Incunabula

As I’ve talked about a lot on here, my primary reading goal for the year has been to meet the Mind Voyages Reading Challenge. Doing great so far. Only five books remaining, and I’m listening to one of them now.

The extra constraints I’ve placed on this challenge have morphed into another reading goal for 2010: Only read authors I’ve never read before. I’m doing quite well at this, but there’s still five and half months to go. It might get tempting to slip. Authors I’ve read so far in 2010, in chronological order, are:

Kim Stanley Robinson
Neil Gaiman
Robert J. Sawyer
Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
Louis Bayard
Lois McMaster Bujold
Margaret Atwood
Connie Willis
Harlan Coben
Vernor Vinge
R. A. MacAvoy
Seth Godin
David Weber
Diane Duane
Sara Gruen
Cherie Priest
John Scalzi

On deck include: Paolo Bacigalupi, Joe Haldeman, Brian Aldiss, and Elizabeth Moon. And there will surely be more. Yes, I know I risk street cred by admitting I’ve never read any of these authors before, but it’s a chance I take.

(The observant among you will notice China Mieville’s not listed. That’s because I listened to The City & The City and didn’t actually read it. Splitting hairs, perhaps, but it’s my blog – my rules.)

Next year, I’m going to use what I’ve discovered this year as a platform for expansion. That, and I’m going to sign up to review all the Hugo nominees and vote on the Hugo Awards. But that’s for a later time.

I haven’t posted a book review in a while, but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped reading. In fact, except for a particularly busy stretch in mid-May, I’ve been reading more than ever. The last book I reviewed was Hominids by Robert J. Sawyer. I’ll fill you guys in on what I’ve read since with some capsule reviews.

Business books

Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried
This is in many ways an elaboration of ideas first published on the 37Signals company blog. It defines the maxims they use as a company. And they’re not what you’re used to. The book is primarily a manifesto for startups. There’s sections in here that can be used just about anywhere, but it’s a rare person that could apply the entire book. Still, very much worth a read – there will be at least one page in here that will either save you enough time, money, or angst to make the book a worthy investment. 4 out of 5 stars.

Linchpin by Seth Godin
While this book has a more powerful message than Rework, it’s also much more disjoint. It could have used the final editing pass that Rework got. That said, this is a book you must read to protect yourself from the ongoing commoditization of labor. This is an explanation of how replaceable you probably are, and how to make yourself indispensable at work. The most disturbing part is the revelation that we’re trained from a young age to be a cog. Follow the rules, fit in, etc. What’s most needed these days is leadership, and the qualities that make good leaders are the exact opposite of what’s typically taught. A very thought provoking book. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Reading Game books

On The Kindle Boards, there’s a monthly reading game. Each month you’re randomly matched up with someone who assigns you a book they loved and isn’t in your normal genres, nor something you refuse to read. Some very good recommendations have come from that game. I’ve played three months now (skipping June) and here’s what I’ve read so far:

The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard
This is a murder mystery set at West Point in 1830. It’s features a fictional account of Edgar Allen Poe during his time at the Academy. (And yes, Poe did actually attend West Point briefly.) There’s a twist at the end that actually made me question the whole book. It was a good read, but the ending is really going to make you think. I feel Bayard did a great job portraying a young-ish Poe. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
This was also on my Reading Challenge list, so it was a fortunate assignment. This is a brilliantly written, very bleak book. In some ways the portrayed world reminded me of a religiously-based North Korea. There are some amazing insights into human character contained in here, but I just can’t see a society like this developing. At least not on the scale imagined here. That said, it’s a must read for any dystopia fan. (Of course, most dystopia fans have probably already read it. Twice.) 4.5 out of five stars.

Caught by Harlan Coben
Caught is a crime drama. It’s not really a detective novel, as the primary character isn’t a detective but you’d be excused for thinking so. The first third of this book is poorly written, the second half is very good and keeps you moving. I had some real issues with the characters in the book – I felt quite a few reactions were purely for the author’s convenience and didn’t seem plausible. Coben also presents the quandary of making you like a trash-tabloid-exposé reporter as a main character. The first third of the book would get one star, but if you like this kind of thing keep going. It partly redeems itself and reads quickly. 2.5 out of five stars.

Reading Challenge books

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold
This is the precursor to the Vorkosigan saga. It’s set about 200 years before the rest of the series, and lays the groundwork for that world. As such, it’s sort of a standalone book and is an entertaining adventure. Villains are evil, good guys are lucky and clever, and a whole pack of genetically engineered kids (The Quaddies) are caught in the middle. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
A frenetic, funny romp. Certainly has its poignant moments, then nearly borders on slapstick. All mostly set in the stodginess of Victorian England. I say “mostly” as this is a time-travel book, and the primary two characters are from the future. There’s some very clever ideas here on time travel that I hadn’t seen before. (But I’m not nearly as well-read as many of you.) Recommended. 4 out of 5 stars.

A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
I hate clichés like “tour de force” it’s a sure sign the reviewer was being lazy. But, if I was going to use some hackneyed phrase to describe A Fire Upon the Deep, that would be the one. It’s a deep, imaginative, engaging book. The galactic Zones of Thought concept is simply brilliant, and Vinge challenges standard alien races. The two most prominent in the book are a sentient dog-like race that possess a pack mind, merging 3-8 individuals into a single entity. The other is a tree-like race lacking short-term memory that’s been integrated into a cart of sorts that provides them memory, mobility and more. And it works. Read this if you haven’t already. 4.5 out of five stars.

Tea with the Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy
A charming little modern fantasy/adventure. It’s set in early 80s Silicon Valley, and some of the references were like a trip down memory lane. A fun, quick read. Good for a change of pace after something long and deep. 3.5 out of five stars.

Audio Books

I’ve also listened to four audio books in the mean time: All three books in Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy, and The City & The City by China Miéville. I realized about 1/4 through Foundation and Empire that I’d never read the last two books in the trilogy. Well, now I have. Absolute classic SF and a must read, of course.

Miéville’s book is fascinating. It’s a simple hard-boiled detective novel, but the setting (a fictional Eastern European pair of cities that exist in the same place yet it’s illegal to go from one to the other without proper paperwork) is absolutely fascinating. I have not read any of his work before, and this book is getting slight criticism for merely building on what he’s already done. That said, if that’s all they have to say against it, I’m reading all of his other work. Read it.

State of the Reading Challenge

I’m taking a short break from the challenge, and reading the first Honor Harrington book On Basilisk Station. I’m just over halfway through the challenge – I’m planning 16 books, and I’ve read nine so far. Right on pace. I still need to read two more Hugo winners (though The City & The City just might win the Hugo this year, reducing my book count by one), three more nominees from the 2000s, one more from the 90s, and one more from the 80s.

Books I’ll probably be reading the rest of the way are: The Forever War, A Canticle for Leibowitz (or The Man in the High Castle – can’t decide), Saturn’s Children, Brasyl, Old Man’s War, Remnant Population, and then something from the 80s. Probably either Little, Big, or the The Shadow of the Torturer.

Here’s a nice infographic (and it’s SFW!) from OnlineMBA that reminds you.

Via: Online MBA