en-US Wed, 08 Mar 2023 10:23:22 -0800 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 41710 369 Clive Cussler 0425197387 Josh 2 booksread 3.85 1975
author: Clive Cussler
name: Josh
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1975
rating: 2
read at: 2007/05/01
date added: 2023/03/08
shelves: booksread
review:
That Clive Cussler is the greatest homophobic, perverse, women loathing writer of our time
]]> 4898 240 W. Chan Kim 1591396190 Josh 4
There are a lot of diagrams, examples, and explanations provided, but the diagrams are missing critical information, the examples are broad but not very deep, and the explanations would be improved tremendously with a more critical editing eye.

The "strategy canvas", for instance, is described at one point in the book as being a tool to help you understand where you are, where your competition is, as well as where you want to be. That's great, except that the tools needed to populate it's x-axis are not well defined, nor is the organization or number of the items it is populated with, which becomes important when the authors suggest that a jagged line is an indication of an unclear strategy. What if all the low rating items are on one side, and the high on the other?

There are other shortcomings, but as mentioned, the book can be a great tool for helping a conservative organization that is stuck in a dying industry find ways to innovate and succeed.]]> 4.01 2004
author: W. Chan Kim
name: Josh
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2019/06/06
date added: 2019/06/06
shelves:
review:
As an attempt to create a set of steps for executing blue ocean strategy within an organization, this book falls a bit short. As a documentation of what it is, and how organizations have used it to find business success, it succeeds.

There are a lot of diagrams, examples, and explanations provided, but the diagrams are missing critical information, the examples are broad but not very deep, and the explanations would be improved tremendously with a more critical editing eye.

The "strategy canvas", for instance, is described at one point in the book as being a tool to help you understand where you are, where your competition is, as well as where you want to be. That's great, except that the tools needed to populate it's x-axis are not well defined, nor is the organization or number of the items it is populated with, which becomes important when the authors suggest that a jagged line is an indication of an unclear strategy. What if all the low rating items are on one side, and the high on the other?

There are other shortcomings, but as mentioned, the book can be a great tool for helping a conservative organization that is stuck in a dying industry find ways to innovate and succeed.
]]> 10656 New York Times bestseller.

"His book is a wake-up call at a time when many believe the net was a flash in the pan."�� BusinessWeek

With his knowing eye and wicked pen, Michael Lewis reveals how the Internet boom has encouraged changes in the way we live, work, and think. In the midst of one of the greatest status revolutions in the history of the world, the Internet has become a weapon in the hands of revolutionaries. Old priesthoods are crumbling. In the new order, the amateur is king: fourteen-year-olds manipulate the stock market and nineteen-year-olds take down the music industry. Unseen forces undermine all forms of collectivism, from the family to the mass market: one black box has the power to end television as we know it, and another one may dictate significant changes in our practice of democracy.

With a new afterword by the author.]]> 240 Michael Lewis 0393323528 Josh 3
There are some interesting insights, such as the manner in which generational change takes place, and how outsiders go about becoming insiders.

Google the names in the book to see where these people are today. The results are interesting.

The book got a lot of general ideas right about what the future, at the time, might look like (that the internet would allow for a democratization of information and force radical change in large chunks of the economy, for instance).

It also makes it very evident about just how much change has taken place in a relatively short period of time. In a book about the internet from 18 years ago, there is no mention of current industry leaders like Google, Netflix or Amazon, though all existed at the time. The subject and value of peer-to-peer networks is mentioned, but social networks are not. Facebook and Myspace wouldn't be founded until 2004.

This edition does have an epilogue, written in 2002, that references the 9/11 attacks and talks about how that has already had an impact on his writing.]]> 3.66 2001
author: Michael Lewis
name: Josh
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2019/06/04
date added: 2019/06/04
shelves:
review:
Interesting perspective on progress in technology and the internet in pre-9/11 2001.

There are some interesting insights, such as the manner in which generational change takes place, and how outsiders go about becoming insiders.

Google the names in the book to see where these people are today. The results are interesting.

The book got a lot of general ideas right about what the future, at the time, might look like (that the internet would allow for a democratization of information and force radical change in large chunks of the economy, for instance).

It also makes it very evident about just how much change has taken place in a relatively short period of time. In a book about the internet from 18 years ago, there is no mention of current industry leaders like Google, Netflix or Amazon, though all existed at the time. The subject and value of peer-to-peer networks is mentioned, but social networks are not. Facebook and Myspace wouldn't be founded until 2004.

This edition does have an epilogue, written in 2002, that references the 9/11 attacks and talks about how that has already had an impact on his writing.
]]> 895998 Frank Lloyd Wright is widely regarded as the twentieth century’s greatest architect �� an unconventional genius who transformed both residential and commercial building design with his concept of “organic�� architecture. During a long and productive life, Wright designed some 800 buildings, received scores of honors and awards, and left an indelible imprint on modern architectural theory and practice.
In this charming, readable memoir, Wright the architect and father comes to life through the vivid recollections and firsthand knowledge of his son. John Lloyd Wright characterizes his father as “a rebel, a jolt to civilization, whose romantic theme �� purposive planning and organic unity in inventing and combining forms �� is an epoch in the architecture of the world.�� His unique view of the “epoch�� will intrigue architects, students, and all who admire the work of this visionary and uncompromising spirit. An added attraction of this volume is the inclusion of the complete text of William C. Gannet's The House Beautiful, an extremely rare work designed and printed by Frank Lloyd Wright.]]> 189 John Lloyd Wright 0486269868 Josh 5
]]> 3.26 1992
author: John Lloyd Wright
name: Josh
average rating: 3.26
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at: 2019/02/01
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves:
review:
Great insight into what it was like living life with an American icon.


]]> 18007564
Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error�� are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills �� and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit �� he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

]]> 384 Andy Weir 0804139024 Josh 5
Not just because of more potatoes either! Ha!]]> 4.41 2011
author: Andy Weir
name: Josh
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2019/03/01
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves:
review:
One of the greats! As is always true, the book was better than the movie.

