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<![CDATA[Toby
is on page 444 of Anathem
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http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70879940
Toby
is on page 444 of 937 of
Anathem
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<![CDATA[Toby added 'Anathem']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70879940
Anathem (Hardcover)
byNeal Stephenson bookshelves: currently-reading
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<![CDATA[Toby added 'And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69175560
to: And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails (Paperback)byWayne Curtis
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<![CDATA[Toby added 'Outliers']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54023131
to: Outliers (Audio CD)byMalcolm Gladwell
Gladwell's process of proof-by-anecdote gives the illusion that he's trying to prove his assertions with flimsy evidence, but like The Long Tail, this is one of those books that provide a worldview-changing experience.
For instance, after reading Outliers I watched October Sky, the movie about Homer Hickam's rise from poor coal country to NASA engineer, with a new appreciation for all the inputs to Hickam's success that were not due Hickam himself. Because of Outliers, I wondered "Is there a perfect birthdate for a NASA engineer?" The answer is probably yes, one that allows one to come of age during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958, win a science fair, go to college, and become a scientist.
Regardless, Outliers underscores that it's not by moxy alone that we achieve success, and Gladwell's easy conversational tone and accessible anecdotes make this book a joy to absorb. The audio version is well-read by the author.
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<![CDATA[Toby added 'Wild Cards']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50869805
to: Wild Cards (Volume 1)byGeorge R.R. Martin
Good throwback fare that covers similar ground as Watchmen or even Heroes on TV. Wild Cards is a short-story collection assembled as a "mosaic novel" to be read front-to-back. Unfortunately it's front-loaded, builds a good head of steam in the first half and then the back half just limps along. Some talented writers and compelling stories in here, but it never really excels.
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<![CDATA[Toby added 'Anansi Boys: A Novel']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49024813
Anansi Boys: A Novel (Paperback)
byNeil Gaiman
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<![CDATA[Toby added 'The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28246746
to: The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer (Paperback)byNeal Stephenson
In "The Diamond Age" Stephenson both treads some of the same terrain as his previous novel, "Snow Crash" and foreshadows material from his followup "Cryptonomicon." Nanotechnology, culture, cryptography, subversion, and nature-vs-nurture feature as strong thematic elements in this book.
As "postcyberpunk," The Diamond Age posits a world in which the "franchulates" from Snow Crash evolve to their logical conclusion as full-fledged world governments along cultural, not geographic lines. One of these "phyles," the Neo-Victorians, evoke a futuristic futurism, steampunk with nanotech. Others, like the Confucian Coastal Republic and the Mandarin Celestial Kingdom, repeat (or at least strongly echo), the Boxer Rebellion of the turn of the 20th century.
Our primary POV is Nell, who grows from toddlerhood to young womanhood nurtured by the mysterious Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, a high-tech ("magic" by Clarkian standards) book that becomes her mother figure and in effect raises her. Also attached to Nell is a touch of Dickensian "Great Expectations"-like benefactor-looking-out-for-her-ness, though this role changes hands from her brother Harv to the Confucian Judge Fang, to Neo-Victorian Finkle-McGraw. When Nell finally steps out from under the umbrella of protection and sets out to make her own way, she's swept into the Big Picture and we ultimately find that she's still the subject of yet another benefactor vis-a-vis her book, with which she never parts.
Stephenson's writing is lush and inviting, filled with ratholes and distractions that he uses to both remind us of history and build his own world. The pacing is uneven, and the strong lean towards worldbuilding in the first few dozen pages makes for a difficult entry, but diligent readers are rewarded with a wonderful tale (and some tales within tales), even if some characters act in seemingly arbitrary fashion.
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<![CDATA[Toby added 'Foundation']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45240468
to: Foundation (Foundation 1)byIsaac Asimov
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<![CDATA[Toby added 'Foundation and Empire']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45888469
Foundation and Empire (Foundation 2)
byIsaac Asimov bookshelves: to-read
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