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| 15 | <body> |
| 16 | <h1>A Not So Fancy Listing of Books</h1> |
| 17 | <div class="contents"> |
| 18 | <dl> |
| 19 | <dt> |
| 20 | <a href="#sec1">Douglas Adams</a> |
| 21 | </dt> |
| 22 | <dd> |
| 23 | <dl> |
| 24 | <dt> |
| 25 | <a href="#sec2">Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (collected)</a> |
| 26 | </dt> |
| 27 | <dt> |
| 28 | <a href="#sec3">The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul</a> |
| 29 | </dt> |
| 30 | </dl> |
| 31 | </dd> |
| 32 | <dt> |
| 33 | <a href="#sec4">Aeschylus</a> |
| 34 | </dt> |
| 35 | <dd> |
| 36 | <dl> |
| 37 | <dt> |
| 38 | <a href="#sec5">Oresteia</a> |
| 39 | </dt> |
| 40 | <dt> |
| 41 | <a href="#sec6">Prometheus Bound</a> |
| 42 | </dt> |
| 43 | <dt> |
| 44 | <a href="#sec7">The Persians</a> |
| 45 | </dt> |
| 46 | </dl> |
| 47 | </dd> |
| 48 | <dt> |
| 49 | <a href="#sec8">John Allison</a> |
| 50 | </dt> |
| 51 | <dd> |
| 52 | <dl> |
| 53 | <dt> |
| 54 | <a href="#sec9">Looks, Brains and Everything</a> |
| 55 | </dt> |
| 56 | <dt> |
| 57 | <a href="#sec10">Blame the Sky</a> |
| 58 | </dt> |
| 59 | <dt> |
| 60 | <a href="#sec11">Skellington</a> |
| 61 | </dt> |
| 62 | <dt> |
| 63 | <a href="#sec12">The Retribution Index</a> |
| 64 | </dt> |
| 65 | <dt> |
| 66 | <a href="#sec13">Great Aches</a> |
| 67 | </dt> |
| 68 | <dt> |
| 69 | <a href="#sec14">Ahoy Hoy!</a> |
| 70 | </dt> |
| 71 | <dt> |
| 72 | <a href="#sec15">Heavy Metal Hearts and Flowers</a> |
| 73 | </dt> |
| 74 | <dt> |
| 75 | <a href="#sec16">Ghosts</a> |
| 76 | </dt> |
| 77 | </dl> |
| 78 | </dd> |
| 79 | <dt> |
| 80 | <a href="#sec17">Anonymous</a> |
| 81 | </dt> |
| 82 | <dd> |
| 83 | <dl> |
| 84 | <dt> |
| 85 | <a href="#sec18">Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz</a> |
| 86 | </dt> |
| 87 | </dl> |
| 88 | </dd> |
| 89 | <dt> |
| 90 | <a href="#sec19">Aristophanes</a> |
| 91 | </dt> |
| 92 | <dd> |
| 93 | <dl> |
| 94 | <dt> |
| 95 | <a href="#sec20">The Frogs</a> |
| 96 | </dt> |
| 97 | <dt> |
| 98 | <a href="#sec21">The Clouds</a> |
| 99 | </dt> |
| 100 | <dt> |
| 101 | <a href="#sec22">Ecclesiazusae</a> |
| 102 | </dt> |
| 103 | </dl> |
| 104 | </dd> |
| 105 | <dt> |
| 106 | <a href="#sec23">Aristotle</a> |
| 107 | </dt> |
| 108 | <dd> |
| 109 | <dl> |
| 110 | <dt> |
| 111 | <a href="#sec24">Ethics</a> |
| 112 | </dt> |
| 113 | <dt> |
| 114 | <a href="#sec25">Categories</a> |
| 115 | </dt> |
| 116 | <dt> |
| 117 | <a href="#sec26">Poetics</a> |
| 118 | </dt> |
| 119 | <dt> |
| 120 | <a href="#sec27">Rhetoric</a> |
| 121 | </dt> |
| 122 | </dl> |
| 123 | </dd> |
| 124 | <dt> |
| 125 | <a href="#sec28">Marcus Aurelius</a> |
| 126 | </dt> |
| 127 | <dd> |
| 128 | <dl> |
| 129 | <dt> |
| 130 | <a href="#sec29">Meditations</a> |
| 131 | </dt> |
| 132 | </dl> |
| 133 | </dd> |
| 134 | <dt> |
| 135 | <a href="#sec30">William Blake</a> |
| 136 | </dt> |
| 137 | <dd> |
| 138 | <dl> |
| 139 | <dt> |
| 140 | <a href="#sec31">The Four Zoas</a> |
| 141 | </dt> |
| 142 | <dt> |
| 143 | <a href="#sec32">Jerusalem</a> |
| 144 | </dt> |
| 145 | </dl> |
| 146 | </dd> |
| 147 | <dt> |
| 148 | <a href="#sec33">Albert Camus</a> |
| 149 | </dt> |
| 150 | <dd> |
| 151 | <dl> |
| 152 | <dt> |
| 153 | <a href="#sec34">The Plague</a> |
| 154 | </dt> |
| 155 | </dl> |
| 156 | </dd> |
| 157 | <dt> |
| 158 | <a href="#sec35">Mike Carey</a> |
| 159 | </dt> |
| 160 | <dd> |
| 161 | <dl> |
| 162 | <dt> |
| 163 | <a href="#sec36">Lucifer (series)</a> |
| 164 | </dt> |
| 165 | </dl> |
| 166 | </dd> |
| 167 | <dt> |
| 168 | <a href="#sec37">Confucius</a> |
| 169 | </dt> |
| 170 | <dd> |
| 171 | <dl> |
| 172 | <dt> |
| 173 | <a href="#sec38">Analects</a> |
| 174 | </dt> |
| 175 | </dl> |
| 176 | </dd> |
| 177 | <dt> |
| 178 | <a href="#sec39">Neil Gaiman</a> |
| 179 | </dt> |
| 180 | <dd> |
| 181 | <dl> |
| 182 | <dt> |
| 183 | <a href="#sec40">The Sandman (series)</a> |
| 184 | </dt> |
| 185 | <dt> |
| 186 | <a href="#sec41">Good Omens</a> |
| 187 | </dt> |
| 188 | <dt> |
| 189 | <a href="#sec42">American Gods</a> |
| 190 | </dt> |
| 191 | </dl> |
| 192 | </dd> |
| 193 | <dt> |
| 194 | <a href="#sec43">John Taylor Gatto</a> |
| 195 | </dt> |
| 196 | <dd> |
| 197 | <dl> |
| 198 | <dt> |
| 199 | <a href="#sec44">Underground History of American Education</a> |
| 200 | </dt> |
| 201 | </dl> |
| 202 | </dd> |
| 203 | <dt> |
| 204 | <a href="#sec45">Kahlil Gibran</a> |
| 205 | </dt> |
| 206 | <dd> |
| 207 | <dl> |
| 208 | <dt> |
| 209 | <a href="#sec46">A Tear and a Smile</a> |
| 210 | </dt> |
| 211 | <dt> |
| 212 | <a href="#sec47">The Prophet</a> |
| 213 | </dt> |
| 214 | <dt> |
| 215 | <a href="#sec48">Sand and Foam</a> |
| 216 | </dt> |
| 217 | <dt> |
| 218 | <a href="#sec49">The Madman</a> |
| 219 | </dt> |
| 220 | </dl> |
| 221 | </dd> |
| 222 | <dt> |
| 223 | <a href="#sec50">Homer</a> |
| 224 | </dt> |
| 225 | <dd> |
| 226 | <dl> |
| 227 | <dt> |
| 228 | <a href="#sec51">The Odyssey</a> |
| 229 | </dt> |
| 230 | </dl> |
| 231 | </dd> |
| 232 | <dt> |
| 233 | <a href="#sec52">Aldous Huxley</a> |
| 234 | </dt> |
| 235 | <dd> |
| 236 | <dl> |
| 237 | <dt> |
| 238 | <a href="#sec53">The Doors of Perception</a> |
| 239 | </dt> |
| 240 | <dt> |
| 241 | <a href="#sec54">Heaven and Hell</a> |
| 242 | </dt> |
| 243 | <dt> |
| 244 | <a href="#sec55">Brave New World</a> |
| 245 | </dt> |
| 246 | </dl> |
| 247 | </dd> |
| 248 | <dt> |
| 249 | <a href="#sec56">William James</a> |
| 250 | </dt> |
| 251 | <dd> |
| 252 | <dl> |
| 253 | <dt> |
| 254 | <a href="#sec57">The Varieties of Religious Experience</a> |
| 255 | </dt> |
| 256 | <dt> |
| 257 | <a href="#sec58">The PhD Octopus</a> |
| 258 | </dt> |
| 259 | </dl> |
| 260 | </dd> |
| 261 | <dt> |
| 262 | <a href="#sec59">Henry James</a> |
| 263 | </dt> |
| 264 | <dd> |
| 265 | <dl> |
| 266 | <dt> |
| 267 | <a href="#sec60">The Altar of the Dead</a> |
| 268 | </dt> |
| 269 | </dl> |
| 270 | </dd> |
| 271 | <dt> |
| 272 | <a href="#sec61">Gregor Kiczales</a> |
| 273 | </dt> |
| 274 | <dd> |
| 275 | <dl> |
| 276 | <dt> |
| 277 | <a href="#sec62">The Art of the Metaobject Protocol</a> |
| 278 | </dt> |
| 279 | </dl> |
| 280 | </dd> |
| 281 | <dt> |
| 282 | <a href="#sec63">Søren Kierkegaard</a> |
