bookshelves: to-read
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bookshelves: fiction
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bookshelves: fantasy, horror
Neil Gaiman's introduction was eye-opening for me, and this is the first time I've read Kipling while keeping the historical context in mind. I'm liking it so far, and just finished reading "The Man Who Would Be King"...it looks like the movie with Sean Connery was pretty true to the story (although it's been a LONG time since I've seen the movie). ]]>
bookshelves: fantasy, non-fiction
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bookshelves: fantasy
"Smoke and Mirrors" is Neil Gaiman's best short story collection, in my opinion. My favorite story from the collection is "Snow, Glass, Apples", a retelling of Snow White from the point of view of the stepmother. In it, Ms. White is not all pureness and mistreated innocence. The stepmother is not an evil witch -- just a new wife trying to fit into a family that's clearly got some issues.
Who's to say that this perspective is less valid than that in the original story? Well...okay, maybe Bettelheim, but regardless, I've never approached the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves the same way since reading this. ]]>
Frankie
read and liked
Steven's
review of Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores:
"If you love books, this is one of the best anthologies ever! Imagine stories by Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Harlan Ellison, Gene Wolfe, and Nina Kiriki Hoffman (and a dozen or so other authors) all in one book. Well worth finding... "
"If you love books, this is one of the best anthologies ever! Imagine stories by Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Harlan Ellison, Gene Wolfe, and Nina Kiriki Hoffman (and a dozen or so other authors) all in one book. Well worth finding... "
bookshelves: fantasy
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bookshelves: sci-fi
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by James Blish
Sounds like I need to read this one! ]]>
bookshelves: non-fiction
This book is an excellent discussion on how systems go wrong because of unforeseen relationships: ships and planes that end up crashing because the galley electrical systems get overloaded, things like that. I think it's a must-read for anyone involved in complex system design, or in the design of "simple" systems that are part of larger, more complex ones.
One thing I'd caution against, though: I read this on a plane! It only freaked me out a little, but I kept wondering if I was scaring any of my fellow passengers. ]]>