老虎机稳赢方法

Here is your new thread for 2014, Peter. Happy reading.

JANUARY
1. by John Scalzi
Genre: Essays
Date finished: Jan 2, 2014
Rating: B
Review: This is a collection of blog post from John Scalzi's very popular blog "Whatever". It's a mixed bag, mostly good. Some blog posts will mostly be of interest to writers. I like his fiction better.

2. by Terry Pratchett
Date finished: Jan 3, 2014
Genre: Fantasy/humor
Rating: B
Review: The sequel to Going Postal, this book follows Moist von Lipwig as he moves from running Ankh Morpork's post office to running its bank. Good, but not as good as the earlier book, mostly because the villain is not as well-drawn.

Terry Pratchett

3. by James Clavell
Date finished: Jan 17, 2014
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: A-
Review: A re-read for me. The story is that of John Blackthorne, the first Englishman to go to Japan. Shogun is a huge, sprawling novel. The two be things about it: The characters are wonderful and the clash of cultures is very well drawn. In addition, the story draws you in. Despite its length, it's a quick read. The reason for an A- rather than A is that Clavell's writing is only decent and sometimes a little repetitious in style. He tells rather than shows too often and he uses what I think of as the odd conjunction, where he lists various characteristics of a person, linking them with an "and" but the characteristics don't go together.

4. by Stanley Crouch(no photo)
Date finished: Jan 26, 2014
Genre: Biography, music, history
Rating: B
Review: Stanley Crouch uses the first 20 years of Charlie Parker's life to muse not only on those years (and the growing musical ability of his subject) but also on race and music more broadly.

5. by Alan James Ryan(no photo).
Date finished: Jan 29, 2014
Genre: History, politics
Rating: A
Review: This is an long and involved history of political thought. Ryan's erudition is remarkable and his writing is very clear. The only complaint I have is that the word "Western" should be in the subtitle, as Ryan does not discuss any of the political thought from outside the European/Western literature.

If you want a one-volume book on this topic, I don't think you will do better than this

FEBRUARY
6. by Marc Smith (no photo)
Date finished: Feb. 15, 2014
Genre: Bridge
Rating: B
Review: A somewhat dated (published in 1999) collection of interviews with top bridge players and writers. Each chapter discusses how the player got started, favorite partners, favorite hands and opinions on the future of bridge.

7. Paul Lockhart
Date finished: Feb 19, 2014
Genre: Math, education
Rating: A+
Review: My second time reading this short book.

This is a scathing and brilliant indictment of math education and a wonderful set of recommendations as to how to fix it.

Paul Lockhart was a math professor at top ranked universities; he then changed paths and teaches K-12 at St. Ann's School in NY.

If you like math, read this book.
If you hate math, read this book.
If you teach math, read this book.
And, by all means, if you choose curriculum for schools (or know someone who does) READ THIS BOOK

(It's very short, the math is easy, and it will open your eyes).

Just go read it.

"A proof should be an epiphany from the Gods, not a coded message from the Pentagon"

"Mathematics is the art of explanation"

8. by Mark Horton(no picture) and Brian Senior (no picture)

Date finished: Feb 21, 2014
Genre: Bridge, games
Rating: B-
Review: This slightly dated book (1999) is a collection of interesting bridge hands interspersed with some not so interesting (to me) stories about what bridge journalists lives are like. The chapters alternate between authors, which is also a bit disconcerting. The stories about the authors also don't quite connect up as they would in biography or autobiography. I think this one has a somewhat niche audience.

For some reason the title has an apostrophe in front of the title and that is probably why you couldn't find it. The search in "add book/author" is not very forgiving!!

For some reason the title has an apostrophe in front of the title and that is probably why you couldn't find it. The search in "add book/author" is not very forgiving!!


by Mark Horton and Brian Senior (no photos)

9. Robert A. Caro
Date finished: Feb 26, 2014
Genre: Biography, history
Rating: A
Review: The fourth volume in Caro's magisterial biography of LBJ, this covers the period from Johnson's agonizing decision to run for President in 1960 to the end of the transition after JFK's assassination.

Not just a bio of LBJ, this is the story of this era, politically.

Highly recommended for anyone who wants a detailed view of one of our most complex presidents.

