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Title:
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Machine Man
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Author:
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Max Barry
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Genre:
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Fiction/Technology/Morality
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Synopsis:
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An engineer loses a leg in a lab accident and uses his
skills to build a replacement leg. This leads to designing further prostheses
and then enhancements that promise change that humanity may not be ready for.
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Verdict:
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I love how Max Barry writes this stuff. The characters,
the evil corporations, the dilemmas, the flawed but driven characters. Very
compelling.
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Pages:
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274
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Read:
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September 2011
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30 September 2011
#129. Machine Man by Max Barry
#128. John Dies At The End by David Wong
Title:
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John Dies At The End
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Author:
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David Wong
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Genre:
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Supernatural
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Synopsis:
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Two friends are plunged into a weird, impossible situation by an otherworldly drug and have to save themselves, their friends and the world incidentally.
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Verdict:
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Completely mental and completely fantastic. Very surreal and quickly paced. Lots of fun. I’ve heard that it’s being turned into a movie and the director is going to have a real challenge capturing the tone of this one, good luck to them.
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Pages:
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373
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Read:
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September – October 2011
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#127. Catholicism For Dummies by Rev. John Triglio Jr and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti
Title:
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Catholicism For Dummies
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Author:
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Rev. John Triglio Jr and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti
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Genre:
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Non-Fiction/Religion
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Synopsis:
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A fairly carefully broken down explanation of the origins and practises of Catholicism, with descriptions of where other Christian traditions schismed.
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Verdict:
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Written in an accessible, if slightly repetitive, style. Lots of intersting historical information, slight bias presented of course.
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Pages:
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394
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Read:
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September – October 2011
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#126. Australian Politics For Dummies by Nick Enonomou and Zareh Ghazarian
Title:
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Australian Politics For Dummies
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Author:
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Nick Economou and Zareh Ghazarian
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Genre:
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Non-Fiction/Politics
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Synopsis:
| A basic introduction into the nature, function and history of Australian Politics. |
Verdict:
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Due to its subject matter it was a bit dense, even when presented for dummies, and for one reason or another I found myself struggling to get through it despite my interest and my conviction that I bloody-well should. A good place to start but a more impassioned treatise will probably give a richer understanding (even if it would by its nature probably be more biased).
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Pages:
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325
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Read:
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September 2011 – March 2012
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#125. A Year Of Slow Food by David and Gerda Foster
Title:
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A Year Of Slow Food
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Author:
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David and Gerda Foster
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Genre:
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Non-Fiction/Food
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Synopsis:
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A couple who grow their own food share the experiences of a year as they grow food, tend animals and cope with the challenges of their lifestyle.
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Verdict:
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The food, gardening advice and recipes are interesting but the authors both seem to be complete and utter nutbar twonker arseholes. I spent a great deal of time reading choice passages out to coworkers who alternated between laughter and disbelief. Maybe not a guide to life so much as a guide on how not to be a self-righteous jackass.
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Pages:
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268
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Read:
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September 2011
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30 August 2011
#124. Heartless by Gail Carriger
Title:
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Heartless
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Author:
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Gail Carriger
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Genre:
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Supernatural/Alternate History
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Synopsis:
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As Alexia’s pregnancy progresses, vampire assassination attempts continue and ghosts warn of a regicide planned.
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Verdict:
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A lot of revelations and big changes, I’m not sure how the next book will run. Certain events which were necessary due to the social standards of the times seem strange to the modern reader but are necessary for authenticity, insofar as authenticity is possible in a book which has London society peopled with werewolves and vampires. Satisfying but unsettling too.
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Pages:
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311
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Read:
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August 2011
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#123. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Title:
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Doomsday Book
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Author:
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Connie Willis
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Genre:
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Time Travel/Historical Fiction
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Synopsis:
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Kivrin, a history student, is sent back in time to the Middle Ages to study the time period but is trapped there when epidemics in the community she has arrived in and the university she has left behind create chaos.
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Verdict:
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At first I thought it might be a bit cold and analytical but once I got into it I saw how vivid and well researched it was. The historical details are fitted into the plot well so it didn’t feel didactic and the layers of drama gave it a constant urgency.
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Pages:
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669
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Read:
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August – September 2011
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