| 283 | </dt> |
| 284 | <dd> |
| 285 | <dl> |
| 286 | <dt> |
| 287 | <a href="#sec64">Sickness Unto Death</a> |
| 288 | </dt> |
| 289 | <dt> |
| 290 | <a href="#sec65">Either/Or</a> |
| 291 | </dt> |
| 292 | <dt> |
| 293 | <a href="#sec66">Fear and Trembling</a> |
| 294 | </dt> |
| 295 | <dt> |
| 296 | <a href="#sec67">Repetition</a> |
| 297 | </dt> |
| 298 | <dt> |
| 299 | <a href="#sec68">The Concept of Anxiety</a> |
| 300 | </dt> |
| 301 | </dl> |
| 302 | </dd> |
| 303 | <dt> |
| 304 | <a href="#sec69">Alisa Kwitney</a> |
| 305 | </dt> |
| 306 | <dd> |
| 307 | <dl> |
| 308 | <dt> |
| 309 | <a href="#sec70">Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold</a> |
| 310 | </dt> |
| 311 | </dl> |
| 312 | </dd> |
| 313 | <dt> |
| 314 | <a href="#sec71">David Lamkins</a> |
| 315 | </dt> |
| 316 | <dd> |
| 317 | <dl> |
| 318 | <dt> |
| 319 | <a href="#sec72">Successful Lisp</a> |
| 320 | </dt> |
| 321 | </dl> |
| 322 | </dd> |
| 323 | <dt> |
| 324 | <a href="#sec73">Mencius</a> |
| 325 | </dt> |
| 326 | <dd> |
| 327 | <dl> |
| 328 | <dt> |
| 329 | <a href="#sec74">Mencius</a> |
| 330 | </dt> |
| 331 | </dl> |
| 332 | </dd> |
| 333 | <dt> |
| 334 | <a href="#sec75">Walter Miller</a> |
| 335 | </dt> |
| 336 | <dd> |
| 337 | <dl> |
| 338 | <dt> |
| 339 | <a href="#sec76">A Canticle for Leibowitz</a> |
| 340 | </dt> |
| 341 | </dl> |
| 342 | </dd> |
| 343 | <dt> |
| 344 | <a href="#sec77">John Milton</a> |
| 345 | </dt> |
| 346 | <dd> |
| 347 | <dl> |
| 348 | <dt> |
| 349 | <a href="#sec78">Paradise Lost</a> |
| 350 | </dt> |
| 351 | </dl> |
| 352 | </dd> |
| 353 | <dt> |
| 354 | <a href="#sec79">Alan Moore</a> |
| 355 | </dt> |
| 356 | <dd> |
| 357 | <dl> |
| 358 | <dt> |
| 359 | <a href="#sec80">Watchmen</a> |
| 360 | </dt> |
| 361 | <dt> |
| 362 | <a href="#sec81">V for Vendetta</a> |
| 363 | </dt> |
| 364 | </dl> |
| 365 | </dd> |
| 366 | <dt> |
| 367 | <a href="#sec82">Thomas More</a> |
| 368 | </dt> |
| 369 | <dd> |
| 370 | <dl> |
| 371 | <dt> |
| 372 | <a href="#sec83">Utopia</a> |
| 373 | </dt> |
| 374 | </dl> |
| 375 | </dd> |
| 376 | <dt> |
| 377 | <a href="#sec84">Friedrich Nietzsche</a> |
| 378 | </dt> |
| 379 | <dd> |
| 380 | <dl> |
| 381 | <dt> |
| 382 | <a href="#sec85">Thus Spoke Zarathustra</a> |
| 383 | </dt> |
| 384 | <dt> |
| 385 | <a href="#sec86">Beyond Good and Evil</a> |
| 386 | </dt> |
| 387 | <dt> |
| 388 | <a href="#sec87">On the Geneaology of Morals</a> |
| 389 | </dt> |
| 390 | <dt> |
| 391 | <a href="#sec88">Ecce Homo</a> |
| 392 | </dt> |
| 393 | </dl> |
| 394 | </dd> |
| 395 | <dt> |
| 396 | <a href="#sec89">George Orwell</a> |
| 397 | </dt> |
| 398 | <dd> |
| 399 | <dl> |
| 400 | <dt> |
| 401 | <a href="#sec90">1984</a> |
| 402 | </dt> |
| 403 | <dt> |
| 404 | <a href="#sec91">Animal Farm</a> |
| 405 | </dt> |
| 406 | </dl> |
| 407 | </dd> |
| 408 | <dt> |
| 409 | <a href="#sec92">Plato</a> |
| 410 | </dt> |
| 411 | <dd> |
| 412 | <dl> |
| 413 | <dt> |
| 414 | <a href="#sec93">Symposium</a> |
| 415 | </dt> |
| 416 | <dt> |
| 417 | <a href="#sec94">Euthyphro</a> |
| 418 | </dt> |
| 419 | <dt> |
| 420 | <a href="#sec95">Apology</a> |
| 421 | </dt> |
| 422 | <dt> |
| 423 | <a href="#sec96">Crito</a> |
| 424 | </dt> |
| 425 | <dt> |
| 426 | <a href="#sec97">Phaedo</a> |
| 427 | </dt> |
| 428 | <dt> |
| 429 | <a href="#sec98">Protagoras</a> |
| 430 | </dt> |
| 431 | </dl> |
| 432 | </dd> |
| 433 | <dt> |
| 434 | <a href="#sec99">Edgar Allan Poe</a> |
| 435 | </dt> |
| 436 | <dd> |
| 437 | <dl> |
| 438 | <dt> |
| 439 | <a href="#sec100">Tales of Mystery and Suspense</a> |
| 440 | </dt> |
| 441 | </dl> |
| 442 | </dd> |
| 443 | <dt> |
| 444 | <a href="#sec101">Luke Rhinehardt</a> |
| 445 | </dt> |
| 446 | <dd> |
| 447 | <dl> |
| 448 | <dt> |
| 449 | <a href="#sec102">The Dice Man</a> |
| 450 | </dt> |
| 451 | </dl> |
| 452 | </dd> |
| 453 | <dt> |
| 454 | <a href="#sec103">Neal Stephenson</a> |
| 455 | </dt> |
| 456 | <dd> |
| 457 | <dl> |
| 458 | <dt> |
| 459 | <a href="#sec104">Snow Crash</a> |
| 460 | </dt> |
| 461 | <dt> |
| 462 | <a href="#sec105">Cryptonomicon</a> |
| 463 | </dt> |
| 464 | </dl> |
| 465 | </dd> |
| 466 | <dt> |
| 467 | <a href="#sec106">Bjarne Stroustrup</a> |
| 468 | </dt> |
| 469 | <dd> |
| 470 | <dl> |
| 471 | <dt> |
| 472 | <a href="#sec107">The C++ Programming Language (3rd edition)</a> |
| 473 | </dt> |
| 474 | </dl> |
| 475 | </dd> |
| 476 | <dt> |
| 477 | <a href="#sec108">JRR Tolkien</a> |
| 478 | </dt> |
| 479 | <dd> |
| 480 | <dl> |
| 481 | <dt> |
| 482 | <a href="#sec109">The Lord of the Rings</a> |
| 483 | </dt> |
| 484 | <dt> |
| 485 | <a href="#sec110">The Silmarillion</a> |
| 486 | </dt> |
| 487 | <dt> |
| 488 | <a href="#sec111">The Lost Tales</a> |
| 489 | </dt> |
| 490 | </dl> |
| 491 | </dd> |
| 492 | <dt> |
| 493 | <a href="#sec112">Kurt Vonnegut</a> |
| 494 | </dt> |
| 495 | <dd> |
| 496 | <dl> |
| 497 | <dt> |
| 498 | <a href="#sec113">Cat's Cradle</a> |
| 499 | </dt> |
| 500 | </dl> |
| 501 | </dd> |
| 502 | <dt> |
| 503 | <a href="#sec114">H.G. Wells</a> |
| 504 | </dt> |
| 505 | <dd> |
| 506 | <dl> |
| 507 | <dt> |
| 508 | <a href="#sec115">The Island of Dr Moreau</a> |
| 509 | </dt> |
| 510 | </dl> |
| 511 | </dd> |
| 512 | <dt> |
| 513 | <a href="#sec116">Robert Anton Wilson</a> |
| 514 | </dt> |
| 515 | <dd> |
| 516 | <dl> |
| 517 | <dt> |
| 518 | <a href="#sec117">The Illuminatus! Trilogy</a> |
| 519 | </dt> |
| 520 | </dl> |
| 521 | </dd> |
| 522 | <dt> |
| 523 | <a href="#sec118">Yevgeny Zamyatin</a> |
| 524 | </dt> |
| 525 | <dd> |
| 526 | <dl> |
| 527 | <dt> |
| 528 | <a href="#sec119">We</a> |
| 529 | </dt> |
| 530 | </dl> |
| 531 | </dd> |
| 532 | </dl> |
| 533 | </div> |
| 534 | |
| 535 | |
| 536 | <!-- Page published by Emacs Muse begins here --><h2><a name="sec1" id="sec1"></a> |
| 537 | Douglas Adams</h2> |
| 538 | |
| 539 | |
| 540 | |
| 541 | <h3><a name="sec2" id="sec2"></a> |
| 542 | Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy (collected)</h3> |
| 543 | |
| 544 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•• </span> (8) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 545 | |
| 546 | |
| 547 | |
| 548 | |
| 549 | |
| 550 | <h3><a name="sec3" id="sec3"></a> |
