1. A quantum murder/ Peter F. Hamilton
2. ABR (Australian Book Review)/ Feb 2007
3. Across the nightingale floor/ Lian Hern
4. Acoustic guitar/ Mar 2006
5. Adbusters (journal of the mental environment)/ #72 (Jun - Jul 2007)
6. Analog science fiction and fact/Oct 2007
7. Analog science fiction and fact/ Dec 2005
8. Analog science fiction and fact/ Jan-Feb 2006
9. Analog science fiction and fact/ Mar 2006
10. Analog science fiction and fact/ Nov 2005
11. Asimov's science fiction/ Aug 2007
12. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Feb 2007
13. Asimov's science fiction/ Jan 2007
14. Astro City: Confessions/ Kurt Busiek [Re-read this, actually]
15. Batgirl: A knight alone
16. Batman: Arkham asylum
17. Batman: Dark knight dynasty
18. Batman: Fortunate son
19. Batman: Gotham by gaslight/ Brian Augustyn & Mike Mignola
20. Batman: Hush (vol 2)/ Jeph Loeb & Jim Lee
21. Batman: Hush returns
22. Batman: Officer down (New Gotham 2)
23. Batman: Terror/ Doug Moench & Paul Gulacy
24. Big Guy and Rusty the boy robot/ Frank Miller & Geof Darrow
25. Blogs: Understanding the Information reformation and how it's changing your world/ Hugh Hewitt
26. Bookmarks: For everyone who hasn't read everything/ May - June 2006
27. Brilliance of the moon/ Lian Hern
28. Brownsville/ Neil Kleid & Jake Allen
29. Captain America: Red menace
30. Computer music/ April 2006
31. Death by spaghetti/ The Big Issue
32. Delta force: Operation Michael's Sword/ John Harriman
33. Delta force: Prelude to war/ John Harriman
34. Diary of a duty manager: A collection of short stories/ Cyril Peter
35. Doing a little good: A book of the Riding for the Disabled Association of Singapore
36. Everything is miscellaneous: The power of the new digital disorder/ David Weinberger
37. Entrepreneur/ Dec 2006
38. Fantastic Four: First family/ Joe Casey & Chris Weston
39. For us, the living: A comedy of customs/ Robert A. Heinlein
40. Frommer's Vienna & the Danube valley (5th ed.)
41. Ghost force/ Patrick Robinson
42. Grass for his pillow/ Lian Hearn
43. Greetings, carbon-based bipeds!/ Arthur C. Clarke
44. Guerrilla creativity: Make your message irresistible with the power of memes/ Jay Conrad Levinson
45. Hellboy: Odder jobs/ Frank Darabont, Charles de Lint, Graham Joyce, Mike Mignola
46. Hellstrom’s Hive/ Frank Herbert
47. Hocus pocus/ Kurt Vonnegut
48. Home recording power: Set up your own recording studio for personal and professional use/ Ben Milstead
49. How to draw manga vol. 3: Compiling application and practice/ Society for the study of Manga techniques
50. How to draw manga: vol 4
51. Jonah Hex: Face full of violence/ Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti & Luke Ross
52. Judge Dredd: Featuring Judge Death
53. Loving a schizophrenic: A true story of love, loyalty and courage/ Raymond Anthony Fernando
54. MacAddict/ Aug 2005
55. MacAddict/ July 2005
56. Macworld/ Oct 2005
57. Military gadgets: How advanced technology is transforming today's battlefield... And tomorrow's/ Nicholas D. Evans
58. Minivanity: An ADAM collection/ Brian Basset
59. Misspent youth/ Peter F. Hamilton
60. Modesty Blaise: Cry Wolf/ Peter O'Donnell & Enric Badia Romero
61. My Michael/ Amoz Oz
62. Mythology: The DC comics art of Alex Ross/ Chip Kidd & Geoff Spear
63. Norwegian wood/ Haruki Murakami
64. Orphanage/ Robert Buettner
65. Playing the Guitar (Everything You Need to Know About…)/ Jack Wilkins & Peter Rubie
66. Poetry/ May 2007
67. Rose/ Jeff Smith & Charles Vess
68. Rough guide to Vienna
69. Secrets of podcasting: Audio blogging for the masses/ Bart G. farkas
70. Slaughterhouse-Five or The Children's Crusade/ Kurt Vonnegut
71. Snow Crash/ Neal Stephenson
72. Spot the Frog: A Cartoon Collection/ Mark Heath
73. Squadron Supreme: The pre-war years/ J. Michael Straczynski & Gary Frank
74. Starman Jones/ Robert A. Heinlein
75. Starship troopers/ Robert A. Heinlein
76. Stonehaven: Milk cartons & dog biscuits/ Kevin Tinsley & Phil Singer
77. Superman, Aliens 2: God war
78. Tales of the dying earth/ Jack Vance
79. Taxi talk: Tall tales, bright lights and stories of hope and yearning/ Zheng Shuying
80. The Authority vol 1: Relentless/ Warren Ellis
81. The begotten/ Lisa T. Bergren
82. The best of the best: 20 years of the year's best science fiction/ edited by Gardner Dozois
83. The complete idiot's guide to creative writing/ Laurie E. Rozakis
84. The dark knight returns/ Frank Miller, Klaus Janson & Lynn Varley
85. The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy/ John Carnell & Steve Leialoha
86. The house that Jack built/ Graham Masterton
87. The legend of Drizzt book III: Sojourn/ R. A. salvatore
88. The moon is a harsh mistress/ Robert A. Heinlein
89. The protector's war/ S. M. Stirling
90. The ratvolution will not be televised (Pearls before swine collection)/ Stephan Pastis
91. The story of strauss in words and music
92. The three tensions: Winning the struggle to perform without compromises/ Dominic Dodd and Ken Favaro
93. The tipping point: How little things can make a big difference/ Malcolm Gladwell
94. Thriving on vague objectives/ Scott Adams
95. Timeout: Vienna (3rd ed)
96. Tom Strong: Book Three
97. Tom Strong: Book Two
98. Tomorrow stories: Book Two/ Alan Moore
99. Undaunted courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the opening of the American west/ Stephen E. Ambrose
100. V for vendetta/ Alan Moore & David Lloyd
101. Virtuoso strauss transcription. Piers lane. Piano
102. Waggin' tales: A Red and Rover cartoon collection/ Brian Basset
103. What Matters in Learning?/ Tan Ai Girl
104. Welcome to the monkey house: A collection of short works/ Kurt Vonnegut

