Booklog
Below is a log of books I read, reverse chronologically ordered and accompanied by ratings and brief comments. It is just a simple record for myself, so the comments might not be all that useful to you.
If you are interesting in looking at more book-related stuff on this site, have a look at my book-related posts.
#123
The Speed of Dark
by Elizabeth Moon 
(read in May 2009)
#122
Eternals
by Neil Gaiman 
(read in May 2009)
So-so.
#121
Preacher Vol. 1: Gone to Texas
by Garth Ennis 
(read in May 2009)
Disappointing.
#120
The Caryatids
by Bruce Sterling
(read in May 2009)
#119
Rainbows End
by Vernor Vinge
(read in Mar 2009)
#118
The Umbrella Academy Volume 1 (v. 1)
by Gerard Way
(read in Mar 2009)
#117
River of Blue Fire (Otherland, Volume 2)
by Tad Williams
(read in Mar 2009)
Entertaining enough, but starting to get tedious at times.
#116
Ex Machina, Vol. 1: The First Hundred Days
by Brian K. Vaughan
(read in Feb 2009)
#115
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
by Michael Chabon
(read in Feb 2009)
#114
Doktor Sleepless Volume 1: Engines of Desire HC
by Warren Ellis
(read in Feb 2009)
#113
The Pro 1
by Garth Ennis
(read in Feb 2009)
#112
The Boys Vol. 3: Good for the Soul
by Garth Ennis 
(read in Jan 2009)
#111
Y: The Last Man Vol. 3: One Small Step
by Jose Marzan
(read in Jan 2009)
#110
Black Summer
by Juan Jose Ryp
(read in Jan 2009)
More musings on who watches the watchmen, and were is the line between justice and vigilantism.
#109
Tintin in America
by Herge
(read in Jan 2009)
#108
Black Summer
by Warren Ellis
(read in Jan 2009)
#107
Y: The Last Man Vol. 2: Cycles
by Jose Marzan
(read in Jan 2009)
#106
The Boys Vol. 2: Get Some
by Garth Ennis
(read in Jan 2009)
#105
Unmanned (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1)
by Brian K. Vaughan
(read in Jan 2009)
#104
The Boys Vol. 1: The Name of the Game
by Garth Ennis
(read in Jan 2009)
Brilliant. Full of dark humor.
#103
Otherland : City of Golden Shadow
by Tad Williams
(read in Jan 2009)
Some interesting ideas, good entertainment.
#102
Skinny Bitch
by Rory Freedman
(read in Jan 2009)
On healthy eating. Go vegan.
#101
Asterix and the Golden Sickle
by Rene Goscinny
(read in Dec 2008)
#100
The Goon Volume 1: Nothin’ But Misery
by Eric Powell
(read in Dec 2008)
#99
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2
by Kevin O’Neill
(read in Dec 2008)
#98
Halting State
by
(read in Dec 2008)
#97
Shaping Things
by Bruce Sterling
(read in Nov 2008)
#96
Orion
by Shirow Masamune
(read in Nov 2008)
Funny, entertaining and bit crazy.
#95
Miss Wyoming
by Douglas Coupland
(read in Nov 2008)
#94
Tank Girl
by Alan Martin
(read in Nov 2008)
The artwork didn’t seem to compensate for the lack of content.
