CSWeb: Reading - Books

Accelerando [stross, 2005]

Chris — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:51:41 UTC

wow - that was - fun. but oddly dated & cliche as well. you may want to keep wikipedia open as you read. online at http://www.antipope.org/charlie/accelerando/accelerando.html

online works H. Beam Piper [33 from 1947 - 1963]

Chris — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:02:47 UTC

yep, everything in the list except the mystery & the 1927 guns thing. mostly short stories & novellettes here; a few novels. old-style scifi, certainly. tough to evaluate these; would take more space than i have here.

"honorverse" side story books (weber; 6 from 1998-2004)

Chris — Sun, 8 Nov 2009 04:20:41 UTC

these really need to be read along with the main series novels in publication order. consistent with the rest of the books, but it looks like the next ones, being released more than four years later now, fall far short. time to quit these ? probably.

honor harrington series books 3 - 11 [weber]

Chris — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:21:31 UTC

it's been fun; one more to come this spring ?

Playing For Pizza [Grisham, 2007]

Chris — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:24:41 UTC

light, fast read; satisfactory time filler; italy, football, superficially entertaining - but no meat.

The Honor of the Queen [Weber, 1993]

Chris — Sun, 4 Oct 2009 18:50:30 UTC

book two of eleven; more variety of battles in this one.

On Basilisk Station [David Weber, 1993]

Chris — Sun, 4 Oct 2009 18:47:45 UTC

the first of an eleven, and shortly twelve, book series (plus numerous side stories). space opera; for me, an engaging time filler. i think i'm just looking for something with extended continuity right now, that is also sufficiently consumable.

The Gripping Hand [Niven-Pournelle, 1993]

Chris — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:50:37 UTC

sequel to 'the mote in god's eye'; still very good, needs to be read right after 'mote'; problematic for an 18 year gap. some internal continuity problems; very good characterization, _i_ thought...

The Mote in God's Eye [Niven-Pournelle, 1975]

Chris — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:14:49 UTC

personal take: i needed to have waited all these years to read this; my original expectations way back when were for a different type of story, and a higher literary value, which i knew this wasn't, despite all the hype. excellent, nonetheless.

Spacehounds of IPC ['Doc' Smith, 1931]

Chris — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:52:15 UTC

super men! super science! super space battles! classic space opera by the guy who invented the genre. read online at http://manybooks.net/titles/smithee2085720857-8.html

Alone in the Caribbean [Fenger 1917]

Chris — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:50:16 UTC

600 miles of rudderless canoe sailing; classic in every way. there are many online locations for this, but this one apparently has all the pics, drawings, etc. - which recent printings apprently do not have either.

Boat sailing in fair weather and foul: [A. J Kenealy, 1908]

Chris — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:11:42 UTC

online at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~fassitt/kenealy . classic.

The Best From Fantasy and Science Fiction Sixth Series [ed. Anthony Boucher, 1957]

Chris — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:55:28 UTC

online at the internet archive: http://www.archive.org/details/bestfromfantasya008838mbp ; worth a couple / few lazy summer afternoons

The Power of Myth [Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyers; 1988]

Chris — Mon, 7 Sep 2009 10:18:47 UTC

after receiving this as a gift back in 1992, _now's_ the time to dig in & slowly ponder.

Three Men in a Boat: (To Say Nothing of the Dog) [Jerome, 1889]

Chris — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:12:30 UTC

because it's _funny_, that's why ...

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions [Ariely, 2008]

Chris — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:56:28 UTC

counterpoint to standard rational economist theory; psycho-social factors influencing decisions; a plea for a more rational approach based on recognition of the irrational

Critical issues in the History of Spaceflight [ed. Dick, Launius, 2006]

Chris — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:37:29 UTC

highly recommended: issues in spaceflight historiography; excellent discussion of manned issues; good think-piece leading to consideration of many other topics.

Moonport: A History of Apollo Launch Facilities and Operations [NASA SP-4204] [Benson, Faherty, 1978]

Chris — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:31:08 UTC

excellent historical account of the apollo space program from the perspective of kennedy space center operations: what it took to do the job, its many facets

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide (5th ed.) [Flanagan, 2006]

Chris — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:20:12 UTC

supposedly THE javascript reference of choice; lays solid foundations, but one's reading need to go much further to be a competent modern practioner

Apollo: Expedition to the Moon [Cortright, 1975]

Chris — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:52:46 UTC

collection of essays by those actually involved, shortly after the events