A good companion to Higginbotham's "Midnight in Chernobyl", focussed far more on the aftermath of the nuclear catastrophe than its origins. A great read, and excellently referenced too, I really enjoyed looking through some of the papers it points to.
Some interesting ideas around production logistics, wrapped in an absolutely cringe-worthy redemption story of an 80s executive.
A fantastic and well-written geekfest, this book is a delightful aerospace nerd-out. I've talked to several folks to whom the story and its characters mean the world, and I think I understand why. I came away unsure whether I really understood the protagonist, but maybe I don't have to, and certainly it doesn't take away from the book. Hope to read more from this author soon!
A suspenseful and gripping read, with a few neat notions about economics, but ultimately empty — apparently the author (or possibly his editors) didn't want to get into more detail about the theories he scratches the surface of. The academic papers referenced are utterly fascinating, and I'm glad to have been introduced to them, but it's a shame that the book doesn't develop the ideas further.
This is a great book! I always love @rixx' recommendations, and this was once again spot-on: Some suspense, a neat plot, and (above all) beautiful writing and two awesome characters. Would lose a time war with these two, highly recommended!
I'm glad this one is over, it really became a drag on the last 400 pages or so. I'd had Anathem on my list for a long time, picked it up after reading @rixx' recommendation, and because I had enjoyed Cryptonomicon very much, but this one wasn't for me. For all of the endless time the book spends on world-building, it isn't interesting enough, for the time it spends discussing quantum physics, I didn't find it clear or insightful enough (I don't know who quipped 'quantum mechanics are weird, and so is the brain, therefore they are equal', but it seems apt), and I didn't find the characters compelling. Plots feel wrought and weird, gadgets that are super-important for a couple of chapters suddently drop from the narrative, and (above all) the narrator is an angsty late teenager who cannot help but judge every female character he encounters by his degree of attraction to her. Maybe I ended up skimming too much (I switched to the audio edition toward the end), didn't pay sufficient attention, or just didn't pick up on whatever the notions the author was trying to get across — I can't help but come away from the book feeling that the time wasn't well spent.
This is an awesome book! Fun and endearingly honest, gut-wrenching and heartbreaking in equal measures, Trevor Noah shares stories from his childhood and adolescence in South Africa.
This was a nice read, but I'm not sure I'm a fan of Banks' writing. The worlds are great, but the story so-so -- my impression was that there was a lot of 'telling' going on, and, over time, got frustrated by things just happening somehow. Maybe I need to read more culture novels?
A gripping read! With many personal stories, and a very accessible explanation of the systems involved, this is an unputdownable book. Highly recommended for everyone in the mood for catastrophe.
Hello NSA, I liked this book! Seriously, this is a great memoir about preserving civil liberty, very well written and reasoned. Highly recommended!