The following books were read (or are being read) by Doug in 2010. Only Doug is weird enough to keep a list of the books he has read in a given year online.
- The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead
(Max Brooks)
- Star Trek: Countdown TPB
(J.J. Abrams, Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Time Jones, Mike Johnson, and David Messina)
- Time Travelers Never Die
(Jack McDevitt)
- Toys (How Things Have Changed)
(Jon Richards)
- The Road (Movie Tie-in Edition 2009) (Vintage International)
(Cormac McCarthy)
- Gil’s All Fright Diner
(A. Lee Martinez)
- Outliers: The Story of Success
(Malcolm Gladwell)
The best book I’ve read in ages. This is a fascinating look on the factors that influence success, applied to diverse areas such as software development and hockey players. A would consider this a “must read.”
- Jam-Packed FoxTrot
(Bill Amend)
- Wrapped-Up FoxTrot: A Treasury with the Final Daily Strips (Foxtrot Collection)
(Bill Amend)
- The Physics of Christianity
(Frank J. Tipler)
- Flashforward
(Robert J. Sawyer)
- New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)
(Stephenie Meyer)
Well, once again, if one can put of with I-can’t-figure-out-why-the-heroine-is-behaving-this-way and pining-for-Edward for half the book, this turns out to be an excellent adventure story, just like part 1. Obviously, I am well outside the expected demographic for this book’s readers, but it’s at least as entertaining as Harry Potter.
- Ender in Exile
(Orson Scott Card)
A cerebral, classically “Ender” book, which fills in some important history that had been only hinted at. Well worthy of being read. Scott Card is up to par on this one.
- The Hope
(Herman Wouk)
This book might have been more enjoyable if I were more familiar with the history of Israel; with my limited knowledge, I may be handicapped like someone from another planet reading 1776
, although I think the real problem is, indeed, the writing. This work of historical fiction covers the period from Israel’s founding in 1948 and its early battles for survival, though the Six Day War. Wouk appears to be credited with far more than he is worth, based on the presentation of the book and the reviewer comments. It isn’t until the final 100 pages (the Six Day War itself) that the book actually becomes gripping. It remained just interesting enough to hold my attention as long as I periodically put it down and read a book or two in between chapters. Overall, Wouk chooses to tell his story through the lives of his characters, who seem to be universally incapable of marital fidelity, but none of whom I could remotely empathize with. Yawn.
- House
(Tracy Kidder)
If I could, I’d have Kidder write my biography. The author of The Soul of a New Machine
here presents the history of a house being designed and built. Few writers could make such a subject as fascinating as Kidder.
- The Terrorist Watch: Inside the Desperate Race to Stop the Next Attack
(Ronald Kessler)
- The Time Ships
(Stephen Baxter)
Baxter does a marvelous job of writing in an appropriate style to continue the time-traveler’s story from H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine
. This is a grand, enjoyable adventure with a hard science backing postulating on the impact of causality in a multiverse.
- Flood
(Stephen Baxter)
- The Hunger Games
(Suzanne Collins)
High-school-level fiction isn’t normally supposed to be this good. I started reading a copy I swiped from my son Isaac, and promptly ordered this book and its sequel from Amazon. Part Running Man (but better), part classic post-apocalyptia storytelling, part coming-of-age novel, Isaac and I both sacrificed hours of sleep (him reading six hours or more at a stretch) to get through these books as rapidly as possible, and have lamented that we have to wait another few months for the conclusion of the trilogy.
- Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)
(Suzanne Collins)
- Odd Girl Out
(Timothy Zahn)
- The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
(Michael Lewis)
- Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam
(Zainab Salbi with Laurie Becklund)
- Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End . . .
(Philip Plait, Ph.D.)
- Blood Covenant
(Michael Franzese)
- Boy: Tales of Childhood
(Roald Dahl)
- The LEGO Book
(Daniel Lipkowitz)
- Ghosts in the Bedroom: A Guide for the Partners of Incest Survivors
(Ken Graber, M.A.)
- I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
(Ellen Bass and Louise Thornton (eds.))
- Gregor The Overlander (Underland Chronicles, Book 1)
(Suzanne Collins)
- LEGO Mindstorms NXT Power Programming: Robotics in C
(John C. Hansen)
- Ark
(Stephen Baxter)
- Mongrels, Bastards, Orphans, and Vagabonds: Mexican Immigration and the Future of Race in America
(Gregory Rodriguez)
- Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (The Underland Chronicles, Book 2)
(Suzanne Collins)
- The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
(Robert A. Heinlein)
- Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing
(Philip C. Plait)
- Megatokyo: Vol. 06
(Fred Gallagher)
- Darwin’s Radio
(Greg Bear)
- Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games)
(Suzanne Collins)
- Rework
(Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson)
- Currently reading: Secret Survivors: Uncovering Incest and Its Aftereffects in Women
(E. Sue Blume)
- Currently Reading: Stranger In A Strange Land
(Robert A. Heinlein)
- Currently reading: The Church on the Other Side: Exploring the Radical Future of the Local Congregation
(Brian D. McLaren)
- Currently reading: Heaven
(Randy Alcorn)
- Currently reading: Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)
(Stephanie Meyer)
- Currently reading: I’m with Stupid: One Man. One Woman. 10,000 Years of Misunderstanding Between the Sexes Cleared Right Up
(Gene Weingarten and Gina Barreca)
- Currently reading: Strong Winds And Crashing Waves
(Terry Wardle)
- Currently reading: Inside the Outbreaks: The Elite Medical Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service
(Mark Pendergrast)
- Currently reading: The Appeal
(John Grisham)