Author: David Allen
Genre: Self-Help
Date Finished: December 2008
I found this book very helpful. I did not attempt to adopt the whole system all at once, as that seems like it would have been pretty overwhelming. Instead I started with just an Inbox. I suspect in time, when I'm use to that, I may come back to this book to fine tune it.
Learning to Climb Indoors
Author: Eric J. Horst (That is Horst with double dots over the o.)
Genre: Non-Fiction (Climbing)
Date Finished: December 2008
This was a really useful book. A thorough introduction to the basics of climbing, techniques as well as safety.
Genre: Non-Fiction (Climbing)
Date Finished: December 2008
This was a really useful book. A thorough introduction to the basics of climbing, techniques as well as safety.
Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance
Author: Julia Cameron
Genre: Self-Help
Date Finished: Dec 7, 2008
This is the author of The Artist's Way, which I thought was an outstanding book. However, this book seems to be a rehash of material from The Artist's Way.
Genre: Self-Help
Date Finished: Dec 7, 2008
This is the author of The Artist's Way, which I thought was an outstanding book. However, this book seems to be a rehash of material from The Artist's Way.
Mindset
Author: Carol S. Dweck, PhD
Genre: Self Help
Date Finished: Dec 7, 2008
The author makes the case that we can have a fixed-mindset or a growth-mind set. What we choose as our mindset determines how we deal with opposition, and with success. That's in the first few pages. The rest of the book seems to be stories about fixed-mindset and growth-mindset individuals.
Genre: Self Help
Date Finished: Dec 7, 2008
The author makes the case that we can have a fixed-mindset or a growth-mind set. What we choose as our mindset determines how we deal with opposition, and with success. That's in the first few pages. The rest of the book seems to be stories about fixed-mindset and growth-mindset individuals.
How to Avoid Making Art (or Anything Else You Enjoy)
Author: Julia Cameron
Genre: Self-Help
Date Finished: Dec 7, 2008
Written by the author of The Artist's Way, this is a series of one page drawings illustrating the things to do if you want to fail as an artist, though the thoughts are generally applicable to many areas of life.
Genre: Self-Help
Date Finished: Dec 7, 2008
Written by the author of The Artist's Way, this is a series of one page drawings illustrating the things to do if you want to fail as an artist, though the thoughts are generally applicable to many areas of life.
Language Logic
Author: Robyn Mathhew
Genre: Non-Fiction - Language Learning
Date Finished: Dec 7, 2008
This is suppose to be a book about the process of meta-language learning. About about learning languages. However it doesn't seem to be very profound. The author seems to feel that since she was able to learn to speak French after a bachelor's degree, and a master's degree as well as almost 2 years in France, she has stumbled on the secrets to learning languages. Try How to Learn Any Language for more concrete useful tips.
The best thing about this book is the way she gives encouragement to language learners. Speak, allow yourself to make mistakes, and don't believe the myth that adults can't learn to speak another language.
Genre: Non-Fiction - Language Learning
Date Finished: Dec 7, 2008
This is suppose to be a book about the process of meta-language learning. About about learning languages. However it doesn't seem to be very profound. The author seems to feel that since she was able to learn to speak French after a bachelor's degree, and a master's degree as well as almost 2 years in France, she has stumbled on the secrets to learning languages. Try How to Learn Any Language for more concrete useful tips.
The best thing about this book is the way she gives encouragement to language learners. Speak, allow yourself to make mistakes, and don't believe the myth that adults can't learn to speak another language.
Italian Lessons
Author: Peter Pezzelli
Genre: Fiction - Travel
Date Finished: Dec 6, 2008
A fairly light read, this is the story of Carter Quinn who meets an Italian girl one evening and decides he must travel to Italy to see her again. So he spends the summer after his university graduation working in construction and studying Italian with a university music professor who originally comes from Italy.
