Table of Contents
Books I've Read, by author
Abbott, Edwin A
Abercrombie, Joe
- Half a King - Read this for the fantasy month at the bookgroup. Meh, it was decent, i.e. well written I guess, I liked the world, but just a bit boring. I kept waiting for something to happen then remembering it wasn't sci-fi. (Aug 2019)
Aczel, Amir D.
- Descartes' Secret Notebook - Borrowed from Dick Henry. Interesting, I didn't know much of Descartes life. The book was terribly overly romantic though. (Jan 2009)
Adams, Douglas (7)
- The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul - Listened to this as an audio book. Was pretty weird, Norse gods? Hmmm.. (Mar 2004)
- The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Bought this for Vikki to read before the movie comes out, thought I'd refresh my memory too (Jun 2005)
- The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe - Bought this for Vikki to read before the movie comes out, thought I'd refresh my memory too (Jun 2005)
- Half of a Yellow Sun - This was a present from my mum in Christmas 2007. I decided to read it as a change from a lot of technical stuff I've been reading recently. It was a great book, I felt completely drawn in from the very beginning - which I didn't expect from a book dealing with the Nigeria-Biafra war. (Mar 2008)
Adams, Richard (2)
- Plague Dogs - By the guy who wrote Watership Down, good story, but I'm finding some of the author's style irritating. This might be on the 'current' list for a while, I'm only reading it when I'm in certain moods. (Done, took about a month, good book though). (Sep 2003)
Adams, Scott (2)
Ahern, Jerry (2)
- The Survivalist: The Nightmare Begins - The second book in my hedonistic apocalypse-fest. (Jul 2009)
- The Survivalist: Total War - Bit of a trashy read, but I enjoyed it, read it over two days. I'm probably gonna work my way through the series.. Just googled.. Sheesh.. All twenty-six of them! (Jul 2009)
Albom, Mitch
- The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Great book. I'm gonna try to get hold of Tuesdays with Morrie. (Oct 2008)
Aldiss, Brian (4)
Arseneault, Stephen
- Sodium:1 Harbinger - This was recommended to me via reddit - it's a free kindle book, with the subsequent sequels being a few quid each. I enjoyed it and will probably pick up at least the next one. (Jan 2014)
Asher, Neal
- The Skinner - First book in the Spatterjay series, and I think this is my first Neal Asher. I'd had a couple of recommendations of this author and decided to start with this one as it mentions a hive mind and immortality. Enjoy it so far. Finished: I liked this. It has some interesting ideas (the virus, the hornet hive mind, the thrall units, reification etc). I'll definitely read some more. (Oct 2018)
Asimov, Isaac (10)
- Robots and Empire - Bought this in Nantwich after James' wedding to read in the car on the way home. Battled through it a little, I find some of the dialogue frustrating. That is, unnecessarily aggresive and condescending. (Jun 2005)
- The Last Question - Interesting short story, referenced in a slashdot article dealing with google and the singularity (Jan 2006)
Asimov, Issac (3)
- Computer Crimes & Capers - Waste of time, most ideas are preposterous. (Jul 2003)
Bach, Richard (2)
- Jonathan Living Seagull - Fascinating little novella. Been on my list for six years. This should have been required reading in school. Took about 20 minutes to read but I'll probably be thinking about it in years to come. (Sep 2010)
- The Running Man - Read this for the dystopian category for a bookgroup. I guess I shouldn't have expected the movie when I read this, but sheesh. About the only thing in common with the movie were the names. He volunteered for The Running Man game, there were no gladiators (except one guy at the end) and.. well.. I won't give a spoiler even though the entire thing was ruined by Stephen King's preface/intro (which I luckily didn't read until after I'd finished the book). Anyway, bottom line, this story has been done a bunch of times before and better. (Sep 2016)
Bakis, Kirsten
- Lives of the Monster Dogs - Referenced in a novel I read recently, can't remember which. Sounds good. after: I ended up reading this as the first book in the Ottakar's book group I joined, I enjoyed it. (Jan 2006)
Ballantyne, Tony
- Twisted Metal - Sci-fi book group book for July. I enjoyed it. Will try to read the sequels. (Jul 2011)
Banks, Iain (4)
- Raw Spirit - Banks' first non-fiction book. It was on the shelf of the holiday home I was staying at this week. Not my usual thing (it was heavily focused on driving/cars etc) but the whisky trail was interesting (my favourite Highland Park was in the top three, makes me wanna visit some more distilleries). I'd also picked it up because it was the 10 year anniversary of Banks' death. Made me a little sad when he mentioned things he hadn't done/visited yet but said 'plenty of time'. It's inspired me to read his other non-SF work. (Jan = Books I've Read =)
- The Wasp Factory - I enjoyed this book, very gothic, delightfully wicked, and nice twist. I'm making a point to read more of Iain Banks. (Jul 2005)
- The Bridge - I enjoyed this a lot. I'll definitely read more of Iain Banks (as well as his sci-fi alter ego), I've only read The Wasp Factory to date, enjoyed that too. (Apr 2008)
Banks, Iain M (13)
- Player of Games - Good book, I think I've liked everything I've read of Banks' so far, will try to read more (Mar 2006)
- Consider Phlebas - I enjoyed this. Always been meaning to read more Culture novels. (Mar 2009)
- Use of Weapons - I enjoyed this, but it wasn't my favourite of the Culture novels. Some interesting ideas as usual though. Didn't realise I'd read them so out of order. Think I'll continue on and try to read Inversions next. (Dec 2016)
- The State of the Art - I really enjoyed this. The whole series was discounted on Amazon, so I bought the whole lot. Moving on to #5 (Excession) even though I've already read it, 'cause I'm so into the story again. Some great ideas and descriptions of the minds so far. (Oct 2017)
- Look to Windward - Continuing the series. Finished: Decent addition. First mention of the e-dust assassin. Brutal and interesting. Two books left. I'll be sad when they are done. (Nov 2017)
- Inversions - This was pretty confusing. No mention of the culture, AI or technology at all. I enjoyed the book but I hardly saw the connection. Yeah, there was a scene or two that could have been SC tech, and I caught some of the references, but I wasn't sure what the end goal of the protagonists were. Meh, decent book, but I'll be glad to get back into the Culture swing of things with book 7. (Nov 2017)
- Excession - Re-reading as part of the series. Great book, I've spoken about this to so many people over the years - and probably will continue to. Neural lace! Finished: Loved it. In hindsight, I must have been pretty confused reading this first in the series, but I enjoyed it back then, even more so now. Looking forward to reading more. (Nov 2017)
- The Hydrogen Sonata - Last book in the series, enjoying it so far. Finished: Well, that's me done. I enjoyed the whole series, it's a shame it's over, no more Culture stories. I'll always remember Excession for introducing me to the world. Might go back and read the first 1-3 in a few years. (Jan 2018)
- Surface Detail - One of my favourite of the Culture series - about a simulated war over whether societies should be allowed to have simulated hells. Fascinating ideas. (Jan 2018)
Barker, Clive
Barnes, Colin F (2)