Not just because of more potatoes either! Ha!
]]> 21607
Now, a sunken relic that holds the key to their origins calls to them to take them home—but the Chameleon has decided there's only room for one.]]> 289 Joe Haldeman 0441012523 Josh 4
It was entertaining, but I felt like it was building to something that it didn't quite achieve. Not, in my opinion, on the same level as, "The Forever War", "Mindbridge", or "The Accidental Time Machine".
]]> 3.62 2004
author: Joe Haldeman
name: Josh
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2019/04/01
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves:
review:
Interesting story about an ancient, immortal shape-shifting alien and it's interactions with humans.

It was entertaining, but I felt like it was building to something that it didn't quite achieve. Not, in my opinion, on the same level as, "The Forever War", "Mindbridge", or "The Accidental Time Machine".

]]> 28439264 Spaceman he puts you inside the suit, with all the zip and buoyancy of life in microgravity.

Massimino’s childhood space dreams were born the day Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, but his journey to realizing those dreams was as unlikely as it is captivating. Growing up in a working-class Long Island family, Massimino catapulted himself to Columbia and then MIT, only to flunk his qualifying exams and be rejected twice by NASA before making it to the final round of astronaut selection—where he was told his poor eyesight meant he’d never make the cut. But even that couldn’t stop him from finally earning his wings, making the jump to training in T-38 Air Force jets and preparing his body—and soul—for the journey to the cosmos.

Taking us through the surreal wonder and beauty of his first spacewalk, the tragedy of losing friends in the Columbia shuttle accident, and the development of his enduring love for the Hubble telescope—which he’d be tasked with saving on his final mission�� Massimino has written an ode to never giving up and the power of teamwork to make anything possible. Spaceman invites us into a rare, wonderful world where the nerdiest science meets the most thrilling adventure, and pulls back a curtain on just what having “the right stuff�� really means.]]> 319 Mike Massimino 1101903554 Josh 5
I just finished it, and I already want to re-read it, watch the movie, see the play, and, of course, become an astronaut!]]> 4.53 2016
author: Mike Massimino
name: Josh
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2019/05/01
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves:
review:
Quite possibly the best book ever written on the subject of becoming an astronaut, and what the experience was like.

I just finished it, and I already want to re-read it, watch the movie, see the play, and, of course, become an astronaut!
]]> 34347433 Although his career as a bestselling author and on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart was founded on fake news and invented facts, in 2016 that routine didn't seem as funny to John Hodgman anymore. Everyone is doing it now.

Disarmed of falsehood, he was left only with the awful truth: John Hodgman is an older white male monster with bad facial hair, wandering like a privileged Sasquatch through three wildernesses: the hills of Western Massachusetts where he spent much of his youth; the painful beaches of Maine that want to kill him (and some day will); and the metaphoric haunted forest of middle age that connects them.

Vacationland collects these real life wanderings, and through them you learn of the horror of freshwater clams, the evolutionary purpose of the mustache, and which animals to keep as pets and which to kill with traps and poison. There is also some advice on how to react when the people of coastal Maine try to sacrifice you to their strange god.

Though wildly, Hodgmaniacally funny as usual, it is also a poignant and sincere account of one human facing his forties, those years when men in particular must stop pretending to be the children of bright potential they were and settle into the failing bodies of the wiser, weird dads that they are.]]> 272 John Hodgman 0735224803 Josh 4
The description of the meaning of the words to "Rockytop" were my favorite.]]> 4.04 2017
author: John Hodgman
name: Josh
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2019/05/01
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves:
review:
Good story with a lot of funny parts.

The description of the meaning of the words to "Rockytop" were my favorite.
]]> 34196216 368 Warren Farrell 1942952716 Josh 5
The outcome for me, in reading the book, was to realize why my reactions to pain and conflict illicit the responses that they do, and what I can change to be a better person.]]> 3.88 2019
author: Warren Farrell
name: Josh
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/04/01
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves:
review:
Initially, I did not like the book. As it progressed, I realized the points being made were things I had experienced myself and continue to experience as a male trying to make it in our society.

The outcome for me, in reading the book, was to realize why my reactions to pain and conflict illicit the responses that they do, and what I can change to be a better person.
]]> 31685789
Told in the inventive, funny, and poignant voice of Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience—and a powerful story of a mother and son whose love lets them survive the impossible.

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough ... not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.]]> 321 Emma Donoghue Josh 0 currently-reading 4.18 2010
author: Emma Donoghue
name: Josh
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 4894
Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry. And two are "Littlepeople" �� beings the size of mice who look and act a lot like people. Their names are Hem and Haw.

"Cheese" is a metaphor for what you want to have in life �� whether it's a good job, a loving relationship, money, a possession, health, or spiritual peace of mind.

And the "Maze" is where you look for what you want �� the organisation you work in or the family or community you live in.

In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change. Eventually, one of them deals with it successfully, and writes what he has learned from his experience on the Maze walls.

When you come to see "The Handwriting on the Wall," you can discover for yourself how to deal with change, so that you can enjoy less stress and more success (however you define it) in your work and in your life.

Written for all ages, the story takes less than an hour to read, but its unique insights can last for a lifetime.]]> 98 Spencer Johnson 0091883768 Josh 1
The first and last thirds of the book are marketing ploys to encourage the reader to share the book with others.

Ugh.]]> 3.88 1999
author: Spencer Johnson
name: Josh
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1999
rating: 1
read at: 2019/05/28
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves:
review:
The middle is an antiquated allegory about how different personalities cope with change and where that gets each of them.

The first and last thirds of the book are marketing ploys to encourage the reader to share the book with others.

Ugh.
]]> 13586938 256 Nancy Duarte 1422187101 Josh 4
]]> 3.95 2010
author: Nancy Duarte
name: Josh
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2019/05/28
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves:
review:
Great resource/reference guide for assembling the right components and frame-of-mind to make a persuasive presentation.


