Steve's bookshelf: all en-US Wed, 07 May 2025 09:42:48 -0700 60 Steve's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Egypt Code 2425576 The Orion Mystery, published in 1994, introduced the world to a highly original, and now internationally famous, star-correlation theory about the Giza pyramids in Egypt, and sent a huge shock wave of controversy throughout the scientific community, the effects of which are still felt today.

The Egypt Code not only develops this pyramid-stars correlation, but also reveals an amazing “Grand Unified Plan,� which involves the wonderful temple of Upper Egypt.

The Egypt Code is unlike any other book before it and covers the whole of Egypt’s ancient civilization in a manner never before attempted.

Much has been written as to how the Egyptians might have aligned their monuments with such high precision, but the question that has always remained unanswered is why—why did the ancients put so much emphasis on astronomical alignments? And what could be the function, practical or symbolic, behind these mysterious alignments?]]> 336 Robert Bauval 1934708003 Steve 3 3.83 2006 The Egypt Code
author: Robert Bauval
name: Steve
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Persuasion 2156 249 Jane Austen 0192802631 Steve 5 4.15 1817 Persuasion
author: Jane Austen
name: Steve
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1817
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves:
review:

]]> One Bad Apple (Orchard, #1) 2685034 There's a killer in the orchard, and he's rotten to the core.

INCLUDES RECIPES

Meg Corey has come to the quaint New England town of Granford, Massachusetts, to sell her mother's old colonial home and apple orchard. Instead, she becomes embroiled in development plans that include her land, and her former flame from Boston. When he's found dead in the new septic tank on her property, the police immediately suspect Meg, whose only ally in town is the plumber Seth Chapin. Together, they'll have to peel back the layers of secrecy that surround the deal in order to find the real murderer, and save the orchard.


]]> 262 Sheila Connolly 0425223043 Steve 2
So the main character, Meg, in the end settles down in this sleepy little Massachusetts town. Over the course of the TWELVE books in this series see becomes the center of murder after murder.

TWELVE (12!) books! More power to Connolly. I guess this just isn't my cup of tea. ]]> 3.82 2008 One Bad Apple (Orchard, #1)
author: Sheila Connolly
name: Steve
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/01
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves:
review:
Connolly does have a good readable style, but this was such a predictable bore. The plot is along the lines of a Murder She Wrote episode.

So the main character, Meg, in the end settles down in this sleepy little Massachusetts town. Over the course of the TWELVE books in this series see becomes the center of murder after murder.

TWELVE (12!) books! More power to Connolly. I guess this just isn't my cup of tea.
]]> <![CDATA[The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)]]> 22733729
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.]]> 518 Becky Chambers 1500453307 Steve 3
Chambers leans into some woke gender ideology by having the hero and lead problem-solvers be female characters. I understand that this appears to have been a requirement to have any chance of being published during that era (it was the same in movies and television). So to her credit the females do not feel totally forced. She does cause some confusion here with a non-gender character of weird biology whose pronouns change depending on biological cycles. The male captain feels like the one given a gender token role. To me, he is a bit forced as a reluctant leader. The other male tech works for one of the females but is somewhat extra-subservient to bolster the superiority of the female.

Anyway, within those constraints of gender ideology she does a fairly good job of building a working team.

She gets bogged down in some places with sequences that are drawn out too long in her effort to develop characters. These instances could have been done in a few pages instead of a lot of pages.

I can still recommend this as a good, quick read. You can skim some of it and not miss a thing.]]> 4.15 2014 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers, #1)
author: Becky Chambers
name: Steve
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves:
review:
All-in-all this is a good read. There is some solid hard sci-fi tech and exploration of the physics of the universe. A good adventurous story that pulls you along. Also a good cast of characters, albeit a bit cartoonish. However, they serve the story well and she does develop some interesting back stories.

Chambers leans into some woke gender ideology by having the hero and lead problem-solvers be female characters. I understand that this appears to have been a requirement to have any chance of being published during that era (it was the same in movies and television). So to her credit the females do not feel totally forced. She does cause some confusion here with a non-gender character of weird biology whose pronouns change depending on biological cycles. The male captain feels like the one given a gender token role. To me, he is a bit forced as a reluctant leader. The other male tech works for one of the females but is somewhat extra-subservient to bolster the superiority of the female.

Anyway, within those constraints of gender ideology she does a fairly good job of building a working team.

She gets bogged down in some places with sequences that are drawn out too long in her effort to develop characters. These instances could have been done in a few pages instead of a lot of pages.

I can still recommend this as a good, quick read. You can skim some of it and not miss a thing.
]]> <![CDATA[Theft of Fire (Orbital Space #1)]]> 199142773 At the frozen edge of the solar system lies a hidden treasure which could spell their fortune or their destruction—but only if they survive each other first.

Marcus Warnoc has a little problem. His asteroid mining ship—his inheritance, his livelihood, and his home—has been hijacked by a pint-sized corporate heiress with enough blackmail material to sink him for good, a secret mission she won’t tell him about, and enough courage to get them both killed. She may have him dead to rights, but if he doesn’t turn the tables on this spoiled Martian snob, he’ll be dead, period. He’s not giving up without a fight.

He has a plan.

Miranda Foxgrove has the opportunity of a lifetime almost within her grasp if she can reach it. Her stolen spacecraft came with a stubborn, resourceful captain who refuses to cooperate—but he’s one of the few men alive who can snatch an unimaginable treasure from beneath the muzzles of countless railguns. And if this foulmouthed Belter thug doesn’t want to cooperate, she’ll find a way to force him. She’s come too far to give up now.

She has a plan.

They’re about to find out that a plan is a list of things that won’t happen.]]> 500 Devon Eriksen 1962514005 Steve 4
The characters are a bit two-dimensional but they do grow and develop somewhat.

A fantastic offering for a first novel! This is a fun read for any sci-fi fan. I look forward to the next installment.

]]> 4.26 2023 Theft of Fire (Orbital Space #1)
author: Devon Eriksen
name: Steve
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/05/07
shelves:
review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure. It is modern but has throw-backs to the feel and adventure of Arthur C Clark and golden-age sci-fi. Back to basics with a great premise of alien tech discovery with good mashup of AI technology, working-class spacefarers, genetic engineering, intrigue, politics, and personal relationships.

The characters are a bit two-dimensional but they do grow and develop somewhat.

A fantastic offering for a first novel! This is a fun read for any sci-fi fan. I look forward to the next installment.


]]> The Tranquility Alternative 134550886 On mankind’s last mission to the moon, a killer comes along for the rideSince the first manned spaceflight in 1944, NASA has conquered the outer atmosphere, explored Mars, and placed nuclear missiles on the moon. But funding for interstellar adventures—military or otherwise—has dried up. Now, NASA is planning a final lunar mission to pack up the remnants of man’s first extraterrestrial colony. The nuclear missiles are meant to be shot into the sun, but someone onboard the USS Conestoga would prefer to see them fired toward Earth.The night before the mission launch, one of the astronauts is kidnapped from his hotel room and replaced with a surgically altered body double. By the time the other astronauts uncover the deception, the Conestoga is too far from home for NASA to help. On the surface of the Moon, a decades-old conspiracy has reached its final stage, and Earth’s fate hangs in the balance.Ìý]]> 0 Allen M. Steele Steve 4
I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of the golden era of Sci-Fi, authors like Heinlien and Bradbury.

I am not a fan of alternate history so I had to to get past that in this novel. It is about an expedition to the moon, however, space travel was established in the 1950s. We already had a space station ,"the wheel" in 1963. President McGovern served two terms. Other historical figures also played different roles than their real world counterparts. So get past that and lay those beliefs aside as merely the premise or backdrop. I have to do the same thing with a zombie apocalypse LOL.

This is a smart, taught espionage thriller. The characters are fully developed. The relationships an action have nice twists and turns. The discovery of the alternate and nefarious missions is well laid out. Lots of close calls. I won't say more but it is an enjoyable read. And the technology is fun as well.
]]> 4.00 1996 The Tranquility Alternative
author: Allen M. Steele
name: Steve
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves:
review:
Saw this book on the library shelf. I love everything I've read from Allen Steele, especially the Coyote series. So I picked it up. Haha I realize I had already read this book sometime before but never logged it in Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ! So I skimmed the book to refresh my memory.

I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of the golden era of Sci-Fi, authors like Heinlien and Bradbury.

I am not a fan of alternate history so I had to to get past that in this novel. It is about an expedition to the moon, however, space travel was established in the 1950s. We already had a space station ,"the wheel" in 1963. President McGovern served two terms. Other historical figures also played different roles than their real world counterparts. So get past that and lay those beliefs aside as merely the premise or backdrop. I have to do the same thing with a zombie apocalypse LOL.

This is a smart, taught espionage thriller. The characters are fully developed. The relationships an action have nice twists and turns. The discovery of the alternate and nefarious missions is well laid out. Lots of close calls. I won't say more but it is an enjoyable read. And the technology is fun as well.

]]> <![CDATA[A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)]]> 40864002 ASIN B08H831J18 moved to the more recent edition

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.

Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?]]> 151 Becky Chambers Steve 1
If this book grabs you then by all means read it and enjoy it. Everyone has their own cup of tea. But IMO Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury and a host of writers from last century already covered a lot of this ground in much the same way.]]> 4.25 2021 A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk & Robot, #1)
author: Becky Chambers
name: Steve
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves:
review:
What a disappointment this book was. I bailed on the book and went to read what others had written. I agree there are some interesting concepts here but it wasn't worth my time to wade through the misuse of the English language. I had seen it on several modern sci-fi lists and brief discerptions hinted at a Heinlein-esque philosophical critic of humanity and societal norms. However it was too damn confusing with the gender pronoun nonsense of I-me, them-they, he-him referring to the same character. Was Dex a group? a culture? an individual? Dex refers to himself as "I" and "me" when talking with others, but the narrator insists on using they and them. OK, I could work through it but it had no point. Dex's non-binary gender had nothing to do with who he was and his purpose.

If this book grabs you then by all means read it and enjoy it. Everyone has their own cup of tea. But IMO Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury and a host of writers from last century already covered a lot of this ground in much the same way.
]]> Brighton Rock 48862 ISBN 9780099478478 moved to this edition.
A gang war is raging through the dark underworld of Brighton. Seventeen-year-old Pinkie, malign and ruthless, has killed a man. Believing he can escape retribution, he is unprepared for the courageous, life-embracing Ida Arnold. Greene's gripping thriller, exposes a world of loneliness and fear, of life lived on the 'dangerous edge of things'.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY J.M. COETZEE]]> 269 Graham Greene Steve 5 3.69 1938 Brighton Rock
author: Graham Greene
name: Steve
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1938
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves:
review:
This was an unexpected tour de force! Pinkie Brown. Just a 17 year old psychopathic punk. Greene kept me riveted to this character with no redeeming qualities. I could not find a way to feel sorry for this guy. I did feel bad for all of those caught up in his self-destructive vortex. Particularly the more mature men trapped in his circle by their own life choices leading to these moments. Thankfully Greene has Ida Arnold, a dog with a bone that will not let go.
]]> The Sea Wolf 43049 425 Jack London 1598184318 Steve 5
London gets inside every character revealing what makes them tick. I really enjoyed his exploration of moral dilemma and ultimately why we make some of the decisions we make. How do you become your own man, the master of your destiny, within the confines of social and ethical restraints?

I also enjoyed this just as a rollicking seafaring adventure.]]> 4.05 1904 The Sea Wolf
author: Jack London
name: Steve
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1904
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves:
review:
An exceptional book! One of the best psychological character studies I've read since Crime and Punishment. I knew little of Jack London outside of Call of the Wild and some short stories. I will have to revisit more of his numerous works.

London gets inside every character revealing what makes them tick. I really enjoyed his exploration of moral dilemma and ultimately why we make some of the decisions we make. How do you become your own man, the master of your destiny, within the confines of social and ethical restraints?

