Rumman's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 08 Jun 2022 01:02:37 -0700 60 Rumman's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Myth of Artificial Intelligence: Why Computers Can’t Think the Way We Do]]> 55503081 A cutting-edge AI researcher and tech entrepreneur debunks the fantasy that superintelligence is just a few clicks away--and argues that this myth is not just wrong, it's actively blocking innovation and distorting our ability to make the crucial next leap.

Futurists insist that AI will soon eclipse the capacities of the most gifted human mind. What hope do we have against superintelligent machines? But we aren't really on the path to developing intelligent machines. In fact, we don't even know where that path might be.

A tech entrepreneur and pioneering research scientist working at the forefront of natural language processing, Erik Larson takes us on a tour of the landscape of AI to show how far we are from superintelligence, and what it would take to get there. Ever since Alan Turing, AI enthusiasts have equated artificial intelligence with human intelligence. This is a profound mistake. AI works on inductive reasoning, crunching data sets to predict outcomes. But humans don't correlate data sets: we make conjectures informed by context and experience. Human intelligence is a web of best guesses, given what we know about the world. We haven't a clue how to program this kind of intuitive reasoning, known as abduction. Yet it is the heart of common sense. That's why Alexa can't understand what you are asking, and why AI can only take us so far.

Larson argues that AI hype is both bad science and bad for science. A culture of invention thrives on exploring unknowns, not overselling existing methods. Inductive AI will continue to improve at narrow tasks, but if we want to make real progress, we will need to start by more fully appreciating the only true intelligence we know--our own.]]> 320 Erik J. Larson 0674983513 Rumman 0 currently-reading 3.92 2021 The Myth of Artificial Intelligence: Why Computers Can’t Think the Way We Do
author: Erik J. Larson
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2021
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/06/08
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens]]> 36647421 255 Barbara Oakley 052550446X Rumman 5 4.39 2018 Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Kids and Teens
author: Barbara Oakley
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/06/08
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Excellent primer on the science of learning.
]]> <![CDATA[Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World]]> 52300107 Listening time = 2h 2m

Pollan takes us on a journey through the history of the drug, which was first discovered in a small part of East Africa and within a century became an addiction affecting most of the human species. Caffeine, it turns out, has changed the course of human history - won and lost wars, changed politics, dominated economies. What's more, the author shows that the Industrial Revolution would have been impossible without it. The science of how the drug has evolved to addict us is no less fascinating.]]> 2 Michael Pollan Rumman 3 3.72 2020 Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World
author: Michael Pollan
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/29
date added: 2021/08/29
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]]> <![CDATA[The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity—and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race]]> 38728977 Why is addiction "perfectly logical" to an addict?
Why does love change so quickly from passion to indifference?
Why are some people diehard liberals and others hardcore conservatives?
Why are we always hopeful for solutions even in the darkest times--and so good at figuring them out?

The answer is found in a single chemical in your brain: dopamine. Dopamine ensured the survival of early man. Thousands of years later, it is the source of our most basic behaviors and cultural ideas--and progress itself.

Dopamine is the chemical of desire that always asks for more--more stuff, more stimulation, and more surprises. In pursuit of these things, it is undeterred by emotion, fear, or morality. Dopamine is the source of our every urge, that little bit of biology that makes an ambitious business professional sacrifice everything in pursuit of success, or that drives a satisfied spouse to risk it all for the thrill of someone new. Simply put, it is why we seek and succeed; it is why we discover and prosper. Yet, at the same time, it's why we gamble and squander.

From dopamine's point of view, it's not the having that matters. It's getting something--anything--that's new. From this understanding--the difference between possessing something versus anticipating it--we can understand in a revolutionary new way why we behave as we do in love, business, addiction, politics, religion - and we can even predict those behaviors in ourselves and others.

In The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity--and will Determine the Fate of the Human Race, George Washington University professor and psychiatrist Daniel Z. Lieberman, MD, and Georgetown University lecturer Michael E. Long present a potentially life-changing proposal: Much of human life has an unconsidered component that explains an array of behaviors previously thought to be unrelated, including why winners cheat, why geniuses often suffer with mental illness, why nearly all diets fail, and why the brains of liberals and conservatives really are different.]]> 240 Daniel Z. Lieberman 1946885118 Rumman 5 4.12 2018 The Molecule of More: How a Single Chemical in Your Brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity—and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race
author: Daniel Z. Lieberman
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/20
date added: 2021/07/26
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]]> <![CDATA[Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams]]> 34466963 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781501144318.

Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night's sleep every night.]]> 368 Matthew Walker Rumman 3 4.37 2017 Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
author: Matthew Walker
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2021/06/19
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Liked reading a book but the author turned out to be a bit of a fraud. Would like to read something similar to this that is more correct, though. Sucked that the author exaggerated in a lot of cases and used cyclical citations on certain parts. does a good job of highlighting all the parts where the author is quite questionable.
]]> <![CDATA[Das Reboot: How German Football Reinvented Itself and Conquered the World]]> 26111731 ‘Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win� Gary Lineker Packed with exclusive interviews with key protagonists, Raphael Honigstein’s book lifts the lid on the secrets of German football’s success.13th July 2014, World Cup Final, the last ten minutes of extra time. Germany forward Mario Götze, receiving a floated pass from his international teammate André Schürrle, jumps slightly to meet the ball and cushion it with his chest. Landing on his left foot, he takes a step with his right, swivels, and in one fluid motion, without the ball touching the ground, volleys it past the onrushing Argentine goalkeeper into the far corner of the net. The goal wins Germany the World Cup for the first time in almost twenty-five years. In Das Reboot, journalist and television pundit Raphael Honigstein charts the return of German football - how did German football transform itself from its efficient, but unappealing and defensively minded traditions to the free-flowing, attacking football that was on display during the last World Cup? The answer takes him from California to Stuttgart, from Munich to the Maracaná, via Dortmund and Durban. ‘German football boasts not only the World Cup, but superb writers…A fine account of how Germany reclaimed hegemony� Guardian]]> 324 Raphael Honigstein Rumman 0 to-read 4.09 2015 Das Reboot: How German Football Reinvented Itself and Conquered the World
author: Raphael Honigstein
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2015
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World]]> 53054943 The hidden story of the wanton slaughter -- in Indonesia, Latin America, and around the world -- backed by the United States.

In 1965, the U.S. government helped the Indonesian military kill approximately one million innocent civilians. This was one of the most important turning points of the twentieth century, eliminating the largest communist party outside China and the Soviet Union and inspiring copycat terror programs in faraway countries like Brazil and Chile. But these events remain widely overlooked, precisely because the CIA's secret interventions were so successful.

In this bold and comprehensive new history, Vincent Bevins builds on his incisive reporting for the Washington Post, using recently declassified documents, archival research and eye-witness testimony collected across twelve countries to reveal a shocking legacy that spans the globe. For decades, it's been believed that parts of the developing world passed peacefully into the U.S.-led capitalist system. The Jakarta Method demonstrates that the brutal extermination of unarmed leftists was a fundamental part of Washington's final triumph in the Cold War.]]> 320 Vincent Bevins 1541742400 Rumman 5 currently-reading 4.62 2020 The Jakarta Method: Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World
author: Vincent Bevins
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2020
rating: 5
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date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines]]> 34746655
Back in 1992, English football was stuck in the dark ages, emerging from a five-year ban from European competition. The game was physical, bruising and attritional, based on strength over speed, aggression over finesse. It was the era of the midfield general, reducers, big men up front and getting it in the mixer; 4-4-2 was the order of the day. Few teams experimented tactically.

And then, almost overnight, it all changed. The creation of the Premier League coincided with one of the most seismic rule changes in football the abolition of the back-pass. Suddenly defenders had no-get-out-of-jail-free card, goalkeepers had to be able to field and play the ball and the pace of the game quickened immeasurably. Tactics evolved dramatically, helped by an increased foreign influence.

The Mixer is the first book to delve deep into the tactical story of the Premier League, and take a long view of how the game has developed over the last quarter century. From Ferguson’s directness to Keegan’s relentlessly attacking Newcastle outfit, to Mourinho’s cagey, reactive Chelsea, all the way to Ranieri’s counter-attacking champions, The Mixer is one of the most entertaining, rich and knowledgeable football books ever written.]]> 571 Michael Cox 0008215561 Rumman 5 4.38 2017 The Mixer: The Story of Premier League Tactics, from Route One to False Nines
author: Michael Cox
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/01
date added: 2021/06/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction]]> 23995360
In Superforecasting, Tetlock and coauthor Dan Gardner offer a masterwork on prediction, drawing on decades of research and the results of a massive, government-funded forecasting tournament. The Good Judgment Project involves tens of thousands of ordinary people—including a Brooklyn filmmaker, a retired pipe installer, and a former ballroom dancer—who set out to forecast global events. Some of the volunteers have turned out to be astonishingly good. They’ve beaten other benchmarks, competitors, and prediction markets. They’ve even beaten the collective judgment of intelligence analysts with access to classified information. They are "superforecasters."

