Category: Book Reviews
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A Storm of Swords
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars A few weeks ago I made a silver lining out of a flat rear tire on my bike to read this one on my commute to and from work, either walking through Danehy Park or taking the Red Line. Since my…
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A Clash of Kings
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin My rating: 4 of 5 stars I suppose it’s problematic when I don’t write book reviews until well over a month after finishing the book in question. In my defense, I finished this book on the plane back from Cancun, and then immediately had two insane weeks…
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Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination
Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination by Misha Berson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a Christmas gift this year from my mom. For those who are wondering why I’d receive a book seemingly outside my usual interests, that’s probably because you’re unaware that I participated a lot…
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Mockingjay
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars I finished this third and final book on the plane down to Cancun a few weeks ago. I didn’t get a chance to review it on account of the travel and then the end of the semester. Up front: I liked it, although not quite…
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Catching Fire
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars Finished this one a week ago. On a few levels, I liked this second book in the trilogy more than the first. In particular, the balance between world-building and action was better: I preferred the history over the combat. I would guess that is…
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The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book has been out for a while, and has been on my list for some time, based both on the general buzz and direct recommendations, not to mention that dystopian near-future young adult sci-fi is right up my alley. I got the…
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The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet
The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet by Neil deGrasse Tyson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Bought this with an old gift card at the Harvard Coop last week. I’ve long enjoyed Neil deGrasse Tyson’s hosting of NOVA scienceNOW (a show I DVR), as well as his various guest appearances on The…
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Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth
Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth by Trevor Norton My rating: 3 of 5 stars I checked this one out from the library at work. It’s a basic collection of science anecdotes, mostly from the Enlightenment period up through WWII. The author is a British marine biologist, so most of the scientists mentioned are British, and…
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REAMDE
Reamde by Neal Stephenson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Neal Stephenson is my favorite author, so it is probably no surprise that I tore through this book in just a couple of days and gave it five stars. I remain in love with his overly verbose writing style, and his nerdy asides. I’ll echo…
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Steve Jobs: A Biography
Steve Jobs: A Biography by Walter Isaacson My rating: 3 of 5 stars I think the main feature of this book that I would emphasize is that it is, in fact, a biography about a flawed man, and not so much a history of his technical achievements. As a computer geek and long-time MacAddict, I…