I also enjoyed this just as a rollicking seafaring adventure.
]]> House of Suns 1126719 512 Alastair Reynolds 0575099127 Steve 4 4.21 2008 House of Suns
author: Alastair Reynolds
name: Steve
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/17
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Boy and His Dog & "Repent, Harlequin!" said the Ticktockman]]> 2643113 The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World, "A Boy and His Dog" is one of the author’s own favorite works. Critics also appreciated the story, and it won the 1969 Nebula Award (awarded by Science Fiction Writers of America) for Best Novella. Six years later, it was adapted as a Hugo Award-winning film, with Don Johnson starring as Vic. "A Boy and His Dog" is considered one of Ellison’s most compelling stories, and the author expanded it into a novel in 1989.

In post-apocalyptic America, the surface is the province of the roverpaks, bands of feral human males teamed with intelligence-enhanced dogs, descendants of those bred for military use in the war that drove civilization underground. A lucky encounter with a thrill-seeking female from the world below draws Vic and his telepathic mutt Blood "down the rabbit hole" to an encounter with the remnants of pre-war civilization. But like Huck Finn, Vic doesn't much like being civilized...

Originally published in the collection The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World, New York: Avon, 1969.]]> Harlan Ellison 0871881187 Steve 2 4.15 A Boy and His Dog & "Repent, Harlequin!" said the Ticktockman
author: Harlan Ellison
name: Steve
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2024/09/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning]]> 49829875 The best-selling author of Traffic and You May Also Like now gives us a thought-provoking, playful journey into the transformative joys that come with starting something new, no matter your age

Why do so many of us stop learning new skills as adults? Are we afraid to be bad at something? Have we forgotten the sheer pleasure of beginning from the ground up? Or is it simply a fact that you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Inspired by his young daughter's insatiable need to know how to do almost everything, and stymied by his own rut of mid-career competence, Tom Vanderbilt begins a year of learning purely for the sake of learning. He tackles five main skills (and picks up a few more along the way), choosing them for their difficulty to master and their distinct lack of career marketability--chess, singing, surfing, drawing, and juggling. What he doesn't expect is that the circuitous paths he takes while learning these skills will prove even more satisfying than any knowledge he gains.

He soon finds himself having rapturous experiences singing Spice Girls songs in an amateur choir, losing games of chess to eight-year-olds, and dodging scorpions at a surf camp in Costa Rica. Along the way, he interviews dozens of experts to explore the fascinating psychology and science behind the benefits of becoming an adult beginner. Weaving comprehensive research and surprising insight gained from his year of learning dangerously, Vanderbilt shows how anyone can get better at beginning again--and, more important, why they should take those first awkward steps. Ultimately, he shares how his refreshed sense of curiosity opened him up to a profound happiness and a deeper connection to the people around him. It's about how small acts of reinvention, at any age, can make life seem magical.]]> 320 Tom Vanderbilt 1524732168 Steve 1 3.65 2021 Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning
author: Tom Vanderbilt
name: Steve
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2021
rating: 1
read at: 2024/08/01
date added: 2024/08/12
shelves:
review:
It is not a detail dive into the psychology of learning. There were a few good pages discussing how a baby learns and what drives or motivates them. We lose that as adults but maybe we can reharness that somehow. The rest of the book is just a journal of all the activities he taught himself. He gets lost in the minutia of surfing or singing techniques.
]]> <![CDATA[Around the World in Eighty Days]]> 54479 252 Jules Verne 014044906X Steve 3 3.95 1872 Around the World in Eighty Days
author: Jules Verne
name: Steve
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1872
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Mansfield Park 45032 488 Jane Austen Steve 4 3.86 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: Steve
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[1001 Questions to Ask Before You Get Married: Prepare for Your Marriage Before You Say "I Do"]]> 19184001 The relationship expert from the Ladies' Home Journal, the Wall Street Journal, and Lifetime Television shows how to prevent marriage problems before they start

There's nothing wrong with starter jobs and starter homes, but starter marriages? Relationship expert Monica Mendez Leahy is on a mission to help readers make their marriage last. Her 1,001 Questions to Ask Before You Get Married offers a reality check for couples on the marriage path, helping them realize how much they have yet to discover about their partner's nature, thought processes, lifestyle, and marital expectations.

Engaged couples learn to discuss issues deeper than "chicken or fish" and to broach subjects that are often ignored before the nuptials yet essential for the foundation of an intimate, long-lasting relationship. Posed in a variety of fun formats, including multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and hypotheticals, these questions include topics such

"Does your partner feel that you're too attached to your parents?""Is there such a thing as innocent flirting?""Is it OK to cheat on your taxes?"And more]]> 321 Monica Mendez Leahy 0071636838 Steve 5
Another good book was "401 Great Discussion Questions For Couples In Long Distance Relationships" by Lisa McKay and Michael Wolfe

My girlfriend and I met while I was living in Utah and shortly after she moved to Florida. We maintained a long distance relationship for several months while I was in Utah and she was in Florida. We talked several times a week and reviewed material from these books and also some articles and YouTube videos we found on the subject of relationships.

It gave me the confidence to follow her and we were married three months after I moved to Florida!]]> 3.90 2004 1001 Questions to Ask Before You Get Married: Prepare for Your Marriage Before You Say "I Do"
author: Monica Mendez Leahy
name: Steve
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2017/01/15
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:
There are some pretty good questions in here. My girlfriend and I were older so about half did not apply such as sections about in-laws and child raising. What we really liked was hypothetical situations of couples and what advice we might give them. This allowed us to gather very insightful information about how we think, our character, and moral values. Other good sections include religion and very important - finances!

Another good book was "401 Great Discussion Questions For Couples In Long Distance Relationships" by Lisa McKay and Michael Wolfe

My girlfriend and I met while I was living in Utah and shortly after she moved to Florida. We maintained a long distance relationship for several months while I was in Utah and she was in Florida. We talked several times a week and reviewed material from these books and also some articles and YouTube videos we found on the subject of relationships.

It gave me the confidence to follow her and we were married three months after I moved to Florida!
]]> <![CDATA[The Princess of Mars / The Gods of Mars (Barsoom #1-2)]]> 57972 376 Edgar Rice Burroughs 1846771153 Steve 5 4.01 1991 The Princess of Mars / The Gods of Mars (Barsoom #1-2)
author: Edgar Rice Burroughs
name: Steve
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/07/25
shelves:
review:

]]> The Last Days of John Lennon 53019360 Discover one of the greatest true crime stories in music history, as only James Patterson can tell it.

With the Beatles, John Lennon surpasses his youthful dreams, achieving a level of superstardom that defies classification. “We were the best bloody band there was,â€� he says. “There was nobody to touch us.â€ÌýNobody except the original nowhere man, Mark David Chapman. Chapman once worshipped his idols from afar—but now harbors grudges against those, like Lennon, whom he feels betrayed him. He’s convinced Lennon has misled fans with his message of hope and peace. And Chapman’s not stayingÌýawayÌýany longer.Ìý
Ìý
By the summer of 1980, Lennon is recording new music for the first time in years, energized and ready for it to be â€�(Just Like) Starting Over.â€� He can’t wait to show the world what he will do.Ìý
Ìý
Neither can Chapman, who quits his security job and boards a flight to New York, a handgun and bullets stowed in his luggage.Ìý
Ìý
The greatest true-crime story in music history, as only James Patterson can tell it.ÌýEnriched by exclusive interviews with Lennon’s friends and associates, including Paul McCartney,ÌýThe Last Days of John LennonÌýis the thrilling true story of two men who changed history:ÌýOne whose indelible songs enliven our world to this day—and the other who ended the beautiful music with five pulls of a trigger.]]> 448 James Patterson 0316429066 Steve 3
]]> 3.82 2020 The Last Days of John Lennon
author: James Patterson
name: Steve
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves:
review:
It is worth the read as Patterson provides a captivating window into the mind of Lennon's assassin Mark Chapman. But only half the book is written from that point of view. The other half rehashes what just about everybody already knows about his life in and out of the Beatles from early childhood up until his assassination. It's written with a chapter about Chapman making plans, then a chapter about Lennon's life. Back and forth. It is still worth a read and you can skip over all the stuff you already know about Lennon.


]]> <![CDATA[Barchester Towers (Chronicles of Barsetshire, #2)]]> 125321
Barchester Towers is one of the best-loved novels in Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire series, which captured nineteenth-century provincial England with wit, worldly wisdom and an unparalleled gift for characterization. It is the second book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire.]]> 418 Anthony Trollope 1406923044 Steve 3 4.03 1857 Barchester Towers (Chronicles of Barsetshire, #2)
author: Anthony Trollope
name: Steve
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1857
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves:
review:
A fun read. Lots of great characters and good scheming and provincial political machinations
]]> <![CDATA[Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1)]]> 37781 Things Fall Apart is written with remarkable economy and subtle irony. Uniquely and richly African, at the same time it reveals Achebe's keen awareness of the human qualities common to men of all times and places.]]> 215 Chinua Achebe Steve 5 ]]> 3.73 1958 Things Fall Apart (The African Trilogy, #1)
author: Chinua Achebe
name: Steve
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1958
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves:
review:
A delightfully tragic read. The story of Okonkwo in this colonial age Nigerian village thoroughly engrossed me. I highly recommend this read

]]> <![CDATA[The Code of the Woosters (Jeeves, #7)]]> 9858081 272 P.G. Wodehouse 0393339815 Steve 3 4.31 1938 The Code of the Woosters (Jeeves, #7)
author: P.G. Wodehouse
name: Steve
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1938
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/01
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves:
review:
This was just to check oof my list of great books. It is definitely not for everyone and may be a bit difficult for the modern reader as it is very antiquated. But I could see how this would have been a riot of laughter when it was first released.
]]> <![CDATA[House of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia]]> 40728633 THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“The story Unger weaves with those earlier accounts and his original reporting is fresh, illuminating and more alarming than the intelligence channel described in the Steele dossier.â€â€”TheÌýWashington PostHouse of Trump, House of Putin offers the first comprehensive investigation into the decades-long relationship among Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the Russian Mafia that ultimately helped win Trump the White House. It is a chilling story that begins in the 1970s, when Trump made his first splash in the booming, money-drenched world of New York real estate, and ends with Trump’s inauguration as president of the United States. That moment was the culmination of Vladimir Putin’s long mission to undermine Western democracy, a mission that he and his hand-selected group of oligarchs and Mafia kingpins had ensnared Trump in, starting more than twenty years ago with the massive bailout of a string of sensational Trump hotel and casino failures in Atlantic City. This book confirms the most incredible American paranoias about Russian malevolence. To most, it will be a hair-raising revelation that the Cold War did not end in 1991—that it merely evolved, with Trump’s apartments offering the perfect vehicle for billions of dollars to leave the collapsing Soviet Union. In House of Trump, House of Putin, Craig Unger methodically traces the deep-rooted alliance between the highest echelons of American political operatives and the biggest players in the frightening underworld of the Russian Mafia. He traces Donald Trump’s sordid ascent from foundering real estate tycoon to leader of the free world. He traces Russia’s phoenix like rise from the ashes of the post–Cold War Soviet Union as well as its ceaseless covert efforts to retaliate against the West and reclaim its status as a global superpower. Without Trump, Russia would have lacked a key component in its attempts to return to imperial greatness. Without Russia, Trump would not be president. This essential book is crucial to understanding the real powers at play in the shadows of today’s world. The appearance of key figures in this book—Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, and Felix Sater to name a few—ring with haunting significance in the wake of Robert Mueller’s report and as others continue to close in on the truth.]]> 382 Craig Unger 1524743526 Steve 3
Unger spends way too much time going into the intricacies of the Russian mafia groups and their ultimate tie to the king boss in Godfather Putin. That was interesting but did not directly tie Trump to anything.

So possibly Trump was a useful idiot to the Russians, but Unger in no way convinces that Trump and Putin (or any Russians) are in collusion to change the course of the American government.

I will also point out that when Trump took office he immediately tightened trade restrictions and tariffs with Russia while at the same time easing the restraints Obama had on Ukraine.

