Books to read, 2006

[featherynscale]

triadruid, as always, reminds me that if I don't make a list, I'll never freaking remember.

My goal this year is to increase the ratio of non-fiction to fiction books that actually get read, and also to continue to move towards having read all of the books in the house.

To-Read: Fiction
- Re-read Wheel of Time Series, Robert Jordan (we own it!)
- Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman (when triadruid finishes it) (we own it)
- Life of Pi, Yann Martel (we own it)
- Siddhartha, Herman Hesse (have to get a copy)
- Finnegan's Wake, James Joyce (have to get one)
- Perdido Street Station, China Mieville (need to get)
- Promethea series (borrow from gamera_spinning)

To-Read: Nonfiction
- Metamagical Themas, Douglas Hofstedter (we own it, and have for years. Has anyone read it? No.)
- Zero: Biography of a Dangerous Idea (we own it)
- Training Trances (we own it)
- Generation Hex (have to get a copy)
- The Laughing Jesus (in the book club queue)
- The Hidden Messages in Water (in the book club queue)
- Chance, Amir Aczel (in the book club queue)
- The Shadow Club, Roberto Casati (in the book club queue)
- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Mary Roach (need to get)
- Strategies for Success

Also, taking suggestions: What have you read lately that was of interest? I'm interested in pretty much any fiction that isn't a romance or a western (with preference for sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and alternate history), and any non-fiction about math, science, philosophy, psychology/sociology, ethnography, religion, magic, language or non-military history. Thanks!

Comments

[next-bold-move.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you have, but on the off-chance that you haven't read the G.R.R. Martin "Song of Ice and Fire" series, it's better than Jordan by a factor of some very large number.

And Connie Willis' "The Doomsday Book" was the best book I read in 2004, so I recommend that whenever I can.

On the nonfiction front, I like Sarah Vowell and Mary Roach, both.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I have, in fact, read Song of Ice and Fire. And I love it, even though I think Martin is a reprehensible bastard for what he's done to the Starks, and even though I know that it's highly unlikely that Jon Snow will marry Danaerys in a bid for well-deserved world domination. :) I've also read some of his other stuff, but was generally not as impressed by it (although I got a compilation of short stories of his that included a script for a TV pilot about adjusting to life with a number of alien species that was quite good. It apparently got trashed in favor of the Alien Nation series, which I thought was sort of dull).

Will look into your other reccommendations, though, as I'm not familiar with any of them. Fun!

[gamera-spinning.livejournal.com]

(Waving complete collection of Promethea).

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

See, I knew I'd forget about that. :)
Thanks for reminding me. I actually could have time to get into it now -- when can we hook up to transfer the goods?

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

STrategies for Success by the Pacific Institute (Lou Tice). It's actually part of a seminar, but it's about recognizing how our mind works, and controlling it.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I keep thinking I should read some more of that business stuff, you know. *adds it to the list*

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

I would suggest Elizabeth Moon's Speed of Dark. I know that I have a specific interest because it involves autism, but it had a lot of interesting psychological viewpoints, while still being set in a scifi setting.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Fiction? Sounds interesting either way, though.

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

You seemed to be interested in China Miéville's novel, Perdido Street Station. I recommend it highly.

(genre: steampunk & horror-flavored fantasy)

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

You are correct, sir. That completely belongs on the list.

Re: China Miéville

[wolfieboy.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking of checking this author out. Is Perdido Street Station a good one to start with?

[zianuray.livejournal.com]

I just finished _Black Easter_ and _The Day After Judgement_, both by James Blish. I'm pretty sure I read Black Easter a longlong time ago, b/c parts were just SO familiar....

I've also been looking for old copies of Lovecraft at low prices, but somehow they do NOT seem to make it to the used bookstores! Happily, there are new printings available.

I just seem to like the classics, I guess!

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I actually have managed to not own any Lovecraft either, for the reason you mention. Must do, some time.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

Mr. Timothy by Louis Brayard. It's a mystery, of sorts, but combines the unlikely components of Timothy Cratchit, brothels, photography, sexual branding, and dredging the Thames for dead bodies. I can bring it tonight if you're interested.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

A real hero, you are. :) I'm still cheerfully working on the pile of books you gave me for last year's reading. (sigh) Gettin' there.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Well, who doesn't like brothels, sexual branding, and dragging for bodies? I'd love to borrow it. Thanks!

[kieyra.livejournal.com]

I can't say enough about CJ Cherryh's science fiction, especially her Merchanter/Alliance universe and particularly Cyteen, but the books are not really serial in nature and some find her writing style a little inaccessible.

History: I can read Alison Weir's books on British history almost endlessly. Very readable while also being cleary well-researched. You can pick them up cheap on amazon.

Sociology: A Woman's Right to Pornography by Wendy McElroy. Just slightly dated, but an interesting take on why true 'feminists' should be pro-porn.

[kieyra.livejournal.com]

And since I didn't actually provide a summary of Cyteen:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446671274/qid=1136573895/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-4016398-7012810?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

[chronarchy.livejournal.com]

As is probably obvious from my recent LJ's, I cannot recommend Beryl Markham's West With the Night highly enough. It's non-fiction,a nd would probably fall under "non-military history" in your list there, though "aviation adventure" might be a better category :)

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Sounds good to me -- everybody likes adventures!