| 551 | The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul</h3> |
| 552 | |
| 553 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•••• </span> (6) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 554 | |
| 555 | |
| 556 | |
| 557 | |
| 558 | |
| 559 | |
| 560 | <h2><a name="sec4" id="sec4"></a> |
| 561 | Aeschylus</h2> |
| 562 | |
| 563 | |
| 564 | |
| 565 | <h3><a name="sec5" id="sec5"></a> |
| 566 | Oresteia</h3> |
| 567 | |
| 568 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 569 | |
| 570 | |
| 571 | |
| 572 | |
| 573 | |
| 574 | <h3><a name="sec6" id="sec6"></a> |
| 575 | Prometheus Bound</h3> |
| 576 | |
| 577 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">• </span> (9) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 578 | |
| 579 | |
| 580 | |
| 581 | |
| 582 | |
| 583 | <h3><a name="sec7" id="sec7"></a> |
| 584 | The Persians</h3> |
| 585 | |
| 586 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•• </span> (8) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 587 | |
| 588 | |
| 589 | |
| 590 | |
| 591 | |
| 592 | |
| 593 | <h2><a name="sec8" id="sec8"></a> |
| 594 | John Allison</h2> |
| 595 | |
| 596 | <p class="first">The author of the rather amazing <a href="http://scarygoround.com">Scary Go Round</a>. |
| 597 | I highly recommend procuring the printed collections; the printing |
| 598 | quality is superb (full color on glossy paper), and the long story |
| 599 | arcs are much easier to read.</p> |
| 600 | |
| 601 | <h3><a name="sec9" id="sec9"></a> |
| 602 | Looks, Brains and Everything</h3> |
| 603 | |
| 604 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 605 | |
| 606 | |
| 607 | |
| 608 | |
| 609 | |
| 610 | <h3><a name="sec10" id="sec10"></a> |
| 611 | Blame the Sky</h3> |
| 612 | |
| 613 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 614 | |
| 615 | |
| 616 | |
| 617 | |
| 618 | |
| 619 | <h3><a name="sec11" id="sec11"></a> |
| 620 | Skellington</h3> |
| 621 | |
| 622 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 623 | |
| 624 | |
| 625 | |
| 626 | |
| 627 | |
| 628 | <h3><a name="sec12" id="sec12"></a> |
| 629 | The Retribution Index</h3> |
| 630 | |
| 631 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 632 | |
| 633 | |
| 634 | |
| 635 | |
| 636 | |
| 637 | <h3><a name="sec13" id="sec13"></a> |
| 638 | Great Aches</h3> |
| 639 | |
| 640 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 641 | |
| 642 | |
| 643 | |
| 644 | |
| 645 | |
| 646 | <h3><a name="sec14" id="sec14"></a> |
| 647 | Ahoy Hoy!</h3> |
| 648 | |
| 649 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 650 | |
| 651 | |
| 652 | |
| 653 | |
| 654 | |
| 655 | <h3><a name="sec15" id="sec15"></a> |
| 656 | Heavy Metal Hearts and Flowers</h3> |
| 657 | |
| 658 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 659 | |
| 660 | |
| 661 | |
| 662 | |
| 663 | |
| 664 | <h3><a name="sec16" id="sec16"></a> |
| 665 | Ghosts</h3> |
| 666 | |
| 667 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 668 | |
| 669 | |
| 670 | |
| 671 | |
| 672 | |
| 673 | |
| 674 | <h2><a name="sec17" id="sec17"></a> |
| 675 | Anonymous</h2> |
| 676 | |
| 677 | |
| 678 | |
| 679 | <h3><a name="sec18" id="sec18"></a> |
| 680 | Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz</h3> |
| 681 | |
| 682 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 683 | |
| 684 | |
| 685 | |
| 686 | |
| 687 | |
| 688 | |
| 689 | <h2><a name="sec19" id="sec19"></a> |
| 690 | Aristophanes</h2> |
| 691 | |
| 692 | |
| 693 | |
| 694 | <h3><a name="sec20" id="sec20"></a> |
| 695 | The Frogs</h3> |
| 696 | |
| 697 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 698 | |
| 699 | |
| 700 | |
| 701 | |
| 702 | |
| 703 | <h3><a name="sec21" id="sec21"></a> |
| 704 | The Clouds</h3> |
| 705 | |
| 706 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 707 | |
| 708 | |
| 709 | |
| 710 | |
| 711 | |
| 712 | <h3><a name="sec22" id="sec22"></a> |
| 713 | Ecclesiazusae</h3> |
| 714 | |
| 715 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 716 | |
| 717 | |
| 718 | |
| 719 | |
| 720 | |
| 721 | |
| 722 | <h2><a name="sec23" id="sec23"></a> |
| 723 | Aristotle</h2> |
| 724 | |
| 725 | |
| 726 | |
| 727 | <h3><a name="sec24" id="sec24"></a> |
| 728 | Ethics</h3> |
| 729 | |
| 730 | <p><em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 731 | |
| 732 | |
| 733 | |
| 734 | |
| 735 | |
| 736 | <h3><a name="sec25" id="sec25"></a> |
| 737 | Categories</h3> |
| 738 | |
| 739 | <p><em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 740 | |
| 741 | |
| 742 | |
| 743 | |
| 744 | |
| 745 | <h3><a name="sec26" id="sec26"></a> |
| 746 | Poetics</h3> |
| 747 | |
| 748 | <p><em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 749 | |
| 750 | |
| 751 | |
| 752 | |
| 753 | |
| 754 | <h3><a name="sec27" id="sec27"></a> |
| 755 | Rhetoric</h3> |
| 756 | |
| 757 | <p><em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 758 | |
| 759 | |
| 760 | |
| 761 | |
| 762 | |
| 763 | |
| 764 | <h2><a name="sec28" id="sec28"></a> |
| 765 | Marcus Aurelius</h2> |
| 766 | |
| 767 | |
| 768 | |
| 769 | <h3><a name="sec29" id="sec29"></a> |
| 770 | Meditations</h3> |
| 771 | |
| 772 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•••••• </span> (4) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 773 | |
| 774 | <p>At the time, I enjoyed reading this collection of meditations on |
| 775 | Stoic philosophy, and it was a fairly quick read (fifteen minutes a |
| 776 | day over the course of two weeks for me). Nowadays I've read |
| 777 | Epictetus, and I suggest reading his <em>Discourses</em> instead.</p> |
| 778 | |
| 779 | |
| 780 | |
| 781 | |
| 782 | <h2><a name="sec30" id="sec30"></a> |
| 783 | William Blake</h2> |
| 784 | |
| 785 | <p class="first">Blake is my <a href="William%20Blake.html">favorite</a> of the English poets. His |
| 786 | unique use of relief etching and watercoloring makes for very |
| 787 | interesting Illuminated works. There is a very high quality |
| 788 | <a href="http://blakearchive.org">complete archive of Blake's works</a> online |
| 789 | with high resolution plate scans and full transcriptions among other |
| 790 | things.</p> |
| 791 | |
| 792 | <h3><a name="sec31" id="sec31"></a> |
