Charles's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 30 Nov 2021 18:43:16 -0800 60 Charles's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse, #6)]]> 25877663 The sixth book in the New York Times bestselling Expanse series.

NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES

A revolution brewing for generations has begun in fire. It will end in blood.

The Free Navy - a violent group of Belters in black-market military ships - has crippled the Earth and begun a campaign of piracy and violence among the outer planets. The colony ships heading for the thousand new worlds on the far side of the alien ring gates are easy prey, and no single navy remains strong enough to protect them.

James Holden and his crew know the strengths and weaknesses of this new force better than anyone. Outnumbered and outgunned, the embattled remnants of the old political powers call on the Rocinante for a desperate mission to reach Medina Station at the heart of the gate network.

But the new alliances are as flawed as the old, and the struggle for power has only just begun. As the chaos grows, an alien mystery deepens. Pirate fleets, mutiny and betrayal may be the least of the Rocinante's problems. And in the uncanny spaces past the ring gates, the choices of a few damaged and desperate people may determine the fate of more than just humanity.

]]> 532 James S.A. Corey 0356504263 Charles 0 4.22 2016 Babylon’s Ashes (The Expanse, #6)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Charles
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Nemesis Games (The Expanse, #5)]]> 22886612
A thousand worlds have opened, and the greatest land rush in human history has begun. As wave after wave of colonists leave, the power structures of the old solar system begin to buckle.

Ships are disappearing without a trace. Private armies are being secretly formed. The sole remaining protomolecule sample is stolen. Terrorist attacks previously considered impossible bring the inner planets to their knees. The sins of the past are returning to exact a terrible price.

And as a new human order is struggling to be born in blood and fire, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante must struggle to survive and get back to the only home they have left.]]> 536 James S.A. Corey 031621759X Charles 0 4.44 2015 Nemesis Games (The Expanse, #5)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Charles
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Cibola Burn (The Expanse, #4) 18656030 The fourth novel in James S.A. Corey’s New York Times bestselling Expanse series

The gates have opened the way to thousands of habitable planets, and the land rush has begun. Settlers stream out from humanity's home planets in a vast, poorly controlled flood, landing on a new world. Among them, the Rocinante, haunted by the vast, posthuman network of the protomolecule as they investigate what destroyed the great intergalactic society that built the gates and the protomolecule.

But Holden and his crew must also contend with the growing tensions between the settlers and the company which owns the official claim to the planet. Both sides will stop at nothing to defend what's theirs, but soon a terrible disease strikes and only Holden - with help from the ghostly Detective Miller - can find the cure.]]> 581 James S.A. Corey Charles 0 4.18 2014 Cibola Burn (The Expanse, #4)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Charles
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Abaddon’s Gate (The Expanse, #3)]]> 16131032
For generations, the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt - was humanity's great frontier. Until now. The alien artefact working through its program under the clouds of Venus has emerged to build a massive structure outside the orbit of Uranus: a gate that leads into a starless dark.

Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are part of a vast flotilla of scientific and military ships going out to examine the artefact. But behind the scenes, a complex plot is unfolding, with the destruction of Holden at its core. As the emissaries of the human race try to find whether the gate is an opportunity or a threat, the greatest danger is the one they brought with them.]]> 539 James S.A. Corey Charles 0 4.26 2013 Abaddon’s Gate (The Expanse, #3)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Charles
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Caliban’s War (The Expanse, #2)]]> 12591698
In the vast wilderness of space, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante have been keeping the peace for the Outer Planets Alliance. When they agree to help a scientist search war-torn Ganymede for a missing child, the future of humanity rests on whether a single ship can prevent an alien invasion that may have already begun . . .]]> 624 James S.A. Corey 1841499900 Charles 0 4.36 2012 Caliban’s War (The Expanse, #2)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Charles
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)]]> 8855321
Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for—and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.

Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.

Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations—and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.]]> 592 James S.A. Corey 1841499889 Charles 0 4.30 2011 Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse, #1)
author: James S.A. Corey
name: Charles
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Bastard Brigade: The True Story of the Renegade Scientists and Spies Who Sabotaged the Nazi Atomic Bomb]]> 42779062 464 Sam Kean 0316381683 Charles 0 4.33 2019 The Bastard Brigade: The True Story of the Renegade Scientists and Spies Who Sabotaged the Nazi Atomic Bomb
author: Sam Kean
name: Charles
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Fall; or, Dodge in Hell 41824495 The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seveneves, Anathem, Reamde, and Cryptonomicon returns with a wildly inventive and entertaining science fiction thriller�Paradise Lost by way of Phillip K. Dick—that unfolds in the near future, in parallel worlds.