Genre: Fiction - Travel
Date Finished: Dec 6, 2008
A fairly light read, this is the story of Carter Quinn who meets an Italian girl one evening and decides he must travel to Italy to see her again. So he spends the summer after his university graduation working in construction and studying Italian with a university music professor who originally comes from Italy.
Pragmatic Thinking & Learning
Author: Andy Hunt
Genre: Non-fiction
Date Finished:
I haven't even finished this book yet, but thought I'd write something. This is a fascinating book about how we think and learn, and how we can work to differently think and learn. Along the lines of The Artist's Way, or Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.
This book is specifically targeted at software programmers, and many of the metaphors will only make sense to a programmer. For example, at one point the author talks about how the R-mode of the brain background processes through memories to find matching situations, and he compares the process to a SQL database table scan of a table with really long rows.
Genre: Non-fiction
Date Finished:
I haven't even finished this book yet, but thought I'd write something. This is a fascinating book about how we think and learn, and how we can work to differently think and learn. Along the lines of The Artist's Way, or Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.
This book is specifically targeted at software programmers, and many of the metaphors will only make sense to a programmer. For example, at one point the author talks about how the R-mode of the brain background processes through memories to find matching situations, and he compares the process to a SQL database table scan of a table with really long rows.
The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone: Key to Ancient Egypt
Author: James Cross Giblin
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: November 30, 2008
A pretty light read with a little background information on the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, the work of Dr. Thomas Young and Jean-Fancois Champollion.
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: November 30, 2008
A pretty light read with a little background information on the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, the work of Dr. Thomas Young and Jean-Fancois Champollion.
Enduring Patagonia
Author: Greg Crouch
Genre: Non-Fiction, Autobiographical, Mountaineering
Date Finished: November 26, 2008
A look into what alpinism is, mountaineering the the Patagonia region of South America.
Genre: Non-Fiction, Autobiographical, Mountaineering
Date Finished: November 26, 2008
A look into what alpinism is, mountaineering the the Patagonia region of South America.
El Capitan: Historic Feats and Radical Routes
Author: Daniel Duane
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: November 16, 2008
A history of the alpine ascents of El Capitan, Yosemite Park, California.
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: November 16, 2008
A history of the alpine ascents of El Capitan, Yosemite Park, California.
Secrets of Mind Power
Author: Harry Lorayne
Genre: Self Improvement
Date Finished: November 16, 2008
This books is a great deal more about motivation and such than it is about memory. His other book, The Complete Guide to Memory Mastery was a much better book about memory techniques.
Genre: Self Improvement
Date Finished: November 16, 2008
This books is a great deal more about motivation and such than it is about memory. His other book, The Complete Guide to Memory Mastery was a much better book about memory techniques.
Better Bouldering
Author: John Sherman
Genre: Outdoor Sports
Date Finished: Early November 2008
There was a variety of good information in this book about bouldering techniques. It was a fairly small book and didn't have much to say about training.
Genre: Outdoor Sports
Date Finished: Early November 2008
There was a variety of good information in this book about bouldering techniques. It was a fairly small book and didn't have much to say about training.
The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Martial Arts
Author: Unknown
Genre: Fitness
Date Finished: Early November, 2008
This book was alright, but it was really just about weight training. I barely found any reference at all to martial arts. So, if you are looking for a weight training book, great. If you are looking for a martial arts training book, keep looking.
Genre: Fitness
Date Finished: Early November, 2008
This book was alright, but it was really just about weight training. I barely found any reference at all to martial arts. So, if you are looking for a weight training book, great. If you are looking for a martial arts training book, keep looking.
Crocodile on the Sandbank
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Genre: Historical Fiction
Date Finished: November 16, 2008
This was a really good book about a self-possessed woman who leaves her home in England and goes off to Egypt. She discovers adventure, friendship and (as might be expected) love. Fairly typical but a lovely story.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Date Finished: November 16, 2008
This was a really good book about a self-possessed woman who leaves her home in England and goes off to Egypt. She discovers adventure, friendship and (as might be expected) love. Fairly typical but a lovely story.