- Artificial Evil: The Techxorcist - This had some interesting ideas about HCI and AI, but the characters annoyed me a little. Part of the twist made things more palatable but everybody still felt a little cliche and the ending was a little unsatisfying and it was little more than a segue into the sequel. I'd consider reading the next one in the series, dependent on the synopsis. (Jun 2015)
- Code Breakers - Some interesting ideas regarding the society and the AI, but the book seemed a little like an airport purchase (I think it was free on Amazon). I might read some more of his stuff, possibly. (Aug 2015)
Barnes, Julian
- Arthur & George - This is for January's Ottakar's bookgroup. - Just finished a few days before the group, this was an excellent book. It makes me want to read Doyle's autobiography (and more of Barnes' books). (Jan 2007)
Barry, Max
- Jennifer Government - This was a good book, I enjoyed it. The anti-virus virus was interesting. Was a birthday present from Vikki. (Mar 2007)
Baxter, Stephen (7)
- Transcendent - Third in the trilogy, enjoying this one slighty more so far than the second. Finished: Ugh, this was okay, I wish I hadn't bothered with the whole trilogy. He didn't really explore the FTL casuality ideas that I was interested in, and the whole thing was pretty uninteresting. Shame, I had high hopes. It took me a long time to get through. (Aug 2020)
Bear, Greg (2)
- Blood Music - Referenced in wikipedia entry for grey goo. “The classic sci-fi novel about ecophagy.” (Mar 2005)
- Slant - I enjoyed this book, some interesting ideas - like a network of toilets that diagnose public health concerns - although I kind of found the overall plot lacking a bit of substance. I figured out this was the sequel to Queens of Angels, haven't read that yet, will add it to my list. (Mar 2008)
Besher, Alexander
Bester, Alfred (2)
- The Demolished Man - Recommended on the Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List (Dec 2005)
- The Stars My Destination - Jaunting, interesting. Been on my list for almost five years. It was a decent book. (Apr 2010)
Bethke, Bruce
Beukes, Lauren
Booth, Stephen F
Bourne, JL
- Day by Day Armageddon - I read this very quickly, enjoyed it, quite similar to a lot of other stuff I've read, but I will get to the sequel. (Jan 2013)
Bradbury, Ray
Brin, David (3)
- The Postman - I enjoyed this, the idea behind the postman is fascinatingly complex. I'll get around to watching the movie soon I think. (May 2008)
- Earth - I enjoyed this. Not quite sure I was happy with the last quarter of the novel nor the final resolution, but it has some interesting ideas. Not to mention the whole 'World Data Net', Brin describes this wonderfully, it was a pretty accurate prediction of the current state of our internet. (Dec 2008)
- Brightness Reef (Uplift book 1) - Was recommended to me at a book group, interesting premise. I was reading some other stuff, but it still took quite a while for me to get through. I enjoyed it, the other alien species were all pretty unique and interestingly described. I was kinda hoping for much more to happen though. Maybe I should read the rest of the trilogy. (Nov 2016)
Brookmyre, Christopher (2)
- All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye - Emma bought me a signed copy of this last year because I love using the expression in the title. I hadn't got around to reading it yet, partly because I didn't really know what it was about. It is our bookgroup book this month. I loved it. I got to about page five and it reminded me of Jagged Alliance: female mercenary computer hacker, I thought 'cool'. It's also based on some characters from Lanarkshire and Glasgow, so I liked some of the local references. (Jun 2006)
- Bedlam - Suggested by Lionel. I enjoyed this. I feel like I've read similar things in the past (though not as game orientated and I can't quite put my finger on what exactly). I kinda knew where it was going from the outset, but I enjoyed the read. It was interesting to have so much Scottish humour (and humour in general), not used to seeing that in my sci-fi. (Aug 2018)
Brown, Dan
- The Da Vinci Code - Where do I start with this. It's been on my list for more than two years. I'm surprised I hadn't got around to reading it yet. I enjoyed it, though I was expecting more contravesy after all I've heard about it. I'll be checking up on all the 'facts' soon. (Jun 2006)
Bryson, Bill (2)
- A Short History of Nearly Everything - Slashdot recommendation (Mar 2005)
- The Life and Times of Thunderbolt Kid - I enjoyed this, it's only my second Bryson book (the other was A Short History of Nearly Everything), so I haven't actually read his main staple, the travel books yet. Next on my list. (May 2008)
Bukowski, Charles (4)
- Post Office - I'm glad I read Woman first. This novel didn't stir up the same feelings (and, hell, admiration) that Woman did. Though I enjoyed it. (Jan 2007)
- South of No North - A few great shorts in this collection. (Sep 2007)
- Ham on Rye - Read this while I was boarding in France, it was a decent book. Was interesting to see his early years, though I prefered the weathered character. (Jan 2008)
Caidin, Martin
Callaghan, Steve
- Stewie's Guide to World Domination - This was a bit of a waste of time to be honest. (Mar 2007)
Campbell, Bruce
- If Chins Could Kill - I love this guy. This was an excellent book. (Jun 2007)
Card, Scott Orson (10)
- Ender's Game - Excellent Book. I'm working my way though the series now. (Dec 2003)
- Shadow Puppets - Last book in the excellent Ender series. (Apr 2004)
- Seventh Son - Excellent book, looking forward to getting into this series, the main character is cool. (Jul 2005)
- First Meetings in the Enderverse - Vikki bought this for my 24th birthday. I love the Ender series so it was interesting to read the original short story and hear a bit more about Ender's parents. I couldn't get to sleep one night so read the whole thing in one sitting. (Jun 2006)
Carroll, Lewis (2)
Cave, Peter
- Can Robots Be Human? - I read this book in one sitting, in The Drake on Woodlands Road. I was hoping for a lot more, but so much was glossed over and a lot of it was very tedious. He also misused the word paradox at almost every opportunity. Meh. (Aug 2010)
Clancy, Tom
Clarke, Arthur (2)
- A Fall of Moondust - This was okay. A pretty tame plot. (Jul 2010)
- Rendezvous With Rama - I enjoyed this. I was sure I'd read it before, but maybe I was just getting it confused with something similar. Either way, I hadn't written it down. I read this unusually quickly, in about 4 hours. (Oct 2015)
Cline, Ernest (3)
- Ready Player One - Reading this for the March 2012, sci-fi book group. Read this over a day or two, I really enjoyed it, it was a little cheesy, but I love that sorta stuff and couldn't put it down. I got pretty much every non-music geeky reference, I could almost have solved that egg hunt myself :-p It's definitely up there with the geekiest book I've read, Wizardry Consulted :-p I'll look out for the next book this guy does. (Mar 2012)
- Ready Player Two - I really enjoyed this, read it in three sittings, which is good for me at the moment. I'm not sure I could say it's a good book, or if I could recommend it to anyone, but it's embarassingly up my street :) (May 2022)
Coben, Harlan
- Just One Look - Recommended by Emma, one of her favourite books. (Jan 2005)
Cohen, Adam
- The Perfect Store: Inside Ebay - This has been recommended in a list of 'books entrepreneurs should read', though I'd always planned to get around to reading this (along with a few other dotcom success stories). Coincidentally, I bought this on ebay. (Sep 2006)
Cook, Rick (4)
- Wizard's Bane - Book 1 of the Wiz Biz series. Recommended by Jamie (Nov 2004)
Cooper, M.D.