]]> 1096315 176 Norman King 0133184048 Josh 1 2.43 1987
author: Norman King
name: Josh
average rating: 2.43
book published: 1987
rating: 1
read at: 2019/05/30
date added: 2019/05/30
shelves:
review:
Good information to reinforce, but no real original ideas or inspirational messages to speak of.
]]> 36875820
But when his favorite Amtrak conductor dies in a suspicious accident, Joe feels a familiar desire to serve - and he leap into the role of amateur sleuth, with a little help from his old friend President Barack Obama (code name: Renegade). Together they'll plumb the darkest depths of Delaware, traveling from cheap motels to biker bars and beyond, as they uncover the sinister forces advancing America's opioid epidemic.]]> 301 Andrew Shaffer 1683690397 Josh 5 3.55 2018
author: Andrew Shaffer
name: Josh
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 33016249 212 Elena Favilli 0997895810 Josh 5 4.33 2016
author: Elena Favilli
name: Josh
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 17239860 Как развивать способности малыша с самого раннего возраста? Этот вопрос волнует многих родителей, и книга Шона Галлахера дает на него неожиданный ответ: прежде всего, важно хорошо понимать, что уже знает и умеет ваш малыш. С помощью интересных и веселых экспериментов вы узнаете, как ваш ребенок приобретает новые навыки �� от распознавания лиц, голоса и форм к пониманию новых слов, �� как он учится ходить и видеть различия между добром и злом. Пятьдесят увлекательных опытов, дарящих радость и одновременно развивающих интеллект, позволят вам увидеть мир глазами ребенка и убедиться в том, что младенец понимает и может сделать куда больше, чем вы ожидали!]]> 224 Shaun Gallagher 0399162461 Josh 5 3.61 2013
author: Shaun Gallagher
name: Josh
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2018/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> 12
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised Guide. Together they stick out their thumbs to the stars and begin a wild journey through time and space.

"The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"

Facing annihilation at the hands of warmongers is a curious time to crave tea. It could only happen to the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his comrades as they hurtle across the galaxy in a desperate search for a place to eat.

"Life, the Universe and Everything"

The unhappy inhabitants of planet Krikkit are sick of looking at the night sky- so they plan to destroy it. The universe, that is. Now only five individuals can avert Armageddon: mild-mannered Arthur Dent and his stalwart crew.

"So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish"

Back on Earth, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription conspires to thrust him back to reality. So to speak.

"Mostly Harmless"

Just when Arthur Dent makes the terrible mistake of starting to enjoy life, all hell breaks loose. Can he save the Earth from total obliteration? Can he save the Guide from a hostile alien takeover? Can he save his daughter from herself?

Also includes the short story "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe".]]> 815 Douglas Adams 0517226952 Josh 5 booksread 4.52 1996
author: Douglas Adams
name: Josh
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2005/01/01
date added: 2016/09/13
shelves: booksread
review:
This book will make you miss Douglas Adams. He was the comic genius of our time.
]]> 9969571 Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

IN THE YEAR 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them.

But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.]]> 480 Ernest Cline 030788743X Josh 5 4.21 2011
author: Ernest Cline
name: Josh
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2011/08/01
date added: 2011/12/06
shelves:
review:
What Ernie has written here is easily one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read. It's got everything for the connoisseur of 80's culture, and grabs and holds your attention from page one! Great read! Can't recommend highly enough!
]]> 54903 208 John Grogan 0061240338 Josh 5 booksread 4.30
author: John Grogan
name: Josh
average rating: 4.30
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2006/08/01
date added: 2010/08/02
shelves: booksread
review:
A heart-wrenching story about owning a dog. If you're looking to get a dog, and don't know what ownership is all about, read this book.
]]> 989116 The Life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker

H. Paul Jeffers
Author of In the Roughrider’s Shadow
In this important new biography, acclaimed historian H. Paul Jeffers brings to vivid life one of the most daring and dramatic figures of twentieth century America–Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker. Born to immigrant parents with humble means at the turn of the century, Edward Rickenbacker was destined to embody the ingenuity, innovation, and courage that would make the United States a world power.

Rickenbacker burst onto the national scene as one of the nation’s first star race car drivers. In an era when tracks were rough and safety precautions virtually unknown, Rickenbacker pushed the fastest machines at terrifying speeds. Later in life, he would own the Indianapolis Speedway and help establish the sport of modern race car driving as we know it.

But Rickenbacker’s lasting fame came as an “Ace of Aces�� in World War I, a fearless fighter pilot who would chase the “Flying Circus�� of the legendary Red Baron above the battlefields of France. With his “Hat-in-the-Ring�� squadron, Eddie was among the first to understand that the new technology of aviation would forever change the face of warfare. Shooting down twenty-six enemy planes in just seven months, he captured the hearts of a nation back home involved in its first Great War.

Even after the war, he remained a national figure as one of the founders of Eastern Airlines. Turning his wartime experience to peacetime industry, Rickenbacker again led American interests in reshaping the world. And in one of the most dramatic chapters of World War II, a plane on which Rickenbacker flew as a civilian crash-landed in the Pacific Ocean. He survived as a castaway for twenty-four days before a rescue that defied the odds.