In his youth, Richard “Dodge� Forthrast founded Corporation 9592, a gaming company that made him a multibillionaire. Now in his middle years, Dodge appreciates his comfortable, unencumbered life, managing his myriad business interests, and spending time with his beloved niece Zula and her young daughter, Sophia.

One beautiful autumn day, while he undergoes a routine medical procedure, something goes irrevocably wrong. Dodge is pronounced brain dead and put on life support, leaving his stunned family and close friends with difficult decisions. Long ago, when a much younger Dodge drew up his will, he directed that his body be given to a cryonics company now owned by enigmatic tech entrepreneur Elmo Shepherd. Legally bound to follow the directive despite their misgivings, Dodge’s family has his brain scanned and its data structures uploaded and stored in the cloud, until it can eventually be revived.

In the coming years, technology allows Dodge’s brain to be turned back on. It is an achievement that is nothing less than the disruption of death itself. An eternal afterlife—the Bitworld—is created, in which humans continue to exist as digital souls.

But this brave new immortal world is not the Utopia it might first seem . . .

Fall, or Dodge in Hell is pure, unadulterated fun: a grand drama of analog and digital, man and machine, angels and demons, gods and followers, the finite and the eternal. In this exhilarating epic, Neal Stephenson raises profound existential questions and touches on the revolutionary breakthroughs that are transforming our future. Combining the technological, philosophical, and spiritual in one grand myth, he delivers a mind-blowing speculative literary saga for the modern age.

]]> 883 Neal Stephenson 006245871X Charles 0 3.55 2019 Fall; or, Dodge in Hell
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Charles
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, #1)]]> 823 Quicksilver is the story of Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and conflicted Puritan, pursuing knowledge in the company of the greatest minds of Baroque-era Europe, in a chaotic world where reason wars with the bloody ambitions of the mighty, and where catastrophe, natural or otherwise, can alter the political landscape overnight.

It is a chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of "Half-Cocked Jack" Shaftoe--London street urchin turned swashbuckling adventurer and legendary King of the Vagabonds--risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox.

And it is the tale of Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent Europe through the newborn power of finance.

A gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive novel that brings a remarkable age and its momentous events to vivid life, Quicksilver is an extraordinary achievement from one of the most original and important literary talents of our time.

And it's just the beginning...

(back cover)

This P.S. edition includes 16 pages of supplementary materials.

Cover design by Richard L. Aquan
Cover illustration from the Mary Evans Picture Library; painting of Great Fire of London on stepback]]> 927 Neal Stephenson Charles 0 3.91 2003 Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, #1)
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Charles
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Confusion (The Baroque Cycle, #2)]]> 822 815 Neal Stephenson 0060733357 Charles 0 4.26 2004 The Confusion (The Baroque Cycle, #2)
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Charles
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Termination Shock 57094295 A visionary technothriller about climate change.

Neal Stephenson's sweeping, prescient new novel transports readers to a near-future world where the greenhouse effect has inexorably resulted in a whirling-dervish troposphere of superstorms, rising sea levels, global flooding, merciless heat waves, and virulent, deadly pandemics.

One man has a Big Idea for reversing global warming, a master plan perhaps best described as "elemental." But will it work? And just as important, what are the consequences for the planet and all of humanity should it be applied?

Ranging from the Texas heartland to the Dutch royal palace in the Hague, from the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas to the sunbaked Chihuahuan Desert, Termination Shock brings together a disparate group of characters from different cultures and continents who grapple with the real-life repercussions of global warming. Ultimately, it asks the question: Might the cure be worse than the disease?]]> 708 Neal Stephenson 0063028050 Charles 0 3.68 2021 Termination Shock
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Charles
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Anathem 2845024
Now, in celebration of the week-long, once-in-a-decade rite of Apert, the fraas and suurs prepare to venture beyond the concent's gates—at the same time opening them wide to welcome the curious "extras" in. During his first Apert as a fraa, Erasmas eagerly anticipates reconnecting with the landmarks and family he hasn't seen since he was "collected." But before the week is out, both the existence he abandoned and the one he embraced will stand poised on the brink of cataclysmic change.

