Sony bookstore recommendations?

[KlondikeGeoff]

Originally Posted by L1Wulf

Can anyone advise on the Bill Bryson books (eg. A Short History of Nearly Everything)?

I read A Short History of Nearly Everything on my old Rocket eBook, and it was fascinating and really enjoyed it.

[L1Wulf]

Hmm, I've got nearly $40 left of my Connect credit and every search I do there seems to turn up nothing. My latest search was Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter. At this rate, I may be visiting this thread just to use up my credit.

Thanks for the feedback on Bryson's book, the reviews on Amazon seem largely in favor, but the few that are somewhat negative kept me hesitant. Take for example the following:

Originally Posted by Michael J Edelman via Amazon

I read an interview with Bryson in New Scientist not long ago in which he admitted that he really didn't understand a lot of what all these scientists were telling him, and unfortunately that's all too clear in reading this book.

Anyway, back on track... Keep the suggestions coming, this thread will probably get busier the closer we get to the end of January.

[HarryT]

"A Short History of Nearly Everything" is one of the best "popular science" books I know of. I recommend it thoroughly. Certainly the physics side of it (my field) is well presented and accurate.

[Laurens]

Originally Posted by HarryT

"A Short History of Nearly Everything" is one of the best "popular science" books I know of. I recommend it thoroughly. Certainly the physics side of it (my field) is well presented and accurate.

Another thumbs up from here. "A Walk in the Woods" by the same author is also good (not to mention hilarious).

[HarryT]

I daren't read Bill Bryson books in public, because he is just about the only author who can have me literally howling in uncontrollable laughter. Extremely embarrassing in public .

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by L1Wulf

...I still haven't seen Titanic or read The Da Vinci Code--Running With Scissors may have fallen in that category, but perhaps now it won't...

My wife and I pride ourselves on not having seen Titanic. We did, however, read The Da Vinci Code. Yes, it moved along like many thrillers do, but no, it is not well-written, so you can safely continue avoiding that one without regret.

[NatCh]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I daren't read Bill Bryson books in public, because he is just about the only author who can have me literally howling in uncontrollable laughter. Extremely embarrassing in public .

... even more so, if you're prone to bathroom reading....

[FangornUK]

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

I read Bryson's Short History...
Don't know about the formatting of the Connect version, though, if that's what you were asking.

It's one of the best BBeB formatted books I've seen.

[wrryntx]

I don't yet have any solid recommendations, but I'll mention some possibilities. While considering whether to get a Reader I took the 2006 and 2005 NY Times "100 Notable Books" lists and searched the Connect site for most of the listed books, hitting 30-40%. I trust the NY Times far more than I trust Amazon reviews, mostly because the Times reviews and long, informed, and comprehensive so that I have enough information to make an intelligent decision.

From Connect, I chose one nonfiction book and one fiction book because of their focus on the use of words: Reading Like a Writer, and Apex Hides the Hurt. But I haven't read them yet. Another book from the list that I have in print is Kafka on the Shore. I've read about 2/3 of it and find it very entertaining and well written. But it is a bit odd -- maybe more than a bit. If the Times review makes you think you'd like it, you probably will.

[TheMooch]

Richard K. Morgans Takeshi Kovacs series (LOVE this series)
- Altered Carbon
- Broken Angel
- Woken Furies

Michael Crichton - Next (meh...was ok)

David Baldacci - Camel Club (this was my first read on the reader)

[L1Wulf]

Somehow forgot about this poor thread last few days. Well it seems Bryson is on the list now for sure. I'll skip the Da Vinci Code (since a good story that is poorly written just drives me nuts).

@wrryntx: I was eyeballing Reading Like a Writer as well, if you get around to peeking at it before the end of the month, I'd like to hear your opinion.

@TheMooch: Oooh, I recognized the cover of Altered Carbon. Most likely while browsing around the book store looking for something new. If I remember correctly, it caught my eye and seemed something I'd be interested in; although I'm not sure why I hadn't bought it.

[wrryntx]

Originally Posted by L1Wulf

@wrryntx: I was eyeballing Reading Like a Writer as well, if you get around to peeking at it before the end of the month, I'd like to hear your opinion.

I've read about 20% of the book. The short version of my opinion is "I like it and expect to reread it several times."

The long version is moderately complex. Let's get the potential negatives out of the way. As you might imagine with such a book, there are numerous and often somewhat lengthy quotations from other works. When the author discusses one of these passages you find yourself wanting to reread it. I find myself somewhat less willing to flip back to the passage using the Reader than I would be with paper.

Also, as you'd expect with a book like this, I find myself disputing the author's opinions of what writing is superb, and especially why this is true, and more especially what the writer was thinking when they wrote the superb passage. In the first place, this is probably a positive, not a negative -- it means I'm thinking. In the second place, the author is ... well ... an author. I can't even claim to be a wannabe writer. I'm more like a wishiwuza writer. This is why I think I'll reread this book many times; it is likely that the author is correct 95% of the time and that I am at present too ignorant and unsophisticated to appreciate the full impact of her examples.

OK, so the "negatives" have also taken care of some of the positives. Others include the fact that this book serves as a pointer to works worth reading that I probably would not have considered otherwise. The author's advice aims at being practical and for me she usually hits the mark. Some of her examples in the chapter on Sentences are just simply stunning; I would never have considered trying to convey ideas with sentences like that -- but I will now (after a lot of practice in private).

This is too long already, so let me close by saying that I can't yet say the book is remarkable but I can say that it's interesting and useful.

[L1Wulf]

Excellent thoughts wrryntx! As the time grows short, I've got a good idea of what I'm going to spend the last of my credits on and likely some actual money on. I'm still only halfway through the current series I'm reading (started in paper), and with time playing tricks on me, I feel as if I'm not reading nearly as much as I think I should; although I'm about on target for average reading prior to going strictly ebook (nearly 2/3rd of ~800 paper page fantasy novel = 600 pages out of 1000 epages).

Hrm, lack of sleep tangents suck, hang on while I find the point again...

Oh yeah, I think your quick take on Reading Like a Writer puts it on the list. I know I'm far from a speedy reader, primarily because I like to think on what I'm reading already--yeah I know, fantasy isn't really the place to do any deep thinking while reading (ROFL). Honestly, most authors in the genre don't cut it for anything longer than a trilogy for me.

Damn point, where'd it go again... Oh there it is...

With so many of the classics readily available, I plan on rereading the books I already know, and delving into the others I never got around to. <and now...the point> <thank you for your patience> <refreshments will be served immediately after in the lobby> Reading Like a Writer may prove useful in enjoying some of these classics I'm not committed to reading. <please tip your wait-staff and drive carefully>

[Vaporware]

I just bought the diamond age and cryptonomicon (Neal Stephenson) with the last $15 in my connect credit because I heard he was a sci-fi writer who researched his material. They are apparently very nerdy books.

They also have a foundation bundle from asimov which I enjoyed very much.

[KlondikeGeoff]

I loved Cryptonomicon, but I am an (aged) nerd, as I think you have to be to enjoy this. It is very, very funny in many places, and an amazing story line. He is infamous, however, for his very abrupt endings.