2016 reading list

Following on from 2014 and 2015 reading lists…

• A Taste For Death - PD James
  • Started in 2015, finished in 2016. It was ok in the end but I don’t think I’ll go back to PD James, I need more pace in a story.
• The Lean Startup - Eric Ries
  • I’d heard some of the advice in this book already. But it’s good to get some context, reasoning and stories explaining why the advice is so important.
• Following on from the success of The Shed last year I thought I’d try a few others. The Husband, The Wife, The Midlife Crisis - Jason Hazeley, Joel Morris and We Go to the Gallery - Miriam Ella
  • Unfortunately, although they’re amusing enough, they’re not a patch on The Shed… IMHO your money’s better spent elsewhere.
• The Shed also led to me reading The Shed Book - Gordon Thorburn, Gordon Jones
  • It’s reasonable bed-time reading: shed usage is tremendously varied. But it’s not what I’d classify as a must-read…
• Dead Simple - Peter James
  • After the success of You Are Dead I thought I’d get the first in the series. Another excellent read. Book #2 already ordered. In fact books 3, 4 and 5 have also been ordered as, whilst writing this blog, I noticed Amazon had a 3-for-£10 offer that expires at the end of January 2016 (which is tomorrow - I write this blog throughout the year) so I thought I may as well take advantage and save the princely sum of two quid. The things we do…
• Looking Good Dead - Peter James
  • The second in the Roy Grace series. Finished it within a week. I think that tells you all you need to know. Whether it’s about the book or me is up for debate. I find them addictive
• Not Dead Enough - Peter James
  • The third in the series. Unfortunately a fairly obvious plot with the mildest of twists. Still, finished in under a week, very enjoyable.
• Dead Man’s Footsteps - Peter James
  • The fourth. Just as addictive and, fortunately, not as predictable as the last. Hmm. There are a dozen books in the Roy Grace series (well, there will be from May). At a book per week that’ll take out about one quarter of the year’s reading. I can live with that Especially now I see Amazon have extended their three for £10 offer until end March. I wonder if it’s one of those permanent promotion things going on … like you tend to see at carpetright or DFS … who’s ever paid full price for their stuff I wonder?
• Dead Tomorrow - Peter James
  • Fairly predictable story about organ trafficking but I find the pace in these stories means I just can’t stop. It’s like an addiction
• Dead Like You - Peter James
  • Kept me guessing until at least half way through the book with some credible villain candidates but my suspicions were cemented around two thirds of the way through and confirmed at the end. Why do I still enjoy predictable books I wonder? Perhaps because I enjoy being right
• Dead Man’s Grip - Peter James
  • No guessing here, pretty obvious what would happen all the way through if you read the back cover…
• Not Dead Yet - Peter James
  • A little less predictable with a reasonable twist.
• Dead Man’s Time - Peter James
  • An entertaining read and, unusually, keeps the tension going throughout the book with a twist I hadn’t seen coming for once at the end. Keeps the series’ consistent threads going too. Possibly my favourite yet.
• Want You Dead - Peter James
  • Peter James just gets better and better. Although it made me wonder about its authenticity at times it’s another great read.
• You Are Dead - Peter James
  • No, of course I didn’t read it again … but this is where it belongs if you’re going to read them in the proper order. And you should - I knew certain things were going to happen by this book. Or thought I knew, clearly my memory is even worse than it used to be!
• I Think You’ll Find It’s a Bit More Complicated Than That - Ben Goldacre
  • Once again scientific journalists are torn a new one by the author. As are apparently scientific professors. Terrific work and although the first half can be a little dry, the second half … well, isn’t. Makes you question everything you read. This is a very good thing IMHO - too many people worry about stuff they’re fed by the media who, it seems, often (deliberately or otherwise) misinterpret research to create a good story. No outlet is immune to this. If you only read one book as a result of this blog, make it this one.
• Bad Pharma - Ben Goldacre