- Rika Mechanized: A Rika Prequel (Aeon 14: Rika's Marauders Book 0) - This was interesting, I'm not sure I'm sold though. Rika and her tech is definitely interesting, but I've already read about much more advanced stuff. Apparently the future books focus more on the society/AI type stuff, so I might continue later. (Jan 2019)
Cooper, Tony
- The Resurrection Tree and Other Stories - Not sure why I ended up reading this, might just have been an Amazon recommendation. It was pretty interesting and enjoyable though. Might look this guy up again. (Jul 2015)
Coupland, Douglas (5)
- Microserfs - I've heard so much about this book over the years, I should have read it long ago. If you're a geek you should read it, was enjoyable with some cool ideas and observations. One thing that bugged the hell out of me though: sometimes Coupland's use of lan (Sep 2003)
- Hey Nostradamus - Kimberly bought this for my Christmas, 2004 (May 2005)
- Girlfriend in a Coma - 23rd birthday present from Vikki (Sep 2005)
- Eleanor Rigby - I enjoyed this. Everything Coupland writes is quite unique. (May 2009)
Cowi, Jayne
- After Dark - Reading this for the 'matriarchy' topic of my book group. God, this book was annoying. I haven't read quite an 'I-have-an-agenda-to-get-across' book in quite a while. Men basically had no redeeming features. Looking forward to discussing it though. The general premise made little sense. (Jun 2022)
Cox, Jeff
- Selling The Wheel - I like the way this was presented, with a story. Didn't get much from it though. (Mar 2007)
Crewe, Megan
- A Mortal Song - Writing this much after the fact, forgot I read it. It was okay, read it for a fantasy book group, kept my interest, but not interested in more. (Jan 2019)
Crichton, Michael
Croshaw, Yahtzee
Dawkins, Richard (4)
- The Blind Watchmaker - Excellent book, I keep recommending it. I'll need to buy a copy (I borrowed Edward's) just so I can lend it to people. (Jan 2003)
- River Out of Eden - Only the second of Dawkin's book that I've gotten around to reading (after the Blind Watchmaker). I'm going to track down The Selfish Gene and read that before getting his new book, The God Delusion. Fascinating writer. (Oct 2006)
- Climbing Mount Improbable - Another good book of Dawkins'. The 'dance of the bees' and it's evolution were particularly interesting. (Dec 2006)
- The God Delusion - Found this again after having lost it for a while. It's inspired me to add a whole load of new books to my wish list so far. Superb book. (Apr 2007)
DeAngelis, Barbara
- What Women Want Men To Know - Not the worst book of its type. (Apr 2003)
Diamond, Jared
- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies - Recommended and referenced by Scott Orson Card in the epilogue to Shadow of the Hegemon, looks like I'd learn something from this book. Sheesh, it's been on my list since April 2004. About a quarter of the way through so far (I think it'll take me a while). It's a little frustrating that some points he labours home and others (that I find fascinating like the artificial selection/evolution of crops) he completely skims over. After: Sheesh, this took me a while to get through. Excellent book, but it could have been 1/3 the length, very verbose. (Mar 2016)
Dick, Philip K (9)
- The Man in the High Castle - I liked this, interesting novel. (Jul 2006)
- Minority Report - Been meaning to read this for a while. Didn't realise it was so short. The book entitled Minority Report is actually a collection of his short stories. I've decided to list them here individually as I read them so I can keep track of which of his stories I've actually read. The book was okay. Meh. (Oct 2006)
- The Divine Invasion - This was a fascinating premise. (Apr 2007)
- The Eye of Sibyl Other Stories - Some interesting ideas but left wanting as usual. (Mar 2008)
- Dr Bloodmoney - This was a pretty strange novel. I didn't like it all that much, couldn't really care about the characters. (Jun 2009)
- Flow my Tears, The Policeman Said - Been on my list since 2004. Was quite disappointed with this. The first 70% of the book was quite interesting but the ending was pretty terrible. Which seems to be what I usually find with Philip K Dick. Oh well. (Oct 2010)
Doctorow, Cory (4)
- Little Brother - Liked it. I plan to work my way through a good chunk of the bibliography. (Jun 2008)
- Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom - I liked this, will try to read more of his work. (Jul 2008)
- For The Win - May 2011 book from the sci-fi bookgroup I'm in. It's okay, taking me a while to work through it though. Quite an interesting read. (Jul 2011)
Donoghue, Emma
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan (4)
- Hound of the Baskervilles - I've read this before - it's one of my favourite Holmes stories. I read it again in preparation for the Literati bookgroup next month, still as enjoyable. Reminds me strongly of the old audiobook I had when I was very young, damn scary hound howling noises (and there seemed to be a lot more running away from the hound on the moors). The theme was Ride of the Valkyries. (Apr 2008)
Duane, Diane
- So You Want to be a Wizard? - I listened to the unabridged audio book of this. It was interesting to see how many similarities exist between it and the Harry Potter series. It wasn't bad, I would have preferred to have read it as the voices were quite annoying. I simply don't like Kitt's mexican accent and Fred sounded like a retired chain-smoking drag queen. Interesting ideas behind magic and wizardry though. (Nov 2006)
Dumas, Alexandre
- The Count of Monte Cristo - I'm enjoying this, especially as I read parts of it while in France. Such a big book, think it's gonna take me another couple weeks to complete. Finished: This was great, probably overly long, but I'm glad to have read it. I felt like I was thinking in the same word choice/style as the author by the time I finished it. Gonna watch some of the movies now and see how they compare. (Jun 2018)
Egan, Greg (6)
- Permutation City - Stopped what I was doing and moved to this book once I read the synopsis. I thought I'd heard about it before but didn't quite realise what it was about. Right up my street so far. This is the only book I've had time to read in months. I enjoyed it. Wasn't a fan of the ending (I wanted to hear more). I just realised I read this already 17 years ago, in June 2004. Nothing struck me as particularly familiar - strange. I wonder what else I don't remember, book-wise, from 17+ years ago. (Aug 2021)
- Quarantine - The synopsis just caught my attention, so I paused what I was reading to read this. Enjoying it so far, feels like an old school detective novel with a cool sci-fi background. Finished: I liked this lots. Putting aside the naive quantum mechanics (props to the author for a cool explanation and extension of the ideas on this website), I thought there were some cool ideas, particularly the loyalty chip and how it allowed them to create their own idea of what it meant to be loyal. (Jun 2022)
- Schild's Ladder - This was one of the more interesting books I read this year. Some fascinating ideas and imagery. (Sep 2022)
Ellis, Bret Easton
- Less Than Zero - Been on my list since May 2003. Kinda what I expected. It was quite interesting. (Sep 2010)
Ellison, Harlan
Ennis, Garth
- The Boys - I'm really enjoying this, taking me a while to get through (about 1800 pages for the 5 volume omnibus). Quite different from the show. Certainly graphic. It's inspiring me to read some of Ennis' other work (and also go back to Transmetropolitian). Great. (Oct = Books I've Read =)
Ensler, Eve
- The Vagina Monologues - If I say I took nothing from this book I haven't read in a hundred related books I'd be accused of not understanding it, so I'll say nothing. It's a popbook, has to be read I suppose. (Mar 2003)
Eugenides, Jeffrey
- The Virgin Suicides - I'm reading this but I've a sneaking suspicion I read this sometime before I started recording what I'm reading… (Oct 2003)
Faber, Michel
- Under The Skin - This was our bookgroup book this month. I liked this book. (May 2006)
Fannon, Cecelia
Fanu, J Sheridan Le
Farmer, PJ
- To Your Scattered Bodies Go - This has been on my list for a long time. I enjoyed it, will read the rest of the series. (Aug 2010)
Fawcett, Bill
- It Looked Good on Paper - Mentioned on slashdot. Christmas present from Hugh and Liz. I enjoyed it. Will try and look out for his other collections. (Mar 2010)
Feynman, Richard
- Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman! - I'm enjoying this so far. Always been meaning to read it. Finished: Fascinating guy, I liked the book and enjoyed a lot of his stories, others annoyed me a little but overall, fascinating. Still working through some of his lectures on youtube. (Nov 2015)
Finney, Jack
- Time And Again - This was a good book. I was expecting more science fiction, but still enjoyed it. (May 2007)
Flickenger, Rob
Follett, Ken
- Fall of Giants - Recommended by Naomi. Part of the Century Trilogy. I'm enjoying it so far, only a few chapters in, but I like the style so far, and how the stories intertwine. Nice change from sci-fi for a bit too. Finished: I enjoyed this plus I feel a know a bit more about some of the developments leading up to WW1. I'll try to read the rest of the trilogy after a short sci-fi interlude. (Sep 2018)
Forde, Jasper
- The Eyre Affair - A recommendation from bigkev. I enjoyed the book, quite a surreal read. (Aug 2007)
Forster, E.M.