Ace of Aces is the unparalleled story of a hero and the dramatic events that shaped our country and our history.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 352 H. Paul Jeffers 0345470648 Josh 5 booksread 4.57 2003
author: H. Paul Jeffers
name: Josh
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2005/08/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
Great book about this amazing individual and the incredible life he led. From dog-fighting in World War One, to running Eastern Airlines, to being involved in a plane wreck in the pacific ocean, where he survived by catching a seagull that had landed on his head, Eddie Rickenbacker certainly led a very charmed life.
]]> 297839 The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes contains an original full-color section, as well as all the cartoons appearing in The Revenge of the Baby-Sat and Scientific Progress Goes "Boink." All Sunday cartoons are presented in full-color.]]> 256 Bill Watterson 0836218981 Josh 5 booksread one of the best 4.73 1992
author: Bill Watterson
name: Josh
average rating: 4.73
book published: 1992
rating: 5
read at: 1995/12/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
one of the best
]]> 121798 Bill Watterson 1417642106 Josh 5 booksread one of the best. 4.70
author: Bill Watterson
name: Josh
average rating: 4.70
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 1994/04/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
one of the best.
]]> 176833 176 Bill Watterson 0751517194 Josh 5 booksread one of the best. 4.72 1996
author: Bill Watterson
name: Josh
average rating: 4.72
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 1993/08/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
one of the best.
]]> 121792 128 Bill Watterson 1417642122 Josh 5 booksread one of the best. 4.66 1991
author: Bill Watterson
name: Josh
average rating: 4.66
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at: 1993/12/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
one of the best.
]]> 121795 127 Bill Watterson 0590067567 Josh 5 booksread the one that started it all. 4.66 1987
author: Bill Watterson
name: Josh
average rating: 4.66
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at: 1989/07/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
the one that started it all.
]]> 330653 128 Bill Watterson 1417642130 Josh 5 booksread one of the best. 4.72 1991
author: Bill Watterson
name: Josh
average rating: 4.72
book published: 1991
rating: 5
read at: 1993/03/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
one of the best.
]]> 70495 1 128 Bill Watterson 0590441647 Josh 5 booksread one of the best 4.58 1990
author: Bill Watterson
name: Josh
average rating: 4.58
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 1993/06/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
one of the best
]]> 967137 196 1882203704 Josh 5 booksread 4.60 2000
author: Etc.) Big Pig Gig (Exhibition) (2000 Cincinnati, Ohio
name: Josh
average rating: 4.60
book published: 2000
rating: 5
read at: 2001/09/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
cool visual record of the Big Pig Gig that took place in Cincinnati at the turn of the millenium.
]]> 628589 48 Peter Spier 0385133421 Josh 5 booksread 4.02 1975
author: Peter Spier
name: Josh
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1975
rating: 5
read at: 1982/06/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
A kid's book...but none-the-less a story about rebirth and most importantly, the draw of the automobile. It's what got me interested in cars to begin with.
]]> 736640 160 John Lamm 0930880099 Josh 5 booksread 4.64 1983
author: John Lamm
name: Josh
average rating: 4.64
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2005/03/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
great all-inclusive story about the DeLorean Motor Company. Everything you ever wanted to know about how the car was produced, and who was involved.
]]> 914487 "Science fiction is the characteristic literary genre of the century. It is the genre that stands in opposition to literary modernism." So says David G. Hartwell in his introduction to The Science Fiction Century, an anthology spanning a hundred years of science fiction, from its birth in the 1890s to the future it predicted.

David G. Hartwell is a World Fantasy Award-winning editor and anthologist who has twice before redefined a genre--first the horror field with The Dark Descent, then the subgenre of hard science fiction with The Ascent of Wonder, coedited with Kathryn Cramer. Now, Hartwell has compiled the mother of all definitive anthologies, guaranteed to change not only the way the science fiction field views itself but also the way the rest of literature views the field.


Contents

17 �� Introduction (The Science Fiction Century) �� (1997) �� essay by David G. Hartwell
21 �� Beam Us Home �� (1969) �� shortstory by James Tiptree, Jr.
31 �� Ministering Angels �� (1955) �� shortstory by C. S. Lewis
39 �� The Music Master of Babylon �� (1954) �� novelette by Edgar Pangborn
57 �� A Story of the Days to Come �� (1899) �� novella by H. G. Wells
112 �� Hot Planet �� (1963) �� shortstory by Hal Clement
127 �� A Work of Art �� (1956) �� novelette by James Blish
139 �� The Machine Stops �� (1909) �� novelette by E. M. Forster
161 �� Brightness Falls from the Air �� (1951) �� shortstory by Margaret St. Clair
166 �� 2066: Election Day �� (1956) �� shortstory by Michael Shaara
177 �� The Rose �� (1953) �� novella by Charles L. Harness [as by Charles Harness ]
232 �� The Hounds of Tindalos �� (1929) �� shortstory by Frank Belknap Long
242 �� The Angel of Violence �� (1978) �� shortstory by Adam Wisniewski-Snerg
252 �� Nobody Bothers Gus �� [Gus] �� (1955) �� shortstory by Algis Budrys
261 �� The Time Machine �� (1954) �� shortstory by Dino Buzzati
265 �� Mother �� (1953) �� novelette by Philip José Farmer
285 �� As Easy as A.B.C. �� (1912) �� novelette by Rudyard Kipling
304 �� Ginungagap �� (1980) �� novelette by Michael Swanwick
327 �� Minister Without Portfolio �� (1952) �� shortstory by Mildred Clingerman
333 �� Time in Advance �� (1956) �� novelette by William Tenn
352 �� Good Night, Sophie �� (1973) �� novelette by Lino Aldani (aka Buonanotte Sofia 1963 )
369 �� Veritas �� (1987) �� novelette by James Morrow
382 �� Enchanted Village �� (1950) �� shortstory by A. E. van Vogt
393 �� The King and the Dollmaker �� (1970) �� novella by Wolfgang Jeschke (aka Der König und der Puppenmacher 1961 )
435 �� Fire Watch �� [Time Travel] �� (1982) �� novelette by Connie Willis
462 �� Goat Song �� (1972) �� novelette by Poul Anderson
486 �� The Scarlet Plague �� (1912) �� novella by Jack London
518 �� Drunkboat �� [The Instrumentality of Mankind] �� (1963) �� novelette by Cordwainer Smith
539 �� Another World �� (1962) �� novelette by J. H. Rosny aîné (aka Un Autre Monde 1895 )
558 �� If the Stars Are Gods �� [Bradley Reynolds] �� (1974) �� novelette by Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford
585 �� I Still Call Australia Home �� (1990) �� shortstory by George Turner
598 �� Liquid Sunshine �� (1982) �� novelette by Alexander Kuprin (aka Zhidkoe solntse 1913 )
632 �� Great Work of Time �� (1989) �� novella by John Crowley
683 �� Sundance �� (1969) �� shortstory by Robert Silverberg
694 �� Greenslaves �� (1965) �� novelette by Frank Herbert
716 �� Rumfuddle �� (1973) �� novella by Jack Vance
754 �� The Dimple in Draco �� (1967) �� shortstory by R. S. Richardson [as by Philip Latham ]
765 �� Consider Her Ways �� (1956) �� novella by John Wyndham
805 �� Something Ending �� (1973) �� shortstory by Eddy C. Bertin
812 �� He Who Shapes �� (1965) �� novella by Roger Zelazny
869 �� Swarm �� [Shaper/Mechanist] �� (1982) �� novelette by Bruce Sterling
886 �� Beggars in Spain �� [Sleepless] �� (1991) �� novella by Nancy Kress
939 �� Johnny Mnemonic �� (1981) �� shortstory by William Gibson
952 �� "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman �� (1965) �� shortstory by Harlan Ellison
961 �� Blood's a Rover �� (1952) �� novella by Chad Oliver
993 �� Sail the Tide of Mourning �� [Bentfin Boomers] �� (1975) �� shortstory by Richard A. Lupoff

The story The Angel of Violence by Adam_Wiśniewski-Snerg was translated from Polish to English by Thomasz Mirkowicz for this anthology.
The story Good Night, Sophie by Lino Aldani was translated from Italian to English by L. K. Conrad.
The story Liquid Sunshine by Alexander Kuprin was translated from Russian to English by Leland Fetzer.]]> 1005 David G. Hartwell 0312863381 Josh 3 booksread
]]> 4.03 1997
author: David G. Hartwell
name: Josh
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2004/03/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
good compilation of lesser known science fiction stories of the 20th Century. Great read, intensely entertaining.


