aethercowboy's reviews from LibraryThing

Learning C# 2005, Second Edition by Jesse Liberty

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:27:30 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "When it comes to learning new programming languages, I always turn to O'Reilly, because they have, in my humble opinion, the BEST Learning books ever. Each O'Reilly Learning book is laid out like a legitimate textbook, and each chapter provides an introduction to a new facet of the language or concept, building upon what it taught the reader in previous chapters. Likewise, each chapter ends with some very good problems, and unlike many textbooks I've read, EVERY answer is in the back (with some obvious exceptions). Learning C# 2005, while not the most recent Learning C# book out there, did help me learn C# knowing little to nothing about the language (though, I did have a background in C, C++, and Java, which helped). While you probably won't get snaked into writing too many programs in C# 2005, the more recent editions of this book are bound to provide you with the same wonderful level of education that this book provided me."
O'Reilly Media, Inc. (2006), Edition: 2, Paperback, 552 pages

C++ Unleashed by Jesse Liberty

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:25:01 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "This is a big, comprehensive book. It's probably one of the better ways to go, if you're looking to fine tune your C++. Though, go elsewhere if you're trying to learn the language from scratch. Liberty, one of the voices of C++/C# presents, with a laundry list of other C++ pros, a detailed look at the C++ programming language. The book is good for a read-through, and then keeping nearby for a paper reference (though, keep in mind that most programming languages come, these days, with the manual included, and for those that don't, and internet connection is all you need). This isn't a beginner's book, so try something else if you're wishing to dip your feet into C++. But, otherwise, it's a valuable reference with helpful examples, including a CD-ROM with the code snippets included."
Sams (1998), Paperback, 944 pages

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:24:19 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "In what is one of Lewis' lesser-known works Till We Have Faces, he presents a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, through the eyes of the older sister of Psyche. Here Lewis presents a parallel account of the classic myth, which at times borders on a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," in more than one way. If you are a fan of Lewis' writing, or would like to try something different than Wardrobes, Wormwoods, and Westons, give this Face a look."
Harcourt Brace & Company (1980), Paperback, 324 pages

The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:20:12 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "The Silver Chair is the last book of the Caspian Triad. In this volume, Eustace Scrubb and his classmate Jill Pole get sucked back into Narnia. They befriend a Marsh-wiggle named Puddleglum, and partake on an adventure to find the lost prince Rilian. The gang ends up discovering that Rilian is being detained by the Emerald Witch, who may or may not be Jadis, the White Witch. All in all, this book is a must read for readers of the other Narnia books. While it is not the most literary of the seven, it does fit nicely within the series, segueing nicely to the next chronological book, The Last Battle."
Macmillan Publishing Company (1970), Edition: 5, Paperback

Discipline With Dignity by Richard L. Curwin

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:11:19 -0400

aethercowboy's review: "Discipline With Dignity is a book that deals with the difficult world of academic discipline, especially with troublesome children. It pertains, primarily, to school-age children up through high school. While the subject matter in the book is a bit dated (students able to actually TOUCH the children!?), the psychological principles seem to make sense (says the non-teacher): don't expect anything from the students you wouldn't expect from yourself, don't get caught in power plays (c.f. the Dollar Auction), try reverse psychology on students who systematically fail to get homework done, positively reinforce for good behavior, and, of course, punish bad behavior. While I never actually intend to teach children, I found some of the concepts in this book to be helpful and informative. I probably wouldn't not recommend this book to a teacher, however. Solely, at least. I would rather suggest a teacher find a selection of recent publications dealing with in-school discipline practices before just taking this one and running with it (it could have potentially bad side-effects, being that the book is about 20 years old). But, if you're interested in some practical advice that can be applied to several different aspects of life, it may be worth reading. But, again, there are many better, more recent books for that."
Association for Supervision & Curriculum Deve (1989), Paperback, 267 pages