SUMMARY:

Total items read

• 2007 = 104 items
• 2006 = 67 items
• 2005 = 91 items
• 2004 = 100 items

Fiction Vs Non-fiction

• 2007 = 69% Fiction Vs. 31% Non-fiction
• 2006 = 88% Fiction Vs. 12% Non-fiction
• 2005 = 79% Fiction Vs. 21% Non-fiction
• 2004 = 56% Fiction Vs. 44% Non-fiction

Subject/ Genre composition (top 3 in terms of %)

• 2007 = Art (graphic novels) 41%, Science Fiction 27%, Contemporary Fiction 4%
• 2006 = Fantasy 31%, Philosophy & Psychology/ Self-improvement 7%, IT & Computer 6% (others include Science Fiction 6%, Management 4%, Art 3%)
• 2005 = Fantasy 23%, Science Fiction 23%, Contemporary Fiction 15%, (other subjects/ genres include Military 4%, Art 4%, and Science 4%)
• 2004 = Science Fiction 26%, Contemporary Fiction 14%, Military 13% (others include Management 12%, Fantasy 9%, Library Science 5%)

Items from Singapore Collection

• 2007 = 4 (4% of items read)
• 2006 = 3 (4% of items read)
• 2005 = 9 (10% of total read)
• 2004 = 0

Formats

• 2007 = Books 46%, Magazines 33%, Graphic Novels 17%, CDs 4%
• 2006 = Books 44%, Magazines 18%, Graphic Novels 38%
• 2005 = Books 48%, Magazines 12%, Graphic Novels 40%
• 2004 = Books 73%, Magazines 22%, Graphic Novels 5%