- The Machine Stops - Slashdot recommendation. Interesting story, quite prescient for 1909. (Mar 2009)
Forward, Robert L (2)
- Dragon's Egg - Mentioned on some TV show, sounds interesting, life on a nova star. Just read this. It's been on my list for six years. I really enjoyed it, fascinating story and some really interesting ideas. Definitely need to look for some more of Forward's novels. (Nov 2010)
- Starquake - Enjoyed the first installment. I've had the sequel on my wish list since Nov 2010. Just realised I have a hard copy, it was a gift. It's now December's bedside book. Finished, this was pretty fascinating, the electromagnetism/gravity stuff was a bit too in-depth, but all very interesting. (Jan 2017)
Gaiman, Neil
- Anansi Boys - Christmas present from Vikki, really enjoying it so far. Fascinating characters. (Jan 2009)
Gayle, Mike (6)
- Dinner For Two - Good book, fun dialogue. Am going to look for more of his stuff. Borrowed from Sarah. (Aug 2003)
- My Legendary Girlfriend - Liked it, am looking for more of Mike Gayle's books after reading one I borrowed from Sarah (this one I borrowed from bigkev). Seems like light reading - I get through them very quickly, but some of the ideas are quite thought provoking. I just recommen (Sep 2003)
- Wish You Were Here - Borrowed this from Vik and read it in two sittings. It was certainly readable and I enjoyed it, but it's my least favourite of Gayle's work. It felt a little trite and the dialogue seemed pretty, for lack of a better word, malevolent. (Jan 2009)
Gemmell, David
Gerritsen, Terry
- The Surgeon - One of Sarah's books. Not too bad. (Mar 2004)
Gerrold, David
- The Man Who Folded Himself - This had been on my reading list since August 2005. I didn't realise how short it was. I read it in about 2 hours. It was superb. Exactly the sort of book about time travel I'd like to have written. It gave me loads to think about as well. I think I'll be talking about this for a while. (Dec 2016)
Gibson, William (12)
- Agency - Continuing the series while enjoying the TV show. I was captivated from the first chapter, enjoyed it. (Jan = Books I've Read =)
- The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling - Was looking for a good cyberpunk book to escape into, this is set in the 19th century, good book, but not his usual metaverse stuff. (Jul 2003)
- Red Star, Winter Orbit - Short story, but I'm noting it here so I don't read it again (only by about 2/3s of the way through this sitting did I realise I'd read it before and knew the ending). (Aug 2003)
- All Tomorrow's Parties - Third part of the bridge trilogy. Not really enjoying the trilogy as much as I have Gibson's other stuff.. (Oct 2003)
- Alien 3 Screenplay - Didn't know he had even written this first rejected first draft, it was ok, far better story than the actual Alien 3 at least. (Mar 2006)
- The Peripheral - This had a really unique and interesting premise. I found it a tad confusing at times though. The dialogue annoyed me a little, but it (the dialogue) was well written I thought - natural, Tarantino-like. I heard they're making a live action TV series on Amazon Prime, will be interesting to see. I want to read some more Gibson. (Apr 2020)
Golding, William
Gordon, Phil
- Little Green Book - Borrowed this from thinker. Not the best poker book I've read, the theories were fine, but I wasn't interested in reading a play-by-play account of how he'd play particular hands only for him to indicate his play would change 'depending on the table situation', obviously. (Sep 2007)
Gott, Richard
- Time Travel in Einstein's Universe - Read this because I'd heard Gott mentioned other scifi novels that quote his work, fascinating. This book has been on my wishlist since July 2005, sheesh. Interesting book, his formula for the longevity of a civilization (or anything) at a non special moment in time reminded me a little of Asmiov's histronics. (Jul 2015)
Grafton, Sue
- S is for Silence - I recommended this to one of the bookgroups I'm in because we couldn't decide on anything else and this was a book I recently noticed had spent the most time (or a lot of time) in the New York Times Bestseller List this year. after: This book was okay, but I didn't realise it was part of a huge crime series, otherwise I wouldn't have recommended it. It was interesting, and made me want to know what happened, however there were a few moments that reminded me of The Three Investigators or the Secret Seven, things happened too easy or conveniently for the main character.. (Jan 2007)
Gray, John
- Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus - Popbook, had to be read. (Jun 2003)
Greenspun, Philip
- Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing - I borrowed this from Edward, its the big coffee table edition so I don't carry it around with me, giving me less opportunity to read it (which is why its taking so long). The author is really annoying me. He is proud of an email address he has had for 1 (Apr 2003)
Grimwood, Jon Courtenay (2)
Grimwood, Ken
Haddon, Mark
Haldeman, Joe (6)
- Forever Free - Quite interesting, it went a little all over the place. Not sure if I was a fan of the end, bit hand-wavey. (Jan = Books I've Read =)
- Forever Peace - Not related much to the first novel, but I did enjoy this story, and the world building. The idea was pretty unique, interesting. (Jan = Books I've Read =)
- Camoflauge - Got inspired by a discussion along the lines of “I really liked Forever War, why haven't I read more by this author?” to start reading a bunch of Haldeman. Working through recommendations. After: I enjoyed this, fascinating read. Reminded me of The Thing (the creature). (Jan = Books I've Read =)
- The Accidental Time Machine - Reading this for the June sci-fi bookgroup, recommended by Munro. I enjoyed it. The AI characters were interesting. (May = Books I've Read =)
- The Forever War - Continuing with some classic science fiction. Enjoying this so far. Finished: Wow, excellent book. I thought I'd read this as a kid but realised I obviously hadn't, some fascinating ideas about the development of human society. I'm gonna read Forever Peace and see what else Haldeman has written. (Oct 2015)
- Old Twentieth - The synopsis attracted my attention - space travel and virtual worlds and I'd always meant to read more Haldeman after enjoying The Forever War. After: I enjoyed it, I checked to see if there was a sequel and was disappointed there wasn't. Some interesting ideas. (Apr 2017)
Hamilton, Peter F (16)
- The Reality Dsyfunction - Despite numerous recommendations over the years, I've finally gotten around to reading Peter F Hamilton. Seems interesting so far. Just finished it, I really enjoyed it. Lots of interesting ideas and technologies. Will get the next few in the series. (Apr 2012)
- The Neutronium Alchemist - Second part of his trilogy. I'm quite impressed so far. Okay, finished, it was really good book, so many questions. I've got plenty of other things to read, but I'm ploughing on to the third in the series. (Sep 2012)
- The Naked God - Third in the trilogy. I enjoyed this, the universe it describes is fascinating. The ending was a little too Scooby-Doo/deus-ex-machina for my liking but I'll allow it. (Oct 2012)
- The Dreaming Void - Enjoyed this. Working through the next trilogy, while also currently reading this short stories. (Mar 2014)
- Pandora's Star - Started this just in time for my holiday in Lanzarote, enjoying it. Finished; I enjoyed this a lot. The Primes are pretty fascinating. Bought the next book the moment I'd finished the first. (Sep 2014)
- Judas Unchained - Continuing the Commonwealth Saga. Excellent, I enjoyed this just as much as The Night's Dawn Trilogy. On to his next series I think. (Nov 2014)
- The Temporal Void - Working through the trilogy. I'm enjoying this just as much as the Night's Dawn trilogy. Just the right mix of action, interesting ideas/storylines and new technologies (ANA, biononics, Highers, memory inserts, dyson spheres, telekinetics) and alien encounters. Finished this; it was excellent. I'll be reading the rest of Peter F Hamilton's works. One thing that stood out from this trilogy; Mr Bovey - that's what I want, multiple bodies, multiple experiences, multiple opportunities and essentially guaranteed immortality. (Nov 2014)
- The Evolutionary Void - I really enjoyed this series, the story of the Waterwalker was fascinating and there were some interesting alien species and tech. (Dec 2014)
- Manhattan in Reverse - Bought this hardcover in the pound shop as my 'bathroom book'. I would have paid the RRP for this, �14.99. Poundshop for the win! Really enjoying the first story so far, sort of alternative history detective story where human technology is way more advanced (genetic fingerprinting in the 1850s and space travel before 1900). Finished, enjoyed that book a lot. Helps pad out some of the other works in his trilogies (the Angel/higher Earth encounter). (Mar 2015)
- Mindstar Rising - Starting on his early work now that I've worked through almost everything else. I like this main character Greg Mandel so far. Finished: Enjoyed it, but not as much as his other series (I prefer more tech!) I'll finish the trilogy. (Mar 2015)
- A Quantum Murder - Just continuing the trilogy. Enjoying it, but not as much as the others trilogies. Finished: This was okay, nowhere near as good as his other works. I'm just not that into Greg or this earlier (in time) world of his. Meh. (May 2015)
- The Abyss Beyond Dreams - Taking a break from the Reddit Top 200 books to treat myself with a Peter F Hamilton story. I was putting this off until he'd finished the sequel so I could read it directly after, but I was in the mood for some Void stories and couldn't wait. Read it mostly sitting outside the apartment in Lanzarote. Enjoyed it, as always, some interesting ideas and characters, patiently waiting for the sequel now. (Jun 2016)
- Night Without Stars - I was saving this for a rainy day, but was missing my Peter F Hamilton fix. Only a chapter or two in and it's good! Finished: I enjoyed it, a lot, sad it's all over now. Think I've read almost all of his work except maybe one or two stand-alone books (which I'll read next). The ending was fine, but there were a lot of loose ends tied up in a bit of a contrived way, better than just ignoring them I guess. (May 2017)
- Salvation - I tried to put reading this off until he'd written one or two more, but in the end I couldn't, so read it in a couple of sittings when I was in a particular mood for PFH. It was a good book, I didn't enjoy it as much as his other works, but there were some interesting ideas and I'll definitely be getting the next ones when they come out. (Sep 2018)
- Salvation Lost - Fabulous opening scene/chapter. I enjoyed this, but not as much as his Commonwealth stuff. Not as many new ideas as the worlds are pretty similar. Will read the third one, when it comes out (in 2 years!). (Nov 2019)
- The Saints of Salvation - I enjoyed this, not my favourite of his, but some interesting ideas, and some cool scenes - which is what it's all about. (Oct 2022)
Harrington, Dan (2)
- Harrington on Hold'em: Volume I: Strategic Play - Decent poker book. (Nov 2007)
- Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 2: Endgame - This was okay, my end game needed work. I think I'll go back and read Vol 1 before moving to Vol 3 though. (May 2008)
Harrison, Harry (2)
- The Stainless Steel Rat - Quite liked this, sort of a Dirk Gently in outer space. (Mar 2004)
Heinlein, Robert A (4)
- Farmer In The Sky - So boring, so mid-fifties, so “gee! thats swell pa!”. (Mar 2003)
- Farnham's Freehold - I enjoyed this, read it on the way back from Orkney. Felt like two different novels though; a survivalist story for half the novel, and then came the science fiction. I read a first edition, it was almost 50 years old, looked new. (Aug 2011)
Heller, Joesph
- Catch 22 - Christmas present from Vikki. Been meaning to read it for a long time and its been on this list for an even longer time - I've been putting a lot of things before it, and I think I've started trying to read it before as well. Finally bit the bullet and started to read it [again] on holiday. I'm not enjoying it that much so far (about 20% of the way in). But I plan to finish it - reading it on my kindle but I also have at least two physical copies. Interesting to note when I picked up my copy during my holiday that it's the #1 best seller on Amazon for American literature. Finally got through it. I'm still not sure what I think. It wasn't what I expected, and the characters will probably stick with me for a while but it just left me feeling slightly 'miffed' for lack of a better word. There was a seriously annoying amount of repetition in the book too, maybe that's just me. (Jul 2016)
Henstell, Diana
- Deadly Friend - Just realised I've seen the movie of this, it was dire. Book is kinda interesting though, if a bit ridiculous. Not sure I liked the ending either. Meh. It was pretty much exactly what I expected. Nothing worthwhile here. (Nov 2009)
Herbert, James (2)
- Ash - I hadn't read a James Herbert book in ages, so I thought I'd try this one out. It was very cheap on the amazon store. Not sure what I think so far, it's extremely cheesy, with sex/flirting scenes that are just making me feel awkward for the guy. The premise is pretty interesting, if a little illuminati-y. Meh, finished, the end was a bit too packaged. (Oct 2013)
Hoffman, Abbie
Hood, Bruce M.
