From d6b40a99eaedc86fca796dd30e8f58e0e37d46d4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: bnewbold Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2017 19:02:45 -0400 Subject: book updates --- books/2017.page | 70 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---------- 1 file changed, 58 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-) (limited to 'books/2017.page') diff --git a/books/2017.page b/books/2017.page index 7508d7a..6bc9837 100644 --- a/books/2017.page +++ b/books/2017.page @@ -1,16 +1,62 @@ -Vineland, Thomas Pynchon +Vineland, by Thomas Pynchon +----------------------------- Assembling California, by John McPhee (1993) +---------------------------------------------- + +Part of a series on geology of the USA, covering the California section, as +well as some history of plate tectonics in the 20th century. + +Good intro to the history and current geography of California on human +timescales as well: the 1989 earthquake, gold mining in the Sierras, Napa +valley wine country, the story of the Davis campus, etc. + +The last chapter, about earthquakes in the SF bay area, was as powerful as the +July 2015 New Yorker article ("The Really Big One") about tsunamis in the +Pacific Northwest. + +The Hall of the Singing Caryatids, by Victor Pelevin (2011) +------------------------------------------------------------ + +I think it's decent? Mako totally spoilered this entire (very short book) ahead +of time. + +Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Richard Rhodes +-------------------------------------------------------- + +Dark Sun, by Richard Rhodes +-------------------------------------------------------- + +Curve of Binding Energy, by John McPhee +-------------------------------------------------------- + +Read this as a compliment to *Making of the Atmoic Bomb*, partially because I +had described *Making* to a friend as being "well written as McPhee" and wanted +to cross check. McPhee is more polished and doesn't drop the beat as much, +while Rhodes is a much longer and deeper ride. This particular book seems to +have had a huge impact when it was published, but as a victim of that success +it's a little dated now for a general reader. I enjoyed reading it as a +complement and second source for Rhodes (though they do end up +cross-referencing each other), but wouldn't recommend it to others today. + +True Believer, by Eric Hoffer +-------------------------------------------------------- + +Empire Star, by Samuel Delany (1966) +-------------------------------------- + +Babel-17, by Samuel Delany (1966) +-------------------------------------- + +Nova, by Samuel Delany (1968) +-------------------------------------- + +Several people recommended Sam Delany to me in the course of a couple weeks, +and I couldn't be happier that they did! All of his books have been great, but +I particularly enjoyed the (short) *Empire Star* as a crisp self-contained +nugget. + +Walkaway, by Cory Doctorow (2017) +-------------------------------------------------------- - Part of a series on geology of the USA, covering the California section, as - well as some history of plate tectonics in the 20th century. - Good intro to the history and current geography of California on human - timescales as well: the 1989 earthquake, gold mining in the Sierras, Napa - valley wine country, the story of the Davis campus, etc. - The last chapter, about earthquakes in the SF bay area, was as powerful as - the July 2015 New Yorker article ("The Really Big One") about tsunamis in - the Pacific Northwest. - -Not cover to cover: -* Engineering a Safer World -- cgit v1.2.3