With my new job came a 5-day-a-week train commute. I love it. As a result, the number of books I’ve read this past month has spiked dramatically. After reading a brief synopsis of the plot, I picked up Cormac McCarthy’s The Road over lunch. By the next evening, I’d finished it. The plot, to frame […]
Category Archives: Books
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
It’s done. And it’s great. Spoilers warning: while I do not give any true spoilers or plot specifics, I describe the book in a general way. And for some, even that’s too much.
Shamed But Seeking Redemption
I’ve been shamed by Greg Storey. Oh, I don’t know Greg personally. And he doesn’t know me. But last month, I was reading a post of his and was confronted by my own delinquency. I had known what I should do, and I had even known when. Heck, I had even tried to do it, […]
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War
Wow. Where do I start? Max Brooks’ World War Z is freakin’ great. I enjoyed literally every page of this book. As I read, I dreaded reaching the end, not in fear of a particular outcome, but because it meant no more delicious zombie war goodness. What sets WWZ apart from most books I’ve read […]
Borders Is Totally Lying, Night Watch Is Here!
Contrary to what Borders is saying via Amazon and on their in-store inventory system (surprisingly), the English translation of the Russian novel Night Watch (the first in the trilogy of novels that sparked the films) shipped ahead of the July 27th release date and is on their shelves. Both my sister in law and I […]
His Dark Materials, Book 1: The Golden Compass
I just finished Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, as recommended by Rebecca and Alisa, and I loved it. It’s a solid fantasy story that provides the character depth and internal workings of Ender’s Game, with a distinct and engaging world full of creatures, political intrigue, magic, […]
Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon
I finally finished Cryptonomicon a few weeks ago and I really, really enjoyed it. However, it’s probably not for everyone, even though it’s one of Those Books You Have to Read for certain groups. Stephenson, in this novel at least, has a very particular style, which contributes to the book’s brick-like proportions (as I wrote […]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Done. Man, that was fun. Better than The Order of the Phoenix but just as lengthy. It’s darker, but it fits perfectly with the overall development of the plot and characters. And thank god Harry got over being an idiot, for the most part. I wanted to smack the little jerk in the last book. […]
Cryptonomicon. And on. And on.
I’ve just started reading Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon, which I picked up during my trip to Mexico after exhausting my other reading options with 6 hours of travel time still ahead of me. My selection was limited and my list of Books I Want to Read was not yielding anything useful. Cryptonomicon, on the other hand, […]
The “Typographers’ Bible”
Anyone interested in becoming a graphic designer and dealing with typography should buy a copy of Robert Bringhurst’s Elements of Typographic Style when they become a student. They should read it once through after or in the midst of a basic typography course, and leave it by their desk for easy reference. Then, after a […]