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Books Read 2024
Mar. 4th, 2024 11:18 am- Gordon S. Wood, The Radicalism of the American Revolution
- Terry Pratchett, Eric
- Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures
- Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
- Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men
- Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms (re-read)
- Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
- Terry Pratchett, The Shepherd’s Crown
- Terry Pratchett, Wintersmith
- Terry Pratchett, I Shall Wear Midnight
- Terry Pratchett, The Shepherd’s Crown
- Terry Pratchett, Making Money
- Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad
- Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies
- Terry Pratchett, Maskerade
- Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
- Terry Pratchett, Night Watch
- Adam Higginbotham, Midnight at Chernobyl
Books Read 2021
Jul. 31st, 2021 12:07 am- Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson, The Illuminatus! Trilogy (re-read)
- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
- Sam Wasson, The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood
- J. Michael Straczynski, Becoming Superman
- Paul Bowles, The Sheltering Sky
Books Read 2019
Dec. 31st, 2019 11:59 pm- Kevin Wehrbach, The Blockchain and the New Architecture of Trust
- Roben Farzad, Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami
- Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- Wednesday Martin, Untrue
- Amanda Palmer, The Art of Asking
Books Read 2018
Dec. 31st, 2018 11:59 pm- Agatha Christie, The Murder on the Links
- Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince (in French)
- Niall Barr, Eisenhower’s Armies
- Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
- Jim Butcher, Storm Front
- Agatha Christie, Poirot Investigates
- Melanie Swan, Blockchain
- Jim Butcher, Fool Moon
- Jim Butcher, Grave Peril
- Jim Butcher, Summer Knight
- Jim Butcher, Death Masks
- Jim Butcher, Blood Rites
- Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
- Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita
- George Pendle, Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons
- Rick Wilson, Everything Trump Touches Dies
Books Read 2017
Dec. 31st, 2017 11:59 pm- Alexander Rose, Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring
- Alistair Horne, The Age of Napoleon
- Patrick O'Brian, Blue at the Mizzen
- Angus Konstam, Horatio Nelson
- Len Deighton, The IPCRESS File
- Len Deighton, Horse Under Water
- Len Deighton, Funeral in Berlin
- Len Deighton, Billion-Dollar Brain
- Znex Jvfrzna, Zvaq Cynl
- Len Deighton, Berlin Game
- Colin Woodard, The Republic of Pirates
- Umberto Eco, Baudolino
- Andy Weir, The Martian
- Paul Johnson, Churchill
- David Halberstam, The Best and the Brightest
- David L. Anderson (ed.), The Columbia History of the Vietnam War
- Rudyard Kipling, The Man Who Would Be King
- Carlos Bueno, Lauren Ipsum
- H.R. McMaster, Dereliction of Duty
- Jonathan D. Sarna, When General Grant Expelled the Jews
- Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None
- Edward O. Thorp, A Man for All Markets: From Las Vegas to Wall Street, How I Beat the Dealer and the Market
- George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones (re-read)
- George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings (re-read)
- George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords (re-read)
- George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows (re-read)
- George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons (re-read)
- Elfriede Jelinek, The Piano Teacher
- Sarah Waters, Tipping the Velvet
- Christopher Hitchens, The Trial of Henry Kissinger
- Tim Weiner, One Man Against the World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon
- Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein, All the President’s Men
- Neil Gaiman, American Gods (re-read)
- Martin Millar, The Anxiety of Kalix the Werewolf
- Joe Haldeman, The Forever War
- Connie Willis, Crosstalk
- Connie Willis, Blackout
- Connie Willis, All Clear
- Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man
- John A. Farrell, Richard Nixon: the Life
- Carlo D’Este, Eisenhower: A Soldier’s Life
- John Scalzi, Redshirts
- John W. Dean, Blind Ambition: The White House Years
- Bill Kreutzmann & Benjy Eisen, Deal: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead
- Margaret MacMillan, The War that Ended Peace: The Road to 1914
- Jack Kerouac, On the Road
- Max Hastings, Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945
- Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology
- William Poundstone, Fortune's Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System that Beat the Casinos and Wall Street
- Ian Graham, Scarlet Women: The Scandalous Lives of Courtesans, Concubines, and Royal Mistresses
- Alison Weir, The Life of Elizabeth I
- Dava Sobel, Longitude
- Blair Jackson & David Gans, This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead
- Michael Keane, Patton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer
- Michael Pilhofer, Music Theory for Dummies
- Diane Johnson, Into a Paris Quartier: Reine Margot’s Chapel and Other Haunts of St.-Germain
- Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express
Books Read 2016
Dec. 31st, 2016 11:59 pm- William Shakespeare, King Lear (re-read)
- Cevaprff Xnyv, Rabhtu Gb Znxr Lbh Oyhfu: Rkcybevat Rebgvp Uhzvyvngvba
- Isaac Asimov, Foundation
- Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity
- Isaac Asimov, Foundation and Empire
- Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel’s Dart
- Isaac Asimov, Second Foundation
- Isaac Asimov, Prelude to Foundation
- John D. MacDonald, The End of the Night
- Jack Nicklaus, Golf My Way