  • Actually, no, if you only read one book as a result of this blog, make it this one. Perhaps I was stupendously naive about the (legal) drugs available these days. Think the newest drug is better than the old one? Think again. In some cases they’re basically the same just more expensive. In others, they’re worse. And still more expensive. Read it. Now.
• How To Fly A Horse - Kevin Ashton
  • A little slow at first but an interesting read about creativity - basically saying anyone can be creative, it takes hard work not flashes of inspiration which give you all the answers.
• The Greatest Trade Ever - Gregory Zuckerman
  • How one man made $20bn.
• Love You Dead - Peter James
  • A slightly frustrating wait for this one as it didn’t come out until May 2016… but a cracking read.
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz
  • It sounds like a dull book about startups. It really isn’t dull.
• Irrationality: The enemy within - Stuart Sutherland
  • Paused to read a couple of other books…
• Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
  • Wow. A stand-out book. The best sci-fi I’ve read this year. Though, I grant you, it’s also the only sci-fi I’ve read this year. So let’s upgrade it: possibly the best sci-fi I’ve ever read. A highly enjoyable romp through cyberspace with multiple 80’s references, obscure and otherwise, ideal for someone of my vintage. Maybe helped by me reading it just after my Rift turned up. Dunno. Excellent though. Even if you don’t normally like sci-fi, if you grew up in the 70’s & 80’s, read this book. Joyfully I hear it’s being made into a film.
• Neuromancer - William Gibson
  • After the success of RPO I thought I’d read the grandaddy of the cyberspace genre. Especially when serendipity led me to a second hand book store at a National Trust house and it was just sitting there on a shelf. A sign, surely This may be sacrilege but I came away disappointed: the story’s not as coherent nor engaging as RPO. Or perhaps I just prefer something simple to follow…
• Armada - Ernest Cline
  • The relative failure of Neuromancer made me return to Ernest Cline despite poor reviews for his only other book. A salutory tale: reviews aren’t always relevant to me and my tastes. I really enjoyed this book. A slow start but it picks up around page 100 and doesn’t let up. Not as good as RPO, and predictable at times, but well worth a read.
• The Phoenix Project - Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford
  • An entertaining enough canter through IT practises and where they go wrong, and can go right, masquerading as a story. Worth a read if you want to look behind the curtain at the IT sausage factory.
• The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein
  • Randomly picked up because my in-laws were moving house and having a clear out. I’m glad I did - it’s the first Heinlein I’ve read but I doubt it’ll be the last. All the more enticing because it was written before I was born yet paints a picture of computing power we haven’t yet seen … but probably will.
• The Cursed Child - J.K.Rowling
  • Yes, I’m a Harry Potter fan. No, I wasn’t going to bother. But then we were passing a book shop and my youngest really wanted it. I’m always up for buying a book so it was soon purchased. And dispensed with in a single day - a little in the morning, polished off in the evening. Scripts indeed take much less time to read than a traditional novel. A reasonable story worth the time to read although clearly more expensive on a per-word / per-minute basis than any of the preceding books (especially when paying the £4 high street premium vs Amazon). Don’t bother if you’re not a fan or haven’t read the previous seven books though … this could be a case of the film being better than the book. What? You think there won’t be a film? I can’t imagine any studio passing up that money-spinner
• Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • Bought on a whim in Waterstones. Turned out to be a good find, not as fast paced as most of the books I read but imaginative and spans a serious time period whilst maintaining coherence. Enjoyable enough but doesn’t make me want to search out the rest of his books. Doesn’t put me off either…
• Moriarty - Anthony Horowitz
  • I think someone bought this for me as a present. Birthday or Christmas, I can’t recall. And it’s languished in my to read pile for ages. Finally got around to picking it up and reading it. What can I say? Excellent. It’s as if Doyle had written it himself. If you’re a fan of Holmes, you need to read this book.
• Rendezvous With Rama - Arthur C. Clarke.
  • The first book I’ve read from this sci-fi legend.

