2014 Book Challenge

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Jeremy
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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by Jeremy » 14 Sep 2014 02:52

1. Books v. Cigarettes by George Orwell - 126pp
2. Brain-Based Parenting: The neuroscience of caregiving for healthy attachment by Daniel Huges & Jonathan Baylin - 272 pp [ebook - google]
3. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon - 152pp
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - 600pp
5. 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson - 561pp [ebook - kobo]
6. The Castle by Franz Kafka - 305pp
7. Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov 223pp [ebook - google]
8. Dune by Frank Hebert 412pp [ebook - google]
9. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut 226pp
10. Pattern Recognition by William Gibson 356pp
11. Divergent by Veronica Roth 487pp
12. Time Out Of Joint by Philip K dick 199pp [ebook - google]
13. Insurgent by Veronica Roth 525pp
14. Allegiant by Veronica Roth 526pp

This is the worst in the series, and not because of the preachy fundamentalist Christianity, but because it's just a boring plot, told badly. I think what you have to notice, small pages aside, is that essentially three moments of action happen in a 526 page book, and they all only take a few pages to occur. 99% of the book is just people sitting around feeling sorry for themselves and trying to work out their feelings of guilt (aka sin). Also the book essentially climaxes 50 pages before the end, and the last bit, especially the epilogue, was particularly boring. I guess if you read the first two, you should read this. The other thing that bothered me a little is the amazing ignorance of genetics, which is admittedly the opinion of scientists and never really demonstrated to be true or false in the context of the world, so in the defense of the author you could say that the scientists don't understand genetics not her, but given the part it plays the premise of the series, you'd think she could have taken a few hours away from Bible study to read up a little. Of course this is a book about how scientists love eugenics, among other things, and their solution to failed eugenics is to use eugenics, so I guess asking the author to read a little science might be too much.

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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 14 Sep 2014 09:28

12. Zero History, William Gibson, 404 pg.

This is the final book in the Blue Ant trilogy and the latest novel that Gibson has published to date. I found "Zero History" to be a great story, flush with an exciting plot development and engaging characters. I was extremely happy with the novel, especially after the lackluster "Spook Country". I would definitely recommend this novel to someone who is interested in science fiction or William Gibson.

Now I'm done with all of the currently-available fiction book by Gibson. Only have to read "Distrust that Particular Flavor" and then wait for his impending new release.

@Jeremy: I did read "Burning Chrome" and really enjoyed it. Haven't seen the movie, actually. Glad you're enjoying some Gibson. I don't like *all* of his works, but they have a really unique flair that I appreciate. I would definitely recommend reading the Sprawl and Blue Ant trilogies. Actually, I also really liked the Bridge trilogy and his co-authored book, "The Difference Engine", with Bruce Sterling. Overall, Gibson is a really great writer and I'm glad to have made it through his collection of fiction.
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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 21 Sep 2014 13:42

13. Time Out Of Joint, Philip K Dick, 234 pg.

I really enjoyed this one. Quick read, great plot/characters, as always - a different idea about what reality is... my full review is in the Modified Book Club.
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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 22 Sep 2014 12:23

14. Love Letter To The Earth, Thich Nhat Hanh, 142 pg.

This is an ecological appeal for our species to get back in touch with our roots - the Earth, the Sun, and the universe beyond. I believe it is the second book I have read by Thich Nhat Hanh, the first bring "Peace Is Every Step". I found this book to be very simple to read, chock full of common sense, and calming. However, it didn't hold my interest as much as the previously-mentioned book. I would definitely recommend this to others, as it is a good way to remember some basic things about our relationship with nature and it is very easy to read. I imagine that it would have a positive influence on younger readers that might last for a lifetime.
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Jeremy
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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by Jeremy » 06 Oct 2014 02:51

1. Books v. Cigarettes by George Orwell - 126pp
2. Brain-Based Parenting: The neuroscience of caregiving for healthy attachment by Daniel Huges & Jonathan Baylin - 272 pp [ebook - google]
3. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon - 152pp
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - 600pp
5. 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson - 561pp [ebook - kobo]
6. The Castle by Franz Kafka - 305pp
7. Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabokov 223pp [ebook - google]
8. Dune by Frank Hebert 412pp [ebook - google]
9. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut 226pp
10. Pattern Recognition by William Gibson 356pp
11. Divergent by Veronica Roth 487pp
12. Time Out Of Joint by Philip K dick 199pp [ebook - google]
13. Insurgent by Veronica Roth 525pp
14. Allegiant by Veronica Roth 526pp
15. World War Z by Max Brooks 342pp

Hmm, I seem to not be reading much literature lately :P. Actually I am, but the other books are big. I just bought this the other day because I found myself in the city with some time to kill and needed a book to read.

This really is a very serious and very well researched speculative fictional history of how humanity would actually deal with a zombie apocalypse. Of course there are aspects of it that I don't think would play out like that, but I think you have to appreciate the research and thought that has gone into this.

There's also a lot of political commentary in this. As much as it's a speculation about what would happen in a zombie crisis, it's speculation about how well different governments could deal with a massive crisis, and the kind of tactics that they're system of government is likely to produce.