Unger's writing is good, his research is very good, but I give him three stars for not delivering the goods on the Trump-Putin relationship. I sort of figured that was the case before I read the book, otherwise I believe Congress would have been able to bring the criminal charges they so desperately desired]]> 4.03 2018 House of Trump, House of Putin: The Untold Story of Donald Trump and the Russian Mafia
author: Craig Unger
name: Steve
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/01
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves:
review:
Almost everything here directly concerning Trump has already been hashed out in the media circus surround the Russia-Collusion narrative. That narrative has already been proven to be flimsy as hell and mostly constructed on fabricated information. That said, I saw that 1/4 of the book was dedicated to end notes citing sources from articles, interviews, books, public records, KGB stuff, etc. However, none of that panned out to be anymore damning to Trump than congress tried to get, or provide proof of anything beyond what would be expected of a business mogul. He bribed the mafia and government to ensure his buildings could be completed successfully and that he got the best deals.

Unger spends way too much time going into the intricacies of the Russian mafia groups and their ultimate tie to the king boss in Godfather Putin. That was interesting but did not directly tie Trump to anything.

So possibly Trump was a useful idiot to the Russians, but Unger in no way convinces that Trump and Putin (or any Russians) are in collusion to change the course of the American government.

I will also point out that when Trump took office he immediately tightened trade restrictions and tariffs with Russia while at the same time easing the restraints Obama had on Ukraine.

Unger's writing is good, his research is very good, but I give him three stars for not delivering the goods on the Trump-Putin relationship. I sort of figured that was the case before I read the book, otherwise I believe Congress would have been able to bring the criminal charges they so desperately desired
]]> The Goldfinch 17333223
Aged thirteen, Theo Decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the years clings to the thing that most reminds him of her: a small, strangely captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. As he grows up, Theo learns to glide between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and his talisman, the painting, places him at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettably vivid characters and thrilling suspense, it is a beautiful, addictive triumph - a sweeping story of loss and obsession, of survival and self-invention, of the deepest mysteries of love, identity and fate.]]> 771 Donna Tartt 0316055433 Steve 4 3.94 2013 The Goldfinch
author: Donna Tartt
name: Steve
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves:
review:
A wonderful story and very easy read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Seven Pillars of Wisdom: a triumph]]> 490798 672 T.E. Lawrence 1850790310 Steve 5 mesmerizing 4.01 1926 The Seven Pillars of Wisdom: a triumph
author: T.E. Lawrence
name: Steve
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1926
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/07/21
shelves: mesmerizing
review:

]]> Relic (Pendergast, #1) 67035
But the museum's directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders.

Museum researcher Margo Green must find out who—or what—is doing the killing. But can she do it in time to stop the massacre?]]> 480 Douglas Preston 0765354942 Steve 4 4.05 1995 Relic (Pendergast, #1)
author: Douglas Preston
name: Steve
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/12/11
shelves:
review:

]]> The Things We Cannot Say 40899464
Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz. Now fifteen and engaged, Alina is unconcerned by reports of Nazi soldiers at the Polish border, believing her neighbors that they pose no real threat, and dreams instead of the day Tomasz returns from college in Warsaw so they can be married. But little by little, injustice by brutal injustice, the Nazi occupation takes hold, and Alina’s tiny rural village, its families, are divided by fear and hate. Then, as the fabric of their lives is slowly picked apart, Tomasz disappears. Where Alina used to measure time between visits from her beloved, now she measures the spaces between hope and despair, waiting for word from Tomasz and avoiding the attentions of the soldiers who patrol her parents� farm. But for now, even deafening silence is preferable to grief.

Slipping between Nazi-occupied Poland and the frenetic pace of modern life, Kelly Rimmer creates an emotional and finely wrought narrative that weaves together two women’s stories into a tapestry of perseverance, loyalty, love and honor. The Things We Cannot Say is an unshakable reminder of the devastation when truth is silenced…and how it can take a lifetime to find our voice before we learn to trust it.]]> 448 Kelly Rimmer 1525831518 Steve 0 to-read 4.51 2019 The Things We Cannot Say
author: Kelly Rimmer
name: Steve
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ice Limit - La barrière de glace (Ice Limit #1)]]> 136642 Sur une île déserte au nord du Cap Horn est découverte la plus grosse météorite jamais tombée sur terre. Le riche entrepreneur américain Palmer Lloyd décide de se l'approprier et de la joindre à la collection du musée qu'il fait construire à New York. Mais jamais encore un objet aussi gros n'a été transporté par voie maritime. Pour y parvenir, il est prêt à sacrifier argent et vie humaine. Il fait appel à deux hommes, Mc Farlam, scientifique et chasseur de météorites, et Eli Glim, homme de terrain autoritaire et résolu.
Mais l'acheminement de cet objet interstellaire se révèle difficile. Il apparaît peu à peu qu'il possède des pouvoirs étranges et inquiétants. De nombreux membres de l'expédition succombent. Réussissant néanmoins à le charger sur le tanker, l'équipe de Lloyd est prise en chasse par un destroyer dirigé par un commandant chilien, qui souhaite récupérer la météorite pour le compte de son pays. Une course-poursuite s'engage alors à travers les glaces de l'Antarctique.


From School Library Journal
YA-Hired to locate a meteorite and transfer it to a billionaire collector's new museum, Sam McFarlane uses high technology and groups of experts to find, dig up, and begin shipping the gigantic rock. However, Commandante Vallenar of the Chilean Navy doesn't want it removed from his country. Action on the tanker reaches an intense strain as the crew and members of the recovery team struggle with both the meteorite and a killer storm, a panteonero, which threatens to overwhelm the ship. Gunfire from Vallenar's ship initiates a life-and-death chase as both vessels sail into the frigid waters off Tierra del Fuego. The meteorite, full of unknown properties and prone to sudden bursts of electrical charges, offers the biggest surprise of all, as the ocean stands ready to claim everyone and everything. This is a tempestuous adventure of high seas, high stakes, and high excitement. As characters enter the story, their personalities expand along with the intricate plot, taking on more intensity and power. The extreme hostility of the environment eventually proves to be the deciding factor. Like Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm (Norton, 1997), this natural thriller is not to be missed.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
The a ship near Cape Horn off the Chilean coast. The a well-paid but dedicated and courageous staff of technicians, including a female skipper and a scientist"each with a questionable past. The problem in this adventure by best-selling coauthors Preston and Child (Riptide): how to transport the biggest meteorite ever to a New York museum without attracting the attention of the Chilean authorities and the press? Add the further complication that the meteorite derives from a strange, unfamiliar element. At one point, the vessel is attacked and trapped by a Chilean ship. As the suspense builds, the various strands of the plot come together. Will the ship survive? What happens to the meteorite"if, indeed, it is a meteorite? The book is recommended with one if you don!t enjoy necessary technical passages, you may be bored. On the other hand, if you enjoy Clive Cussler, you!ll probably enjoy this novel.
-"Fred M. Gervat, Concordia Coll. Lib., Bronxville, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
From this popular team comes another solid thriller. Billionaire Palmer Lloyd's hobby is buying up rare artifacts; the current object of his desire is the world's largest meteorite, buried on an island off the coast of Chile. Eli Glinn is the head of the high-tech engineering firm Palmer hires to figure out a way to bring the meteorite home to the U.S. Sam McFarlane is the down-and-out meteorite hunter, the expert whose own theory about the origins of the meteorite, if proven to be true, could spell disaster for everyone involved. It is no accident that this fits the description of a big-budget feature film. After all, Preston and Child have a history of writing novels that read like movies in prose form, with exciting stories, plenty of interesting characters (here we also have a boat captain who's a recovering alcoholic), and visually arresting set pieces. Most of the novel's action takes place either on Rolvaag, a huge tanker rebuilt to carry the enormous meteorite, or on Isla Desolacion, where Palmer's group tries to uncover, and move, the meteorite without losing too many lives in the process; both locations are perfect for the big screen. The characterizations here are rather deeper than those found in most of the team's previous thrillers--the players are more like people and less like stick figures--but, as always, the action is what keeps readers turning the pages. The authors' fans will appreciate their new novel, as will fans of such writers as Michael Crichton and Clive Cussler. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Assoc...]]> 491 Lincoln Child 2841873900 Steve 4 4.01 2000 The Ice Limit - La barrière de glace (Ice Limit #1)
author: Lincoln Child
name: Steve
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/12/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Physics of the Impossible 1168341
One hundred years ago, scientists would have said that lasers, televisions, and the atomic bomb were beyond the realm of physical possibility. In Physics of the Impossible, the renowned physicist Michio Kaku explores to what extent the technologies and devices of science fiction that are deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future.

From teleportation to telekinesis, Kaku uses the world of science fiction to explore the fundamentals—and the limits—of the laws of physics as we know them today. He ranks the impossible technologies by categories—Class I, II, and III, depending on when they might be achieved, within the next century, millennia, or perhaps never. In a compelling and thought-provoking narrative, he explains:
· How the science of optics and electromagnetism may one day enable us to bend light around an object, like a stream flowing around a boulder, making the object invisible to observers “downstream�
· How ramjet rockets, laser sails, antimatter engines, and nanorockets may one day take us to the nearby stars
· How telepathy and psychokinesis, once considered pseudoscience, may one day be possible using advances in MRI, computers, superconductivity, and nanotechnology
· Why a time machine is apparently consistent with the known laws of quantum physics, although it would take an unbelievably advanced civilization to actually build one
Kaku uses his discussion of each technology as a jumping-off point to explain the science behind it. An extraordinary scientific adventure, Physics of the Impossible takes readers on an unforgettable, mesmerizing journey into the world of science that both enlightens and entertains.]]> 329 Michio Kaku 0385520697 Steve 4 4.09 2008 Physics of the Impossible
author: Michio Kaku
name: Steve
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Adaptable Man 634102 288 Janet Frame 0807612855 Steve 4 3.55 1965 The Adaptable Man
author: Janet Frame
name: Steve
average rating: 3.55
book published: 1965
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Survivors 6018232
'A fine piece of British post-apocalyptic fiction'

'Nation's novel is based on his original cult series...and is all the better for it, being far, far more gritty and realistic' SUNDAY SUN

A virus has wiped out 95 per cent of the world's population in just a few weeks, leaving the remaining 5 per cent to stay alive in a world devoid of the most basic amenities - electricity, transport and medicine.

The few survivors of the human race are forced to fall back on the most primitive skills in order to live and re-establish some semblance of law and order.

Abby Grant, widowed by the plague, moves through this new dark age with determination, sustained by hope that her son, who fled his boarding school at the onset, has survived. She knows she must relearn the skills on which civilisation was built. With others, she founds a commune and the group return to the soil. But marauding bands threaten their existence.

For Abby, there's a chance for a new life and love when she encounters James Garland, the fourteenth Earl of Woodhouse, who is engaged in a desperate fight to save his ancestral home. But more important, she must find her son.]]> 256 Terry Nation 1409102645 Steve 4 3.70 1975 Survivors
author: Terry Nation
name: Steve
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1975
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)]]> 38447
Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.]]> 311 Margaret Atwood 038549081X Steve 4 4.15 1985 The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Steve
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Rebecca 1909608
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."

With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house's current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim's first wife, the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca]]> 11 Daphne du Maurier 1556904355 Steve 4 4.07 1938 Rebecca
author: Daphne du Maurier
name: Steve
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1938
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> To the Stars 1310069 SHANGHAIED INTO ETERNITY...

Men were always needed for the long passage. And Captain Jocelyn knew that not even wealth and women were sufficient lure to fill his crew vacancies. For there was a price that those who entered the starship Hound would pay for their high adventure - one that no sane man would accept.