]]> 41706
The President's secret task force has developed an unprecedented defensive weapon that relies on an extremely rare radioactive element—and Dirk Pitt has followed a twisted trail to a secret cache of the substance. Now, racing against brutal storms, Soviet spies, and a ticking clock, Pitt begins his most thrilling mission—to raise from its watery grave the shipwreck of the century...]]> 545 Clive Cussler 0425194523 Josh 5 booksread 3.98 1976
author: Clive Cussler
name: Josh
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1976
rating: 5
read at: 1990/06/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
This book is a breakout hit among Clive Cussler's efforts. Great story, and great idea...if only it were possible!
]]> 655958
At the height of his wealth, power, and invisibility, the world’s richest and most secretive man kept what amounted to a diary. The billionaire commanded his empire by correspondence, scrawling thousands of handwritten memos to unseen henchmen. It was the only time Howard Hughes risked writing down his orders, plans, thoughts, fears, and desires. Hughes claimed the papers were so sensitive—“the very most confidential, almost sacred information as to my innermost activities”—that not even his most trusted aides or executives were allowed to keep the messages he sent them. But in the early-morning hours of June 5, 1974, unknown burglars staged a daring break-in at Hughes’s supposedly impregnable headquarters and escaped with all the confidential files. Despite a top-secret FBI investigation and a million-dollar CIA buyback bid, none of the stolen secret papers were ever found—until investigative reporter Michael Drosnin cracked the case.
In Citizen Hughes , Drosnin reveals the true story of the great Hughes heist—and of the real Howard Hughes. Based on nearly ten thousand never-before-published documents, more than three thousand in Hughes’s own handwriting, Citizen Hughes is far more than a biography, or even an unwilling autobiography. It is a startling record of the secret history of our times.]]> 544 Michael Drosnin 0767919343 Josh 5 booksread 3.79 1985
author: Michael Drosnin
name: Josh
average rating: 3.79
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2005/06/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
Wow, wow and wow again! Every American should read this book if they desire to fully understand the catalyst behind Watergate, as well as the mysteries of a very wealthy man who held the world at his fingertips, while his mind went steadily by the wayside.
]]> 2932 320 Daniel Defoe Josh 5 booksread 3.69 1719
author: Daniel Defoe
name: Josh
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1719
rating: 5
read at: 2003/10/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
Like many, I found myself mesmerized by this timeless tale of adventure and survival on a deserted island. The hardships faced, and the struggle to persevere, all to be ultimately rewarded with the notion that life is it's own reward...and those struggles would be faced whether on a deserted island or in the largest of large cities. The durability of this tale (first published in 1719!) is a testament to the lasting impact this novel has had on people throughout the ages.
]]> 137443 396 H.F. Saint 0689117353 Josh 5 booksread 4.12 1987
author: H.F. Saint
name: Josh
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at: 2003/09/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
Absolutely fantastic reinvention of the HG Wells classic. A story that you never want to stop reading. It rewards you with much detail about the lifestlye of the protagonist, suggesting that the author put a great deal of thought into this imaginative tale.
]]> 17184 192 H.G. Wells 0451528522 Josh 5 booksread 3.63 1897
author: H.G. Wells
name: Josh
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1897
rating: 5
read at: 1991/05/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
An HG Wells classic. Great story that made me totally change my mind about wanting to be invisible to sneak into the girl's lockeroom. Well...actually, I still want to do that. (haha)
]]> 2493
So begins the Time Traveller’s astonishing firsthand account of his journey 800,000 years beyond his own era—and the story that launched H.G. Wells’s successful career and earned him his reputation as the father of science fiction. With a speculative leap that still fires the imagination, Wells sends his brave explorer to face a future burdened with our greatest hopes...and our darkest fears. A pull of the Time Machine’s lever propels him to the age of a slowly dying Earth.  There he discovers two bizarre races—the ethereal Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks—who not only symbolize the duality of human nature, but offer a terrifying portrait of the men of tomorrow as well.  Published in 1895, this masterpiece of invention captivated readers on the threshold of a new century. Thanks to Wells’s expert storytelling and provocative insight, The Time Machine will continue to enthrall readers for generations to come.

���ձ�> 118 H.G. Wells Josh 5 booksread 3.91 1895
author: H.G. Wells
name: Josh
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1895
rating: 5
read at: 1991/04/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
A classic. What more can I say. The story is beautiful in it's simplicity, and nothing more is said than is needed to communicate the potential horrors of time travel.
]]> 34811 Talking Straight 352 Lee Iacocca 0553278053 Josh 5 booksread 3.69 1988
author: Lee Iacocca
name: Josh
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 1997/03/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
An eloquent writer who has a nack for inspiring anyone who reads his material to do great things, or to at least try.
]]> 680923 Into Thin Air and Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm comes a true tale of riveting adventure in which two weekend scuba divers risk everything to solve a great historical mystery–and make history themselves.

For John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, deep wreck diving was more than a sport. Testing themselves against treacherous currents, braving depths that induced hallucinatory effects, navigating through wreckage as perilous as a minefield, they pushed themselves to their limits and beyond, brushing against death more than once in the rusting hulks of sunken ships.
But in the fall of 1991, not even these courageous divers were prepared for what they found 230 feet below the surface, in the frigid Atlantic waters sixty miles off the coast of New Jersey: a World War II German U-boat, its ruined interior a macabre wasteland of twisted metal, tangled wires, and human bones–all buried under decades of accumulated sediment.
No identifying marks were visible on the submarine or the few artifacts brought to the surface. No historian, expert, or government had a clue as to which U-boat the men had found. In fact, the official records all agreed that there simply could not be a sunken U-boat and crew at that location.