Heaven's Reach
Author: David Brin
Genre: Science Fiction
Date Finished: Early November, 2008
I read some of the rest of the series while I was traveling I believe, but I really wanted to know how it turned out. I'm afraid the ending was a little disappointing.
Genre: Science Fiction
Date Finished: Early November, 2008
I read some of the rest of the series while I was traveling I believe, but I really wanted to know how it turned out. I'm afraid the ending was a little disappointing.
Stealing the Network: How to Own the Box
Author: Various
Genre: Technical Fiction
I first read this book a few years ago, this was a re-read. It is a series of short stories from different authors about different hackers and crackers. What makes these stories different is they are written by people who actually know what they are talking about, so instead of some airy future vision of some cyber alternate reality, these are stories of people who use ssh, telnet and ping, who exploit real security vulnerabilities in IIS, firewall misconfigurations and the like.
Genre: Technical Fiction
I first read this book a few years ago, this was a re-read. It is a series of short stories from different authors about different hackers and crackers. What makes these stories different is they are written by people who actually know what they are talking about, so instead of some airy future vision of some cyber alternate reality, these are stories of people who use ssh, telnet and ping, who exploit real security vulnerabilities in IIS, firewall misconfigurations and the like.
The Complete Guide to Memory Mastery
Author: Harry Lorayne
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: Unknown
A great book with clearly laid out systems for memorizing things.
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: Unknown
A great book with clearly laid out systems for memorizing things.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Author: Barbara Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: November 2, 2008
Not quite what I was hoping for. I guess I was hoping for a story of a family's efforts to live on a local, mostly home grown diet for a year. That is part of the book, but a good deal of the book is ranting about the food industry in North America.
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: November 2, 2008
Not quite what I was hoping for. I guess I was hoping for a story of a family's efforts to live on a local, mostly home grown diet for a year. That is part of the book, but a good deal of the book is ranting about the food industry in North America.
The Rule of Four
Author: Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason
Genre: Mystery
Date Finished: November 1, 2008
A scholastic, archelogical mystery of sorts. It tells the story of two friends attempts to uncover the secrets of an old, obscure book, the Hypnerotomachia.
Genre: Mystery
Date Finished: November 1, 2008
A scholastic, archelogical mystery of sorts. It tells the story of two friends attempts to uncover the secrets of an old, obscure book, the Hypnerotomachia.
Conditioning for climbers : the complete exercise guide for rock climbers
Author: Eric J. Hörst
Genre: Non-Fiction
The author discusses various methods of training for strength and conditioning to improve climbing performance. A good book.
Genre: Non-Fiction
The author discusses various methods of training for strength and conditioning to improve climbing performance. A good book.
Three Cups of Tea
Author: Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Genre: Biography
Date Finished: March 30, 2008
This book talks about Greg Mortenson's 10 years of working in Pakistan to build rural schools.
Genre: Biography
Date Finished: March 30, 2008
This book talks about Greg Mortenson's 10 years of working in Pakistan to build rural schools.
Oracle Bones
Author: Peter Hessler
Genre: Travel Non-Fiction
Date Finished: February 22, 2008
Shortly after finishing River Town, I discovered that the author, Peter Hessler, had written another book, talking about various people he had encountered during his years living in China.
Unlike many of the other books I have read written by journalists (Reborn in the West, Talking Hands, Dance of 17 Lives) this book does not come across as a writer in search of a topic, but more as man telling stories.
Genre: Travel Non-Fiction
Date Finished: February 22, 2008
Shortly after finishing River Town, I discovered that the author, Peter Hessler, had written another book, talking about various people he had encountered during his years living in China.
Unlike many of the other books I have read written by journalists (Reborn in the West, Talking Hands, Dance of 17 Lives) this book does not come across as a writer in search of a topic, but more as man telling stories.
