When I
started running and training for triathlons I started listening to audiobooks. Here are a few books I've read and listened
to recently. I typically listen to audio versions of books while running or
biking, though I also like to get the hard copy of the book to read at
night as well.
My
ratings are 1-5, 1 being I wouldn’t read it again, 5 being I recommend it
to everyone. I tend to like most books I read, your mileage may vary.
Strategy,
economics and innovation:
The Ten Faces of Innovation, Tom Kelley with Jonathan
Littman. All entrepreneurs should read this book. 3
Made to Stick, Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Everyone should read this book. 4
The Long Tail, Chris Anderson. New Market economics. 4
The Black Swan, Nassim
Taleb. Welcome to Extremistan
- how life in a non-ergodic world is distorted by
the human need to explain what we cannot know. If you invest your own
money, you should read this. 4
Getting to
Yes, Roger Fisher
and Bruce Patton.
Excellent negotiation book. 4
General
Fiction:
Empire Falls, Richard Russo. 4
Running with Scissors, Augusten
Burroughs. 4 Strange, rich characters, fairly linear plot
lines.
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled
Hosseini.4 Linear plot, interesting story, uncomplex.
The Time Traveler's Wife,
Audrey Niffenegger. 4 Fun novel.
Well told story.This could also go under Fantasy.
Until I Find You, John Irving. 5 I've read most of
John Irving's other works while in graduate school. (My favorites were A
Prayer for Owen Meany and The Cider House Rules, though they
were all worth reading)
Life of Pi, Yann
Martel. 3
The Crying of
Lot 49, Thomas
Pynchon. This
is Hilarious! 5
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy. 5
Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson. 5 A must read
for anyone working in VR or HCI. Punk Function.
Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov. 5 Interesting psychological novel.
Angels and
Demons, Dan
Brown. 4 A page turner, but not overly complex plot lines
and very linear.
The Davinci
Code, Dan
Brown. 4 A page turner.
As I Lay Dying, William
Faulkner 5 A family of interesting characters dealing with death
and last wishes of the mother. Stream of consciousness style,
existential angst, colorful characters, family, determination, and a
chapter consisting only of "My mother is a fish.".
My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult. In Process
Epic
Fiction: These
are must-reads. Long, but well worth the investment
Against the
Day, Thomas
Pynchon. A modern-day War and Peace. 5
War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy. 5
The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky 5
Fantasy:
Eragon Trilogy by Christopher Paolini:
A Brief History of Alagaësia
(short prequel),
Eragon, 3
Eldest. 3
Tales of the Otori
Series by Lian Hearn:
Across the Nightingale Floor.4
Grass for His Pillow .4
Brilliance of the Moon.4
The Harsh Cry of the Heron.4
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell,
Susanna Clarke, 4
Orson Scott Card:
Ender's Game, 5 (one of the best sci-fi
stories of all time, some say)
Speaker for the Dead, 5 (I liked this better than EG,
but both were great fun)
Xenocide, 4
Children of the Mind, 3
Ender's Shadow, 5
Shadow of the Hegemon, 4
Shadow Puppets, 4
Shadow of the Giant, 4
The Crystal City, 4
Enchantment, 4
Hart's Hope. 4
Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time
Series: (JRR Tolkien style fantast, with additional political intrigue,
magic, complex plot lines, interwoven stories in the style of War and
Peace. Great fun to read)
New Spring: The Novel,4
The Eye of the World, 5
The Great Hunt, 4
The Dragon Reborn,5
The Shadow Rising, 4
The Fires of Heaven, 4
Lord of Chaos, 4
A Crown of Swords, 4
The Path of Daggers,4
Winter's Heart, 4
Crossroads of Twilight, 4
Knife of Dreams, 4
J. R. R. Tolkien:
The Hobbit, 5
The Fellowship of the Ring, 5
The Two Towers, 4
The Return of
the King.
5
Terry Goodkind
Wizard's First Rule,5. Great start to the Sword of Truth series...
and I like the first rule...
Stone of Tears, 3 ,
Blood of the Fold, 3,
seems like these books borrow many characters/topics from the WOT series. ,
Temple of the Winds, (in process) ,
Lois McMaster Bujold
The Curse of Chalion,4. Interesting exploration of theology and
free will
Paladin of Souls, 5 ,
The Hallowed Hunt, 5 ,