| 793 | The Four Zoas</h3> |
| 794 | |
| 795 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 796 | |
| 797 | <p>The unfinished manuscript of Blake's longest apocalypse. The |
| 798 | Four Zoas divide from Albion and rage through the ages of dismal woe |
| 799 | to bring about the end of the cycle of Ulro and restore the cycle of |
| 800 | Beulah.</p> |
| 801 | |
| 802 | |
| 803 | |
| 804 | <h3><a name="sec32" id="sec32"></a> |
| 805 | Jerusalem</h3> |
| 806 | |
| 807 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 808 | |
| 809 | <p>The finest of Blake's Illuminated works.</p> |
| 810 | |
| 811 | |
| 812 | |
| 813 | |
| 814 | <h2><a name="sec33" id="sec33"></a> |
| 815 | Albert Camus</h2> |
| 816 | |
| 817 | |
| 818 | |
| 819 | <h3><a name="sec34" id="sec34"></a> |
| 820 | The Plague</h3> |
| 821 | |
| 822 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 823 | |
| 824 | |
| 825 | |
| 826 | |
| 827 | |
| 828 | |
| 829 | <h2><a name="sec35" id="sec35"></a> |
| 830 | Mike Carey</h2> |
| 831 | |
| 832 | |
| 833 | |
| 834 | <h3><a name="sec36" id="sec36"></a> |
| 835 | Lucifer (series)</h3> |
| 836 | |
| 837 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•••• </span> (6) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 838 | |
| 839 | <p>Of the <em>Sandman</em> spinoffs, <em>Lucifer</em> stands out as the best for |
| 840 | the first half, but then the writer appears to take on far too great a |
| 841 | task, and, with the introduction of some disagreeable character |
| 842 | relations, fails to execute the story as well as it could have |
| 843 | been. Still, it was worth reading to the end even though most of the |
| 844 | stories after issue 35 or so were merely ok. If you like Kierkegaard I |
| 845 | suggest issues 2, 3, and 62—they show the form of the incommensurable |
| 846 | relation of the single individual to the absolute perfectly.</p> |
| 847 | |
| 848 | |
| 849 | |
| 850 | |
| 851 | <h2><a name="sec37" id="sec37"></a> |
| 852 | Confucius</h2> |
| 853 | |
| 854 | |
| 855 | |
| 856 | <h3><a name="sec38" id="sec38"></a> |
| 857 | Analects</h3> |
| 858 | |
| 859 | <p><em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 860 | |
| 861 | |
| 862 | |
| 863 | |
| 864 | |
| 865 | |
| 866 | <h2><a name="sec39" id="sec39"></a> |
| 867 | Neil Gaiman</h2> |
| 868 | |
| 869 | |
| 870 | |
| 871 | <h3><a name="sec40" id="sec40"></a> |
| 872 | The Sandman (series)</h3> |
| 873 | |
| 874 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 875 | |
| 876 | <p>Perhaps the best comic book series of all time; I would say <em>The |
| 877 | Sandman</em> as a whole ranks higher than anything even Alan Moore has |
| 878 | written.</p> |
| 879 | |
| 880 | |
| 881 | |
| 882 | <h3><a name="sec41" id="sec41"></a> |
| 883 | Good Omens</h3> |
| 884 | |
| 885 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•• </span> (8) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 886 | |
| 887 | <p>A friend of a friend decided one evening that I needed to read |
| 888 | so-called <em>normal people books</em>, and so she lent me <em>Good Omens</em>. It |
| 889 | was an enjoyable read and unearthed vague memories of comic book |
| 890 | magazines I read when I was small and the name <em>Sandman</em>; thus through |
| 891 | one book I found something far greater.</p> |
| 892 | |
| 893 | |
| 894 | |
| 895 | <h3><a name="sec42" id="sec42"></a> |
| 896 | American Gods</h3> |
| 897 | |
| 898 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•••• </span> (6) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 899 | |
| 900 | <p>Entertaining, but the end was a bit much rushed.</p> |
| 901 | |
| 902 | |
| 903 | |
| 904 | |
| 905 | <h2><a name="sec43" id="sec43"></a> |
| 906 | John Taylor Gatto</h2> |
| 907 | |
| 908 | <p class="first">Former teacher and now author-activist.</p> |
| 909 | |
| 910 | <h3><a name="sec44" id="sec44"></a> |
| 911 | Underground History of American Education</h3> |
| 912 | |
| 913 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">• </span> (9) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 914 | |
| 915 | <p>An interesting <em>underground</em> history of the American education |
| 916 | system. Available |
| 917 | <a href="http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/underground/">online for free</a>.</p> |
| 918 | |
| 919 | |
| 920 | |
| 921 | |
| 922 | <h2><a name="sec45" id="sec45"></a> |
| 923 | Kahlil Gibran</h2> |
| 924 | |
| 925 | <p class="first">Kahlil Gibran is fairly interesting; his earlier works do not |
| 926 | agree with my æsthetic sense (blah blah), but <em>The Madman</em> onward are |
| 927 | all rather nice. A few of his works are |
| 928 | <a href="http://leb.net/~mira/">online</a>, but I recommend scouting used book |
| 929 | stores for old hardcover editions. The (late 90s onward at least) |
| 930 | <em>hardcover</em> versions from <em>Alfred A. Knopf</em> are in fact permabound |
| 931 | paperbacks with a hardcasing, and are of seriously inferior quality to |
| 932 | the editions from the 50s and 60s (and cost quite a bit more, |
| 933 | naturally).</p> |
| 934 | |
| 935 | <h3><a name="sec46" id="sec46"></a> |
| 936 | A Tear and a Smile</h3> |
| 937 | |
| 938 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••</span><span class="rating-bad">••••••• </span> (3) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 939 | |
| 940 | <p>One of Kahlil Gibran's earlier works, I did not much like <em>A |
| 941 | Tear and a Smile</em> excepting the last poem ("A Poet's Voice").</p> |
| 942 | |
| 943 | |
| 944 | |
| 945 | <h3><a name="sec47" id="sec47"></a> |
| 946 | The Prophet</h3> |
| 947 | |
| 948 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">• </span> (9) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 949 | |
| 950 | |
| 951 | |
| 952 | |
| 953 | |
| 954 | <h3><a name="sec48" id="sec48"></a> |
| 955 | Sand and Foam</h3> |
| 956 | |
| 957 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">••• </span> (7) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 958 | |
| 959 | <p>An interesting little book of aphorisms.</p> |
| 960 | |
| 961 | |
| 962 | |
| 963 | <h3><a name="sec49" id="sec49"></a> |
