Learning to Read.

Learning to Read.http://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/A New Year's resolution .. To read more fiction. Over the years I have read less, I have filled my time reading so much non-fiction, reading for work. Reading for fun & relaxation has almost completely disappeared. My aim is to read, at least, 30 fiction books before Christmas 2006. I will make entries here to record my progress. I want to know what I have read, when, why I haven't read, what I thought at the time. Please feel free to leave a comment, or recommendation. en-EUhourly82000-01-01T12:00+00:00Learning to Read.http://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/df/eceb8f6f7c0c545e7987a7593acd65_160x200.jpg#3 - The People's Act of Lovehttp://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/03/13/3_the_people_s_act_of_love~640932/2006-03-13T22:56:35+01:00 <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=417449"><img src="http://data1.blog.de/media/449/417449_cdbaa1359a_s.jpeg" align="left" alt="James Meek - The Peoples Act of Love" vspace="5" hspace="5"></a> Title The People's Act of Love Author James Meek Publisher Cannongate Year 2005 ISBN 1-84195-706-1 Genre Fiction Started 5th March 2006 Finished 8th March 2006 Rating ■■■■■■■■■□ (9/10) Back Cover 1919, Siberia. Deep in the unforgiving landscape a town lies under military rule, awaiting the remoreless assault of Bolsheviks along the Trans-Siberian railway. Then Samarin arrives. Appearing from the woods with a tale of escape from an Artic prison, he says he is being chased by a cannibal. Anna, a beautiful young widow, feels somwthing for the new arrival. Then the local shaman is found dead and suspicion and terror engulf the little town ... My Review This is normally not my sort of book. I was in a mood to read something different & this was recommended to me, so I started..... and then I couldn't stop. At times it was more than the, very good, story that kept me reading. It was the wonderful descriptions, the way the story was told, the use of words. I normally don't like books that describe all the detail, leaving nothing for my own imagination. But this book was different, the description & situation was so perfectly detailed that my imagination was forced into being there!! feeling the cold, the shivers... at times I really was part of the story. I really liked this book & would recommend it to anyone.. My German girlfriend started to read the book after me, but the use of English language was too rich for her!! I noticed it is available in 20 languages, we will get the German version & see how well it has been translated.. <a href="http://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/03/13/3_the_people_s_act_of_love~640932/#comments">Comments</a>

Title The People's Act of Love Author James Meek Publisher Cannongate Year 2005 ISBN 1-84195-706-1 Genre Fiction Started 5th March 2006 Finished 8th March 2006 Rating ■■■■■■■■■□ (9/10)

Back Cover

1919, Siberia. Deep in the unforgiving landscape a town lies under military rule, awaiting the remoreless assault of Bolsheviks along the Trans-Siberian railway. Then Samarin arrives. Appearing from the woods with a tale of escape from an Artic prison, he says he is being chased by a cannibal. Anna, a beautiful young widow, feels somwthing for the new arrival. Then the local shaman is found dead and suspicion and terror engulf the little town ...

My Review

This is normally not my sort of book. I was in a mood to read something different & this was recommended to me, so I started..... and then I couldn't stop. At times it was more than the, very good, story that kept me reading. It was the wonderful descriptions, the way the story was told, the use of words. I normally don't like books that describe all the detail, leaving nothing for my own imagination. But this book was different, the description & situation was so perfectly detailed that my imagination was forced into being there!! feeling the cold, the shivers... at times I really was part of the story.

I really liked this book & would recommend it to anyone.. My German girlfriend started to read the book after me, but the use of English language was too rich for her!! I noticed it is available in 20 languages, we will get the German version & see how well it has been translated..

Comments

]]>The Peoples Act of Lovehttp://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/03/06/the_peoples_act_of_love~616200/2006-03-06T01:47:41+01:00 On the good word of <a href="http://crockattpowell.blog.co.uk/">Crockatt & Powell</a> I have purchased this book. I started to read it on the flight home & suspect the book people know what their talking about & could be right. Let's see how this one develops? <a href="http://crockattpowell.blog.co.uk/2006/03/01/i_mean_how_many_friends_can_you_have~602901">http://crockattpowell.blog.co.uk/2006/03/01/i_mean_how_many_friends_can_you_have~602901</a> <a href="http://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/03/06/the_peoples_act_of_love~616200/#comments">Comments</a> On the good word of Crockatt & Powell I have purchased this book. I started to read it on the flight home & suspect the book people know what their talking about & could be right.