Powerful unforeseen forces jeopardize the peaceful stability of mathic life and the established ennui of the Extramuros—a threat that only an unsteady alliance of saecular and avout can oppose—as, one by one, Erasmas and his colleagues, teachers, and friends are summoned forth from the safety of the concent in hopes of warding off global disaster. Suddenly burdened with a staggering responsibility, Erasmas finds himself a major player in a drama that will determine the future of his world—as he sets out on an extraordinary odyssey that will carry him to the most dangerous, inhospitable corners of the planet . . . and beyond.]]> 937 Neal Stephenson 0061474096 Charles 0 4.16 2008 Anathem
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Charles
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Cryptonomicon 816 Cryptonomicon zooms all over the world, careening conspiratorially back and forth between two time periods—World War II and the present. Our 1940s heroes are the brilliant mathematician Lawrence Waterhouse, crypt analyst extraordinaire, and gung-ho, morphine-addicted marine Bobby Shaftoe. They're part of Detachment 2702, an Allied group trying to break Axis communication codes while simultaneously preventing the enemy from figuring out that their codes have been broken. Their job boils down to layer upon layer of deception. Dr. Alan Turing is also a member of 2702, and he explains the unit's strange workings to Waterhouse. "When we want to sink a convoy, we send out an observation plane first... Of course, to observe is not its real duty—we already know exactly where the convoy is. Its real duty is to be observed... Then, when we come round and sink them, the Germans will not find it suspicious."

All of this secrecy resonates in the present-day story line, in which the grandchildren of the WWII heroes—inimitable programming geek Randy Waterhouse and the lovely and powerful Amy Shaftoe—team up to help create an offshore data haven in Southeast Asia and maybe uncover some gold once destined for Nazi coffers. To top off the paranoiac tone of the book, the mysterious Enoch Root, key member of Detachment 2702 and the Societas Eruditorum, pops up with an unbreakable encryption scheme left over from WWII to befuddle the 1990s protagonists with conspiratorial ties.]]> 1152 Neal Stephenson Charles 0 4.24 1999 Cryptonomicon
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Charles
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> Snow Crash 40651883 Snow Crash is a mind-altering romp through a future America so bizarre, so outrageous� you'll recognize it immediately.]]> 559 Neal Stephenson Charles 0 4.02 1992 Snow Crash
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Charles
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2]]> 29069989 The eighth story, nineteen years later �

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.]]> 327 John Tiffany 1338099132 Charles 3 3.63 2016 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2
author: John Tiffany
name: Charles
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2016/12/05
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania]]> 22569212 #1 New York Times Bestseller

From the bestselling author and master of narrative nonfiction comes the enthralling story of the sinking of the Lusitania

On May 1, 1915, with WWI entering its tenth month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. The passengers were surprisingly at ease, even though Germany had declared the seas around Britain to be a war zone. For months, German U-boats had brought terror to the North Atlantic. But the Lusitania was one of the era's great transatlantic "Greyhounds"--the fastest liner then in service--and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack.

Germany, however, was determined to change the rules of the game, and Walther Schwieger, the captain of Unterseeboot-20, was happy to oblige. Meanwhile, an ultra-secret British intelligence unit tracked Schwieger's U-boat, but told no one. As U-20 and the Lusitania made their way toward Liverpool, an array of forces both grand and achingly small--hubris, a chance fog, a closely guarded secret, and more--all converged to produce one of the great disasters of history.

It is a story that many of us think we know but don't, and Erik Larson tells it thrillingly, switching between hunter and hunted while painting a larger portrait of America at the height of the Progressive Era. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love.

Gripping and important, Dead Wake captures the sheer drama and emotional power of a disaster whose intimate details and true meaning have long been obscured by history.]]> Erik Larson 0553551647 Charles 4 3.99 2015 Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
author: Erik Larson
name: Charles
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/12/05
shelves:
review:

]]> Seveneves 29457915
A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity far beyond our atmosphere, in outer space.

But the complexities and unpredictability of human nature coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers, until only a handful of survivors remain...

Five thousand years later, their progeny -- seven distinct races now three billion strong -- embark on yet another audacious journey into the unknown ... to an alien world utterly transformed by cataclysm and time: Earth.]]> 867 Neal Stephenson Charles 4 4.00 2015 Seveneves
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Charles
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/11/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set (Mistborn, #1-3)]]> 6604209 New York Times bestselling series from Brandon Sanderson.