A prisoner in the timelessness of the swift passage to distant planet, Alan Corday lived for the day of his return to earth. He conspired to seize the ship. But the swashbuckling pirates of space had other plans - plans that were as unchangeable as the laws of nature themselves. And Corday learned the truth finally in the acrid fumes of a war of annihilation.]]> 0 L. Ron Hubbard Steve 4 3.65 1950 To the Stars
author: L. Ron Hubbard
name: Steve
average rating: 3.65
book published: 1950
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Final Blackout: A Futuristic War Novel]]> 262966 250 L. Ron Hubbard 1592120679 Steve 4 3.63 1939 Final Blackout: A Futuristic War Novel
author: L. Ron Hubbard
name: Steve
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1939
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Sleeper Awakes 10387451 The Sleeper Awakes is H. G. Wells's wildly imaginative story of London in the twenty-second century and the man who by accident becomes owner and master of the world. In 1897 a Victorian gentleman falls into a sleep from which he cannot be waked. During his two centuries of slumber he becomes the Sleeper, the most well known and powerful person in the world. All property is bequeathed to the Sleeper to be administered by a Council on his behalf. The common people, increasingly oppressed, view the Sleeper as a mythical liberator whose awakening will free them from misery. The Sleeper awakes in 2100 to a futuristic London adorned with wondrous technological trappings yet staggering under social injustice and escalating unrest. His awakening sends shock waves throughout London, from the highest meetings of the Council to the workers laboring in factories in the bowels of the city. Daring rescues and villainous treachery abound as workers and capitalists fight desperately for control of the Sleeper.]]> 250 H.G. Wells Steve 2
This story has a good premise of a Rip Van Winkle character that wakes up 200 years later. He does a fair job of painting his socialistic style future and I believe one of the main agendas of the story is to fault the idea of socialism as a viable political system.

All that aside, he does some uncanny predictions of what an urban cityscape would like like. Skyscrapers, lots of glass and gleaming metal. Contraptions like microwave ovens, commercial airlines, color television, cell phones, and a little bit of the big brother monitoring that is beginning to take over all larger metropolitan areas, and other interesting things.

What Wells fails to do is create an engaging story or develop characters that we care about. There are also a few prominent characters that we don't know enough about. He writes as if we have been given the back story, but we don't understand their motivation or clearly what their place is in the hierarchy of this futurist society.

I won't blow the ending but after the last page I sat the book down and said "Really?"

This book would only interest a scholar focusing on the life and works of H.G. Wells.]]> 3.19 1899 The Sleeper Awakes
author: H.G. Wells
name: Steve
average rating: 3.19
book published: 1899
rating: 2
read at: 2012/06/21
date added: 2022/12/23
shelves:
review:
What a dud. I've read H.G. Wells major well known works and found them engaging, thought provoking, and well written. He's written many other books so I thought I'd go through his lesser known works. Maybe they are lesser known for a reason.

This story has a good premise of a Rip Van Winkle character that wakes up 200 years later. He does a fair job of painting his socialistic style future and I believe one of the main agendas of the story is to fault the idea of socialism as a viable political system.

All that aside, he does some uncanny predictions of what an urban cityscape would like like. Skyscrapers, lots of glass and gleaming metal. Contraptions like microwave ovens, commercial airlines, color television, cell phones, and a little bit of the big brother monitoring that is beginning to take over all larger metropolitan areas, and other interesting things.

What Wells fails to do is create an engaging story or develop characters that we care about. There are also a few prominent characters that we don't know enough about. He writes as if we have been given the back story, but we don't understand their motivation or clearly what their place is in the hierarchy of this futurist society.

I won't blow the ending but after the last page I sat the book down and said "Really?"

This book would only interest a scholar focusing on the life and works of H.G. Wells.
]]> <![CDATA[The Black Cat and Other Stories]]> 62439 Penguin Readers Level 3]]]> 38 David Wharry 0582417740 Steve 4 4.12 1984 The Black Cat and Other Stories
author: David Wharry
name: Steve
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1984
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/12/10
shelves:
review:

]]> My Ãntonia 17150 219 Willa Cather 1583485090 Steve 0 to-read 3.82 1918 My Ãntonia
author: Willa Cather
name: Steve
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1918
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Mill on the Floss 20564 'If life had no love in it, what else was there for Maggie?'

Brought up at Dorlcote Mill, Maggie Tulliver worships her brother Tom and is desperate to win the approval of her parents, but her passionate, wayward nature and her fierce intelligence bring her into constant conflict with her family. As she reaches adulthood, the clash between their expectations and her desires is painfully played out as she finds herself torn between her relationships with three very different men: her proud and stubborn brother, a close friend who is also the son of her family's worst enemy, and a charismatic but dangerous suitor. With its poignant portrayal of sibling relationships, The Mill on the Floss is considered George Eliot's most autobiographical novel; it is also one of her most powerful and moving.

In this edition writer and critic A.S. Byatt provides full explanatory notes and an introduction relating Mill on the Floss to George Eliot's own life and times.

Edited with an introduction and notes by A.S. BYATT]]> 579 George Eliot 0141439629 Steve 0 to-read 3.82 1860 The Mill on the Floss
author: George Eliot
name: Steve
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1860
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Soul of Man Under Socialism]]> 80339 The Soul of Man under Socialism Oscar Wilde expounds on an anarchist world view. Wilde argues that under capitalism the majority of people spoil their lives by an unhealthy and exaggerated altruism-are forced, indeed, so to spoil them: instead of realizing their true talents, they waste their time solving the social problems caused by capitalism, without taking their common cause away. Thus, caring people seriously and very sentimentally set themselves to the task of remedying the evils that they see in poverty, but their remedies do not cure the disease: they merely prolong it because, the proper aim is to try and reconstruct society on such a basis that poverty will be impossible.]]> 48 Oscar Wilde 1419183044 Steve 0 to-read 3.94 1891 The Soul of Man Under Socialism
author: Oscar Wilde
name: Steve
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1891
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Portrait of a Lady 264
]]> 797 Henry James 0141439637 Steve 0 to-read 3.79 1881 The Portrait of a Lady
author: Henry James
name: Steve
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1881
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Tenant of Wildfell Hall 337113 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a powerful depiction of a woman's fight for domestic independence and creative freedom.]]> 576 Anne Brontë 0140434747 Steve 0 to-read 4.00 1848 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
author: Anne Brontë
name: Steve
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1848
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Ulysses 338798
According to Declan Kiberd, "Before Joyce, no writer of fiction had so foregrounded the process of thinking". Ulysses chronicles the peripatetic appointments and encounters of Leopold Bloom in Dublin in the course of an ordinary day, 16 June 1904. Ulysses is the Latinised name of Odysseus, the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, and the novel establishes a series of parallels between the poem and the novel, with structural correspondences between the characters and experiences of Bloom and Odysseus, Molly Bloom and Penelope, and Stephen Dedalus and Telemachus, in addition to events and themes of the early 20th-century context of modernism, Dublin, and Ireland's relationship to Britain.

The novel is highly allusive and also imitates the styles of different periods of English literature. Since its publication, the book has attracted controversy and scrutiny, ranging from an obscenity trial in the United States in 1921 to protracted textual "Joyce Wars." The novel's stream-of-consciousness technique, careful structuring, and experimental prose—replete with puns, parodies, and allusions—as well as its rich characterisation and broad humour have led it to be regarded as one of the greatest literary works in history; Joyce fans worldwide now celebrate 16 June as Bloomsday.']]> 783 James Joyce Steve 0 to-read 3.72 1922 Ulysses
author: James Joyce
name: Steve
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1922
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The House of Mirth 17728
Lily Bart, beautiful, witty and sophisticated, is accepted by ‘old money� and courted by the growing tribe of nouveaux riches. But as she nears thirty, her foothold becomes precarious; a poor girl with expensive tastes, she needs a husband to preserve her social standing and to maintain her in the luxury she has come to expect. Whilst many have sought her, something � fastidiousness or integrity- prevents her from making a ‘suitable� match.]]> 351 Edith Wharton 1844082938 Steve 0 to-read 3.97 1905 The House of Mirth
author: Edith Wharton
name: Steve
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1905
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ole Doc Methuselah: The Intergalactic Adventures of the Soldier of Light]]> 286160 Encountering double-dealing, mutation and the unexpected, Ole Doc and his unique, multi-armed companion Hippocrates share a series of astonishing adventures in their unending journey through the trackless galaxies.

Contents:

· Ole Doc Methuselah [as by René Lafayette] · nv Astounding Oct �47
· Her Majesty’s Aberration [as by René Lafayette] · ss Astounding Mar �48
· The Expensive Slaves [as by René Lafayette] · ss Astounding Nov �47
· The Great Air Monopoly [as by René Lafayette] · nv Astounding Sep �48
· Plague [as by René Lafayette] · nv Astounding Apr �49
· A Sound Investment [as by René Lafayette] · nv Astounding Jun �49
· Ole Mother Methuselah [as by René Lafayette] · nv Astounding Jan �50

]]> 270 L. Ron Hubbard 0884046532 Steve 0 to-read 3.71 1970 Ole Doc Methuselah: The Intergalactic Adventures of the Soldier of Light
author: L. Ron Hubbard
name: Steve
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1970
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fire Watch (Oxford Time Travel, #0.5)]]> 10301442 92 Connie Willis 0962172596 Steve 0 to-read 3.88 2010 Fire Watch (Oxford Time Travel, #0.5)
author: Connie Willis
name: Steve
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/10/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Book Reader's Journey 37660118 336 Omaid Ahmadzai 1981945334 Steve 4 3.59 A Book Reader's Journey
author: Omaid Ahmadzai
name: Steve
average rating: 3.59
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2020/08/15
date added: 2020/08/15
shelves:
review:
very interesting read. i read this to get a better understanding of Afghanistan life. i liked the young man Arman. It is inspiring how he talked the challenges life threw his way
]]> <![CDATA[Labyrinth of Night (Near Space, #4)]]> 39942264 On Mars, a research team encounters an ancient puzzle that only a guitarist can solveIn 2029, an American research team ventures to Mars to investigate an astounding a labyrinth older than humanity itself, whose maze of rooms conceals the deepest secrets of the red planet. In the final chamber, strange music plays, as chilling as it is beautiful. It will be the last thing the scientist who discovers it ever hears. As the music rises to a climax, the chamber door closes, leaving him to die in the pitch dark.Where one explorer has failed, Ben Cassidy must not. An internationally famous guitarist, his music is the closest thing on Earth to Mars’s deadly hymn. The government sends him into space to solve a planetary mystery, but what Cassidy encounters is a team of researchers whose jealous competition is every bit as dangerous as the secrets of Mars.ÌýÌý]]> 440 Allen M. Steele Steve 3 4.07 1992 Labyrinth of Night (Near Space, #4)
author: Allen M. Steele
name: Steve
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1992
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/24
date added: 2020/06/30
shelves:
review:
Not one of Steele's best for sure, but a quick fun read. Fans of Heinlein or Clarke the great days of 20th-century sci-fi will enjoy this much more than others. Definitely a niche genre novel. That said, it is based on Mars and the premise is interesting. The science is good and believable. The characters are a little flat and stereotyped, but totally in line with golden era sci-fi. It builds a little slowly and ends quickly.
]]> Pirates of Venus (Venus, #1) 40372
Illustrations by Thomas Floyd, the original frontispiece by J. Allen St. John, an afterword by Phillip Burger, a glossary of Amtor terms by Scott Tracy Griffin, a map of Amtor drawn by Edgar Rice Burroughs that appeared in the first edition, and an introduction by acclaimed science fiction and horror novelist F. Paul Wilson.]]> 179 Edgar Rice Burroughs 0803261837 Steve 5
This is the martian series set in Venus. I like the martian series just slightly better, but they are close. Read dozens of times over the years and every book is just as good as the first]]> 3.70 1935 Pirates of Venus (Venus, #1)
author: Edgar Rice Burroughs
name: Steve
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1935
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/06/27
shelves:
review:
Burroughs has a formula and all of his stories are the same. But he does it differently so well. His worlds are real. Good guys are good, bad guys are bad. Good triumphs.