My 2006 READING LIST

1. A conscious life: Cultivating the seven qualities of authentic adulthood/ Franx Cox & Louis Cox
2. A feast for crows (book 4 of "A song of ice & fire")/ George R. R. Martin
3. Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine/ Mar 06
4. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Oct/ Nov 2005
5. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Sept 2005
6. Batman: The Chalice/ Chuck Dixon (Writer), John Van Fleet (illustrator). DC Comics.
7. Bleachers/ John Grisham
8. Blogging for dummies/ Brad Hill
9. Bone: Old man's cave (vol 6)/ Jeff Smith
10. Bone: Out from boneville (complete bone collection vol 1)/ Jeff Smith
11. Bone: The dragonslayer (vol 4)/ Jeff Smith
12. Bone: The great cow race (vol 2)/ Jeff Smith
13. Bone: Treasure Hunters (8)/Jeff Smith
14. Book Lust: Recommended reading for every mood, moment, and reason/ Nancy Pearl
15. Brandchild: Remarkable insights into the minds of today's global kids & their relationships with brands/ Martin Lindstrom with Patricia B. Seybold
16. Business Week/ Jun 2005
17. Charisma: Seven keys to developing the magnetism that leads to success/ Tony Alessandra, PhD.
18. Computer Arts/ Aug 2005
19. Computer Arts/ Dec 2004
20. Computer Arts/ Dec 2005
21. Computer Arts/ Jan 2006
22. Computer Arts/ May 2005
23. Computer Arts/ Oct 2005
24. Creating Confidence: How to develop your personal power and presence/ Meribeth Bunch
25. Dying of the light/ George R. R. Martin
26. Faerie Tales/ editors Martin Greenberg & Russell Davis
27. Flight: Vol 1/ Bengal, Bill Mudron, Catia Chien, Clio Chiang, Chris Appelhans, Derek Kirk Kim, Dylan Meconis, Enrico Casarosa, Erica Moen, Hope Larson
28. Flight: Vol 2/ Becky Cloonan, Chris Appelhans, Clio Chiang, Michel Gagne
29. Flight: Vol 3/ (various)
30. Great containers/ Clare Matthews
31. The lost world of the Kalahari/ Laurens Van Der Post
32. Innovation: The magazine of research & technology (vol. 6 no. 2, 2006)/ World Scientific, NUS
33. Life of Pi/ Yann Martel
34. Little red: A fizzingly good yarn/ Lynn Roberts, David Roberts
35. Mac OS X Tiger: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks)/ Mark Chambers
36. Mammon Inc./ Tan Hwee Hwee
37. Managing your e-mail: Thinking outside the inbox/ Christina Cavanagh
38. Nailed/ Patrick Jones
39. On creativity: Awakening the creative mind/ Leo Ann Mean
40. Photography: Creating effective graphic design with photography/ Cheryl Cullen
41. Power of one/ Bryce Courtenay
42. Real coaching & feedback: how to help people improve their performance/ JK Smart
43. Rememberance of things past within a budding grove Vol 1/ Marcel Proust (Adapted by Stephane Heuet)
44. Science Fiction Television/ M. Keith Booker
45. Sgt Rock: Between hell & a hard place/ Joe Kubert & Brian Azzarello. DC Comics
46. Starman: A starry knight (7)/ James Robinson, Tony Harris. DC comics
47. Starman: A wicked inclination (3)/ James Robinson, Tony Harris. DC comics
48. Starman: Grand guignol (9)/ James Robinson, Tony Harris. DC comics
49. Starman: Night & day (2)/ James Robinson, Tony Harris. DC comics
50. Starman: Sins of the father (1)/ James Robinson, Tony Harris. DC comics
51. Starman: Stars my destination (8)/ James Robinson, Tony Harris. DC comics
52. Starman: Times past (4)/ James Robinson, Tony Harris. DC comics
53. Starman: To reach the stars (6)/ James Robinson, Tony Harris. DC comics
54. Starwars X-wing Rogue Squadron (6): In the empire's service/ Michael A. Stackpole, John Nadeau, Jordi Ensign
55. Starwars: Visionaries/ Warren Fu, Derek Thompson
56. Talkers, watchers, and doers: Unlocking your child's unique learning style/ Cheri Fuller
57. Teach your self speed reading/ Tina Konstant
58. Trump-style negotiation: Powerful strategies and tactics for mastering every deal/ George H. Ross
59. The covenant rising (book 1 of the dreamtime)/ Stan Nicholis 9780060738907/ 0060738901
60. The little red dot: Reflections by Singapore's diplomats/ editors Tommy Koh & Chang Li Lin
61. The lost world of the Kalahari/ Laurens Van Der Post
62. The salvage sisters' guide to finding style in the street and inspiration in the attic/ Kathleen Hackett & Mary Ann Young
63. War torn/ John Marks
64. Way of the Rat/ Chuck Dixon, Jeff Johnson. Crossgen comics
65. White thorn/ Bryce Courtenay
66. Why not?: How to use everyday ingenuity to solve problems big & small/ Barry Nalebuff & Ian Ayres
67. Zoetrope: All-Story (Short Fiction Magazine)