This boxed set contains:
Mistborn: The Final Empire
The Well of Ascension
The Hero of Ages ]]> 2176 Brandon Sanderson 076536543X Charles 4
It didn't help that the world itself is very foreign. But at the same time, the strangeness of the magic system and the cleverness of the worldbuilding is what, for me at least, made the books a good read and redeemed the other weaknesses.

Some neat things:
* Each chapter begins with a quote taken from literature in the world. This is a novel and effective way of slowly unraveling the universe that the characters live in.
* The magic system(s) is novel. I'd heard people rave about it for years. It is neat and its complexities are slowly revealed in a pleasant manner.
* This is not a simple good versus evil series. And the choices that the characters are forced to make are complex and therefore interesting.

That's my take anyway. The writing does get better and hey, your mileage may vary.]]> 4.60 2009 Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set (Mistborn, #1-3)
author: Brandon Sanderson
name: Charles
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/11/15
shelves:
review:
The writing was weak. Especially in the first book. I didn't think the characters were especially vibrant, in spite of the fact that the books are chalk-full of their inner thoughts and exploration of their self-reflections, feelings, and philosophies. It took all three books for the characters to begin to feel something approaching real to me.

It didn't help that the world itself is very foreign. But at the same time, the strangeness of the magic system and the cleverness of the worldbuilding is what, for me at least, made the books a good read and redeemed the other weaknesses.

Some neat things:
* Each chapter begins with a quote taken from literature in the world. This is a novel and effective way of slowly unraveling the universe that the characters live in.
* The magic system(s) is novel. I'd heard people rave about it for years. It is neat and its complexities are slowly revealed in a pleasant manner.
* This is not a simple good versus evil series. And the choices that the characters are forced to make are complex and therefore interesting.

That's my take anyway. The writing does get better and hey, your mileage may vary.
]]> <![CDATA[The Last Unicorn (The Last Unicorn, #1)]]> 29127 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780451450524

She was magical, beautiful beyond belief—and completely alone...

The unicorn had lived since before memory in a forest where death could touch nothing. Maidens who caught a glimpse of her glory were blessed by enchantment they would never forget. But outside her wondrous realm, dark whispers and rumours carried a message she could not ignore: "Unicorns are gone from the world."

Aided by a bumbling magician and an indomitable spinster, she set out to learn the truth. but she feared even her immortal wisdom meant nothing in a world where a mad king's curse and terror incarnate lived only to stalk the last unicorn to her doom...]]> 294 Peter S. Beagle Charles 5
That said, the plot didn't really grip me and while I can understand people's appreciation of Molly Grue and Schmendrick, they were not characters I could relate to. And of course, who can relate to a Beagle's Unicorn?

But for the grace with which the story paints places and people and emotions, I would certainly read it again and heartily recommend it.]]> 4.16 1968 The Last Unicorn (The Last Unicorn, #1)
author: Peter S. Beagle
name: Charles
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1968
rating: 5
read at: 2016/11/01
date added: 2016/11/15
shelves:
review:
The Last Unicorn was simply the most beautiful writing I've ever read. The phrases were so infused with magic and wonder that apart from any other considerations, it deserves the highest rating I can give it.

That said, the plot didn't really grip me and while I can understand people's appreciation of Molly Grue and Schmendrick, they were not characters I could relate to. And of course, who can relate to a Beagle's Unicorn?

But for the grace with which the story paints places and people and emotions, I would certainly read it again and heartily recommend it.
]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)]]> 1 652 J.K. Rowling Charles 4 4.57 2005 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charles
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2014/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> OpenGL SuperBible 827053 1088 Benjamin Lipchak 0672326019 Charles 4 1.) The fourth edition is out and it is said to be far superior.
2.) The example graphics are mostly hideous.
3.) The example code that comes with the book relies heavily on reused third party libraries. For me, this made translating examples into my own programs difficult.

But the OpenGL SuperBible succeeds at being the absolutely comprehensive reference book on OpenGL. Not only does it cover all conceivable topics, it also covers them in a simple enough way to make it a useful self-teaching book. There is plenty of example code. There is no OS bias. It's an all around super book.]]> 4.09 1996 OpenGL SuperBible
author: Benjamin Lipchak
name: Charles
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2006/11/01
date added: 2013/05/16
shelves:
review:
The few complaints I have are rather petty:
1.) The fourth edition is out and it is said to be far superior.
2.) The example graphics are mostly hideous.
3.) The example code that comes with the book relies heavily on reused third party libraries. For me, this made translating examples into my own programs difficult.

