Category Archives: Books

Confession of a Buddhist Atheist by Stephen Batchelor My rating: 5 of 5 stars I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into when I started this book, but I’m glad I did. This is a confession of someone trying to find himself and his way in the larger world. From his Western upbringing, to … Continue reading

Great North Road by Peter F. Hamilton My rating: 5 of 5 stars Police drama, mystery, military action, aliens, and expansive world building, all packed together in a 900+ page science fiction epic. Peter F. Hamilton just can’t do small! And I’m all the happier for it. This is a must read book if you … Continue reading

Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy by John Julius Norwich My rating: 3 of 5 stars If you are looking for a quality text to have on your shelf that documents the entire history of the papacy (or at least the major highlights of it) then this is the book you need. It is … Continue reading

The Phoenix Rising by Richard L. Sanders My rating: 4 of 5 stars After reading the first book, ‘the Phoenix Conspiracy’, I was left with the feeling that the book was ok, but not spectacular; it had an interesting story, but suffered from some obvious editorial needs. However, I have to say that ‘the Phoenix … Continue reading

The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett My rating: 4 of 5 stars I found this to be a rather interesting collaboration by two authors I never would have expected to get together. I’ve admittedly not read very much by Terry Pratchett, probably because his style of fictional humor simply isn’t my favorite genre. I am … Continue reading

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright My rating: 4 of 5 stars It seems that the past couple of years have not been good for Scientology, several books have been released examining and bringing to light it’s difficult history, strange sci-fi beliefs, and scandalous, even dangerous, internal behaviors. ‘Going … Continue reading

Hypatia of Alexandria: Mathematician and Martyr by Michael A.B. Deakin My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a rather scholarly work, so if you’re looking for some sort of detailed history of Hypatia, this isn’t it. In fact, there is far too little evidence left to produce such a work. Instead, this book attempts … Continue reading

Who’s in Charge?: Free Will and the Science of the Brain by Michael S. Gazzaniga My rating: 4 of 5 stars what exactly is the I we think we are? Where does it come from, and is it really in charge? These are the questions tackled in this book, along with issues such as responsibility … Continue reading

Bowl of Heaven by Gregory Benford My rating: 4 of 5 stars Seems there are quite a few low ratings for this book on GoodReads.com; I think this just shows me to be a bit old-school when it comes to my sci-fi. I rather liked the book and didn’t mind that it didn’t try to … Continue reading

John McAfee’s Last Stand by Joshua Davis My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is, hands down, the craziest story I have ever read, and it’s all true. John McAfee has certainly lead an interesting life, and all of his achievements seem to stem from his paranoia – from developing some of the first anti-virus … Continue reading

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