Big solar storm heading toward Earth
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/11/tech/innovation/solar-storm/
Should be here Saturday. Keep a flashlight handy.
Category: Reviews
Master parent category for all my reviews: books, movies, television shows, restaurants, products.
Article: California law says companies can’t punish customers who post negative reviews
California law says companies can’t punish customers who post negative reviews
Huzzah for California consumers! Hopefully the other states in the union will quickly follow suit.
Cakes Inspired by Literature
Hint hint: the Don’t Panic cake might be appropriate for my upcoming milestone birthday.
Countdown: three weeks from this Thursday
Living in the Spirit Cover Reveal
Cover reveal for my uncle’s first book. Available now (a bit early) from some retailers.
Ups and Downs of Reading Habits
I remembered to export my GoodReads book catalog earlier this week. I’ve been forgetful for several months and the hot topic at work lately has been DR (disaster recovery). So, practicing what I preach, I ‘backed up’ my book catalog to my computer. I began reviewing the data downloaded and a thought (almost a question) popped into my head. For the last five years, I’ve been averaging 100 books per year read. I pushed myself this year to reach that goal early, before my birthday in early October. My curious mind wanted to know how my reading format habits have changed over these last five years.
Why just five years? Continue reading “Ups and Downs of Reading Habits”
The Eccentric Polish Count Who Influenced Classic SF’s Greatest Writers
Korzybski coined the well-known slogan, “The map is not the territory,” to sum up this idea.
An essay on the most famous SF author you’ve never read or heard of. Golden Age of SF era. Think Heinlein and Campbell.
Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon
Book Review: Stormdancer by Kristoff (4 Stars)
Read in late August 2014
Synopsis from MacMillan’s site:
Stormdancer is the first in the epic new fantasy series The Lotus War, introducing an unforgettable heroine and a stunningly original dystopian steampunk world with a flavor of feudal Japan.
The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. When hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a legendary griffin, they fear their lives are over. Any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, the girl Yukiko finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled griffin for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her. But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire. Continue reading “Book Review: Stormdancer by Kristoff (4 Stars)”
Less Than Three Years to Prepare
For once, I live in just about the best spot to observe a total solar eclipse. The center line for the eclipse coming in August 2017 is just a few miles north of where I live. That being said, the path of the eclipse cuts diagonally across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina.
Update Monday 9/1/2014: I forgot to include a link to the Astronomy magazine article that will take you to the interactive map shown above: Make Plans for the 2017 Eclipse with This Great Map. Continue reading “Less Than Three Years to Prepare”
Book Review: The Guns of August by Tuchman (4 Stars)
Read by John Lee
Winner of the Pulitzer Price for General Nonfiction 1963
Thanks to Barbara, I now know more about the first month of World War I than all my previous half-century of accumulated, absorbed knowledge. Not only do I know more, but I understand the how. How Europe ended up in a terrible stalemate and war of attrition that lasted four more years. The why will have to wait until I can read her other history The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914.
On August 23rd, I attended a discussion of The Guns of August sponsored by the Kansas City Public Library, the Kansas City Star‘s FYI Book Club and hosted at the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial. There were many attendees from all over the Kansas City metro area and we attempted to stay focused on Tuchman’s novel, not straying to far before or after. A great hour of discussion on an excellently researched and composed history of the outbreak of the Great War. Continue reading “Book Review: The Guns of August by Tuchman (4 Stars)”
Worldcon! – Ann Leckie
Worldcon! blog post by Ann Leckie
I did have one or two people tell me they were WoT fans but had put AJ in first place, and I would like to say how much that means to me. Because like I said, I know fans of WoT really, really love it.
–Ann Leckie
Yes, this is exactly how I voted. Number one vote to Ancillary Justice and number two to WoT.
Ann, you’re very welcome and congratulations!
Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon