What books are you reading? - Page 4

Sparky99 · 09-19-2005, 11:42 AM

Brian had posted on the front page a reference to Tom Friedman's "The World Is Flat". I read this book (available from ereader) when it first came out and thought it was my best read of the summer. Friedman gives some pretty convincing arguments for why things are the way they are in this "global economy".

Friedman starts off by describing ten "flatteners" that have changed the way business is done. These range from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the invention of the PC, open source software, the internet, connecting the world with broadband pipes and the "dot com" bust of the late 90's. He goes on to describe how the convergence of these flatteners act in a synergistic way, allowing businesses anywhere in the world to be more responsive and more competitive than traditional businesses.

Friedman provides plenty of examples and anecdotes - from your US tax returns being prepared in India, to a fast food restaurant in the American mid-west that uses a call center over seas to take hamburger orders, to Colin Powell sending cell phone text messages to his foreign secretary counterparts in negotiations at the UN.

If you want to hear a good argument as to why the price of gasoline has gone through the roof or why things are so cheap at Wal-Mart, or why out-sourcing and off shoring is a good thing and what you need to do to survive it, take a look at this book.

I'm really not a shill for Friedman. I don't agree with a lot of his columns in the NY Times, but I really enjoyed this book.

My next read is going to be Freakonomics by Levitt & Dubner. Also available from ereader.com

Bob Russell · 09-19-2005, 01:51 PM

Those sound like some great books to keep in mind for my "serious reading" list. (World is Flat, and Freakonomics I mean.)

Currently, I'm reading Plato from Harvard Classics about Socrates' last days. It's actually fascinating to me, even though it sounds old and dry.

I finished Ender's Game, and it is probably the most enjoyable sci fi I've ever read. I really got into the characters so it wasn't all just artificial and empty like a lot of sci fi seems to me to be. Very addictive also. I had so much fun with it, I miss it now that I'm done. I feel sort of like I got to know the main character and I miss him!

I'd like to read Orbitsville which is supposed to be really good, except it's only available in paper form and even maybe out of print, so I'll probably wait.

I'm also listening to the EarthCore podcast novel, and am a little more than half way through. It's not bad. Sort of has the feel of a first novel by an author just learning his trade, but I get the impression his writing is getting better the further I go. Unfortunately, the plot seems to be getting a little boring to me so I'm not sure that I'll finish this book. (Sci Fi isn't my favorite genre anyway.) On the other hand, I think this author might really have a big time future, and I'm interested in his future books.

You can find it here, by the way... http://www.scottsigler.net/earthcore/

There are portions of EarthCore that are really, really nice, and I appreciate the way that things are written so you don't lose track of the story if you miss one sentence. It's fun to listen to, despite his silly voice characterizations! (They voices are corny, but kind of enjoyable even though I can't tell the men from the women!) I didn't find the characters very compelling so far, which is my main complaint. I didn't really care about them enough either to empathize with them or to dislike them. And while he had some great analogies to use, I think he overused them in the early chapters. Phrases like "was as enthralled as a cat at the window" (or whatever it was) can get annoying if used to much. But I have to admit that they were pretty good analogies.

Anyway, like I said, it leaves me with the feeling that here is one extremely talented writer who is just getting started with a first book and great things are ahead. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with over the next few years, and even though I may or may not finish EarthCore I'm definitely keeping him on my list of authors that I like.

(BTW, Scott -- If you're reading this I hope you won't hold the comments against me! I'm not much of a sci fi reader in general. And, of course, I have no skills or education to give any credible basis for my comment. They're just my personal opinions for better or worse. But congratulations on your big successses so far, and I hope your work will continue to explode with lots of future success.)

Sparky99 · 09-19-2005, 06:14 PM

Scott Sigler has also started another podcast novel, "Ancestor". It can be found here

http://www.project-daemon.net/

He has just released the second installment.

Gatton · 10-10-2005, 12:17 AM

Currently reading Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. I haven't gotten that far in it but so far I'm enjoying it. The same author has also written a book about Cinderella from a different characters point of view in Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.

cbarnett · 10-10-2005, 03:27 AM

Heh, I'm still on my Dune kick... finished the prequels (Atreides, Harkonnen and Corrino), and I'm reading the final of the Preludes trilogy now (they were Butlerian Jihad, Machine Crusade and currently Battle of Corrin). Not bad reads, but they still don't hold a candle to the original masters.... it's a shame FH died before he could finish the series <sigh>

Now I need to start thinking of the next book... should I start the Robotech series, or get into some Fantasy (Hobb most likely).... hmmm

Henrycat · 10-10-2005, 06:04 AM

Have you read some of the ebooks offered by Baen Free Library?

Unfortunatelly here in Portugal the Sci-fi genre isnt sold very much (if at all), although the fantasy genre is developing very nicely (thanks to lotr and Harry Potter).

When i found Baen two years ago it was love at first site.

cbarnett · 10-10-2005, 07:07 PM

Baen is one of my favourite and most visited commercial ebook sites. I've got and have read all the Honor Harrington books (except At All Costs, out this month, woot!). John Ringo is another favourite, but there are so many good authors being published there, and so many ebooks are free (and those that aren't are DRM'less, which is another big plus in Baen's favour).

If anyone likes sci-fi or fantasy, and hasn't been to Baen's website (http://www.baen.com), do it!

Bob Russell · 10-10-2005, 08:28 PM

I just finished listening to LeCarre's Honorable Schoolboy. It was an abridged edition, but it really didn't strike my fancy. Probably because it was too intense to listen to without more concentration. Not sure what my audiobook will be, but I'm thinking about Michael Connelly's Lost Light.

I'm also reading the Stephanie Plum mystery, One for the Money. That's a long series that will provide a lot of books for me if they are good. This one is excellent and easy to read and fun. I wish they hadn't thown the bits of gratuitous crude or sexual references here and there (probably for mass market appeal), but other than that it's been a lot of fun. About a woman that basically becomes a bounty hunter to find criminals that skipped out on bail, and ends up chasing an old brief flame who was a detective that killed someone. This becomes her career out of necessity to have something to live on. It has certainly got me drawn into it all.

johnnaryry · 10-11-2005, 04:57 AM

I'm currently reading several: The Colorado KId by Stephen King, Dance of Death by Preston & Child and Fortunes of the Dead by Lynn Hightower...

--ryan

Brian · 10-11-2005, 06:31 AM

Current "reading" list

dwig · 10-11-2005, 10:10 AM

just finished reading:
"The Lathe of Heaven" - Ursula LeGuin - re-read that is.
"Life on the Mississippi" - Twain - great read, the reports on the 1882 flood in La was extremely vivid in light of the recent flooding of New Orleans.
"Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" - Cory Doctorow - very good read.

Currently reading short stories, alternately, in another issue of Planet Magazine and "The Voice of the City" by O.Henry as a break from longer works.

The first two were paper books, the last 3 are ebooks.

Jaapjan · 10-12-2005, 02:40 AM

Mmm..this weekend, I read book 1, 2 and 3 of 'The Shadow Gods' as well as book 2 and 3 of .. what is it called ... Dead Empire's fall.

morituri · 10-21-2005, 12:01 AM

I have been reading up a storm over the past couple of weeks:

Starfish and Maelstrom by Peter Watts
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Raising Atlantis by Thomas Greanias
Ghost by John Ringo
Serenity Movie Adaptation by Keith RA DeCandido

I'm currently reading Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold (#11 in the Barrayar series)

Smiley88 · 10-22-2005, 10:27 PM

Sorry if I'm a bit overly political in my reading selections. I guess you can call me the "activist reader."