| 964 | The Madman</h3> |
| 965 | |
| 966 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•• </span> (8) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 967 | |
| 968 | |
| 969 | |
| 970 | |
| 971 | |
| 972 | |
| 973 | <h2><a name="sec50" id="sec50"></a> |
| 974 | Homer</h2> |
| 975 | |
| 976 | |
| 977 | |
| 978 | <h3><a name="sec51" id="sec51"></a> |
| 979 | The Odyssey</h3> |
| 980 | |
| 981 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 982 | |
| 983 | |
| 984 | |
| 985 | |
| 986 | |
| 987 | |
| 988 | <h2><a name="sec52" id="sec52"></a> |
| 989 | Aldous Huxley</h2> |
| 990 | |
| 991 | <p class="first">Perhaps the most overrated modern writer. Other people have written |
| 992 | everything he has to write better and many years before he got around |
| 993 | to it.</p> |
| 994 | |
| 995 | <h3><a name="sec53" id="sec53"></a> |
| 996 | The Doors of Perception</h3> |
| 997 | |
| 998 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> </span><span class="rating-bad">•••••••••• </span> (0) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 999 | |
| 1000 | <p>Huxley stains the name of Blake by naming this horrible |
| 1001 | pseudo-scientific and pseudo-poetic essay after a line from <em>The |
| 1002 | Marriage of Heaven and Hell</em>. Subjectivity and objectivity are |
| 1003 | incommensurable; his attempt and being subjectively objective is |
| 1004 | utterly worthless.</p> |
| 1005 | |
| 1006 | |
| 1007 | |
| 1008 | <h3><a name="sec54" id="sec54"></a> |
| 1009 | Heaven and Hell</h3> |
| 1010 | |
| 1011 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> </span><span class="rating-bad">•••••••••• </span> (0) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1012 | |
| 1013 | <p>Blah blah LSD blah blah Mushrooms blah blah Peyote blah blah I'm |
| 1014 | Aldous Huxley I'm a pretentious jerk. Don't bother.</p> |
| 1015 | |
| 1016 | |
| 1017 | |
| 1018 | <h3><a name="sec55" id="sec55"></a> |
| 1019 | Brave New World</h3> |
| 1020 | |
| 1021 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">••• </span> (7) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1022 | |
| 1023 | <p>A nice light read; the story is obvious and by the hundreth page |
| 1024 | the ending is clear, but it provided a bit of a break from heavier |
| 1025 | reading for me. I must say that anyone who has read <em>Brave New World</em> |
| 1026 | and does not despise modern society has the intellectual capacity of |
| 1027 | an <em>Epsilon</em>. <em>1984</em> is perhaps easily misread, but <em>Brave New World</em> |
| 1028 | is very clear with its message and is a bit like being smacked upside |
| 1029 | the head with a hammer.</p> |
| 1030 | |
| 1031 | |
| 1032 | |
| 1033 | |
| 1034 | <h2><a name="sec56" id="sec56"></a> |
| 1035 | William James</h2> |
| 1036 | |
| 1037 | |
| 1038 | |
| 1039 | <h3><a name="sec57" id="sec57"></a> |
| 1040 | The Varieties of Religious Experience</h3> |
| 1041 | |
| 1042 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">••• </span> (7) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1043 | |
| 1044 | <p><a href="William%20James%20-%20The%20Varieties%20of%20Religious%20Experience.html">A partially finished extended summary</a></p> |
| 1045 | |
| 1046 | |
| 1047 | |
| 1048 | <h3><a name="sec58" id="sec58"></a> |
| 1049 | The PhD Octopus</h3> |
| 1050 | |
| 1051 | <p><em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1052 | |
| 1053 | <blockquote> |
| 1054 | <p class="quoted"> |
| 1055 | America is thus as a nation rapidly drifting towards a state of things |
| 1056 | in which no man of science or letters will be accounted respectable |
| 1057 | unless some kind of badge or diploma is stamped upon him, and in which |
| 1058 | bare personality will be a mark of outcast estate. It seems to me high |
| 1059 | time to rouse ourselves to consciousness, and to cast a critical eye |
| 1060 | upon this decidedly grotesque tendency. Other nations suffer terribly |
| 1061 | from the Mandarin disease. Are we doomed to suffer like the rest?</p> |
| 1062 | |
| 1063 | </blockquote> |
| 1064 | |
| 1065 | <p><a href="William%20James%20-%20The%20PhD%20Octopus.html">Full Text</a></p> |
| 1066 | |
| 1067 | |
| 1068 | |
| 1069 | |
| 1070 | <h2><a name="sec59" id="sec59"></a> |
| 1071 | Henry James</h2> |
| 1072 | |
| 1073 | <p class="first">The novelist brother of William James; I've not read many (read: |
| 1074 | one) of his books, but what I did was decent.</p> |
| 1075 | |
| 1076 | <h3><a name="sec60" id="sec60"></a> |
| 1077 | The Altar of the Dead</h3> |
| 1078 | |
| 1079 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">••• </span> (7) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1080 | |
| 1081 | <p>A short novella about a man who maintained an altar in a church |
| 1082 | for all of his lost loved ones on the surface, but something a bit |
| 1083 | more beneath.</p> |
| 1084 | |
| 1085 | |
| 1086 | |
| 1087 | |
| 1088 | <h2><a name="sec61" id="sec61"></a> |
| 1089 | Gregor Kiczales</h2> |
| 1090 | |
| 1091 | |
| 1092 | |
| 1093 | <h3><a name="sec62" id="sec62"></a> |
| 1094 | The Art of the Metaobject Protocol</h3> |
| 1095 | |
| 1096 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1097 | |
| 1098 | <p>AMOP is useful as a reference to the CLOS MOP (although less so with |
| 1099 | the online MOP spec), but the true value of the book lies in the first |
| 1100 | half of the book. It presents the design of the CLOS MOP through a |
| 1101 | series of revisions that fix limitations of earlier implementations |
| 1102 | and gradually work toward a generic and well designed MOP for |
| 1103 | CLOS. Through that process one is made more aware of a few general |
| 1104 | object protocol design skills, and gains insight into how to cleanly |
| 1105 | make mapping decisions customizable.</p> |
| 1106 | |
| 1107 | |
| 1108 | |
| 1109 | |
| 1110 | <h2><a name="sec63" id="sec63"></a> |
| 1111 | Søren Kierkegaard</h2> |
| 1112 | |
| 1113 | <p class="first">Kierkegaard was a master of style and philosophy; his writing is |
| 1114 | interesting even if one finds the theistic extentialism espoused |
| 1115 | disagreeable.</p> |
| 1116 | |
| 1117 | <h3><a name="sec64" id="sec64"></a> |