In this groundbreaking and accessible book, Tetlock and Gardner show us how we can learn from this elite group. Weaving together stories of forecasting successes (the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound) and failures (the Bay of Pigs) and interviews with a range of high-level decision makers, from David Petraeus to Robert Rubin, they show that good forecasting doesn’t require powerful computers or arcane methods. It involves gathering evidence from a variety of sources, thinking probabilistically, working in teams, keeping score, and being willing to admit error and change course. Superforecasting offers the first demonstrably effective way to improve our ability to predict the future—whether in business, finance, politics, international affairs, or daily life—and is destined to become a modern classic.]]> 352 Philip E. Tetlock 0804136696 Rumman 4 4.06 2015 Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction
author: Philip E. Tetlock
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2019/10/12
date added: 2021/03/24
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]]> <![CDATA[Fully Automated Luxury Communism: A Manifesto]]> 37758635
In the twenty-first century, new technologies should liberate us from work. Automation, rather than undermining an economy built on full employment, is instead the path to a world of liberty, luxury and happiness—for everyone. Technological advance will reduce the value of commodities—food, healthcare and housing—towards zero.

Improvements in renewable energies will make fossil fuels a thing of the past. Asteroids will be mined for essential minerals. Genetic editing and synthetic biology will prolong life, virtually eliminate disease and provide meat without animals. New horizons beckon.

In Fully Automated Luxury Communism, Aaron Bastani conjures a vision of extraordinary hope, showing how we move to energy abundance, feed a world of 9 billion, overcome work, transcend the limits of biology, and establish meaningful freedom for everyone. Rather than a final destination, such a society merely heralds the real beginning of history.]]> 278 Aaron Bastani 1786632624 Rumman 4 3.67 2018 Fully Automated Luxury Communism: A Manifesto
author: Aaron Bastani
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/10/05
date added: 2021/03/24
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]]> <![CDATA[How to Change Your Mind: The New Science of Psychedelics]]> 36613747 Could psychedelic drugs change our worldview? One of America's most admired writers takes us on a mind-altering journey to the frontiers of human consciousness

When LSD was first discovered in the 1940s, it seemed to researchers, scientists and doctors as if the world might be on the cusp of psychological revolution. It promised to shed light on the deep mysteries of consciousness, as well as offer relief to addicts and the mentally ill. But in the 1960s, with the vicious backlash against the counter-culture, all further research was banned. In recent years, however, work has quietly begun again on the amazing potential of LSD, psilocybin and DMT. Could these drugs in fact improve the lives of many people? Diving deep into this extraordinary world and putting himself forward as a guinea-pig, Michael Pollan has written a remarkable history of psychedelics and a compelling portrait of the new generation of scientists fascinated by the implications of these drugs. How to Change Your Mind is a report from what could very well be the future of human consciousness.]]> 480 Michael Pollan 0241294223 Rumman 5
tripped.

10/10 would read again]]> 4.25 2018 How to Change Your Mind: The New Science of Psychedelics
author: Michael Pollan
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/16
date added: 2021/03/24
shelves:
review:
read this book.

tripped.

10/10 would read again
]]> <![CDATA[Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth]]> 48930288
In late 2017, scientists at a Hawaiian observatory glimpsed an object soaring through our inner solar system, moving so quickly that it could only have come from another star. Avi Loeb, Harvard’s top astronomer, showed it was not an asteroid; it was moving too fast along a strange orbit, and left no trail of gas or debris in its wake. There was only one conceivable explanation: the object was a piece of advanced technology created by a distant alien civilization.

In Extraterrestrial, Loeb takes readers inside the thrilling story of the first interstellar visitor to be spotted in our solar system. He outlines his controversial theoryand its profound implications: for science, for religion, and for the future of our species and our planet. A mind-bending journey through the furthest reaches of science, space-time, and the human imagination, Extraterrestrial challenges readers to aim for the stars—and to think critically about what’s out there, no matter how strange it seems.]]> 240 Avi Loeb 0358278147 Rumman 4 3.74 2021 Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth
author: Avi Loeb
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2021/03/16
date added: 2021/03/24
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Sums up all the arguments regarding the existence of aliens at one go. Does not make any stretches whatsoever and always stays grounded on science. There's a reason this man was the astrophysics chair for so long in Harvard.
]]> <![CDATA[The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance]]> 905
“Groundbreaking . . . the best guide to getting out of your own way . . . Its profound advice applies to many other parts of life.”—Bill Gates, GatesNotes (“Five of My All-Time Favorite Books�)

This phenomenally successful guide to mastering the game from the inside out has become a touchstone for hundreds of thousands of people. Billie Jean King has called the book her tennis bible; Al Gore has used it to focus his campaign staff; and Itzhak Perlman has recommended it to young violinists. Based on W. Timothy Gallwey’s profound realization that the key to success doesn’t lie in holding the racket just right, or positioning the feet perfectly, but rather in keeping the mind uncluttered, this transformative book gives you the tools to unlock the potential that you’ve possessed all along.

“The Inner Game� is the one played within the mind of the player, against the hurdles of self-doubt, nervousness, and lapses in concentration. Gallwey shows us how to overcome these obstacles by trusting the intuitive wisdom of our bodies and achieving a state of “relaxed concentration.� With chapters devoted to trusting the self and changing habits, it is no surprise then, that Gallwey’s method has had an impact far beyond the confines of the tennis court.

Whether you want to play music, write a novel, get ahead at work, or simply unwind after a stressful day, Gallwey shows you how to tap into your utmost potential. No matter your goals, The Inner Game of Tennis gives you the definitive framework for long-term success.]]> 134 W. Timothy Gallwey 0679778314 Rumman 5 4.15 1974 The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
author: W. Timothy Gallwey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1974
rating: 5
read at: 2021/02/25
date added: 2021/02/25
shelves:
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Fantastic book that I found on the FPSAimtrainer subreddit. If you have read Thinking, Fast and Slow, this book makes a LOT of sense.
]]> <![CDATA[From Guernica to Guardiola: How the Spanish Conquered English Football]]> 40026377
But the origins of this particular Spanish invasion date back to 1937, when the Spanish Civil War led to a stream of refugees fleeing their country for the safe haven of England. Their families reveal how the refugees learned the game here, before returning to Spain where one would score Real Madrid ’s first goal in the Bernabeu stadium and another would be the first man to conceive of Barcelona ’s vaunted La Masia academy that would later launch stars such as Lionel Messi , Cesc Fabregas and Xavi Hernandez .

In recent years the reputation of Spain’s footballers has grown, and every club craves a sprinkling oftiki-takamagic. Through dozens of exclusive interviews, Adam Crafton has spoken to many of the key Spanish figures who have come to England and he creates a compelling portrait of their impact on the English game. We discover how and why it is that some players, such as Xabi Alonso , Pepe Reina and Juan Mata , have had great success here, while others have toiled so painfully.

But this is not just a footballing story, pure and simple. Crafton provides the historical and social context that helps to explain how the relationship between the two nations is constantly changing, yet always close. For anyone who enjoyed Jonathan Wilson’s Inverting the Pyramid or Sid Lowe’s Fear and Loathing in La Liga , this book is a revealing and brilliant insight into this most benign of Spanish invasions .]]> 352 Adam Crafton Rumman 0 currently-reading 3.94 From Guernica to Guardiola: How the Spanish Conquered English Football
author: Adam Crafton
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/01/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party]]> 15722514
Black against Empire is the first comprehensive overview and analysis of the history and politics of the Black Panther Party. The authors analyze key political questions, such as why so many young black people across the country risked their lives for the revolution, why the Party grew most rapidly during the height of repression, and why allies abandoned the Party at its peak of influence. Bold, engrossing, and richly detailed, this book cuts through the mythology and obfuscation, revealing the political dynamics that drove the explosive growth of this revolutionary movement, and its disastrous unraveling. Informed by twelve years of meticulous archival research, as well as familiarity with most of the former Party leadership and many rank-and-file members, this book is the definitive history of one of the greatest challenges ever posed to American state power.