I am in the midst of reading "No Logo" from Naomi Klein. Definitely a must read if you like in-depth study of the out-sourcing of North American jobs, corporate branding, and details on the anti-globalization movement. I've found the study of Multi-national companies behavior in foreign countries to be particularly "enlightening." I am amazed that the civic values of fair wages/holiday pay/anti-discrimination so embraced in the US and Canada are so quickly abandoned by our corporations when they do business in other countries. Maybe our corporate presence is a vanguard to international hatred by other countries toward the US/Canada?

Just finished "The Survivor" about the Clinton presidency by John Harris. A very interesting and objective read (refreshingly, not particularly partisan) on a controversial topic.

Does anyone know how to locate some good ebooks on Peak Oil topics? I've looked at Palm and Mobipocket to no avail.

On that happy note...

Cheers,

Scott

Francesco · 10-23-2005, 03:16 AM

I'm reading Camera Lucida, by Barthes.
Every once in a while I read a difficult book, each one of them for a different reason. This time I have two: I deals with the Photography (it's become my top hobby), and it was recommended by one of the biggest influences in my life.
For people familiar with philosophy readings, this one might be a piece of cake (some parts ARE a piece of cake), but for me, with a background in engineering, it's a beast to tame. Still, I'm loving this ride into Barthes' mind.
Previously I read Barthes for beginners, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, just as I've enjoyed every title from the "for beginners" collection I've read: Foucault, Zen, and Derrida.

09-19-2005, 11:42 AM	#46
Sparky99 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 14 Join Date: Sep 2005 Device: Treo 650	The World Is Flan Brian had posted on the front page a reference to Tom Friedman's "The World Is Flat". I read this book (available from ereader) when it first came out and thought it was my best read of the summer. Friedman gives some pretty convincing arguments for why things are the way they are in this "global economy". Friedman starts off by describing ten "flatteners" that have changed the way business is done. These range from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the invention of the PC, open source software, the internet, connecting the world with broadband pipes and the "dot com" bust of the late 90's. He goes on to describe how the convergence of these flatteners act in a synergistic way, allowing businesses anywhere in the world to be more responsive and more competitive than traditional businesses. Friedman provides plenty of examples and anecdotes - from your US tax returns being prepared in India, to a fast food restaurant in the American mid-west that uses a call center over seas to take hamburger orders, to Colin Powell sending cell phone text messages to his foreign secretary counterparts in negotiations at the UN. If you want to hear a good argument as to why the price of gasoline has gone through the roof or why things are so cheap at Wal-Mart, or why out-sourcing and off shoring is a good thing and what you need to do to survive it, take a look at this book. I'm really not a shill for Friedman. I don't agree with a lot of his columns in the NY Times, but I really enjoyed this book. My next read is going to be Freakonomics by Levitt & Dubner. Also available from ereader.com

10-10-2005, 06:04 AM	#51
Henrycat Zealot Posts: 149 Karma: 1146 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Pernes. A small village in Portugal. Device: Kindle Voyage	maybe some from Baen? Have you read some of the ebooks offered by Baen Free Library? Unfortunatelly here in Portugal the Sci-fi genre isnt sold very much (if at all), although the fantasy genre is developing very nicely (thanks to lotr and Harry Potter). When i found Baen two years ago it was love at first site. Last edited by Henrycat; 10-10-2005 at 06:11 AM.