Let's see how this one develops?

http://crockattpowell.blog.co.uk/2006/03/01/i_mean_how_many_friends_can_you_have~602901

Comments

]]>#2 - Einstein's Bridgehttp://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/03/02/2_einstein_s_bridge~602137/2006-03-02T18:20:00+01:00 <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=392656"><img src="http://data1.blog.de/media/656/392656_cae1f70b66_m.jpeg" align="left" alt="John Cramer - Einstein" vspace="5" hspace="5"></a> Title Einstein's Bridge Author John Cramer Publisher Avon Books Year 1997 ISBN 0-380-79279-6 Genre Hard Science Fiction Started 28th Feb 2006 Finished 2nd March 2006 Rating ■■■■■□□□□□ (5/10) Back Cover In a newborn twenty-first century, tunnels through space-time have connected our planet with hitherto unimagined alternate universes. The genius minds working at the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) project - a fifty-three-mile-long underground particle accelerator - George Griffin and Roger Coulton have realised their greatest dream, and novelist Alice Lancaster is there to witness their triumph. Reaching out into the vast cosmos, Griffin and Coulton have finally made contact. But with whom? Or rather...with what? For their message has been received by an ancient hostile entity that combs the many universes searching for knowledge and life to absorb and annihilate. And now the entity has locked onto a faint, persisiting signal emanating from a distant, uncommonly fertile feeding ground...called Earth. My Review This is a Hard-SF book. Lots of accurate details about particle accelerators, physics, genetic modifications. The first half of the Book is an exciting journey between Europe & America on the trail of a Scientific breakthrough. It has some romance, some good character development, action... then .. we reach the middle of the book where the Author (Who is a real scientist) launches into too much politics. We get patronising dialogue about how the American government stops the project.. As a non-american the details of this committee, that group.. blah blah blah are lost on me (& really not interesting to the story). The underlining story is really good, the end works.. But the political drivel in the middle spoils it for me... If the author didn't have his only political opinions that he 'forced' into the story, the book could have been 10/10... <a href="http://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/03/02/2_einstein_s_bridge~602137/#comments">Comments</a>

Title Einstein's Bridge Author John Cramer Publisher Avon Books Year 1997 ISBN 0-380-79279-6 Genre Hard Science Fiction Started 28th Feb 2006 Finished 2nd March 2006 Rating ■■■■■□□□□□ (5/10)

Back Cover

In a newborn twenty-first century, tunnels through space-time have connected our planet with hitherto unimagined alternate universes. The genius minds working at the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) project - a fifty-three-mile-long underground particle accelerator - George Griffin and Roger Coulton have realised their greatest dream, and novelist Alice Lancaster is there to witness their triumph. Reaching out into the vast cosmos, Griffin and Coulton have finally made contact. But with whom? Or rather...with what? For their message has been received by an ancient hostile entity that combs the many universes searching for knowledge and life to absorb and annihilate. And now the entity has locked onto a faint, persisiting signal emanating from a distant, uncommonly fertile feeding ground...called Earth.

My Review

This is a Hard-SF book. Lots of accurate details about particle accelerators, physics, genetic modifications. The first half of the Book is an exciting journey between Europe & America on the trail of a Scientific breakthrough. It has some romance, some good character development, action... then .. we reach the middle of the book where the Author (Who is a real scientist) launches into too much politics. We get patronising dialogue about how the American government stops the project.. As a non-american the details of this committee, that group.. blah blah blah are lost on me (& really not interesting to the story). The underlining story is really good, the end works.. But the political drivel in the middle spoils it for me... If the author didn't have his only political opinions that he 'forced' into the story, the book could have been 10/10...

