“I like restraint, if it doesn’t go too far.” — Mae West

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 Rating: 4
(read in May 2009)

#122


Eternals

by Neil Gaiman Rating: 3
(read in May 2009)


So-so.

#121


Preacher Vol. 1: Gone to Texas

by Garth Ennis Rating: 2
(read in May 2009)


Disappointing.

#120


The Caryatids

by Bruce Sterling Rating: 3
(read in May 2009)

#119


Rainbows End

by Vernor Vinge Rating: 4
(read in Mar 2009)

#118


The Umbrella Academy Volume 1 (v. 1)

by Gerard Way Rating: 4
(read in Mar 2009)

#117


River of Blue Fire (Otherland, Volume 2)

by Tad Williams Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 3
(read in Feb 2009)

#115


The Yiddish Policemen’s Union

by Michael Chabon Rating: 4
(read in Feb 2009)

#114


Doktor Sleepless Volume 1: Engines of Desire HC

by Warren Ellis Rating: 3
(read in Feb 2009)

#113


The Pro 1

by Garth Ennis Rating: 4
(read in Feb 2009)

#112


The Boys Vol. 3: Good for the Soul

by Garth Ennis Rating: 5
(read in Jan 2009)

#111


Y: The Last Man Vol. 3: One Small Step

by Jose Marzan Rating: 3
(read in Jan 2009)

#110


Black Summer

by Juan Jose Ryp Rating: 5
(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 Rating: 3
(read in Jan 2009)

#108


Black Summer

by Warren Ellis Rating: 4
(read in Jan 2009)

#107


Y: The Last Man Vol. 2: Cycles

by Jose Marzan Rating: 3
(read in Jan 2009)

#106


The Boys Vol. 2: Get Some

by Garth Ennis Rating: 4
(read in Jan 2009)

#105


Unmanned (Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1)

by Brian K. Vaughan Rating: 3
(read in Jan 2009)

#104


The Boys Vol. 1: The Name of the Game

by Garth Ennis Rating: 5
(read in Jan 2009)


Brilliant. Full of dark humor.

#103


Otherland : City of Golden Shadow

by Tad Williams Rating: 3
(read in Jan 2009)


Some interesting ideas, good entertainment.

#102


Skinny Bitch

by Rory Freedman Rating: 3
(read in Jan 2009)


On healthy eating. Go vegan.

#101


Asterix and the Golden Sickle

by Rene Goscinny Rating: 3
(read in Dec 2008)

#100


The Goon Volume 1: Nothin’ But Misery

by Eric Powell Rating: 4
(read in Dec 2008)

#99


The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 2

by Kevin O’Neill Rating: 5
(read in Dec 2008)

#98


Halting State

by Rating: 3
(read in Dec 2008)

#97


Shaping Things

by Bruce Sterling Rating: 4
(read in Nov 2008)

#96


Orion

by Shirow Masamune Rating: 3
(read in Nov 2008)


Funny, entertaining and bit crazy.

#95


Miss Wyoming

by Douglas Coupland Rating: 4
(read in Nov 2008)

#94


Tank Girl

by Alan Martin Rating: 2
(read in Nov 2008)


The artwork didn’t seem to compensate for the lack of content.

#92


A Fire Upon The Deep (Zones of Thought)

by Vernor Vinge Rating: 4
(read in Nov 2008)

#91


Bone Volume 4: The Dragonslayer

by Jeff Smith Rating: 5
(read in Nov 2008)

#90


Transmetropolitan Vol. 3: Year of the Bastard

by Darick Robertson Rating: 5
(read in Nov 2008)

#89


Bone Volume 3: Eyes of the Storm

by Jeff Smith Rating: 5
(read in Nov 2008)

#88


Bone Volume 2: The Great Cow Race

by Jeff Smith Rating: 5
(read in Nov 2008)

#87


Vassalord Volume 1

by Nanae Chrono Rating: 3
(read in Nov 2008)

#86


The Undercover Economist

by Tim Harford Rating: 4
(read in Nov 2008)

#85


Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 6

by Hiroki Endo Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#84


Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 7

by Hiroki Endo Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#83


Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 5

by Hiroki Endo Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#82


Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 4

by Hiroki Endo Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#81


Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 3

by Hiroki Endo Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#80


Eden: It’s An Endless World! Volume 2

by Hiroki Endo Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#78


Eden: It’s An Endless World! vol. 1

by Hiroki Endo Rating: 5
(read in Sep 2008)

#77


El Diablo

by Brian Azzarello Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 5
(read in Sep 2008)


Well-told story, funny and nice artwork.