SUMMARY:

Total items read

• 2006 = 67 items
• 2005 = 91 items
• 2004 = 100 items

Fiction Vs Non-fiction

• 2006 = 88% Fiction Vs. 12% Non-fiction
• 2005 = 79% Fiction Vs. 21% Non-fiction
• 2004 = 56% Fiction Vs. 44% Non-fiction

Subject/ Genre composition (top 3 in terms of %)

• 2006 = Fantasy 31%, Philosophy & Psychology/ Self-improvement 7%, IT & Computer 6% (others include Science Fiction 6%, Management 4%, Art 3%)
• 2005 = Fantasy 23%, Science Fiction 23%, Contemporary Fiction 15%, (other subjects/ genres include Military 4%, Art 4%, and Science 4%)
• 2004 = Science Fiction 26%, Contemporary Fiction 14%, Military 13% (others include Management 12%, Fantasy 9%, Library Science 5%)

Items from Singapore Collection

• 2006 = 3 (4% of items read)
• 2005 = 9 (10% of total read)
• 2004 = 0

Formats

• 2006 = Books 27% 44%, Magazines 18%, Graphic Novels 23% 38%
• 2005 = Books 48%, Magazines 12%, Graphic Novels 40%
• 2004 = Books 73%, Magazines 22%, Graphic Novels 5%

Approximate Dollar Value of items (as per Amazon.com prices; excluding Out of Print items)

• 2006 = USD$1,100 (or SGD$1,760)
• 2005 = USD$1,020 (or SGD$1,650)
• 2004 = Not calculated

The list includes only books and magazines (AV items are excluded).

• Total items read in 2005 = 91 items
• Fiction Vs Non-fiction = 79% Fiction Vs. 21% Non-fiction
• Subject composition (top 3 in terms of %) = Fantasy 23%, Science Fiction 23% (21 items each); Society/ Contemporary Fiction 15% (14 items); Military 4%, Art 4%, Science 4% (4 items each)
• Items from Singapore Collection = 9 (10% of total read)
• Formats = Books 48% (44 books), Magazines 12% (11 magazines), Graphic Novels 40% (36 graphic novels)
• Value of items as per Amazon.com prices (excluding Out of Print items) = USD$1,019.13 (or SGD$1,654.35, as at 28 Feb 2006 conversion rates)