Read an excerpt here:

by



Listen to an interview with the authors here:
]]> 552 Joshua Bloom 0520271858 Rumman 5 4.46 2013 Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
author: Joshua Bloom
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2020/11/10
date added: 2020/11/10
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]]> <![CDATA[The Numbers Game: Why Everything You Know About Football is Wrong]]> 18129576
Football has always been a numbers game: 4-4-2, the big number 9 and 3 points for a win. But what if up until now we've been focusing on the wrong numbers? What if the numbers that really matter, the ones that hold the key to winning matches, are actually 2.66, 53.4, 50/50, and 0 > 1? What if managers only make a 15% difference? What if Chelsea should have bought Darren Bent?

In this incisive, myth-busting book, Chris Anderson, former goalkeeper turned football statistics guru, and David Sally, former baseball pitcher turned behavioural economist, show that every shred of knowledge we can gather can help us to love football and understand it even more. You'll discover why stopping a goal is more valuable than scoring one, why corners should be taken short, and why it is better to improve your worst player than to buy a superstar.

You'll never play, or watch, a game of football in quite the same way again.

The Numbers Game is essential reading for football fans everywhere and will also appeal to readers who loved Moneyball and Freakonomics.]]> 347 Chris Anderson 024196363X Rumman 0 currently-reading 3.75 2013 The Numbers Game: Why Everything You Know About Football is Wrong
author: Chris Anderson
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/08/02
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions]]> 29632790 An exploration of how computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? How much messiness should we accept? What balance of the new and familiar is the most fulfilling? These may seem like uniquely human quandaries, but they are not. Computers, like us, confront limited space and time, so computer scientists have been grappling with similar problems for decades. And the solutions they’ve found have much to teach us.In a dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths show how algorithms developed for computers also untangle very human questions. They explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance, how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others. From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one’s inbox to peering into the future, Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living.]]> 410 Brian Christian 1627790373 Rumman 0 currently-reading 4.24 2016 Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions
author: Brian Christian
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/08/02
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]]> <![CDATA[Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave]]> 15811497 A revelatory look at how our environment unconsciously yet dramatically shapes the judgments and decisions we make every day.

Most of us go through life believing that we are in control of the choices we make, that we think and behave almost independently from the world around us, but as Drunk Tank Pink illustrates, the truth is our environment shapes our thoughts and actions in myriad ways without our permission or even our knowledge. Armed with surprising data and endlessly fascinating examples, Adam Alter addresses the subtle but substantial ways in which outside forces influence us--such as color’s influence on mood, our bias in favor of names with which we identify, and how sunny days can induce optimism as well as aggression. Drunk Tank Pink proves that the truth behind our feelings and actions goes much deeper than the choices we take for granted every day.]]> 272 Adam Alter 1594204543 Rumman 0 currently-reading 3.53 2013 Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces that Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave
author: Adam Alter
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2013
rating: 0
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date added: 2020/04/01
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech]]> 34274961
Over the past few decades there has been a revolution in terms of who controls knowledge and information. This rapid change has imperiled the way we think. Without pausing to consider the cost, the world has rushed to embrace the products and services of four titanic corporations. We shop with Amazon; socialize on Facebook; turn to Apple for entertainment; and rely on Google for information. These firms sell their efficiency and purport to make the world a better place, but what they have done instead is to enable an intoxicating level of daily convenience. As these companies have expanded, marketing themselves as champions of individuality and pluralism, their algorithms have pressed us into conformity and laid waste to privacy. They have produced an unstable and narrow culture of misinformation, and put us on a path to a world without private contemplation, autonomous thought, or solitary introspection--a world without mind. In order to restore our inner lives, we must avoid being coopted by these gigantic companies, and understand the ideas that underpin their success.

Elegantly tracing the intellectual history of computer science--from Descartes and the enlightenment to Alan Turing to Stuart Brand and the hippie origins of today's Silicon Valley--Foer exposes the dark underpinnings of our most idealistic dreams for technology. The corporate ambitions of Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon, he argues, are trampling longstanding liberal values, especially intellectual property and privacy. This is a nascent stage in the total automation and homogenization of social, political, and intellectual life. By reclaiming our private authority over how we intellectually engage with the world, we have the power to stem the tide.

At stake is nothing less than who we are, and what we will become. There have been monopolists in the past but today's corporate giants have far more nefarious aims. They're monopolists who want access to every facet of our identities and influence over every corner of our decision-making. Until now few have grasped the sheer scale of the threat. Foer explains not just the looming existential crisis but the imperative of resistance.]]> 272 Franklin Foer 1101981113 Rumman 0 to-read 3.57 2017 World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech
author: Franklin Foer
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2019/12/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?]]> 6763725 81 Mark Fisher 1846943175 Rumman 0 currently-reading 4.20 2009 Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?
author: Mark Fisher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2009
rating: 0
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date added: 2019/10/27
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography]]> 16151341 Desde la primera charla que dio en el vestuario cuando asumió hasta los motivos de las decisiones más difíciles, Guillem Balagué reconstruye la vida y la mente de Guardiola a partir de entrevistas personales con él, con los principales futbolistas del Barcelona, además de entrenadores y jugadores rivales que sufrieron el talento blaugrana. Entre ellos, sir Alex Ferguson que, pese a perder dos finales de la Liga de Campeones contra el Barcelona, admira a Guardiola. Cómo es el hombre que consiguió un número extraordinario de títulos y cuál era su verdadera relación con los miembros clave de su entorno durante los maravillosos cuatro años en que estuvo a cargo del mejor equipo de la historia. Sin embargo, para Pep el triunfo iba acompañado de cierto drama personal: cada partido era uno menos en la élite, nunca se sintió lo suficientemente bueno en su trabajo, sus disputas con Mourinho le hicieron daño y padecía enormemente tomando decisiones hasta que dio por terminado el ciclo más exitoso del fútbol moderno para tomarse un año sabático antes de su esperado regreso al frente del Bayern Munich. Por todo esto, la vida de Pep Guardiola es también otra manera de ganar.]]> 352 Guillem Balagué Rumman 0 currently-reading 4.07 2012 Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography
author: Guillem Balagué
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2019/10/15
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[Football Hackers: The Science and Art of a Data Revolution]]> 45029227 Well written and thoughtful. Takes us on a tour of some of Europe's most innovative football thinkers - Financial TimesThe future of football is now. Football's data revolution has only just begun. The arrival of advanced metrics and detailed analysis is already reshaping the modern game. We can now fully assess player performance, analyse the role of luck and measure what really leads to victory. There is no turning back.Now the race is on between football's wealthiest clubs and a group of outsiders, nerds and rule-breakers, who are turning the game on its head with their staggering innovations. Winning is no longer just about what happens out on the pitch, it's now a battle taking place in boardrooms and on screens across international borders with the world's brightest minds driving for an edge over their fiercest rivals.Christoph Biermann has moved in the midst of these disruptive upheavals, talking to scientists, coaches, managers, scouts and psychologists in the world's major clubs, traveling across Europe and the US and revealing the hidden - and often jaw-dropping - truths behind the beautiful game. 'A book full of exciting ideas and inside views on modern football. The most exciting book in an exciting time for football.' Thomas Hitzlsperger]]> 306 Christoph Biermann Rumman 5 4.26 2019 Football Hackers: The Science and Art of a Data Revolution
author: Christoph Biermann
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 5
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date added: 2019/10/15
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]]> <![CDATA[Outside the Box: A Statistical Journey Through the History of Football]]> 32938186
But when did the numbers become so important and what do they mean?

In Outside the Box, Duncan Alexander looks back at twenty-five years of the Premier League and beyond, uncovering the hidden truths and accepted myths that surround the game. Using the archives of OptaJoe and never-before-seen data, we discover why Liverpool have gone 27 years without winning a league title and why Lionel Messi is the best player in the game's history. Or is he?

Insightful, wry, and hugely entertaining, Outside the Box is a hugely entertaining and accessible account of football across the decades, analysing data from the some of the greatest seasons, players, teams and managers.]]> 300 Duncan Alexander Rumman 2 3.47 Outside the Box: A Statistical Journey Through the History of Football
author: Duncan Alexander
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.47
book published:
rating: 2
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date added: 2019/10/14
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I couldn't finish this book because of the horrible forced humour. I wish Duncan did a reprint without the jokes. That book would be great to read.
]]> <![CDATA[Zonal Marking: The Making of Modern European Football]]> 43184201
From the intelligent use of space displayed by the phenomenal Ajax team of the early 90s, to the dominance of the highly strategic Italian league in the late 90s and onto the technical wizardry of Barcelona’s tiki-taka, the European game continues to reinvent the tactical dimension of the game, creating blueprints which both club and national teams around the world strive to follow.