#75


The Adventures of Tintin:

by Herge Rating: 5
(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 Rating: 5
(read in Sep 2008)

#73


DMZ Vol. 1: On the Ground

by Brian Wood Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#72


Warren Ellis Crecy

by Raulo Caceres Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#70


Cory Doctorow’s Futuristic Tales Of The Here And Now

by Paul Pope Rating: 3
(read in Sep 2008)

#69


Hard Boiled

by Geof Darrow Rating: 5
(read in Sep 2008)

#68


Vertigo: First Taste (DC Comics Vertigo)

by Si Spencer Rating: 3
(read in Sep 2008)

#66


The Goon: Rough Stuff

by Eric Powell Rating: 5
(read in Sep 2008)

#65


The Best of the Spirit

by Will Eisner Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#64


The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need

by Daniel H. Pink Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#62


Transmetropolitan Vol. 0: Tales of Human Waste

by Warren Ellis Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 3
(read in Sep 2008)


Comprehensive overview of the topic.

#60


Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art

by Scott Mccloud Rating: 4
(read in Sep 2008)

#59


Batman: The Killing Joke

by Brian Bolland Rating: 5
(read in Sep 2008)

#58


The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1

by Alan Moore Rating: 5
(read in Sep 2008)

#57


Signal to Noise

by Neil Gaiman Rating: 2
(read in Aug 2008)


Nice artwork, but the story didn’t speak to me.

#56


Mona Lisa Overdrive

by William Gibson Rating: 5
(read in Aug 2008)

#55


Burning Chrome

by William Gibson Rating: 5
(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 Rating: 5
(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 Rating: 2
(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 Rating: 4
(read in Jun 2008)


Utterly funny.

#51


Brasyl

by Ian Mcdonald Rating: 4
(read in Jun 2008)

#50


On the Road

by Jack Kerouac Rating: 3
(read in Jun 2008)

#49


Consider Phlebas

by Iain M. Banks Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 5
(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 Rating: 5
(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 Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 4
(read in Apr 2008)


Interesting discussion of how religious faith is harmful. Well-researched.

#44


Hellboy: Wake the Devil

by Mike Mignola Rating: 4
(read in Apr 2008)


Beautiful, so beautiful.

#43


Snow Crash

by Neal Stephenson Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 4
(read in Feb 2008)


A very funny and unpretentious little book on good English grammar.

#37


Crooked Little Vein: A Novel

by Warren Ellis Rating: 5
(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 Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 5
(read in Feb 2008)


Typical Godin writing. Insightful, inspiring. With nice illustrations by Hugh McLeod.

#34


Schismatrix Plus

by Bruce Sterling Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 5
(read in Jan 2008)


Very Lovecraftian story, and beautiful artwork. Had to order the next volume…

#28


Watchmen

by Dave Gibbons Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 5
(read in Dec 2007)


Excellent characters, artwork, writing. Another instant favourite from the Ellis factory.

#25


Blood Music (Gollancz S.F.)

by Greg Bear Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 5
(read in Nov 2007)


Great writing + brilliant artwork = instant favourite!

#21


Ghost in the Shell

by Masamune Shirow Rating: 4
(read in Nov 2007)


A classic; what else is there to say?

#20


Idoru

by William Gibson Rating: 5
(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 Rating: 2
(read in Oct 2007)


Poor arguments, poor editing (yes, lots of typos…), not much to learn.

#18


One Good Turn

by Kate Atkinson Rating: 5
(read in Oct 2007)


Excellently constructed characters, entertaining plot, and lots of funny moments.

#17


The Atrocity Archives

by Charles Stross Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 3
(read in Sep 2007)


Pretty nice sci fi. And nice book cover, too.

#15


On Intelligence

by Jeff Hawkins (with Sandra Blakeslee) Rating: 4
(read in Aug 2007)


Full review here.

#14


Spook Country

by William Gibson Rating: 5
(read in Aug 2007)


Gibson doesn’t disappoint; the man can write.

#13


El Corazon Helado

by Almudena Grandes Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 5
(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 Rating: 4
(read in Jul 2007)

#9


A Long Way Down

by Nick Hornby Rating: 2
(read in Jun 2007)


Some funny bits, but irregular overall.

#8


I Am Charlotte Simmons

by Tom Wolfe Rating: 3
(read in May 2007)


Wolfe has written better books…

#7


Composition (Basics Photography)

by David Prakel Rating: 4
(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 Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 3
(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 Rating: 4
(read in Apr 2007)


Thought-provoking.

#2


Ender’s Game

by Orson Scott Card Rating: 5
(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 Rating: 3
(read in Apr 2007)


Entertaining fantasy at its best. Though nothing that I will remember in a year from now, probably.