John's Reading Report (January 2008)

OK, I am not quite the reading machine that Fred is, but I did do a little reading this last month:

I started and finished The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell. I first read this about seven years ago, and it had a bigger impact on me this time around. If you've read this and know me well, you'll know why. I usually don't read "literary" SF, but this one is well worth it.

I also continue to read my regular monthly magazines as they come, and am continuing to work my way through the Ana-backlog.

I am also currently about a third of the way through Bill Bryson's The Life And Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. I got this for Christmas, and wanted to read it as soon as possible. While aimed squarely at the Boomer generation (with a birthdate in 1968, I fall in that awkward midpoint: too young to be a Boomer, just a little too old to be as Gen-Xer), this book is providing me ample laugh-out-loud moments, which are really good for the soul.

Still in progress:

Consciousness Explained, Daniel C. Dennett. I'm going to have to re-read portions of this. My attention strayed from cognitive science during the Holidays to lighter fare. Now that we're back in the grim clutches of the post-Holiday work grind, I can get back to pondering existence and consciousness.

On deck:

Orbit, John J. Nance. A Christmas gift, and the next novel I'll be reading.

Suite Francaise, Irene Nemerovsky. One offered up by the Amazon algorithm based on product searches and past purchases. I hope it is as compelling as the author's own story.

The Forever War, Joe Haldeman. I've been meaning to read this for, like, forever.

Flashman, George MacDonald Fraser. Thanks to a plug by the Llamabutchers.

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, Douglas R. Hofstadter.

Soul Made Flesh: The Discovery of the Brain--and How it Changed the World, Carl Zimmer.

Still about five months' worth of Analog magazine.

Posted by JohnL at February 1, 2008 10:38 AM