This is the martian series set in Venus. I like the martian series just slightly better, but they are close. Read dozens of times over the years and every book is just as good as the first
]]> The River Horses 686348
"Steele's intimate stand-alone novella of the fronrtier planet of Coyote chronicles the redemptive journey of two colony exiles, adding a brilliant brushstroke to the already vast6 and vivid canvas of the Coyote saga ,,, With a sophistication reminiscent of some of the genre's greatest visionaries, Steele has created a must-read for anyone who enjoys thought-provoking SF..." -- Publisher's Weekly]]> 119 Allen M. Steele 1596061324 Steve 5 3.77 2007 The River Horses
author: Allen M. Steele
name: Steve
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> A Thousand Splendid Suns 128029
With the passing of time comes Taliban rule over Afghanistan, the streets of Kabul loud with the sound of gunfire and bombs, life a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear, the women's endurance tested beyond their worst imaginings. Yet love can move people to act in unexpected ways, lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism. In the end it is love that triumphs over death and destruction.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a portrait of a wounded country and a story of family and friendship, of an unforgiving time, an unlikely bond, and an indestructible love.]]> 372 Khaled Hosseini 1594489505 Steve 5 4.44 2007 A Thousand Splendid Suns
author: Khaled Hosseini
name: Steve
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/04/30
shelves:
review:
This is a wonderful book. Difficult to read the experiences of the characters sometimes, particularly the many injustices to Miriam. I read this to get a glimpse at a culture I know nothing about. This is a great story that puts you in the middle of a country pulled in many directions by politics, tradition, religion, and the influence of global economy in this country.
]]> The Dog Stars 13330761
But when a random transmission beams through the radio of his 1956 Cessna, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life exists outside their tightly controlled perimeter. Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return and follows its static-broken trail, only to find something that is both better and worse than anything he could ever hope for.]]> 336 Peter Heller 0307959945 Steve 3
It's divided into three"books". The first two floor very nicely and are real page turners. However the last book gets a little bogged down and does not flow as well.

I did not rate it being a three star because the story does not offer anything fresh to the post apocalyptic universe of books and because it was somewhat predictable.

But I enjoyed Heller's descriptions of Hig flying and Hig risking the forest hunting and fishing. And his relationship with his dog Jasper.

I read this book quickly in there days just a couple of hours each night.]]> 3.92 2012 The Dog Stars
author: Peter Heller
name: Steve
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/04/11
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed this book. The writing style is different with no quotes used for dialogue and lots of short simple sentences. It worked very well for the story. Told first person from the point of view of Hig. Heller does a great job of developing the main character and his companion partner Bangley.

It's divided into three"books". The first two floor very nicely and are real page turners. However the last book gets a little bogged down and does not flow as well.

I did not rate it being a three star because the story does not offer anything fresh to the post apocalyptic universe of books and because it was somewhat predictable.

But I enjoyed Heller's descriptions of Hig flying and Hig risking the forest hunting and fishing. And his relationship with his dog Jasper.

I read this book quickly in there days just a couple of hours each night.
]]> Winter Moon 268559
In a lonely corner of Montana, Eduardo Fernandez, the father of McGarvey's murdered partner, witnesses a strange nocturnal sight. The stand of pines outside his house suddenly glows with eerie amber light, and Fernandez senses a watcher in the winter woods. As the seasons change, the very creatures of the forest seem in league with a mysterious presence. Fernandez is caught up in a series of chilling incidents that escalate toward a confrontation that could rob him of his sanity or his life - or both.

As events careen out of control, the McGarvey family is drawn to Fernandez's Montana ranch. In that isolated place they discover their destiny in a terrifying and fiercely suspenseful encounter with a hostile, utterly ruthless, and enigmatic enemy, from which neither the living nor the dead are safe.]]> 472 Dean Koontz 0553582933 Steve 3 3.86 1994 Winter Moon
author: Dean Koontz
name: Steve
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/20
date added: 2020/02/20
shelves:
review:
This is a fun quick read in the vein of Stephen King. A well-written campfire ghost story.
]]> <![CDATA[Genome (The Extinction Files, #2)]]> 34850181 A code hidden in the human genome will reveal the ultimate secret of human existence. And could hold humanity's only hope of survival.

Genome concludes The Extinction Files, the two-book series that began with Pandemic.

In 2003, the first human genome was sequenced. It was a breakthrough of historic proportions, but only one scientist knows the full truth of what lies buried in our DNA. That secret will change everything we thought we knew about our past. And our future.

Dr. Paul Kraus has spent his career searching for what he calls humanity's lost tribes--human ancestors who have gone extinct. When Kraus compares the DNA samples of the lost tribes with our own, he discovers a pattern of changes. A code. He believes he knows what the code is, but the technology doesn't exist to fully decode it. To protect the secret, Kraus hides his work and disappears.

For years, the secret remains buried. When Kraus dies mysteriously, his work is lost forever. Now the technology exists to finally unravel the code buried in the human genome. The race to find Kraus's research has begun, and one group will do anything to find it.

Dr. Peyton Shaw and her mother have obtained part of Kraus's research--and a cryptic message that could lead to the remaining pieces. They soon learn that finding those pieces may be more dangerous than anyone imagined. But there's no choice. His work is the key to stopping a global conspiracy--and an event that will change humanity forever. The ultimate secret, buried in the human genome, will change our very understanding of what it means to be human. For Peyton, finding it may come at an incredible price. She must weigh the lives of strangers against those she loves: Desmond Hughes and her mother. With time running out, Peyton makes a fateful choice--one that can never be undone.]]> 544 A.G. Riddle 194002613X Steve 4
A great ending that satisfyingly sews everything up. ]]> 4.18 2017 Genome (The Extinction Files, #2)
author: A.G. Riddle
name: Steve
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/14
date added: 2020/01/31
shelves:
review:
You just have to read this part two if you enjoyed Pandemic. Again good fun and I enjoyed seeing some resolution with the characters that were developed so well in the first book. Not quite as engaging as the first, but then like any sequel you already know the premise and are familiar with everybody and everything which is part of the thrill with the first book.

A great ending that satisfyingly sews everything up.
]]> <![CDATA[Pandemic (The Extinction Files, #1)]]> 34811896 Around the world, a deadly outbreak spreads.

The CDC and WHO race to stop it, but they soon learn that this pandemic hides a dark secret. It may be the start of a scientific experiment that could alter the human race forever--and reveal a shocking truth about our future.

A hundred miles north of Alaska, a US Coast Guard vessel discovers a sunken submarine at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. It has no national identification and doesn’t match the records of any known vessel. Deep within, researchers find evidence of a scientific experiment that will rewrite our basic understanding of the human race.

In Atlanta, Dr. Peyton Shaw is awakened by the phone call she has dreaded for years. As the CDC’s leading epidemiologist, she’s among the first responders to outbreaks around the world. It’s a lonely and dangerous job, but it’s her life—and she’s good at it. This time, she may have met her match.

In Kenya, an Ebola-like pathogen has infected two Americans. One lies at death’s door. With the clock ticking, Peyton assembles her team and joins personnel from the Kenyan Ministry of Health and the WHO. What they find in the remote village is beyond their worst fears. As she traces the origin of the pathogen, Peyton begins to believe that there is more to this outbreak—that it may be merely the opening act in a conspiracy with far reaching consequences.

In Berlin, Desmond Hughes awakens in a hotel room with no memory of how he got there or who he is. On the floor, he finds a dead security guard from an international pharmaceutical company. His only clue leads him to Peyton Shaw—a woman who seems to know him, but refuses to tell him how. With the police searching the city for him, Desmond desperately tries to piece together what happened to him. To his shock and horror, he learns that he may be involved in causing the outbreak—and could hold the only key to stopping it.

As the pathogen spreads around the world, Peyton and Desmond race to unravel the conspiracy behind the pandemic—and uncover secrets some want to keep buried. With time running out, they face an unimaginable decision.]]> 722 A.G. Riddle 1940026121 Steve 5
Characters are well developed and the book leaps along with a combination of present-day and flashbacks. Desmund Hughes, the main protagonist awakes with no memory of who he is. We learn as clue by clue along with him as he rebuilds his life and we discover why he has amnesia. In a parallel storyline, we follow Dr. Peyton Shaw from the CDC as she battles the pandemic outbreak of this new virulent virus.

It is very interesting to see the book reveal how these two characters and several others are intertwined in a global conspiracy and a race to save mankind. Sort of a cartoonish ending but I found it good fun!

I also recommend reading the sequel "Genome" to see the next chapter for these characters. Not as engaging but if you loved this you will want to know more.]]> 4.08 2017 Pandemic (The Extinction Files, #1)
author: A.G. Riddle
name: Steve
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2019/12/20
date added: 2020/01/31
shelves:
review:
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. A little farfetched of course since it occurs in the present day and the technology is vastly beyond what we have. In the same exaggerated fiction from Dan Brown. It seems very well researched and I learned a lot about the CDC and World Health Organization.

Characters are well developed and the book leaps along with a combination of present-day and flashbacks. Desmund Hughes, the main protagonist awakes with no memory of who he is. We learn as clue by clue along with him as he rebuilds his life and we discover why he has amnesia. In a parallel storyline, we follow Dr. Peyton Shaw from the CDC as she battles the pandemic outbreak of this new virulent virus.

It is very interesting to see the book reveal how these two characters and several others are intertwined in a global conspiracy and a race to save mankind. Sort of a cartoonish ending but I found it good fun!

I also recommend reading the sequel "Genome" to see the next chapter for these characters. Not as engaging but if you loved this you will want to know more.
]]> <![CDATA[The Country of the Blind and Other Selected Stories]]> 1007024
Herbert George Wells was perhaps best known as the author of such classic works of science fiction as The Time Machine and War of the Worlds . But it was in his short stories, written when he was a young man embarking on a literary career, that he first explored the enormous potential of the scientific discoveries of the day. He described his stories as "a miscellany of inventions," yet his enthusiasm for science was tempered by an awareness of its horrifying destructive powers and the threat it could pose to the human race. A consummate storyteller, he made fantastic creatures and machines entirely believable; and, by placing ordinary men and women in extraordinary situations, he explored, with humor, what it means to be alive in a century of rapid scientific progress.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.]]> 432 H.G. Wells 0141441984 Steve 0 to-read 3.93 1911 The Country of the Blind and Other Selected Stories
author: H.G. Wells
name: Steve
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1911
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/01/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Country of the Blind and Other Science-Fiction Stories]]> 906484 "The Country of the Blind" (1904)
"The Star" (1897)
"The New Accelerator" (1901)
"The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes" (1895)
"Under the Knife" (1896)
"The Queer Story of Brownlow's Newspaper" (1932)]]> 90 H.G. Wells 0486295699 Steve 3 3.94 1911 The Country of the Blind and Other Science-Fiction Stories
author: H.G. Wells
name: Steve
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1911
rating: 3
read at: 2015/08/24
date added: 2020/01/10
shelves:
review:
You have to be a real HG Wells to slug through all of these stories. Wells wrote a lot of stories for magazines, especially early in his career. There are a bunch of stories, many dated, some reminiscent of campfire ghost stories. "Country of the Blind" is by far the best. Other stories I enjoyed were "The Cone", "The Moth", "Empire of the Ants", "The Crystal Egg", "The Sea Raiders", and "The Red Room".
]]> Arkwright 25659450
Convinced that humanity cannot survive on Earth, his Arkwright Foundation dedicates itself to creating a colony on an Earth-like planet several light years distant. Fueled by Nathan's legacy, generations of Arkwrights are drawn together, and pulled apart, by the enormity of the task and weight of their name.]]> 336 Allen M. Steele 0765382156 Steve 3 3.63 2016 Arkwright
author: Allen M. Steele
name: Steve
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2019/07/15
date added: 2019/12/30
shelves:
review:
A fun story in the vein of vintage Robert Heinlein and I enjoyed this quick read. It was fun to see Steele's conception of great writers such as Campbell, Heinlein, and Asimov meeting and sharing conversation and ideas during the early days of sci-fi.
]]> <![CDATA[Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)]]> 17333324
On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.

Once, she was the Justice of Toren - a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.]]> 386 Ann Leckie Steve 3
However, it was a little difficult to read and follow as characters are for the most part referred to as female regardless of their sex. Also, the AI inhabits multiple bodies and refers to each of them as me/I individuals so you can get confused when you are seeing things from a dozen viewpoints at the same time. Again, an ambitious concept but difficult o execute.

