Leo's bookshelf: all

Leo's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 28 Apr 2025 15:06:29 -0700 60 Leo's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think]]> 405790
This is not simply another design patterns book, or another software engineering treatise on the right and wrong way to do things. The authors think aloud as they work through their project's architecture, the tradeoffs made in its construction, and when it was important to break rules. Beautiful Code is an opportunity for master coders to tell their story. All author royalties will be donated to Amnesty International.]]> 563 Andy Oram 0596510047 Leo 0 to-read, programming-maybe 3.76 2009 Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think

Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think

author: Andy Oram
name: Leo
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read, programming-maybe
review:

]]> Programming Pearls 52084 "The first edition of Programming Pearls was one of the most influential books I read early in my career, and many of the insights I first encountered in that book stayed with me long after I read it. Jon has done a wonderful job of updating the material. I am very impressed at how fresh the new examples seem."
- Steve McConnell, author, Code Complete

When programmers list their favorite books, Jon Bentley's collection of programming pearls is commonly included among the classics. Just as natural pearls grow from grains of sand that irritate oysters, programming pearls have grown from real problems that have irritated real programmers. With origins beyond solid engineering, in the realm of insight and creativity, Bentley's pearls offer unique and clever solutions to those nagging problems. Illustrated by programs designed as much for fun as for instruction, the book is filled with lucid and witty descriptions of practical programming techniques and fundamental design principles. It is not at all surprising that Programming Pearls has been so highly valued by programmers at every level of experience.

In this revision, the first in 14 years, Bentley has substantially updated his essays to reflect current programming methods and environments. In addition, there are three new essays on (1) testing, debugging, and timing; (2) set representations; and (3) string problems. All the original programs have been rewritten, and an equal amount of new code has been generated. Implementations of all the programs, in C or C++, are now available on the Web.

What remains the same in this new edition is Bentley's focus on the hard core of programming problems and his delivery of workable solutions to those problems. Whether you are new to Bentley's classic or are revisiting his work for some fresh insight, this book is sure to make your own list of favorites.]]> 239 Jon L. Bentley 0201657880 Leo 0 to-read, programming-maybe 4.20 1986 Programming Pearls

author: Jon L. Bentley
name: Leo
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1986
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read, programming-maybe
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Why Does E=mc²? (And Why Should We Care?)]]> 5958783
A collaboration between one of the youngest professors in the United Kingdom and a distinguished popular physicist, "Why Does E=mc²?" is one of the most exciting and accessible explanations of the theory of relativity.]]> 264 Brian Cox 0306817586 Leo 0 4.05 2009 Why Does E=mc²? (And Why Should We Care?)

Why Does E=mc²? (And Why Should We Care?)

author: Brian Cox
name: Leo
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/28
shelves: to-read, non-fiction, have-paper-version
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed]]> 37570546 From a psychotherapist, and national advice columnist comes a thought-provoking new book that takes us behind the scenes of a therapist's world -- where her patients are looking for answers (and so is she).

One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.

As Gottlieb explores the inner chambers of her patients' lives -- a self-absorbed Hollywood producer, a young newlywed diagnosed with a terminal illness, a senior citizen threatening to end her life on her birthday if nothing gets better, and a twenty-something who can't stop hooking up with the wrong guys -- she finds that the questions they are struggling with are the very ones she is now bringing to Wendell.

With startling wisdom and humor, Gottlieb invites us into her world as both clinician and patient, examining the truths and fictions we tell ourselves and others as we teeter on the tightrope between love and desire, meaning and mortality, guilt and redemption, terror and courage, hope and change.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is revolutionary in its candor, offering a deeply personal yet universal tour of our hearts and minds and providing the rarest of gifts: a boldly revealing portrait of what it means to be human, and a disarmingly funny and illuminating account of our own mysterious lives and our power to transform them.]]> 415 Lori Gottlieb 1328662055 Leo 0 4.36 2019 Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed

author: Lori Gottlieb
name: Leo
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves: non-fiction, currently-reading
review:

]]> Galactic Pot-Healer 498123
What could an omnipresent and seemingly omnipotent entity want with a humble pot-healer? Or with the dozens of other odd creatures it has lured to Plowman's Planet? And if the Glimmung is a god, are its ends positive or malign? Combining quixotic adventure, spine-chilling horror, and deliriously paranoid theology, Galactic Pot-Healer is a uniquely Dickian voyage to alternate worlds of the imagination.

]]> 177 Philip K. Dick 0679752978 Leo 3 3.63 1969

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1969
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/21
date added: 2025/04/21
shelves:
review:

]]> Netty in Action 18774630
Netty in Action introduces the Netty framework and shows you how to incorporate it into your Java network applications. You'll learn to write highly scalable applications without the need to dive into the low-level non-blocking APIs at the core of Java.

Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

About the Technology

Netty is a Java-based networking framework that manages complex networking, multithreading, and concurrency for your applications. And Netty hides the boilerplate and low-level code, keeping your business logic separate and easier to reuse. With Netty, you get an easy-to-use API, leaving you free to focus on what's unique to your application.

About the Book

Netty in Action introduces the Netty framework and shows you how to incorporate it into your Java network applications. You will discover how to write highly scalable applications without getting into low-level APIs. The book teaches you to think in an asynchronous way as you work through its many hands-on examples and helps you master the best practices of building large-scale network apps.

What's Inside

About the Reader

This book assumes readers are comfortable with Java and basic network architecture.

About the Authors

Norman Maurer is a senior software engineer at Apple and a core developer of Netty. Marvin Wolfthal is a Dell Services consultant who has implemented mission-critical enterprise systems using Netty.

Table of Contents
PART 3 NETWORK PROTOCOLS]]> 296 Norman Maurer 1617291471 Leo 0 3.88 2014 Netty in Action

author: Norman Maurer
name: Leo
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: to-read, programming-deep-dive
review:

]]> Vulcan's Hammer 22595
]]> 165 Philip K. Dick 1400030129 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.53 1960

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.53
book published: 1960
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Too Like the Lightning (Terra Ignota, #1)]]> 26114545
The world into which Mycroft and Carlyle have been born is as strange to our 21st-century eyes as ours would be to a native of the 1500s. It is a hard-won utopia built on technologically-generated abundance, and also on complex and mandatory systems of labeling all public writing and speech. What seem to us normal gender distinctions are now distinctly taboo in most social situations. And most of the world's population is affiliated with globe-girdling clans of the like-minded, whose endless economic and cultural competition is carefully managed by central planners of inestimable subtlety. To us it seems like a mad combination of heaven and hell. To them, it seems like normal life.

And in this world, Mycroft and Carlyle have stumbled on the wild card that may destablize the system: the boy Bridger, who can effortlessly make his wishes come true. Who can, it would seem, bring inanimate objects to life...]]> 432 Ada Palmer 0765378000 Leo 3 The style is very unique, it felt very different from any SF I've read before - that might be both a compliment, or a negative if you were hoping for something more akin to "starships and lasers" stuff.
But the list of my complaints would be a long one.
1) So many pauses for world building, and describing something tangentially related - they might be interesting, but the story has to take a pause, and you're losing the narrative and just forget what the scene is about.
2) Regular stops to clarify what pronouns are used and why. Great idea in general - I really like the vision of future world where gender is a personal choice and even discussing it is somewhat inappropriate. But there's so much of it! As with previous point, I don't need 2 paragraphs for each minor character, explaining why they're "he" or "she".
3) For each dialogue we have explanations what language characters are using. Why? It's all written in English, 99% of characters can use any language and are never constrained by misunderstandings.
4) Most characters are described in idealistic terms, but without showing why they deserve them. All characters refer to Jedd Mason as to living god, but there's no a slightest explanation of their powers, achievements etc. That guy is awesome! - Why? - Because author said so.
5) Oftentimes, characters behaviour in terms of reactions in dialogue. Mycroft regularly starts screaming, or crying, or begging instantly, without any reason.

I don't have anything in particular about plot in general, but I can understand why people might find it boring - if you're expecting some action in terms of battles, chases etc - there is none of that. There are only dialogues, courteous people calmly discussing affairs, and lots of philosophy to go with that.]]> 3.81 2016 Too Like the Lightning (Terra Ignota, #1)

Too Like the Lightning (Terra Ignota, #1)

author: Ada Palmer
name: Leo
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/17
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves:
review:
I cannot say it's a bad book.. but I absolutely didn't gel with it, and have no intention to carry on with the series. Which is really disappointing as this one doesn't resolve anything (though there's a nice hook in the very end).
The style is very unique, it felt very different from any SF I've read before - that might be both a compliment, or a negative if you were hoping for something more akin to "starships and lasers" stuff.
But the list of my complaints would be a long one.
1) So many pauses for world building, and describing something tangentially related - they might be interesting, but the story has to take a pause, and you're losing the narrative and just forget what the scene is about.
2) Regular stops to clarify what pronouns are used and why. Great idea in general - I really like the vision of future world where gender is a personal choice and even discussing it is somewhat inappropriate. But there's so much of it! As with previous point, I don't need 2 paragraphs for each minor character, explaining why they're "he" or "she".
3) For each dialogue we have explanations what language characters are using. Why? It's all written in English, 99% of characters can use any language and are never constrained by misunderstandings.
4) Most characters are described in idealistic terms, but without showing why they deserve them. All characters refer to Jedd Mason as to living god, but there's no a slightest explanation of their powers, achievements etc. That guy is awesome! - Why? - Because author said so.
5) Oftentimes, characters behaviour in terms of reactions in dialogue. Mycroft regularly starts screaming, or crying, or begging instantly, without any reason.

I don't have anything in particular about plot in general, but I can understand why people might find it boring - if you're expecting some action in terms of battles, chases etc - there is none of that. There are only dialogues, courteous people calmly discussing affairs, and lots of philosophy to go with that.
]]> <![CDATA[Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland]]> 40163119
Patrick Radden Keefe's mesmerizing book on the bitter conflict in Northern Ireland and its aftermath uses the McConville case as a starting point for the tale of a society wracked by a violent guerrilla war, a war whose consequences have never been reckoned with. The brutal violence seared not only people like the McConville children, but also I.R.A. members embittered by a peace that fell far short of the goal of a united Ireland, and left them wondering whether the killings they committed were not justified acts of war, but simple murders.

Patrick Radden Keefe writes an intricate narrative about a notorious killing in Northern Ireland and its devastating repercussions.]]> 441 Patrick Radden Keefe 0385521316 Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.47 2018 Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

author: Patrick Radden Keefe
name: Leo
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> Dr. Futurity 216384 Dr. Futurity is not only a thrilling rendition of a terrifying future but it is also a fantastic examination of the paradoxes of time-travel that could only have come from the mind of Philip K. Dick.

]]> 169 Philip K. Dick 1400030099 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.49 1960 Dr. Futurity

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.49
book published: 1960
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Simulacra 226460 214 Philip K. Dick 0375719261 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.64 1964

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1964
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Lies, Inc. 22582 The Unteleported Man, which Dick worked on shortly before his death. In Lies, Inc., fans of the science fiction legend will immediately recognize his hallmark themes of life in a security state, conspiracy, and the blurring of reality and illusion. This publication marks its first complete appearance in the United States.

In this wry, paranoid vision of the future, overpopulation has turned cities into cramed industrial anthills. For those sick of this dystopian reality, one corporation, Trails of Hoffman, Inc., promises an alternative: Take a teleport to Whale's Mouth, a colonized planet billed as the supreme paradise. The only catch is that you can never comeback. When a neurotic man named Rachmael ben Applebaum discovers that the promotional films of happy crowds cheering their newfound existence on Whale's Mouth are faked, he decides to pilot a scapeship on the eighteen-year journey there to see if anyone wants to return.]]> 202 Philip K. Dick 1400030080 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.24 1983 Lies, Inc.

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.24
book published: 1983
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Solar Lottery 92504
But with the power came the game �� the assassination game �� which everyone could watch on TV. Would the new man be good enough to evade his chosen killer? Which made for fascinating and exciting viewing, compelling enough to distract the public’s attention while the Big Five industrial complexes ran the world. Then, in 2203, with the choice of a member of a maverick cult as Quizmaster, the system developed a little hitch��

Solar Lottery was Philip K. Dick’s first published novel, brilliant and idiosyncratic, powerful and affecting.]]> 188 Philip K. Dick 0575074558 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.50 1955

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1955
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Cosmic Puppets 14187
Winner of both the Hugo and John W. Campbell awards for best novel, widely regarded as the premiere science fiction writer of his day, and the object of cult-like adoration from his legions of fans, Philip K. Dick has come to be seen in a literary light that defies classification in much the same way as Borges and Calvino. With breathtaking insight, he utilizes vividly unfamiliar worlds to evoke the hauntingly and hilariously familiar in our society and ourselves.]]> 150 Philip K. Dick 1400030056 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.47 1957 The Cosmic Puppets

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.47
book published: 1957
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Crack in Space 22586 The Crack in Space, a repairman discovers that a hole in a faulty Jifi-scuttler leads to a parallel world. Jim Briskin, campaigning to be the first black president of the United States, thinks alter-Earth is the solution to the chronic overpopulation that has seventy million people cryogenically frozen; Tito Cravelli, a shadowy private detective, wants to know why Dr Lurton Sands is hiding his mistress on the planet; billionaire mutant George Walt wants to make the empty world all his own. But when the other earth turns out to be inhabited, everything changes.

