Reviews and Comments

Aneel

aneel@outside.ofa.dog

Joined 2 years, 11 months ago

He/Him. In the USA... for now. Mastodon

I only track books that I read for pleasure, mostly SF/Fantasy. I've fallen out of the habit of actually writing reviews beyond giving a star rating. It would be nice to get back into that habit.

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Michael Henle: A combinatorial introduction to topology (1994) No rating

Review of 'A combinatorial introduction to topology' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

This looks like a good first book in Topology, which I've meant to study since my interest in math hit full steam. I made it as far as I could go on just reading the definitions. I'm going to have to start working the problems if I'm to make more progress.

reviewed Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert (Chronicles of Dune, #2)

Frank Herbert: Dune Messiah (Paperback, 1987, Ace)

Review of 'Dune Messiah' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

Recently (okay... in June 2001) reread Dune, and was even more impressed than the first time. I remember the series going sharply downhill after that, but I think I'll give it at least a try.

Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book (Hardcover, 2008, HarperCollins Pub.)

After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where …

Review of 'The Graveyard Book' on 'Goodreads'

I know this is a book intended for children, but I kind of wish Gaiman were a little bit subtler about his Chekhov's guns, or at least waited more than a couple pages to fire them.

I actually read this as an eBook borrowed from the SFPL, to try out their system. Unfortunately their DRM scheme meant that I couldn't read it except using Adobe's software on my Mac, which kind of defeated the point (I'd hoped to read it on my phone to see what that experience was like). Glad I chose something short.

Junot Díaz: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007)

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a 2007 novel written by Dominican American …

Review of 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' on 'Goodreads'

Very good. A quirky mix of the Dominican Republic and the New York Metro Area. Odd juxtapositions of latino slang and SciFi and Fantasy references. Solid, sympathetic characters. Fatalistic without being hopeless.

Michael Pollan: The Omnivore's Dilemma (Paperback, Penguin Books)

Today, buffeted by one food fad after another, America is suffering from what can only …

Review of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" on 'Goodreads'

Interesting, but one gets the feeling that Pollan had decided which system of food production he favored at the beginning, not after he'd researched them.