But the OpenGL SuperBible succeeds at being the absolutely comprehensive reference book on OpenGL. Not only does it cover all conceivable topics, it also covers them in a simple enough way to make it a useful self-teaching book. There is plenty of example code. There is no OS bias. It's an all around super book.
]]> Thunderstruck 2623574
In Thunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men—Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication—whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time.

Set in Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia, Thunderstruck evokes the dynamism of those years when great shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners, scientific advances dazzled the public with visions of a world transformed, and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth. Against this background, Marconi races against incredible odds and relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: the wireless, a prime catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen, “the kindest of men,� nearly commits the perfect crime.

With his superb narrative skills, Erik Larson guides these parallel narratives toward a relentlessly suspenseful meeting on the waters of the North Atlantic. Along the way, he tells of a sad and tragic love affair that was described on the front pages of newspapers around the world, a chief inspector who found himself strangely sympathetic to the killer and his lover, and a driven and compelling inventor who transformed the way we communicate. Thunderstruck presents a vibrant portrait of an era of séances, science, and fog, inhabited by inventors, magicians, and Scotland Yard detectives, all presided over by the amiable and fun-loving Edward VII as the world slid inevitably toward the first great war of the twentieth century. Gripping from the first page, and rich with fascinating detail about the time, the people, and the new inventions that connect and divide us, Thunderstruck is splendid narrative history from a master of the form.]]> 538 Erik Larson 0553817086 Charles 4 3.64 2006 Thunderstruck
author: Erik Larson
name: Charles
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/10/13
shelves:
review:

]]> The Silmarillion 259055 New York Times bestseller when it was originally published, The Silmarillion is the core of J.R.R. Tolkien's imaginative writing, a work whose origins stretch back to a time long before The Hobbit.

Tolkien considered The Silmarillion his most important work, and, though it was published last and posthumously, this great collection of tales and legends clearly sets the stage for all his other writing. The story of the creation of the world and of the First Age, this is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back and in whose events some of them, such as Elrond and Galadriel, took part. The three Silmarils were jewels created by Feanor, most gifted of the Elves. Within them was imprisoned the Light of the Two Trees of Valinor before the Trees themselves were destroyed by Morgoth, the first Dark Lord. Thereafter, the unsullied Light of Valinor live on only in the Silmarils, but they were seized by Morgoth and set in his crown, which was guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth. The Silmarillion is the history of the rebellion of Feanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all their heroism, against the great Enemy.

This second edition features a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkein describing his intentions for the book, which serves as a brilliant exposition of his conception of the earlier Ages of Middle-earth.]]> 365 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618126988 Charles 5 4.05 1977 The Silmarillion
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Charles
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1977
rating: 5
read at: 2008/01/20
date added: 2012/01/29
shelves:
review:
The Silmarillion is a collection of several works mostly narrative but with some poetry that make up the history of Tolkien's fantasy world. I think like most people, I didn't succeed in finishing until my second run through. It is dense. The number of names and places was sufficient in my copy to warrant 40 pages of appendixes documenting them in addition to the many maps. But such density of information leads to an epic scope beyond perhaps any other writing and also plenty of room for imagination. Two parts stuck out especially to me: The creation story of his world, which is words describing music, which is far more lovely than one would expect possible. And the story of Beren and Luthien which as one of among hundreds of stories in the Silmarillion single handedly trumped the epic feel of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. This is a fantastic book for anyone who loved, really loved Tolkien's other works.
]]> The C++ Programming Language 112251 1030 Bjarne Stroustrup 0201700735 Charles 5 4.08 1986 The C++ Programming Language
author: Bjarne Stroustrup
name: Charles
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1986
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2009/12/17
shelves:
review:
This is the definitive book on the C++ programming language written by the man Bjarne Stroustrup himself. While those who are unfamiliar with C++ should avoid it, experienced C++ programmers will find that it can perfect their abilities. Nearly every intricacy and trick of the language is discussed. In fact, the only thing I've been unable to find is whether or not friendships inherit between classes - a rather obscure piece of C++ lore (they don't).
]]> <![CDATA[A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet, #1)]]> 18131
It was a dark and stormy night.

Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure—one that will threaten their lives and our universe.

A Wrinkle in Time is the first book in Madeleine L'Engle's classic Time Quintet.]]> 211 Madeleine L'Engle 0440498058 Charles 4 4.04 1962 A Wrinkle in Time (A Wrinkle in Time Quintet, #1)
author: Madeleine L'Engle
name: Charles
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1962
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2008/01/28
shelves:
review:
I read this in grade school and mostly hated it. Back then it was two things: an inability to relate to any of the characters, and a special distaste for the character named Charles who shared my name but not my personality and who trumped my intellectually based self-worth with his own superior intellect. Good 'ol grade school. It gets my respect not for its superior use of the English language, but because A Wrinkle in Time expresses a dense quantity of science fiction, philosophy, and political theory into a book quite readable for a 10 year old.
]]> <![CDATA[A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship]]> 1265296 372 Ron Paul 0912453001 Charles 5 4.19 2007 A Foreign Policy of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, and Honest Friendship
author: Ron Paul
name: Charles
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2008/01/10
date added: 2008/01/28
shelves:
review:
The book is a collection of Ron Paul's speeches and journals. As perfectly as such things can translate into a book, they do. The ~300 pages are filled with passion, truth, and honesty. Yet this very property made it somewhat difficult to read. Time and time again Ron Paul would warn loudly of the dangers of U.S. foreign policy. Time and time again he was ignored by those in both dominant political parties--to much loss of life and prosperity. So I was both intensely inspired and angered. I suppose that's a testament to the words written inside.
]]> Slaughterhouse-Five 4981 Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous World War II firebombing of Dresden, the novel is the result of what Kurt Vonnegut described as a twenty-three-year struggle to write a book about what he had witnessed as an American prisoner of war. It combines historical fiction, science fiction, autobiography, and satire in an account of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber’s son turned draftee turned optometrist turned alien abductee. As Vonnegut had, Billy experiences the destruction of Dresden as a POW. Unlike Vonnegut, he experiences time travel, or coming “unstuck in time.�

An instant bestseller, Slaughterhouse-Five made Kurt Vonnegut a cult hero in American literature, a reputation that only strengthened over time, despite his being banned and censored by some libraries and schools for content and language. But it was precisely those elements of Vonnegut’s writing—the political edginess, the genre-bending inventiveness, the frank violence, the transgressive wit—that have inspired generations of readers not just to look differently at the world around them but to find the confidence to say something about it.

Fifty years after its initial publication at the height of the Vietnam War, Vonnegut's portrayal of political disillusionment, PTSD, and postwar anxiety feels as relevant, darkly humorous, and profoundly affecting as ever, an enduring beacon through our own era’s uncertainties.]]> 275 Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Charles 4 4.10 1969 Slaughterhouse-Five
author: Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
name: Charles
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1969
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2007/11/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)]]> 14
Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by quotes from The Hitchhiker's Guide ("A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have") and a galaxy-full of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend (formally Tricia McMillan), whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student who is obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he bought over the years.

Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? Why do we spend so much time between wearing digital watches? For all the answers stick your thumb to the stars. And don't forget to bring a towel!]]> 215 Douglas Adams 1400052920 Charles 5 4.12 1979 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)
author: Douglas Adams
name: Charles
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2007/11/29
shelves:
review:

]]> Lua 5.1 Reference Manual 1315567 112 Roberto Ierusalimschy 8590379833 Charles 4 4.02 2006 Lua 5.1 Reference Manual
author: Roberto Ierusalimschy
name: Charles
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2007/09/01
date added: 2007/09/24
shelves:
review:
It's a good little reference manual. Everything you need to know about Lua in about 50 pages. It includes every function in the standard library and good descriptions of most of the things that lua can do as well as a full language grammar. The reference manual is required reading for anyone who reads PiL. PiL is simply incomprehensible without it.
]]> Programming in Lua 1332383 328 Roberto Ierusalimschy 8590379825 Charles 2 1.) Incorrect examples - some of the code given simply doesn't work.
2.) Questionable chapter ordering - some rather obscure topics come before useful ones
3.) No redundancies - the book is too minimalist for its own good. When writing code in an unfamiliar tongue (keyboard?), it's easy to make a simple typo or to have a slightly different setup. If things don't go exactly according to plan, don't expect PiL to help you out.
4.) Few explanations - Lua does things differently than other languages. Sometimes it'd be nice to know why. The writers saw no reason to enlighten the reader as to their motives.
5.) References required - sometimes a concept from later chapters would sneak its way into an earlier chapter. This stealthy tidbit would often go unnoticed by the authors so the reader will want to have the reference manual close at hand.