In Zonal Marking, Michael Cox brilliantly investigates and analyses the major leagues around Europe over specific time periods and demonstrates the impact each has made on how the game is now played. Highly entertaining and packed full of wonderful anecdotes, this is the first book of its kind to take an overview of modern European football, and lays bare just how much the international language of football can be shaped by a nation’s unique identity.]]> 433 Michael Cox 0008291152 Rumman 4 4.36 2019 Zonal Marking: The Making of Modern European Football
author: Michael Cox
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/10/12
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]]> <![CDATA[Kill All Normies: Online Culture Wars from 4chan and Tumblr to Trump and the Alt-Right]]> 34858587 Kill All Normies explores some of the cultural genealogies and past parallels of these styles and subcultures, drawing from transgressive styles of 60s libertinism and conservative movements, to make the case for a rejection of the perpetual cultural turn.]]> 136 Angela Nagle 1785355449 Rumman 0 3.41 2017 Kill All Normies: Online Culture Wars from 4chan and Tumblr to Trump and the Alt-Right
author: Angela Nagle
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2019/10/12
date added: 2019/10/12
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]]> <![CDATA[A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)]]> 13496
Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, A Game of Thrones tells a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; a child is lost in the twilight between life and death; and a determined woman undertakes a treacherous journey to protect all she holds dear. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the Starks hangs perilously in the balance, as each side endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.]]> 835 George R.R. Martin 0553588486 Rumman 0 4.44 1996 A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1996
rating: 0
read at: 2019/10/12
date added: 2019/10/12
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]]> <![CDATA[The Idea Writers: Copywriting in a New Media and Marketing Era]]> 10115376 A memorable slogan has been the cornerstone of every great ad campaign. In the past, writing one great headline could launch a career. But today's advertising campaigns are interactive, multi-platform and ongoing, and the copywriter's canvas is vast. At any given time, a copywriter may be conceiving a video game, writing a TV show, maintaining a Twitter feed, creating a mobile app or an interactive installation or, yes, writing a headline or a TV script.

While the best copywriters have always been brand storytellers, now that story can play out anywhere. The digital revolution put control in the hands of the people - the audience - now no longer just consumers, but active participants in a brand's story.
The art and science of advertising has gone from creating one-way messages to engaging audiences in ongoing conversations.
A new ad landscape means new opportunities for writers who now have the incredible opportunity to push brand narrative to places it's never been before and to actually create something so useful or entertaining that it generates its own audience. It also means that many of the rules of the past - while exceedingly worthy of study - are insufficient to guide the modern copywriter. Co-published with AdvertisingAge, The Idea Writers outlines the changing landscape of the advertising industry while providing useful how-to advice.

Filled with interviews from top creatives including:
Greg Hahn, Nick Law, Jeff Benjamin, Tim Delaney, Rei Inamoto, Lee Clow, Steve Simpson, Rick Condos, David Droga, Gerry Graf, Ty Montague, Calle and Pelle Sjonell, PJ Pereira, David Abbott and many more!


]]> 224 Teressa Iezzi 0230115004 Rumman 0 to-read 3.81 2010 The Idea Writers: Copywriting in a New Media and Marketing Era
author: Teressa Iezzi
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/09/02
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football]]> 472615 Morbo. Hard to pin down in translation (though the author manfully spends a chapter trying to explain the term in its fullest sense), "morbo" encapsulates the fierce rivalry across a club scene fragmented by history, language and politics. The bitter feeling between Barcelona and Real Madrid has, of course, been well-documented elsewhere. Here that famous rivalry is only one component of a landscape of antagonism. In particular, the Basque country in the north-west and Seville in the south both provide breeding grounds for a healthy portion of "morbo", and receive Ball's attention accordingly. The narrative captures the essence of that feeling perfectly, without failing to inform on a historical basis. A splendid chapter traces the ancestry of football in Spain back to the labourers in the English-owned copper mines in Huelva, Andalucia. While Spanish club football has always had its stars, from Di Stefano to Cruyff and Butragueno through to Raul and Luis Figo today, Ball shows that there is a greater force running in its lifeblood. Yet still there remains a paradox; he analyses the historical under-achievement of the Spanish national side in major international tournaments.

The new millennium has seen excellent books focusing on football culture in Holland and France--namely Brilliant Orange and Le Foot. At a time when the stock of Spanish club football has perhaps not been higher since the heyday of Real Madrid in the late 50s and early 60s, Morbo, a triumph in the same vein, thankfully allows us to add Spain to the list. --Trevor Crowe

]]> 256 Phil Ball 0954013468 Rumman 0 to-read 4.17 2001 Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football
author: Phil Ball
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/07/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Calcio: A History of Italian Football]]> 1264376 592 John Foot 0007175752 Rumman 0 to-read 4.18 2006 Calcio: A History of Italian Football
author: John Foot
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/07/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Mongol Art of War: Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Military System]]> 718607 214 Timothy May 1594160465 Rumman 0 to-read 3.94 2007 The Mongol Art of War: Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Military System
author: Timothy May
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2007
rating: 0
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date added: 2019/07/07
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup]]> 37976541 The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face of pressure and threats from the CEO and her lawyers.

In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the female Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with a machine that would make blood tests significantly faster and easier. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at $9 billion, putting Holmes's worth at an estimated $4.7 billion. There was just one problem: The technology didn't work.

For years, Holmes had been misleading investors, FDA officials, and her own employees. When Carreyrou, working at The Wall Street Journal, got a tip from a former Theranos employee and started asking questions, both Carreyrou and the Journal were threatened with lawsuits. Undaunted, the newspaper ran the first of dozens of Theranos articles in late 2015. By early 2017, the company's value was zero and Holmes faced potential legal action from the government and her investors.

Here is the riveting story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron, a disturbing cautionary tale set amid the bold promises and gold-rush frenzy of Silicon Valley.]]> 339 John Carreyrou Rumman 5 ]]> 4.38 2018 Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
author: John Carreyrou
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/06/18
date added: 2019/06/17
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Bloody crazy that this is fiction. Also goes to show how people in positions of power are still human and can fall for deceptive individuals. Finally -- facts are facts.

]]> <![CDATA[Hollywood Dead (Sandman Slim, #10)]]> 36590393 353 Richard Kadrey 0062474170 Rumman 0 to-read 4.25 2018 Hollywood Dead (Sandman Slim, #10)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/09/30
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Truth, Lies, and Advertising: The Art of Account Planning]]> 397499
A witty, erudite raconteur and teacher, Steel describes how successful account planners work in partnership with clients, consumer, and agency creatives. He criticizes research practices that, far from creating relationships, drive a wedge between agencies and the people they aim to persuade; he suggests new ways of approaching research to cut through the BS and get people to show their true selves; and he shows how the right research, when translated into a motivating and inspiring brief, can be the catalyst for great creative ideas. He draws upon his own experiences and those of colleagues in the United States and abroad to illustrate those points, and includes examples of some of the most successful campaigns in recent years, including Polaroid, Norwegian Cruise Line, Porsche, Isuzu, "got milk?" and others.

The message of this book is that well-thought-out account planning results in better, more effective marketing and advertising for both agencies and clients. And also makes an evening in front of the television easier to bear for the population at large."]]> 320 Jon Steel 0471189626 Rumman 0 to-read 3.99 1998 Truth, Lies, and Advertising: The Art of Account Planning
author: Jon Steel
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1998
rating: 0
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date added: 2017/09/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> Red: My Autobiography 11752931 For twenty glorious years, Gary Neville has worn his heart on his sleeve. This is his storyNo player has been more synonymous with the glory years of Manchester United Football Club over the past two decades than right–back Gary Neville. An Old Trafford regular since he attended his first match at the age of six, captain of the brilliant 1992 FA Youth Cup–winning team, outspoken representative of MUFC, Neville is the ultimate one–club man. He has been at the heart of it all and, at the end of an amazing career, is now ready to tell all. Neville reveals the behind–the–scenes secrets of his early days with the likes of Giggs, Scholes, and his best mate, David Beckham.]]> 352 Gary Neville 0593065603 Rumman 0 to-read 3.91 2011 Red: My Autobiography
author: Gary Neville
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/09/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Creative Advertising: Ideas and Techniques from the World's Best Campaigns]]> 303952 266 Mario Pricken 0500284768 Rumman 0 to-read 4.04 2002 Creative Advertising: Ideas and Techniques from the World's Best Campaigns
author: Mario Pricken
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/09/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> Hegarty on Advertising 11724623
The book is both an advertising credo and a brilliantly entertaining memoir. The first part offers John Hegarty’s personal insights and advice on the advertising Ideas, Brands, The Agency, Briefs, Pitching, Storytelling, and Technology. In the second part, Hegarty talks about his own career and experiences, from his early days working with Charles Saatchi to the founding of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) in 1982 and its rise to global renown with offices in London, New York, Singapore, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Sao Paulo. 50 color illustrations]]> 224 John Hegarty 0500515565 Rumman 0 to-read 4.06 2011 Hegarty on Advertising
author: John Hegarty
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/09/16
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Genghis Khan's Greatest General: Subotai the Valiant]]> 281078
When Subotai died at age seventy-three, he had conquered thirty-two nations and won sixty-five pitched battles, according to Muslim historians. Had the great Khan not died, Subotai likely would have destroyed Europe itself.]]> 164 Richard A. Gabriel 0806137347 Rumman 5 3.93 2004 Genghis Khan's Greatest General: Subotai the Valiant
author: Richard A. Gabriel
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2017/09/17
date added: 2017/09/16
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]]> <![CDATA[The Kill Society (Sandman Slim, #9)]]> 32051577
Slim didn’t land in Tenebrae by chance. His little stunt of trying to open Heaven has set off a tsunami across the universe. Now, the afterlife is falling apart because of the ensuing warfare. And when Heaven finds out Slim is close by, the angels put a fat bounty on his head.

