| Wednesday, 12 September 2007, 12:59 pm Tags: Blogging |
Ten books picked at random from my shelves – press refresh to see more…
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Title: Blood and Gold (Vampire Chronicles) Author: Anne Rice I’ve read all the Vampire Chronicles novels and really love Rice’s style. This is Marius’s story, told entirely in flashback. There’s not as much action as in some of the earlier stories, but it’s well worth listening to (or reading if you must). |
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Title: The Commodore (Aubrey-Maturin Series) Author: Patrick O\’Brian The 17th in Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series, it’s the tale of 19th century British naval captain (now Commodore) Jack Aubrey and his particular friend (and spy) Dr. Maturin. Read them in order starting with Master and Commander, and if you listen to them make sure to get the Patrick Tull versions. You’ll practically smell the sea air and feel the grapeshot whizzing by you. |
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Title: Fallen Dragon Author: Peter F. Hamilton Steve Gibson turned me on to Peter Hamilton’s work – it’s classic hard sci-fi with excellent writing, strong characterizations, and detailed and imaginative worlds. We both agree this is his best work, but they’re all worth reading. |
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Title: Telecosm: The World After Bandwidth Abundance Author: George Gilder Seven years old and still worth reading – the story of fiber and the coming telecom revolution. This is Gilder’s follow-up to Microcosm, the story of the microprocessor revolution, also a must read. |
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Title: Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life Author: Steve Martin In this memoir (Martin calls it a biography because it feels like he’s writing about someone else) Steve Martin tells about his youth learning magic at Disneyland, and his days as a standup comic. This book shines with Martin’s honesty and sweetness. I just loved it. |
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Title: Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss Author: Joel Fuhrman I’ve been working out for years, the last two with a trainer, but I never have been able to make any headway with my weight. This book is the first I’ve read that really makes sense about nutrition. The principal is simple: maximize the nutritional density of your food. Avoid empty calories. That means lots of fruit and vegetables, and so far it’s been easy and delicious. Everyone should read this. |
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Title: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Author: Douglas Adams A TWiT recommendation by Andy Ihnatko. The Audible version is the BBC dramatization. Andy says this is a must listen, even before Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy |
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Title: On Intelligence Author: Jeff Hawkins A must read introduction to a new theory of artificial intelligence, but don’t read it for that. Hawkins description of how the mind works is mind blowing. You’ll never think about thinking the same way again. |
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Title: Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II Author: Robert Kurson The amazing true story of a pair deep sea divers and a hitherto unknown sunken German U-Boat they discover. Lot’s of interesting information about this crazy hobby. Dramatic, hair-raising, and moving. You won’t be able to stop listening to the audio version. |
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Title: Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up Author: James Hollis What happens when you no longer need to win the approval of parents, spouses, family, and friends? You can begin to live life for yourself. Hollis is a Jungian analyst who writes with insight and clarity. It’s thought-provoking stuff that needs time to digest but it’s well worth the effort for those of us over 40. |
Swag
