I am a recreational reader, generally. I do have a few quirks about reading that people think weird ((I read engineering texts for fun)) but usually, if I’m reading something, it’s for distraction. On Saturday, Jenn and I went to the Library to get some books. While I was walking past the paperback rack, I …
Category Archives: Books
Books/Movies: Some Notes
Wheel of Time For those of you hiding under rocks, you might not be aware that the Epic Fantasy Monstrosity (EFM) Wheel of Time will be coming to a close soon with the publication of the 14th and final novel. The reason for the EFM moniker is because of the 14! novels it took to …
2010 Hugo Nominations
The 2010 Hugo Nominations are out and I haven’t read a single one of them. Nada. Zilch. This is surprising to me. Not that I’m a grand peruser of all that is scif/fantasy, but usually I manage to read something that hits the list, if only by accident. Last year I got three of the …
Hugo Awards 2010
The 2010 Hugo nominations closed last night. The categorical selections for final voting will be announced on April 4. I’m excited! At least, a little bit. Last year, I had the privilege of randomly having read three of the five nominated novels. I made up the other two in quick order. This year, I haven’t …
Scott Sigler's The Rookie
Do you like Football? Do you like Science Fiction? Do you like Corruption and Drug Dealers and the Mafia? Then you’ll like Scott Sigler’s self-published book, The Rookie. This book is available by podcast, but I’m a fan of having paper in front of me. This particular book was something new for me because it’s …
Hugo: Best Novel
Tomorrow is the deadline to vote on the Hugo Awards for this year’s Worldcon. Does this mean anything to YOU? Only if you purchased a membership and are eligible to vote. If you did, hopefully you’re not a big fat procrastinator and have already taken care of this little matter. If not… You may recall …
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
In keeping with my goals from the Hugo reading project I finished Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke yesterday. My review of the book is: A delight and I’ll never read it again. I won’t re-read it because it’s a freaking thousand page tome! It’s huge, and would probably have been better read …
2009 Hugo Awards (Nominations)
The 2009 Hugo award nominations are up and available for viewing! Surprise of surprises, I’ve read three of the five best novel nominees. Best Novel (639 Ballots) * Anathem by Neal Stephenson (Morrow; Atlantic UK) * The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury UK) * Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen; HarperVoyager UK) …
Anathem
A few weeks ago I created an homage to Xkcd by evaluating my experience reading Neal Stephenson’s Anathem. Well, I’m done. Overall, I think Neal Stephenson will be remembered as one of the premier scifi authors of this generation. That doesn’t make his books any easier to read. This one in particular I found to …
Hugo-Winning Novels == Blah?
I have a theory. My theory is that I don’t like Hugo winning novels. If you’re not familiar with the Hugos, it’s like the Academy Awards for Science Fiction and Fantasy. There’s a whole bunch of categories, but the one that gets the most attention, and that I’m talking about now, is “Best Novel”. Back …