Steven Pinker, a professor in the cognitive science department at MIT, is best known for his theories of language acquisition, as described in his book The Language Instinct. In this book, he takes a swing at the larger problem of how the mind works. His thesis, in his words: “The mind is a system of […]
Finity, by John Barnes
I’ve read several other books by John Barnes, and have enjoyed them, so I picked this one up from the library. It’s got a very odd premise, and is very confusing, even after he starts to explain what’s going on. I’m not sure I particularly liked it. But the premise is interesting, so I’ll roll […]
The Cheese Monkeys, by Chip Kidd
Subtitled “A Novel in Two Semesters”, this book tells the story of a freshman arriving at college in 1958 with no real idea of what he wants to do, and his introduction to the world of art. Chip Kidd is apparently a graphic designer of some renown (according to one cover blurb, “Chip Kidd altered […]
Girls’ Poker Night, by Jill Davis
I saw this book at Borders one evening on my walk through San Francisco. Since I’ve been getting into poker recently, the title intrigued me. I read the first 10 pages or so in the store, and I really liked the tone of the writing. A wry edge to some humorous observations. But I wasn’t […]
Managing in a time of great change, by Peter F. Drucker
Drucker is generally considered to be the foremost expert on the art and science of management, and he was heavily cited as the primary influence on the authors of What Management Is, which I liked, so I figured it was time to see what he had to say. This was a collection of essays published […]
Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.
Evanovich’s site I started reading these recently on a friend’s recommendation, and have really enjoyed them. Most of the books include several moments which are laugh out loud funny as Stephanie Plum pursues her chosen career as a bounty hunter. The cast of characters that populate her New Jersey town are at once wackily eccentric […]
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels
After rediscovering the library recently, I took the opportunity to read several of the Pratchett Discworld novels that I had never gotten around to. My personal collection petered out at Feet of Clay (book 15 or so), and I’d lost track of the ones since then. The library had several of the more recent ones, […]
The Little Country, by Charles de Lint
After reading Memory and Dream from the library, I was reminded of the interesting worlds that de Lint constructs, so I picked this up on my next visit. Not much to say – magic is real, faeries are real, you choose what kind of world you live in, etc. Eh.
Neural Computing: An Introduction, by R. Beale and T. Jackson
I borrowed this from a friend when it looked like I might be trying to do something with neural networks at work. It’s a nice little summary of the basic neural network algorithms, with derivations of the equations and things like that. Useful for a quick overview, which was what I wanted, so that worked […]
Shopgirl, by Steve Martin
Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) wrote this little novella about a shopgirl in Los Angeles and her affair with a successful older businessman. In some ways, it’s a more meditative and thoughtful version of his movie, LA Story, focusing more on the isolation and desperation of those who came seeking their fortune in LA […]
