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August 14
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Steve
gave
 
to:
Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings (Paperback)
by Philip A. Fisher
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my rating:
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read in August, 2008
Steve said:
"I'm not that into finance stuff, so this was pretty dull for me. I was pretty impressed that Fisher wasn't what I consider to be a typical, corporate cold-blooded jerk, though. He puts a lot of value on how companies treat their employees.
T...more
I'm not that into finance stuff, so this was pretty dull for me. I was pretty impressed that Fisher wasn't what I consider to be a typical, corporate cold-blooded jerk, though. He puts a lot of value on how companies treat their employees.
The most interesting part is this edition's introduction, which is written by Fisher's son. It's very personal and doesn't paint the nicest picture of his father. It's tough to read a book of financial advice that's been introduced with a detailed explanation of how cold and crazy the author was.
Still, I did appreciate the book teaching me I'm totally not equipped to invest. Next, I think I'll try and find a good poker or craps book....less
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July 27
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Steve
gave
to:
A Lesson Before Dying (Paperback)
by Ernest J. Gaines
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my rating:
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read in July, 2008
Steve said:
"I read this for work (it's the college's common reading next semester). It was a good read but nothing life-changing. The ending is a bit uneven, almost as if Gaines ran out of story but still had pages to fill up.
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July 23
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Steve
gave
to:
Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations (Hardcover)
by Clay Shirky
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
Steve said:
"Interesting book but not terribly groundbreaking. It's a nice overview of social tools and how they're impacting society. There's not a lot of social/economic/political theory, though, which would have made the book seem a little less observational.
...more
Interesting book but not terribly groundbreaking. It's a nice overview of social tools and how they're impacting society. There's not a lot of social/economic/political theory, though, which would have made the book seem a little less observational.
The chapter on the price of failure and how the internet and social applications provide for low-cost, distributed failure is very interesting, though. That could almost be a book in itself.
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July 14
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New comment on Gerry's review of
Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys But Never Forget How To Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Behavior
(see all 3 comments)
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June 29
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Steve
gave
to:
The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team (Paperback)
by Wayne Coffey
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my rating:
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read in June, 2008
Steve said:
"I was interested in this book because Tim Wendel's "Going for the Gold: How the U.S. Won at Lake Placid" presented a pretty awful portrait of US coa...more
I was interested in this book because Tim Wendel's "Going for the Gold: How the U.S. Won at Lake Placid" presented a pretty awful portrait of US coach Herb Brooks, which was the first time I had read how brutal his coaching methods were for the gold-medal winning team.
Coffey's book doesn't really delve into the psychological torture, nor does it really discuss the world tour the team took before arriving in Lake Placid. Instead, Coffey uses the game against the Soviets to tell the stories of the various players on the team, and to update us on where they are now.
It's not a deep analysis of the team, but the updates are interesting. I either did not know or had forgotten Mark Wells was practically crippled from a back injury sometime after the Olympics. And goalie Jim Craig's struggles to adjust to the NHL after winning a gold medal should be a book in itself.
"The Boys of Winter" can be trite and cliched at times, but it's not horrible. Wendel really did a much better job of capturing the horror of being on that 1980 team, though.
...less
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May 26
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Steve
gave
to:
Black Postcards: A Musical Romance (Hardcover)
by Dean Wareham (Goodreads author!)
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
Steve said:
"I wasn't a big fan of Luna and I had never even heard of Galaxie 500 but someone at work recommended this, so I decided to give it a whirl. It's a fantastic book that walks you through the life of an indie band in pre- and post-Internet America. We a...more
I wasn't a big fan of Luna and I had never even heard of Galaxie 500 but someone at work recommended this, so I decided to give it a whirl. It's a fantastic book that walks you through the life of an indie band in pre- and post-Internet America. We all have a sense of what it's like for successful bands and most people have some kind of connection to a failed band of some kind, but it's pretty amazing to read about a band that's almost successful (although Luna's longevity is very, very impressive).
Wareham is a great writer who has the amazing ability to describe his jerky behavior without your thinking he's a jerk. And he writes about music in a way that's descriptive, without being flowery or pretentious.
It's a really great read.
...less
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May 19
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Steve
gave
to:
Hacking Vim: A Cookbook to Get the Most Out of the Latest Vim Editor (Paperback)
by Kim Schulz
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
Steve said:
"It's not a bad book. It's more my misunderstanding it. I thought it would be more about using Vim, but this is more about tweaking it.
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May 11
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Steve
gave
to:
Roast Chicken and Other Stories (Hardcover)
by Simon Hopkinson
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my rating:
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read in May, 2008
Steve said:
"I had somehow never heard of this book, even though I've come to understand it's pretty famous. Roast Chicken is a very personal cookbook annotated with both practical cooking advice and great stories, which is my favorite kind of cookbook. Ho...more
I had somehow never heard of this book, even though I've come to understand it's pretty famous. Roast Chicken is a very personal cookbook annotated with both practical cooking advice and great stories, which is my favorite kind of cookbook. Hopkinson has a great love of food. It's obvious when you find yourself reading the kidney section (the book is organized by ingredient) and thinking that they don't sound bad.
The book doesn't have a common thread (other than it's the author's musings on food), but if you had to assign one to it, it's to respect your ingredients. Everything Hopkinson writes is to further whatever it is he's preparing. It's not about making food do what you want it to do; it's about helping your ingredients reach their full potential.
I put down some cookbooks and feel like the writer must think I'm an idiot, or else I feel guilty I don't have five hours a day to prepare meals. Roast Chicken got me very excited about food. I'm not sure how many of these recipes I'll make, but the technique and ideas behind the recipes will definitely come in handy....less
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May 04
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Steve
gave
to:
Cathedral and the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary (Paperback)
by Eric S. Raymond
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
Steve said:
"Decoding Liberation mentioned this book quite a lot so I was curious to read it. I wasn't disappointed as it's a more hands-on look at the open source software movement f...more
Decoding Liberation mentioned this book quite a lot so I was curious to read it. I wasn't disappointed as it's a more hands-on look at the open source software movement from a participant. Raymond talks a lot about the sociological, psychological, and economic aspects of the movement, that while is nowhere as in-depth as Decoding Liberation, is also a lot more accessible.
Raymond also has some interesting points about open source software from a management perspective.
If you're looking for a readable preview of what many people believe to be the future of software, this is probably where you want to start....less
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April 18
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Steve
gave
to:
Intellect and Public Life: Essays on the Social History of Academic Intellectuals in the United States (Paperback)
by Thomas Bender
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in April, 2008
Steve said:
"I was interested in this book because it explores the disconnect between the academy and public life. It's written by a social historian, who's more historian than sociologist, though. Bender is detailed, but ultimately he doesn't really connect the ...more
I was interested in this book because it explores the disconnect between the academy and public life. It's written by a social historian, who's more historian than sociologist, though. Bender is detailed, but ultimately he doesn't really connect the history to the phenomenon.
Also, the book is a collection of previously published essays, so it's not always as cohesive as it could be, although it is interesting to see Bender's ideas evolve over the course of the book. But ultimately, the essays just aren't a perfect fit for his hypothesis. They dance around his questions, but they don't quite answer them.
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