- Supersense: Why We Believe The Unbelievable - Brights bookgroup selection. Meh, was pretty much what I expected. I hate the term 'SuperBright', plus I didn't agree with any of his examples, but then, I'm not superstitious. I would wear the cardigan. (Aug 2009)
Hornby, Nick
- High Fidelity - I like this book. Read it in almost one sitting (cat nap in between) when I couldn't get to sleep whilst staying at my parents over Easter. I wasn't sure if I'd already read the book.. I've read the screenplay and watched the movie so I couldn't quite remember. I enjoyed reading it though, I like the style. I have his other novel 'How to be Good', Vikki got it for me, I'll read that soon. (Apr 2007)
Hoyle, Fred
- The Black Cloud - I liked this, though I wished I hadn't read any reviews, one gave away too much of the plot. The science aspect/explanations were interesting. Was fun to see Hoyle push his anti-big bang theory toward the end :-p Originally recommended by Dawkins in a lecture. (Mar 2009)
Huxley, Aldous
Ishiguro, Kazuo
- Never Let Me Go - This was my first (legitimate) ebook purchase (Kindle for iPhone), though I've been reading ebooks since the mid 90s. I'm reading this for the sci-fi bookgroup which I still haven't gotten around to attending despite having read half their selections. I think I completely ruined the start of this book for myself by reading the first two lines of the synopsis on wikipedia. Ho hum. Meh, finished, it was mediocre. Kinda reminded me of Spares by Michael Marshall Smith with all the interesting and exciting parts cut out. (Apr 2011)
Johnson, Spencer
- Who Moved My Cheese? - Major7 recommended and loaned this book to me. Said it changed his life. I've read far too much psychology for this to be anything more than self-help business mangement nonsense. (Sep 2003)
Kay, Peter
- The Sound of Laughter - Christmas present from Liz. I enjoyed the book, read it in just a few sittings, there was quite a bit of crossover from his stand-up material though. (Jan 2009)
Kerouac, Jack
- The Dharma Bums - This was okay, was expecting something more Bukowski-like but this was mellow in comparison, I couldn't be less interested in Zen or meditation at this stage of my life. (Nov 2007)
Kesey, Ken
- One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Borrowed this from Avril, one of the classics I've got to read. Update: Read it, great book. (Oct 2003)
Keyes, Daniel
- Flowers for Algernon - This had been recommended a few times. I read it in two sittings, while sitting outside in the sun in Lanzarote. It was a little strange to read, I was getting drunker as he was getting smarter - made me smile. Interestingly written story, but nothing too ground-breaking. (Jun 2016)
Kidder, Tracey
- Soul of a New Machine - It was listed among a list somewhere of books all geeks should read. It's interesting. after: I liked this book, it's old now, written around the time I was born but still an interesting book. I feel like a learn a little about management too, mushroom management. (Aug 2006)
King, Stephen (2)
Kiyosaki, Robert
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad - One of those cult self-help books, the first of a bunch I plan to read. The book was kinda interesting although some of his advice included “Join the marines, or a religious order” to learn discipline and signing up to these pyramid style schemes to learn marketing. Hmm.. I've read he is a repetitive writer, so I read the abridged version and still thought it was repetitive. (Aug 2006)
Kornbluth, CM
- The Space Merchants - I didn't like the first part of this book, but as he arrives in the 'Chicken Little' factory it really began to pick up. Interesting read. It's fascinating that it introduced so many expressions into modern language, like 'R&D', soyaburger, or 'survey' as a verb. (Sep 2010)
Kraus, Nicola
Kundera, Milan
Lambert, Patrick
Lawrence, Louise
- Children of the Dust - This was ok, very similar to Brother in the Land, though this one seemed a little more 'soppy', not that Brother in the Land wasn't. (Mar 2009)
Leckie, Ann
- Ancillary Justice - Munro loaned this to me, said I'd enjoy it. The synopsis looks interesting. Finished: This was not bad. I thought I'd be more captivated by the two characters who had multiple bodies, but the idea wasn't focused on as much as I'd have liked. Nothing else stood out really. Meh, it was okay but not sure I'll bother reading the other two in the trilogy. (Mar 2021)
Lee, Harper
- To Kill a Mockingbird - Working through a Reddit top 200 book list, this was the fourth highest in order that I hadn't read yet (not sure I even read this in school actually). Finished. This was ok, but I think I kinda spoiled it for myself by already reading some Bukowski and Kerouac (Dec 2015)
Leguin, Ursula K (2)
- The Left Hand of Darkness - I enjoyed this. Had some interesting ideas. Time dilation, a clockwork device to keep your beer liquid in a world that was constantly frozen.. Multisexed individuals.. Fascinating. (Jul 2005)
- The Dispossed - Reading an 'anti-hero' book for a sci-fi/fantasy book group. Feeling like I'm waiting to spot the 'anti-heroness'. Interesting so far. Finished; this was okay. I was pretty confused through most of the book, as I was reading it bits and pieces with a lot going on, I didn't quite realise how the story was laid out (alternating chapters), plus I was waiting on hearing about the ansible and was thinking “Wait, they don't know anybody further than a few days travel?” Anyway, while I guess it had some interesting things to say, from a utopia point of view, I was hoping for a little more science. (Aug 2016)
Levy, Andrea
- Small Island - This is the Ottakar's bookgroup novel for Feb, I enjoyed it. (Mar 2007)
Lewycka, Marina
- A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - This is the July 2006 Ottakars book group novel. Not sure what I thought of it. I think I liked it, it kept my attention either way. (Jul 2006)
Liu, Cixin
- The Three Body Problem - I enjoyed it, and the beginning got me pretty hooked. Generally this book was pretty out there (n dimensional single proton computers with its circuitry/gates composed of strong/weak forces), though that would make it super fast (like the machinery described in Dragon's Egg). Anyhoo, interesting, I might get around to reading the next book from Cixin Liu. (Mar 2019)
Llewellyn, Robert
Lovecraft, HP
- The Call of Cthulhu - Was expecting a lot more from this. Maybe I need to be Victorian. (Mar 2010)
Lowry, Lois
- The Giver - This had been on my list since September 2010, but a post on reddit “books that made you think wow” recently inspired me to go read it. I enjoyed it more than I expected, I'd previously read nothing about the plot so even the title was unknown to me. It didn't make me say wow though - maybe if I'd read it when I was 10 or so, before Fahrenheit 451 etc. Not bad, but I probably won't chase down the rest of the quartet. (Jul 2013)
Mack, David
- Star Trek: Destiny (Star Trek Seekers) - “The omnibus edition of an epic crossover trilogy uniting characters from every corner of the Star Trek universe, and revealing the shocking origin and final fate of the Federation's most dangerous enemy–the Borg”. Sounds good. Finished: I enjoyed this. Took quite a while, basically three novels. It was all pretty satisfying. I wanted to understand/hear a little more about the 'gestalt', i.e. collective minds, but it was glossed over a little. (Nov 2021)
Martel, Yann
- Life of Pi - Slashdot recommendation (Nov 2005)
Martin, George RR (4)
- A Clash of Kings - Enjoyed it. Will work through the rest of the series. (Jun 2012)
- A Storm of Swords - Third book in the Game of Thrones series. Looking forward to getting in to it. Finished it; I enjoyed it as much as I expected to. Was gonna have a break from the series but decided to continue on so I can hold a conversation with Helen without worrying about spoilers :-p (May 2013)
- A Feast For Crows - Working my way through the series, enjoying it. (Jul 2013)
- A Dance with Dragons - Sold as two individual kindle books. A lotta reading, took me through May/June, at one point I was struggling to keep ahead of the disjointed TV show, but I managed it. Enjoyed them, looking forward to the next. (Jul 2014)
Martin, RR
- A Game of Thrones - Another novel that has been on my list since 2003. I was expecting a lot more fantasy but I'm enjoying it so far. Just finished; it was a superb book. Coincidentally I finished reading just in time for the TV series on HBO. I will look out the sequels. (Jun 2011)
Matheson, Richard
- I Am Legend - This is the book on which The Omega Man was (loosely, I hear) based. Just read it in one go, interesting idea, pretty different from The Omega Man, its got vampires in it for a start. (Nov 2003)
Meaney, John
Meyer, Scott
- Off to be a Wizard - I enjoyed this, it was a fun holiday book. Not sure I'll read the sequels but maybe on my next holiday. Some semi-interesting ideas, if all a bit handwavey.. I guess I have to read more to find out more about the world they are in.. (Jun 2022)
Mezrich, Ben
- Bringing Down The House - Recommended by my mum, it was an interesting book. Really wants me to go look further at blackjack theory now.. :-p (Jan 2008)
Mieville, China
- Perdido Street Station - Slashdot recommendation - Got this back from Sandy after having left it at his flat for nearly a year. I'm trying to figure out where I left off, think I got it. Just finished, it was a good sci-fi book, some fascinating characters in that strange world (Apr 2008)
Miller, Walter M.