Winner of both the Hugo and John W. Campbell awards for best novel, widely regarded as the premiere science fiction writer of his day, and the object of cult-like adoration from his legions of fans, Philip K. Dick has come to be seen in a literary light that defies classification in much the same way as Borges and Calvino. With breathtaking insight, he utilizes vividly unfamiliar worlds to evoke the hauntingly and hilariously familiar in our society and ourselves.]]> 188 Philip K. Dick 1400030064 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.48 1966 The Crack in Space

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.48
book published: 1966
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> We Can Build You 400270
Is an electronic Lincoln any less alive than his creators? Is a machine that cares and suffers inferior to the woman Louis loves--a borderline psychopath who does neither? With irresistible momentum, intelligence, and wit, Philip K. Dick creates an arresting techno-thriller that suggests a marriage of Bladerunner and Barbarians at the Gate .]]> 256 Philip K. Dick 067975296X Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.58 1972 We Can Build You

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.58
book published: 1972
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Our Friends From Frolix 8 756108 Our Friends From Frolix 8, Philip K Dick clashes private dreams against public battles in a fast-paced and provocative tale.

Nick Appleton is a menial laborer whose life is a series of endless frustrations. Willis Gram is the despotic oligarch of a planet ruled by big-brained elites. When they both fall in love with Charlotte Boyer, a feisty black marketer of revolutionary propaganda, Nick seems destined for doom. But everything takes a decidedly unpredictable turn when the revolution’s leader, Thors Provoni, returns from ten years of intergalactic hiding with a ninety-ton protoplasmic slime that is bent on creating a new world order.

Winner of both the Hugo and John W. Campbell awards for best novel, widely regarded as the premiere science fiction writer of his day, and the object of cult-like adoration from his legions of fans, Philip K. Dick has come to be seen in a literary light that defies classification in much the same way as Borges and Calvino. With breathtaking insight, he utilizes vividly unfamiliar worlds to evoke the hauntingly and hilariously familiar in our society and ourselves.]]> 221 Philip K. Dick 0375719342 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.60 1970 Our Friends From Frolix 8

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1970
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The World Jones Made 216361
In Philip K. Dick's unsettling chronicle of the rise and fall of a postnuclear messiah, readers will find a novel that is as minutely realistic as it is prophetic. For along with its engineered mutants, hermaphroditic sex performers, and protoplasmic drifters from the stars, The World Jones Made gives us nothing less than a deadly accurate reading of our own hunger for belief.

]]> 199 Philip K. Dick 0679742190 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.65 1956

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.65
book published: 1956
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/13
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Collected Essex County 6096829
Award-winning cartoonist Jeff Lemire pays tribute to his roots with Essex County, an award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of his hometown, the eccentric farming community of Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In Essex County, Lemire crafts an intimate study of one community through the years, and a tender meditation on family, memory, grief, secrets, and reconciliation. With the lush, expressive inking of a young artist at the height of his powers, Lemire draws us in and sets us free. This new edition collects the complete, critically-acclaimed trilogy (Tales from the Farm, Ghost Stories, and The Country Nurse) in one deluxe volume! Also included are over 40-pages of previously unpublished material, including two new stories.]]> 512 Jeff Lemire 160309038X Leo 4 4.32 2009 The Collected Essex County

author: Jeff Lemire
name: Leo
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Engineers Survival Guide: Advice, tactics, and tricks After a decade of working at Facebook, Snapchat, and Microsoft]]> 60455143
There are a lot of amazing technical books out there. But what about your life as an engineer ? How you interact with others ? How happy are you with your career ?
If you've been feeling alone in your journey and keep wishing you had a friend or a mentor you could get some advice about non-technical aspects, look no further!

Inside, you will find the summary of advice, tactics, and tricks learned the hard way through many years of working on mission-critical components, complex system designs supporting billions of users, and working with thousands of the most brilliant engineers around the world.

Have a survival guide for most situations you'll be facing throughout your career as an engineer and learn how to play for the long game .

----------------------------------------------------------------

Topics Conflict resolution, finding mentors, prioritization, interviews, importance of data, visibility, failures, consensus, design discussions, how to drive meetings, adaptability, ambiguity, networking, meetings with your managers (one on ones), biggest regret, perfectionism, system design, calendar, focus blocks, office jargon, diversification, positive surroundings, being the happy coworker, working at a startup, office politics, playing for the long game]]> 244 Merih Taze Leo 0 to-read, programming-maybe 3.77 Engineers Survival Guide: Advice, tactics, and tricks After a decade of working at Facebook, Snapchat, and Microsoft

Engineers Survival Guide: Advice, tactics, and tricks After a decade of working at Facebook, Snapchat, and Microsoft

author: Merih Taze
name: Leo
average rating: 3.77
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: to-read, programming-maybe
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Creative Act: A Way of Being]]> 60965426 From the legendary music producer, a master at helping people connect with the wellsprings of their creativity, comes a beautifully crafted book many years in the making that offers that same deep wisdom to all of us.

"A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning accomplishment." --Anne Lamott

"I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be." --Rick Rubin

Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed expectations in order to reconnect with a state of innocence from which the surprising becomes inevitable. Over the years, as he has thought deeply about where creativity comes from and where it doesn't, he has learned that being an artist isn't about your specific output, it's about your relationship to the world. Creativity has a place in everyone's life, and everyone can make that place larger. In fact, there are few more important responsibilities.

The Creative Act is a beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow. It distills the wisdom gleaned from a lifetime's work into a luminous reading experience that puts the power to create moments--and lifetimes--of exhilaration and transcendence within closer reach for all of us.]]> 406 Rick Rubin 0593652886 Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.00 2023 The Creative Act: A Way of Being

author: Rick Rubin
name: Leo
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell 14201
Proceeding to London, he raises a beautiful woman from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French. Yet the cautious, fussy Norrell is challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange.

Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very antithesis of Norrell. So begins a dangerous battle between these two great men which overwhelms that between England and France. And their own obsessions and secret dabblings with the dark arts are going to cause more trouble than they can imagine.]]> 1006 Susanna Clarke Leo 5 The book was probably a little less focused on the plot, antagonist is kinda there but generally it's just "things happen, and we deal with them as it goes" (and that actually feels very "life-like").
But it's absolutely captivating, despite its size it never felt bloated or dragged - on the contrary, you're constantly flying forward, excited to find out what happens next. ]]> 3.84 2004 Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

author: Susanna Clarke
name: Leo
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/03
shelves:
review:
Wonderful, magestic setting, relatable characters, great dialogues - how can one not like that?
The book was probably a little less focused on the plot, antagonist is kinda there but generally it's just "things happen, and we deal with them as it goes" (and that actually feels very "life-like").
But it's absolutely captivating, despite its size it never felt bloated or dragged - on the contrary, you're constantly flying forward, excited to find out what happens next.
]]> The Divine Invasion 216398 The Divine Invasion, Philip K. Dick asks: What if God �� or a being called Yah �� were alive and in exile on a distant planet? How could a second coming succeed against the high technology and finely tuned rationalized evil of the modern police state?

The Divine Invasion "blends Judaism, Kabalah, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity into a fascinating fable of human existence"
--West Coast Review of Books

]]> 238 Philip K. Dick 0679734457 Leo 3 Still, I prefer Dick's weirdness and psychodelia much more than his religious philosophizing.]]> 3.83 1981 The Divine Invasion

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1981
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:
I was pleasantly surprised that all the weirdness and theological discussions in the end wrapped up to something sensible, and ending didn't feel like deus ex machina (pun intended).
Still, I prefer Dick's weirdness and psychodelia much more than his religious philosophizing.
]]> Gateway (Heechee Saga, #1) 218427
When prospector Robinette Broadhead went out to Gateway on the Heechee spacecraft, he decided he would know which was the right mission to make him his fortune. Three missions later, now famous and permanently rich, Rob Broadhead has to face what happened to him and what he has become... in a journey into himself as perilous and even more horrifying than the nightmare trip through the interstellar void that he drove himself to take!]]> 278 Frederik Pohl 0345475836 Leo 4 Simple premise, that allows for great variety of stories to be told. Interesting plot (even if ending, as it often happens, might be somewhat disappointing). Quite unusual, and very captivating way to show events and characters feelings, with psychologist sessions foreshadowing and planting the intrigue in a very natural way.]]> 4.07 1977 Gateway (Heechee Saga, #1)

author: Frederik Pohl
name: Leo
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1977
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/09
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves:
review:
That was really, really good.
Simple premise, that allows for great variety of stories to be told. Interesting plot (even if ending, as it often happens, might be somewhat disappointing). Quite unusual, and very captivating way to show events and characters feelings, with psychologist sessions foreshadowing and planting the intrigue in a very natural way.
]]> Hacker's Delight 276079 306 Henry S. Warren Jr. 0201914654 Leo 0 to-read, programming-maybe 4.21 2002

author: Henry S. Warren Jr.
name: Leo
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read, programming-maybe
review:

]]> Jennifer Government 33356 335 Max Barry 0349117624 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.68 2002

author: Max Barry
name: Leo
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/09
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Deus Irae 22594 192 Philip K. Dick 1400030072 Leo 2 The journey itself made very little sense, and I can't say it was used as a background for some more interesting thoughts either.]]> 3.46 1976 Deus Irae

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.46
book published: 1976
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/03
date added: 2025/03/03
shelves:
review:
Not for me.
The journey itself made very little sense, and I can't say it was used as a background for some more interesting thoughts either.
]]> Norwegian Wood 12970898 An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.

When he hears her favourite Beatles song, Toru Watanabe recalls his first love Naoko, the girlfriend of his best friend Kizuki. Immediately he is transported back almost twenty years to his student days in Tokyo, adrift in a world of uneasy friendships, casual sex, passion, loss and desire - to a time when an impetuous young woman called Midori marches into his life and he has to choose between the future and the past.]]> 401 Haruki Murakami Leo 3 I'm not sure what made this book such a phenomenon, it reads like pretty average romance story to me - characters are ok (though nothing special), plot is easy to follow, not much for twists or turns.
I don't think I'll remember reading it in a year.]]> 4.13 1987 Norwegian Wood

author: Haruki Murakami
name: Leo
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1987
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves:
review:
"It was ok"
I'm not sure what made this book such a phenomenon, it reads like pretty average romance story to me - characters are ok (though nothing special), plot is easy to follow, not much for twists or turns.
I don't think I'll remember reading it in a year.
]]> <![CDATA[Java Performance: In-Depth Advice for Tuning and Programming Java 8, 11, and Beyond]]> 53585473
Developers and performance engineers alike will learn a variety of features, tools, and processes for improving the way the Java 8 and 11 LTS releases perform. While the emphasis is on production-supported releases and features, this book also features previews of exciting new technologies such as ahead-of-time compilation and experimental garbage collections.

Understand how various Java platforms and compilers affect performance
Learn how Java garbage collection works
Apply four principles to obtain best results from performance testing
Use the JDK and other tools to learn how a Java application is performing
Minimize the garbage collector's impact through tuning and programming practices
Tackle performance issues in Java APIs
Improve Java-driven database application performance]]> 543 Scott Oaks 1492056073 Leo 5 Would any Java developer benefit from reading it? Also probably not. Performance optimizations, GC tuning etc is a niche thing, in most cases implementing business logic quickly and writing understandable / maintainable code would be much more important, when startup is looking for a PMF performance is not a priority. When starting optimizations, you'll probably get much more from removing unnecessary operations, checking algorithms and data structures you're using etc.
But at certain scale you'll have to start looking at how GC performs, when your code gets compiled etc, and that's when you'll reach for that book, or be grateful that you've read it before just out of curiosity.]]> 4.73 2014 Java Performance: In-Depth Advice for Tuning and Programming Java 8, 11, and Beyond

Java Performance: In-Depth Advice for Tuning and Programming Java 8, 11, and Beyond

author: Scott Oaks
name: Leo
average rating: 4.73
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/23
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves:
review:
Can I really put anything except 5 stars here? I don't think so. Is this ideal book - probably not. But it's unique, you just have no chance of finding this information in systematic way anywhere else.
Would any Java developer benefit from reading it? Also probably not. Performance optimizations, GC tuning etc is a niche thing, in most cases implementing business logic quickly and writing understandable / maintainable code would be much more important, when startup is looking for a PMF performance is not a priority. When starting optimizations, you'll probably get much more from removing unnecessary operations, checking algorithms and data structures you're using etc.
But at certain scale you'll have to start looking at how GC performs, when your code gets compiled etc, and that's when you'll reach for that book, or be grateful that you've read it before just out of curiosity.
]]> Eye in the Sky 165908
Winner of both the Hugo and John W. Campbell awards for best novel, widely regarded as the premiere science fiction writer of his day, and the object of cult-like adoration from his legions of fans, Philip K. Dick has come to be seen in a literary light that defies classification in much the same way as Borges and Calvino. With breathtaking insight, he utilizes vividly unfamiliar worlds to evoke the hauntingly and hilariously familiar in our society and ourselves.]]> 256 Philip K. Dick 1400030102 Leo 4 Our heroes take a thrill ride accross several worlds, each created by different insane mind. Considering how over the top each one is, I also felt some "I have no mouth and I must scream" vibes, with situations set up to be torture chambers.
And in the end they face the ultimate enemy - a communist! (I laughed so hard at this, you can't even imagine)

Favourite quote: "Russia, as a category, had been abolished".]]> 3.75 1957 Eye in the Sky

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1957
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
Without much spoilers I can only say that description kinda lies to you, but it doesn't make a book any worse. At first I felt some bits of Ubik here - so you'll predict plot twist if you've read it, but don't worry, it won't be the last one.
Our heroes take a thrill ride accross several worlds, each created by different insane mind. Considering how over the top each one is, I also felt some "I have no mouth and I must scream" vibes, with situations set up to be torture chambers.
And in the end they face the ultimate enemy - a communist! (I laughed so hard at this, you can't even imagine)

Favourite quote: "Russia, as a category, had been abolished".
]]> <![CDATA[Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1)]]> 30841984
Their glory days long past, the mercs have grown apart and grown old, fat, drunk - or a combination of the three. Then an ex-bandmate turns up at Clay's door with a plea for help. His daughter Rose is trapped in a city besieged by an enemy one hundred thousand strong and hungry for blood. Rescuing Rose is the kind of mission that only the very brave or the very stupid would sign up for.