Over the next six years, an elite team of divers embarked on a quest to solve the mystery. Some of them would not live to see its end. Chatterton and Kohler, at first bitter rivals, would be drawn into a friendship that deepened to an almost mystical sense of brotherhood with each other and with the drowned U-boat sailors–former enemies of their country. As the men’s marriages frayed under the pressure of a shared obsession, their dives grew more daring, and each realized that he was hunting more than the identities of a lost U-boat and its nameless crew.

Author Robert Kurson’s account of this quest is at once thrilling and emotionally complex, and it is written with a vivid sense of what divers actually experience when they meet the dangers of the ocean’s underworld. The story of Shadow Divers often seems too amazing to be true, but it all happened, two hundred thirty feet down, in the deep blue sea.
(front flap)]]> 375 Robert Kurson 0375508589 Josh 5 booksread 4.37 2004
author: Robert Kurson
name: Josh
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2006/03/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
Without a doubt the COOLEST book I've ever read. Amazing tale of an adventure that changed history. You'll not want this book to end!
]]> 58957 On the Road Again
There's no shortage of 20th-century literature about traveling across America in a car. Even William Least Heat-Moon, author of River Horse, wrote a nonfiction work about his search in a beat-up Ford for himself and America (Blue Highways).

But not since the 19th-century adventures of Mark Twain, as told in Life on the Mississippi, have readers had the chance to vicariously take a journey across America by water rather than by road. River Horse, a voyage across America's waterways, is a return to a bygone literary tradition. Following in the footsteps of America's greatest explorers, from Henry Hudson to Lewis and Clark, Heat-Moon traveled around the waterways of America in a 22-foot cruiser boat called Nikawa (Osage for "river horse").

Heat-Moon covers 5,000-plus miles in four months, departing from Astoria, New York, and completing his journey in Astoria, Oregon. River Horse completes Heat-Moon's trilogy of explorations of America and the American people, which he began with Blue Highways and Prairyerth.]]> 502 William Least Heat-Moon 0140298606 Josh 5 booksread 3.89 1999
author: William Least Heat-Moon
name: Josh
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 2005/09/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
A magical story about a journey through America's waterways that represents an analogy about life. Great spiritual pick-me-up.
]]> 886064 277 Michael Macdonald Mooney 055307511X Josh 5 booksread 3.31 1970
author: Michael Macdonald Mooney
name: Josh
average rating: 3.31
book published: 1970
rating: 5
read at: 2007/04/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
Great book presenting a very plausible theory about how and why the Hindenburg exploded and crashed over Lakehurst, NJ on May 6th, 1937.
]]> 885085 227 Robert D. Ballard 0446518514 Josh 5 booksread 4.26 1995
author: Robert D. Ballard
name: Josh
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1995
rating: 5
read at: 1997/04/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
...like me. Very cool graphic and literary journey through one of the world's most notorious shipwrecks.
]]> 844 257 Donald A. Norman 0965810305 Josh 3 booksread 3.74 2003
author: Donald A. Norman
name: Josh
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2001/12/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
The book starts out great, then deteriorates into a sort of insane rambling dissertation about how robots are our future. It's like reading two different books. The first by the Don Norman we know and love, and the second by his lunatic twin brother. Very peculiar.
]]> 884923 704 Frank M. Croft 0471857882 Josh 5 booksread 4.67 1989
author: Frank M. Croft
name: Josh
average rating: 4.67
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at: 1995/09/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
How to make technical drawings. Fantastically put together book that gets at the heart of what the next generation of industrial designers need to know and understand.
]]> 686128 336 Hillel Levin 067026685X Josh 5 booksread 3.70 1983
author: Hillel Levin
name: Josh
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at: 2006/08/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
A well researched book that delves into the life of John DeLorean, exposing his brilliance, as well as his more human qualities. Highly recommend if your interested in having another perspective on the DeLorean saga.
]]> 736642 237 J. Patrick Wright 0960356207 Josh 5 booksread 3.84 1979
author: J. Patrick Wright
name: Josh
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at: 2006/09/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
In 1973, John DeLorean wrote a book about what's wrong with the American automotive industry. While it does come across as a bit "sour grapes" like, everything he says still rings true today. If you are an automotive executive working for an American car maker, you owe it to yourself to read, analyze and understand this book.
]]> 7371 Continue the journey of personal and spiritual growth with this wise and insightful book.]]> 252 M. Scott Peck 068484723X Josh 5 booksread 4.10 1993
author: M. Scott Peck
name: Josh
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 2002/04/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
Depressed? Feel like the world is against you? You're wrong, and this book will tell you why.
]]> 4442
With the rare combination of profound psychological insight and deep spirituality that has already spoken to millions of readers, Dr. Peck talks about decision making and the choices we make every day in business and at home, and the ethical choices that may affect the very survival of humankind. We learn the difference between good and evil, to overcome narcissism, to love and be loved, to live with paradox, to accept the consequences of our actions all through life, and to come to terms with dying and death.

Dr. Peck is a guide on the adventure that is life, learning, and spiritual growth—life’s greatest adventure. Building in depth from the very first chapter to its lyrical and poetic conclusion, The Road Less Traveled and Beyond is an adventure in itself.]]> 324 M. Scott Peck 0684835614 Josh 5 booksread 4.15 1997
author: M. Scott Peck
name: Josh
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 2002/03/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
Changed the way I approach my life.
]]> 4248 The da Vinci Code, The da Vinci Code, and, The da Vinci Code

An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci.
A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe.
An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.

