Books

I'm not a traditional reviewer, in fact, I don't really consider these book reviews at all. I like books that serve their purpose. If it made me think or allowed me to escape for a few minutes or a few hours, the book will probably end up on these pages. If I can't remember its titled, by the time I done with it, then you'll probably never see it. "A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend."

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

The Ice Palace That Melted Away

Amazon Excerpt:   Read My Thoughts On: The Ice Palace That Melted Away

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

and tango makes three

Amazon Excerpt: In the zoo there are all kinds of animal families. But Tango's family is not like any of the others.   Read My Thoughts On: and tango makes three

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Y: The Last Man. Kimono Dragons

Amazon Excerpt: Y: The Last Man is a comic book series written by Brian K. Vaughan and published by Vertigo, about the sole surviving male human after the spontaneous, simultaneous death of every male mammal on Earth. The series has received considerable acclaim from a wide array of critics. The series' art is handled primarily by series co-creator Pia Guerra. Much has been made of the fact that Guerra is a woman, but Vaughan insists that her sex is incidental. He says that Guerra's work simply fit best with what he had in mind for the series.   Read My Thoughts On: Y: The Last Man. Kimono Dragons

Saturday, December 02, 2006

God Against the Gods

Amazon Excerpt: The story of the suppression of polytheistic religions in the ancient world by the ever more powerful monotheistic religions.   Read My Thoughts On: God Against the Gods

Friday, December 01, 2006

The Audacity of Hope

Amazon Excerpt: Barack Obama's first book, Dreams from My Father, was a compelling and moving memoir focusing on personal issues of race, identity, and community. With his second book The Audacity of Hope, Obama engages themes raised in his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, shares personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves repairing a "political process that is broken" and restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people. We had the opportunity to ask Senator Obama a few questions about writing, reading, and politics, see his responses below. --Daphne Durham   Read My Thoughts On: The Audacity of Hope

The God Delusion

Amazon Excerpt: The antireligion wars started by Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris will heat up even more with this salvo from celebrated Oxford biologist Dawkins. For a scientist who criticizes religion for its intolerance, Dawkins has written a surprisingly intolerant book, full of scorn for religion and those who believe. But Dawkins, who gave us the selfish gene, anticipates this criticism. He says it's the scientist and humanist in him that makes him hostile to religions—fundamentalist Christianity and Islam come in for the most opprobrium—that close people's minds to scientific truth, oppress women and abuse children psychologically with the notion of eternal damnation.   Read My Thoughts On: The God Delusion

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

The Social Life of Information

Amazon Excerpt: The gap between the hype of the Information Age and its reality is often wide and deep, and it's into this gap that John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid plunge. Not that these guys are Luddites--far from it. Brown, the chief scientist at Xerox and the director of its Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and Duguid, a historian and social theorist who also works with PARC, measure how information technology interacts and meshes with the social fabric. The authors cast their gaze on the many trends and ideas proffered by infoenthusiasts over the years, such as software agents, "still a long way from the predicted insertion into the woof and warp of ordinary life"; the electronic cottage that Alvin Toffler wrote about 20 years ago and has yet to be fully realized; and the rise of knowledge management and the challenges it faces trying to manage how people actually work and learn in the workplace. Their aim is not to pass judgment but to help remedy the tunnel vision that prevents technologists from seeing larger the social context that their ideas must ultimately inhabit. The Social Life of Information is a thoughtful and challenging read that belongs on the bookshelf of anyone trying to invent or make sense of the new world of information.   Read My Thoughts On: The Social Life of Information

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Designing Interfaces

Amazon Excerpt: Designing a good interface isn't easy. Users demand software that is well-behaved, good-looking, and easy to use. Your clients or managers demand originality and a short time to market. Your UI technology -- web applications, desktop software, even mobile devices -- may give you the tools you need, but little guidance on how to use them well. Designing Interfaces captures those best practices as design patterns -- solutions to common design problems, tailored to the situation at hand. Each pattern contains practical advice that you can put to use immediately, plus a variety of examples illustrated in full color. You'll get recommendations, design alternatives, and warnings on when not to use them.   Read My Thoughts On: Designing Interfaces

Friday, September 09, 2005

Two for One

Amazon Excerpt: Danielle Edwards leads a very fulfilling life. She has a fabulous and wealthy boyfriend, a dynamic career in international finance, and a mind-blowing sex life. But despite all this, something is still missing. Katie Shaw, a stunning Nebraska native, is single-handedly trying to solve the Big Apple's homelessness crisis. From the moment Danielle and Katie first meet to discuss a business venture between their employers, the mutual attraction between the two ladies is palpable. Yet under the circumstances they cannot do anything about it. For nearly six months, Danielle and Katie avoid seeing each other. Instead, they keep their contact limited to e-mail, though they do little to hide their feelings for one another in their correspondence.

Over time, Danielle begins to feel trapped. Despite how much she adores her boyfriend Max, Danielle is not sure she can give up the fairer sex forever. But one day Max surprises her with an interesting offer.

Suddenly, three New Yorkers find themselves in a modern day love triangle that sees Danielle able to indulge all her passions, and Max and Katie just trying to keep from going crazy.   Read My Thoughts On: Two for One

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Database Design for Mere Mortals

Amazon Excerpt: Relational databases are powerful tools for organizing data, but learning to use them effectively can be painful. Relational Database Design for Mere Mortals explains the concepts of relational-database design in an easy-to-digest fashion that covers both the theoretical underpinnings and their practical implications. Hernandez covers all the basics--table and field structure, keys, relationships, business rules, and more--but always keeps his feet on the ground with advice for real-world implementations and a particularly strong section on analyzing your current database infrastructure.   Read My Thoughts On: Database Design for Mere Mortals

Monday, July 25, 2005

Simply Salmon

Amazon Excerpt: Award-winning author, chef, and cooking teacher James Peterson, author of Essentials of Cooking, Splendid Soups, Fish and Shellfish, and Sauces, adds another subject to his impressive roster of cookbooks with the publication of Simply Salmon (Stewart, Tabori & Chang). Recently chosen as a Main Selection of the Good Cook Book Club, Simply Salmon offers a comprehensive guide to one of today's most popular and versatile dishes. As the author points out in the Introduction, salmon is perhaps the one fish that many people will cook at home.   Read My Thoughts On: Simply Salmon

Friday, July 01, 2005

None So Blind

Amazon Excerpt: Torrey Gray hasn't seen the woman she fell in love with in college for 15 years. Taylor Kent, now a celebrated artist, has spent the years trying to forget, albeit unsuccessfully, the young woman who walked out of Taylor’s life. Best friends forever, neither woman ever had the courage to speak of the passion they felt for one another. Now, an unusual but desperate request will throw the old friends together again. This time, will they be able to voice their unspoken desires, or has time become their enemy?   Read My Thoughts On: None So Blind

Friday, June 24, 2005

Blink

Amazon Excerpt: Blink is about the first two seconds of looking--the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavior.   Read My Thoughts On: Blink

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