The saving grace of PiL is it's excellent companion book, the Lua Reference Manual. It is concise and informative, well organized, and has all the appendices you could ever want yet weighs in at under 100 pages. I often wondered if it wouldn't be the superior text from which to learn the language.]]> 3.95 2001 Programming in Lua
author: Roberto Ierusalimschy
name: Charles
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2001
rating: 2
read at: 2007/09/01
date added: 2007/09/24
shelves:
review:
The two star rating for this book is by no means a reflection of the Lua language itself. Simply, "Programming in Lua" just isn't a good resource for learning the language--though sadly, it may be the best one that exists. "PiL" as the elite Lua hackers call it has at least these problems:
1.) Incorrect examples - some of the code given simply doesn't work.
2.) Questionable chapter ordering - some rather obscure topics come before useful ones
3.) No redundancies - the book is too minimalist for its own good. When writing code in an unfamiliar tongue (keyboard?), it's easy to make a simple typo or to have a slightly different setup. If things don't go exactly according to plan, don't expect PiL to help you out.
4.) Few explanations - Lua does things differently than other languages. Sometimes it'd be nice to know why. The writers saw no reason to enlighten the reader as to their motives.
5.) References required - sometimes a concept from later chapters would sneak its way into an earlier chapter. This stealthy tidbit would often go unnoticed by the authors so the reader will want to have the reference manual close at hand.

The saving grace of PiL is it's excellent companion book, the Lua Reference Manual. It is concise and informative, well organized, and has all the appendices you could ever want yet weighs in at under 100 pages. I often wondered if it wouldn't be the superior text from which to learn the language.
]]> <![CDATA[The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3)]]> 18512 here.

The Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures as the quest continues. Aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard, and took part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by Orcs, escaped into Fangorn Forest and there encountered the Ents. Gandalf returned, miraculously, and defeated the evil wizard, Saruman. Meanwhile, Sam and Frodo progressed towards Mordor to destroy the Ring, accompanied by SmEagol--Gollum, still obsessed by his 'precious'. After a battle with the giant spider, Shelob, Sam left his master for dead; but Frodo is still alive--in the hands of the Orcs. And all the time the armies of the Dark Lord are massing. J.R.R. Tolkien's great work of imaginative fiction has been labeled both a heroic romance and a classic fantasy fiction. By turns comic and homely, epic and diabolic, the narrative moves through countless changes of scene and character in an imaginary world which is totally convincing in its detail.]]> 404 J.R.R. Tolkien Charles 5 4.53 1955 The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Charles
average rating: 4.53
book published: 1955
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2007/09/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)]]> 15241
Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. They have lost the wizard, Gandalf, in a battle in the Mines of Moria. And Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tried to seize it by force. While Frodo and Sam made their escape, the rest of the company was attacked by Orcs.

Now they continue the journey alone down the great River Anduin -- alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.]]> 322 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618346260 Charles 5 4.45 1954 The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Charles
average rating: 4.45
book published: 1954
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2007/09/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)]]> 34
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
--back cover]]> 398 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618346252 Charles 5 4.36 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Charles
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1954
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2007/09/04
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter Series Box Set (Harry Potter, #1-7)]]> 862041
All seven eBooks in the multi-award winning, internationally bestselling Harry Potter series, available as one download with stunning cover art by Olly Moss. Enjoy the stories that have captured the imagination of millions worldwide.]]> 4100 J.K. Rowling 0545044251 Charles 4 4.72 2007 Harry Potter Series Box Set (Harry Potter, #1-7)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charles
average rating: 4.72
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)]]> 15881
And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls� bathroom. But then the real trouble begins � someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects� Harry Potter himself!]]> 352 J.K. Rowling Charles 3 4.42 1998 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charles
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)]]> 2
Harry has had enough. He is beginning to think he must do something, anything, to change his situation, when the summer holidays come to an end in a very dramatic fashion. What Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down...]]> 912 J.K. Rowling Charles 3 4.50 2003 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charles
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)]]> 5 435 J.K. Rowling 043965548X Charles 4 4.57 1999 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charles
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1999
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)]]> 6 734 J.K. Rowling 0439139597 Charles 4 4.56 2000 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charles
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)]]> 3 309 J.K. Rowling 0439554934 Charles 4 4.47 1997 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charles
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)]]> 136251
In this final, seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited.]]> 759 J.K. Rowling Charles 3 4.61 2007 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Charles
average rating: 4.61
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> To Kill a Mockingbird 2657
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, "To Kill A Mockingbird" takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.]]> 323 Harper Lee 0060935464 Charles 4 4.25 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird
author: Harper Lee
name: Charles
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1960
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide]]> 515
Now in its second edition, author Dave Thomas has expanded the famous Pickaxe book with over 200 pages of new content, covering all the improved language features of Ruby 1.8 and standard library modules. The Pickaxe contains four major