It’s one thing to ride with a ferocious criminal pack across the treacherous plains—it’s another to do it when everyone in the land of the dead is itching to keep you there permanently. But Slim’s not too worried. He’s been fighting cosmic forces bent on destroying Heaven, Hell, Earth, and him for years. A pack of vicious bounty hunters, vengeful angels, and dangerous enemies with friendly smiles isn’t going to stop him fixing the chaos he’s caused . . . one way or another.

Also contains the first appearance in print of Sandman Slim short "The Devil in the Dollhouse" which was originally published as an ebook.]]> 368 Richard Kadrey 0062474189 Rumman 5 4.17 2017 The Kill Society (Sandman Slim, #9)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/06/23
date added: 2017/06/23
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]]> <![CDATA[The Kill Society (Sandman Slim, #9)]]> 32472831
Slim didn’t land in Tenebrae by chance. His little stunt of trying to open Heaven has set off a tsunami across the universe. Now, the afterlife is falling apart because of the ensuing warfare. And when Heaven finds out Slim is close by, the angels put a fat bounty on his head.

It’s one thing to ride with a ferocious criminal pack across the treacherous plains—it’s another to do it when everyone in the land of the dead is itching to keep you there permanently. But Slim’s not too worried. He’s been fighting cosmic forces bent on destroying Heaven, Hell, Earth, and him for years. A pack of vicious bounty hunters, vengeful angels, and dangerous enemies with friendly smiles isn’t going to stop him fixing the chaos he’s caused . . . one way or another.

Also contains the first appearance in print of Sandman Slim short "The Devil in the Dollhouse" which was originally published as an ebook.]]> 416 Richard Kadrey Rumman 5 4.28 2017 The Kill Society (Sandman Slim, #9)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/06/18
date added: 2017/06/18
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]]> <![CDATA[The Perdition Score (Sandman Slim, #8)]]> 26818454
Stark’s plans change when he meets a dying angel who gives him a vial of a mysterious black liquid that could be a secret weapon in the ongoing war between angels who want to allow human souls into Heaven and rebel angels willing to die to keep them out. When one of Stark’s closest friends is poisoned with the black liquid, Stark and Candy have to go to the only place where they might find a cure: Hell.

But standing in their way are the damned souls who, even after death, still work for Wormwood. The secret deal they’ve struck with the rebel angels is darker than anything Stark has encountered. Not only does the fate of the world hang in the balance, but also the souls of everyone in it. Stark has to find a way to break the stalemate in the angel war, score the Perdition cure for the black poison, and make it back to LA in one piece—where an old enemy waits to finish him once and for all.]]> 389 Richard Kadrey Rumman 5 4.17 2016 The Perdition Score (Sandman Slim, #8)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2017/06/13
date added: 2017/06/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Ghost Story (The Dresden Files, #13)]]> 8058301
But being dead doesn't stop him when his friends are in danger. Except now he has no body, and no magic to help him. And there are also several dark spirits roaming the Chicago shadows who owe Harry some payback of their own.

To save his friends—and his own soul—Harry will have to pull off the ultimate trick without any magic...]]> 481 Jim Butcher 045146379X Rumman 4 4.23 2011 Ghost Story (The Dresden Files, #13)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/23
date added: 2017/06/06
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]]> <![CDATA[Killing Pretty (Sandman Slim, #7)]]> 23213849
Stark follows a sordid trail deep into LA's subterranean world, from vampire-infested nightclubs to Weimar Republic mystical societies. Along the way he meets a mysterious girl—distinguished by a pair of graveyard eyes—as badass as Slim; she happens to be the only person who ever outwitted Death. But escaping her demise has had dire consequences for the rest of the world... and a few others.]]> 416 Richard Kadrey 0062373242 Rumman 5 4.09 2015 Killing Pretty (Sandman Slim, #7)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2017/06/06
date added: 2017/06/06
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]]> <![CDATA[The Getaway God (Sandman Slim, #6)]]> 19346407
Being a half-human, half-angel nephilim with a bad rep and a worse attitude-not to mention temporarily playing Lucifer-James Stark aka Sandman Slim has made a few enemies. None, though, are as fearsome as the vindictive Angra Om Ya-the old gods. But their imminent invasion is only one of Stark's problems right now. LA is descending into chaos, and a new evil-the Wildfire Ripper-is stalking the city.

No ordinary killer, The Ripper takes Stark deep into a conspiracy that stretches from Earth to Heaven and Hell. He's also the only person alive who may know how to keep the world from going extinct. The trouble is, he's also Stark's worst enemy . . . the only man in existence Stark would enjoy killing twice.]]> 400 Richard Kadrey 0062094610 Rumman 4 4.19 2014 The Getaway God (Sandman Slim, #6)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2017/05/30
date added: 2017/05/30
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]]> <![CDATA[Kill City Blues (Sandman Slim, #5)]]> 15783828
The hunt leads Stark to an abandoned shopping mall-a multi-story copy of LA-infested with Lurkers and wretched bottomfeeding Sub Rosa families, squatters who have formed tight tribes to guard their tiny patches of this fake LA. Somewhere in the kill zone of the former mall is a dead man with the answers Stark needs. All Stark has to do is find the dead man, get back out alive, and outrun some angry old gods-and a few killers-on his tail.]]> 383 Richard Kadrey 0062094599 Rumman 4 4.12 2013 Kill City Blues (Sandman Slim, #5)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2017/05/25
date added: 2017/05/25
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Devil Said Bang (Sandman Slim, #4)]]> 13157246 399 Richard Kadrey 0062094572 Rumman 4 4.04 2012 Devil Said Bang (Sandman Slim, #4)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2017/05/19
date added: 2017/05/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Aloha from Hell (Sandman Slim, #3)]]> 10439703 Aloha from Hell, the ruthless avenger, a.k.a. Stark, finds himself trapped in the middle of a war between Heaven and Hell. With God on vacation, the Devil nosing around in Paradise, and an insane serial killer doing serious damage on Earth, Stark/Slim is ready to unleash some more adrenaline-surging, edgy and violent supernatural mayhem—and even pay another visit to Hell if necessary—which is great news for fans of Jim Butcher, Warren Ellis, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, and Simon R. Green.
]]> 438 Richard Kadrey 0061714321 Rumman 5 4.04 2011 Aloha from Hell (Sandman Slim, #3)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2017/05/15
date added: 2017/05/14
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Kill the Dead (Sandman Slim, #2)]]> 7778609
Stark has enough trouble juggling a diva devil and a scorching French bombshell without a zombie plague to complicate matters. And just what happens when a human-angel half-breed is bitten by the living dead? His human side begins to die, transforming him into an unstoppable angel of death—a killing machine devoid of emotion or thought, with no regrets or future to worry about. Not a bad way to be when your choices are limited. Now, Stark has to decide . . . if he does finds a cure for the zombie infection, will he take it?]]> 434 Richard Kadrey 0061714313 Rumman 4 4.08 2010 Kill the Dead (Sandman Slim, #2)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2017/05/09
date added: 2017/05/09
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]]> <![CDATA[Sandman Slim (Sandman Slim, #1)]]> 5776788
Life sucks and then you die. Or, if you’re James Stark, you spend eleven years in Hell as a hitman before finally escaping, only to land back in the hell-on-earth that is Los Angeles.