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09-19-2005, 01:51 PM	#47
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Those sound like some great books to keep in mind for my "serious reading" list. (World is Flat, and Freakonomics I mean.) Currently, I'm reading Plato from Harvard Classics about Socrates' last days. It's actually fascinating to me, even though it sounds old and dry. I finished Ender's Game, and it is probably the most enjoyable sci fi I've ever read. I really got into the characters so it wasn't all just artificial and empty like a lot of sci fi seems to me to be. Very addictive also. I had so much fun with it, I miss it now that I'm done. I feel sort of like I got to know the main character and I miss him! I'd like to read Orbitsville which is supposed to be really good, except it's only available in paper form and even maybe out of print, so I'll probably wait. I'm also listening to the EarthCore podcast novel, and am a little more than half way through. It's not bad. Sort of has the feel of a first novel by an author just learning his trade, but I get the impression his writing is getting better the further I go. Unfortunately, the plot seems to be getting a little boring to me so I'm not sure that I'll finish this book. (Sci Fi isn't my favorite genre anyway.) On the other hand, I think this author might really have a big time future, and I'm interested in his future books. You can find it here, by the way... http://www.scottsigler.net/earthcore/ There are portions of EarthCore that are really, really nice, and I appreciate the way that things are written so you don't lose track of the story if you miss one sentence. It's fun to listen to, despite his silly voice characterizations! (They voices are corny, but kind of enjoyable even though I can't tell the men from the women!) I didn't find the characters very compelling so far, which is my main complaint. I didn't really care about them enough either to empathize with them or to dislike them. And while he had some great analogies to use, I think he overused them in the early chapters. Phrases like "was as enthralled as a cat at the window" (or whatever it was) can get annoying if used to much. But I have to admit that they were pretty good analogies. Anyway, like I said, it leaves me with the feeling that here is one extremely talented writer who is just getting started with a first book and great things are ahead. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with over the next few years, and even though I may or may not finish EarthCore I'm definitely keeping him on my list of authors that I like. (BTW, Scott -- If you're reading this I hope you won't hold the comments against me! I'm not much of a sci fi reader in general. And, of course, I have no skills or education to give any credible basis for my comment. They're just my personal opinions for better or worse. But congratulations on your big successses so far, and I hope your work will continue to explode with lots of future success.)

09-19-2005, 06:14 PM	#48
Sparky99 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 14 Join Date: Sep 2005 Device: Treo 650	Scott Sigler has also started another podcast novel, "Ancestor". It can be found here http://www.project-daemon.net/ He has just released the second installment.

10-10-2005, 12:17 AM	#49
Gatton Groupie Posts: 150 Karma: 368 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Charlotte, NC Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2021, assorted Fire tablets.	Currently reading Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. I haven't gotten that far in it but so far I'm enjoying it. The same author has also written a book about Cinderella from a different characters point of view in Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.

10-10-2005, 03:27 AM	#50
cbarnett MR prodigal son Posts: 1,085 Karma: 1083739 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura H2O	Heh, I'm still on my Dune kick... finished the prequels (Atreides, Harkonnen and Corrino), and I'm reading the final of the Preludes trilogy now (they were Butlerian Jihad, Machine Crusade and currently Battle of Corrin). Not bad reads, but they still don't hold a candle to the original masters.... it's a shame FH died before he could finish the series <sigh> Now I need to start thinking of the next book... should I start the Robotech series, or get into some Fantasy (Hobb most likely).... hmmm

10-10-2005, 07:07 PM	#52
cbarnett MR prodigal son Posts: 1,085 Karma: 1083739 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura H2O	Baen is one of my favourite and most visited commercial ebook sites. I've got and have read all the Honor Harrington books (except At All Costs, out this month, woot!). John Ringo is another favourite, but there are so many good authors being published there, and so many ebooks are free (and those that aren't are DRM'less, which is another big plus in Baen's favour). If anyone likes sci-fi or fantasy, and hasn't been to Baen's website (http://www.baen.com), do it!

10-10-2005, 08:28 PM	#53
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	I just finished listening to LeCarre's Honorable Schoolboy. It was an abridged edition, but it really didn't strike my fancy. Probably because it was too intense to listen to without more concentration. Not sure what my audiobook will be, but I'm thinking about Michael Connelly's Lost Light. I'm also reading the Stephanie Plum mystery, One for the Money. That's a long series that will provide a lot of books for me if they are good. This one is excellent and easy to read and fun. I wish they hadn't thown the bits of gratuitous crude or sexual references here and there (probably for mass market appeal), but other than that it's been a lot of fun. About a woman that basically becomes a bounty hunter to find criminals that skipped out on bail, and ends up chasing an old brief flame who was a detective that killed someone. This becomes her career out of necessity to have something to live on. It has certainly got me drawn into it all.