#93
The Necessary Art of Persuasion (Harvard Business Review Classics) (Harvard Business Review Classics)
by Jay A. Conger
(read in Nov 2008)
#92
A Fire Upon The Deep (Zones of Thought)
by Vernor Vinge
(read in Nov 2008)
#91
Bone Volume 4: The Dragonslayer
by Jeff Smith
(read in Nov 2008)
#90
Transmetropolitan Vol. 3: Year of the Bastard
by Darick Robertson
(read in Nov 2008)
#89
Bone Volume 3: Eyes of the Storm
by Jeff Smith
(read in Nov 2008)
#88
Bone Volume 2: The Great Cow Race
by Jeff Smith
(read in Nov 2008)
#87
Vassalord Volume 1
by Nanae Chrono
(read in Nov 2008)
#86
The Undercover Economist
by Tim Harford
(read in Nov 2008)
#85
Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 6
by Hiroki Endo
(read in Sep 2008)
#84
Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 7
by Hiroki Endo
(read in Sep 2008)
#83
Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 5
by Hiroki Endo
(read in Sep 2008)
#82
Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 4
by Hiroki Endo
(read in Sep 2008)
#81
Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 3
by Hiroki Endo
(read in Sep 2008)
#80
Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 2
by Hiroki Endo
(read in Sep 2008)
#79
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 1
by
(read in Sep 2008)
#78
Eden: It’s An Endless World! vol. 1
by Hiroki Endo
(read in Sep 2008)
#77
El Diablo
by Brian Azzarello
(read in Sep 2008)
Not a very original story, and the artwork is not my style. Entertaining overall.
#76
Bone Volume 1: Out From Boneville
by Jeff Smith
(read in Sep 2008)
Well-told story, funny and nice artwork.
#75
The Adventures of Tintin:
by Herge
(read in Sep 2008)
So elegant, and so funny! (And, by modern standards, very politically incorrect…)
#74
Doctor 13: Architecture and Mortality
by Brian Azzarello
(read in Sep 2008)
#73
DMZ Vol. 1: On the Ground
by Brian Wood
(read in Sep 2008)
#72
Warren Ellis Crecy
by Raulo Caceres
(read in Sep 2008)
#71
Disney Presents Carl Barks’ Greatest Ducktales Stories Volume 1
by Carl Barks
(read in Sep 2008)
#70
Cory Doctorow’s Futuristic Tales Of The Here And Now
by Paul Pope
(read in Sep 2008)
#69
Hard Boiled
by Geof Darrow
(read in Sep 2008)
#68
Vertigo: First Taste (DC Comics Vertigo)
by Si Spencer
(read in Sep 2008)
#67
The Looking Glass War (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Annual No. 1)
by Mike W. Barr
(read in Sep 2008)
#66
The Goon: Rough Stuff
by Eric Powell
(read in Sep 2008)
#65
The Best of the Spirit
by Will Eisner
(read in Sep 2008)
#64
The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
by Daniel H. Pink
(read in Sep 2008)
Very readable, with 6 simple (but important) points to get across.
#63
Hellboy, Vol. 3: The Chained Coffin and Others
by Mike Mignola
(read in Sep 2008)
#62
Transmetropolitan Vol. 0: Tales of Human Waste
by Warren Ellis
(read in Sep 2008)
#61
Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies — and What It Means to Be Human
by Joel Garreau
(read in Sep 2008)
Comprehensive overview of the topic.
#60
Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
by Scott Mccloud
(read in Sep 2008)
#59
Batman: The Killing Joke
by Brian Bolland
(read in Sep 2008)
#58
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1
by Alan Moore
(read in Sep 2008)
#57
Signal to Noise
by Neil Gaiman
(read in Aug 2008)
Nice artwork, but the story didn’t speak to me.
#56
Mona Lisa Overdrive
by William Gibson
(read in Aug 2008)
#55
Burning Chrome
by William Gibson
(read in Aug 2008)
Some of the stories in here are the best Gibson I’ve read.
#54
Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey
by Chuck Palahniuk
(read in Jul 2008)
My first Palahniuk. A good story, some black humor and a lot of food for thought.
#53
The Difference Engine (Spectra Special Editions)
by William Gibson
(read in Jul 2008)
Somewhat disappointing. Not yet sure what was the story the authors were trying to tell.
#52
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
by Terry Pratchett
(read in Jun 2008)
Utterly funny.
#51
Brasyl
by Ian Mcdonald
(read in Jun 2008)
#50
On the Road
by Jack Kerouac
(read in Jun 2008)
#49
Consider Phlebas
by Iain M. Banks
(read in May 2008)
Good, entertaining enough, but not impressive. Gets better towards the end of the book, and the ending is a tad better than one would have expected.
#48
Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations
by Clay Shirky
(read in May 2008)
A well-written, well-researched, well-thought-through look at the dynamics of unorganizations, the motivations of people in them, repercussions on old-skool organizations, etc. Highly recommended.