If you enjoyed the First Edition, you'll appreciate the expanded content, including enhanced coverage of installation, packaging, documenting Ruby source code, threading and synchronization, and enhancing Ruby's capabilities using C-language extensions. Programming for the World Wide Web is easy in Ruby, with new chapters on XML/RPC, SOAP, distributed Ruby, templating systems, and other web services. There's even a new chapter on unit testing.

This is the definitive reference manual for Ruby, including a description of all the standard library modules, a complete reference to all built-in classes and modules (including more than 250 significant changes since the First Edition). Coverage of other features has grown tremendously, including details on how to harness the sophisticated capabilities of irb, so you can dynamically examine and experiment with your running code. "Ruby is a wonderfully powerful and useful language, and whenever I'm working with it this book is at my side" --Martin Fowler, Chief Scientist, ThoughtWorks]]> 829 Dave Thomas 0974514055 Charles 4 4.03 2000 Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide
author: Dave Thomas
name: Charles
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar]]> 77404 448 William D. Mounce 0310250870 Charles 4 4.23 1993 Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar
author: William D. Mounce
name: Charles
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1993
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Lord of the Rings 33 One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell by chance into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

From Sauron's fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, his power spread far and wide. Sauron gathered all the Great Rings to him, but always he searched for the One Ring that would complete his dominion.

When Bilbo reached his eleventy-first birthday he disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom.

The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard; the hobbits Merry, Pippin, and Sam; Gimli the Dwarf; Legolas the Elf; Boromir of Gondor; and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider.]]> 1216 J.R.R. Tolkien 0618640150 Charles 5 4.52 1955 The Lord of the Rings
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Charles
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1955
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Perelandra (The Space Trilogy, #2)]]> 100924 The second book in C. S. Lewis's acclaimed Space Trilogy, which also includes Out of the Silent Planet and That Hideous Strength, Perelandra continues the adventures of the extraordinary Dr. Ransom. Pitted against the most destructive of human weaknesses, temptation, the great man must battle evil on a new planet — Perelandra — when it is invaded by a dark force. Will Perelandra succumb to this malevolent being, who strives to create a new world order and who must destroy an old and beautiful civilization to do so? Or will it throw off the yoke of corruption and achieve a spiritual perfection as yet unknown to man? The outcome of Dr. Ransom's mighty struggle alone will determine the fate of this peace-loving planet.

]]> 288 C.S. Lewis 0007157169 Charles 5 4.00 1943 Perelandra (The Space Trilogy, #2)
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Charles
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1943
rating: 5
read at: 2000/01/01
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:
Perelandra is the second of C.S. Lewis's space trilogy. In that universe, it is the name of the planet Venus - a beautiful sinless planet with life at its dawn. Perelandra is a passionate and fierce ocean world with awesome storms, golden sunlight, millions of floating islands, and critters to inhabit them. On Perelandra live only two sentient creatures: the King and the Queen. They rule the world as Adam and Eve. A philologist named Ransom is sent from Earth as God's representative with an unknown mission. When he arrives, he finds the queen alone and soon another guest from Earth arrives. It is the devil's representative--the age old serpent in the form of another man. Thus begins a battle between Ransom and the Devil over the soul of the Queen. The fate of Perelandra hangs in the balance...
]]> Learning Perl 86630 283 Randal L. Schwartz 0596101058 Charles 5 4.02 1993 Learning Perl
author: Randal L. Schwartz
name: Charles
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2007/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]>