- Isaac Asimov, Foundation and Earth
- Adam Hochschild, King Leopold's Ghost
- Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
- Isaac Asimov, Foundation’s Edge
- Jeff Gramm, Dear Chairman: Boardroom Battles and the Rise of Shareholder Activism
- Frank Herbert, Children of Dune
- Gordon S. Wood, The Radicalism of the American Revolution
- James Lee McDonough, William Tecumseh Sherman: In the Service of My Country: A Life
- Richard Henry Dana, Jr., Two Years Before the Mast
- William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury
- Patrick O'Brian, Master & Commander
- Patrick O'Brian, Post Captain
- Patrick O'Brian, H.M.S. Surprise
- Patrick O'Brian, The Mauritius Command
- Edwin Lefèvre, Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (annotated edition)
- Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers
- Peter McPhee, Liberty or Death: The French Revolution, 1789–1799
- Patrick O’Brian, Desolation Island
- Patrick O’Brian, The Fortune of War
- Patrick O’Brian, The Surgeon’s Mate
- Patrick O'Brian, The Ionian Mission
- Patrick O'Brian, Treason’s Harbour
- Patrick O’Brian, The Far Side of the World
- Stephen L. Carter, The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln
- Patrick O’Brian, The Reverse of the Medal
- Patrick O’Brian, The Letter of Marque
- Franz Nicolay, The Humorless Ladies of Border Control
- Patrick O’Brian, The Thirteen-Gun Salute
- Patrick O’Brian, The Nutmeg of Consolation
- Patrick O’Brian, The Truelove
- Patrick O’Brian, The Wine-Dark Sea
- Patrick O’Brian, The Commodore
- Patrick O’Brian, The Yellow Admiral
- Patrick O’Brian, Men-of-War: Life in Nelson’s Navy
- Patrick O’Brian, The Hundred Days
Books Read 2015
Dec. 31st, 2015 11:59 pm- I forget.
- Laurell K. Hamilton, Nightshade (don’t judge me)
- I forget.
- Neil Gaiman, American Gods (re-read)
- Maurice Druon, The Iron King
- Maurice Druon, The Strangled Queen
- Maurice Druon, The Poisoned Crown
- Maurice Druon, The Royal Succession
- Maurice Druon, The She-Wolf
- George Holmes, The Oxford History of Medieval Europe
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (re-read) (I didn't mean to, but once I started...)
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers (re-read)
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King (re-read)
- Qnivq Wraavatf, Fxvasyvpxf
- Ernest Cline, Ready Player One
Books Read 2014
Dec. 31st, 2014 11:59 pm- Paul Tough, How Children Succeed
- Lois McMaster Bujold, Memory (e-book)
- Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles in Love (e-book)
- Rory Miller, Meditations on Violence
- Lois McMaster Bujold, Captain Vorpatril's Alliance (e-book)
- Lois McMaster Bujold, Cryoburn (e-book)
- Martin E.P. Seligman, Learned Optimism (e-book)
- Evpuneq Oebbxuvfre, Nyrknaqre Unzvygba, Nzrevpna
- Lauro Martines, Furies: War in Europe 1450–1700 (e-book)
- Peter Biskind, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls (re-read)
- Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon
- Elmore Leonard, Get Shorty
- Madison Young, Daddy: A Memoir
- Laura Antoniou, The Killer Wore Leather
- George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones (re-read)
- George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings (re-read)
- George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords (re-read)
- George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows (re-read)
- George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons (re-read)
- Edmund Landau, Foundations of Analysis (skimmed the last third or so)
- Robert Graves, I, Claudius (e-book)
- Anapl Sevqnl, Orlbaq Zl Pbageby: Sbeovqqra Snagnfvrf va na Haprafberq Ntr (e-book)
- John Medina, Brain Rules for Baby
- Neil Gaiman, Stardust
Books Read 2013
Dec. 31st, 2013 11:59 pm- John Ringo, Ghost (re-read)
- Matthew Butterick, Typography for Lawyers
- Roy F. Baumeister & John Tierney, Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength
- Aaron Hillegass & Alan Preble, Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X (4th ed.) (read the new edition to learn what's new)
- Gemma Correll, a cat’s life
- Amity Shlaes, Coolidge
- John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
- John le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy
- John le Carré, Smiley's People
- Barbara Tuchman, The Guns of August
- Christopher Hitchens, Thomas Jefferson: Author of America
- Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
- Connie Willis, To Say Nothing of the Dog
- Devora Zack, Networking for People Who Hate Networking
- Lois McMaster Bujold, Cordelia's Honor
- Lois McMaster Bujold, Young Miles
- Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles, Mystery and Mayhem
- Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Errant
- Paul Johnson, George Washington
- Mario Puzo, The Godfather
Books Read 2011
Dec. 31st, 2011 11:59 pm(partial list because I didn't keep track for the first part of the year)
- Solomon Nortrup, Twelve Years a Slave
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion
- George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
- Frédéric Bastiat, The Law
- George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings
- David Ignatius, Bloodmoney
- Henryk Sienkiewicz, Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero (trans. by Jeremiah Curtin)
- [elided]
- [elided 2: electric boogaloo]
- Emily Doskow, Nolo's Essential Guide to Divorce
A Return to Literacy
Oct. 26th, 2011 10:41 pmI'm embarrassed to admit how long it's been since I last read a book. It's easy enough to explain: what with all the work and personal hullabaloo, I've barely had enough mental energy to play Plants vs. Zombies on the subway, much less read anything. Now that things are starting to settle, though, I've noticed how long it really has been. Like, months, really.