Now Stark’s back, and ready for revenge. And absolution, and maybe even love. But when his first stop saddles him with an abusive talking head, Stark discovers that the road to absolution and revenge is much longer than you’d expect, and both Heaven and Hell have their own ideas for his future.

Resurrection sucks. Saving the world is worse.

Darkly twisted, irreverent, and completely hilarious, Sandman Slim is the breakthrough novel by an acclaimed author.]]> 388 Richard Kadrey 0061714305 Rumman 4 3.95 2009 Sandman Slim (Sandman Slim, #1)
author: Richard Kadrey
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/25
date added: 2017/04/25
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)]]> 8935689
Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.]]> 467 Iain M. Banks 1857231384 Rumman 3 3.86 1987 Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)
author: Iain M. Banks
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1987
rating: 3
read at: 2017/04/13
date added: 2017/04/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Rendezvous with Rama (Rama, #1)]]> 112537 243 Arthur C. Clarke 1857231589 Rumman 5 4.12 1973 Rendezvous with Rama (Rama, #1)
author: Arthur C. Clarke
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1973
rating: 5
read at: 2017/03/22
date added: 2017/03/22
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]]> <![CDATA[The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2)]]> 1215032 There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.�

My name is Kvothe.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.

So begins the tale of a hero told from his own point of view � a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man's Fear, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe uncovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King's Road.

All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, is forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived ... until Kvothe.

In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.

]]> 994 Patrick Rothfuss 0756404738 Rumman 5 4.55 2011 The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2)
author: Patrick Rothfuss
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2017/02/11
date added: 2017/02/10
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]]> <![CDATA[The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)]]> 186074
The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.

A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.]]> 662 Patrick Rothfuss 075640407X Rumman 5 4.52 2007 The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)
author: Patrick Rothfuss
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2017/02/03
date added: 2017/02/03
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15)]]> 19486421
Because as Winter Knight to the Queen of Air and Darkness, Harry never knows what the scheming Mab might want him to do. Usually, it’s something awful.

He doesn’t know the half of it�

Mab has just traded Harry’s skills to pay off one of her debts. And now he must help a group of supernatural villains—led by one of Harry’s most dreaded and despised enemies, Nicodemus Archleone—to break into the highest-security vault in town, so that they can then access the highest-security vault in the Nevernever.

It's a smash and grab job to recover the literal Holy Grail from the vaults of the greatest treasure hoard in the supernatural world—which belongs to the one and only Hades, Lord of the freaking Underworld and generally unpleasant character. Worse, Dresden suspects that there is another game afoot that no one is talking about. And he's dead certain that Nicodemus has no intention of allowing any of his crew to survive the experience. Especially Harry.

Dresden's always been tricky, but he's going to have to up his backstabbing game to survive this mess—assuming his own allies don’t end up killing him before his enemies get the chance…]]> 464 Jim Butcher 0451464397 Rumman 4 4.54 2014 Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2017/01/03
date added: 2017/01/03
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Peace Talks (The Dresden Files, #16)]]> 22249640 Dresden Files series. When the Supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, joins the White Council's security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago--and all he holds dear?

Peace Talks is the sixteenth novel in the Dresden Files series and follows Harry’s adventures after the events of Skin Game.]]> 352 Jim Butcher 035651529X Rumman 0 to-read 4.15 2020 Peace Talks (The Dresden Files, #16)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/01/03
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Cold Days (The Dresden Files, #14)]]> 12216302
He is now Harry Dresden, Winter Knight to Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness. After Harry had no choice but to swear his fealty, Mab wasn’t about to let something as petty as death steal away the prize she had sought for so long. And now, her word is his command, no matter what she wants him to do, no matter where she wants him to go, and no matter who she wants him to kill.

Guess which Mab wants first?

Of course, it won’t be an ordinary, everyday assassination. Mab wants her newest minion to pull off the impossible: Kill an immortal. No problem there, right? And to make matters worse, there exists a growing threat to an unfathomable source of magic that could land Harry in the sort of trouble that will make death look like a holiday.

Beset by enemies new and old, Harry must gather his friends and allies, prevent the annihilation of countless innocents, and find a way out of his eternal subservience before his newfound powers claim the only thing he has left to call his own . . . his soul.]]> 515 Jim Butcher 0451464400 Rumman 4 4.47 2012 Cold Days (The Dresden Files, #14)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/29
date added: 2016/12/29
shelves:
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]]> Night Watch (Watch, #1) 359375
Set in contemporary Moscow, where shape shifters, vampires, and street-sorcerers linger in the shadows, Night Watch is the first book of the hyper-imaginative fantasy pentalogy from best-selling Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko.

This epic saga chronicles the eternal war of the “Others,� an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who must swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. The agents of the Dark � the Night Watch � oversee nocturnal activity, while the agents of the Light keep watch over the day. For a thousand years both sides have maintained a precarious balance of power, but an ancient prophecy has decreed that a supreme Other will one day emerge, threatening to tip the scales. Now, that day has arrived. When a mid-level Night Watch agent named Anton stumbles upon a cursed young woman � an uninitiated Other with magnificent potential � both sides prepare for a battle that could lay waste to the entire city, possible the world. With language that throbs like darkly humorous hard-rock lyrics about blood and power, freedom and responsibility, Night Watch is a chilling, cutting-edge thriller, a pulse-pounding ride of fusion fiction that will leave you breathless for the next instalment.]]> 455 Sergei Lukyanenko 1401359795 Rumman 0 to-read 4.00 1998 Night Watch (Watch, #1)
author: Sergei Lukyanenko
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)]]> 8855321
Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for—and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations—and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.]]> 592 James S.A. Corey 1841499889 Rumman 0 to-read 4.30 2011 Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/12/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Copy Book: How Some of the Best Advertising Writers in the World Write Their Advertising]]> 12253117
In 1995, the D&AD published a book on the art of writing for advertising. Though now outdated, the best-selling book remains an important reference work today—a bible for creative directors. D&AD and TASCHEN have joined forces to bring you an updated and redesigned edition of the publication, including works from the last 15 years. Regarded as the most challenging field in advertising, copywriting is usually left to the most talented professionals—often agency leaders or owners themselves. The book features a work selection and essays by 48 leading professionals in the world, includingcopywriting superstars such as David Abbott, Lionel Hunt, Steve Hayden, Dan Wieden, Neil French, Mike Lescarbeau, Adrian Holmes, and Barbara Nokes. Looking for the clues to well-written, effective, and compelling stories that make great advertising? Look no further.]]> 368 Design and Art Direction 3836528320 Rumman 0 to-read 4.29 2011 The Copy Book: How Some of the Best Advertising Writers in the World Write Their Advertising
author: Design and Art Direction
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2016/12/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Garro: Sword of Truth (The Horus Heresy #Audio Drama)]]> 13547110 2 James Swallow 1849702632 Rumman 5 4.07 2012 Garro: Sword of Truth (The Horus Heresy #Audio Drama)
author: James Swallow
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2016/04/14
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Garro: Legion of One (The Horus Heresy #Audio Drama)]]> 10146826 1 James Swallow 1849700451 Rumman 5 4.07 2011 Garro: Legion of One (The Horus Heresy #Audio Drama)
author: James Swallow
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2016/04/14
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Garro: Oath of Moment (The Horus Heresy #Audio Drama)]]> 8697252 James Swallow 1844168441 Rumman 5 3.90 2010 Garro: Oath of Moment (The Horus Heresy #Audio Drama)
author: James Swallow
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2016/04/09
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Flight of the Eisenstein (The Horus Heresy, #4)]]> 80155 416 James Swallow 1844164594 Rumman 4 4.06 2007 The Flight of the Eisenstein (The Horus Heresy, #4)
author: James Swallow
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/09
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Galaxy in Flames (The Horus Heresy, #3)]]> 815091 416 Ben Counter 1844163938 Rumman 5 4.14 2006 Galaxy in Flames (The Horus Heresy, #3)
author: Ben Counter
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2016/04/09
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[False Gods (The Horus Heresy, #2)]]> 381817 416 Graham McNeill 1844163709 Rumman 0 4.11 2006 False Gods (The Horus Heresy, #2)
author: Graham McNeill
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at: 2016/04/09
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fulgrim (The Horus Heresy, #5)]]> 957931 512 Graham McNeill 1844164764 Rumman 2 4.00 2007 Fulgrim (The Horus Heresy, #5)
author: Graham McNeill
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2016/04/09
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Horus Rising (The Horus Heresy, #1)]]> 625603 416 Dan Abnett 184416294X Rumman 4 4.23 2006 Horus Rising (The Horus Heresy, #1)
author: Dan Abnett
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2016/02/12
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> Star Wars: Darth Plagueis 11099729 “Did you ever hear the Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? It’s a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise that he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.�
—Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith

Darth Plagueis: one of the most brilliant Sith Lords who ever lived. Possessing power is all he desires. Losing it is the only thing he fears. As an apprentice, he embraces the ruthless ways of the Sith. And when the time is right, he destroys his Master--but vows never to suffer the same fate. For like no other disciple of the dark side, Darth Plagueis learns to command the ultimate power . . . over life and death.

