Since I had read the Foundation series a long time ago, I had been thinking of reading Asimov’s robot books. I found most of them interesting, but there were a number of weak spots as well. Robots fare a lot better in Asimov’s characterizations than humans and Susan Calvin fares quite badly.
Category: Books
Transformations in Slavery
A good book dense with facts and analysis. Not for the faint of heart, but highly recommended for the serious reader.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
This is a book-cum-movie review since I read “The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” not too long before the movie “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” came out. Both are highly recommended as they are very funny.
Islam by Fazlur Rahman
“Islam” by Fazlur Rahman gives an interpretive history of Islam. It is a slim volume and focuses on Fazlur Rahman’s opinions of the major theological developments. It is nevertheless very readable.
“Collapse: Why Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” By Jared Diamond
Overall, Diamond’s latest book lacks the strength of Guns, Germs and Steel. With statements about getting to things later laced throughout the text, he seems rushed. His discussions about societies that executed face-plants are quite interesting, but the picture he …
Hotel Rwanda
Hotel Rwanda is a moving film. I would rate it 9/10. Also I need books recommendations about the Rwandan genocide.
The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited
I read The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited before Michelle’s birth but haven’t had time to review it. It is a detailed look (640 pages) at the issue of the Palestinian refugees with more than 2,700 endnotes/footnotes. The book starts with three maps. One shows the UN partition plan. The 2nd map codes… Continue reading The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited
Pattern Recognition
Being a DSP nerd, when I first heard of William Gibson’s science fiction novel Pattern Recognition, I thought of Pattern Classification by Duda, Hart and Stork. William Gibson has a peculiar writing style. I liked it a lot in Neuromancer and it made me read Pattern Recognition in a couple of sessions as well. What… Continue reading Pattern Recognition
The Da Vinci Code
I liked The Da Vinci Code quite a bit. I found it a good and gripping read in general, though at times it did stray too far in explaining some odd interpretation of history. Some people have been somewhat incensed by the basic plot of the novel. One reason for that might be Dan Brown’s… Continue reading The Da Vinci Code
Freedom at Midnight
Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre was recommended to me by zackq and KO (who has his own thoughts here). It is a highly readable book with a great writing style. The major fault of the book lies with the authors’ reliance on Mountbatten. One of their major sources is a personal… Continue reading Freedom at Midnight