| 1118 | Sickness Unto Death</h3> |
| 1119 | |
| 1120 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1121 | |
| 1122 | <p>I purchased this when I was looking through books at a store after |
| 1123 | being unable to find the book I really wanted, and I must say that it |
| 1124 | was better for me to have found this one.</p> |
| 1125 | |
| 1126 | <p>Contained within is a beautiful analysis of despair in the context of |
| 1127 | Christianity (really theism in general). Even if the argument offends, |
| 1128 | the presentation cannot. The dialectical nature of despair is |
| 1129 | reflected in every aspect of the work, and the method of presentation |
| 1130 | forces reflection.</p> |
| 1131 | |
| 1132 | |
| 1133 | |
| 1134 | <h3><a name="sec65" id="sec65"></a> |
| 1135 | Either/Or</h3> |
| 1136 | |
| 1137 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1138 | |
| 1139 | <p>Composed of two portions, <em>Either/Or</em> is a rather lengthy but |
| 1140 | rewarding read. The first book is a series of essays and a diary of a |
| 1141 | young esthetician; the second is a pair of long letters from an older |
| 1142 | ethicist friend to this esthetician. You are then left to resolve the |
| 1143 | conflict between the views.</p> |
| 1144 | |
| 1145 | |
| 1146 | |
| 1147 | <h3><a name="sec66" id="sec66"></a> |
| 1148 | Fear and Trembling</h3> |
| 1149 | |
| 1150 | <p><em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1151 | |
| 1152 | <p>An interesting dialectical lyric contrasting Despair and Faith.</p> |
| 1153 | |
| 1154 | |
| 1155 | |
| 1156 | <h3><a name="sec67" id="sec67"></a> |
| 1157 | Repetition</h3> |
| 1158 | |
| 1159 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1160 | |
| 1161 | <p>He who despairs of esthetic repetition gets none; he who despairs |
| 1162 | of ethical repetition receieves the esthetic. Is it true then that no |
| 1163 | repetition exists? Is transition all one can hope for?</p> |
| 1164 | |
| 1165 | |
| 1166 | |
| 1167 | <h3><a name="sec68" id="sec68"></a> |
| 1168 | The Concept of Anxiety</h3> |
| 1169 | |
| 1170 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">••• </span> (7) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1171 | |
| 1172 | <p>...Very clearly an early work of Kierkegaard. It is rather formal |
| 1173 | and difficult to get through. I'd recommend reading a lot of other |
| 1174 | Kierkegaard before this.</p> |
| 1175 | |
| 1176 | |
| 1177 | |
| 1178 | |
| 1179 | <h2><a name="sec69" id="sec69"></a> |
| 1180 | Alisa Kwitney</h2> |
| 1181 | |
| 1182 | |
| 1183 | |
| 1184 | <h3><a name="sec70" id="sec70"></a> |
| 1185 | Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold</h3> |
| 1186 | |
| 1187 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•• </span> (8) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1188 | |
| 1189 | |
| 1190 | |
| 1191 | |
| 1192 | |
| 1193 | |
| 1194 | <h2><a name="sec71" id="sec71"></a> |
| 1195 | David Lamkins</h2> |
| 1196 | |
| 1197 | |
| 1198 | |
| 1199 | <h3><a name="sec72" id="sec72"></a> |
| 1200 | Successful Lisp</h3> |
| 1201 | |
| 1202 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•• </span> (8) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1203 | |
| 1204 | <p>After learning Scheme, I read <em>Successful Lisp</em> and was able to |
| 1205 | pick up Common Lisp fairly easily.</p> |
| 1206 | |
| 1207 | |
| 1208 | |
| 1209 | |
| 1210 | <h2><a name="sec73" id="sec73"></a> |
| 1211 | Mencius</h2> |
| 1212 | |
| 1213 | |
| 1214 | |
| 1215 | <h3><a name="sec74" id="sec74"></a> |
| 1216 | Mencius</h3> |
| 1217 | |
| 1218 | <p><em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1219 | |
| 1220 | |
| 1221 | |
| 1222 | |
| 1223 | |
| 1224 | |
| 1225 | <h2><a name="sec75" id="sec75"></a> |
| 1226 | Walter Miller</h2> |
| 1227 | |
| 1228 | |
| 1229 | |
| 1230 | <h3><a name="sec76" id="sec76"></a> |
| 1231 | A Canticle for Leibowitz</h3> |
| 1232 | |
| 1233 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1234 | |
| 1235 | |
| 1236 | |
| 1237 | |
| 1238 | |
| 1239 | |
| 1240 | <h2><a name="sec77" id="sec77"></a> |
| 1241 | John Milton</h2> |
| 1242 | |
| 1243 | |
| 1244 | |
| 1245 | <h3><a name="sec78" id="sec78"></a> |
| 1246 | Paradise Lost</h3> |
| 1247 | |
| 1248 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1249 | |
| 1250 | |
| 1251 | |
| 1252 | |
| 1253 | |
| 1254 | |
| 1255 | <h2><a name="sec79" id="sec79"></a> |
| 1256 | Alan Moore</h2> |
| 1257 | |
| 1258 | |
| 1259 | |
| 1260 | <h3><a name="sec80" id="sec80"></a> |
| 1261 | Watchmen</h3> |
| 1262 | |
| 1263 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•• </span> (8) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1264 | |
| 1265 | |
| 1266 | |
| 1267 | |
| 1268 | |
| 1269 | <h3><a name="sec81" id="sec81"></a> |
| 1270 | V for Vendetta</h3> |
| 1271 | |
| 1272 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1273 | |
| 1274 | |
| 1275 | |
| 1276 | |
| 1277 | |
| 1278 | |
| 1279 | <h2><a name="sec82" id="sec82"></a> |
| 1280 | Thomas More</h2> |
| 1281 | |
| 1282 | |
| 1283 | |
| 1284 | <h3><a name="sec83" id="sec83"></a> |
| 1285 | Utopia</h3> |
| 1286 | |
| 1287 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">••• </span> (7) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1288 | |
| 1289 | <p>I read most of Utopia in high school with the TI-89 ebook reader, but |
| 1290 | the way the book was split up made it a bit difficult to grasp the |
| 1291 | overall structure. I found a copy at a used book store one day, and so |
| 1292 | I read it again, and found it much more comprehensible. It is a quick |
| 1293 | read, and decent piece of literature. The interesting social system |
| 1294 | espoused resembles resembles state communism (even if perhaps as a |
| 1295 | negative ideal), but with an strange blend of 14th century European |
| 1296 | social customs.</p> |
| 1297 | |
| 1298 | |
| 1299 | |
| 1300 | |
| 1301 | <h2><a name="sec84" id="sec84"></a> |
| 1302 | Friedrich Nietzsche</h2> |
| 1303 | |
| 1304 | <p class="first">A bit acerbic and esoteric, Nietzsche is for me a good <em>secular</em> |
| 1305 | counterpart to Kierkegaard's theistic philosophy. Nietzsche's |