- A Canticle for Leibowitz - This was okay, I'd have preferred not to have jumped around in time quite so much - I wanted to hear more about some of the particular characters, but it was a decent post apocalyptic novel. (Aug 2010)
Millington, Mil
- Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About - I've been subscribed to Mil's mailing list for a long while and bought this for Vikki, always meant to read it myself too. after: Enjoyed it. I didn't really click with Pel though.. (Oct 2006)
Mills, Magnus
- Explorers of the New Century - This is the February sci-fi bookgroup novel, I enjoyed it. (Mar 2007)
Mitchell, David
- Cloud Atlas - Picked this up on a whim and really enjoyed it. I found one section a little hard to read (Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After - I'm sure I counted seventeen apostrophes in one sentence) but really enjoyed the world Sonmi-451 lived in - I'd like to see more of that. I'm not 100% sure I got the overall message of the book, the interconnected aspect, I might go read some critical reviews. Will try to read some more David Mitchell. (Dec 2008)
Mitnick, Kevin
Moore, Alan
- Watchmen - Meh, heard so much about this graphic novel. It was really built up in my mind. I bought an original 1987 edition, but flicking through the pages it never really grabbed my attention.. it's been sitting on my shelf for almost five years. I read it in one sitting - I didn't like it all that much - it didn't seem to have much depth. Maybe I should read a critique. It'll be interesting to see how they handle the film though. (Jun 2009)
Moore, Michael
Morton, Camilla (2)
- How to Walk in High Heels - Vikki has left this in the bathroom, so I'm slowly reading it whenever I'm in there, ahem. (May 2006)
Murakami, Haruki (2)
- Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - This was the September 2006 bookgroup novel. I enjoyed it, very surreal. There were a few parts I'm not sure I understood. Thought it was a new novel (read it in one night, because I hadn't got around to it and the bookgroup was looming) but no, 1985. (Sep 2006)
- Dance Dance Dance - I enjoyed reading this book, but it annoyed me quite a bit. There were so many unanswered questions and things I'd like to have known. I'll still be reading some more of Murakami's stuff though. (Oct 2007)
Nabity, Eric
- The Martian Engineer's Handbook - Interesting short book expanding on/critiquing some of the ideas in Weir's novel. I could have absorbed much more (he didn't touch much on the practicalities of travelling around and the launch). (Jun 2015)
Naish, John
- Put What Where?!: Over 2,000 Years of Bizarre Sex Advice - This was recommended somewhere, Vikki bought me it as a birthday present. after: Does what it says on the tin, but this book was pointless. I shouldn't have bothered. I have no real interest in all the mistakes and fallacies previously made by non-scientists. (Oct 2006)
Navarro, Peter
- Principles of Economics - This was a lecture series handout, it was interesting, I've added one of Navarro's books to my list. (Mar 2008)
Naylor, Doug
- Red Dwarf: Last Human - Fine, but if you've seen as much Red Dwarf as I have you'll know 90% of the content already. (May 2003)
Naylor, Grant (2)
Newman, Kim
- Anno Dracula - Reading this for a sci-fi/fantasy book group. I'd been meaning to read it for a while. Interested to see where it's going. Finished: Not bad, some interesting ideas for vamipre lore and society. Don't think I'm going to continue the series though, just not enough in it. (Mar 2016)
Niffenegger, Audrey
- The Time Traveler - A present from Vikki, never heard of it before, but just started the first two chapters, it seems like I'll enjoy it. after: One of the best books I've ever read (Nov 2005)
Niven, Larry (3)
- Ringworld - Jamie recommended this, but it's a classic I've been meaning to read for ages, didn't realise it wasn't already on my wish list. Got it as a 24th birthday present from Vikki. after: Good book, the author uses the phrase ego-smashing to describe the view afforded by the ringworld to it's inhabitants at night. Fascinating idea, fascinating book. (Aug 2006)
- The Magic Goes Away - This was an excellent book. I'd like to read the others in the trilogy. I almost read this in one sitting, partly in the park and then later in the pub. I was worried reading it out doors though, my copy is a present from Vik, a signed first edition. There are some interesting parallels to be drawn between mana and our current natural resources. 2007-05-04. (May 2007)
- The Ringworld Engineers - I enjoyed this. Always meant to read it after really enjoying Ringworld. Some fascinating imagery. (Dec 2008)
O'Brien, Robert C.