As millions of readers around the globe have already discovered, The Da Vinci Code is a reading experience unlike any other. Simultaneously lightning-paced, intelligent, and intricately layered with remarkable research and detail, Dan Brown's novel is a thrilling masterpiece—from its opening pages to its stunning conclusion.]]> 597 Dan Brown 1400079179 Josh 5 booksread 3.67 2003
author: Dan Brown
name: Josh
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2006/11/01
date added: 2009/12/16
shelves: booksread
review:
I'm a Pagan. The beliefs relayed through this book make it obvious to me that we are all Pagans before we are any other type of religion. Including Atheist and Agnostic. I fell for this one, hook, line and sinker. Great writing, and great theory about some dude named Jesus.
]]> 298247 First produced in 1953, at a time when America was convulsed by a new epidemic of witchhunting, The Crucible brilliantly explores the threshold between individual guilt and mass hysteria, personal spite and collective evil. It is a play that is not only relentlessly suspenseful and vastly moving but that compels readers to fathom their hearts and consciences in ways that only the greatest theater ever can.
(back cover)]]> 152 Arthur Miller Josh 0
]]> 3.56 1953
author: Arthur Miller
name: Josh
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1953
rating: 0
read at: 2007/11/15
date added: 2008/11/15
shelves:
review:
Very well done. Arthur Miller is of course the master. Quickly becoming a fan.


]]> 988664 272 Roger D. Blackwell 0887308333 Josh 5 booksread 3.76 1997
author: Roger D. Blackwell
name: Josh
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 1999/11/01
date added: 2007/05/24
shelves: booksread
review:
This book and this professor got me interested in marketing. Roger was one of the best lecturers I have ever heard. He's serving time now for securities fraud, from what I understand. What a waste!
]]> 24814 Calvin and Hobbes fans throughout the world went into mourning. Fans have learned to survive -- despite the absence of the boy and his tiger in the daily newspaper. It's a Magical World delivers all the satisfaction of visiting its characters once more. Calvin fans will be able to see their favorite mischief maker stir it up with his furry friend, long-suffering parents, classmate Susie Derkins, school teacher Miss Wormwood, and Rosalyn the baby-sitter. It's a Magical World includes full-color Sundays and has it all: Calvin-turned-firefly waking Hobbes with his flashlight glow; courageous Spaceman Spiff rocketing through alien galaxies as he battles Dad-turned-Bug-Being; and Calvin's always inspired snowman art. There's no better way for Watterson fans to savor again the special qualities of their favorite strip.]]> 176 Bill Watterson 0836221362 Josh 5 booksread 4.73 1996
author: Bill Watterson
name: Josh
average rating: 4.73
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 1994/01/01
date added: 2007/05/22
shelves: booksread
review:
Another classic by Bill Watterson
]]> 312612 186 Joe Haldeman 0575071141 Josh 5 booksread 3.75 1976
author: Joe Haldeman
name: Josh
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1976
rating: 5
read at: 2005/02/01
date added: 2007/05/22
shelves: booksread
review:
Great book by someone with a great name (Haldeman) about a device that can read and transmit thoughts. The human discoverers quickly put it to good use doing what else...having sex.
]]> 921207 523 Jostein Gaarder 0425156842 Josh 3 booksread 3.77 1991
author: Jostein Gaarder
name: Josh
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1991
rating: 3
read at: 2006/12/01
date added: 2007/05/22
shelves: booksread
review:
starts slow, but rewards you for finishing it. Neat story with lots of twists and turns at the end.
]]> 888276
Every man and woman has dreamed of it.

Now it's within reach ... and they'll do anything to possess it. The screen goddess. The contessa. The wily priest. The American public relations man looking for a cause. And his lover who may die for it. They are all caught between life's wildest dream ... and death.]]> 338 Wallace Irving 0553133233 Josh 5 booksread ]]> 3.39 1979
author: Wallace Irving
name: Josh
average rating: 3.39
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at: 2002/06/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
Wow...great story about a doctor who invents a way for people to live to be 150 years old or more. The plot deals with dueling governments who want to secure the technology for themselves, and for the benefit of their countries only, while our hero wants to make the recipe public, so everyone has the benefit of it. The plot takes some great twists and turns, and it ends with a bang. Some great sex scenes in here too...renewed my interest in reading again. (haha)

]]> 888179 Steven K. Roberts 0938734180 Josh 5 booksread 4.00 1988
author: Steven K. Roberts
name: Josh
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 2003/10/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
Another nerdy story about some goofball who has a crazy idea about how to see the country, right? Wrong...the author does an amazing job of drawing the reader in, and holding their attention througout this magnificent adventure and keeps you entertained with stories of hilarious hostel stays, and more than his fair share of sexy encounters with college co-eds. The book is ultimately one of life's little journey's, and reminds us to enjoy it while it lasts.
]]> 486319
The son of Italian immigrants, Lee Iacocca rose spectacularly through the ranks of Ford Motor Company to become its president, only to be toppled eight years later in a power play that should have shattered him. But Lee Iacocca didn't get mad, he got even. He led a battle for Chrysler's survival that made his name a symbol of integrity, know-how, and guts for millions of Americans.

In his classic hard-hitting style, he tells us how he changed the automobile industry in the 1960s by creating the phenomenal Mustang. He goes behind the scenes for a look at Henry Ford's reign of intimidation and manipulation. He recounts the miraculous rebirth of Chrysler from near bankruptcy to repayment of its $1.2 billion government loan so early that Washington didn't know how to cash the check.

From the Trade Paperback edition.]]> 366 Lee Iacocca 0553251473 Josh 5 booksread 3.98 1984
author: Lee Iacocca
name: Josh
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1984
rating: 5
read at: 1996/12/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
If you want to be successful in life, read this book.
]]> 497932 346 R. Buckminster Fuller 0385011490 Josh 1 booksread 3.60 1963
author: R. Buckminster Fuller
name: Josh
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1963
rating: 1
read at: 2006/01/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
This is the only book I've ever read that I didn't like. Buckminster Fuller used to be an industrial design idol of mine, until reading this incomprehensible nightmare of a book. Honestly, what kind of writer would write a book, and use non-sensical, backwards analogies to describe theories about the progress of man. Written in the former half of the 20th century, this book was outdated and tired before it was finished. It's obvious the writer had no intention of keeping and holding the reader's attention from the start.
]]> 886172 152 Walter C. Dudley 0824811259 Josh 5 booksread 4.05 1988
author: Walter C. Dudley
name: Josh
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 2005/09/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
Great, great book about the power and destruction of Tsunamis.
]]> 296420


Comet begins with a breathtaking journey through space astride a comet. Pulitzer Prize-winning astronomer Carl Sagan, author of Cosmos and Contact, and writer Ann Druyan explore the origin, nature, and future of comets, and the exotic myths and portents attached to them. The authors show how comets have spurred some of the great discoveries in the history of science and raise intriguing questions about these brilliant visitors from the interstellar dark.



