Jan
01
2007
52 Books in 52 Weeks, 2007
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Lord Conrad’s Lady by Leo Frankowski- Publisher: Del Rey
- Year: 1990
- Pages: 296
- In Brief: The fifth book in the Conrad Stargard series sees an unexpected continuation of the war against the Mongols, and then a lot more politics, invention, and an extraordinary manifestation of Frankowski’s ambivalence toward the opposite sex
- №41
When You Ride Alone, You Ride With Bin Laden by Bill Maher- Publisher: Phoenix Books
- Year: 2003
- Pages: 132
- In Brief: Maher’s too-short and too-glib book about the government and the ‘War on Terror’ was downright prescient when it came out in 2003, but now it seems dated and even more glib. Still full of interesting points, however, so it’s worth reading for some brain fodder if nothing else.
- №42
Conrad’s Quest for Rubber by Leo Frankowski- Publisher: Del Rey
- Year: 1998
- Pages: 304
- In Brief: The six book in the Conrad Stargard series is a disappointing change: there’s very little Conrad at all, but instead tells the story of a new character as he joins Conrad’s new Explorer’s Corp. and sails to South America. It seems to be a death knell for the series.
- №43
Lord Conrad’s Crusade by Leo Frankowski- Publisher: Great Authors Online
- Year: 2005
- Pages: 230
- In Brief: The seventh and so-far final book in the Conrad Stargard series is a throwback to the “good old days” of the series, when Conrad did a lot of building, a lot of killing, and a lot of screwing. Good, I suppose, but marred by the essential repetition of the action and Frankowski’s dire need for an editor.
- №44
Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman- Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
- Year: 1997
- Pages: 350
- In Brief: Feynman’s autobiography is fine reading if you’re looking for cute anecdotes, but if you expected the biography of one of the century’s most famous physicists to be filled with interesting details about physics, you’re going to be disappointed.
- №45
Show Stopper! by G. Pascal Zachary- Publisher: Free Press
- Year: 1994
- Pages: 312
- In Brief: The story of the development of Windows NT, focused especially around its eccentric and usually irate leader, Dave Cutler. A curious read more than a decade after its publication, but full of interesting stories and useful lessons nonetheless.
- №46
Chuck Klosterman IV by Chuck Klosterman- Publisher: Scribner
- Year: 2006
- Pages: 384
- In Brief: Pop culture columnist Klosterman’s latest offering is a mixed bag, in part due to the varied nature of the pieces, which span ten years and more topics, but also in part to Klosterman’s own inconsistency as a cultural critic.
- №47
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman- Publisher: Pantheon
- Year: 2007
- Pages: 288
- In Brief: Yet another attempt at a textual satire of the comic book which is more successful than I thought it would be; it questions existing archetypes instead of simply lampooning them.
- №48
Microserfs by Douglas Coupland- Publisher: Pantheon
- Year: 1996
- Pages: 384
- In Brief: This canonical piece of geek fiction reads like it was written by a softer, artsier prototype of Chuck Palahniuk. It also has a loose narrative focus and is an ultimately unsatisfying novel
- №49
The Braindead Megaphone by George Saunders- Publisher: Riverhead
- Year: 2007
- Pages: 272
- In Brief: Saunders, ostensibly a wonderful writer of fiction/satire, takes a stab at a serious book of essays, most of which are either too vague to be interesting, or too hamfisted to be witty.
- №50
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6
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I see you’ve got World War Z planned. Awesome book. I bought it a few weeks ago and just got around to finishing it. If you’ve never read his Zombie Survival Guide I’d recommend that too. :D
If I like World War Z, I’ll definitely think about it.
Just thought I’d let you know that I”m going to try and do this this year as well. Hopefully it’ll help me break my bad habit of attempting to read 15 books at once.
What is the best way to do this and still keep up with your business/career based reading (and love of magazines!)
Or do you count books that are part of your career based learning (including textbooks, which we all know are difficult to devour in 1 week!)
I’ve never really had a problem, as my particular field doesn’t require too much book reading. For the occasional English course which requires me to read novels, I do count those, yes—I’ve never seen the point in the rule which says that only voluntary books can be counted.
There’s no easy answer as to how you can best balance your workload and/or family life with a reading meme like this. It really just depends on your situation. My suggestion to you, however, would be to set a goal that’s realistic: it isn’t necessary to read 52 books a year if you’re really too busy to do so, and you read other material as well. Start with a number that’s more than you currently read—perhaps a book every two weeks—and spend the year doing that. If it’s a success, you can increase it next year, if you feel like it.
Remember, too, that this meme isn’t simply about reading the books. It’s also about reviewing them, meaning part of the goal is to do a bit of writing as well, putting your thoughts about the book down in permanent form. It’s a double-whammy.
[...] books in 52 weeks is a reading meme that’s pretty self-explanatory. Both Ben and Rob are participating and I feel like getting some motivation to read more regularly. I always [...]
Six on the brain #8…
I’m facing deadlines these days. I’ve got a lot of ‚em at my day job right now. My freelance and business projects are heating up, too.
Don’t get me wrong because I’m not complaining. I’d rather be busy like this t…
52 in 52, 2007…
Here’s the list of books I’m reading this year. These aren’t full reviews—I still won’t do this out of fairness. These are just a few quick impressions I had while reading. Take them for what they’re worth.
2. GOLDIL…
Dave - I’m in! This sounds like just the thing to get me writing more… reading I do - usually can knock off a book in a couple of nights! This sounds just super cool.
Can’t promise they’ll be literature worth reading - my tastes run to some pretty weird and wonderful!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Sorry - I called the site owner Dave… :( How embarrassing. Sorry - it’s early where I am and I’m reading cross-eyed… not a good way to start! LOL
Thanks again!
[...] See the rest of this year’s listings • What is 52 Books in 52 Weeks? №24 [...]
[...] See the rest of this year’s listings • What is 52 Books in 52 Weeks? №36 [...]
[...] seems like only a few months ago that this meme began its third year, but of course it’s been a full 52 [...]