- Z for Zachariah - This was a Christmas present from Vikki, she said it was one of her favourite books from school. It sounds like my favourite genre. Just finished it a few days after Vikki gave it to me, I enjoyed it. There were a couple of things that made me think, particularly, harvesting wheat, barley and other crops simply to keep the species from going extinct.. (Dec 2006)
Orson, Scott
Orwell, George
Palahniuk, Chuck
- Invisible Monsters - Reading as part of a new bookgroup. It was an okay book, kinda interesting, not quite sure what it was trying to say though. I could also have done without some of the repetition. (Mar 2010)
Partridge, Norman
- Dark Harvest - Read this over the course of a few hours in time for a Halloween book group meeting. I enjoyed it, some really beautiful writing. (Oct 2017)
Patterson, James
- The 5th Horseman - Vikki's dad gave this to me a while ago. It's a bit of a trashy novel but I enjoyed it, read it very quickly as well - it's one of those Da Vinci style novels, 137 chapters.. (Jul 2007)
Paull, Laline
Paulsen, Gary
Payne, Stuart
- Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down - I enjoyed this book, it wasn't anything like I expected (I was expecting more of a story, this is actually notes of dunking biscuits, sitting down and the history of biscuits) - actually I'm not sure why it made my list - I've never heard of www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com. It was a 24th birthday present from Vikki. Got through it very quickly and learned some tea and sitting down related trivia. (Aug 2006)
Pease, Allan
- The Definitive Book of Body Language - I was reading this for a small insight into some poker bluffing. It was okay, I guess I learned a lot of this information already elsewhere. (May 2008)
Penney, Stef
- The Tenderness of Wolves - This is the book for the Phoenix book group, May 2007. It was the 2006 Costa Book of the Year.. not sure who votes for that however.. It was a decent book, sometimes I felt that large parts could have been missed out completely though. (May 2007)
Pirsig, Robert
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Excellent book, famous, has to be read. There is a sequel which I'll have to get hold of. (Jul 2003)
Plath, Sylvia
- The Bell Jar - Interesting. (Jul 2009)
Pohl, Frederick (2)
- Beyond The Blue Event Horizon - The second of the Heechee series. I enjoyed it, answered enough of my questions, while still leaving some intrigue. (Apr 2010)
Pratchett, Terry (3)
- The Colour of Magic - I've been meaning to read the Discworld series for years. Enjoyed it, will read more I think. (Mar 2010)
- The Light Fantastic - I enjoyed this as much as the first, will continue to read the series. (May 2010)
- Small Gods - Read this for the fantasty bookgroup. It was decent but very little happened. Made me miss sci-fi. (Jul 2019)
Pullman, Philip (3)
- Northern Lights - I read some great things about this trilogy as a whole (evolution creating a creature that utilizes seedpods for wheeled locomotion) looks good, enjoying this first book so far. Borrowed from my little sister. after: This was good, I'm looking forward to the next two in the trilogy. (Jan 2007)
- The Amber Spyglass - Not that bad. Nothing special though. The reason I read this entire series was to find out about the wheeled creatures Dawkins made a reference to. There wasn't much about them really. I definitely enjoyed the first book in the series more than the second or third. (May 2008)
- The Subtle Knife - It was okay, not much of plot though, it certainly feels like a bridge between the first and third in the trilogy. I'll read the third one next though. (May 2008)
Rankin, Robert
- The Witches of Chiswick - This was a present from my dad at Christmas. The idea was interesting, but the writing was awful. Tedious nonsense, it seemed like Rankin was trying for a surreal Douglas Adams feel but I didn't think he pulled it off at all. (Jul 2006)
Reilly, Matthew (3)
- Ice Station - This was an unbelievable, unrealistic, over the top, mindless novel, not the sort of thing I normally read. I loved it though
(Sep 2008) - Hell Island - Meh, kept me entertained. Pretty much the definition of an airport novel. (Oct 2008)
(Relentos, Oscar
- Watch Them Wander: Book 1 (Colossus of Rhodes Series) - Not sure why I chose this, I liked the line of the synopsis 'until the day she discovers an animatronic genie in the sand capable of reversing her fortunes' and had to find out what it'd be like. The book was ok, but don't think I'll follow up. (Dec 2018)
Reynolds, Alastair (3)
- Absolution Gap - This was decent. (Jul = Books I've Read =)
- Revelation Space - I liked a few of the characters, but meh, 'twas ok. (Apr 2019)
- Redemption Ark - This was alright, it hasn't really gripped me in the way I wanted. I'll probably read a few more, just to be sure. (Sep 2019)
Rheingold, Howard
- Virtual Reality - Waste of time. I read the first couple of chapters before realising the book was written in 1991, thus horribly out of date, but curses, I can't not read a whole book no matter what I think of it half way through. Goes on far too much, in a creepy way, (Aug 2003)
Riley, Matthew
Roberts, Adam
Robinson, Kim Stanley
Ronson, Jon (2)
- The Psychopath Test - Book for the March 2012, Skeptics book group. Seems quite interesting. After: very readable book, makes me want to read some of the other 'corporate psychopath' books he mentioned. (Mar 2012)
- Them: Adventures with Extremists - This was a reasonably well written book but I just don't really care much about the subject material. Felt like I read it in minutes compared to having just worked my way through the very long Peter F Hamilton novels. (Nov 2012)
Rowling, JK (7)
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Elaine convinced me it would be a good idea to read these. I'm writing this after I've just finished the third book. The first two were okay, I went through with reading them because I like keeping up with popular literature. I did quite enjoy the thir (Apr 2004)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Finally got around to reading the last in the series. The story was okay, the dialog was far too preachy and moral for my liking though. (Jul 2008)
Sacks, Oliver (2)
- The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat - Fascinating book. (Sep 2007)
- Hallucinations - This was okay. A little dry, I much preferred The Man Who Mistook (Nov 2013)
Sagan, Carl (2)
Sagan, Nick
Sallinger, JD
- Catcher In The Rye - Just started working through a Top 200 books referenced on Reddit post (I'd read about 50 of them and this was the highest rated one I hadn't read). I'm glad I've read it (one of the classics off the list) but I didn't get all that much from it. Maybe if I'd read it younger or (I say this all the time) if I'd read it before books by Bukowski or Jack Kerouac it would have been more memorable, but when I finished this book I was just glad I could get onto the next one. Meh. (Oct 2015)
Sawyer, Robert J. (2)
- Wake - Munro recommended this. I enjoyed it (read it in two sittings) and will read the sequels (I felt it was just getting started when it ended). I found a lot (most) of the dialogue irritating (overly simplistic/forced to match the narrative), and I just don't think his writing style meshed well with me. I wanted to keep reading though, so, jury is still out. (Apr 2017)
Scalzi, John (3)
- The End of All Things - I'm enjoying this, reminding me of the Bobiverse books so far. Finished: Aww, I was hoping for more of the main character (Rafe) but it changed in the last two thirds to be a mostly political drama. Not my cup of tea. It was interesting that the author showed the original draft (kinda) of the first part at the end of the book. It was interesting to see what parts were kept and which were 'excised'. (Jul = Books I've Read =)
- Redshirts - I'm filling this out way after the fact (Jan 2019), not sure why it was missed being recorded, but I was reminded of it again after a recent bookgroup. I enjoyed it a lot. Comical parody of the genre with some interesting takes on reality etc. I plan to read more of Scalzi's work (The Old Mans War). (Jun 2016)
- Old Man's War - This was enjoyable, nothing really new though. (Nov 2019)
Schlosser, Eric
- Fast Food Nation - Fascinating book. Should have read this sooner, I think Edward recommended it in like 2003. (Mar 2009)
Schwartz, Randall L
Scientist, New (2)
- Why Don't Penguins Feet Freeze? - I enjoyed this - I plan to look out for the other compendiums of the Last Word column. (Mar 2007)
- Do Polar Bears Get Lonely? - I love these books, I've read all the others but for some reason, I've not written them down here. If I could only read one type of book for the rest of my life, it'd be books like these - I have a penchant for science trivia. (Dec 2009)
Sebold, Alice
- The Lovely Bones - I think Vikki bought this as a present for me, she has read it already though. Looks interesting - it was mentioned in the foreword to one of my favourite books, The Time Traveller's Wife. (Jun 2006)
Sedaris, David
Shakespeare, William (2)
Sheckley, Robert
- The Robert Sheckley Megapack - His short stories were recommended on a reddit thread, and noticed this was less than a pound on Amazon. There were some interesting stories (particularly The Status Civilization - prison planet) but a lot of old school 1950s scifi shlock as well. (Jan 2015)
Shriver, Lionel
- We Need to Talk About Kevin - This is the August 2006 Ottakar's book group novel. Not bad, kept my attention. (Aug 2006)
Sigler, Scott (3)
- Contagious - Enjoying this sequel so far. Hive minds and aliens! Finished: Lotta fun.. Will read the third in the series soon. (Apr 2019)
- Pandemic - The third in the Infected series. I enjoyed this. The ending was a little poor, but I guess there wasn't much left to do after the first two books. I would liked to have learned a little more about how the infection/control worked - he focused on that more in the previous novels though. Anyway, it was a fun horror scifi story. I might look at some of his other books. (Jan 2020)
Simmons, Dan
- Hyperion - This has been on my list since 2003. Paused reading it to read Bedlam (so we could talk about Bedlam as a group at WW). Finished: I really enjoyed this, almost nothing happened (it's the background stories of 6 people travelling) but those stories really opened the world up and explored some fascinating stuff (cybroids, AI, ergs, The Shrike etc). Gonna read the next one when I get a chance. (Aug 2018)
Simpson, David (5)
- Post-Human - Recommended by Natalia. I didn't enjoy this so much, I felt the writing was a little too hand-wavey/gee-whizzy, but there were a couple interesting ideas, and I was keen to see where it might lead. (Mar 2018)
- Human Plus - This was quite different from the last two books, far more interesting and the writing seemed better. Interested to know more now. (Apr 2018)
Sladek, John (2)
- Roderick - This was a strange book. I enjoyed it, there were some interesting ideas. The entire premise was a little shaky.. Roderick enroles in school - he has tank tracks, a square steel body and tries to convince everybody he is a robot - they all assume he's crazy and is a boy in a special iron lung.. then he starts to slowly replace parts of his body all the while trying to convince people he is a robot, but nobody believes him.. Also, there were numerous strange paragraphs of gibberish.. unconnected words and phrases.. I'm not sure if that was to illustrate his mental processes but it was very frustrating. Anyway, worth a read. (Nov 2008)
Smith, Martin Cruz
- Wolves Eat Dogs - I got this because I read (I think in slashdot) that it “deals extensively with radiation and radiation poisoning” - if I'd know it was part of a (I assume, from the synopsis) detective series I might not have bothered - I'll give it a try though. Just read it, meh, it was alright, not what I was looking for though. (Sep 2008)
Smith, Michael Marshall (9)
Stead, Bob
Steinbeck, John
- East of Eden - It took me a while to get through this - not quite sure why - it was a superb book, might even be up there in my top ten. One of the few fiction novels I'd consider reading again some day too. (Aug 2008)
Stenger, Victor J.