It's time to get the band back together for one last tour across the Wyld.]]> 502 Nicholas Eames 0316362476 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 4.26 2017 Kings of the Wyld (The Band, #1)

author: Nicholas Eames
name: Leo
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Borne (Borne, #1) 31451186
At first, Borne looks like nothing at all—just a green lump that might be a Company discard. The Company, although severely damaged, is rumoured to still make creatures and send them to distant places that have not yet suffered Collapse.

Borne somehow reminds Rachel of the island nation of her birth, now long lost to rising seas. She feels an attachment she resents; attachments are traps, and in this world any weakness can kill you. Yet when she takes Borne to her subterranean sanctuary, the Balcony Cliffs, Rachel convinces her lover, Wick, not to render Borne down to raw genetic material for the drugs he sells—she cannot break that bond.

Wick is a special kind of supplier, because the drug dealers in the city don’t sell the usual things. They sell tiny creatures that can be swallowed or stuck in the ear, and that release powerful memories of other people’s happier times or pull out forgotten memories from the user’s own mind—or just produce beautiful visions that provide escape from the barren, craterous landscapes of the city.

Against his better judgment, out of affection for Rachel or perhaps some other impulse, Wick respects her decision. Rachel, meanwhile, despite her loyalty to Wick, knows he has kept secrets from her. Searching his apartment, she finds a burnt, unreadable journal titled “Mord,�� a cryptic reference to the Magician (a rival drug dealer) and evidence that Wick has planned the layout of the Balcony Cliffs to match the blueprint of the Company building. What is he hiding? Why won’t he tell her about what happened when he worked for the Company?]]> 323 Jeff VanderMeer 0374115249 Leo 4 Really unusual world, with it's weird biotech and mutants everywhere, lost in an unknown world (we find out almost nothing about "broader world", but I think pt 2 might give some perspective here). It was somewhat challenging to get used to all this "non-standard" tech, so unlike most other sci-fi I previously read. Would this be classified as a "biopunk"?
The plot, while mostly straightforward, has an interesting change from "children growing up" story to some plot twists, and neatly ties everything in the very end - yeah, you probably can predict how it will end for a while, but it's still good wrap.
If you're interested in some unusual - but still very human - sci-fi - you won't be disappointed.]]> 3.93 2017 Borne (Borne, #1)

author: Jeff VanderMeer
name: Leo
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves:
review:
Really liked this one.
Really unusual world, with it's weird biotech and mutants everywhere, lost in an unknown world (we find out almost nothing about "broader world", but I think pt 2 might give some perspective here). It was somewhat challenging to get used to all this "non-standard" tech, so unlike most other sci-fi I previously read. Would this be classified as a "biopunk"?
The plot, while mostly straightforward, has an interesting change from "children growing up" story to some plot twists, and neatly ties everything in the very end - yeah, you probably can predict how it will end for a while, but it's still good wrap.
If you're interested in some unusual - but still very human - sci-fi - you won't be disappointed.
]]> Babel 57945316 From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a historical fantasy epic that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool of the British Empire

Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal.

1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world's center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire's quest for colonization.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .

Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?]]> 544 R.F. Kuang 0063021420 Leo 2
I was planning to write a bigger review, but most of my points were already said in other reviews, and much better then I could have. So I'll just put some notes.

Setting seemed exciting at first, a mix of Industrial Revolution and magic - until you see that it's just industrial revolution, with "steam" replaced with "silver". Magic system is definitely novel, even though by the end of the book author stems to step off from rules she set a bit - when at first it was "the effect is some bits that are lost in translation", by the end it's mostly "the effect is whatever that word means".
Etymological notes were absolutely awesome, delightful to read.
Characters - I agree with criticism that they're not people, but stereotypes to illustrate the point, but that's kinda fine with me? Robin has an interesting arc, Ramy is fleshed out in his chapter.

Reading it at first was a mix of interest and frustration. Plot progresses, I'm thinking "yeah, great, more of that please" - and then author takes out a stick and starts hitting you in the head saying "colonialism is bad. racism is bad". And I totally agree, but can I read the book please? And a quarter book in, your head hurts from beating, and plot barely moves at all, and it's all downhill from there.
Last third - very long and so, so unreal it reminded me of last episodes of Game of Thrones. Mighty empire, with whole source of it's power concentrated in one tower, without guards, and nobody did anything about that yet? Honestly, dragons flying in and burning the Parliament would've not been a stretch by that point.]]> 4.17 2022 Babel

author: R.F. Kuang
name: Leo
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/07
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:
Oh boy I didn't like that one.. Such a good start, such a disappointment.

I was planning to write a bigger review, but most of my points were already said in other reviews, and much better then I could have. So I'll just put some notes.

Setting seemed exciting at first, a mix of Industrial Revolution and magic - until you see that it's just industrial revolution, with "steam" replaced with "silver". Magic system is definitely novel, even though by the end of the book author stems to step off from rules she set a bit - when at first it was "the effect is some bits that are lost in translation", by the end it's mostly "the effect is whatever that word means".
Etymological notes were absolutely awesome, delightful to read.
Characters - I agree with criticism that they're not people, but stereotypes to illustrate the point, but that's kinda fine with me? Robin has an interesting arc, Ramy is fleshed out in his chapter.

Reading it at first was a mix of interest and frustration. Plot progresses, I'm thinking "yeah, great, more of that please" - and then author takes out a stick and starts hitting you in the head saying "colonialism is bad. racism is bad". And I totally agree, but can I read the book please? And a quarter book in, your head hurts from beating, and plot barely moves at all, and it's all downhill from there.
Last third - very long and so, so unreal it reminded me of last episodes of Game of Thrones. Mighty empire, with whole source of it's power concentrated in one tower, without guards, and nobody did anything about that yet? Honestly, dragons flying in and burning the Parliament would've not been a stretch by that point.
]]> <![CDATA[Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training]]> 2098799 320 Mark Rippetoe 0976805421 Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.43 2005

Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training

author: Mark Rippetoe
name: Leo
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/02
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> Rejection 199635125
Sharply observant and outrageously funny, Rejection is a provocative plunge into the touchiest problems of modern life. The seven connected stories seamlessly transition between the personal crises of a complex ensemble and the comic tragedies of sex, relationships, identity, and the internet.

In “The Feminist,�� a young man’s passionate allyship turns to furious nihilism as he realizes, over thirty lonely years, that it isn’t getting him laid. A young woman’s unrequited crush in “Pics�� spirals into borderline obsession and the systematic destruction of her sense of self. And in “Ahegao; or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression,�� a shy late bloomer’s flailing efforts at a first relationship leads to a life-upending mistake. As the characters pop up in each other’s dating apps and social media feeds, or meet in dimly lit bars and bedrooms, they reveal the ways our delusions can warp our desire for connection.

These brilliant satires explore the underrated sorrows of rejection with the authority of a modern classic and the manic intensity of a manifesto. Audacious and unforgettable, Rejection is a stunning mosaic that redefines what it means to be rejected by lovers, friends, society, and oneself.]]> 272 Tony Tulathimutte 0063337878 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.87 2024

author: Tony Tulathimutte
name: Leo
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/23
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[There Is No Antimemetics Division]]> 57834742 227 qntm Leo 5
I was fascinated by whole concept of SCP Foundation (meaning the collaborative writing experiment without a clear plot and many contributions to the lore) since I found out about it, and it's great to have a whole book set in that universe.
The style of separate short stories fits it well, and play great on concept of "we constantly forget and re-discover" - for a while (and actually still) I wasn't sure if stories are presented in chronologic order - character's can not remember what happened, hence it's not addressed, hence you're not sure if it actually happened.

I can second several opinions that second half of the book becomes somewhat more abstract, at the same time story becomes a bit more "linear", with more "clearly (un)defined" antagonist. The ending requires quite a bit of suspension of disbelief and for that reason doesn't land very strongly (in my opinion), but it didn't detract from overall enjoyment of the world.

I'd gladly read some more stories like these in future - and maybe it would be only better if they are somewhat disconnected, and not leading up to a huge climax in the end.]]> 4.25 2020 There Is No Antimemetics Division

author: qntm
name: Leo
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/20
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves:
review:
It's probably a bit less than 5 out of 5, but still it's very original compared to most things I've read.

I was fascinated by whole concept of SCP Foundation (meaning the collaborative writing experiment without a clear plot and many contributions to the lore) since I found out about it, and it's great to have a whole book set in that universe.
The style of separate short stories fits it well, and play great on concept of "we constantly forget and re-discover" - for a while (and actually still) I wasn't sure if stories are presented in chronologic order - character's can not remember what happened, hence it's not addressed, hence you're not sure if it actually happened.

I can second several opinions that second half of the book becomes somewhat more abstract, at the same time story becomes a bit more "linear", with more "clearly (un)defined" antagonist. The ending requires quite a bit of suspension of disbelief and for that reason doesn't land very strongly (in my opinion), but it didn't detract from overall enjoyment of the world.

I'd gladly read some more stories like these in future - and maybe it would be only better if they are somewhat disconnected, and not leading up to a huge climax in the end.
]]> <![CDATA[Я (Романтика) (Ukrainian Edition)]]> 69003795 348 Микола Хвильовий 9661058504 Leo 4 4.33

author: Микола Хвильовий
name: Leo
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Demolished Man 76740
Ben Reichs heads a huge 24th century business empire, spanning the solar system. He is also an obsessed, driven man determined to murder a rival. To avoid capture, in a society where murderers can be detected even before they commit their crime, is the greatest challenge of his life.

]]> 250 Alfred Bester Leo 5 That was quite an unexpected turn for me - I quite disliked "The Stars My Destination", so wasn't expecting much from this one - and was pleasantly surprised!
TDM immediately gave some Philip K. Dick's vibes (which I certainly like).
As a separate bonus - plenty of psychoanalysis, I think Freud would be really happy to read this one.
[spoilers removed]]]> 3.98 1953 The Demolished Man

author: Alfred Bester
name: Leo
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1953
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/15
date added: 2025/01/15
shelves:
review:
I was thinking about 4.5, but let's round it up, why not?
That was quite an unexpected turn for me - I quite disliked "The Stars My Destination", so wasn't expecting much from this one - and was pleasantly surprised!
TDM immediately gave some Philip K. Dick's vibes (which I certainly like).
As a separate bonus - plenty of psychoanalysis, I think Freud would be really happy to read this one.
[spoilers removed]
]]> The English and their History 23569457 The English and their History, the first full-length account to appear in one volume for many decades, Robert Tombs gives us the history of the English people, and of how the stories they have told about themselves have shaped them, from the prehistoric 'dreamtime' through to the present day.

If a nation is a group of people with a sense of kinship, a political identity and representative institutions, then the English have a claim to be the oldest nation in the world. They first came into existence as an idea, before they had a common ruler and before the country they lived in even had a name. They have lasted as a recognizable entity ever since, and their defining national institutions can be traced back to the earliest years of their history.

The English have come a long way from those precarious days of invasion and conquest, with many spectacular changes of fortune. Their political, economic and cultural contacts have left traces for good and ill across the world. This book describes their history and its meanings from their beginnings in the monasteries of Northumbria and the wetlands of Wessex to the cosmopolitan energy of today's England. Robert Tombs draws out important threads running through the story, including participatory government, language, law, religion, the land and the sea, and ever-changing relations with other peoples. Not the least of these connections are the ways the English have understood their own history, have argued about it, forgotten it, and yet been shaped by it. These diverse and sometimes conflicting understandings are an inherent part of their identity.

Rather to their surprise, as ties within the United Kingdom loosen, the English are suddenly beginning a new period in their long history. Especially at times of change, history can help us to think about the sort of people we are and wish to be. This book, the first single-volume work on this scale for more than half a century, and which incorporates a wealth of recent scholarship, presents a challenging modern account of this immense and continuing story, bringing out the strength and resilience of English government, the deep patterns of division, and yet also the persistent capacity to come together in the face of danger.]]> 1024 Robert Tombs 1846140188 Leo 4 It's a good history book, what more can one say? Author not just gives you quick overview of events themselves, but also how they were perceived, and how that impacted English mental image of themselves.
It goes over huge timespan, giving more and more detailed account of recent events - I think that makes sense not just because we have more "detailed accounts", but because recent changes are more important to how English think of themselves nowadays.
I've noticed some commenters point out certain conservative bias author has - that might be true (obviously more noticeable in the recent events), but I can't say it gets in the way or skews perception that much.

When reading last chapters, I tried comparing it in my mind with Marr's "A History of 20th Century Britain" - can't really say which I liked more, I think they compliment each other well.]]> 4.20 2014 The English and their History

author: Robert Tombs
name: Leo
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/10
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves:
review:
That one took me a while..
It's a good history book, what more can one say? Author not just gives you quick overview of events themselves, but also how they were perceived, and how that impacted English mental image of themselves.
It goes over huge timespan, giving more and more detailed account of recent events - I think that makes sense not just because we have more "detailed accounts", but because recent changes are more important to how English think of themselves nowadays.
I've noticed some commenters point out certain conservative bias author has - that might be true (obviously more noticeable in the recent events), but I can't say it gets in the way or skews perception that much.