Titles read in 2005:
1. 9-11: Artists respond – Vol 1
2. 9-11: Emergency relief
3. A bit of earth/ Suchen Christine Lim
4. A life force/ Will Eisner
5. A morbid taste for bones (a Brother Cadfael series)/ Ellis Peters
6. AD & D (Asian Defence & Diplomacy)/ Feb 2005 vol 12 no.2
7. Aliens: Stronghold/ Dark Horse Comics
8. American Gods/ Neil Gaiman
9. Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Jan-Feb 2005
10. Asian geographic/ n27, issue 5, 2004
11. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Apr-May 2005
12. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Feb 2005
13. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Jan 2005
14. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Mar 2005
15. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Dec 2004
16. Astronomy/ Aug 2005
17. Astronomy/ Oct 2004
18. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: A Novel/ Dai Sijie
19. Cities/ (ed. Peter Crowther)
20. City people notebook/ Will Eisner
21. Concrete: Killer smile/ Paul Chadwick
22. Concrete: Think like a mountain/ Paul Chadwick
23. Digital Painting/ (pub. Ballistics/ digital artists master class)
24. Dreaming down under/ edited by Jack Dann & Janeen Webb
25. Fax from Sarajevo: A story of survival/ Joe Kubert
26. Finding Ben: A mother's journey through the maze of Asperger's/ Barbara Lasalle
27. Firebirds: Anthology of original fantasy and Science Fiction/ Sharyn November (editor)
28. Fistful of colours/ Suchen Christine Lim
29. Getting results: Five absolutes for high performers/ Clinton O. Longnecker & Jack L. Simonetti
30. Google power: Unleash the full potential of Google/ Chris Sherman
31. Heartland/ Daren V. L. Shiau
32. Hellboy: Seeds of destruction/ Mike Mignola
33. Hellboy: The chained coffin & others/ Mike Mignola
34. How to draw and sell comic strips for newspapers and comic books/ Alan McKenzie
35. Insider's Singapore: The alternative city guide/ David Brazil
36. Iron Council/ China Mieville
37. Isn't Singapore somewhere in China, luv? Stories about Singaporeans abroad/ Josephine Chia Over
38. King Rat/ China Mieville
39. Kite runner/ Khaled Hosseini
40. Last day in vietnam: A memory/ Will Eisner
41. Lila: An inquiry into morals/ Robert M. Pirsig
42. Lonely planet norway
43. Marching to Valhalla/ Michael Blake
44. New Spring (A Wheel of Time novel)/ Robert Jordan
45. Norway rough guide
46. Orbiter/ DC Comics
47. Perdido Street Station/ China Mieville
48. Reading & the reference librarian: The importance to library service of staff reading habits/ Juris Dilevko & Lisa Gottlieb
49. Reinventing comics: How imagination and technology are revolutionizing an art form/ Scott McCloud
50. Samurai cat goes to hell/ Mark E. Rogers
51. Scientific American/ Dec 2003
52. Seabiscuit/ Laura Hildebrand
53. Seventeen/ Colin Cheong
54. Sleeper: Out in the Cold/ Ed Brubaker & Sean Philips
55. Space Usagi/ Stan Sakai
56. Star Wars: Chewbacca/ Dark Horse Comics
57. Star wars: X-wing rogue squadron. Mandatory retirement
58. StormWatch Vol. 1. Force of nature/ Warren Ellis
59. Stormwatch. Vol. 2. Lightning strikes
60. Stormwatch. Vol. 3. Change or die
61. Stormwatch. Vol. 4. A finer world
62. Stormwatch. Vol. 5. Final orbit
63. Stormwatch. Team Achilles. Book 1
64. Stormwatch: Team Achilles book 2
65. Tangerine/ Colin Cheong
66. Terry Pratchett's The light Fantastic
67. The Alchemist/ Paulo Coelho
68. The complete Concrete/ Paul Chadwick
69. The dreamer (A graphic novella set during the dawn of comic bks)/ Will Eisner
70. The Fantasies of Robert A. Heinlein/ Robert A. Heinlein
71. The fifth mountain/ Paulo Coelho
72. The five star stories (vol 10)/ Mamoru Nagano
73. The green man: Tales from the mythic forest/ Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling (editors)
74. The last heros/ W. E. B. Griffin
75. The matrix comics Vol 2
76. The reef/ Nora Roberts
77. The Sandman: Endless nights/ Neil Gaiman
78. The Sandman: The wake/ Neil Gaiman
79. The Scar/ China Mieville
80. The secret history/ Donna Tartt
81. The seige of Singapore/ Lim Thean Soo
82. The Sgt. Rock archives Vol. 1/ DC Comics
83. To kill a mockingbird/ Harper Lee
84. Tuesdays with morrie/ Mitch Albom
85. Understanding comics: The invisible art/ Scott McCloud
86. Void decks and other empty places/ Colin Cheong
87. Walk like a dragon: Short stories/ Goh Sin Tub
88. We, the media: Grassroots journalism by the people, for the people/ Dan Gillmor
89. Wildcats Version 3.0: Brand Building
90. Wildcats Volume 3: Serial boxes
91. X-wing Rogue Squadron: Mandatory Retirement/ Michael A. Stackpole

Almost-read in 2005
Nil - I guess I was pretty selective this year.

]]> http://roughnotes.wordpress.com/2005/01/08/books-magazines-read-in-2004/ Sat, 08 Jan 2005 15:48:40 +0000 Rambling Librarian http://roughnotes.wordpress.com/2005/01/08/books-magazines-read-in-2004/ This time round, I've listed them by title and in alphabetical order. In addition, I've included a list of items that were almost read, i.e. I didn't complete them because I lost interest (it's funny, but it actually took conscious effort to give up a book halfway!)

My favourite reads are indicated in bold. All items were borrowed borrowed from NLB public libraries, unless otherwise indicated. Check the NLB Online Catalogue for availability.

