Books Read in 2010
In Progress
Abandoned
[RE-READ] Not the first time I've read this one
1. The Essential Jefferson - Thomas Jefferson (ed. John Dewey) © 1853, 1940, 2008 171 pages [new: Third Place Books] [non-fiction: essays and letters]
[RE-READ] Un Lun Dun - China Mieville (out loud with Ian) © 2008 [young adult urbana]
2. Seattle Architecture: A Walking Guide to Downtown - Maureen R. Elenga © 2007 232 pages [new: Elliott Bay Book Co.] [non-fiction: Seattle history] [January]
Recommended by my Neighbours buddy, Brendan
3. Nickel and Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich © 2001 221 pages [loan from nplusm] [non-fiction: socioeconomics] [January]
4. The Last Days - Scott Westerfeld © 2007 286 pages [new: Elliott Bay Book Co.] [young adult: science, music & vampires] [January]
5. Twisty Little Passages - Nick Montfort © 2003 233 pages [gift from indiefic] [non-fiction: interactive fiction]
6. How to Self-Destruct: making the least of what's left of your career and what to do if you fail at failing - Jason Seiden © 2008 186 pages [loan from tenshiemi] [non-fiction: career advice] [February]
7. Myst: The Book of Ti'Ana - Rand Miller with David Wingrove © 1996 322 pages [loan from Ian] [fiction] [March]
8. Playground of the Mind - Larry Niven [loan from Ian] [science fiction] [April]
9. Unseen Academicals - Terry Pratchett [new from Powell's] [fantasy parody] [March]
10. Ferret: Indexed Searching for Ruby Applications - David Balmain © 2008 94 pages [new from Powell's] [non-fiction: ruby] [April]
11. The Legend of the Duelist - Rutledge Etheridge [used from Powell's] [space opera] [April]
space opera at its finest: action, consequence, philosophy, social anthropology
12. Time Warps, String Edits, and Macromolecules: The Theory and Practice of Sequence Comparison - David Sankoff, Joseph Kruskal © 1983 © 1999 364 pages [used from Powell's Technical Books] [non-fiction: pattern recognition] [July]
13. Agent of Chaos - Rutledge Etheridge © 1997 312 pages [used from Powell's] [space opera] [April]
brilliant space opera and a very intelligent social anthropology of military sci fi in a well-imagined space-faring future
14. Chasm City - Alastair Reynolds © 2001 694 pages [loan from Eric VB] [space opera] [April]
Outstanding space opera. And Reynolds works for the ESA so lots of recent tech research included in his sci fi. There's even some pretty Octavia Butler style biology happening in this one that I really enjoyed.
15. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek - Annie Dillard © 1974 271 pages [loan from Kim] [fiction] [May]
Very dense reading, but has a wonderful combination of near-Octavia-Butler-quality biology and some Winterson-quality quotable prose. For once, I agree with a Pulitzer Prize.
16. Das Energi - Paul Williams © 1973 150 pages [loan from Heather] [spiritual] [May]
17. The Android's Dream - John Scalzi © 2006 396 pages [loan from Ian] [space opera] [June]
Yet another brilliant, funny, adventure by John Scalzi.
18. Space Magic - David Levine © 2008 271 pages [WisCon] [science fiction anthology] [June]
Some great short stories:
• Rewind
• Circle of Compassion
• Tk'Tk'Tk (2006 Hugo Award for Best Short Story)
• At the 25th Annual Meeting of Uncle Teco's Homebrew Gravitics Club
• The Tale of the Golden Eagle
19. The Empress of Mars - Kage Baker © 2009 303 pages [loan from DanCor!] [space opera] [June]
Outstanding Martian space opera :>
20. A Dante Valentine Novel: Working for the Devil - Lilith Saintcrow © 2005 382 pages [loan from kfrye] [urban fantasy] [June]
oh dear. it made me nostalgic for the Diane Tregarde series by Mercedes Lackey in the beginning, but within chapters had devolved into a trashy Danielle Steele set in a vaguely urban fantasy context. if i was editor for a day, some things i would definitely have given feedback on: (1) everyone who is pretty has blue eyes. wtf. (2) instead of "she said dryly" and "she said sarcastically" over and over again, why not just craft the dialogue to be dry and sarcastic? (3) if you're going to spend pages and pages of each chapter setting up the pretense that the heroine is stoic, introverted and cagey, at least give the character a single action which resembles this instead of describing her thus and then making her talk and talk and talk and be in love with both male leads. bah. (4) the reactive jewels were cool. do more with it. explain its effects, and how others perceive them. (5) the demon warned her for several chapters what he planned to do, so her subsequent drama and disbelief when he followed through was ridiculous gag-me gratuitous drama. (6) oh i hate you i hate you i love you. *gag* In conclusion: it was just interesting enough to finish. But i can recommend about a million books i'd rather you read instead.
21. [RE-READ] Why Do Birds - Damon Knight © 1992 272 pages [new from Powell's] [science fiction] [July]
22. 100 Selected Poems - e.e. cummings © 1923-1954 119 pages [new from Barnes & Noble] [poetry]
23. So Yesterday - Scott Westerfeld © 2004 238 pages [new from Barnes & Noble] [pattern recognition] [July]
Incarceron
terrible China Mieville rip-off, gave up after a chapter or 2
24. The Agency: A Spy in the House - Y.S. Lee © 2009 335 pages [loan from kfrye] [young adult Victorian-era mystery] [August]
fantastic fun femme brain candy
25. The Agency: The Body at the Tower - Y.S. Lee © 2010 337 pages [loan from kfrye] [young adult Victorian-era mystery] [August]
more fantastic fun femme brain candy
26. Kushiel's Mercy - Jacqueline Carey © 2008 796 pages [new from Powell's] [adult fantasy] [September]
reading the Kushiel books is always a pleasure
27. The Highly Sensitive Person - Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D. © 1996 232 pages [new from Elliott Bay Book Co.] [psychology]
28. Can't Teach an Old Demon New Tricks - Cara Lockwood © 2010 373 pages [new from Barnes & Noble] [suburban fantasy]
References Consulted
1. Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmer's Guide 2nd ed. - Dave Thomas [loan from tenshiemi]
2. The Well-Grounded Rubyist - David A. Black [gift from Ian]
3. Recueil des inscriptions en Lineaire A, Vol. I - V - Louis Godart, Jean Pierre Olivier [Suzallo-Allen Library]
4. Zakros - Nicholas Platon [University of Minoa]
5. Rails Pocket Reference - Eric Berry © 2008 [new from Powell's]
Non-Books
1. [RE-READ] Going Somewhere Soon - Brian Andreas [April]
2. [RE-READ] Mostly True - Brian Andreas [April]
3. MAKE magazine: Issue 1 [gift from Jake]
4. Lightspeed sampler [WisCon] [June]
Books Loaned
√ Uglies - Scott Westerfled -> Rod
√ Princess Bride - William Goldman -> Tim
√ Rachelle's copy of An Anthropologist on Mars - Oliver Sacks -> Cyra
√ Un Lun Dun - China Mieville -> Emily
√ uglies series - Scott Westerfeld -> Rod
DiscWorld Night Watch tract - Terry Pratchett -> Ian
Unseen Academicals -> Karyn
√ StoryPeople -> Jake
Pattern Recognition -> Leslie
Duelists series -> Kris