When reading last chapters, I tried comparing it in my mind with Marr's "A History of 20th Century Britain" - can't really say which I liked more, I think they compliment each other well.
]]> <![CDATA[Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel, #1)]]> 24983
But a crisis strangely linking past and future strands Kivrin in a bygone age as her fellows try desperately to rescue her. In a time of superstition and fear, Kivrin--barely of age herself--finds she has become an unlikely angel of hope during one of history's darkest hours.

Connie Willis draws upon her understanding of the universalities of human nature to explore the ageless issues of evil, suffering, and the indomitable will of the human spirit.]]> 578 Connie Willis 0553562738 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 4.02 1992 Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel, #1)

author: Connie Willis
name: Leo
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/08
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware]]> 3063393 251 Andy Hunt 1934356050 Leo 3 Nothing "software engineering-specific" as well - just some examples mention refactoring or Java]]> 4.12 2008 Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware

Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware

author: Andy Hunt
name: Leo
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/06
date added: 2025/01/06
shelves:
review:
It's ok, but if you've already read something like "Learning how to learn" or many other similar books you won't find anything new here. Levels of expertise, left and right thinking modes, reducing context switching, mind maps and GTD etc etc.
Nothing "software engineering-specific" as well - just some examples mention refactoring or Java
]]> <![CDATA[The Department of Truth, Vol 1: The End of the World]]> 55843567
From bestselling writer JAMES TYNION IV (BATMAN, SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN) and breakout artist MARTIN SIMMONDS (DYING IS EASY)!

Collects DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #1-5]]> 144 James Tynion IV 153431833X Leo 3 The premise is quite exciting: at first it might seem like "what if conspiracy theories are true", but it's deeper than that - "what if our beliefs shape the world".
But I don't think this idea is explored that well. There are some interesting discussions about implications of that, and overall theme of "many things we think about are just ideas in our heads" (this is more broadly explored in Harari's "Homo Sapiens", and plenty of other non-fiction, if you're interested).
But the plot itself picks up different bits of conspiracy theories just to drop them - satanic panic, UFOs, mothman etc etc are just fragments so that characters had some action, that's not really related to the plot - the plot is moved forward in long dialogues.
And in the end feels like "ok, I heard about so many creatures and situations Department was involved in - but that all didn't go anywhere, and we're still nowhere near understanding Department and Black Hat's goals".
Is it intriguing? Yes! But I don't think we'll get any satisfying answers in the end.

The drawing is, in most cases, really good - atmospheric, hazy, captivating.]]> 4.11 2020 The Department of Truth, Vol 1: The End of the World

The Department of Truth, Vol 1: The End of the World

author: James Tynion IV
name: Leo
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:
I've been reading this one for a while, and, after finishing vol 27 (last one currently released) I think I'm done for now.
The premise is quite exciting: at first it might seem like "what if conspiracy theories are true", but it's deeper than that - "what if our beliefs shape the world".
But I don't think this idea is explored that well. There are some interesting discussions about implications of that, and overall theme of "many things we think about are just ideas in our heads" (this is more broadly explored in Harari's "Homo Sapiens", and plenty of other non-fiction, if you're interested).
But the plot itself picks up different bits of conspiracy theories just to drop them - satanic panic, UFOs, mothman etc etc are just fragments so that characters had some action, that's not really related to the plot - the plot is moved forward in long dialogues.
And in the end feels like "ok, I heard about so many creatures and situations Department was involved in - but that all didn't go anywhere, and we're still nowhere near understanding Department and Black Hat's goals".
Is it intriguing? Yes! But I don't think we'll get any satisfying answers in the end.

The drawing is, in most cases, really good - atmospheric, hazy, captivating.
]]> Nightfall 99245
Imagine living on a planet with six suns that never experiences Darkness. Imagine never having seen the Stars. Then, one by one the suns start to set, gradually leading into Darkness for the first time ever. Kalgash is a world on the edge of chaos, torn between the madness of religious fanaticism and the unyielding rationalism of scientists. Lurking beneath it all is a collective, instinctual fear of the Darkness. For Kalgash knows only the perpetual light of day; to its inhabitants, a gathering twilight portends unspeakable horror. And only a handful of people on the planet are prepared to face the truth, their six suns are setting all at once for the first time in over two thousand years, signaling the end of civilization as it explodes in the awesome splendor of Nightfall.

Encompassing the psychology of disaster, the tenacity of the human spirit, and, ultimately, the regenerative power of hope, Nightfall is a tale rich in character and suspense that only the unique collaboration of Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg could create.]]> 339 Isaac Asimov 0553290991 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 4.06 1990

author: Isaac Asimov
name: Leo
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1990
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Wool (Silo, #1) 58794496
Or you'll get what you wish for.]]> Hugh Howey Leo 4 have-paper-version
There were ups and downs, but overall I quite liked it. The idea itself is novel, or at least not used very often. Characters might be not very complex (and only Bernard has some semblance of an arc), but it's easy to follow them, understand their feelings and motivations.
So it mostly boils down to plot and action, and while there are some hiccups or downtime, overall pacing is good, we find out more and more about world of the Silo, but without infodumps.

Verdict - it's ok. It might not present you new unique perspectives or questions on the nature of humanity, but you'll enjoy the twists and turns and get to the happy ending.]]> 4.01 2012 Wool (Silo, #1)

author: Hugh Howey
name: Leo
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/01
date added: 2025/01/01
shelves: have-paper-version
review:
I'm not sure if I picked the right edition, this is a review of omnibus (5 parts, is it?).

There were ups and downs, but overall I quite liked it. The idea itself is novel, or at least not used very often. Characters might be not very complex (and only Bernard has some semblance of an arc), but it's easy to follow them, understand their feelings and motivations.
So it mostly boils down to plot and action, and while there are some hiccups or downtime, overall pacing is good, we find out more and more about world of the Silo, but without infodumps.

Verdict - it's ok. It might not present you new unique perspectives or questions on the nature of humanity, but you'll enjoy the twists and turns and get to the happy ending.
]]> <![CDATA[Database Design and Implementation]]> 6846811 * Describes what Java tools and techniques will best help developers build an application that uses a database system
* Contains a fully functional database system that allows readers to examine and modify the code]]> 784 Edward Sciore 0471757160 Leo 0 3.91 2008 Database Design and Implementation

author: Edward Sciore
name: Leo
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: to-read, programming-deep-dive
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Just Enough Software Architecture: A Risk-Driven Approach]]> 9005772 376 George H. Fairbanks 0984618104 Leo 0 Some parts are a bit better, some just seem like general reflections on software development and architecture and so broad that I don't think would be applicable to any specific situation. Some stuff that feels like just general common sense.
I've wrote that before in some other review, and feel the same now: you either know what author is talking about already, or would miss what he's trying to say, in both cases there aren't any benefits from reading.]]> 3.46 2010 Just Enough Software Architecture: A Risk-Driven Approach

Just Enough Software Architecture: A Risk-Driven Approach

author: George H. Fairbanks
name: Leo
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:
Not really for me.
Some parts are a bit better, some just seem like general reflections on software development and architecture and so broad that I don't think would be applicable to any specific situation. Some stuff that feels like just general common sense.
I've wrote that before in some other review, and feel the same now: you either know what author is talking about already, or would miss what he's trying to say, in both cases there aren't any benefits from reading.
]]> <![CDATA[What I Talk About When I Talk About Running]]> 2195464
Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and takes us to places ranging from Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston among young women who outpace him. Through this marvelous lens of sport emerges a panorama of memories and insights: the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his greatest triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs, and the experience, after fifty, of seeing his race times improve and then fall back.

By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in running.]]> 188 Haruki Murakami Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 3.87 2007 What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

author: Haruki Murakami
name: Leo
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2007
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/17
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> The Man Who Japed 226482 The Man Who Japed, a world that has survived a nuclear holocaust has given way to a rigid system of oppressive morality. Highly mobile and miniature robots monitor the behavior of every citizen, and the slightest transgression can spell personal doom. Allen Purcell is one of the few people who has the capacity to literally change the way of the world, and once he's offered a high-profile job that acts as guardian of public ethics, he sets out to do precisely that, but first he has to deal with the head in his closet.

]]> 168 Philip K. Dick 0375719350 Leo 3 It's like 1984 but fun!]]> 3.58 1956 The Man Who Japed

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.58
book published: 1956
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
review:
Quite good once you catch the vibe of things and tune into the overall tongue-in-cheek nature.
It's like 1984 but fun!
]]> <![CDATA[SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome]]> 28789711 SPQR, an instant classic, Mary Beard narrates the history of Rome "with passion and without technical jargon" and demonstrates how "a slightly shabby Iron Age village" rose to become the "undisputed hegemon of the Mediterranean" (Wall Street Journal). Hailed by critics as animating "the grand sweep and the intimate details that bring the distant past vividly to life" (Economist) in a way that makes "your hair stand on end" (Christian Science Monitor) and spanning nearly a thousand years of history, this "highly informative, highly readable" (Dallas Morning News) work examines not just how we think of ancient Rome but challenges the comfortable historical perspectives that have existed for centuries. With its nuanced attention to class, democratic struggles, and the lives of entire groups of people omitted from the historical narrative for centuries, SPQR will to shape our view of Roman history for decades to come.]]> 606 Mary Beard 1631492225 Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.04 2015 SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

author: Mary Beard
name: Leo
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> Bear Head (Dogs of War, #2) 55037555
But this isn't Space City from those old science-fiction books. We live in Hell City, built into and from a huge subcontinent-sized crater. There's a big silk canopy over it, feeding out atmosphere as we generate it, little by little, until we can breathe the air.

It's a perfect place to live, if you actually want to live on Mars. I guess at some point I had actually wanted to live on Mars, because here I am. The money was supposed to be good, and how else was a working Joe like me supposed to get off-planet exactly? But I remember the videos they showed us �� guys, not even in suits, watching robots and bees and Bioforms doing all the work �� and they didn't quite get it right...]]> 400 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1800241542 Leo 4 Still, it's great to be back in that world, see how it progressed, and see that progress is not a given, and pendulum can always swing back.]]> 4.10 2021 Bear Head (Dogs of War, #2)

author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Leo
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/11
date added: 2024/12/11
shelves:
review:
As always, Tchaikovsky delivers. I think I liked pt 1 a bit better - more ideas, more development - while Bear Head has some more action (which I'm not particularly a fan of). It's really fast-paced though, you just can't let it go, as story constantly leads you forward.
Still, it's great to be back in that world, see how it progressed, and see that progress is not a given, and pendulum can always swing back.
]]> The Turn of the Screw 12948
A very young woman's first job: governess for two weirdly beautiful, strangely distant, oddly silent children, Miles and Flora, at a forlorn estate... An estate haunted by a beckoning evil. Half-seen figures who glare from dark towers and dusty windows- silent, foul phantoms who, day by day, night by night, come closer, ever closer. With growing horror, the helpless governess realizes the fiendish creatures want the children, seeking to corrupt their bodies, possess their minds, own their souls. But worse-much worse- the governess discovers that Miles and Flora have no terror of the lurking evil. For they want the walking dead as badly as the dead want them.

Excerpt:
I remember the whole beginning as a succession of flights and drops, a little seesaw of the right throbs and the wrong. After rising, in town, to meet his appeal, I had at all events a couple of very bad days - found myself doubtful again, felt indeed sure I had made a mistake. In this state of mind I spent the long hours of bumping, swinging coach that carried me to the stopping place at which I was to be met by a vehicle from the house.]]> 121 Henry James 0140620613 Leo 3 Way too long. Dialogues can be just painful to read, long back-and-forth without progressing story or giving some background, fleshing out characters, anything.
Also, where's suspense, where's atmosphere? Ghosts are bad (because of ftightening stares), but what do they actually want? What should we be afraid of?
Overall, not my cup of tea, I'd probably stick to Poe and Lovecraft.]]> 3.42 1898 The Turn of the Screw

author: Henry James
name: Leo
average rating: 3.42
book published: 1898
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves:
review:
I understand that it's a book from a different time, and first published in a different format, so most of cons are explained just by that. But still, I'm reviewing now, and in book format, so can't just ignore it.
Way too long. Dialogues can be just painful to read, long back-and-forth without progressing story or giving some background, fleshing out characters, anything.
Also, where's suspense, where's atmosphere? Ghosts are bad (because of ftightening stares), but what do they actually want? What should we be afraid of?
Overall, not my cup of tea, I'd probably stick to Poe and Lovecraft.
]]> Ice 636223 158 Anna Kavan 0720612683 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.70 1967 Ice

author: Anna Kavan
name: Leo
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1967
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Чапаев и Пустота 25098037 По мнению критиков, «Чапаев и Пустота» является «первым серьезным дзэн-буддистским романом в русской литературе».]]> 428 Виктор Пелевин 5446703359 Leo 4 4.27 1996 Чапаев и Пустота

author: Виктор Пелевин
name: Leo
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2018/08/13
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[House of Open Wounds (The Tyrant Philosophers, #2)]]> 150254281
Which is where Yasnic, one-time priest, healer and rebel, finds himself. Reprieved from the gallows and sent to war clutching a box of orphan Gods, he has been sequestered to a particularity unorthodox medical unit.

Led by 'the Butcher', an ogre of a man who's a dab hand with a bone-saw and an alchemical tincture, the unit's motley crew of conscripts, healers and orderlies are no strangers to the horrors of war. Their's is an unspeakable trade: elbow-deep in gore they have a first-hand view of the suffering caused by flesh-rending monsters, arcane magical weaponry and embittered enemy soldiers.

