Rob McMinn

Rob McMinn rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Year's Best Science Fiction by Gardner R. Dozois

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Ninth Annual Collection
by Gardner R. Dozois

read in May, 2013

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It has taken me the best part of a year to get through this edition. I have a collection of these, stretching across two shelves of my book case, and (until last year) I would devour each new volume during the summer holiday.

Last year, I had problems...more It has taken me the best part of a year to get through this edition. I have a collection of these, stretching across two shelves of my book case, and (until last year) I would devour each new volume during the summer holiday.

Last year, I had problems with both the content, which didn't seem as good as usual, and the format of the book, which was suddenly on much thinner paper, making for a slimmer volume that takes up less shelf space.

The twenty-ninth edition follows the same format. It's not that the type has got smaller, but obviously, with age, my eyes have got a lot worse. I've been spoiled by the Kindle and iPad, being able to adjust the size of the type and even the brightness of the screen, depending on the reading conditions and how tired I am.

So for the past year I've been reading stuff off of screens, more comfortably, and this book has lain around neglected as I slowly crawled through its stories. Blame the cheapness of the paper, which means it's not a pleasure to turn the pages, and blame the size of the type, which has always been small, but, Christ, my eyes.

This was unfair, because the quality of the stories this year is much better. If not up to its best, it has certainly bounced back from the lacklustre 28th edition. Highlights include the final story, a novella called "The Man Who Bridged the Mist" by Kij Johnson; "The Vorkuta Event" by Ken MacLeod; "Cody" by Pat Cadigan; "The Vicar of Mars" by Gwyneth Jones; "A Long Way Home" by Jay Lake; and "The Copenhagen Interpretation" by Paul Cornell. There are more, but I should emphasise: there is nothing wrong with the quality of the contents. Nevertheless, I'm deducting a star for the cheapiosity of the paper. When you're holding a 650-page book, you don't want to feel like it's going to fall apart.

It's coming up to the summer holidays again, and I could do with something excellent to read, but I have more or less decided to wait for the electronic version, so I can make the type suit my ancient eyesight. This means that in the UK I have to wait till flaming September for the flaming Mammoth version of the thirtieth (which will be numbered 25, I think?).(less)

Rob McMinn marked as to-read:

Raft
by Stephen Baxter

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Rob McMinn marked as to-read:

The Night Sessions
by Ken MacLeod

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Rob McMinn marked as to-read:

Toast
by Charles Stross (Goodreads Author)

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Rob McMinn rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Old Man's War
by John Scalzi (Goodreads Author)

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Rob McMinn rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music
by Greg Milner (Goodreads Author)

read in March, 2013

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Fascinating, surprisingly comprehensive, and yet at the same time rich with anecdotes and digressions, this is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of popular music.

Approaching the subject from the technological viewpoint, Milner's...more Fascinating, surprisingly comprehensive, and yet at the same time rich with anecdotes and digressions, this is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of popular music.

Approaching the subject from the technological viewpoint, Milner's book explores the history of recording methods and techniques, and the oddly repetitive discourse surrounding recorded sound. Knowing a little about this subject myself, there was no point at which I felt this was off target, and the discussion is never less than fascinating, particularly with reference to the coming of digital and the loudness wars.

The illustrations are useful, though what this book begs for is the iPad treatment, with embedded sound samples to illustrate some of the points. That said, it would of course be impossible to illustrate some of the central debates about music: the advantages of acoustic vs. electrical recording; the difference between analogue and digital, and so on.

One of the key ideas that comes across is that the general public have never really been terribly concerned with sound quality, but that the music industry has almost never stopped trying to sell us on it. When I was growing up, I knew one or two people with "hi fi" separates, but most people I knew (including myself) listened to music on whatever was available that was affordable. Not having a top-end music system has never been a barrier to falling in love with music, and for much of history, music was designed to be heard through sub-optimal equipment. Rock and roll was made for AM radio. Later rock music was compressed to death for FM radio. My own obsession began when I was forced to listen to stereo records on a mono record player (a whole channel missing). I graduated to an old tube radiogram with a melted facia, and - eventually - a mid-range hi-fi, but my love for music remained constant.

These days, many of us listen to compressed music on tiny speakers or cheap headphones, and never even get close to "perfect sound."

To understand what has been driving all this on the production side can only enhance your understanding of music. A great read.(less)

Rob McMinn has challenged himself to read 503 books in the 2013 Reading Challenge

He has read 3 books toward his goal of 503 books.

3 of 503 (1%)

Create your own 2013 Reading Challenge »

Rob McMinn rated a book 2 of 5 stars

Immortal (Ethan Warner #2)
by Dean Crawford (Goodreads Author)

read in January, 2013

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Since this was a free download from the Apple iBooks store, I shouldn't complain, but I did not enjoy reading this.

It purported to be a Crichton-style techno/science thriller, but it didn't live up to expectations. What it is actually is a sequel (n...more

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Rob McMinn rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Ninth Annual Collection by Gardner R. Dozois read in May, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
It has taken me the best part of a year to get through this edition. I have a collection of these, stretching across two shelves of my book case, and (until last year) I would devour each new volume during the summer holiday. Last year, I had problems...more
May 05, 2013 01:11am · see review
Rob McMinn marked as to-read: Raft by Stephen Baxter	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 12, 2013 11:56am
Rob McMinn marked as to-read: The Night Sessions by Ken MacLeod	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 12, 2013 11:56am
Rob McMinn marked as to-read: Toast by Charles Stross (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 12, 2013 11:56am
Rob McMinn rated a book 4 of 5 stars Old Man's War by John Scalzi (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 12, 2013 11:54am
Rob McMinn voted on a poll EReader users: do you highlight? he voted for No, I never highlight.
Mar 10, 2013 02:42pm · take the poll
Rob McMinn rated a book 5 of 5 stars Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music by Greg Milner (Goodreads Author) read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Fascinating, surprisingly comprehensive, and yet at the same time rich with anecdotes and digressions, this is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of popular music. Approaching the subject from the technological viewpoint, Milner's...more
Mar 06, 2013 12:59pm · see review
Rob McMinn has challenged himself to read 503 books in the 2013 Reading Challenge He has read 3 books toward his goal of 503 books. 3 of 503 (1%) Create your own 2013 Reading Challenge »
Feb 24, 2013 01:45pm · view books
Rob McMinn rated a book 2 of 5 stars Immortal (Ethan Warner #2) by Dean Crawford (Goodreads Author) read in January, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Since this was a free download from the Apple iBooks store, I shouldn't complain, but I did not enjoy reading this. It purported to be a Crichton-style techno/science thriller, but it didn't live up to expectations. What it is actually is a sequel (n...more
Jan 27, 2013 11:15pm · see review

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