Read in 2004

1. 1982, Janine/ Alasdair Gray [You can’t miss this book – its cover features a drawing of an anatomically-correct man. I didn’t quite get this book, though I finished the book out of curiosity more than anything else]
2. Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Jan-Feb 04
3. Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Mar 04
4. Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Apr 04
5. Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Jun 04
6. Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Jul-Aug 04
7. Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Oct 04
8. Analog Science Fiction & Fact/ Nov 04
9. Angela's Ashes: A memoir of a childhood/ Frank McCourt [Call No. 929.20899162073 MAC. The Pulitzer prize winner that was made into a movie of the same title. It’s witty, sad, moving… ah, read it for yourself. Highly recommended, and so is its sequel – “‘Tis”]
10. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Feb 03
11. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Apr 03
12. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Jul 03
13. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Aug 03
14. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Sept 03
15. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Dec 03
16. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Feb04
17. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Mar 04
18. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Apr - May 04
19. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Jul 04
20. Asimov's Science Fiction/ Sept 04
21. Backfire: A history of friendly fire from ancient warfare to the present day/ Geoffrey Regan
22. Becoming a manager: How new managers master the challenges of leadership/ Linda A. Hill [I'd go as far as to say all managers should read this book. Call No. 658.409 HIL -[BIZ]]
23. Beyond certainty: The changing worlds of organizations/ Charles Handy [This book offers serious food for thought on organizations and management. Call No. 658.406 HAN -[BIZ]]
24. Blood & water: Sabotaging Hitler's bomb/ Dan Kurzman
25. Catcher in the rye/ J. D. Salinger
26. Chaotic thoughts from the old millenium/ Sim Wong Hoo
27. Chicago for dummies (2nd ed)/ Laura Tiebert & Kathleen Cantillon
28. Citizen soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy beaches to the Bulge to the surrender of Germany, June 7, 1944-May 7, 1945/ Stephen E. Ambrose [If you love “Band of Brothers”, you’d love this one as well. Call No. 940.5421 AMB -[WAR]]
29. Clinton on Clinton: A portrait of the President in his own words/ Bill Clinton (edited by Wayne Meyer)
30. Collected stories of Vernor Vinge/ Vernor Vinge
31. Command legacy: A tactical primer for junior leaders/ Lt. Col. Raymond A. Millen
32. Complete Star Wars chronology/ Kevin J. Anderson
33. Corporate turnaround: Nursing a sick company back to health/ Michael Teng
34. Creating the full-service homework center in your library/ Cindy Mediavilla
35. Deepness in the sky/ Vernor Vinge [Amazing ideas in this SciFi novel. Call No. VIN -[SF]]
36. Deferring democracy: Promoting openness in authoritarian regimes/ Catharin E. Dalphino
37. Don't sweat the small stuff...: Simple ways to keep the little things from taking over your life/ Richard Carlson [Personally, I need to read books like this to remind myself on what life is, or isn’t. Every married couple should own this book. Call No. 306.7 CAR]
38. Dropsie Avenue: The neighbourhood/ Will Eisner [Graphic novel. A glimpse into city life in early post-war US. Call No. 741.5973 EIS -[ART]]
39. Dune: The machine crusade/ Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson [This was disappointing. Somehow, all the Dune sequels just don’t quite have that kick of the first one]
40. Engels: A very short introduction/ Terrell Carver
41. Extreme management: What they teach at Harvard business school's advanced management programme/ Mark Stevens
42. Fantasy & Science Fiction/ Sept 03
43. Fantasy & Science Fiction/ Jun 04
44. Fahrenheit 451/ Ray Bradbury [I liked this book for the very intriguing ideas. For one, a Fireman was a destroyer of books by fire. If not for the hype about Michael Moore’s film of the same title (though totally different content), I wouldn’t have read this one. Call No. BRA]
45. Flags of our fathers/ James Bradley [I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I mean, I loved it but after reading it, I didn’t experience the same emotions when I look at the picture of the US Marines planting the flag on Iwo Jima. Call No. 940.5426 BRA -[WAR]]
46. Frindle/ Andrew Clements [A Children’s book, for older children. Decided to read this after attending a workshop. Adults could learn a thing or two from this book. Call No. J CLE]
47. Harnessing complexity/ Robert Axelrod & Michael D. Cohen
48. Hellboy: Conquerer worm/ Mike Mignola
49. Holes/ Louis Sachar [YP Fiction. This was my second reading. There are plots within plots. I loved it when all the seemingly unrelated plots all fell into place in the end. Call No. Y SAC]
50. How to manage training: A guide to design & delivery for high performance/ Carolyn Nilson
51. How to succeed at being yourself: Finding the confidence to fulfill your destiny/ Joyce Meyer
52. How to talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere: The secrets of good communication/ Larry King [Now I know Larry’s secret to success as a broadcast journalist. Call No. 302.346 KIN]
53. Liberty/ Stephen Coonts
54. Library: An unquiet history/ Matthew Battles [Not everyone's cup of tea, but I think librarians ought to at least glance through it]
55. MacArthur's undercover war: Spies, saboteurs, guerrillas & secret missions/ William B. Breuer