Entrusted - for now - with saving lives deemed otherwise un-saveable, the field hospital's crew face a precarious existence. Their work with unapproved magic, necromancy, demonology and Yansic's thoroughly illicit Gods could lead to the unit being disbanded, arrested or worse.

Beset by enemies within and without, the last thing anyone needs is a miracle.]]> 608 Adrian Tchaikovsky 1035901382 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 4.42 2023 House of Open Wounds (The Tyrant Philosophers, #2)

House of Open Wounds (The Tyrant Philosophers, #2)

author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
name: Leo
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Sparrow (The Sparrow, #1) 334176 419 Mary Doria Russell 0449912558 Leo 5 And for the book itself, I can only recommend it.
Realistic, relatable characters. Captivating story, that takes it's time, slowly unfolding before us. Intrigue is growing bit by bit with clever forthshadowing - from the very beginning you know how everything will end - but at the same time can't believe how it all can be true.]]> 4.13 1996 The Sparrow (The Sparrow, #1)

author: Mary Doria Russell
name: Leo
average rating: 4.13
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/28
shelves:
review:
Just a note, don't be alarmed by book's description if you're not into religion - while religious topics are an essential part of the book, it doesn't feel like some religious propaganda (in my opinion less so than "Canticle for Leibowitz", for instance).
And for the book itself, I can only recommend it.
Realistic, relatable characters. Captivating story, that takes it's time, slowly unfolding before us. Intrigue is growing bit by bit with clever forthshadowing - from the very beginning you know how everything will end - but at the same time can't believe how it all can be true.
]]> <![CDATA[Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery]]> 56660256 Set in Colonial New England, Slewfoot is a tale of magic and mystery, of triumph and terror as only dark fantasist Brom can tell it.

Connecticut, 1666.

An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector.

The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil.

To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help.

Together, they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan �� one that threatens to destroy the entire village, leaving nothing but ashes and bloodshed in their wake.]]> 312 Brom Leo 0 to-read, fiction 4.26 2021 Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery

author: Brom
name: Leo
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 517188 150 Muriel Spark 0060931736 Leo 4
I struggle to even define proper genre for "Prime..", as well as descibe plot. I mean, short summary is possible, but "story of unconventional teacher to a group of girls in 1930s" hardly describes what the book is actually about.
What I liked:
- writing style. Some phrases are really clever and work at different levels.
- ambiguousness of characters, their motives and actions. You can build a dozen theories on why this and why that, and probably find some evidence of them in the book, but not a definitive answer "she did it because..". Multiple reads, multiple interpretations, but no-one can say for sure.
- those tiny flash-forwards, very subtle and effective. I think it's really helpful to emphasize difference between girls when they are young and didn't do much yet - Spark just skips forward for a few sentences, and adds some events that would happen in 15 years - leaving you guessing "ok, how did that happen?"]]> 3.73 1961 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

author: Muriel Spark
name: Leo
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1961
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves:
review:
I'm still unsure what rating to give, but in that case decided to go with a higher value.

I struggle to even define proper genre for "Prime..", as well as descibe plot. I mean, short summary is possible, but "story of unconventional teacher to a group of girls in 1930s" hardly describes what the book is actually about.
What I liked:
- writing style. Some phrases are really clever and work at different levels.
- ambiguousness of characters, their motives and actions. You can build a dozen theories on why this and why that, and probably find some evidence of them in the book, but not a definitive answer "she did it because..". Multiple reads, multiple interpretations, but no-one can say for sure.
- those tiny flash-forwards, very subtle and effective. I think it's really helpful to emphasize difference between girls when they are young and didn't do much yet - Spark just skips forward for a few sentences, and adds some events that would happen in 15 years - leaving you guessing "ok, how did that happen?"
]]> <![CDATA[This Is The Way The World Ends]]> 40295 319 James K. Morrow 0156002086 Leo 4
In loving memory of people. They were better than they knew. They never found out what they were doing here.

‘Is that all?�� Jacob asked. ‘What do you mean, “Is that all��?�� said Nostradamus. ‘How could there be more?��

I don't think I can say much about it, and any spoilers here would be meaningless - it's about the journey, not the destination. Also you can guess how it will end quite soon and won't be wrong.
Author packs lots of things into this, going from absurd humor and constant references to Alice in Wonderland to serious critique of nuclear deterrence policy (sometimes it sounds a bit too self-righteous, but at least both sides get a word).]]> 3.75 1986 This Is The Way The World Ends

author: James K. Morrow
name: Leo
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/12
date added: 2024/11/12
shelves:
review:

In loving memory of people. They were better than they knew. They never found out what they were doing here.

‘Is that all?�� Jacob asked. ‘What do you mean, “Is that all��?�� said Nostradamus. ‘How could there be more?��

author: Shirley Jackson
name: Leo
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1959
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Fall of the House of Usher]]> 175516
"The Fall .. " recounts the terrible events that befall the last remaining members of the once-illustrious Usher clan before it is -- quite literally -- rent asunder. With amazing economy, Poe plunges the reader into a state of deliciously agonizing suspense. It's a must-read for fans of the golden era of horror writing. "The Fall .." is one of Poe's best known short stories - if not the best.

Librarian's note: this entry is for the short story, "The Fall of the House of Usher." Collections of short stories by the author, such as "The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Tales," can be found elsewhere on ŷ��.]]> 36 Edgar Allan Poe 1594561796 Leo 4 3.90 1839

author: Edgar Allan Poe
name: Leo
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1839
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2024/11/03
shelves:
review:
It's Poe, and it's great. Short story, filled with melancholy and sadness more than with actual horror. Language is so colorful I really enjoyed just reading a sentence and understanding how much tones and feelings author put into it.
]]> The Stepford Wives 52350
At once a masterpiece of psychological suspense and a savage commentary on a media-driven society that values the pursuit of youth and beauty at all costs, The Stepford Wives is a novel so frightening in its final implications that the title itself has earned a place in the American lexicon.]]> 144 Ira Levin 0060080841 Leo 3 3.85 1972

author: Ira Levin
name: Leo
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1972
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/02
date added: 2024/11/02
shelves:
review:
Nice short story. Won't say much to not spoil the fun, but if you're familiar with horror stories - this one very much follows the same plan.
]]> Wuthering Heights 6185 You can find the redesigned cover of this edition HERE.

At the centre of this novel is the passionate love between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff - recounted with such emotional intensity that a plain tale of the Yorkshire moors acquires the depth and simplicity of ancient tragedy.

This best-selling Norton Critical Edition is based on the 1847 first edition of the novel. For the Fourth Edition, the editor has collated the 1847 text with several modern editions and has corrected a number of variants, including accidentals. The text is accompanied by entirely new explanatory annotations.

New to the fourth Edition are twelve of Emily Bronte's letters regarding the publication of the 1847 edition of Wuthering Heights as well as the evolution of the 1850 edition, prose and poetry selections by the author, four reviews of the novel, and poetry selections by the author, four reviews of the novel, and Edward Chitham's insightful and informative chronology of the creative process behind the beloved work.

Five major critical interpretations of Wuthering Heights are included, three of them new to the Fourth Edition. A Stuart Daley considers the importance of chronology in the novel. J. Hillis Miller examines Wuthering Heights's problems of genre and critical reputation. Sandra M. Gilbert assesses the role of Victorian Christianity plays in the novel, while Martha Nussbaum traces the novel's romanticism. Finally, Lin Haire-Sargeant scrutinizes the role of Heathcliff in film adaptations of Wuthering Heights.

A Chronology and updated Selected Bibliography are also included.]]> 464 Emily Brontë Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.89 1847

author: Emily Brontë
name: Leo
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1847
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/01
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment]]> 207567968 New York Times bestselling author and the gaming industry's preeminent investigative journalist Jason Schreier examines three decades of ups and downs at Blizzard Entertainment leading up to a hostile corporate takeover and a sexual misconduct scandal that put the legendary developer in a world of (Warcraft) trouble.

For video game fans, the name Blizzard Entertainment was once synonymous with perfection. The renowned company celebrated the joy of gaming over all else, and every product it released was an instant classic: StarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and World of Warcraft, which forever changed the video game landscape. What was once two UCLA students' simple mission �� to make games they wanted to play �� launched an empire with thousands of employees, millions of fans, and billions of dollars.

But when Blizzard cancelled a buzzy project in 2013, it gave Bobby Kotick, the infamous CEO of corporate parent Activision, the excuse he needed to start cracking down on Blizzard's proud autonomy. Led by executives from McKinsey and Procter & Gamble, Activision began invading Blizzard from the inside, driving away throngs of key employees in a push for predictability over creativity. Glitchy products, PR disasters, and mass layoffs followed, marring the company’s once pristine image. In 2021, the state of California filed a staggering lawsuit against the company for sexual misconduct and discrimination, leading to a widespread reckoning and a $69 billion acquisition that sent shockwaves through the industry.

Based on firsthand interviews with more than 300 current and former employees, PLAY NICE chronicles the creativity, frustration, beauty, and betrayal across the epic 33-year saga of Blizzard Entertainment �� and explores the delight and despair of what it really means to "bleed Blizzard blue." Full of colorful personalities and dramatic twists, PLAY NICE is The Social Network for the video game industry.]]> 384 Jason Schreier 1538725428 Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.15 2024 Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment

Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment

author: Jason Schreier
name: Leo
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/31
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry]]> 55277893 From the bestselling author of Blood, Sweat, and Pixels comes the next definitive, behind-the-scenes account of the video game industry: how some of the past decade's most renowned studios fell apart -- and the stories, both triumphant and tragic, of what happened next.

Jason Schreier's groundbreaking reporting has earned him a place among the preeminent investigative journalists covering the world of video games. In his eagerly anticipated, deeply researched new book, Schreier trains his investigative eye on the volatility of the video game industry and the resilience of the people who work in it.

The business of videogames is both a prestige industry and an opaque one. Based on dozens of first-hand interviews that cover the development of landmark games -- Bioshock Infinite, Epic Mickey, Dead Space, and more -- on to the shocking closures of the studios that made them, PRESS RESET tells the stories of how real people are affected by game studio shutdowns, and how they recover, move on, or escape the industry entirely.

Schreier's insider interviews cover hostile takeovers, abusive bosses, corporate drama, bounced checks, and that one time the Boston Red Sox's Curt Schilling decided he was going to lead a game studio that would take out World of Warcraft. Along the way, he asks pressing questions about why, when the video game industry is more successful than ever, it's become so hard to make a stable living making video games -- and whether the business of making games can change before it's too late.]]> 301 Jason Schreier 1538735490 Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.02 2021 Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry

Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry

author: Jason Schreier
name: Leo
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/31
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> The Inverted World 142181 239 Christopher Priest 0060134216 Leo 5 I enjoyed the journey and constantly tried understanding this world, building hypothesis that author ruined time and time again adding one more piece of info. Still, totally enjoyed my time with the book.]]> 3.94 1974 The Inverted World

author: Christopher Priest
name: Leo
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1974
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/30
date added: 2024/10/30
shelves:
review:
I was thinking about maybe 4.5, but screw that, it's been a while since I read that good classic SF. [spoilers removed]
I enjoyed the journey and constantly tried understanding this world, building hypothesis that author ruined time and time again adding one more piece of info. Still, totally enjoyed my time with the book.
]]> <![CDATA[Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, #1)]]> 35965482 New York Times bestselling and Alex, Nebula, and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces readers to a world of amoral alchemy, shadowy organizations, and impossible cities in this standalone fantasy.

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]> 492 Seanan McGuire 1250195519 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 4.01 2019 Middlegame (Alchemical Journeys, #1)

author: Seanan McGuire
name: Leo
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/23
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Age of Iron (Iron Age, #1) 22463760 Legends aren't born. They're forged.

Dug Sealskinner is a down-on-his-luck mercenary travelling south to join up with King Zadar's army. But he keeps rescuing the wrong people.

First, Spring, a child he finds scavenging on the battlefield, and then Lowa, one of Zadar's most fearsome warriors, who's vowed revenge on the king for her sister's execution.

Now Dug's on the wrong side of that thousands-strong army he hoped to join - and worse, Zadar has bloodthirsty druid magic on his side. All Dug has is his war hammer, one rescued child and one unpredictable, highly-trained warrior with a lust for revenge that's going to get them all killed . . .

It's a glorious day to die.]]> 520 Angus Watson 0356502619 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.86 2014 Age of Iron (Iron Age, #1)

author: Angus Watson
name: Leo
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Drowned World 16234584 Heart of Darkness—complete with a mad white hunter and his hordes of native soldiers—this "powerful and beautifully clear" (Brian Aldiss) work becomes a thrilling adventure and a haunting examination of the effects of environmental collapse on the human mind.]]> 198 J.G. Ballard 0871403625 Leo 2 I'm just going to admit that I'm too stupid to understand that book.

The world that author is painting is astonishing, and yet we find out so little about it.
Several times it seemed like something more interesting is going to happen - weird dreams that captivate heroes, beckoning them to go to this submerged world, Hardman's escape.. Then we switch to Strangman's (yeah, as in High-Rise, Ballard's naming conventions are really subtle) arrival - and that also doesn't seem to go anywhere, other than forcing Kerans to admit how he needs "water world", as Bodkin does before him.

I've thought what worried me the most about the book, what I found so uninviting - and I think it's complete non-understanding of characters. At almost any point I don't know what they think and what motivates them, hence I can't understand their actions, can't emphatize with them, can't anticipate what will happen next - and all the plot turns into series of unconnected scenes that just happen.]]> 3.50 1962 The Drowned World

author: J.G. Ballard
name: Leo
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1962
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/21
date added: 2024/10/21
shelves:
review:
It took me a while to finish such a short novel, and I almost had to force myself to do that.
I'm just going to admit that I'm too stupid to understand that book.