#47
Twenty-two Tips on Typography
by Enric Jardi
(read in Apr 2008)
Typography is always nice to learn about. It is also beautiful.
#46
Everything is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder
by David Weinberger
(read in Apr 2008)
A good look at how going digital calls for a whole new way of filtering and selecting information, and the changes that this brings.
#45
The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
by Sam Harris
(read in Apr 2008)
Interesting discussion of how religious faith is harmful. Well-researched.
#44
Hellboy: Wake the Devil
by Mike Mignola
(read in Apr 2008)
Beautiful, so beautiful.
#43
Snow Crash
by Neal Stephenson
(read in Mar 2008)
Pretty entertaining, and funny in places. But the writing isn’t outstanding, and contains no dazzlingly provoking ideas. Somehow disappointing, but maybe that’s my fault for expecting this book to be outstanding.
#42
El Sendero De La Mano Izquierda (Practicos)
by Fernando Sanchez Drago
(read in Mar 2008)
Some wise words, some outrageously stupid statements. Fine food for thought. Giving it three stars instead of 4 because of some overly-bilious passages.
#41
El Aleph
by Jorge Luis Borges
(read in Mar 2008)
A classic, but it failed to engage me. Very highly intellectualized style and a couple of interesting ideas.
#40
Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself
by Daniel H. Pink
(read in Feb 2008)
Good overview of the subject, and useful pointers to more resources. Not mind-blowing, but good enough.
#39
Akira: v. 2 (Akira (Dark Horse))
by Katsuhiro Otomo
(read in Feb 2008)
Second volume of the classic manga series. Highly entertaining, but not too memorable.
#38
Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: A Guide to Language for Fun and Spite
by June Casagrande
(read in Feb 2008)
A very funny and unpretentious little book on good English grammar.
#37
Crooked Little Vein: A Novel
by Warren Ellis
(read in Feb 2008)
A surreal story, written in Ellis’ trademark black-bizarre humor. A must read if you enjoy non-ordinary humor and aren’t easily shocked.
#36
Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human-error Processor
by Shirow Masamune
(read in Feb 2008)
Collection of shorter stories that fall chronologically between Ghost in the Shell 1 and 2. Nice artwork, nice futuristic ideas. Great fun.
#35
The Dip: The Extraordinary Benefits of Knowing When to Quit (and When to Stick)
by Seth Godin
(read in Feb 2008)
Typical Godin writing. Insightful, inspiring. With nice illustrations by Hugh McLeod.
#34
Schismatrix Plus
by Bruce Sterling
(read in Feb 2008)
The short stories are as good as the Schismatrix novel. Specially liked the Twenty Evocations.
#33
Ghost in the Shell: Man-Machine Interface v. 2 (Ghost in the Shell 2)
by Masamune Shirow
(read in Jan 2008)
Mmm, the artwork. Me likes the artwork.
#32
Strengthsfinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now Discover Your Strengths
by Tom Rath
(read in Jan 2008)
Useful. Not much more to say. The update version of the Gallup poll and some context around it.
#31
10 Days to Faster Reading
by Abby Marks-Beale
(read in Jan 2008)
Useful advice, though nothing groundbreaking. The only truly novel bit for me: the eye-movement exercises. And you really can read this in 10 days or less.
#30
Akira: Bk. 1
by Katsuhiro Otomo
(read in Jan 2008)
The first book of the classic series. Interesting story, and very cinematographic black-and-white typically-manga type of artwork.
#29
Hellboy: Seed of Destruction
by John Byrne
(read in Jan 2008)
Very Lovecraftian story, and beautiful artwork. Had to order the next volume…
#28
Watchmen
by Dave Gibbons
(read in Jan 2008)
Very interesting use of different levels of narrative, although I found the story itself a bit too surreal. The style of the artwork is not my favourite, but I understand that it suits the story better.
#27
Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky’s Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent
by Joel Spolsky
(read in Dec 2007)
Good summary of Spolsky’s thoughts on the subject of recruiting, hiring and building programmer-friendly work environments. Useful advice no just for employers, but also for those looking to land that dream job.
