At any given time, I am probably reading one book in paper form, another as an audio book, and another on an e-reader. I also keep an anthology or collection in my car, for those long waits. My average rating is between 3 and 4, because I try to seek out good books and authors. One goal is to read all the SF award winners and SF Masterworks. See my profile at Worlds Without End.
Finally, the "social media" info - I am a long-time reader, proud to have completed several summer reading programs as a kid. I recall reading more than 50 books one summer. When I'm not reading, you might find me gaming (board and role play) or working, either as a baseball umpire or with software.
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Not just a rip-roaring yarn of World War II naval actions, but also a great story of suspense, love, and karma. This is the second or third Douglas Reeman book I've read - it's time to seek out some more.
To call this a complete story of Star Wars would be an understatement. Great visuals, good text, and the book is heavy as a brick. Love the behind-the-scenes shots and stories. The ILM pieces would make a book of their own, but they fit in well enough here.
Greatly enjoyed this bio of a shortstop turned player-manager, then manager, general manager, and then league president. In one broad life he was both the starting AL short stop in the very first All Star game, and the President of the league that brought the Designated Hitter to the American League.
Anecdotes, observations are backed up by solid reference; some of the general criticisms are shot down by the same. The chapters break along logical lines, with the biography focusing on both the subject and the relevant history around him.
Basically a great book to read.
A story about blindness, figuratively and literally - drug through an academic satire (which didn't enthrall me). All tolled (or told) it was an entertaining book, and I did laugh out loud at times. 3.5 stars
This planetary disaster and first contact book won a Hugo, but it's not 5 star. One of the themes running through it is the recklessness of youth, from young characters to the encounter with a young species. Told from the perspective of many different characters, they don't all fit the theme. I chuckled at a few of the in-jokes contained herein.
In this volume, people of diverse backgrounds talk about tabletop games, game culture, and the …
A collection of essays by some of the outstanding game designers of our time. The range of topics varies quite a bit, and a few of the essays were not that great.
This book ranges over three topics - the history of Small Pox epidemics and vaccination (and the varying reactions of class and color); why the anti-vaccination crowd gained such a boost (a less virulent strain and problems with vaccine quality control); and the legal ramifications of vaccination at that time (leading to a supreme court decision still cited today). An enlightening book!
Second half of the book was not bad, first half was not good. Set in Animal Kingdom, Disneyworld - I've never been, so that was interesting to me. Ended in a cliffhanger of sorts, but I don't feel compelled to read the third.
A wide variety of topics with two things in common - sports and statistical analysis. Kind of surprised these cubs fans don't know why an umpire is likely to call a 3-0 pitch a strike if at all possible, but conversely I was surprised how many close 0-2 pitches are not called strikes. Enjoyed the debunking of hot streaks, momentum and others, and greatly enjoyed the breakdown of the cubs for the last chapter. A good read!
Blown away by this amazing story
In the 22nd century visionary scientist Vannevar Morgan conceives the most grandiose engineering project of …
First read 30 years ago, this is still a very good book. Combines forward looking technology, first alien contact and suspenseful situations into a very satisfying blend. Checked out from library and read on Color Nook running Android.
The author is from Portland; this novel and that city are filled with quirky characters. I enjoyed the story, the turnabout when harmless pranks became harmful, but after that point the author lost me. The main character ponged between angst and apathy with too high a frequency for me, until some of the more stabilizing characters reappeared near the end. I'll probably check out a future book from this author, but cannot gush about this first effort.
An obsessive scientist and his eclectic team of researchers race to discover one of the …
Interesting book. Part overview of one specific part of brain science - memory - and a variety of things associated with that (olfactory sense, theta rhythms, evolution and laboratory testing). Part biography of one scientists quest to nail down the biology of memory. We don't know enough about the brain - it's great to read about somebody trying to change that!
Briefly, a raunchier version of Bad News Bears. It was clear the author had fun writing this book, which zoomed into unrealistic a little too often for me. Finally, a nice message in the end - little league is supposed to be about the kids.
This book rates +1 star for all the Spokane in the anecdotes, which are pretty darn funny for the most part.
