Rainbows End - Vernor Vinge

This future, imminent, plausible and so appealing (to me anyway) had me enthralled from first page to last.

Augmented reality apps on the iPhone have always struck me as clunky and pointless. This story made me realise that those apps are the necessary baby steps (on inadequate hardware) towards a future that I hope I am around to see.

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Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

When I saw the first three books on Audible for a single month credit, it seemed like a good idea. I had heard some favorable comparisons to the Potter books and I liked the premise. Sadly the books didn't live up to my expectations and by the end of the 16 hours of audio, I was quite happy to be finished with it.

This might be unfair, but the series seems like a pale Potter imitation with some owl biology thrown in. Perhaps if I had never read the Potter books (and found the audio narrator less annoying) I would have enjoyed this more than I did, but I doubt it.

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American Gods - Neil Gaiman

Before my trip to the US for the Launch conference, I was about half way through American Gods. A few evenings alone at 54 Mint, my new favorite restaurant in San Francisco, and I finished it off.

This was definitely the way to read this book. Sitting in a darkened bar with several glasses of wine and a bowl of Cacilucco alla Livornese. A dark, complex plot, revealing gods of the old world withering in the new. The story revolves around a likeable protagonist that frequently takes an unexpected path. Loved it.

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Rework

I have heard a few interviews with David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried so some of the stuff in Rework was familiar to me and much of it fits my worldview as a programmer.

Concise, unconventional and useful.

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Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer

Particularly poignant given recent events, this book describes the beginnings of the long and tragic history of political violence in the United States. It is easy to see how misguided and irrational ideology can so easily lead to the death of innocents.

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