I felt I had to plod through to get to the end.]]> 3.98 2013 Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch, #1)
author: Ann Leckie
name: Steve
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2019/12/27
date added: 2019/12/27
shelves:
review:
This is an ambitious novel with some great ideas to think about. She attacks some of the current political issues such as reemerging racism, egalitarianism, gender fluidity, caste systems, and a fresh look at AI.

However, it was a little difficult to read and follow as characters are for the most part referred to as female regardless of their sex. Also, the AI inhabits multiple bodies and refers to each of them as me/I individuals so you can get confused when you are seeing things from a dozen viewpoints at the same time. Again, an ambitious concept but difficult o execute.

I felt I had to plod through to get to the end.
]]> Blackout (All Clear, #1) 6506307 491 Connie Willis 0553803190 Steve 0 to-read 3.85 2010 Blackout (All Clear, #1)
author: Connie Willis
name: Steve
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/11/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)]]> 77773 From Connie Willis, winner of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards, comes a comedic romp through an unpredictable world of mystery, love, and time travel.

Ned Henry is badly in need of a rest. He’s been shuttling between the twenty-first century and the 1940s in search of a hideous Victorian vase called “the bishop’s bird stump� as part of a project to restore the famed Coventry Cathedral, destroyed in a Nazi air raid.

But then Verity Kindle, a fellow time traveler, inadvertently brings back something from the past. Now Ned must jump to the Victorian era to help Verity put things right—not only to save the project but also to prevent altering history itself.]]> 493 Connie Willis 0553575384 Steve 0 to-read 4.11 1997 To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)
author: Connie Willis
name: Steve
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1997
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/11/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Essay on Man and Other Poems (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry)]]> 44868 This volume contains a rich selection of Pope's work, including such well-known poems as the title selection � a philosophical meditation on the nature of the universe and man's place in it � and "The Rape of the Lock," a mock-epic of rare charm and skill. Also included are "Ode on Solitude," "The Dying Christian to His Soul," "Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady," "An Essay on Criticism," "Epigram Engraved on the Collar of a Dog," "Epistle [IV] to Richard Boyle, Earl of Of the Use of Riches," "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot; or, Prologue to the Satires" and more.
Taken together, these poems offer an excellent sampling of Pope's imaginative genius and the felicitous blending of word, idea and image that earned him a place among the leading lights of 18th-century literature.]]> 112 Alexander Pope 0486280535 Steve 4 3.75 1734 Essay on Man and Other Poems (Dover Thrift Editions: Poetry)
author: Alexander Pope
name: Steve
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1734
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/10/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Man Who Would Be King and Other Stories]]> 2062234 168 Rudyard Kipling 1420929569 Steve 4 3.72 1885 The Man Who Would Be King and Other Stories
author: Rudyard Kipling
name: Steve
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1885
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/09/07
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)]]> 25499718
WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?]]> 608 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1447273281 Steve 5 4.29 2015 Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)
author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Steve
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2019/04/29
date added: 2019/05/15
shelves:
review:
One of the best science fiction novels I have read in a long time! Good contemporary science extrapolated to a distant future. Great characters and thought provoking ideas. Reminiscent of classic writers like Arthur C Clarke and Robert Heinlein
]]> <![CDATA[The City in the Middle of the Night]]> 37534907
Humanity clings to life on January--a colonized planet divided between permanently frozen darkness on one side, and blazing endless sunshine on the other.

Two cities, built long ago in the meager temperate zone, serve as the last bastions of civilization--but life inside them is just as dangerous as the uninhabitable wastelands outside.

Sophie, a young student from the wrong side of Xiosphant city, is exiled into the dark after being part of a failed revolution. But she survives--with the help of a mysterious savior from beneath the ice.

Burdened with a dangerous, painful secret, Sophie and her ragtag group of exiles face the ultimate challenge--and they are running out of time.

Welcome to the City in the Middle of the Night.]]> 366 Charlie Jane Anders 0765379961 Steve 2 3.46 2019 The City in the Middle of the Night
author: Charlie Jane Anders
name: Steve
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2019/04/08
date added: 2019/05/15
shelves:
review:
I was intrigued with the idea of a planet that rotated such that one side always faces the sun in the blazing heat while the other was immersed in freezing cold darkness leaving a thin band of habitable area. The book did a fair job of explaining that but then fell into what felt like medieval fantasy with an ancient middle eastern feel to it. The premise of how society had evolved from the first colonists until the time of this story felt fabricated to create another dystopian novel located on a distant planet rather than earth. In the end, it was a mediocre read with some fun monsters and somewhat interesting main character. This may be a novel targeted to a juvenile audience, in which case it might be much more appreciated by preteens.
]]> Ringworld (Ringworld, #1) 61179 288 Larry Niven 0575077026 Steve 2
]]> 3.96 1970 Ringworld (Ringworld, #1)
author: Larry Niven
name: Steve
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1970
rating: 2
read at: 2018/11/05
date added: 2019/05/15
shelves:
review:
I know this has great reviews and a large fan base and spawned a series of popular books. But it just wasn't my cup of tea. The premise was intriguing and the tech was fun and interesting. I could not get into the characters or the story. It felt tired. But then again it is an old book and many stories have been written since. I've read other Niven that I enjoyed much more.


]]> Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1) 888628
Case was the sharpest data thief in the Matrix, until an ex-employer crippled his nervous system. Now a new employer has recruited him for a last-chance run against an unthinkably powerful artificial intelligence. With a mirror-eyed girl street-samurai riding shotgun, he's ready for the silicon-quick, bleakly prophetic adventure that upped the ante on an entire genre of fiction.]]> 278 William Gibson Steve 3 4.01 1984 Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1)
author: William Gibson
name: Steve
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1984
rating: 3
read at: 2018/12/22
date added: 2019/05/15
shelves:
review:
I know this is the book that started cyberpunk but I could not get really immersed in it. Part of the problem is the age of the book. Much of the tech is now a reality and we have different names for it. The world describes is too gritty and dirty and reminds me of Blade Runner. I just don't believe we will have that sort of world where everything is a ghetto. But I understand the appeal.
]]> <![CDATA[God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything]]> 43369 307 Christopher Hitchens 0446579807 Steve 4 3.94 2007 God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
author: Christopher Hitchens
name: Steve
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/29
date added: 2019/05/15
shelves:
review:
Well stated and logical arguments.
]]> <![CDATA[Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion]]> 18774981
From Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of numerous New York Times bestselling books, Waking Up is for the twenty percent of Americans who follow no religion but who suspect that important truths can be found in the experiences of such figures as Jesus, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and the other saints and sages of history. Throughout this book, Harris argues that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow, and that how we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the quality of our lives.

Waking Up is part memoir and part exploration of the scientific underpinnings of spirituality. No other book marries contemplative wisdom and modern science in this way, and no author other than Sam Harris—a scientist, philosopher, and famous skeptic—could write it.]]> 256 Sam Harris 1451636016 Steve 4 Well written. Great ideas 3.88 2014 Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion
author: Sam Harris
name: Steve
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2019/02/12
date added: 2019/05/15
shelves:
review:
Well written. Great ideas
]]> <![CDATA[Advanced Negotiation Techniques]]> 20812691 146 Alan McCarthy Steve 3 3.20 2013 Advanced Negotiation Techniques
author: Alan McCarthy
name: Steve
average rating: 3.20
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2019/01/08
date added: 2019/05/15
shelves:
review:
Dry. Some good stuff. Could have been condensed to 20 or 30 pages
]]> <![CDATA[12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos]]> 30257963 What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research.

Humorous, surprising, and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.

What does the nervous system of the lowly lobster have to tell us about standing up straight (with our shoulders back) and about success in life? Why did ancient Egyptians worship the capacity to pay careful attention as the highest of gods? What dreadful paths do people tread when they become resentful, arrogant, and vengeful? Dr. Peterson journeys broadly, discussing discipline, freedom, adventure, and responsibility, distilling the world's wisdom into 12 practical and profound rules for life. 12 Rules for Life shatters the modern commonplaces of science, faith, and human nature while transforming and ennobling the mind and spirit of its listeners.]]> 409 Jordan B. Peterson 0345816021 Steve 5 3.90 2018 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
author: Jordan B. Peterson
name: Steve
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/03/11
date added: 2019/05/14
shelves:
review:
Exceptional advice for anyone at any point in their life
]]> Blue Mars (Mars Trilogy, #3) 77504 768 Kim Stanley Robinson 0553573357 Steve 4 3.94 1996 Blue Mars (Mars Trilogy, #3)
author: Kim Stanley Robinson
name: Steve
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2012/09/06
date added: 2019/05/14
shelves:
review:

]]> Green Mars (Mars Trilogy, #2) 77505 624 Kim Stanley Robinson 0553572393 Steve 4 3.94 1993 Green Mars (Mars Trilogy, #2)
author: Kim Stanley Robinson
name: Steve
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at: 2012/07/21
date added: 2019/05/14
shelves:
review:

]]> Little Women (& Good Wives) 1880492 448 Louisa May Alcott 1855011476 Steve 4 4.11 1868 Little Women (& Good Wives)
author: Louisa May Alcott
name: Steve
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1868
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2019/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #2)]]> 83346 228 Lewis Carroll 0688120490 Steve 3 4.05 1871 Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #2)
author: Lewis Carroll
name: Steve
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1871
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/12/01
shelves:
review:

]]> The Magic Shop 1477274 32 H.G. Wells 1933327022 Steve 0 to-read 3.50 1903 The Magic Shop
author: H.G. Wells
name: Steve
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1903
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/12/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Astrophysics for People in a Hurry]]> 32191710
But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.]]> 223 Neil deGrasse Tyson 0393609391 Steve 5 4.07 2017 Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
author: Neil deGrasse Tyson
name: Steve
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2018/09/15
date added: 2018/11/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History]]> 17910054
In prose that is at once frank, entertaining, and deeply informed, The New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert tells us why and how human beings have altered life on the planet in a way no species has before. Interweaving research in half a dozen disciplines, descriptions of the fascinating species that have already been lost, and the history of extinction as a concept, Kolbert provides a moving and comprehensive account of the disappearances occurring before our very eyes. She shows that the sixth extinction is likely to be mankind's most lasting legacy, compelling us to rethink the fundamental question of what it means to be human.]]> 336 Elizabeth Kolbert 0805092994 Steve 0 to-read 4.13 2014 The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History
author: Elizabeth Kolbert
name: Steve
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/09/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Assassination Vacation 422664 Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no other -- a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage.

From Buffalo to Alaska, Washington to the Dry Tortugas, Vowell visits locations immortalized and influenced by the spilling of politically important blood, reporting as she goes with her trademark blend of wisecracking humor, remarkable honesty, and thought-provoking criticism. We learn about the jinx that was Robert Todd Lincoln (present at the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley) and witness the politicking that went into the making of the Lincoln Memorial.

The resulting narrative is much more than an entertaining and informative travelogue -- it is the disturbing and fascinating story of how American death has been manipulated by popular culture, including literature, architecture, sculpture, and -- the author's favorite -- historical tourism. Though the themes of loss and violence are explored and we make detours to see how the Republican Party became the Republican Party, there are all kinds of lighter diversions along the way into the lives of the three presidents and their assassins, including mummies, show tunes, mean-spirited totem poles, and a nineteenth-century biblical sex cult.]]> 258 Sarah Vowell 0743260031 Steve 0 to-read 3.94 2005 Assassination Vacation
author: Sarah Vowell
name: Steve
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/09/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1)]]> 7315573
This is an epic of love, hatred, war and revolution. This is a huge novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women.
It is 1911. The Coronation Day of King George V. The Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family is linked by romance and enmity to the Fitzherberts, aristocratic coal-mine owners. Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German Embassy in London. Their destiny is entangled with that of an ambitious young aide to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and to two orphaned Russian brothers, whose plans to emigrate to America fall foul of war, conscription and revolution. In a plot of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, "Fall Of Giants" moves seamlessly from Washington to St Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty.]]> 985 Ken Follett 0525951652 Steve 0 to-read 4.31 2010 Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1)
author: Ken Follett
name: Steve
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2018/06/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)]]> 16192710 589 Project Management Institute 1935589679 Steve 4 3.69 1995 A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)
author: Project Management Institute
name: Steve
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 2016/01/05
date added: 2018/02/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Bhagavad-Gita As It Is 991544
Just on the verge of the historic Battle of Kurukshetra, the warrior Arjuna loses his nerve. Totally distraught and ready to give up on life, he turns to his friend and charioteer, Krishna, for advice, "What should I do?� The conversation that follows effectively deals with humanity's crucial questions: what is the purpose of life? What happens when we die? Is there a reality beyond this time-bound, physical plane? What is the ultimate cause of all causes? Krishna comprehensively answers all these (and more) and then reveals His own identity as none other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearing on earth to usher in a new era of spiritual understanding.