Darth Sidious: Plagueis’s chosen apprentice. Under the guidance of his Master, he secretly studies the ways of the Sith, while publicly rising to power in the galactic government, first as Senator, then as Chancellor, and eventually as Emperor.

Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious, Master and acolyte, target the galaxy for domination--and the Jedi Order for annihilation. But can they defy the merciless Sith tradition? Or will the desire of one to rule supreme, and the dream of the other to live forever, sow the seeds of their destruction?]]> 379 James Luceno 034551128X Rumman 4 4.18 2012 Star Wars: Darth Plagueis
author: James Luceno
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2016/02/09
date added: 2016/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, #8)]]> 91474
As Harry adjusts to his new role, another problem arrives in the form of the tattooed and pierced daughter of an old friend, all grown-up and already in trouble. Her boyfriend is the only suspect in what looks like a supernatural assault straight out of a horror film. Malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in Chicago, but it's all in a day's work for a wizard, his faithful dog, and a talking skull named Bob....]]> 547 Jim Butcher 0451461037 Rumman 4 4.39 2006 Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, #8)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2016/10/27
date added: 2016/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding]]> 84156
An "ordinary" wedding can get crazy enough, so can you imagine what happens when otherworldly creatures are involved? Nine of the hottest authors of paranormal fiction answer that question in this delightful collection of supernatural wedding stories. What's the seating plan when rival clans of werewolves and vampires meet under the same roof? How can a couple in the throes of love overcome traps set by feuding relatives---who are experts at voodoo? Will you have a good marriage if your high-seas wedding is held on a cursed ship? How do you deal with a wedding singer who's just a little too good at impersonating Elvis? Shape-shifters, wizards, and magic, oh my!

"The Wedding of Wylda Serene" / Esther Friesner
"All Shook Up" /P.N. Elrod
"Tacky" / Charlaine Harris
"A Hard Day's Night-Searcher" / Sherrilyn Kenyon
"Something Borrowed" / Jim Butcher
"Spellbound" / L.A. Banks
"Dead Man's Chest" / Rachel Caine
"Charmed by the Moon" / Lori Handeland
"...Or Forever Hold Your Peace" / Susan Krinard]]> 310 P.N. Elrod 0312343604 Rumman 2 3.80 2006 My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding
author: P.N. Elrod
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at: 2016/10/18
date added: 2016/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, #7)]]> 17683
Luckily, however, he's not alone. Although most people don't believe in magic, the Chicago P.D. has a Special Investigations department, headed by his good friend Karrin Murphy. They deal with the . . . stranger cases. It's down to Karrin that Harry sneaks into Graceland Cemetery to meet a vampire named Mavra. Mavra has evidence that would destroy Karrin's career, and her demands are simple. She wants the Word of Kemmler - and all the power that comes with it. But first, Harry's keen to know what he'd be handing over. Before long he's racing against time, and six necromancers, to get the Word. And to prevent a Halloween that would truly wake the dead.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.]]> 528 Jim Butcher 045146091X Rumman 5 4.41 2005 Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, #7)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 2016/10/17
date added: 2016/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6)]]> 99383
Harry is doubly frustrated because he got involved with this bizarre mystery only as a favor to Thomas, his flirtatious, self-absorbed vampire acquaintance of dubious integrity. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can't quite figure out, until his investigation leads him straight to Thomas' oversexed vampire family. Harry is about to discover that Thomas' family tree has been hiding a shocking secret; a revelation that will change Harry's life forever.


Cover Art Lee MacLeod]]> 372 Jim Butcher 0451459873 Rumman 4 4.29 2004 Blood Rites (The Dresden Files, #6)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2016/10/12
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Death Masks (The Dresden Files, #5)]]> 91479 432 Jim Butcher 0451459407 Rumman 3 4.28 2003 Death Masks (The Dresden Files, #5)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2016/10/10
date added: 2016/12/13
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]]> The Complete Maus 15195
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus tells the story of Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler’s Europe, and his son, a cartoonist coming to terms with his father’s story. Maus approaches the unspeakable through the diminutive. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), shocks us out of any lingering sense of familiarity and succeeds in “drawing us closer to the bleak heart of the Holocaust� (The New York Times).

Maus is a haunting tale within a tale. Vladek’s harrowing story of survival is woven into the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. This astonishing retelling of our century’s grisliest news is a story of survival, not only of Vladek but of the children who survive even the survivors. Maus studies the bloody pawprints of history and tracks its meaning for all of us.]]> 296 Art Spiegelman 0141014083 Rumman 5 4.57 1980 The Complete Maus
author: Art Spiegelman
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1980
rating: 5
read at: 2016/10/03
date added: 2016/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4)]]> 91478 For the 1st printing edition of this ISBN, see here.

HARRY DRESDEN -- WIZARD

Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment

Ever since his girlfriend left town to deal with her newly acquired taste for blood, Harry Dresden has been down and out in Chicago. He can't pay his rent. He's alienating his friends. He can't even recall the last time he took a shower.

The only professional wizard in the phone book has become a desperate man.

And just when it seems things can't get any worse, in saunters the Winter Queen of Faerie. She has an offer Harry can't refuse if he wants to free himself of the supernatural hold his faerie godmother has over him--and hopefully end his run of bad luck. All he has to do is find out who murdered the Summer Queen's right-hand man, the Summer Knight, and clear the Winter Queen's name.

It seems simple enough, but Harry knows better than to get caught in the middle of faerie politics. Until he finds out that the fate of the entire world rests on his solving this case. No pressure or anything...]]> 446 Jim Butcher 0451458923 Rumman 4 4.26 2002 Summer Knight (The Dresden Files, #4)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2016/09/11
date added: 2016/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3)]]> 91476 This an alternate cover for 9780451458445

Harry Dresden - Wizard
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden has faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. It comes with the territory when you're the only professional wizard in the Chicago-area phone book.

But in all Harry's years of supernatural sleuthing, he's never faced anything like this: The spirit world has gone postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble - and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone - or something - is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn't figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself....]]> 378 Jim Butcher Rumman 3 4.14 2001 Grave Peril (The Dresden Files, #3)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2016/08/26
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, #2)]]> 91477 Harry Dresden � Wizard

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn't been able to dredge up any kind of work � magical or mundane.

But just when it looks like he can't afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise.

A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses--and the first two don't count...]]> 424 Jim Butcher 0451458125 Rumman 3 3.98 2001 Fool Moon (The Dresden Files, #2)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2016/08/05
date added: 2016/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)]]> 47212 HARRY DRESDEN � WIZARD

Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a—well, whatever. There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks.

So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get interesting.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.]]> 372 Jim Butcher 0451457811 Rumman 4 3.99 2000 Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2016/07/29
date added: 2016/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #2)]]> 77565 517 Dan Simmons 0553288202 Rumman 4 4.23 1990 The Fall of Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #2)
author: Dan Simmons
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1990
rating: 4
read at: 2016/07/10
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)]]> 77566 500 Dan Simmons 0553283685 Rumman 4 4.26 1989 Hyperion (Hyperion Cantos, #1)
author: Dan Simmons
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1989
rating: 4
read at: 2016/07/10
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Changes (The Dresden Files, #12)]]> 6585201 438 Jim Butcher 045146317X Rumman 4 4.50 2010 Changes (The Dresden Files, #12)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2016/12/07
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> Eisenhorn (Eisenhorn, #1-3) 752461 768 Dan Abnett 1844161560 Rumman 4 4.43 2004 Eisenhorn (Eisenhorn, #1-3)
author: Dan Abnett
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2016/05/04
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> Legion (The Horus Heresy, #7) 1678745 416 Dan Abnett 1844165361 Rumman 5 4.13 2008 Legion (The Horus Heresy, #7)
author: Dan Abnett
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2016/04/26
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The First Heretic (The Horus Heresy, #14)]]> 7922982 503 Aaron Dembski-Bowden 1844168840 Rumman 4 4.31 2010 The First Heretic (The Horus Heresy, #14)
author: Aaron Dembski-Bowden
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/23
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[White Night (The Dresden Files, #9)]]> 91475
Someone is targeting the members of the city’s supernatural underclass—those who don’t possess enough power to become full-fledged wizards. Some have vanished. Others appear to be victims of suicide. But now the culprit has left a calling card at one of the crime scenes—a message for Harry Dresden.