[kieyra.livejournal.com]

Also (spammity spam spam) the boyfriend was massively enthralled by Zero: Biography of a Dangerous Idea. I haven't gotten to it yet because my current mental state precludes much other than re-reading Discworld.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Excellent. I'm really looking forward to it! And, you know, there's nothing wrong with Discworld, either :)

[duane-kc.livejournal.com]

Since the list seems to be heavily skewed towards fiction, I'll throw in some non-fic...

"Stonehenge Decoded", by Dr. Gerald S. Hawkins. An astronomer looks at the history and uses of the Neolithic monument.

"Unearthing Atlantis" by Dr. Charles Pellegrino. Alternate history, unusual archaeology, and the mystery of Atlantis. Anything by Pellegrino is recommended, really; he's a really entertaining writer.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Those sound like fun!

[beccak1961.livejournal.com]

"Stiff" is great, though it really enforced my decision to be cremated.

I didn't care for "Life of pi"

Have you ever read the enchanted forrest series by Patricia Wrede? Although it's listed as YA, Josh, Zach and I liked it a lot.

"Cracking the Human Genome" was interesting. non-fiction

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the enchanted forest ones -- I do enjoy some of the better YA though. I'm not proud :)

I'll look for it.

[malvito.livejournal.com]

Assassination Vacation and The Partly Cloudy Patriot, both by Sarah Vowell

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

That's my second Sarah Vowell reccommendation -- I'll have to look into it! Thanks!

[matchgirl42.livejournal.com]

For science fiction...
Godheads by Emily Devenport (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451456807/qid=1136596755/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-2209934-6897504?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) is a rather interesting read. Harvest of Stars by Poul Anderson (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812519469/qid=1136597890/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-2209934-6897504?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) is quite intriguing. And finally, The Eyes of God by Mark Kreighbaum (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553573748/qid=1136600320/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-2209934-6897504?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) I found to be fascinating.

For fantasy, I would highly recommend Witchlight by Marion Zimmer Bradley (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312858310/qid=1136600385/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-2209934-6897504?s=books&v=glance&n=283155), and another other books in the series...Gravelight (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765346672/qid=1136600465/sr=1-24/ref=sr_1_24/104-2209934-6897504?s=books&v=glance&n=283155).

And I think I let you borrow Callahan’s Key (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553580604/qid=1136602049/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-2209934-6897504?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) at some point, but if I haven’t, or you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it, as well.

And finally, if you haven't read The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312195516/qid=1136598932/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-2209934-6897504?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) yet, you should! :)

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recs! I'm off Bradley, though. I think she's awful. And I think Witchlight was one of the ones I read! Ah well, one man's trash, and all that :)

You did loan me Callahan's Key, and I greatly enjoyed it. I did give it back to you, didn't I? I really hope so, because it was years ago you loaned it to me.

[infintysquared.livejournal.com]

Anansi Boys? Just finished it half an hour ago. Good stuff, typical pulpy Gaiman, you'll eat it up.

Siddartha? Read it a week ago. Wisdom is ensconced.

Finnegan's Wake? Well...
I asked a book clerk once if there was a way to make James Joyce palatable. He told me to use the eight hundred pages of Ulysses to light a fire, cook a steak over it, and eat it medium rare.

I still have my copy of Ulysses. Maybe I'll try again this summer.


Now, for suggestions. I don't know you well, so excuse any overlap with your previous reading.
In nonfiction: If you haven't read Gödel, Escher, Bach, you should. It is THE text for epistemology as a whole.

Wait, I just saw Hofstedter in your To-Read list, that means you've already read GEB. Don't mind me.

Well, there's always fiction...
Christopher Moore. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal.

I've got my mom reading this one right now, and I sense that you've probably already seen it. Still, it bears repeating, since it's a grand send-up that somehow manages to never lose respect for the subject material.

Well, if you can find any of Rudy Rucker's math books, especially on fourth-dimensional stuff, he's the one who inspired my moniker and pet obsession with higher dimensional geometries. Rudolf von Bitter Rucker.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I read about 30% of Ulysses, which was, unfortunately, a library loan and had to go back. I never got hold of it again, but I really felt like I was making some headway in it. Finnegan's Wake, though, might just be for divination purposes. I saw it at the library yesterday. It stared at me. I left it there.

Didn't Christopher Moore have one that was Practical Demonkeeping? Or was that someone else?

Re: books

[wolfieboy.livejournal.com]

I have read all of Metamagical Themas. It's the only books of his that I've read all of. I've read about 80% of GEB...

As for alternate history, I recently read 1632 by Eric Flint and was rather pleased.

If you have the chance to read the Exordium Series by Sherwood Smith and Dave Trowbridge, I'd recommend it. The first book is Phoenix in Flight. You can read much more about it here.

Re: books

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I also read about 80% of Godel, Escher, Bach, and then had to stop. :( I might try it again someday.

Also, re: Flint, I think those are the ones I keep looking at in the library -- is 1632 the first one?

I haven't heard of the others, but will check them out. Thanks!