| 1306 | polemical works raise important questions for anyone who reads works |
| 1307 | on ethics. As such it is a shame that he has gotten a bad reputation |
| 1308 | by being read by far too many angsty teenagers who see (and relay) |
| 1309 | only Nietzsche the asshole rather than Nietzsche the master of the |
| 1310 | polemic.</p> |
| 1311 | |
| 1312 | <h3><a name="sec85" id="sec85"></a> |
| 1313 | Thus Spoke Zarathustra</h3> |
| 1314 | |
| 1315 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•• </span> (8) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1316 | |
| 1317 | <p>A masterpiece of indirect communication depsite the occasional |
| 1318 | flaw and overly dramatic passage. Certainly a book worth reading many |
| 1319 | times over the course of one's life.</p> |
| 1320 | |
| 1321 | |
| 1322 | |
| 1323 | <h3><a name="sec86" id="sec86"></a> |
| 1324 | Beyond Good and Evil</h3> |
| 1325 | |
| 1326 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•• </span> (8) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1327 | |
| 1328 | <p>A somewhat more comprehensible, if a bit less aesthetically |
| 1329 | pleasing, presentation of much of the philosophy found in <em>Thus Spoke |
| 1330 | Zarathustra</em> in the negative form. The final chapters are very |
| 1331 | important (not to detract from the value of the rest of the work) if |
| 1332 | one wishes to understand <em>On the Genealogy of Morals</em>.</p> |
| 1333 | |
| 1334 | |
| 1335 | |
| 1336 | <h3><a name="sec87" id="sec87"></a> |
| 1337 | On the Geneaology of Morals</h3> |
| 1338 | |
| 1339 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">• </span> (9) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1340 | |
| 1341 | <p><em>On the Geneaology of Morals</em> is a wonderful book of three |
| 1342 | polemical essays on the origin of moral/ethical valuations, and the |
| 1343 | blindness of modern philosphers whose very thinking is tainted by |
| 1344 | these valuations unknowingly.</p> |
| 1345 | |
| 1346 | |
| 1347 | |
| 1348 | <h3><a name="sec88" id="sec88"></a> |
| 1349 | Ecce Homo</h3> |
| 1350 | |
| 1351 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">••• </span> (7) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1352 | |
| 1353 | <p><em>Ecce Homo</em> is Nietzsche's very strange autobiography and |
| 1354 | explanation of his own works. At points it is clear that it could have |
| 1355 | used a bit more editing (prevented by Nietzsche ... falling into a |
| 1356 | catatonic state and all), but is still a very useful book to read as |
| 1357 | Nietzsche explains the overall structure of his works.</p> |
| 1358 | |
| 1359 | |
| 1360 | |
| 1361 | |
| 1362 | <h2><a name="sec89" id="sec89"></a> |
| 1363 | George Orwell</h2> |
| 1364 | |
| 1365 | |
| 1366 | |
| 1367 | <h3><a name="sec90" id="sec90"></a> |
| 1368 | 1984</h3> |
| 1369 | |
| 1370 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1371 | |
| 1372 | |
| 1373 | |
| 1374 | |
| 1375 | |
| 1376 | <h3><a name="sec91" id="sec91"></a> |
| 1377 | Animal Farm</h3> |
| 1378 | |
| 1379 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1380 | |
| 1381 | |
| 1382 | |
| 1383 | |
| 1384 | |
| 1385 | |
| 1386 | <h2><a name="sec92" id="sec92"></a> |
| 1387 | Plato</h2> |
| 1388 | |
| 1389 | |
| 1390 | |
| 1391 | <h3><a name="sec93" id="sec93"></a> |
| 1392 | Symposium</h3> |
| 1393 | |
| 1394 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1395 | |
| 1396 | |
| 1397 | |
| 1398 | |
| 1399 | |
| 1400 | <h3><a name="sec94" id="sec94"></a> |
| 1401 | Euthyphro</h3> |
| 1402 | |
| 1403 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1404 | |
| 1405 | |
| 1406 | |
| 1407 | |
| 1408 | |
| 1409 | <h3><a name="sec95" id="sec95"></a> |
| 1410 | Apology</h3> |
| 1411 | |
| 1412 | <p><em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1413 | |
| 1414 | |
| 1415 | |
| 1416 | |
| 1417 | |
| 1418 | <h3><a name="sec96" id="sec96"></a> |
| 1419 | Crito</h3> |
| 1420 | |
| 1421 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1422 | |
| 1423 | |
| 1424 | |
| 1425 | |
| 1426 | |
| 1427 | <h3><a name="sec97" id="sec97"></a> |
| 1428 | Phaedo</h3> |
| 1429 | |
| 1430 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1431 | |
| 1432 | |
| 1433 | |
| 1434 | |
| 1435 | |
| 1436 | <h3><a name="sec98" id="sec98"></a> |
| 1437 | Protagoras</h3> |
| 1438 | |
| 1439 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1440 | |
| 1441 | |
| 1442 | |
| 1443 | |
| 1444 | |
| 1445 | |
| 1446 | <h2><a name="sec99" id="sec99"></a> |
| 1447 | Edgar Allan Poe</h2> |
| 1448 | |
| 1449 | <p class="first">ULTRAGOTHIK</p> |
| 1450 | |
| 1451 | <h3><a name="sec100" id="sec100"></a> |
| 1452 | Tales of Mystery and Suspense</h3> |
| 1453 | |
| 1454 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•••• </span> (6) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1455 | |
| 1456 | <p>This is when I learned that I still don't really like late 1800s |
| 1457 | American literature all that much. Some of the tales were worth |
| 1458 | reading, but most of it was not in a style I like all that much.</p> |
| 1459 | |
| 1460 | |
| 1461 | |
| 1462 | |
| 1463 | <h2><a name="sec101" id="sec101"></a> |
| 1464 | Luke Rhinehardt</h2> |
| 1465 | |
| 1466 | |
| 1467 | |
| 1468 | <h3><a name="sec102" id="sec102"></a> |
| 1469 | The Dice Man</h3> |
| 1470 | |
| 1471 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">••• </span> (7) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1472 | |
| 1473 | <blockquote> |
| 1474 | <p class="quoted"> |
| 1475 | And it's his illusions about what |
| 1476 | constitutes the real world which are |
| 1477 | inhibiting him... |
| 1478 | His reality, his reason, his society |
| 1479 | ...these are what must be destroyed</p> |
| 1480 | |
| 1481 | </blockquote> |
| 1482 | |
| 1483 | <p>A quotation from one of my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaughter_of_the_Soul">favorite metal songs</a> inspired me to grab |
| 1484 | this book; at worst it would be a waste of time. Much reward was found |
| 1485 | in this random stab in the dark. The book is framed as an |
| 1486 | autobiography of the author as a psychoanalyst, and his progression |
