Friday, August 20, 2004
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Ulysses
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Brave New World
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
I'm not sure if I liked this. I think it seemed quaint and forced, simplistic, childish.
The ideas in it make me curious, make me think I should maybe read it again. But the impressions I got from the first time are discouraging.
Hocus Pocus
Hocus Pocus, Kurt Vonnegut
I did a project comparing this to The Diviners, and one thing I remember emphasising was how the timeline in Hocus Pocus straddles both the near past and the near future. It starts some 20 years before the book was written, and ends some 20 years after. I thought that was a mark of the author's confidence.
I think it was quite good, though I don't remember what it was about, and its memory makes me want to read more Vonneguts.
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern, Anne McCaffrey
I think this was the second time I read this, but not because I especially liked it. I remember the whole Pern series as being pretty good, though slightly vacant.
The Diviners
The Diviners, Margaret Laurence
I remember doing my homework about this book and finding an article that listed this book's first sentence as among the top first sentences of all time. It starts: "The river flowed both ways." And I think it continues with the same force.
The Agony and the Ecstasy
The Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone
As far as I remember, this must have been pretty good. Since reading it I have always felt an emotional attachment for Michaelangelo.
Ender's Game
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
I remember thinking that the author must have calculated the thickness of the final chapter in order not to give away the book's ending.
Mona Lisa Overdrive
Mona Lisa Overdrive, William Gibson
I don't remember this much, although I remember eagerly awaiting it. Something about art theft, I think. Pretty good.
The Difference Engine
The Difference Engine, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
This is probably the only historical science fiction novel I have read (as of 2005), and I still find it an extremely novel idea. Stunning, really. Wish I had thought of it.
Count Zero
Count Zero, William Gibson
I don't remember this. Is it the one with the bridge? I probably liked it a lot.
Neuromancer
Neuromance, Gibson
Second time.
I found it hard. Good, but hard. Still didn't get what happened exactly.