56. Managing at the speed of change: How resilient managers succeed and prosper where others fail/ Daryl R. Conner
57. Managing telework: Strategies for managing the virtual workforce/ Jack M. Nilles
58. Maus: I, A survivor's tale: My father bleeds history/ Art Spiegelman [The story of the Holocaust, in graphic novel form. Call No. 741.5973 SPI -[ART]]
59. Maus. II, A survivor's tale: And here my troubles began/ Art Spiegelman [The second and final part. Call No. 741.5973 SPI -[ART]]
60. Microserfs/ Douglas Coupland [Highly entertaining and witty book. The title is a pun on “Microsoft”. Call No. COU]
61. Midnight mass/ Paul Bowles
62. Minor Miracles/ Will Eisner
63. New thinking for the new millenium/ Edward De Bono
64. New York: The big city/ Will Eisner
65. Now all we need is a title: Famous book titles & how they got that way/ Andre Bernard [A must-read for all book lovers. Self-explanatory title. Call No. 820 BER]
66. Overlord: General Pete Quesada & the triumph of tactical air power in World War II/ Thomas Alexander Hughes [An insight of the development of air power doctrine. It is a complementary read to the book “Citizen Soldier” by Stephan Ambrose. Gives you the other perspective to the war, from the pilot’s viewpoint. Call No. 940.54214 HUG -[WAR]]
67. PC magazine Singapore/ Jul 04
68. PC magazine Singapore/ Nov 04
69. Prince of lost places/ Kathy Hepinstall
70. Reinventing the brand: Can top brands survive the new market realities?/ Jean-Noël Kapferer
71. Roverandom/ J.R. R. Tolkien (edited by Christina Scull & Wayne G. Hammond)
72. Saucer/ Stephen Coonts
73. Science goes to war: The search for the ultimate weapon, from Greek fire to Star Wars/ Ernest Volkman [Highly entertaining read about the development of warfare through the ages. This book reads like episodes from the Discovery Channel. Call No. 355.809 VOL]
74. Six degrees: The science of a connected age/ Duncan J. Watts
75. Skydancer/ Geoffrey Archer
76. So many books, so little time: A year of passionate reading/ Sara Nelson
77. Strategy + Business/ Fall 04
78. The age of unreason/ Charles Handy [Another must-read for those interested in the future development of organizations. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t set you thinking. Call No. 658.406 HAN -[BIZ]]
79. The aviators (book viii): Brotherhood of war/ W. E. B. Griffin
80. The Burying Field/ Kenneth Abel
81. The chocolate war/ Robert Cromier [Another YP book I learnt from the same workshop. This has a bleak ending. Has been a recommended book for teens for ages. Call No. Y COR]
82. The Cluetrain Manifesto: The end of business as usual/ Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, David Weinberger [Wish my colleagues at Corporate Communications would read this. Call No. 651.84678 CLU]
83. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time/ Mark Haddon [Excellent YP book. I can now understand why this was on Amazon.com’s bestsellers’ list. A story that is told from the perspective of a boy afflicted with Asperger's syndrome. Don’t let the title fool you. It has a serious side to it. Call No. Y HAD]
84. The Da Vinci code/ Dan Brown [Discovered this on the shelf one day. Honest! I didn’t specially reserve it for myself. Certainly a very entertaining read, though the ending was quite an anti-climax. Still, it’s not on the bestseller’s list for no reason. Call No. BRO]
85. The Eyre affair/ Jasper Fforde [The beginning can be a bit slow, but stay the course, and you’ll find this a witty book, full of literary puns. Those who have read “Jan Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte would appreciate this one. Classified under “Mystery”. Call No. FFO -[MY]]
86. The giver/ Lois Lowry [Another YP book that is considered a classic of sorts. This one has a Sci Fi theme. Call No. Y LOW]
87. The league of extraordinary gentleman/ (novelisation by) K.J. Anderson
88. The library's legal answer book/ Mary Minow & Tomas A. Lipinski
89. The mammoth book of 20th century Science Fiction vol1/ Edited by David G. Hartwell
90. The playboy book of science fiction [No, this does not contain erotic Sci Fi! The stories happened to be published in Playboy Magazine, that’s all. Hmm… I realized younger folks who grew up with the Internet as a given may not know what was all the hype about Playboy. Contains vintage Sci Fi stories]
91. The power of losing control: Finding strength, meaning, & happiness in an out-of-control world/ Joe Caruso [One of the few books that really made a positive change in how I view life in general. Call No. 158.1 CAR]
92. The remains of the day/ Kazuo Ishiguro [There are management insights to be learnt from this book! Call No. ISH]
93. To the heart of the storm/ Will Eisner
94. Under fire/ W. E. B. Griffin [I think the author has a thing against General Macarthur]
95. Walden & Civil Disobedience/ Henry David Thoreau [I read this only because there were many references to it from “Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”. Didn’t really take to this one. My personal collection. Bought it at a booksale]
96. War music: An account of books 16 to 19 of Homer's Iliad/ Christopher Logue [This was really interesting. The author’s interpretation of parts of the Iliad that were more action-packed. Call No. 821.914 LOG]
97. What if? The world's foremost military historians imagine what might have been/ (editor Robert Cowley)
98. Where there's smoke/ Sandra Brown [Men should read Sandra Brown once in a while]
99. Youth.sg: The state of youth in Singapore/ Ho Kong Chong, Jeffrey Yip
100. Zen & the art of motorcycle maintenance: An inquiry into values/ Robert M. Pirsig [This was recommended by a fellow online poetry group member. Excellent book! Those who appreciate Jostein Gaarder’s “Sophie’s World” would like this one. Call No. 973.920924 PIR]

