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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In this probing look at how plastic built the modern world-- and the price the …
A little Tom Standage (Edible History of Humanity), a little anecdote, a little history, a little science, a little scare tactics. Many small portions can be nice, but here I am just left wanting.
LEAP INTO THE FUTURE, AND SHOOT BACK TO THE PASTH. G. Wells's seminal short story …
Some classics in here, some new to me.
The Secret Speech is the second novel in a trilogy by British author Tom Rob …
I enjoyed this book much more than the first, primarily for the way it ties into the history. It was also much less dark, which is a plus - I don't mind reading about a gulag, I just wouldn't want to live there. I've added the next sequel on "to read" - not sure where he will take these characters.
A man is missing. Harting, refugee background, a Junior Something in the British Embassy in …
A good mystery, a few twists and turns. Very interesting political situation to write about; leads the reader to pick a side then turn against it for fear that's what the author wanted...
Dunbar's number is a suggested cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one …
Read 3 of this collection of essays and wasn't impressed. The Scots author tries to inject humor and a paragraph at the end of each linking it to the next. Evidence is presented anecdotally if at all.
Good overview of the goings on around Pulaski County before, during and after the Civil War. The Treasure is presented at the start as a mystery, but in the end is resolved to just a few possibilities. The complete court transcripts might have been better as an appendix.
Thirteen-year-old Finn Whitman and four other young teens have been transformed into holgorams to be …
Ended all-in-a-rush, but then again, there's a series of these books. Less outstanding questions would make for a higher rating.
Frank and comical, "Wisenheimer "chronicles the travails of a hyperarticulate child who finds salvation in …
Autobiographical and Anecdotal, I was expecting more.
This is a great book, and assuming the educational system is turned around soon, I expect it will be required reading at the high school level.
Cultures of the Past series. A good book about the Phoenicians, who were the Tyrians, Byblians and Carthaginians, who were the Canaanites. The worst part of it is, their history was all written by their enemies, who won the wars.
Re: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta (often shortened to Shikasta) is a 1979 science fiction novel …
I've been slogging through this for ten days (Dec 19-29, 2014), and the joy all around me only serves to emphasize the dreariness of this. The point of bogging down was the case studies, a depressing collection of evil and stupid people.
I understand the book gets better, but don't really want to skip ahead to where Johor is brought into the world as George. So for now I will shelve it abandoned, and perhaps try to read the second half later. No rating so far, but the first half is very disjointed, with little plot evident.
The humor is similar to Top Gear, and after a while, it gets kind of old.