Comments

]]>#1 - Going Postalhttp://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/02/28/1_going_postal~599105/2006-02-28T23:35:49+01:00 <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=389119"><img src="http://data1.blog.de/media/119/389119_5b910e30b8_s.jpeg" align="left" alt="Terry Pratchett - Going Postal" vspace="5" hspace="5"></a> Title Going Postal Author Terry Pratchett Publisher Corgi Books Year 2004 ISBN 0 552 14943 8 Genre Fantasy/Comedy Started 23rd Feb 2006 Finished 28th Feb 2006 Rating ■■■■■■■■■□ (9/10) Back Cover Moist von Lipwig is a con artist... ...and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork's ailing postal service back on its feet. It's tough decision But he's got to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Workers' Friendly and Benevolent Society, the evil chairman of the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer. Getting a date with Adora Dearheart would be nice, too. My Review This is Terry Pratchett's 29th Discworld novel. Like all his books, most of the humour is in the connection to present day situations & problems. It is the story of bringing a dead Postal service back to life in the face of competition from 'modern' technology. Here we have a story about Linux, GNU, Hackers, Viruses, Internet, email, Encryption, Microsoft, etc etc but not one single of these words is used. It so clever how the similarities can be seen. I can recommend any of Terry Pratchett's Discworld Novels, this one I especially enjoyed. I haven't read a Discworld Novel for many, many years so initially I wasn't sure if my enjoyment would come from a feeling of nostalgia, but I was quickly over this as I was pulled into the story. On more than one occasion, I found myself 'laughing out loud' on an underground carriage full of strangers. Very embarrassing.... <a href="http://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/02/28/1_going_postal~599105/#comments">Comments</a>

Title Going Postal Author Terry Pratchett Publisher Corgi Books Year 2004 ISBN 0 552 14943 8 Genre Fantasy/Comedy Started 23rd Feb 2006 Finished 28th Feb 2006 Rating ■■■■■■■■■□ (9/10)

Back Cover

Moist von Lipwig is a con artist...

...and a fraud and a man faced with a life choice: be hanged, or put Ankh-Morpork's ailing postal service back on its feet.

It's tough decision

But he's got to see that the mail gets through, come rain, hail, sleet, dogs, the Post Office Workers' Friendly and Benevolent Society, the evil chairman of the Grand Trunk Semaphore Company, and a midnight killer.

Getting a date with Adora Dearheart would be nice, too.

My Review

This is Terry Pratchett's 29th Discworld novel.

Like all his books, most of the humour is in the connection to present day situations & problems. It is the story of bringing a dead Postal service back to life in the face of competition from 'modern' technology.

Here we have a story about Linux, GNU, Hackers, Viruses, Internet, email, Encryption, Microsoft, etc etc but not one single of these words is used. It so clever how the similarities can be seen.

I can recommend any of Terry Pratchett's Discworld Novels, this one I especially enjoyed. I haven't read a Discworld Novel for many, many years so initially I wasn't sure if my enjoyment would come from a feeling of nostalgia, but I was quickly over this as I was pulled into the story.

On more than one occasion, I found myself 'laughing out loud' on an underground carriage full of strangers. Very embarrassing....

Comments

]]>Almost done...http://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/02/27/almost_done~599113/2006-02-27T23:38:48+01:00 I am close to finishing the first book. I will have an entry tomorrow (or late tonight). I'm going to bed NOW, to READ... <a href="http://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/02/27/almost_done~599113/#comments">Comments</a> I am close to finishing the first book. I will have an entry tomorrow (or late tonight).

I'm going to bed NOW, to READ...

Comments

]]>What a fantastic start..http://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/02/22/what_a_fantastic_start~599098/2006-02-22T22:00:00+01:00 I've been so busy... It's getting towards the end of February & I haven't made a start on the Fiction, so much for the resolution!! Sure I've been reading; I've just finished a Book on XHTML, I'm part through a book on mySQL & PHP, I'm also read yet another on C# & .NET. This is NOT what I had planned.. So here is an official 'kick up the backside'... Get reading Geek!! <a href="http://uselessbooks.blog.co.uk/2006/02/22/what_a_fantastic_start~599098/#comments">Comments</a> I've been so busy...

It's getting towards the end of February & I haven't made a start on the Fiction, so much for the resolution!!

Sure I've been reading; I've just finished a Book on XHTML, I'm part through a book on mySQL & PHP, I'm also read yet another on C# & .NET.

This is NOT what I had planned.. So here is an official 'kick up the backside'...

Get reading Geek!!

Comments

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