There are a bunch of things I'd like to read about, fiction as well as nonfiction, but I'm trying to stick to stuff that's available on Kindle, so I can read it on my phone. That tends to increase convenience while lowering the chance of small people finding inappropriate reading matter next to my bed.
So, more or less on a whim, I've started reading Quo Vadis, which was free to download from the Kindle store. I don't know whether I can stick with anything this heavy these days, but it's worth a shot.
There are a bunch of things I'd like to read about, fiction as well as nonfiction, but I'm trying to stick to stuff that's available on Kindle, so I can read it on my phone. That tends to increase convenience while lowering the chance of small people finding inappropriate reading matter next to my bed.
So, more or less on a whim, I've started reading Quo Vadis, which was free to download from the Kindle store. I don't know whether I can stick with anything this heavy these days, but it's worth a shot.
Books Read 2010
Dec. 31st, 2010 11:59 pm- Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles
- Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear
- Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged (reread)
- Neil Gaiman, American Gods
- Rachel Kramer Bussel (ed.), Best Sex Writing 2010
- Stieg Larsson, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
- Stieg Larsson, The Girl Who Played With Fire
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Infidel
- Jon Meacham, American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
- The Bible (King James Version)
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations
- Norah Vincent, Self-Made Man
- The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual
Once More Unto the Heap
Aug. 9th, 2010 10:36 amFollowing up on this post, I have started reading (and nearly finished) Nomad, the most recent book by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who is a hero to me. It seemed like a natural choice: I had recently read Infidel and found it compelling. Considering that I had just finished the Bible, I also thought it would give me some fresh context for some of what she said about the Quran.
Lots of thoughts so far, but no time right now to put them down. I have found myself nearly shaking with rage at times, though, nearly always directed at western leftists.
Lots of thoughts so far, but no time right now to put them down. I have found myself nearly shaking with rage at times, though, nearly always directed at western leftists.
Ever Stop to Think and . . .
Aug. 4th, 2010 10:29 amFor the first time in a while, since having finished my project, I have nothing to read. I mean, I have a huge to-read queue heap random pile, but I just don't feel like approaching it. It shouldn't bug me, but it does: I feel, however unreasonably, as though I'm wasting time.
Light Beach Reading
Jul. 30th, 2010 11:46 pmI just finished reading the Bible. I mean, I read the whole thing for the first time, cover to cover, from "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." to "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."
I wanted to read it, to have it as context. I wanted to see where the cultural traces came from—the art, the philosophy, the history. Besides that, I am an American, and most Americans are Christians. A significant portion of them take the Bible very literally. I wanted to see where they were coming from.
And you know, I don't have too much to say about it. I was, and remain, an atheist. I boggled at parts of it and continue to do so, including, for example, the genocide of the Canaanites, including women, children, and domestic animals. Both God's endorsements of casual rape in the Old Testament and Saint Paul's exhortations to celibacy in the New Testament are stunning in their own ways.
In hindsight, I'd probably have had more to say if I had posted as I worked my way thorough it over the past few months. But I didn't, so I don't. At least now I can move to the next item on my to-read queue, as soon as I decide what it is.
I wanted to read it, to have it as context. I wanted to see where the cultural traces came from—the art, the philosophy, the history. Besides that, I am an American, and most Americans are Christians. A significant portion of them take the Bible very literally. I wanted to see where they were coming from.
And you know, I don't have too much to say about it. I was, and remain, an atheist. I boggled at parts of it and continue to do so, including, for example, the genocide of the Canaanites, including women, children, and domestic animals. Both God's endorsements of casual rape in the Old Testament and Saint Paul's exhortations to celibacy in the New Testament are stunning in their own ways.
In hindsight, I'd probably have had more to say if I had posted as I worked my way thorough it over the past few months. But I didn't, so I don't. At least now I can move to the next item on my to-read queue, as soon as I decide what it is.
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Well, I'm Back
Jul. 30th, 2007 10:53 amI just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I enjoyed it, and I was impressed that Rowling succeeded as well as she did in resolving plot lines and answering questions, while still telling a story. Besides that, I really have no great insights to share.
There is one thing that has really bothered me throughout the series, though.
( Cut for a couple of mild spoilers. )
There is one thing that has really bothered me throughout the series, though.
( Cut for a couple of mild spoilers. )
Let's See Who Gets This One
Feb. 26th, 2007 12:54 pmI haven't read 300, Frank Miller's graphic novel upon which the upcoming movie has been based. But I am terribly amused to remember that in Miller's earlier work, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, a passing reference is made to a porn star named "Hot Gates".