China A to Z
Author: May-lee Chai and Winberg Chai
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: Feb 16, 2008
As the title implies, this is a book about China. It is divided into many different topics, some just a page long, some several pages. It is layed out in dictionary type format, the topics are names and alphabetized. The topics cover all manner of Chinese customs and Culture. Seems like a useful book, illuminating, but not exactly a light read on your way to bed.
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: Feb 16, 2008
As the title implies, this is a book about China. It is divided into many different topics, some just a page long, some several pages. It is layed out in dictionary type format, the topics are names and alphabetized. The topics cover all manner of Chinese customs and Culture. Seems like a useful book, illuminating, but not exactly a light read on your way to bed.
Seeing Voices: Journey into the World of the Deaf
Author:Oliver Sacks
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: February 16, 2008
Interesting book, a little philosophical and rambly. I especially enjoyed the last chapter which talks about the 1988 student strike at Gallaudet University which resulted in the appointment of the first ever Deaf president. Over all, Talking Hands as a more interesting read, a better introduction to linguistics and a better introduction to the Deaf community in general.
Genre: Non-Fiction
Date Finished: February 16, 2008
Interesting book, a little philosophical and rambly. I especially enjoyed the last chapter which talks about the 1988 student strike at Gallaudet University which resulted in the appointment of the first ever Deaf president. Over all, Talking Hands as a more interesting read, a better introduction to linguistics and a better introduction to the Deaf community in general.
The Golden Compass
Author: Philip Pullman
Genre: Fantasy
Date Finished: February 15, 2008
The story of Lyra Belacqua as she stumbles out into the world. Good book.
Genre: Fantasy
Date Finished: February 15, 2008
The story of Lyra Belacqua as she stumbles out into the world. Good book.
Talking Hands
Author:Margalit Fox
Genre: Non-fiction
The book is the documentation of a particular village in Israel where, due to the high percentage of deafness, a sign language spontaneously arose 3 generations ago. The author is a journalist (journalist's turned author's keep picking interesting topics) who was permitted to tag along with the linguistics team that is studying the language.
The book is organized into alternating chapters, odd numbered chapters deal with the visits to the village, the process of documenting and studying, even numbered chapters deal with the linguistics background.
The author does a great job of introducing the field of linguistics in a very readable way, covering the evolution of the field (structural linguists who documented languages to Noam Chomsky), sign language in North America and the eventual study of sign language as a language.
Genre: Non-fiction
The book is the documentation of a particular village in Israel where, due to the high percentage of deafness, a sign language spontaneously arose 3 generations ago. The author is a journalist (journalist's turned author's keep picking interesting topics) who was permitted to tag along with the linguistics team that is studying the language.
The book is organized into alternating chapters, odd numbered chapters deal with the visits to the village, the process of documenting and studying, even numbered chapters deal with the linguistics background.
The author does a great job of introducing the field of linguistics in a very readable way, covering the evolution of the field (structural linguists who documented languages to Noam Chomsky), sign language in North America and the eventual study of sign language as a language.
Take Your Money and Run
Author: Alex Doulis
Genre: Non-Fiction
The true story of how one Canadian, tired of exorbitant taxes, withdrew his money and RRSPs, left Canada, and now is living tax-free happily ever after.
This was a pretty interesting book. It was written in the style of The Wealthy Barber, conversations and lessons between two parties. There was more investment advice in here than I expected, however it does talk about legally offshoring your money.
Genre: Non-Fiction
The true story of how one Canadian, tired of exorbitant taxes, withdrew his money and RRSPs, left Canada, and now is living tax-free happily ever after.
This was a pretty interesting book. It was written in the style of The Wealthy Barber, conversations and lessons between two parties. There was more investment advice in here than I expected, however it does talk about legally offshoring your money.