10-11-2005, 04:57 AM	#54
johnnaryry Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 194 Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Lexington KY, USA Device: 64GB Apple iPad 3 WiFi, 32GB Apple iPhone 4S	I'm currently reading several: The Colorado KId by Stephen King, Dance of Death by Preston & Child and Fortunes of the Dead by Lynn Hightower... --ryan

10-11-2005, 06:31 AM	#55
Brian MobileRead Editor Posts: 447 Karma: 84 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Massachusetts Device: Treo 700p, Zodiac2	Current "reading" list

10-11-2005, 10:10 AM	#56
dwig Wizard Posts: 1,613 Karma: 6718479 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Paradise (Key West, FL) Device: Current:Surface Go & Kindle 3 - Retired: DellV8p, Clie UX50, ...	just finished reading: "The Lathe of Heaven" - Ursula LeGuin - re-read that is. "Life on the Mississippi" - Twain - great read, the reports on the 1882 flood in La was extremely vivid in light of the recent flooding of New Orleans. "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" - Cory Doctorow - very good read. Currently reading short stories, alternately, in another issue of Planet Magazine and "The Voice of the City" by O.Henry as a break from longer works. The first two were paper books, the last 3 are ebooks.

10-12-2005, 02:40 AM	#57
Jaapjan Avid reader Posts: 262 Karma: 132 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Netherlands Device: HTC Touch Diamond, iLiad Book Edition	Mmm..this weekend, I read book 1, 2 and 3 of 'The Shadow Gods' as well as book 2 and 3 of .. what is it called ... Dead Empire's fall.

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10-21-2005, 12:01 AM	#58
morituri Enthusiast Posts: 41 Karma: 500048 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Doha, Qatar Device: iPhone 6, iPad Air, Kindle PW2, Kindle HD	I have been reading up a storm over the past couple of weeks: Starfish and Maelstrom by Peter Watts Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman Raising Atlantis by Thomas Greanias Ghost by John Ringo Serenity Movie Adaptation by Keith RA DeCandido I'm currently reading Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold (#11 in the Barrayar series)

10-22-2005, 10:27 PM	#59
Smiley88 Scott Posts: 5 Karma: 20 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Japan Device: Tungsten/Clie UJ37	Sorry if I'm a bit overly political in my reading selections. I guess you can call me the "activist reader." I am in the midst of reading "No Logo" from Naomi Klein. Definitely a must read if you like in-depth study of the out-sourcing of North American jobs, corporate branding, and details on the anti-globalization movement. I've found the study of Multi-national companies behavior in foreign countries to be particularly "enlightening." I am amazed that the civic values of fair wages/holiday pay/anti-discrimination so embraced in the US and Canada are so quickly abandoned by our corporations when they do business in other countries. Maybe our corporate presence is a vanguard to international hatred by other countries toward the US/Canada? Just finished "The Survivor" about the Clinton presidency by John Harris. A very interesting and objective read (refreshingly, not particularly partisan) on a controversial topic. Does anyone know how to locate some good ebooks on Peak Oil topics? I've looked at Palm and Mobipocket to no avail. On that happy note... Cheers, Scott

10-23-2005, 03:16 AM	#60
Francesco Aficionado Posts: 391 Karma: 710 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Denver, CO, USA Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Touch	I'm reading Camera Lucida, by Barthes. Every once in a while I read a difficult book, each one of them for a different reason. This time I have two: I deals with the Photography (it's become my top hobby), and it was recommended by one of the biggest influences in my life. For people familiar with philosophy readings, this one might be a piece of cake (some parts ARE a piece of cake), but for me, with a background in engineering, it's a beast to tame. Still, I'm loving this ride into Barthes' mind. Previously I read Barthes for beginners, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, just as I've enjoyed every title from the "for beginners" collection I've read: Foucault, Zen, and Derrida.