| 1487 | through life as a Dice Man after deciding to live his life through |
| 1488 | random chance.</p> |
| 1489 | |
| 1490 | <p>The style, plot, and content are equally neurotic; part comedy, part |
| 1491 | attack on psychoanalysis, and part deep philosophy. It was often |
| 1492 | difficult to put down, and was read in under a week of spare time.</p> |
| 1493 | |
| 1494 | |
| 1495 | |
| 1496 | |
| 1497 | <h2><a name="sec103" id="sec103"></a> |
| 1498 | Neal Stephenson</h2> |
| 1499 | |
| 1500 | |
| 1501 | |
| 1502 | <h3><a name="sec104" id="sec104"></a> |
| 1503 | Snow Crash</h3> |
| 1504 | |
| 1505 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">• </span> (9) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1506 | |
| 1507 | <p>As one must read the <em>Bible</em> to understand English literature, so one |
| 1508 | must read <em>Snow Crash</em> today to be a nerd. In the realm of modern pop |
| 1509 | fiction this is one of the better books I've read; it was devoured in |
| 1510 | a mere four nights. Neal Stepheson may not be Milton, but he does come |
| 1511 | up with enganging tales. <em>Snow Crash</em> has a nice undertone of (quite |
| 1512 | accurate) political and social commentary that makes it worth reading |
| 1513 | as more than mere cyberpunk fiction.</p> |
| 1514 | |
| 1515 | |
| 1516 | |
| 1517 | <h3><a name="sec105" id="sec105"></a> |
| 1518 | Cryptonomicon</h3> |
| 1519 | |
| 1520 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">•• </span> (8) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1521 | |
| 1522 | <p>I read <em>Cryptonomicon</em> when it was new, and at the time I thought it was |
| 1523 | good. It could have lost a hundred or so pages without detracting from |
| 1524 | the plot, but it was easy reading and didn't take very long to |
| 1525 | finish. The story was enganging, and the continual switching between |
| 1526 | the 1940s and present day slowly unravelled the tale in a nice way.</p> |
| 1527 | |
| 1528 | <p>I'd still have to recommend <em>Snow Crash</em> if one wished to read only one |
| 1529 | Stephenson novel.</p> |
| 1530 | |
| 1531 | |
| 1532 | |
| 1533 | |
| 1534 | <h2><a name="sec106" id="sec106"></a> |
| 1535 | Bjarne Stroustrup</h2> |
| 1536 | |
| 1537 | |
| 1538 | |
| 1539 | <h3><a name="sec107" id="sec107"></a> |
| 1540 | The C++ Programming Language (3rd edition)</h3> |
| 1541 | |
| 1542 | <p><em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1543 | |
| 1544 | <p>Once upon a time I was fifteen and I read this book. It was more |
| 1545 | or less what taught me how to write programs just large enough to do |
| 1546 | useful things, and so shall forever be remembered by me. A year and a |
| 1547 | half later I stumbled upon a little language called Scheme and fell |
| 1548 | down the rabbit hole.</p> |
| 1549 | |
| 1550 | |
| 1551 | |
| 1552 | |
| 1553 | <h2><a name="sec108" id="sec108"></a> |
| 1554 | JRR Tolkien</h2> |
| 1555 | |
| 1556 | |
| 1557 | |
| 1558 | <h3><a name="sec109" id="sec109"></a> |
| 1559 | The Lord of the Rings</h3> |
| 1560 | |
| 1561 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">• </span> (9) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1562 | |
| 1563 | |
| 1564 | |
| 1565 | |
| 1566 | |
| 1567 | <h3><a name="sec110" id="sec110"></a> |
| 1568 | The Silmarillion</h3> |
| 1569 | |
| 1570 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1571 | |
| 1572 | |
| 1573 | |
| 1574 | |
| 1575 | |
| 1576 | <h3><a name="sec111" id="sec111"></a> |
| 1577 | The Lost Tales</h3> |
| 1578 | |
| 1579 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">••• </span> (7) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1580 | |
| 1581 | |
| 1582 | |
| 1583 | |
| 1584 | |
| 1585 | |
| 1586 | <h2><a name="sec112" id="sec112"></a> |
| 1587 | Kurt Vonnegut</h2> |
| 1588 | |
| 1589 | |
| 1590 | |
| 1591 | <h3><a name="sec113" id="sec113"></a> |
| 1592 | Cat's Cradle</h3> |
| 1593 | |
| 1594 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">• </span> (9) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1595 | |
| 1596 | <p>There are few books that I have started to read before sleeping |
| 1597 | and found myself watching the sun rise after finishing. <em>Cat's Cradle</em> |
| 1598 | is definitely required nerd reading.</p> |
| 1599 | |
| 1600 | |
| 1601 | |
| 1602 | |
| 1603 | <h2><a name="sec114" id="sec114"></a> |
| 1604 | H.G. Wells</h2> |
| 1605 | |
| 1606 | |
| 1607 | |
| 1608 | <h3><a name="sec115" id="sec115"></a> |
| 1609 | The Island of Dr Moreau</h3> |
| 1610 | |
| 1611 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> •••••••</span><span class="rating-bad">••• </span> (7) / <em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1612 | |
| 1613 | |
| 1614 | |
| 1615 | |
| 1616 | |
| 1617 | |
| 1618 | <h2><a name="sec116" id="sec116"></a> |
| 1619 | Robert Anton Wilson</h2> |
| 1620 | |
| 1621 | <p class="first">Or rather, Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea (but my book script |
| 1622 | updating thing doesn't do multiple authors</p> |
| 1623 | |
| 1624 | <h3><a name="sec117" id="sec117"></a> |
| 1625 | The Illuminatus! Trilogy</h3> |
| 1626 | |
| 1627 | <p><em>Rating:</em> <span class="rating-good"> ••••••••••</span><span class="rating-bad"> </span> (10) / <em>Nonfiction</em></p> |
| 1628 | |
| 1629 | <p>e-cash MP5K-SD Adriatic Bellcore Lon Horiuchi 9705 Samford Road |
| 1630 | jihad New World Order AVN FTS2000 ANZUS subversive SAPO PET Armani</p> |
| 1631 | |
| 1632 | |
| 1633 | |
| 1634 | |
| 1635 | <h2><a name="sec118" id="sec118"></a> |
| 1636 | Yevgeny Zamyatin</h2> |
| 1637 | |
| 1638 | |
| 1639 | |
| 1640 | <h3><a name="sec119" id="sec119"></a> |
| 1641 | We</h3> |
| 1642 | |
| 1643 | <p><em>Fiction</em></p> |
| 1644 | |
| 1645 | |
| 1646 | |
| 1647 | <!-- Page published by Emacs Muse ends here --> |
| 1648 | |
| 1649 | <p class="cke-buttons"> |
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| 1671 | </p> |
| 1672 | |
| 1673 | <p class="cke-footer">I'm just thinking aloud; isn't thinking allowed? |
| 1674 | </p> |
| 1675 | <p class="cke-timestamp">Last Modified: |
| 1676 | November 5, 2010</p> |
| 1677 | </body> |
| 1678 | </html> |