false 28 28 21 true 5872700 read 5 true 2708213 currently-reading 2 true 2708212 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71684757 to: Neuromancer (Mass Market Paperback) by William Gibson
If you read this book, just keep one thing in mind: Gibson wrote it in 1984, and got at least as much right about cyberculture as Stephenson did in 1992 with Snow Crash. Parts of the book are almost eerily accurate - not about precise technology, mind you - but about how we use that technology, and what we use it for. Apologies for being so broad, but it is precisely those broad, big ideas that Gibson just nailed. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71683983 to: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (Paperback) by Christopher Moore
A quick read. A fun read. A not-necessarilly thought-provoking read. Basic premise: what if, during the time before Jesus came back to Jerusalem to preach, he had all sorts of adventures that helped form the basis of Christian theology? Adventures that involved kung-fu and his jackass of a best friend?

Moore is an enjoyable writer, but he's not going to change the way you look at stuff. Nevertheless, I got chuckles. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65216865 The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe (Paperback) by Roger Penrose
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64788622 The First World War (Paperback) by John Keegan
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64788582 Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power (Paperback) by Niall Ferguson
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64788142 Crooked Little Vein (Kindle Edition) by Warren Ellis
Don't read this book if (1) there are children in the house, (2) if you're at all squeamish about anything, or (3) if you have a soul.

Otherwise, it is hilarious and well-structured. Imagine we had a Secret Constitution that was mired in depravity. Imagine we lost it, and wanted it back. Hijinks, hilarity, and the literary equivalent of snuff ensues. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49558874 to: Watchmen (Paperback) by Alan Moore
OK, I should probably add a review of this one, seeing as I've been ranting about the movie for a good week now.

What if we had costumed heroes in the "real world"? That's Moore's basic premise, and the beginning of his attempt to deconstruct the genre (whatever that means). You'd have to be some sort of insane to put on spandex and beat the crap out of common criminals...and that's the point. All of Moore's "heroes" are deeply flawed, troubled people that escape into their costumes. Infinitely moreso than the movie, the characters here are human beings, think like humans, and have the same concerns as humans. Save for the one guy who isn't human - and that allows Moore and Gibbons (through his ridiculously detailed and deep artwork) to compare "guys who put on suits and punch" to "gods who walk the earth."

By the end, no matter how much you like the idea of heroes among us, you will probably be left with a deep, gnawing skepticism of anyone or anything that presumes to put him or herself above others. Who Watches The Watchmen, indeed. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49551058 to: Coraline (Paperback) by Neil Gaiman
Not nearly as creepy as people suggest, and completely predictable (especially if you've ever read a Gaiman story before), but it is supposed to be: it is a child's scary bedtime story. Maybe the best child's scary bedtime story I've read. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38611584 The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Mythos Books) by Joseph Campbell
bookshelves: currently-reading
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