The Non-Designer's Design Book, Third Edition by Robin Williams

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:40:36 -0400

aethercowboy's review: "Don't be a wimp. At least, that's what Williams tells us just about every other page. You'd think it would get annoying, but it doesn't. That's premise of the Non-Designer's Design Book, which was written to help us every-day average Joes not make ridiculous layouts that will be so horribly ugly that they will blind passing children and puppies, or something. I found this book to be a great help, explaining many things I didn't even learn when I was editing (and winning state-wide awards for editing, writing and laying out) a newspaper. Just don't tell anybody, okay? This book, complimenting Williams' "The (computer system you're using) is Not a Typewriter" books, takes your through what makes layout work, and what makes it aesthetic. You know an ugly ad when you see it, and after reading this book, you'll not only know WHY it's hideous, but also what they could have done to make it better. Do you need the Non-Designer's Design Book? Well, if you're a professional designer, you won't. Also, if no other person will ever see your design work, you also won't. But if you're anything less than a professional (or even a professional with some level of curiosity), and you're making things that the public will see, it would benefit you greatly to invest in this book (and for heaven's sake, stop using Comic Sans!)."
Peachpit Press (2008), Edition: 3, Paperback, 208 pages

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:21:45 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "C. S. Lewis' strength is in writing letters, which is why it should come to no surprise that one of his better known non-children's book is written in an epistemological way. This work is, of course, The Screwtape Letters, which is a collection of letters written by a demon named Screwtape to his dear nephew Wormwood, whose duty it is to corrupt a man, and thus deny him any eternal reward. Wormwood faces trouble daily as his "patient" begins to sway towards "the Enemy" (that is, God). Lewis takes one on a spiritual journey through the perspective of two demons wracking their brains, trying to find way to keep people from knowing God. While an enjoyable work of Christian fiction, it does require some thinking to appreciate, as the letters in the book are solely those written by Screwtape, with no sign (only mention) of Wormwood's. Thus, you must read between the lines to determine what's going on with Wormwood and his patient. An enjoyable and short work."
Barbour Publishing, Incorporated (1992), Mass Market Paperback, 160 pages

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Administrator's Companion by Bill English

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:44:31 -0400

aethercowboy's review: "This books is for SharePoint Administrators who want to know simply every little thing they can about SharePoint administration. To everyone else, it's boring, and quite a bit of information which borders at time in the "too much" zone. At times, I was toiling through each novel-length chapter, trying to reach that glorious signal of the end: "Summary." While the book was informative, I found the writing to be dry, and not really captivating like the computer and technical books I normally read. So, in the end, I was left unimpressed by this massive volume. Perhaps if SharePoint were more central to my life, I would have devoured this book, but as it's only an aspect on the periphery, my time is better spent reading interesting (to me) books about interesting (to me) topics."
Redmond, Wash. : Microsoft Press, c2007.

Perelandra by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:23:27 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "In the second volume of C. S. Lewis' allegorical science-fiction trilogy, Elwin Ransom is sent by the ruler of Mars to Venus, or, as it's called Perelandra. Ransom discovers that Venus has a society at the beginning: it's Garden of Eden state, with free floating islands drifting on a sweetwater ocean populated with mythical and strange creatures. He meets that's world Eve, called Tinidril, and discovers his adversary, Weston, who is actively working to corrupt the Venusian society by encouraging Tinidril to do the one thing forbidden by Maleldil (the God character): sleep on the Fixed Land. Ransom and Weston battle for the future of this world and its inhabitants, which is made more complex when Weston becomes the subject of demon possession. While the story may sound a bit fantastic (and it is quite allegorical, acting as a sort of commentary on Dante and Milton), Lewis considered this volume the best of all his works, which would probably make it a must read for a true fan of Lewis. For everybody else: It's worth reading if you enjoyed Out of a Silent Planet, and worth looking into if you liked Narnia, Screwtape, or any of Lewis' other fiction."
Collier Books (1965), Paperback, 224 pages

Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:22:49 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "C. S. Lewis, who most of you will instantly associate with either children's fantasy or epistemology, wrote a trilogy (or arguably, 3 and some proper fraction) of science fiction stories. Staying true to his evangelizing form, this series is very, very allegorical. The initial novel came to be as the product of a challenge between Lewis and Tolkien. Lewis would write a space travel story, while Tolkien would write a Time Travel story (find fragments of it in The Lost Road and Other Tales). The trilogy starts with the end. Not the end of the series, mind you: the end of Martian society. But let's back up... Elwin Ransom, philology professor, when taking a hike, ends up the subject of a scientific experiment by two fellows, Weston and Devine. After being drugged to sleep, he finds himself aboard a space ship headed for Mars, or Malacandra. It is here he meets a civilization nearing the end of its life, in contrast to Earth, which is somewhere in the middle. Ransom and his captors are caught in an endgame struggle between the three races of Mars. Lewis is able to write science fiction that isn't overly preachy, like many Christian sci-fi writers. And this makes it a bit more enjoyable thean the rest. This book, like many of Lewis' fiction, is very allegorical, even to the point of character names, like Pilgrim's Progress Through Space, or something. Nevertheless, those familiar with Lewis' writing, or of other allegorical science fiction, may find Out of the Silent Planet a nice way to break up the quiet period between your last and next book."
Scribner (1987), Paperback, 160 pages