The world that author is painting is astonishing, and yet we find out so little about it.
Several times it seemed like something more interesting is going to happen - weird dreams that captivate heroes, beckoning them to go to this submerged world, Hardman's escape.. Then we switch to Strangman's (yeah, as in High-Rise, Ballard's naming conventions are really subtle) arrival - and that also doesn't seem to go anywhere, other than forcing Kerans to admit how he needs "water world", as Bodkin does before him.

I've thought what worried me the most about the book, what I found so uninviting - and I think it's complete non-understanding of characters. At almost any point I don't know what they think and what motivates them, hence I can't understand their actions, can't emphatize with them, can't anticipate what will happen next - and all the plot turns into series of unconnected scenes that just happen.
]]> <![CDATA[Politics On the Edge: A Memoir From Within]]> 96177657
'An instant classic' MARINA HYDE
'At last a politician who can write' SEBASTIAN FAULKS
'Candid, angry, funny, and self-revelatory' JONATHAN DIMBLEBY
'Exceptional' RAFAEL BEHR

The Times pick for *The Biggest Books of the Autumn*

Over the course of a decade from 2010, Rory Stewart went from being a political outsider to standing for prime minister - before being sacked from a Conservative Party that he had come to barely recognise.

Tackling ministerial briefs on flood response and prison violence, engaging with conflict and poverty abroad as a foreign minister, and Brexit as a Cabinet minister, Stewart learned first-hand how profoundly hollow our democracy and government had become.

Cronyism, ignorance and sheer incompetence ran rampant. Around him, individual politicians laid the foundations for the political and economic chaos of today. Stewart emerged battered but with a profound affection for his constituency of Penrith and the Border, and a deep direct insight into the era of populism and global conflict.

Uncompromising, candid and darkly humorous, Politics On the Edge is his story of the challenges, absurdities and realities of political life and a remarkable portrait of our age.]]> 436 Rory Stewart Leo 4 Hard to evaluate as I'm generally not much into auto-/biographies, political or otherwise, but this book felt like a good "companion piece" to "How Westminster Works".
Overall, this was an interesting memoir of a decent and honest person, genuinely trying to make things he touches a bit better. And also gave some peek inside whole political kitchen.]]> 4.33 2023 Politics On the Edge: A Memoir From Within

Politics On the Edge: A Memoir From Within

author: Rory Stewart
name: Leo
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/14
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves:
review:
Listened to audiobook, and fact that it's narrated by author (and that he does accents quite well) really elevated the experience.
Hard to evaluate as I'm generally not much into auto-/biographies, political or otherwise, but this book felt like a good "companion piece" to "How Westminster Works".
Overall, this was an interesting memoir of a decent and honest person, genuinely trying to make things he touches a bit better. And also gave some peek inside whole political kitchen.
]]> The Wendigo 1137702 48 Algernon Blackwood Leo 4
I've heard very little about Wendigo before going into the book, so monster (who we actually never see) was absolutely original to me, I didn't know what to expect, and from what direction will it "strike".
One more unusual thing is that author is quite open about symbolism of the creature, and characters discuss quite openly that it's some embodiment of primal deep in human psyche, from times when people were very much nature's mercy, and at the same time it's some call to get back to the primitive state, leaving thin veneer of civilization behind.]]> 3.82 1910 The Wendigo

author: Algernon Blackwood
name: Leo
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1910
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/14
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves:
review:
Dark and atmospheric. Though the story itself felt quite slow for some reason, despite being short, and writing can be challenging to get through.

I've heard very little about Wendigo before going into the book, so monster (who we actually never see) was absolutely original to me, I didn't know what to expect, and from what direction will it "strike".
One more unusual thing is that author is quite open about symbolism of the creature, and characters discuss quite openly that it's some embodiment of primal deep in human psyche, from times when people were very much nature's mercy, and at the same time it's some call to get back to the primitive state, leaving thin veneer of civilization behind.
]]> The Hellbound Heart 52635 164 Clive Barker 0061002828 Leo 4 Most praise I can say is "it's ok", nothing to point out as specifically bad, but nothing captivating either, and one can imagine most of the plot from first 20% or so.]]> 4.08 1986 The Hellbound Heart

author: Clive Barker
name: Leo
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1986
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/11
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:
I haven't seen the movie, but from reading it I can totally see how naturally this book fits to be adapted as one.
Most praise I can say is "it's ok", nothing to point out as specifically bad, but nothing captivating either, and one can imagine most of the plot from first 20% or so.
]]> <![CDATA[Machine Learning System Design Interview]]> 120532868
This book is an essential resource for anyone interested in ML system design, whether they are beginners or experienced engineers. Meanwhile, if you need to prepare for an ML interview, this book is specifically written for you.

What’s inside?
- An insider’s take on what interviewers really look for and why.
- A 7-step framework for solving any ML system design interview question.
- 10 real ML system design interview questions with detailed solutions.
- 211 diagrams that visually explain how various systems work.

Table Of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction and Overview
Chapter 2 Visual Search System
Chapter 3 Google Street View Blurring System
Chapter 4 YouTube Video Search
Chapter 5 Harmful Content Detection
Chapter 6 Video Recommendation System
Chapter 7 Event Recommendation System
Chapter 8 Ad Click Prediction on Social Platforms
Chapter 9 Similar Listings on Vacation Rental Platforms
Chapter 10 Personalized News Feed
Chapter 11 People You May Know]]> 294 Ali Aminian 1736049127 Leo 0 to-read, programming-maybe 4.22 Machine Learning System Design Interview

Machine Learning System Design Interview

author: Ali Aminian
name: Leo
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves: to-read, programming-maybe
review:

]]> Who Goes There? 6468870 This Wildside Press edition is the only ebook version of this classic story authorized by the Campbell estate.]]> 161 John W. Campbell Jr. 0982332203 Leo 3
Ok, we all know the premise (and if you haven't seen movie from 1982, what are you waiting for?). Book concentrates on building the atmosphere of total suspicion, and on attempts to come up with reliable method to validate if creature is human or not.
Most of the plot comes from dialogues between characters - it's an interesting technique, but sometimes felt like too much is happening in characters head, and i wasn't able to understand how they reached certain conclusion, or what event just happened.]]> 3.78 1938 Who Goes There?

author: John W. Campbell Jr.
name: Leo
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1938
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/09
date added: 2024/10/09
shelves:
review:
The concept is great, but execution was too rushed, and it hurted the atmosphere somewhat.

Ok, we all know the premise (and if you haven't seen movie from 1982, what are you waiting for?). Book concentrates on building the atmosphere of total suspicion, and on attempts to come up with reliable method to validate if creature is human or not.
Most of the plot comes from dialogues between characters - it's an interesting technique, but sometimes felt like too much is happening in characters head, and i wasn't able to understand how they reached certain conclusion, or what event just happened.
]]> A Short Stay in Hell 13456414
In this haunting existential novella, author, philosopher, and ecologist Steven L. Peck explores a subversive vision of eternity, taking the reader on a journey through the afterlife of a world where everything everyone believed in turns out to be wrong.]]> 110 Steven L. Peck 098374842X Leo 5
From some point of view there are several things that can be considered cons - library itself is taken from Borges, there are many attempts at describing "unusual" hell in literature etc.
But I found protagonist relatable, and author describes his tortures and feelings really well, some observations and dialogue are interesting.
Also it doesn't overstay it's welcome, you're getting a lot for that number of pages.]]> 4.17 2011 A Short Stay in Hell

author: Steven L. Peck
name: Leo
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/07
date added: 2024/10/07
shelves:
review:
What an exquisite hell! One can almost enjoy it, till you think about timescale.

From some point of view there are several things that can be considered cons - library itself is taken from Borges, there are many attempts at describing "unusual" hell in literature etc.
But I found protagonist relatable, and author describes his tortures and feelings really well, some observations and dialogue are interesting.
Also it doesn't overstay it's welcome, you're getting a lot for that number of pages.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness, #3)]]> 40701780
The Great Change is upon us...

Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.

With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies... while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance.

The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together...

]]> 520 Joe Abercrombie 0575095970 Leo 5 And yeah, I have no doubts that we'll get another trilogy sooner or later, [spoilers removed]

Great pacing, and very interesting plot twists - author doesn't do them just to "subvert expectations", all of them make total sense and in hindsight seem almost obvious.
It's a ruthless world, and nicest characters doesn't always win (or survive), every victory is a different kind of defeat, and you get what you want only to realize that it wasn't what you actually wanted. Not all redemption arcs end in redemption - some only circle back, with characters realizing who they truly are.

[spoilers removed]]]> 4.58 2021 The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness, #3)

The Wisdom of Crowds (The Age of Madness, #3)

author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Leo
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/06
date added: 2024/10/06
shelves:
review:
Grand finale of second trilogy, doesn't disappoint and doesn't drop the ball.
And yeah, I have no doubts that we'll get another trilogy sooner or later, [spoilers removed]

Great pacing, and very interesting plot twists - author doesn't do them just to "subvert expectations", all of them make total sense and in hindsight seem almost obvious.
It's a ruthless world, and nicest characters doesn't always win (or survive), every victory is a different kind of defeat, and you get what you want only to realize that it wasn't what you actually wanted. Not all redemption arcs end in redemption - some only circle back, with characters realizing who they truly are.

[spoilers removed]
]]> Principles of Economics 125231490 412 Saifedean Ammous Leo 0 to-read, economic-stuff 4.33

author: Saifedean Ammous
name: Leo
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves: to-read, economic-stuff
review:

]]> VALIS 216377 VALIS is the first book in Philip K. Dick's incomparable final trio of novels (the others being The Divine Invasion and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer). This disorienting and bleakly funny work is about a schizophrenic hero named Horselover Fat; the hidden mysteries of Gnostic Christianity; and reality as revealed through a pink laser. VALIS is a theological detective story, in which God is both a missing person and the perpetrator of the ultimate crime.]]> 242 Philip K. Dick 0679734465 Leo 4 3.93 1981 VALIS

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1981
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/25
date added: 2024/09/25
shelves:
review:
That was quite unusual.. I mean, it's PKD we're talking about, and I think that was unusual even by his standards.
]]> Clans of the Alphane Moon 1188074 205 Philip K. Dick 0586041591 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.75 1964

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1964
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Elements of Programming 6142482 —Martin Newell, Adobe Fellow

“The book contains some of the most beautiful code I have ever seen.��
—Bjarne Stroustrup, Designer of C++

“I am happy to see the content of Alex’s course, the development and teaching of which I strongly supported as the CTO of Silicon Graphics, now available to all programmers in this elegant little book.��
—Forest Baskett, General Partner, New Enterprise Associates

“Paul’s patience and architectural experience helped to organize Alex’s mathematical approach into a tightly-structured edifice—an impressive feat!��
—Robert W. Taylor, Founder of Xerox PARC CSL and DEC Systems Research Center

Elements of Programming provides a different understanding of programming than is presented elsewhere. Its major premise is that practical programming, like other areas of science and engineering,must be based on a solid mathematical foundation. The book shows that algorithms implemented in a real programming language, such as C++, can operate in the most general mathematical setting. For example, the fast exponentiation algorithm is defined to work with any associative operation. Using abstract algorithms leads to efficient, reliable, secure, and economical software.

This is not an easy book. Nor is it a compilation of tips and tricks for incremental improvements in your programming skills. The book’s value is more fundamental and, ultimately, more critical for insight into programming. To benefit fully, you will need to work through it from beginning to end, reading the code, proving the lemmas, and doing the exercises. When finished, you will see how the application of the deductive method to your programs assures that your system’s software components will work together and behave as they must.

The book presents a number of algorithms and requirements for types on which they are defined. The code for these descriptions—also available on the Web—is written in a small subset of C++ meant to be accessible to any experienced programmer. This subset is defined in a special language appendix coauthored by Sean Parent and Bjarne Stroustrup.

Whether you are a software developer, or any other professional for whom programming is an important activity, or a committed student, you will come to understand what the book’s experienced authors have been teaching and demonstrating for years—that mathematics is good for programming, and that theory is good for practice.]]> 262 Alexander Stepanov 032163537X Leo 0 3.95 2009 Elements of Programming

author: Alexander Stepanov
name: Leo
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read, programming-foundations
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness, #2)]]> 40701777 Peace is just another kind of battlefield...

Savine dan Glokta, once Adua’s most powerful investor, finds her judgement, fortune and reputation in tatters. But she still has all her ambitions, and no scruple will be permitted to stand in her way.

For heroes like Leo dan Brock and Stour Nightfall, only happy with swords drawn, peace is an ordeal to end as soon as possible. But grievances must be nursed, power seized and allies gathered first, while Rikke must master the power of the Long Eye... before it kills her.

The Breakers still lurk in the shadows, plotting to free the common man from his shackles, while noblemen bicker for their own advantage. Orso struggles to find a safe path through the maze of knives that is politics, only for his enemies, and his debts, to multiply.