MARCH
10. [author:Max Barry|18741
Date finished: March 2, 2014
Genre: Science fiction
Rating: B
Review: In this dark but sometimes humorous novel, Barry posits that there are certain words that can make people become persuaded to do anything. He tries to make this somewhat scientific by talking about various academic disciplines, but it still seems outlandish. In addition, it is never quite clear who the good and bad guys are. Nevertheless, Barry writes quite well and this was an enjoyable read.

11. Marko Kloos
Date finished: March 9, 2014
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: A
Review: This is military SF in the style of John Scalzi. It starts with the protagonist living in a welfare apartment; he wins the right to enlist in the armed services; then the adventures begin.

This isn't a new story line, of course, but new writer Marko Kloos writes well; the story line zips right along and the characters are engaging.

If you come hoping for philosophical insight or brilliant use of language, you'll be disappointed, but for straightforward action, this book earns an A.

Clearly the first of a series and I look forward to later volumes.

12. Marko Kloos
Date finished: March 24, 2014
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: B
Review: The continuation of Terms of Enlistment, this is not as good. Kloos is very good at writing the military stuff, but his political prognostications seem off, and they are more prominent here.

Marko Kloos

13. Andy Weir
Date finished: March 31, 2014
Genre: Science fiction
Rating: B+
Review: This book opens with a bang. The protagonist, Mark Watney, has been left on Mars, his crewmates having presumed him dead. It follows two tracks: His efforts to stay alive (narrated in his log, with his own interesting voice) and the efforts of NASA on Earth to rescue him. Good stuff.

APRIL
14. Stuart Neville
Date finished: April 1, 2014
Genre: Crime, suspense
Rating: A-
Review: The sequel to Ghosts of Belfast, this book also centers on current day Northern Ireland. Although the "Troubles" are officially over, there are loose ends. One former leader in the Troubles, Bull O'Kane, wants Gerry Fegan dead and hires a killer known as "The Traveler" to do it.

Dark, brooding and excellent, but it doesn't have the brilliance of the first book, which was stunning.

Cited:
Stuart Neville

Peter, your author photo seemed to have floated to the top :-).

Keep on reading, good stuff.

Great job Peter and thank you Bryan for helping Peter.

Your format by the way is perfect - please keep it as it is.

Our Required Format:

JANUARY

1. by Winston Churchill
Finish date: January 10,2014
Genre: (whatever genre the book happens to be)
Rating: A
Review: You can add text from a review you have written but no links to any review elsewhere even goodreads. And that is about it. Just make sure to number consecutively and just add the months.

15. by John Lescroart
Finish date: April 5, 2014
Genre: Legal thriller
Rating: B-
Review: This is the latest in the author's series set in present day San Francisco and featuring Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitzky et al. Hardy is a criminal defense attorney; Glitzky is a policeman and they are best friends.

I like this series, but was disappointed in this book. The characters are all still interesting, but the plot wanders around quite a bit before getting started and the resolution wasn't altogether satisfying.

Great series Peter - sorry for the disappointment in the latest book - sometimes they run out of steam.

Format - perfect

16. by Harry Harrison
Finish date: April 13, 2014
Genre: Humor, SF
Rating: A
Review: Those who have read any of Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series will know what to expect: Sarcastic humor, puns and an anti-authority tone.

Bill is a farmhand on a minor planet when he "volunteers" (actually is Shanghaied) into joining the military. From there, it's a spoof of military fiction (e.g. the name of the drill sergeant is "Deathwish Drang") and of military SF in particular. And, of course, Bill goes on to become a galactic hero (by accident) but then the novel continues...

Not profound, but lots of fun.

Mentioned above:
by Harry Harrison

(there are a bunch of books in this series)

17. Nick Harkaway
Finish date: April 26, 2014
Genre: SF
Rating: A
Review: Joe Spork is the son of a master thief and grandson of a repairer of clocks. After a dalliance with his father's career, he switches to his grandfather's and is living a quiet life.

Then a mysterious book is thrust into his life and nothing is the same. There follows an adventure involving spies and geniuses; evil Asian potentates and the very heavy arm of the law; love, hate, revenge; oh, and the possible end of the universe.

Joe Spork transcends himself.

This novel is marvelously written and densely plotted. It is wonderful.

Warning: The scenes of torture are long, somewhat graphic, central to the novel and possibly disturbing. If such things are likely to bother you, this may not be the book for you.