Harry sets out to find the apparent serial killer, but his investigation turns up evidence pointing to the one suspect he cannot possibly believe guilty: his half-brother, Thomas. To clear his brother’s name, Harry rushes into a supernatural power struggle that renders him outnumbered, outclassed, and dangerously susceptible to temptation.

And Harry knows that if he screws this one up, people will die—and one of them will be his brother...]]> 407 Jim Butcher 0451461401 Rumman 4 4.38 2007 White Night (The Dresden Files, #9)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2016/11/05
date added: 2016/12/13
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, #11)]]> 3475161 420 Jim Butcher 0451462564 Rumman 3 4.43 2009 Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, #11)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2016/11/22
date added: 2016/11/22
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Small Favor (The Dresden Files, #10)]]> 927979 THE New York Times Bestseller

Harry Dresden's life finally seems to be calming down -- until a shadow from the past returns. Mab, monarch of the Sidhe Winter Court, calls in an old favor from Harry -- one small favor that will trap him between a nightmarish foe and an equally deadly ally, and that will strain his skills -- and loyalties -- to their very limits.]]> 423 Jim Butcher 0451461894 Rumman 4 4.43 2008 Small Favor (The Dresden Files, #10)
author: Jim Butcher
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2016/11/06
date added: 2016/11/06
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[A Thousand Sons (The Horus Heresy, #12)]]> 6465063 558 Graham McNeill 1844168085 Rumman 5 4.25 2010 A Thousand Sons (The Horus Heresy, #12)
author: Graham McNeill
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2016/04/09
date added: 2016/04/09
shelves:
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]]> Musashi 102030 970 Eiji Yoshikawa 4770019572 Rumman 0 to-read 4.47 1935 Musashi
author: Eiji Yoshikawa
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1935
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/06/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Judas Strain (Sigma Force, #4)]]> 294046 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins returns with a terrifying story of an ancient menace reborn to plague the modern world . . . and of an impossible hope that lies hidden in the most shocking place imaginable: within the language of angels. ju·das strain, n. A scientific term for an organism that drives an entire species to extinction.

From the depths of the Indian Ocean, a horrific plague has arisen to devastate humankind--a disease that's unknown, unstoppable . . . and deadly. But it is merely a harbinger of the doom that is to follow. Aboard a cruise liner transformed into a makeshift hospital, Dr. Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis--operatives of SIGMA Force--search for answers to the bizarre affliction. But there are others with far less altruistic intentions. In a savage and sudden coup, terrorists hijack the vessel, turning a mercy ship into a floating bio-weapons lab.

A world away, SIGMA's Commander Gray Pierce thwarts the murderous schemes of a beautiful would-be killer who holds the first clue to the discovery of a possible cure. Pierce joins forces with the woman who wanted him dead, and together they embark upon an astonishing quest following the trail of the most fabled explorer in history: Marco Polo. But time is an enemy as a worldwide pandemic grows rapidly out of control. As a relentless madman dogs their every step, Gray and his unlikely ally are being pulled into an astonishing mystery buried deep in antiquity and in humanity's genetic code. And as the seconds tick closer to doomsday, Gray Pierce will realize he can truly trust no one, for any one of them could be . . . a Judas.

]]> 450 James Rollins 0060763892 Rumman 4 4.17 2007 The Judas Strain (Sigma Force, #4)
author: James Rollins
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/04/05
shelves:
review:

]]> Dune (Dune, #1) 234225 Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the "spice" melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for...

When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul's family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.]]> 604 Frank Herbert 0340839937 Rumman 5 4.21 1965 Dune (Dune, #1)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1965
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/03/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Speaker for the Dead (Ender's Saga, #2)]]> 7967
In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: The Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War.

Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening...again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery...and the truth.

Speaker for the Dead, the second novel in Orson Scott Card's Ender Quintet, is the winner of the 1986 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1987 Hugo Award for Best Novel.]]> 382 Orson Scott Card 0812550757 Rumman 4 4.10 1986 Speaker for the Dead (Ender's Saga, #2)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2015/02/07
date added: 2015/02/06
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)]]> 375802
But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender's two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine very nearly lacks the capability for violence altogether. Neither was found suitable for the military's purpose. But they are driven by their jealousy of Ender, and by their inbred drive for power. Peter seeks to control the political process, to become a ruler. Valentine's abilities turn more toward the subtle control of the beliefs of commoner and elite alike, through powerfully convincing essays. Hiding their youth and identities behind the anonymity of the computer networks, these two begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth-an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.]]> 324 Orson Scott Card 0812550706 Rumman 5 4.31 1985 Ender’s Game (Ender's Saga, #1)
author: Orson Scott Card
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2015/02/01
date added: 2015/02/01
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[Grantchester Grind (Porterhouse Blue, #2)]]> 1704212
Meanwhile the College's monstrous debts refuse to go away, and a sinister American media mogul seems determined to make a television documentary on the premises, destroying part of the chapel in the process. Moreover, the widow of the previous Master is convinced that her husband was murdered, so she plants an agent in the Senior Common Room to dig up an unpleasant truth that everyone else would prefer kept under the carpet.

Faced with such continuing crises, the instinct of the true Porterhouse man is to reach for the bottle... or to fall back on the subtle and traditional Cambridge skills of blackmail and kidnap.

But will those be enough?]]> 490 Tom Sharpe 0330323075 Rumman 0 to-read 3.58 1995 Grantchester Grind (Porterhouse Blue, #2)
author: Tom Sharpe
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.58
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Wilt Alternative 626362 218 Tom Sharpe 0394726219 Rumman 0 to-read 3.89 1979 The Wilt Alternative
author: Tom Sharpe
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1979
rating: 0
read at: 2015/01/26
date added: 2015/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Brief History of Time 3869
Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and “arrows of time,� of the big bang and a bigger God—where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. With exciting images and profound imagination, Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.]]> 226 Stephen Hawking 0553380168 Rumman 0 to-read 4.22 1988 A Brief History of Time
author: Stephen Hawking
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1988
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/01/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Lyrics, 1962-1985 7891268 720 bob-dylan 0586086471 Rumman 5 4.75 1985 Lyrics, 1962-1985
author: bob-dylan
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.75
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2015/01/26
date added: 2015/01/26
shelves:
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]]> Ass Goblins of Auschwitz 6965582
In a land where black snow falls in the shape of swastikas, there exists a nightmarish prison camp known as Auschwitz. It is run by a fascist, flatulent race of aliens called the Ass Goblins, who travel in apple-shaped spaceships to abduct children from the neighboring world of Kidland. Prisoners 999 and 1001 are conjoined twin brothers forced to endure the sadistic tortures of these ass-shaped monsters. To survive, they must eat kid skin and work all day constructing bicycles and sex dolls out of dead children.

While the Ass Goblins become drunk on cider made from fermented children, the twins plot their escape. But it won't be easy. They must overcome toilet toads, cockrats, ass dolls, and the surgical experiments that are slowly mutating them into goblin-child hybrids.

Forget everything you know about Auschwitz...you're about to be Shit Slaughtered.]]> 108 Cameron Pierce 1933929936 Rumman 2 3.13 2009 Ass Goblins of Auschwitz
author: Cameron Pierce
name: Rumman
average rating: 3.13
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2015/01/26
date added: 2015/01/26
shelves:
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I don't know what I read and why I read it. My imagination broke.
]]> <![CDATA[American Gods (American Gods, #1)]]> 4407
Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there...

This is the author's preferred text, never before published in the UK, and is about 12,000 words longer than the previous UK edition.

]]> 635 Neil Gaiman Rumman 5 4.10 2001 American Gods (American Gods, #1)
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2015/01/25
date added: 2015/01/25
shelves:
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]]> The Martian 18007564
Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error� are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills � and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit � he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

]]> 384 Andy Weir 0804139024 Rumman 5 4.41 2011 The Martian
author: Andy Weir
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2015/01/24
date added: 2015/01/23
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[The Mote in God's Eye (Moties, #1)]]> 100365 596 Larry Niven 156865054X Rumman 3 4.08 1974 The Mote in God's Eye (Moties, #1)
author: Larry Niven
name: Rumman
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1974
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2015/01/11
shelves:
review:

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