- God: The Failed Hypothesis - This was okay but nothing overly new presented, though I was interested to hear what he had to say about cosmic constants. (Jun 2009)
Stephenson, Neal (6)
- Anathem - 10% in, I'm really struggling with this book so far. Weird terminology and obscure references to their timeline/abilities/math. I'm persevering though, because it's Neal Stephenson - I'll be disappointed if it doesn't pick up soon though. Finished: Sheesh. That took me far too long. There were definitely some interesting ideas, but, gah, so much redundant terminology and something generally just bugged me about the monastic sensibilities.. I sort of enjoyed it, but I can't imagine recommending anything but skimming over the wikipedia page to anybody. (Sep 2015)
Sterling, Bruce (2)
- The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling - Was looking for a good cyberpunk book to escape into, this is set in the 19th century, good book, but not his usual metaverse stuff. (Jul 2003)
- Heavy Weather - Hmm.. this took me basically the whole month to read. I really didn't like it, ended up glazing over after every few pages. I'm not that interested in weather and the descriptions were so painfully verbose. There were a couple of precocious ideas and the smart rope and pursuit vehicles were interesting though. (Apr 2009)
Stoll, Clifford
Stross, Charles (3)
- Accelerando - I enjoyed this a lot. Some fascinating ideas about VR, space travel and matrioshka brains. I'll try to read more Stross soon. (May 2016)
- Singularity Sky - Munro recommended this as an interesting book that dealt with cornucopia machines and their impact on society. I enjoyed it and would be interested to hear more about The Festival. Definitely going to be reading more Stross when I get the chance, I still think about Acclerando often. (Nov 2018)
- Saturn's Children - Recommended by Matthew at my bookgroup. As much as I like Charles Stross, I didn't really like this book. It wasn't as complex as Accelerando but I found it hard to follow. Partly because I just didn't care about the characters. It actually picked up a little in the last couple of chapters, so I may read the others in the series. Back burner for now though. (Jul 2019)
Stroustrup, Bjarne
Swindells, Robert E. 'Bob'
Tanner, Alex
- The Virgin Guide to Poker - The first in a series of books I plan to read before I go to my first live game on the 19th of this month. (Mar 2007)
Taylor, Dennis (4)
- All These Worlds - I enjoyed this series a lot. It ticked all my boxes. Good fun. (Mar 2018)
- For We Are Many - Second book in the Bobiverse series, I'm enjoying it. (Mar 2018)
- We Are Legion - Stumbled across a one line description on Reddit and couldn't resist. Can't put it down so far. First of the Bobiverse series. Finished: I'm not sure how much merit this book deserves, it was a little simplistically written, but I enjoyed it immensely, straight onto the sequel. (Mar 2018)
- Singularity Trap - I wanted to read this as soon as I heard about it (and because it was written by the Bobiverse guy). I enjoyed it. Some interesting ideas. Was cool to see his transformation. The ended seemed a little contrived, but overall, enjoyable book. (Dec 2019)
Tchaikovsky, Adrian (7)
- Children of Time - When someone at my bookgroup summarised the story (intelligent spiders and ant colonies acting as computers) I was sold. This is one of the better sci-fi books I've read this decade. So many fascinating ideas, and the evolutionary histories of the creatures involved was fantastically done. I should check out anything else this guy does. I also want to read a non fiction book on some spider/ant species now. (Oct 2018)
- Children of Ruin - This was an excellent sequel, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first - maybe it's more difficult to empathise with a mollusc mind than a spider mind, for me, for some reason but the book had some excellent ideas, and featured the creature I like that reminded me of the motiles from the Commonwealth Saga. (Jun 2019)
- Cage of Souls - I enjoyed this, but it was much more fantasy than sci-fi. Nowhere near as good as Children of Time, but decent. I think I need to read some more sci-fi now though. (Oct 2019)
- The Expert System's Brother - This was interesting. (Mar 2021)
- The Expert System's Champion - I was happy to read more of the original story, but didn't enjoy this one as much, story kinda petered out. (Mar 2021)
- Shards of Earth - Wanted to read his famous set of books (after being introduced to him by Children of Time). Finished: I enjoyed this. The characters were pretty interesting. I think I'll read the next one soon. (Jan 2022)
Tessaro, Kathleen
Thomson, Laura
- PHP4 and MySQL Web Development - I'd recommend this for beginners. (Mar 2003)
Torvalds, Linus
- Just For Fun - Borrowwed this from Richard at 2600, have wanted to read it for ages. (Dec 2003)
Tracey, Brian
- 21 Ways to Build a High Profit Business - Just a random choice in my effort to read a host of business books, this is common sense babble (Apr 2006)
Tremain, Rose
- The Darkness of Wallis Simpson - Novel for Dec bookgroup. (Jan 2008)
Troupe, Quincy
- Miles and Me - This was recommended alongside a number of other books (including The Dharma Bums and Unnberable Lightness of Being). I liked the novel. It was a little strange and I'm not quite sure what I think of Miles. However, I've gotten hold of two of his albums and plan to listen to them later. (Jan 2008)
Vernor, Vinge
- Rainbow's End - Interesting book. Nothing really new though. A little contrived at times. (Dec 2007)
Vonnegut, Kurt (2)
- Slaughterhouse-Five - This is the meetup.com bookgroup book for June. I enjoyed the style. (May 2007)
- Hocus Pocus - This was okay. (Jun 2007)
Watson, SJ
- Before I Go To Sleep - Karen recommended we read this together. It was a decent book, kinda eerie. (Jul 2012)
Weber, David
- On Basilisk Station - Free kindle book, the cover attracted me because it was so old-style sci-fi kitch. So far okay. After: I enjoyed it, I'll try to look out more of the series. (Mar 2014)
Weeks, David
- Eccentrics - This, along with the Shakespeare tomb, is my 'bathroom book'. This was reasonably interesting. There was an interesting parallel between eccentrics in society and darwinism for the social organism. (Jun 2007)
Wells, Martha
- Artifical Condition - This was decent. I'll read another. (Mar = Books I've Read =)
Welsh, Louise
- The Cutting Room - Somebody recommended this to me as 'a female version of Bukowski' - it's certainly not that. I did enjoy the writing, though the whole premise was a little tame. (Apr 2008)
Wheaton, Wil
- Just A Geek - Interesting book, I'd like to read his other one, Dancing Barefoot. (Mar 2008)
Willett, Chris
Wolfe, Gene
- The Island of Doctor Death - Recommended on the Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List (Nov 2004)
Wolfe, Tom
- The Bonfire Of The Vanities - Good novel. (May 2003)
Wright, Deborah
- Love Eternally - This was Vikki's book that I found in the bathroom, I'm reading it on and off. Interesting idea, guy dies and becomes a ghost, has to learn what love truly is before he can 'pass on'. (Mar 2007)
Zelazny, Roger (2)
- For a Breath I Tarry - Excellent short story. (Dec 2006)
- Lord of Light - Listening to this on audio book while I do stuff around the flat. It's interesting, the prose is quite flowery though. First audio book I've listened to in years. I think I'd have followed it more easily if I was reading it, there were a lot of names and aliases. Anyway, very interesting book. (Apr 2022)
multi, multi (4)
- Stealing The Network: How to Own The Box - Amazon review was favourable, I like the idea of fictional stories carrying the reader to the technical ideas. (Oct 2003)