Throughout the Gita Krishna teaches that the essence of all human pursuit � and the ultimate goal of all pious work, meditation, and austerity � is to develop an attitude of loving service to the Supreme Person. His ultimate instruction, "surrender to Me," challenges Arjuna � and any reader of the Bhagavad-gita � to transcend religion and belief and to enter the realm of bhakti � devotional service � which alone can fully satisfy the self.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is is unique among Gita commentaries; the author, Srila Prabhupada, represents a line of teachers coming in disciplic succession from Krishna Himself. Prabhupada's clarity, wit, and faithfulness to the original Sanskrit text make the teachings of the Gita easily accessible to the Western reader.

Since its publication in 1970, Bhagavad-gita As It Is has become the most widely read edition of the Gita in the world.]]> 883 0892131233 Steve 3 4.10 500 Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
author: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
name: Steve
average rating: 4.10
book published: 500
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2018/01/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[You Are the Universe: Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why It Matters]]> 30211502 Deepak Chopra 1524723770 Steve 4 3.54 2017 You Are the Universe: Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why It Matters
author: Deepak Chopra
name: Steve
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/10/14
date added: 2017/12/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Art of Invisibility: The World's Most Famous Hacker Teaches You How to Be Safe in the Age of Big Brother and Big Data]]> 30363785 Kevin Mitnick, the world's most famous hacker, teaches you easy cloaking and counter-measures for citizens and consumers in the age of Big Brother and Big Data.

Like it or not, your every move is being watched and analyzed. Consumer's identities are being stolen, and a person's every step is being tracked and stored. What once might have been dismissed as paranoia is now a hard truth, and privacy is a luxury few can afford or understand.

In this explosive yet practical book, Kevin Mitnick illustrates what is happening without your knowledge--and he teaches you "the art of invisibility." Mitnick is the world's most famous--and formerly the Most Wanted--computer hacker. He has hacked into some of the country's most powerful and seemingly impenetrable agencies and companies, and at one point he was on a three-year run from the FBI. Now, though, Mitnick is reformed and is widely regarded as the expert on the subject of computer security. He knows exactly how vulnerabilities can be exploited and just what to do to prevent that from happening.

In THE ART OF INVISIBILITY Mitnick provides both online and real life tactics and inexpensive methods to protect you and your family, in easy step-by-step instructions. He even talks about more advanced "elite" techniques, which, if used properly, can maximize your privacy. Invisibility isn't just for superheroes--privacy is a power you deserve and need in this modern age.]]> 320 Kevin D. Mitnick 0316380504 Steve 4 3.94 2017 The Art of Invisibility: The World's Most Famous Hacker Teaches You How to Be Safe in the Age of Big Brother and Big Data
author: Kevin D. Mitnick
name: Steve
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2017/11/25
date added: 2017/12/04
shelves:
review:
What an eye-opener! I am in IT an thought I knew a thing or two about internet and media security. I was astonished at what is really going on with our data and interactions, not just on the internet or cell phones but in ways I never knew were possible. Nothing is sacred!
]]> Reflections of a Scientist 11647043 320 Henry Eyring 1609082850 Steve 2
The book is more accurately a biography pieced together from various sources, excerpts from the Apostle's journals and letters, and some recollections and not necessarily chronologically. It still does not work well as a biography because it is somewhat disjointed, however, there were a few interesting stories from his childhood.

There was one section where Apostle Eyring had talked about the Pearl of Great Price (Book of Moses and Abraham) that Joseph Smith claimed to be a translation from some ancient papyrus he purchased. The papyrus has since been determined to be an inventory list of some sort and not the writings of Abraham and Moses. Brother Eyring's take is that it does not matter to him whether Joseph really translated or simply was inspired by the document to receive revelation. Brother Eyring would believe the Pearl of Great Price to be the literal word of God even if Joseph received it 100% as revelation.

As an apostle his opinion has some weight to it, though not necessarily an official church position. It would be nice if the church could take an official position such as this for areas of church history that are clearly a faith problem for many.

Overall, this book was a disappointment.
]]> 4.31 1983 Reflections of a Scientist
author: Henry Eyring
name: Steve
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1983
rating: 2
read at: 2014/02/06
date added: 2017/12/04
shelves:
review:
I think the title of this book is misleading. At first glance I thought it to be written by Apostle Henry B Eyring, but it is actually his son Henry J Eyring. One might think, as I did, that this contains thoughts from the Apostle on how he reconciles his faith in the gospel with his knowledge of science. It is not that kind of book.

The book is more accurately a biography pieced together from various sources, excerpts from the Apostle's journals and letters, and some recollections and not necessarily chronologically. It still does not work well as a biography because it is somewhat disjointed, however, there were a few interesting stories from his childhood.

There was one section where Apostle Eyring had talked about the Pearl of Great Price (Book of Moses and Abraham) that Joseph Smith claimed to be a translation from some ancient papyrus he purchased. The papyrus has since been determined to be an inventory list of some sort and not the writings of Abraham and Moses. Brother Eyring's take is that it does not matter to him whether Joseph really translated or simply was inspired by the document to receive revelation. Brother Eyring would believe the Pearl of Great Price to be the literal word of God even if Joseph received it 100% as revelation.

As an apostle his opinion has some weight to it, though not necessarily an official church position. It would be nice if the church could take an official position such as this for areas of church history that are clearly a faith problem for many.

Overall, this book was a disappointment.

]]> Become What You Are 60553
It has been said that the highest wisdom consists in detachment—not regretting the past nor fearing the future, letting life take its course without attempting to interfere with its movements and changes, without seeking to prolong pleasant things or hasten the end of unpleasant ones. To do this is to enter time with life and be in complete harmony with its changing melody, which is called enlightenment. In short, it means detaching yourself from both the past and the future and living in the eternal now. Life exists only in this single moment, and it is precisely in this moment that it is infinite and eternal.

Alan Watts is one of the foremost authorities on Eastern wisdom. It was he who, in the middle of the last century, built a bridge between the West and the East, introducing the Western reader to Eastern philosophy and culture. Alan Watts is a scholar of both Zen Buddhism and Indian and Chinese spiritual traditions.]]> 144 Alan W. Watts 1570629404 Steve 5
This is the second Watts book I have read. He was way ahead of his time and I believe he laid the foundation for the modern mindfulness movement and the evolving idea amongst physicist that we may be living in a hologram.

Watts blends East and West philosophy, religion, and culture to cut through to universal humanist truths about our core natures.

Letting his ideas sink in is transformative and will free you. I guarantee :D]]> 4.06 1955 Become What You Are
author: Alan W. Watts
name: Steve
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1955
rating: 5
read at: 2017/07/01
date added: 2017/08/15
shelves:
review:
I discovered Alan Watts on YouTube last year and he is an amazing philosopher with tremendous insight into human behavior, relationships, self-perceptions, hangups, and the like. I have listened to many combined hours of his recorded lectures. Now to read some books.

This is the second Watts book I have read. He was way ahead of his time and I believe he laid the foundation for the modern mindfulness movement and the evolving idea amongst physicist that we may be living in a hologram.

Watts blends East and West philosophy, religion, and culture to cut through to universal humanist truths about our core natures.

Letting his ideas sink in is transformative and will free you. I guarantee :D
]]> <![CDATA[This is It and Other Essays on Zen and Spiritual Experience]]> 432223 158 Alan W. Watts 0394719042 Steve 5
This I believe is a great Watts starter or introduction if you are not familiar with him. Many of these ideas I had gathered from YouTube video posts. But reading the printed words is a different experience altogether and there are other fascinating ideas transferred in this book.

Letting his ideas sink in is transformative and will free you. I guarantee :D]]> 4.28 1960 This is It and Other Essays on Zen and Spiritual Experience
author: Alan W. Watts
name: Steve
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1960
rating: 5
read at: 2017/06/01
date added: 2017/08/15
shelves:
review:
I discovered Alan Watts on YouTube last year and he is an amazing philosopher with tremendous insight into human behavior, relationships, self-perceptions, hangups, and the like. I have listened to many combined hours of his recorded lectures. Now to read some books.

This I believe is a great Watts starter or introduction if you are not familiar with him. Many of these ideas I had gathered from YouTube video posts. But reading the printed words is a different experience altogether and there are other fascinating ideas transferred in this book.

Letting his ideas sink in is transformative and will free you. I guarantee :D
]]> <![CDATA[201 Great Discussion Questions for Couples in Long Distance Relationships]]> 18397596 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B00A90ZBKK

Are you in a long distance relationship? Do you want to get to know your partner better? Do phone calls sometimes feel like hard work? Do you find yourself wondering what to talk about apart from how your day was?

Pick up these 201 fun discussion questions for couples. These questions will spark fresh conversations, make you laugh, and help you get to know each other better.

Questions span topics related to childhood, family, work, passions, life now, the future, what if, and much more.]]> 51 Lisa McKay Steve 4
My girlfriend and I met while I was living in Utah and shortly after she moved to Florida. We maintained a long distance relationship for several months while I was in Utah and she was in Florida. We talked several times a week and reviewed material from these books and also some articles and YouTube videos we found on the subject of relationships. It gave us a good insight into each other's character and the way we think.

It gave me the confidence to follow her and we were married three months after I moved to Florida!]]> 3.62 2012 201 Great Discussion Questions for Couples in Long Distance Relationships
author: Lisa McKay
name: Steve
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2017/01/10
date added: 2017/08/15
shelves:
review:
The version I read was actually "401" questions. Same exact cover and authors as shown, but 401 instead of 201. Anyway, there are some pretty good questions in here. A better book is "1001 Questions to Ask Before You Get Married" by Monica Mendez Leahy (the relationship expert from the Ladies' Home Journal, the Wall Street Journal, and Lifetime Television)

My girlfriend and I met while I was living in Utah and shortly after she moved to Florida. We maintained a long distance relationship for several months while I was in Utah and she was in Florida. We talked several times a week and reviewed material from these books and also some articles and YouTube videos we found on the subject of relationships. It gave us a good insight into each other's character and the way we think.

It gave me the confidence to follow her and we were married three months after I moved to Florida!
]]> <![CDATA[The Game of Life and How to Play It]]> 626159 THE GAME OF LIFE AND HOW TO PLAY IT, Florence Scovel Shinn established herself as one of the most down-to-earth, practical, and helpful prosperity writers of her era. With a timeless message and the ability to explain success principles and how they work in an entertaining style, her writings are still considered the leaders in prosperity literature today.]]> 95 Florence Scovel Shinn 0875162576 Steve 4
Shinn brings a decidedly Christan approach referencing Jesus Christ's ministry and examples of his works and his words from the Bible. You do not have to be Christian to benefit and you can replace Christ with any higher power. But, if you are Christian or have a background in Christianity you will greatly appreciate her interpretation of God's desire for man's happiness and prosperity. She explains the practical guidelines presented by Christ that for the most part are totally missed by the various denominations claiming to know The Christ.

Truly all that is needed is "To ask and it shall be given"]]> 4.05 1978 The Game of Life and How to Play It
author: Florence Scovel Shinn
name: Steve
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at: 2017/05/15
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
Published in 1925, this book predates "Think and Grow Rich" and all the prosperity manifestation books to come after that. Shinn uses example after example of how to use your "words" to manifest what you want. And to be careful what you ask for!

