his book. The book has its merits-- more of the analyses that make his newsletter interesting, but it takes such a preachy and insultory tone that I found it hard to stomach. He constantly defines terms, both pre-existing terms and made-up terms, with the evident intention that we should be underlining that portion in the book--to bask in his unquestionable masterhood. His writing style also leaves something to be desired; it's overly verbose, and his attempts at humor just don't seem to work. It's perhaps worth a read if the subject is right up your alley, but I was disappointed anyhow. Rating: 3 ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Soul of a new machine Tracy Kidder 2007-02-26 A documentary of the development of Data General's MV/8000 (Eclipse Eagle) CPU, from a non-technical journalist's perspective. It's fascinating to read about the internal struggles, management conflicts, technical problems, etc. I simultaneously empathize with their experiences based on my own trials, yet given the objectivity afforded by not being directly involved, wonder how they could suffer and worry about things that really aren't the important things in life. (This has obvious implications regarding my own trials!) From a technical stand-point, it's fascinating to hear them speak excitedly about their CPU-- an old CISC machine that would muster 4.5MHz, and the innovation of "PALs". I built a rather similar machine in my undergrad laboratory, using almost the same technology (PAL 22v10s), that ran at 10MHz. Mine had a fraction of the features, but it made the technical story very palpable to me. Rating: 8