#26
Desolation Jones
by J.H. Williams
(read in Dec 2007)
Excellent characters, artwork, writing. Another instant favourite from the Ellis factory.
#25
Blood Music (Gollancz S.F.)
by Greg Bear
(read in Dec 2007)
The only reason I don’t give this one top points is because Greg Bear doesn’t write as nicely as William Gibson. But that might be harsh of me.
#24
The Long Tail: How Endless Choice Is Creating Unlimited Demand
by Chris Anderson
(read in Dec 2007)
A simple idea, nicely described and with lots of supporting evidence, history and anecdotes. And a trendy idea, too.
#23
Flaubert’s Parrot (Picador Books)
by Julian Barnes
(read in Dec 2007)
Nicely written. But the so-called story is probably only truly interesting for Flaubertian initiates.
#22
Fell: Feral City v. 1 (Fell): Feral City v. 1 (Fell)
by Warren Ellis
(read in Nov 2007)
Great writing + brilliant artwork = instant favourite!
#21
Ghost in the Shell
by Masamune Shirow
(read in Nov 2007)
A classic; what else is there to say?
#20
Idoru
by William Gibson
(read in Nov 2007)
Excellent. I think The Bridge Trilogy is my favourite Gibson.
#19
The Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation and Making Stuff
by R Gold
(read in Oct 2007)
Poor arguments, poor editing (yes, lots of typos…), not much to learn.
#18
One Good Turn
by Kate Atkinson
(read in Oct 2007)
Excellently constructed characters, entertaining plot, and lots of funny moments.
#17
The Atrocity Archives
by Charles Stross
(read in Oct 2007)
Funny and entertaining. Some good descriptions of the life of geeks. A quote.
#16
Revelation Space (Gollancz S.F.)
by Alastair Reynolds
(read in Sep 2007)
Pretty nice sci fi. And nice book cover, too.
#15
On Intelligence
by Jeff Hawkins (with Sandra Blakeslee)
(read in Aug 2007)
Full review here.
#14
Spook Country
by William Gibson
(read in Aug 2007)
Gibson doesn’t disappoint; the man can write.
#13
El Corazon Helado
by Almudena Grandes
(read in Aug 2007)
Nice novel exploring the intertwining histories of two Spanish families from the civil war to our days.
#12
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
by Malcolm Gladwell
(read in Aug 2007)
I suppose everything has already been said about this book. Stimulating, thought provoking, etc.
#11
Hackers and Painters: Essays on the Art of Programming
by Paul Graham
(read in Jul 2007)
One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Recommended, and not only for hackers or painters.
#10
Gateway
by Frederik Pohl
(read in Jul 2007)
#9
A Long Way Down
by Nick Hornby
(read in Jun 2007)
Some funny bits, but irregular overall.
#8
I Am Charlotte Simmons
by Tom Wolfe
(read in May 2007)
Wolfe has written better books…
#7
Composition (Basics Photography)
by David Prakel
(read in May 2007)
Nice introduction to the basics of composition. With gorgeous photos, too.
#6
Does IT Matter?: Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage
by Nicholas G. Carr
(read in May 2007)
A longer version of the famous article, “IT doesn’t matter”.
#5
Flow: The Classic Work on How to Achieve Happiness
by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
(read in Apr 2007)
Interesting, but not very content-dense. And not as much scientific evidence as I expected.
#4
This Book Will Save Your Life
by A. M. Homes
(read in Apr 2007)
Entertaining and mildly inspiring. Not very memorable, though.
#3
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
by Stephen J. Dubner
(read in Apr 2007)
Thought-provoking.
#2
Ender’s Game
by Orson Scott Card
(read in Apr 2007)
Good, classic sci-fi, where the “sci-fi” is just an excuse to explore the eternal philosophical questions about what being human, right and wrong, etc.
#1
Neverwhere
by Neil Gaiman
(read in Apr 2007)
Entertaining fantasy at its best. Though nothing that I will remember in a year from now, probably.