The Switch

At this point with an upcoming holiday I thought it’s finally time to try a Kindle. The kids have been pushing for their own for months but the real pressure is that we’re running out of space for real books… I settled on a Paperwhite without ads and an official cover.

So what are my first impressions?

• Nice piece of kit and I love the ability to read in the dark (clip-on lights have never worked well for me). The cover holds it well.
• Fantastic to be able to get books without leaving the comfort of a cosy bed.
• The screen refresh is less distracting than I’d feared when reading an e-book. But it’s very obvious when you’re trying to navigate menus and the like. A necessary evil for now, I guess e-inks will improve to the point where this is a non-issue (cue purchase of updated kindle!) … but we’re not there yet.
• Smaller than a real book. Not sure it matters but I sometimes feel I’m not as immersed in a story and wonder if that’s why.
• Lighter than many real books; not a big problem for the most part but I can see it occasionally being a plus.
• Kindle for Kids works really well - I buy a book then put it into their library. Their kindle is locked down (with a password) so they can’t access anything else (but you can get back to non-kids functionality if an adult wants to borrow it). Yes … we bought kindles for the kids too #indulgent #early_christmas_present
• I can’t quite get comfortable. I want to hold it in my right hand most of the time as I press the right-hand side of the screen to turn the page. But…
  • Do I have the cover hinged back flat? That means holding something with an obvious step … and a relatively sharp metal bit (the magnet that holds it closed and switches it on/off)?
  • Do I have the cover flapping loose? A bit distracting if I’m honest.
  • Do I have the cover hinged back not quite flat with a finger between kindle and front cover? Well, it’s different. But it’s not better.
  • Should I have the cover at 180 degrees and hold with both hands? Doesn’t work on the tube (where I need to hang on) and, frankly, looks a bit silly.
  • I can’t hold the left-hand side of the cover only, as you might with a real book once you’re a few pages in, because it’s not strong enough (obviously) to hold the screen up. Besides I reckon that’d also look silly. And doesn’t help to turn pages.
• If I look at the kindle screen (light off) and a book side by side the book is way easier to read. The (real) paper is whiter so the contrast much higher. I assume this will improve with time (and new models).
• I’m kinda tied to Amazon - I’ve heard horror stories of people falling out with them and losing their entire collections. Not only does this sound massively unfair (I don’t know the details) but it goes to the heart of why I prefer real books: I like looking at them, having them around, letting visitors peruse my collection and choose something to read. You lose that with e-books and thus lose a (small) connection with your friends.
  • Ok, so part of that is mitigated with Calibre. Although I’ve only downloaded to Apple’s iBooks (or whatever it’s called) app rather than another kindle … but that’ll do for now. At least no-one can deny me access to the books I’ve bought.
• Book collection functionality is crap. There’s no other word for it. I can’t sort the books into the order I want. I can’t sort collections the way I want. I can’t nest collections. I can, at least, have books in multiple collections. I can’t hide books I’ve read. I can’t create my own reading list - a queue of books I’m planning to read.
  • I believe Calibre can help improve that … but a jail-broken kindle is required and I’m not at the point where I want to fiddle that much with it: I spend enough time with computers!
• Borrowing a book is spoilt by two things:
  • Firstly, you can only do it from a kindle device. #wtf
  • Secondly, a stupid bug: I would get stuck in a loop of update your one-click payment details and no amount of rebooting helped. I emailed Amazon’s customer support … who (after a week) still haven’t got back to me despite saying I’d get a reply within 24 hours. And then I found a thread that hinted at how to solve it: update your one-click address so your delivery address matches your billing address (mine didn’t, by default I have my stuff delivered to an Amazon locker). I updated the delivery address. And rebooted the kindle for good measure. And, finally, successfully borrowed a book! Hurrah! That bug has been floating around for a couple of years and it can’t be that hard to fix!

Back to the books…

• Broken Angels - Richard Morgan
  • I really enjoyed the first of these Takeshi Kovacs novels (Altered Carbon) last year but didn’t get into this one as easily, perhaps because the sleeve concept was no longer new. A good read in the end and I went straight into book 3 of the series so it didn’t put me off that much
• Woken Furies - Richard Morgan
  • The third Takeshi Kovacs novel. Similar to the second. If I’m honest, if I knew before reading the second and third in this series I probably wouldn’t have bothered. The stories simply aren’t engaging enough and there’s nothing new to stir interest.
• The Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu
  • One of the first books I downloaded as part of the Kindle Unlimited thing I’m giving a try. As it turned out I gave up on the book - it’s just too slow and a Jack Reacher turned up. No competition. Kindle Unlimited on the other hand is turning out well…
• Night School - Lee Child
  • I bought the real version of this book: I’m a completist at heart and have the other twenty on my bookshelf so won’t stop now. So, another Jack Reacher novel. This one that started slower than usual, perhaps because it’s set in the past. Well, the past as far as we’re concerned, since it occurs before even the first book in the series. The pace picks up and it turns into an enjoyable read.