The old ways are swept aside, and the old leaders with them, but those who would seize the reins of power will find no alliance, no friendship, and no peace, lasts forever.]]> 506 Joe Abercrombie 0575095911 Leo 4 Not sure what review can I write really, it's 8th book I read in The First Law series, with just one (minor) exception I liked all of them, and Trouble with Peace didn't disappoint as well. Now take a short break, and return to Adua for the (possibly) final time.]]> 4.59 2020 The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness, #2)

The Trouble with Peace (The Age of Madness, #2)

author: Joe Abercrombie
name: Leo
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/19
date added: 2024/09/19
shelves:
review:
Maybe even 4.5
Not sure what review can I write really, it's 8th book I read in The First Law series, with just one (minor) exception I liked all of them, and Trouble with Peace didn't disappoint as well. Now take a short break, and return to Adua for the (possibly) final time.
]]> Americanah 15796700 477 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Leo 0 to-read, fiction 4.32 2013

author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
name: Leo
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty]]> 12158480 Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers the question that has stumped the experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine?

Is it culture, the weather, geography? Perhaps ignorance of what the right policies are?

Simply, no. None of these factors is either definitive or destiny. Otherwise, how to explain why Botswana has become one of the fastest growing countries in the world, while other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, the Congo, and Sierra Leone, are mired in poverty and violence?

Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson conclusively show that it is man-made political and economic institutions that underlie economic success (or lack of it). Korea, to take just one of their fascinating examples, is a remarkably homogeneous nation, yet the people of North Korea are among the poorest on earth while their brothers and sisters in South Korea are among the richest. The south forged a society that created incentives, rewarded innovation, and allowed everyone to participate in economic opportunities. The economic success thus spurred was sustained because the government became accountable and responsive to citizens and the great mass of people. Sadly, the people of the north have endured decades of famine, political repression, and very different economic institutions—with no end in sight. The differences between the Koreas is due to the politics that created these completely different institutional trajectories.

Based on fifteen years of original research Acemoglu and Robinson marshall extraordinary historical evidence from the Roman Empire, the Mayan city-states, medieval Venice, the Soviet Union, Latin America, England, Europe, the United States, and Africa to build a new theory of political economy with great relevance for the big questions of today, including:

   - China has built an authoritarian growth machine. Will it continue to grow at such high speed and overwhelm the West?
   - Are America’s best days behind it? Are we moving from a virtuous circle in which efforts by elites to aggrandize power are resisted to a vicious one that enriches and empowers a small minority?
   - What is the most effective way to help move billions of people from the rut of poverty to prosperity? More
philanthropy from the wealthy nations of the West? Or learning the hard-won lessons of Acemoglu and Robinson’s breakthrough ideas on the interplay between inclusive political and economic institutions?

Why Nations Fail will change the way you look at—and understand—the world.]]> 529 Daron Acemoğlu 0307719219 Leo 4 In short: There are extractive and inclusice institutions, both political and economical. Extractive are bad, inclusive are good. And political and economical tend to form a reinforcing loop (vicious or virtuos circles). If country is failing it's probably caused by extractive institutions, and it needs to go to inclusive ones to succeed.
So far so good.
Two main problems stem from such idea, both are actually pointed out by authors themselves.
First is the fact that to come up with a good theory that explains lots of different situations, authors had to abstract and generalize a lot. So there are probably tons of country-specific context not taken into account, but we're ok with skipping it as long as theory applies (interesting what would happen if in some cases context would turn theory on its head though)
Second is, in my opinion, much bigger flaw - there's no clear way to move from one type of institutions to another. Authors describe plenty cases where such change happened, and where it failed, but there's no general recipe to follow, nor lessons learned.
Summarizing, reading it was quite pleasant, there are plenty of interesting historical trivia (i had no idea about changes imposed by post-revolution France on conquered states, for instance) and some socio-economical ideas worth noting. But don't expect to find many new answers.]]> 4.06 2012 Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

author: Daron Acemoğlu
name: Leo
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/15
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves:
review:
Main idea of the theory stated in the book is quite simple, and by now is probably familiar to most of the people who are into economics at least a bit.
In short: There are extractive and inclusice institutions, both political and economical. Extractive are bad, inclusive are good. And political and economical tend to form a reinforcing loop (vicious or virtuos circles). If country is failing it's probably caused by extractive institutions, and it needs to go to inclusive ones to succeed.
So far so good.
Two main problems stem from such idea, both are actually pointed out by authors themselves.
First is the fact that to come up with a good theory that explains lots of different situations, authors had to abstract and generalize a lot. So there are probably tons of country-specific context not taken into account, but we're ok with skipping it as long as theory applies (interesting what would happen if in some cases context would turn theory on its head though)
Second is, in my opinion, much bigger flaw - there's no clear way to move from one type of institutions to another. Authors describe plenty cases where such change happened, and where it failed, but there's no general recipe to follow, nor lessons learned.
Summarizing, reading it was quite pleasant, there are plenty of interesting historical trivia (i had no idea about changes imposed by post-revolution France on conquered states, for instance) and some socio-economical ideas worth noting. But don't expect to find many new answers.
]]> The Zap Gun 226477 256 Philip K. Dick 0375719369 Leo 4 I'd say it's surprisingly straightforward for Dick's novel - (almost) no drug use, no moments like "oh, you thought the story would be about that? got you, we're totally shiftinh gears now to something else entirely".
Quick pace, interesting characters, some tension - good, solid 3.5.]]> 3.45 1965 The Zap Gun

author: Philip K. Dick
name: Leo
average rating: 3.45
book published: 1965
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/08
date added: 2024/09/08
shelves:
review:
Quite good one.
I'd say it's surprisingly straightforward for Dick's novel - (almost) no drug use, no moments like "oh, you thought the story would be about that? got you, we're totally shiftinh gears now to something else entirely".
Quick pace, interesting characters, some tension - good, solid 3.5.
]]> <![CDATA[Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)]]> 8935689
Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.]]> 467 Iain M. Banks 1857231384 Leo 3 First half - "lots of motion, not much progress". Horza's adventures feel like separate episodes that don't add much to the general picture. When the group eventually gets to their destination story becomes much more exciting, there are some group dynamics (though most characters still stayed totally unmemorable, and all their characters could've been described in 1-2 words), tension and action.
What I was missing the most were character motivations, and feeling of this world in a broader sense - like what "appendices" gives, or Fal Ngeestra's scenes.
As a result I'm not sure what specifically to look for in this book: great characters - not quite, atmospheric world - we find out almost nothing about it, hard sci-fi and novel ideas - not really.

I think I'll still try "Player of Games", maybe it will change my perception of Culture series.]]> 3.86 1987 Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)

author: Iain M. Banks
name: Leo
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1987
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2024/09/04
shelves:
review:
I was bored for most of the book, though pace (and interest) picked up in the second half.
First half - "lots of motion, not much progress". Horza's adventures feel like separate episodes that don't add much to the general picture. When the group eventually gets to their destination story becomes much more exciting, there are some group dynamics (though most characters still stayed totally unmemorable, and all their characters could've been described in 1-2 words), tension and action.
What I was missing the most were character motivations, and feeling of this world in a broader sense - like what "appendices" gives, or Fal Ngeestra's scenes.
As a result I'm not sure what specifically to look for in this book: great characters - not quite, atmospheric world - we find out almost nothing about it, hard sci-fi and novel ideas - not really.

I think I'll still try "Player of Games", maybe it will change my perception of Culture series.
]]> Cloud Atlas 49628
Cloud Atlas begins in 1850 with Adam Ewing, an American notary voyaging from the Chatham Isles to his home in California. Along the way, Ewing is befriended by a physician, Dr. Goose, who begins to treat him for a rare species of brain parasite. . . .

Abruptly, the action jumps to Belgium in 1931, where Robert Frobisher, a disinherited bisexual composer, contrives his way into the household of an infirm maestro who has a beguiling wife and a nubile daughter. . . . From there we jump to the West Coast in the 1970s and a troubled reporter named Luisa Rey, who stumbles upon a web of corporate greed and murder that threatens to claim her life. . . . And onward, with dazzling virtuosity, to an inglorious present-day England; to a Korean superstate of the near future where neocapitalism has run amok; and, finally, to a postapocalyptic Iron Age Hawaii in the last days of history.

But the story doesn't end even there. The narrative then boomerangs back through centuries and space, returning by the same route, in reverse, to its starting point. Along the way, Mitchell reveals how his disparate characters connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky.

As wild as a videogame, as mysterious as a Zen koan, Cloud Atlas is an unforgettable tour de force that, like its incomparable author, has transcended its cult classic status to become a worldwide phenomenon.]]> 509 David Mitchell 0375507256 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 4.02 2004

author: David Mitchell
name: Leo
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/02
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Invasion of the Body Snatchers]]> 127515 224 Jack Finney 0684852586 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.91 1955

author: Jack Finney
name: Leo
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1955
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> The Complete Persepolis 991197
Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming—both sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up.

Edgy, searingly observant, and candid, often heartbreaking but threaded throughout with raw humor and hard-earned wisdom��Persepolis is a stunning work from one of the most highly regarded, singularly talented graphic artists at work today.]]> 341 Marjane Satrapi 0375714839 Leo 4 Gives quite similar vibes to Maus - simplistic black-and-white drawings that serve just to accompany text, heavy themes, personal perspective.
I actually liked first volume much more than second one. We see heroine as a small girl, that sometimes doesn't even understand the whole horror of things happening around her, resulting in a "gallows humour" from time to time.
I understand that second part, Vienna and return are important to identity of the author, but they lack emotional force of the first part. Though for me it was important that Marjane doesn't shy away from mistakes and some morally questionable things she did though, speaks about them openly.]]> 4.38 2007 The Complete Persepolis

author: Marjane Satrapi
name: Leo
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/28
date added: 2024/08/28
shelves:
review:
Quite good.
Gives quite similar vibes to Maus - simplistic black-and-white drawings that serve just to accompany text, heavy themes, personal perspective.
I actually liked first volume much more than second one. We see heroine as a small girl, that sometimes doesn't even understand the whole horror of things happening around her, resulting in a "gallows humour" from time to time.
I understand that second part, Vienna and return are important to identity of the author, but they lack emotional force of the first part. Though for me it was important that Marjane doesn't shy away from mistakes and some morally questionable things she did though, speaks about them openly.
]]> A History of Modern Britain 964530 629 Andrew Marr 1405005386 Leo 4 I knew hardly anything about british politics after WW2, and book also gives insight into societal and cultural changes, trying to give one a holistic picture of why certain political discussions were important at the time, did they resonate with people or not.
As an audiobook it's a pleasant listening (just don't rush it), though my constant worry about audiobooks is that I remember less from them after I finish listening. In this case - I'll hardly remember any new names, but I think I got the bigger picture quite ok.]]> 4.01 2007 A History of Modern Britain

author: Andrew Marr
name: Leo
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/25
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves:
review:
Quite hard to rate this one. I think my rating would've been lower if I read through it (it's quite a hefty tome, though it's not academic in writing, quite easy and accessible).
I knew hardly anything about british politics after WW2, and book also gives insight into societal and cultural changes, trying to give one a holistic picture of why certain political discussions were important at the time, did they resonate with people or not.
As an audiobook it's a pleasant listening (just don't rush it), though my constant worry about audiobooks is that I remember less from them after I finish listening. In this case - I'll hardly remember any new names, but I think I got the bigger picture quite ok.
]]> <![CDATA[The Old Axolotl: Hardware Dreams]]> 25163000 The Old Axolotl is an exhilarating post-apocalyptic tale about a world in which a cosmic catastrophe has sterilized the Earth of all living things. Only a small number of humans have managed to copy digitalized versions of their minds onto hardware in the nick of time. Deprived of physical bodies, they continue to exist by uploading themselves onto gigantic industrial robots, sophisticated medical machines, mechs designed for hard labor, military drones, star troopers and sexbots based on Japanese manga.

Drowning in nostalgia for the lost world, the survivors create civilization after civilization, life after life, humanity after humanity. They form alliances and fight wars. They develop their own politics, ideologies and crazy hardware religions. And they face dilemmas no one has ever confronted before.

What makes us human? Is it possible to copy a soul? Who really lives, fights and dies in those metal bodies? Who plays out the melancholy drama of physiology and the flesh?

The Old Axolotl depicts the reversal of old oppositions between life and death, progress and stagnation, the organic and the mechanical, exploring the mystery of the human soul and the eternal solitude of the human individual, whether trapped in a body or the reinforced steel of a robot.]]> 160 Jacek Dukaj Leo 4 Author imagines progress (or not quite) of human life in case actual protein-based life will be destroyed, and only some software copies remain - what will be lost in transition, what will change, what makes us human, what makes us alive. Some ideas remind of Charles Stross' Accelerando, but much more "consistently" written, without going into indecipherable details.
Cons: there are no characters - there are "actors", beings that discuss questions, but they don't have character of their own really. And there's barely any plot - more like series of "essays" about lifes of future society.]]> 3.41 2015 The Old Axolotl: Hardware Dreams

author: Jacek Dukaj
name: Leo
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/24
date added: 2024/08/24
shelves:
review:
Quite liked it.
Author imagines progress (or not quite) of human life in case actual protein-based life will be destroyed, and only some software copies remain - what will be lost in transition, what will change, what makes us human, what makes us alive. Some ideas remind of Charles Stross' Accelerando, but much more "consistently" written, without going into indecipherable details.
Cons: there are no characters - there are "actors", beings that discuss questions, but they don't have character of their own really. And there's barely any plot - more like series of "essays" about lifes of future society.
]]> <![CDATA[The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World]]> 10483171
In our search for truth, how far have we advanced? This uniquely human quest for good explanations has driven amazing improvements in everything from scientific understanding and technology to politics, moral values and human welfare. But will progress end, either in catastrophe or completion - or will it continue infinitely?

In this profound and seminal book, David Deutsch explores the furthest reaches of our current understanding, taking in the Infinity Hotel, supernovae and the nature of optimism, to instill in all of us a wonder at what we have achieved - and the fact that this is only the beginning of humanity's infinite possibility.