The Chinese Language:Its History and Current Usage
Author: Daniel Kane
Genre: Language Learning
So, the good thing about this book is that it is not specificially a text book. It does not begin at the beginning and attempt to lead you to fluency, or some sort of literacy. Instead the author touches on a number of subjects about learning Chinese, talking about traditional vs. simplified script, Mandarin vs. a dialect, classifications of characters, tips on learning them. (He believes that the first 100 characters are probably the hardest, after that you will begin to see patterns and find them easier to memorize.)
Genre: Language Learning
So, the good thing about this book is that it is not specificially a text book. It does not begin at the beginning and attempt to lead you to fluency, or some sort of literacy. Instead the author touches on a number of subjects about learning Chinese, talking about traditional vs. simplified script, Mandarin vs. a dialect, classifications of characters, tips on learning them. (He believes that the first 100 characters are probably the hardest, after that you will begin to see patterns and find them easier to memorize.)
Spoken Here:Travels Among Threatened Languages
Author: Mark Abley
Genre:Non-Fiction
This is a whirlwind tour of a number of threatened languages in the world. The author, a journalist, talks to speakers of languages which are disappearing. He examines their efforts at reviving their languages, successful or otherwise.
Genre:Non-Fiction
This is a whirlwind tour of a number of threatened languages in the world. The author, a journalist, talks to speakers of languages which are disappearing. He examines their efforts at reviving their languages, successful or otherwise.
Breaking the Maya Code
Author: Michael D. Coe
Genre: Non-Fiction
The author descibes the ~100 year process of deciphering the Mayan hieroglyphs.
Genre: Non-Fiction
The author descibes the ~100 year process of deciphering the Mayan hieroglyphs.
Over Sea, Under Stone
Author: Susan Cooper
Genre: Fantasy
This is the first book of the Dark is Rising series. Three children, Barney, Simon and Jane, go to Trewissick, a town in Cornwall. There, in the house that their grand uncle Merry Lyon has rented for the summer, they find a secret passage to the attic, a lost scroll, and a mystery.
I'm a little suspicious that grand uncle Merry is not really their uncle, and is actually slightly older than time. Well, maybe not that old.
Genre: Fantasy
This is the first book of the Dark is Rising series. Three children, Barney, Simon and Jane, go to Trewissick, a town in Cornwall. There, in the house that their grand uncle Merry Lyon has rented for the summer, they find a secret passage to the attic, a lost scroll, and a mystery.
I'm a little suspicious that grand uncle Merry is not really their uncle, and is actually slightly older than time. Well, maybe not that old.
Kundun: A Biography of the Family of the Dalai Lama
Author: Mary Craig
Genre: Biography
The book describes the family of the 14th Dalai Lama, their rise from a simple farming family to the royal family of Tibet, their escapes from occupied Tibet and their parts in the struggles after the escape.
Genre: Biography
The book describes the family of the 14th Dalai Lama, their rise from a simple farming family to the royal family of Tibet, their escapes from occupied Tibet and their parts in the struggles after the escape.
River Town:Two Years on the Yangtze
Author:Peter Hessler
Genre:Travel
From 1996 to 1998, Peter Hessler spent two years living in Fuling, a city in the Sichuan area of China teaching English as a Peace Corps volunteer. In this book he describes many of his experiences. He manages to not be super pretentious, self absorbed and falsely philisophical as many travel writers are. It is a great book.
Genre:Travel
From 1996 to 1998, Peter Hessler spent two years living in Fuling, a city in the Sichuan area of China teaching English as a Peace Corps volunteer. In this book he describes many of his experiences. He manages to not be super pretentious, self absorbed and falsely philisophical as many travel writers are. It is a great book.
Venerable Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera
Author: Acariya Maha Boowa Nanasampanno
Genre: Buddism
This was an amazing and inspiring biography about one of the Thai monks who re-discovered the Thai Forest tradition.
Genre: Buddism
This was an amazing and inspiring biography about one of the Thai monks who re-discovered the Thai Forest tradition.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)