The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:21:25 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "This volume marks the end of The Chronicles of Narnia, at least where Lewis was involved. This volume is an allegory for the Book of Revelation, which in itself, seems very allegorical. An ape named Shift convinces a donkey named Puzzle to pretend to be Aslan. Through this, he is able to convince Narnians that he, Shift, speaks for Aslan, and as such, he makes ridiculous requests of them, which they blindly follow, furthering Shift's own wealth and power. But, well, not everyone in Narnia is stupid, and some start to catch on, only to be overpowered by the overwhelming forces of the weak-minded. In a call to Aslan, the heir of Caspian, requests help, which comes in the form of former human visitors to Narnia. Good works to triumph over evil, but there are many casualties along the way. And since it's allegorical, you can probably guess how it ends. This book is a good way to end your reading of The Chronicles of Narnia. If you've enjoyed the series thus far, there have been loads of works written to both compliment and criticize the series, including one of the key events in the book involving a train, but I'll say no more on this subject. Definitely recommended if you've made it this far."
Macmillan Publishing Company (1970), Paperback, 184 pages

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction by Cory Doctorow

Mon, 18 May 2009 09:03:50 -0400

aethercowboy's review: "Cory Doctorow gave me this book about five years ago, and I've been putting off reading it while I, in the meantime, formulated my craft at writing speculative fiction. WHY DID I DO THAT!? Seriously. Well, the main reason I've been putting it off is because it has the word "Idiot" in the title. I'm not one of those who tends to favor books that call their readers idiots or dummies. I, generally, prefer books that have words like "Learning," "Using," "Cookbook," and "Nutshell" in the titles, but O'Reilly doesn't publish many books on writing science fiction. Go figure. But, my respect for Doctorow, at least as a writer, trumped my lack of wanting to actually read an Idiot's book, so I read it, and I'm glad I did. If you're an aspiring writer, or perhaps, a fledgling writer, this is one shop-talking book that won't, for a moment, make you feel like an idiot, complete or otherwise. Doctorow and Schroeder do an excellent job of taking you through the writing, publishing, and contracting process, covering as many bases as possible in the wild world of science fiction publishing. It opened my eyes to new things, and refreshed my memory on a bunch of the stuff I already knew. This is a must read for anybody wanting to get into spec fic as a career, or even a hobby. And if you're embarrassed by the word "Idiot" on the cover, just get a little strip of black tape. Now, you're reading "The Complete Guide to Publishing Science Fiction," a more fitting title."

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:19:48 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "Shortly after the events of the novel Price Caspian, Lucy and Edmond find themselves drawn back to Narnia with their intolerable cousin, Eustace. Three years have passed, and Caspian X is still on the throne. Well, he's on a boat when they arrive, but figuratively, he's still on the throne. He has vowed to find the seven Lost Lords, and has embarked on a ship called the Dawn Trader to do it. He,the Pevensies, Eustace Scrubb, and some familiar characters from PC, including everybody's favorite swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep, embark on the journey together, which is rife with peril and replete with adventure. Part of Lewis' Caspian Triad (followed by The Silver Chair), which is further part of the Chronicles of Narnia, this book belongs on the shelf of those who like Lewis' other work, or are looking for family-friendly (though somewhat religiously allegorical) literature to read their kids at night. Recommended for fans of more youth-oriented, religion-inspired, classic fantasy."
Collier Books (1978), Paperback, 216 pages