'This is Deutsch at his most ambitious, seeking to understand the implications of our scientific explanations of the world ... I enthusiastically recommend this rich, wide-ranging and elegantly written exposition of the unique insights of one of our most original intellectuals' Michael Berry, Times Higher Education Supplement

'Bold ... profound ... provocative and persuasive' Economist

'David Deutsch may well go down in history as one of the great scientists of our age' Scotsman]]> 487 David Deutsch 0670022756 Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.16 2011 The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World

The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World

author: David Deutsch
name: Leo
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed]]> 20186 ujamaa villages in Tanzania, collectivization in Russia, Le Corbusier’s urban planning theory realized in Brasilia, the Great Leap Forward in China, agricultural "modernization" in the Tropics—the twentieth century has been racked by grand utopian schemes that have inadvertently brought death and disruption to millions. Why do well-intentioned plans for improving the human condition go tragically awry?

In this wide-ranging and original book, James C. Scott analyzes failed cases of large-scale authoritarian plans in a variety of fields. Centrally managed social plans misfire, Scott argues, when they impose schematic visions that do violence to complex interdependencies that are not—and cannot—be fully understood. Further, the success of designs for social organization depends upon the recognition that local, practical knowledge is as important as formal, epistemic knowledge. The author builds a persuasive case against "development theory" and imperialistic state planning that disregards the values, desires, and objections of its subjects. He identifies and discusses four conditions common to all planning disasters: administrative ordering of nature and society by the state; a "high-modernist ideology" that places confidence in the ability of science to improve every aspect of human life; a willingness to use authoritarian state power to effect large- scale interventions; and a prostrate civil society that cannot effectively resist such plans.]]> 461 James C. Scott 0300078153 Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.21 1998 Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed

Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed

author: James C. Scott
name: Leo
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture]]> 222146
Americans spend more money on video games than on movie tickets. Masters of Doom is the first book to chronicle this industry’s greatest story, written by one of the medium’s leading observers. David Kushner takes readers inside the rags-to-riches adventure of two rebellious entrepreneurs who came of age to shape a generation. The vivid portrait reveals why their games are so violent and why their immersion in their brilliantly designed fantasy worlds offered them solace. And it shows how they channeled their fury and imagination into products that are a formative influence on our culture, from MTV to the Internet to Columbine. This is a story of friendship and betrayal, commerce and artistry—a powerful and compassionate account of what it’s like to be young, driven, and wildly creative.

“To my taste, the greatest American myth of cosmogenesis features the maladjusted, antisocial, genius teenage boy who, in the insular laboratory of his own bedroom, invents the universe from scratch. Masters of Doom is a particularly inspired rendition. Dave Kushner chronicles the saga of video game virtuosi Carmack and Romero with terrific brio. This is a page-turning, mythopoeic cyber-soap opera about two glamorous geek geniuses—and it should be read while scarfing down pepperoni pizza and swilling Diet Coke, with Queens of the Stone Age cranked up all the way.”—Mark Leyner, author of I Smell Esther Williams]]> 339 David Kushner 0812972155 Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 4.28 2003 Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture

Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture

author: David Kushner
name: Leo
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary]]> 134825
The Cathedral & the Bazaar is a must for anyone who cares about the future of the computer industry or the dynamics of the information economy. Already, billions of dollars have been made and lost based on the ideas in this book. Its conclusions will be studied, debated, and implemented for years to come. According to Bob Young, "This is Eric Raymond's great contribution to the success of the open source revolution, to the adoption of Linux-based operating systems, and to the success of open source users and the companies that supply them."

The interest in open source software development has grown enormously in the past year. This revised and expanded paperback edition includes new material on open source developments in 1999 and 2000. Raymond's clear and effective writing style accurately describing the benefits of open source software has been key to its success. With major vendors creating acceptance for open source within companies, independent vendors will become the open source story in 2001.]]> 241 Eric S. Raymond 0596001088 Leo 0 to-read, non-fiction 3.82 1999 The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary

The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary

author: Eric S. Raymond
name: Leo
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/23
shelves: to-read, non-fiction
review:

]]> Hangover Square 133238 334 Patrick Hamilton 1933372060 Leo 4 At the same time, description of the characters psyche, his thinking during schizophrenic episodes feel very natural - while I can't state how accurate it is, it feels so.
Historical events also help to build and keep tension, beginning of war coinciding with culmination of George's struggles is a powerful trick.
The end for all the characters, while sad, is quite fitting - hearing similar story in real life wouldn't surprise one much.]]> 4.15 1941 Hangover Square

author: Patrick Hamilton
name: Leo
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1941
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves:
review:
While protagonist feels very relatable, and you feel genuinely sad about all the humiliations he's going through, by around half of the book it seems a bit too repetitive, as same things are happening each time (birthday party being a good twist, author last time gives you hope that story can actually end well). And character snapping in and out of his "dead mood" at the most convenient moments feels tired by the end.
At the same time, description of the characters psyche, his thinking during schizophrenic episodes feel very natural - while I can't state how accurate it is, it feels so.
Historical events also help to build and keep tension, beginning of war coinciding with culmination of George's struggles is a powerful trick.
The end for all the characters, while sad, is quite fitting - hearing similar story in real life wouldn't surprise one much.
]]> <![CDATA[Absolution (Southern Reach, #4)]]> 210367505 TOP SECRET: A clear and present threat exists. Open-ended. Existential. Confirmation via uncanny op. Nature of same: Unknown. Initiating entity: Unknown. Priority: High.

Ten years after the publication of Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance �� award winners and international bestsellers all, the first the basis for a now-classic film �� Jeff VanderMeer brings us back for a surprise fourth and final foray into Area X.

Absolution opens decades before Area X forms, with a science expedition whose mysterious end suggests terrifying consequences for the future �� and marks the Forgotten Coast as a high-priority area of interest for Central, the shadowy government agency responsible for monitoring extraordinary threats.

Many years later, the Forgotten Coast files wind up in the hands of a washed-up Central operative known as Old Jim. He starts pulling a thread that reveals a long and troubling record of government agents meddling with forces they clearly cannot comprehend. Soon, Old Jim is back out in the field, grappling with personal demons and now partnered with an unproven young agent, the two of them tasked with solving what may be an unsolvable mystery. With every turn, the stakes get higher: Central agents are being liquidated by an unknown rogue entity and Old Jim’s life is on the line.

Old Jim’s investigation culminates in the first Central expedition into what has now been labeled Area X. A border has come down, and a full team �� well trained but eccentric �� has been assembled to find Area X’s “off switch�� somewhere in the volatile, dangerous terrain that has mysteriously defied all attempts to be explored, mapped, or controlled. A landscape that, one way or another, seems to consume all who enter it.

Sweeping in scope and rich with ideas, iconic characters, and unpredictable adventure, Absolution converges the past, present, and future in terrifying, ecstatic, and mind-bending ways. It is the final word on one of the most provocative and popular speculative fiction series of our time.]]> 441 Jeff VanderMeer 0374616590 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 3.61 2024 Absolution (Southern Reach, #4)

author: Jeff VanderMeer
name: Leo
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/19
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> Kala 63184768 A gripping literary page-turner from a rising Irish talent in which former friends, estranged for twenty years, reckon with the terrifying events of the summer that changed their lives.

In the seaside village of Kinlough, on Ireland’s west coast, three old friends meet for the first time in years. They—Helen, Joe and Mush—were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann at its white-hot center. But later that year, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now remains have been discovered in the woods—including a skull with a Polaroid photo tucked inside—and the town is both aghast and titillated at reopening this old wound.

On the eve of this gruesome discovery, Helen had reluctantly returned for her father’s wedding, the world-famous musician Joe had come home to dry out and reconnect with something authentic, and Mush had never left, too shattered by the events of that summer to venture beyond the counter of his mother’s café. But when two more girls go missing, they are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala’s disappearance. Ultimately, they must do what others should have done before to stop the violent patterns of their town’s past repeating themselves once again.

In cracklingly vivid prose, Kala brilliantly examines the sometimes brutal costs of belonging, as well as the battle in the human heart between vengeance and forgiveness, despair and redemption.]]> 416 Colin Walsh 0385549636 Leo 5 And it's a compenent detective story, all puzzle pieces fall into places nicely in the end.
But it's so much more than that - characters feel real, you understand their actions and decisions.
And while each crime has it's perpetrators, you can't help feeling that maybe it all would've been different if somebody paid attention, was a bit nicer, forgiving, open..]]> 3.96 2023 Kala

author: Colin Walsh
name: Leo
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/14
date added: 2024/08/14
shelves:
review:
At first glance it might seem like a classical detective story - small town, many years have passed, group of friends starts digging and skeletons are coming out of closets.
And it's a compenent detective story, all puzzle pieces fall into places nicely in the end.
But it's so much more than that - characters feel real, you understand their actions and decisions.
And while each crime has it's perpetrators, you can't help feeling that maybe it all would've been different if somebody paid attention, was a bit nicer, forgiving, open..
]]> Pachinko 34051011
Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan's finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee's complex and passionate characters—strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis—survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.]]> 496 Min Jin Lee Leo 0 to-read, fiction 4.35 2017 Pachinko

author: Min Jin Lee
name: Leo
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/10
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow]]> 58784475 In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn't heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won't protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.]]> 401 Gabrielle Zevin 0735243344 Leo 0 to-read, fiction 4.12 2022 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

author: Gabrielle Zevin
name: Leo
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/10
shelves: to-read, fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Infinite and the Divine (Warhammer 40,000)]]> 55610829 A Necrons novel

Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner are opposites. Each is obsessed with their own speciality, and their rivalry spans millennia. Yet together, they may hold the secret to saving the necron race��

READ IT BECAUSE
Explore a story told across the millennia that delves deep into a pair of fascinating necron characters, their relationship and their plans for the galaxy.

THE STORY
Before the being called the Emperor revealed Himself, before the rise of the aeldari, before the necrontyr traded their flesh for immortal metal, the world was born in violence.

Even when they inhabited bodies of flesh, Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner were polar opposites. Trazyn, a collector of historical oddities, presides over a gallery full of the most dangerous artefacts �� and people �� of the galactic past. Orikan, a chronomancer without peer, draws zodiacs that predict and manipulate the future. But when an artefact emerges that may hold the key to the necrons�� next evolution, these two obsessives enter a multi-millennia game of cat and mouse that ends civilisations, reshapes timelines, and changes both forever. As riddles unwind and ancient secrets are revealed, the question remains: will their feud save the necron race or destroy it?]]> 361 Robert Rath 1800264046 Leo 3 First third of the book was quite boring and i was thinking about dropping it, but it improved much after that.
Positives:
- Characters are interesting and their rivalry feels genuine.
- Plot is nice, but there's too little of it. When characters were discussing their past, arguing, plotting - yes, please, more of that!
Negatives:
- Battle scenes are too long (I know it's 40k, obviously there will be massive battles, but they are written in a way that you lose what's going on quickly, and then it's just chaos or shouts and strikes)
- Some weird plot holes that seemed "unforced" ([spoilers removed])]]> 4.47 2020 The Infinite and the Divine (Warhammer 40,000)

The Infinite and the Divine (Warhammer 40,000)

author: Robert Rath
name: Leo
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/08
date added: 2024/08/08
shelves:
review:
3.5 at best.
First third of the book was quite boring and i was thinking about dropping it, but it improved much after that.
Positives:
- Characters are interesting and their rivalry feels genuine.
- Plot is nice, but there's too little of it. When characters were discussing their past, arguing, plotting - yes, please, more of that!
Negatives:
- Battle scenes are too long (I know it's 40k, obviously there will be massive battles, but they are written in a way that you lose what's going on quickly, and then it's just chaos or shouts and strikes)
- Some weird plot holes that seemed "unforced" ([spoilers removed])
]]> Blindsight (Firefall, #1) 48484 Two months since the stars fell...

Two months since sixty-five thousand alien objects clenched around the Earth like a luminous fist, screaming to the heavens as the atmosphere burned them to ash. Two months since that moment of brief, bright surveillance by agents unknown.

Two months of silence while a world holds its breath.

Now some half-derelict space probe, sparking fitfully past Neptune’s orbit, hears a whisper from the edge of the solar system: a faint signal sweeping the cosmos like a lighthouse beam. Whatever’s out there isn’t talking to us. It’s talking to some distant star, perhaps. Or perhaps to something closer, something en route.

So who do you send to force introductions on an intelligence with motives unknown, maybe unknowable? Who do you send to meet the alien when the alien doesn’t want to meet?

You send a linguist with multiple personalities, her brain surgically partitioned into separate, sentient processing cores. You send a biologist so radically interfaced with machinery that he sees X-rays and tastes ultrasound, so compromised by grafts and splices he no longer feels his own flesh. You send a pacifist warrior in the faint hope she won’t be needed, and a fainter hope she’ll do any good if she is needed. You send a monster to command them all, an extinct hominid predator once called “vampire,�� recalled from the grave with the voodoo of recombinant genetics and the blood of sociopaths. And you send a synthesist �� an informational topologist with half his mind gone �� as an interface between here and there, a conduit through which the Dead Center might hope to understand the Bleeding Edge.

You send them all to the edge of interstellar space, praying you can trust such freaks and retrofits with the fate of a world. You fear they may be more alien than the thing they’ve been sent to find.

But you’d give anything for that to be true, if you only knew what was waiting for them…]]> 384 Peter Watts 0765312182 Leo 5 4.01 2006 Blindsight (Firefall, #1)

author: Peter Watts
name: Leo
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]>