Aneel reviewed Raw spirit by Iain M. Banks
Review of 'Raw spirit' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Travelogue + Whisky
Reviews and Comments
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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Aneel reviewed Feast of Souls by C. S. Friedman
"At the end of her Coldfire trilogy, C.S. Friedman challenged readers to imagine what a …
Review of 'Feast of Souls' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
First in a trilogy.
Aneel rated Under Enemy Colors: 3 stars
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Stardust is a 1999 fantasy novel by British writer Neil Gaiman, usually published with illustrations by Charles Vess. Stardust has …
The Lies of Locke Lamora is a 2006 fantasy novel by American writer Scott Lynch, …
Review of 'The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastard, #1)' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Solid, inventive fantasy. A little grimdark, but not too much so.
Aneel reviewed The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman
The Design of Everyday Things is a best-selling book by cognitive scientist and usability engineer …
Review of 'The Design of Everyday Things' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
Started. Stalled.
Aneel reviewed The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where …
Review of 'The Graveyard Book' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
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.
Aneel reviewed Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker
Days of Magic, Nights of War (2004) is the second book in a series of …
Review of 'Days of Magic, Nights of War' on 'Goodreads'
Presumably, this is the second book in the Abarat series.
Aneel reviewed Language in Thought and Action by S. I. Hayakawa
Review of 'Language in Thought and Action' on 'Goodreads'
About how language affects thought.
Aneel reviewed Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
Review of 'Dune Messiah' on 'Goodreads'
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.
Review of 'A combinatorial introduction to topology' on 'Goodreads'
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.
Aneel reviewed The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
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'
4 stars
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.
Aneel reviewed The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Today, buffeted by one food fad after another, America is suffering from what can only …
Review of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
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.
A Wizard of Earthsea is a fantasy novel written by American author Ursula K. Le …
Review of 'A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #1)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Great. Rich, evocative. The writing was a pleasure to read.