Thanks Peter for the add and the warning

MAY
18. Michael Rosenberg(no photo)
Finish date: May 3, 2014
Genre: Bridge
Rating: C/A (see review)
Review: This is a potpourri of Michael Rosenberg's thoughts on various aspects of bridge, interesting hands he has played, proper ethics and so on. The reason for two ratings is that this book was too advanced for me (an intermediate), but it was clear that for an expert player, it would be very interesting.

Good idea with the rating, Peter. Sometimes we run into books that are really quite good but, as in this case, too advanced for the reader. It is a fair way to review a book.

Thank you, Peter. Don't forget to bold the word May for us.

19. Julian Pottage(no photo)
Finish date: May 8, 2014
Genre: Bridge
Rating: B+
Review: Almost 50 years ago, S.J. Simon wrote the classic "Why you Lose at Bridge", which sought to teach people how to play better bridge with the skills they already had; this is widely regarded as one of the best bridge books ever. Now, Julian Pottage has written a sort of sequel.

The book is in two parts: The first is a somewhat traditional way of teaching bridge, but each chapter covers a basic mistake people make (e.g. "showing shape you don't have"). In the second part, we meet four bridge players: Mrs. Guggenheim is not a good player; to her credit, though, she knows that and is trying to improve. The "Unlucky Expert" is a very good player - unfortunately, he assumes too much of his partners. "Futile Willie" follows all the latest news and systems but applies them in a haphazard way. Mr. Smug believes himself much better than he is and also believes all his cards are better than they are. These four play 24 hands of bridge and Pottage comments on how each one goes wrong.

Very enjoyable read.

S.J. Simon(no phot)

20. Terry Pratchett
Finish date: May 10, 2014
Genre: Fantasy/humor
Rating: B+
Review: The railroad comes to Discworld. Of course, any innovation that large is going to cause upheaval and this is no exception. Lots of favorite characters appear and the plot moves right along, but, although this is a very good book, it is not quite at the top of the series.

21. David Bellos
Finish date: May 14, 2014
Genre: Language
Rating: B
Review: What is translation? What things are easy and hard to translate? How do simultaneous interpreters do their job? How does Google translate work and why does it work better than other machine translation methods?

If these sort of questions interest you, then this is a book you should read.

22. Robert K. Tanenbaum
Finish date: May 15, 2014
Genre: Mystery/police procedural
Rating: A-
Review: The latest in the series about Butch Karp, district attorney for Manhattan. In this book, Karp is investigating the murder of a union official by another union official. The beginning is a tiny bit slow and the last chapter could have been better organized, but overall it is up to Tanenbaum's usual high standard (although I miss his genius daughter who does not appear in this book).

23. Jeffery Deaver
Finish date: May 22, 2014
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B
Review: This is the latest in the Lincoln Rhyme/Amelia Sachs series. For those unfamiliar with the series, Lincoln Rhyme is the world's best crime scene investigator. An accident made him a quadriplegic and wealthy, now he only takes cases that interest him. In this case, someone is killing people by tattooing them with poison. As always with Deaver, though, more than that is going on.

The reason for a B instead of an A is the last 40 pages or so, that add more twists but that aren't really necessary for the book.

JUNE
24. John Varley
Finish date: June 1, 2014
Genre: SF
Rating: A
Review: A re-read for me. The start of the Gaea trilogy. It begins with Cirocco Jones leading a flight to explore Saturn's rings. But then they find what looks like a new moon, only very odd. It's odder than they think. It's alive. They are captured, changed in various ways, and then begin their adventures.

One of the great sagas of modern SF. Both as a pure adventure and as a deeper meditation - what is love? What are intelligent aliens like? What would a living planet be like?

Great stuff.

25. David G. Hartwell
Finish date: June 4, 2014
Genre: SF
Rating: B+
Review: Hartwell's knowledge of SF is stunning and his commentary is lucid. The stories are a collection by new SF writers (that is, it doesn't include writers who were famous 10 years ago). Hartwell's taste isn't exactly mine (my favorite anthologist/editor of SF is Gardner Dozois Gardner Dozois (no photo), but this is a collection any real fan of SF will want to have.

26. John Varley
Finish date: June 9, 2014
Genre: SF
Rating: B+
Review: The second in the Gaea trilogy, this novel introduces new characters such as Robin the 9 fingered and Chris Major; we also learn more about the Titanides and about Gaea.

27. Pierce Brown
Finish date: June 11, 2014
Genre: SF
Rating: A
Review: This is Brown's first novel and it's a winner. Take some Ender's Game, some Hunger Games, a bit of Brave New World and a dash of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and you may have some idea of this book.

Darrow lives on Mars in a rigid caste society. At the top are the Golds. At the bottom are the Reds, who are slaves. There are not only differences of privilege but of genetics. But now, the Reds have a plan. They will make Darrow a Gold and then start a Red rising.

Very well done. Part 1 of a trilogy but book 2 is not due out until the start of next year.

by Aldous Huxley

by Orson Scott Card

by Suzanne Collins

Stieg Larsson

28. Robin J. Wilson (no photo)
Finish date: June 10, 2014
Genre: Math
Rating: B+
Review: Lewis Carroll, of Alice fame, was also a mathematician. This book covers his mathematical life and work.

Lewis Carroll

.
Finish date: July 19, 2014
Genre: Thriller
Rating: A
Review: This is the latest in the "Body Farm" series. It takes us back to 1992 and the founding of the body farm, where they study human decomposition in order to help police and other investigators with things like time of death.

As usual, there's lots of grisly scenes, some romance and threats to the hero.

30. David Foster Wallace
Finish date: July 19, 2014
Genre: Essays
Rating: Mixed - A through C
Review: This is a collection of essays by the late David Foster Wallace. Some of them are brilliant and the author undoubtedly was, but some are quite dated and one or two just didn't interest me.

31. Colman Andrews(no photo)
Finish date: July 17, 2014
Genre: Food
Rating: B
Review: Colman Andrews really loves food and restaurants. In this book, he gives us a sort of autobiography focused around restaurants that were important to him. He's got a nice easy writing style, but he uses the same style for discussing what he ate as for why he got divorced.

Peter wrote: "31. Colman Andrews(no photo)
Finish date: July 17, 2014
Genre: Food
Rating: B
Review: Colman Andrews really loves food and ..."

The last line of your review made me chuckle, Peter!!!

32. Jo Nesb酶
Finish date: July 30, 2014
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B
Review: The first in the acclaimed Harry Hole series, this novel sees the detective sent off to Australia to investigate the death of a girl. At first, it seems simple, but it gets more and more complex, with twists and turns and more twists and turns.

My cousin is totally hooked on this series and they probably get better as they mature.

AUGUST
33. Frederick Forsyth
Finish date: Aug 10, 2014
Genre: Thriller
Rating: B
Reivew: A fanatical Muslim preacher is telling Muslims to kill people in the government of the USA. Our hero has to track him down. Classic type thriller, well done as is expected from this master of the genre.

34. Gone Girl
Finish date: Aug. 11, 2014
Genre: Psychological thriller
Rating: A
Review: Holy ****! This book draws you in from the outset. It is told in two parallel time lines: Chapters alternate between points of view by Amy and Nick, a married couple celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary, but in a marriage that seems increasingly sad. But then, on the day of the anniversary, Amy is gone.

I won't spoil it for you. This book has more twists than a corkscrew. And, unlike most thriller novels, this one is beautifully written.

Peter wrote: "34. Gone Girl
Finish date: Aug. 11, 2014
Genre: Psychological thriller
Rating: A
Review: Holy ****! This book draws you..."

This book has been on my list to read since last fall when Gillian Flynn spoke at our Cincinnati Book Festival. Sounds like I definitely have to move it up the list.

35. Tigerman: A novel Nick Harkaway
Finish date: Aug 27, 2014
Genre: Mystery/SF
Rating: A
Review: A novel about friendship and heroism set on an imaginary island that is about to be destroyed. Wonderful stuff.

SEPTEMBER
36. David Gilmour(no picture)
Finish date: Sept 7, 2014
Genre: History
Rating: A
Review: A very good one volume history of Italy. Gilmour seems to feel that unification was something of a mistake.

SEPTEMBER
36. Rebecca Goldstein
Genre: Philosophy
Finish date: Sept 7, 2014
Rating: A+
Review: Goldstein imagines Plato alive and well in the 21st century. Fascinating, wonderfully written.