Shinn brings a decidedly Christan approach referencing Jesus Christ's ministry and examples of his works and his words from the Bible. You do not have to be Christian to benefit and you can replace Christ with any higher power. But, if you are Christian or have a background in Christianity you will greatly appreciate her interpretation of God's desire for man's happiness and prosperity. She explains the practical guidelines presented by Christ that for the most part are totally missed by the various denominations claiming to know The Christ.

Truly all that is needed is "To ask and it shall be given"
]]> <![CDATA[You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life]]> 15843166 The #1 New York Times Bestseller You Are A Badass is the self-help book for people who desperately want to improve their lives but don't want to get busted doing it.

In this refreshingly entertaining how-to guide, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and world-traveling success coach, Jen Sincero, serves up 27 bite-sized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, sage advice, easy exercises, and the occasional swear word. If you're ready to make some serious changes around here, You Are a Badass will help you: Identify and change the self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors that stop you from getting what you want, blast past your fears so you can take big exciting risks, figure out how to make some damn money already, learn to love yourself and others, set big goals and reach them - it will basically show you how to create a life you totally love, and how to create it now.

By the end of You Are a Badass, you'll understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can't change, how to change what you don't love, and how to use The Force to kick some serious ass.]]> 254 Jen Sincero 0762447699 Steve 5
Everyone should read this book!

I read this book long after "Think and Grow Rich", "How to Win Friends ...", "48 Laws of Power", "Mindfulness for Beginners", "The Secret", "Man's Search for Meaning", "Law of Attraction" on and on and a ton of Tony Robbins videos LOL ... I wish I had read this book first!

The bottom line is this stuff works. I now live in Florida 3 miles from the beach, I'm in a great relationship, and I have a job working from home. And I am continuing onward and upward with new goals, new plans!]]> 3.95 2013 You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
author: Jen Sincero
name: Steve
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2017/05/10
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
This book kicks ass! Sincero rolls all the self-help, manifestation, purposefulness, mindfulness philosophy into one great practical guide. Sincero uses her own experiences to illustrate applying principles to take charge of your life and live the life of your dreams. Her experiences are not extraordinary. In fact, they are so ordinary that everyone should be able to relate to her circumstances along the way and say "I can do that!"

Everyone should read this book!

I read this book long after "Think and Grow Rich", "How to Win Friends ...", "48 Laws of Power", "Mindfulness for Beginners", "The Secret", "Man's Search for Meaning", "Law of Attraction" on and on and a ton of Tony Robbins videos LOL ... I wish I had read this book first!

The bottom line is this stuff works. I now live in Florida 3 miles from the beach, I'm in a great relationship, and I have a job working from home. And I am continuing onward and upward with new goals, new plans!
]]> 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 Steve 5
Simply fantastic. Herbert fabricates a world very different from ours, yet the characters are as human as ever. It's very interesting to see how people have adapted to this harsh environment. He writes very visually and spins a great yarn. A most for SF fans]]> 4.21 1965 Dune (Dune, #1)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Steve
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1965
rating: 5
read at: 2017/03/29
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
I just finished my third read of this novel.

Simply fantastic. Herbert fabricates a world very different from ours, yet the characters are as human as ever. It's very interesting to see how people have adapted to this harsh environment. He writes very visually and spins a great yarn. A most for SF fans
]]> <![CDATA[Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen]]> 6289283 Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.]]> 287 Christopher McDougall Steve 3
Born to Run is, however, an interesting documentary of a "lost tribe" of American Indians living a unique and ancient lifestyle and the impact they have had on the outside world as well as how the outside world has impacted them.]]> 4.29 2009 Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
author: Christopher McDougall
name: Steve
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2017/03/05
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
If you have heard about McDougall's unique running technique and are looking for a practical guide then do not read this book. I thought I might learn enough to apply some of his technique. In fact, I can not find anywhere that McDougall ever explains the style, even in TedEx talks.

Born to Run is, however, an interesting documentary of a "lost tribe" of American Indians living a unique and ancient lifestyle and the impact they have had on the outside world as well as how the outside world has impacted them.
]]> <![CDATA[Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream]]> 20518979
In 2004, four Latino teenagers arrived at the Marine Advanced Technology Education Robotics Competition at the University of California, Santa Barbara. They were born in Mexico but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, where they attended an underfunded public high school. No one had ever suggested to Oscar, Cristian, Luis, or Lorenzo that they might amount to much - but two inspiring science teachers had convinced these impoverished, undocumented kids from the desert who had never even seen the ocean that they should try to build an underwater robot.

And build a robot they did. Their robot wasn't pretty, especially compared to those of the competition. They were going up against some of the best collegiate engineers in the country, including a team from MIT backed by a $10,000 grant from ExxonMobil. The Phoenix teenagers had scraped together less than $1,000 and built their robot out of scavenged parts. This was never a level competition—and yet, against all odds... they won!

But this is just the beginning for these four, whose story—which became a key inspiration to the DREAMers movement—will go on to include first-generation college graduations, deportation, bean-picking in Mexico, and service in Afghanistan.

Joshua Davis' Spare Parts is a story about overcoming insurmountable odds and four young men who proved they were among the most patriotic and talented Americans in this country—even as the country tried to kick them out.]]> 240 Joshua Davis 0374183376 Steve 3
I enjoyed this story.]]> 4.13 2014 Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream
author: Joshua Davis
name: Steve
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2017/02/20
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
Sometimes you just have to love the triumph of the underdog, especially in a true life story. In this case, we have four unlikely underdogs who take on an amazing task and show the world that progress is not always about money and access to the 'name" institutions.

I enjoyed this story.
]]> <![CDATA[The Celestine Prophecy (Celestine Prophecy, #1)]]> 13103
The Celestine Prophecy contains secrets that are currently changing our world. Drawing on the ancient wisdom found in a Peruvian manuscript, it tells you how to make connections between the events happening in your own life right now...and lets you see what is going to happen to you in the years to come.

The story it tells is a gripping one of adventure and discovery, but it is also a guidebook that has the power to crystalize your perceptions of why you are where you are in life...and to direct your steps with a new energy and optimism as you head into tomorrow.

A book that comes along just once in a lifetime to change lives forever.]]> 247 James Redfield Steve 2 3.72 1993 The Celestine Prophecy (Celestine Prophecy, #1)
author: James Redfield
name: Steve
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1993
rating: 2
read at: 2017/02/12
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
Another book in the vein of 'the secret" and manifestation of your life events. This book can provide come inspiration to those on the journey of self-discovery and our place in the universe. It is an interesting story but the book rambles a bit and the writing style is not consistent.
]]> <![CDATA[The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium #2)]]> 5060378 Millenium publisher Mikael Blomkvist has made his reputation exposing corrupt establishment figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with an investigation into sex trafficking, Blomkvist cannot resist waging war on the powerful figures who control this lucrative industry.

The Murder
When a young couple is found dead in their Stockholm apartment, it's a straightforward job for Inspector Bublanski and his team. The killer left the weapon at the scene - and the fingerprints on the gun point in only one direction.

The Girl Who Played with Fire
Ex-security analyst Lisbeth Salander is wanted for murder. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society - but no-one can find her. The only way Salander can be reached is by computer. But she can break into almost any network she chooses...]]> 503 Stieg Larsson 0307269981 Steve 5
Certain parts of this book are graphic and not for the squeamish.]]> 4.25 2006 The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium #2)
author: Stieg Larsson
name: Steve
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at: 2017/01/26
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
This book is a riveting tour de force! The complex plot, cast of interesting characters and the depth that Larsen explore these characters keeps you turning page after page until the final reveal. Absolutely entertaining and thought provoking.

Certain parts of this book are graphic and not for the squeamish.
]]> <![CDATA[The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery, #1)]]> 25843420 The greatest mystery of all time...
the history of human origins...
will be revealed.

In Antarctica, researchers discover a mysterious structure, buried in ice.

In a lab in Jakarta, an autism researcher identifies a revolutionary treatment that could change everything.

But these two incredible discoveries aren't what they seem. They will set off a race to unravel the deepest secrets of human existence--and an event that could change humanity forever.]]> 464 A.G. Riddle Steve 3 3.76 2013 The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery, #1)
author: A.G. Riddle
name: Steve
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2017/01/10
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
A fun novel and quick read with well-developed characters and plot. However, it is a rehash of many tired premises.
]]> <![CDATA[Time Out of Time (Chronosphere, #1)]]> 9939136 240 Alex Woolf 1907184899 Steve 2 3.72 2010 Time Out of Time (Chronosphere, #1)
author: Alex Woolf
name: Steve
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2016/12/15
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
This lackluster novel did not captivate my imagination though it did offer up a few nuggets to ponder. A quick read though perhaps aimed at young adults
]]> The Secret (The Secret, #1) 52529 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781582701707.

The worldwide bestselling phenomenon that has helped millions tap the power of the law that governs all our lives to create—intentionally and effortlessly—a joyful life.

In 2006, a groundbreaking feature-length film revealed the great mystery of the universe�The Secret—and, later that year, Rhonda Byrne followed with a book that became a worldwide bestseller.

Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions, and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it.

In this book, you’ll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life—money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You’ll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that’s within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life.

The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers—men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.]]> 199 Rhonda Byrne Steve 3
This is a good start to understanding "the secret". For a practical guide to harnessing this knowledge and actually putting "the secret" into practice, you need to read Napolean Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" and DO ALL THE WORK EXACTLY AS HE OUTLINES IT.

Another inspirational approach is the "The Game of Life and How to Play It" by Florence Shinn which pre-dates these books quite a bit. Surely Hill and Byrne lifted a lot of their material from Shinn.]]> 3.74 2006 The Secret (The Secret, #1)
author: Rhonda Byrne
name: Steve
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2016/11/28
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
This is basically an inspirational book, sort of a Tony Robbins excitement approach to gaining control of your destiny and manifesting or materializing the things and situations you want in life. You make your life what it is, good or bad, and you have what you have, wealth or poverty, by virtue of your thoughts.

This is a good start to understanding "the secret". For a practical guide to harnessing this knowledge and actually putting "the secret" into practice, you need to read Napolean Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" and DO ALL THE WORK EXACTLY AS HE OUTLINES IT.

Another inspirational approach is the "The Game of Life and How to Play It" by Florence Shinn which pre-dates these books quite a bit. Surely Hill and Byrne lifted a lot of their material from Shinn.
]]> Us 21423525
The timing couldn’t be worse. Hoping to encourage her son’s artistic interests, Connie has planned a month-long tour of European capitals, a chance to experience the world’s greatest works of art as a family, and she can’t bring herself to cancel. And maybe going ahead with the original plan is for the best anyway. Douglas is privately convinced that this landmark trip will rekindle the romance in the marriage and might even help him bond with Albie.

Narrated from Douglas’s endearingly honest, slyly witty, and at times achingly optimistic point of view, Us is the story of a man trying to rescue his relationship with the woman he loves and learning how to get closer to a son who’s always felt like a stranger.]]> 400 David Nicholls 034089699X Steve 3 3.69 2014 Us
author: David Nicholls
name: Steve
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2016/10/16
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
This is a feel good relationship drama with some lessons to be learned.
]]> The Fault in Our Stars 11870085
Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.]]> 313 John Green Steve 4 4.13 2012 The Fault in Our Stars
author: John Green
name: Steve
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2016/10/08
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this story of two young adults dealing with imminent and assured death. Their unique view of the world is contagious and we could use a few more people with this kind of courage and understanding about who they are.
]]> The Alchemist 865 197 Paulo Coelho 0061122416 Steve 4 3.85 1988 The Alchemist
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Steve
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2016/09/22
date added: 2017/06/01
shelves:
review:
Very good fable about the power of purpose, mindfulness, and being open to the promptings of the universe we all know in our gut is the right way to go regardless of fear or irrationality
]]> <![CDATA[The Catcher in the Rye/Franny and Zooey/Nine Stories/Raise High the Roof Beam]]> 181130 0 J.D. Salinger 0446116513 Steve 2 4.23 The Catcher in the Rye/Franny and Zooey/Nine Stories/Raise High the Roof Beam
author: J.D. Salinger
name: Steve
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2017/04/20
shelves:
review:

]]>