Were the fates of the dinosaurs and the origins of humans tied to the wanderings of a comet? Are comets the building blocks from which worlds are formed?



Lavishly illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned full-color paintings, Comet is an enthralling adventure, indispensable for anyone who has ever gazed up at the heavens and wondered why.



"SIMPLY THE BEST."

*The Times of London



"FASCINATING, EVOCATIVE, INSPIRING."

*The Washington Post



"COMET HUMANIZES SCIENCE. A BEAUTIFUL, INTERESTING BOOK."

*United Press International



"MASTERFUL . . . SCIENCE, POETRY, AND IMAGINATION."

*The Atlanta Journal & Constitution]]> 432 Carl Sagan 0345412222 Josh 5 booksread 4.07 1985
author: Carl Sagan
name: Josh
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 2005/04/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
Great book. Reads like a reference book at times, but still very interesting stuff. Realized while reading this book, that there's still a lot we don't know about comets.
]]> 840 257 Donald A. Norman 0465067107 Josh 5 booksread 4.14 1988
author: Donald A. Norman
name: Josh
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1988
rating: 5
read at: 1998/10/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
Best book Don Norman has produced to date.
]]> 91566 112 Alvin R. Tilley 0471099554 Josh 5 booksread 4.36 1993
author: Alvin R. Tilley
name: Josh
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1993
rating: 5
read at: 1995/09/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
Human Factors in Design. This is THE reference guide when you set out to build a new product
]]> 736641 349 John Delorean 0310379407 Josh 5 booksread 3.69 1985
author: John Delorean
name: Josh
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1985
rating: 5
read at: 1988/01/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
John DeLorean was a genius of our time. He not only knew how to bring about the existence of a car of his dreams, but he also knew how to succeed in dooming it, to make it more valuable. To fully understand this statement, I recommend reading all DeLorean books in and out of print.
]]> 483646
Meanwhile, during an audition for a gig on the Princess Di (a solar cruise ship), his tow employers inadvertently become involved in a terrorist plot against Mars, the planet of showbiz.

Can Carlton prevent Alex and Lewis from losing their gigs, overcome the love thing, and finally understand the meaning of comedy in the universe?]]> 309 Eric Idle 0330481800 Josh 5 booksread 3.56 1990
author: Eric Idle
name: Josh
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 2006/10/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
Great book! Bought it without it's cover jacket at Goodwill guessing it was a satirical look at the politics of Mars Exploration. Ended up loving it for an entirely different reason. This book does it's best to define comedy and what makes us laugh, while at the same time telling a pillow-hugging story about a futuristic space adventure.
]]> 836512 428 Deepak Chopra 0517882124 Josh 5 booksread 4.06
author: Deepak Chopra
name: Josh
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2003/07/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
Deepak Chopra offers us nothing new in this book. He simply reinforces practical ideals for living a long, healthy life, body and soul. Great book to read and discuss.
]]> 347852 The Road Less Traveled. In the era of I'm OK, You're OK, Peck was courageous enough to suggest that "life is difficult" and personal growth is a "complex, arduous and lifelong task." His willingness to expose his own life stories as well as to share the intimate stories of his anonymous therapy clients creates a compelling and heartfelt narrative.]]> 320 M. Scott Peck Josh 5 booksread 4.07 1978
author: M. Scott Peck
name: Josh
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1978
rating: 5
read at: 2002/06/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
Self-help books may be a fad, and a bit silly, but when you have nowhere else to turn, this kind of reading will reinforce everything that's good about your life.
]]> 2657 "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film.]]> 323 Harper Lee 0060935464 Josh 3 booksread How to kill Mockingbirds 4.25 1960
author: Harper Lee
name: Josh
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1960
rating: 3
read at: 1988/04/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
How to kill Mockingbirds
]]> 239100
Caught in an accelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Susan Fletcher battles to save the agency she believes in. Betrayed on all sides, she finds herself fighting not only for her country but for her life, and in the end, for the life of the man she loves.

From the underground hallways of power to the skyscrapers of Tokyo to the towering cathedrals of Spain, a desperate race unfolds. It is a battle for survival--a crucial bid to destroy a creation of inconceivable genius...an impregnable code-writing formula that threatens to obliterate the post-cold war balance of power. Forever.]]> 431 Dan Brown 0312995423 Josh 5 booksread 3.34 1998
author: Dan Brown
name: Josh
average rating: 3.34
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2006/10/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
Dan Brown is a great thriller writer. Don't pick up this book if you have things you need to get done.
]]> 402045 884 Marion Zimmer Bradley 0345350499 Josh 3 booksread
The first 500 pages or so are mind-numbingly dull, but if you persevere, you are rewarded with 300 of the best pages of fantasy writing that you will read anywhere.]]> 4.12 1982
author: Marion Zimmer Bradley
name: Josh
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1982
rating: 3
read at: 2007/01/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
That I'm a pagan. Yet another book in a series that glorifies the beliefs of Pagans and their culture, though not based on facts, (obviously) the book tells the tale of King Arthur from the women's (and witches) perspective. 800 some odd pages...the writer obviously loved the look of her own writing.

The first 500 pages or so are mind-numbingly dull, but if you persevere, you are rewarded with 300 of the best pages of fantasy writing that you will read anywhere.
]]> 884344 193 William Haddad 0394534107 Josh 4 booksread
Lots of typos and stuff in the book though. Thought that strange considering the writer is a trained journalist.]]> 3.33 1985
author: William Haddad
name: Josh
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2007/04/01
date added: 2007/05/14
shelves: booksread
review:
A not-so-flattering account of the DeLorean saga...but useful none-the-less in developing a better idea of how John did business and what working for DMC was like.

Lots of typos and stuff in the book though. Thought that strange considering the writer is a trained journalist.
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