The Devil's Alphabet by Daryl Gregory

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:55:40 -0400

aethercowboy's review: "Most stories, they say, involve either somebody going on a journey, or a stranger coming to town. Some would argue that these are simply the same story, told from different perspectives. So, what's so strange about it when Paxton "Pax" Martin comes back to the small Southern town of Switchcreek? He's one of the few residents of the town who never underwent "the changes," feeling alienated in a familiar yet foreign city, surrounded by his friends and family, now all grossly mutated, either into lumbering, tall argos; hairless, red betas; or comically obese charlies. Pax, a "skip," is a stranger in this familiar land. He's visiting for the funeral of his childhood friend, Jo, who apparently committed suicide after being ostracized by the other betas, the members of her clade. Her pro-choice views did not fall on listening ears, especially when those ears were connected to bodies that automatically reproduced via parthenogenesis. Some people think it was more than a suicide. While in town, Pax catches up on old times with his other long-time friend, Deke, now a giant argo. Deke convinces him to at least say "hi" to his father before returning to Chicago, free of the freak show that is Switchcreek. Pax acquiesces. His father, now a grossly fat charlie, suffers from acute dementia, and starts breaking out into blistery hives when his son visits him. The liquid from these blisters, dubbed "the vintage," has an extreme psychotropic affect on Pax, an on-again-off-again user. He's hooked. Pax continues to put off returning to Chicago as he tries to uncover any clues he can about Jo's death; that keeps him there, as well as his insatiable addiction to the vintage. This book, while serious at times, doesn't forget to poke fun at the post-9/11 American society, rife with xenophobia and epidemic scares. There were passages in which I honestly laughed out loud, at the ridiculous blending of satire and realism ("It's funny, because it's true"). While the book's premise is fantastic in nature (with a little kick of sci-fi), were the characters not grossly misshapen, you would probably expect to find this book in the non-genre literature section. All in all, I must say that this was a pretty good book. It definitely made me want to read more about Pax, Switchcreek, and the Changes. I recommend this book to anybody wishing to read a story with strong characters and believable settings, as well as a reasonable scientific explanation for the events in the book."
Del Rey (2009), Paperback, 400 pages

The Protein Power Lifeplan Gram Counter by Michael R. Eades

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:58:21 -0400

aethercowboy's review: "This is a reference book, and provides for very, very dry recreational reading. Additionally, it would be greatly useful to somebody concerned with Caloric intake, and other dieting practices. Unfortunately, this was not me. Reading this book recreationally was like reading the Book of Numbers recreationally, only a little more gross, especially in the meats section. Who knew that fried brains and raw tripe were actually eaten by PEOPLE? Ugh. The book, being a pocket-sized thing, is easy to cart around to all those places where you just don't have ready access to the nutritional information of the thing you're about to eat. Likewise, it's pretty exhaustive, listing things you'd never even imagine you'd be eating, as well as how many calories it has. Likewise, it has a listing of foods that are naturally high in certain vitamins and fatty acids. This book may be helpful to those wanting to learn more about nutrition, but it won't be helpful if you're already fit, have a good diet, and like to read books that are entertaining."
Grand Central Publishing (2000), Edition: 1st, Mass Market Paperback, 184 pages

Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:19:21 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "It's been years since the Pevensie childen had been to Narnia, and when they get sweeped away while boarding a train, find themselves back in Narnia, though many, many years after their last visit. Everything the know of Narnia has been changed, and the three find themselves in the midst of a war between the Telmarines, an invading race to Narnia. They befriend dwarfs, badgers, a swashbuckling swordsmouse, and the rightful heir of the Telmarine dynasty, the titular character, Prince Caspian. Together they work to restore Caspian (the tenth Caspian of his dynasty) back to the throne in place of his usurping uncle Miraz. While not as out-and-out EPIC as the Walden Media film made it seem, the book still has enough conflict and struggle to make it worth your Narnia-reading while. Recommended for fans of Lewis, especially those working through the Chronicles of Narnia."
MacMillan Publishing Company (1970), Paperback

The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:20:31 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "More religious allusions, this time retelling the story of Moses via a peasant boy and his talking horse. This book takes place near the end of Wardrobe, was written prior to The Silver Chair, but published afterward, so as to not break up the Caspian books. Definitely worth reading by any fan of Lewis or Narnia."
Prentice Hall (1970), Paperback