I did find the ongoing cliched ironies a little boring. Oh, now people are fleeing from America to Cuba in rafts, how original. There's a lot of these kinds of jokes. I also felt like some aspects were contrived just Brooks to make rather tedious points that didn't have much to do with the story. The Russians decimate part of their army, and by "decimate" he means kill off exactly 10%.

I did find it very hard to follow the characters, because there are many, most only appear briefly for one chapter, but a few appear again a few hundred pages later. That's a tough continuity to track.

I definitely enjoyed the narrative sections a lot more than the wider descriptive sections. There's a particular set of two linked chapters set in Japan that must have been heavily influenced by Murakami, which were by far my favourite. I'd definitely read a whole book about just those two characters.

Anyway it's an impressive book, and a fun read.

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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 07 Oct 2014 18:25

15. Fishers of Men: The Gospel of an Ayahuasca Vision Quest, Adam Elenbaas, 276 pg.

I wasn't definitively sure how I felt about this book at its mid-way point. The story had captivated me and was somewhat relatable for me personally, but I didn't care for the characters and the book lacked a concrete sense of linear progression. By the end, I realized that I enjoyed "Fishers of Men", but wasn't enthralled by Elenbaas' writing style. I doubt I would recommend this book to anyone unless I thought they would benefit from learning about ayahuasca and believed they would identify with the author's Christian background and set of experiences.
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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 17 Oct 2014 10:02

16. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, or Pearls Before Swine, Kurt Vonnegut, 190 pg.

Wasn't a huge fan of this book. Made me chuckle a few times, but was never really grabbed by the plot. Doesn't really go anywhere and the characters aren't incredibly interesting. This is my least favorite Vonnegut so far. Hopefully it won't get any worse than this. At the end of the day, it wasn't a terrible book, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the other Vonnegut novels I have read.
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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 22 Oct 2014 07:50

17. The Walls Came Tumbling Down, Robert Anton Wilson, 174 pg.

This is a screenplay about how one's concept of reality can completely change and how jarring it can be for that person. Having gone through some similar situations in my own life, it was relatable, but this is one of Wilson's weaker works. Luckily, it was a really quick read, and the story was somewhat interesting, but his other books are so much better than this one.
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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 30 Nov 2014 12:48

18. Working With Anger, Thubten Chodron, 169 pg.

I am very impressed by the quality of this work. Chodron writes clearly and concisely throughout the entire piece. The book's focus is on how to approach, understand, and work with anger - our own and others'. As someone who has a long fuse but a violent temper when it is finally triggered, I had been wanting to find a practical guide to help me and those who are close to me. This book is precisely what I was searching for. I will most likely read it again, because although it was an easy read, it was thought-provoking and will certainly yield more insights with another run-through. I would highly suggest this to anyone, regardless of their temperament. I feel like I probably wouldn't have taken this book seriously until high school or college, but would have definitely benefited at those times of my life from the wisdom it has to offer. Once again - very impressed.
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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 15 Dec 2014 12:20

19. The World Jones Made, Philip K Dick, 199 pg.

One of PKD's earlier novels, this one has a good mix of science fiction elements - pre-cogs, alien invasions, drug use, mutant humans, etc. It's not the strongest PKD, but I enjoyed it a lot and it was a fairly quick read. I'd suggest this one to anyone interested in science fiction and/or dystopian futures. It's not a pick-me-up sort of book, that's for sure - but the plot is engaging and the characters are interesting.
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Re: 2014 Book Challenge

Post by bigdirtyfoot » 28 Dec 2014 06:54

"What Color Is Your Parachute?: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers - 2013 Edition", Richard N. Bolles, 350 pg.

Although this is the 2013 edition of "What Color Is Your Parachute?", I'm writing this review in December 2014. When I first started the book in July 2013 I was unaware of the amount of work it would take to make it through to the end. That is why I'm only now finishing it now, yet I got so much out of it that I plan on purchasing a newer edition in 2016 or 2017 and revisiting Bolles' words of advice, as well as going through all of the exercises again.

Even though this book's description reads, "A practical manual for job-hunters and career-changers", there is so much more to be gleaned from it than only the job or career-related advice that the title references. The book uncovers secrets about today's job-market, effective ways to search for jobs, how to network and use social media, résumé-building and interviewing tips, dealing with (perceived and real) handicaps, salary negotiation strategies, and a thought-provoking discussion about starting your own business.

However, the best part of the book is also the one that takes the most effort from the reader - "You Need to Understand More Fully Who You Are", or Dick Bolles' "Flower Exercise". This chapter has several exercises that are designed to help the reader identify their favorite fields of interest, preferred kinds of people to work with, transferable skills, preferred salary range and desired level of responsibility, preferred places to live, and personalized goal, purpose, or mission in life. For me, this chapter took the most time but was also the most rewarding. Rather than reading about what Bolles has to say, this chapter enables the reader to deepen his or her self-understanding.

I got so much out of this book and look forward to returning to a newer edition of it sometime in the future. It has helped me clarify the type of work I would like to do and refocus on new ways of developing myself. I would recommend it to literally anyone who is at least sixteen years old, although the reader will get most out of it if they are willing to put a fair amount of work into the exercises. While there are some great words of advice in the rest of the book, I believe that the most valuable parts of the book center around the exercises themselves. I wish happy and fruitful self-searching, job-hunting, and career-discovering to everyone who is on that path!
David Wilder

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