Hespira: A Tale of Henghis Hapthorn by Matthew Hughes

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:56:43 -0400

aethercowboy's review: "When I was first introduced to the writings of Matthew Hughes, I found him to be extremely wordy, and felt he couldn't quite get to whatever point he was making. I'm not sure what happened, but over time, I managed to read Jack Vance's Dying Earth stories, and heard somewhere through the grapevine that Hughes' Archonate stories take place some time after the Dying Earth, on Old Earth. Then, something clicked, and I started to enjoy them. Hughes has two protagonists that exist in his Old Earth universe. One of them is Guth Bandar, who has the ability to enter the common subconscious existence of sentient beings. The other is Henghis Hapthorn, one of the best discriminators money can buy. Hapthorn is like Sherlock Holmes and Macguyver as a gestalt entity. Not only can he deduce (or is it induce?) like the best of them, but also, he is technologically savvy, building his own machines to combat with the security intrusions of the future setting. The setting itself is a monumental pangalactic miasma, burdened under its overreliance on technology, and resting at the cusp of a chaotic takeover of magical thought and practice. Hapthorn, one of the few to be aware of such an impending change, still holds on to his technological ways, and makes ends meet by acting as a discriminator on the behalf of Old Earth's upper crust. While on a case, he runs into an ordinary offworld woman, who somehow strikes his sympathetic nerve. He doesn't find her the least bit attractive, but is compelled to assist her on her quest to regain her recently purloined memories. Once his current matter is resolved, he takes her on as a client, against his better judgment, and races across space to help her find her identity. Their journey spans the farthest reaches of space, and finds itself ending in a scenario that would make Guy Ritchie proud. The book features a colorful cast of characters, including Hapthorn's intuition, manifesting itself in an independent body. This intuition, unlike Hapthorn himself, is studying magic, in order for some semblance of order to exist after the change. Likewise, there are power-hungry elitists, revenge-seeking shut-ins, petty and argumentative computers, and even a godlike avatar. Hughes goes over the top in his writing, which gives it some of that classic fantasy appeal, only set in a science fiction setting. Hughes has found a perfect blend between the two, and is absolutely deserving of the genre label science fantasy. If you like Jack Vance, or writers inspired by such, or if you are a current fan of Hughes works (most commonly appearing in the pages of the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction), you may very well find it worth your time to pick up a copy of Hespira."
Night Shade Books (2009), Hardcover, 220 pages

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:18:51 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "The four Pevensie children are sent to stay with a relation in the country while London, their home, is bombarded by Nazi planes during the Blitz. While passing time to ease off the boredom, Lucy, the youngest, discovers a wardrobe, and through this wardrobe, a portal to a magical world called Narnia. Narnia, caught in eternal winter, has a wide array of fantastic creatures, including talking animals, and a Faun named Mr. Tumnus. There had been a prophecy in Narnia, since the cold took over: When two sons of Adam, and two daughters of Eve come to Narnia, it will mark the end of Jadis', the White Witch, reign. So, you can pretty much expect she going to try to stop it. She takes under her wing the third oldest, Edmund, and works to corrupt him. The remaining Pevensie children all work together, alongside the rebel alliance of talking beavers, fauns, and other nice mythical creatures. All the while, whispers of Aslan's return are heard. Aslan, as you're probably well aware, is a lion, and is also very blatant allegory for <strike>Aragorn</strike> err Jesus. Lewis' fiction is usually very heavily inspired by the Christian beliefs, and this book is no exception. Less heavy-handed than a lot of what you'd find on the shelves of the Speculative Fiction section of a Christian bookstore, but moreso than the more subtle allegory found in Tolkien's work. If you've read The Magician's Nephew and enjoyed it, or if you saw the Walden Media-produced film (or the BBC film, or even the cartoon) and enjoyed it, then you'll probably like this book. If you're a Tolkien fan, you have a higher chance of liking it than one who instead favors more grim and grisly fantasy."
MacMillan Publishing Company (1970), Paperback, 192 pages

The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:21:01 -0500

aethercowboy's review: "If you're my age, or older, then The Magician's Nephew is the penultimate book in the Chronicles of Narnia. To those younger than me, even by a few years, Nephew is the first book. Granted, when I was younger, and first read this book, I realized it as a prequel (though I think it was before that word was canonized). I did not, however, realize the NEW order of the books until I saw the Walden Media-produced theatrical film with my wife and her siblings, all younger. I was quite surprised to hear them wonder aloud why they started with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I said, "Because, It's the first book." To which they said, "But the first book is The Magician's Nephew!" It was then that I realized that someone had reordered the books, and published them like so, and my in-laws were thus in possession of a set ordered chronologically. I, myself, order my books via internal chronology, when possible, but I found it odd that people actually believed that TMN was book, the first. Perhaps it's just me. Nevertheless, book, the (chronologically) first is where I will start. This book sets the foundation of the mythos of Narnia, in which we see the creation of Narnia, the origin of the Wardrobe, and the backstory of Jadis, the White Witch. If you have read one Narnia book, you have most likely read this one. That, or you've read LWW. In the latter case, if you enjoyed that Narnia tale, you may find it worth your while to work through the remaining books until you find a copy of TMN sitting in your hands. I suggest, at that time, that you read it."
MacMillan Publishing Company (1970), Paperback, 186 pages