Almost-read in 2004

1. The gossamer years: A diary of a noblewoman of Heian Japan/ Kagero Nikki (translated by Edward Seidensticker)
2. The Bourne supremacy/ Robert Ludlum [Surprise, surprise! I actually gave up on a military thriller. The plot was too dated to be believable]
3. La Salle & the discovery of the great west/ Francis Parkman
]]> http://roughnotes.wordpress.com/2004/07/16/books-read-in-2003-may-dec/ Fri, 16 Jul 2004 03:40:42 +0000 Rambling Librarian http://roughnotes.wordpress.com/2004/07/16/books-read-in-2003-may-dec/ First posted: 14 Jul 04 /
Re-posted: 16 Jul 04
It was only after May'03 that I recorded what I read. Why not earlier? 'Cos I finally got off my procrastinating butt by then. Items in blue or hyperlinked denotes my personal favourites. Words in [ ] parenthesis & italics are my own. All items were borrowed from the public library.

May03
1. Lost soldiers/ James Webb [Read Fields of Fire - a damn fine story on the realities of war vis-a-vis the Vietnam War.]
2. world's great rifles/ roger ford
3. palm for dummies/ bill dyszel
4. palm computing for dummies/ bill dyszel
5. creating the innovation culture/ frances horibe
6. analog scifi & fact/ may2003
7. me times three/ alex witchel
8. Why Don't You Have Kids?: Living a Full Life Without Parenthood/ leslie lafayette [Even I was surprised that the library had such a book, considering that Singapore is trying to encourage people to give birth. Goes to show you the value of the library!]
9. analog scifi & fact/ mar 2003
10. analog scifi & fact/ apr 2003

JUNE 03
1. Why is everyone so cranky? The ten trends that are making us angry & how we can find peace of mind instead/ C. Leslie Charles
2. Checklist of library building design considerations/ William W. Sannwald
3. Patton on Leadership: strategic lessons for corporate warfare/ alan axelrod
4. the way of the leader/ donald g. Krause
5. Leading change/ john p. Kotter
6. Gentleman Jim: the wartime story of a founder of the SAS & special forces/ lorna almonds windmill
7. Future wealth/ stan davis & christopher meyer
8. The Wizard of Quarks: A Fantasy of Particle Physics/ robert gilmore
9. Slacks and Calluses: Our Summer in a Bomber Factory/ constance bowman & clara marie allen
10. Prelude to Leadership: The European Diary of John F. Kennedy - Summer 1945/ intro by Hugh Sidey

JULY 03
1. the ballad of the sad cafe/ Carson McCullers
2. The Mahathir Legacy: A Nation Divided, a Region at Risk/ ian steward
3. Socrates: a very short lntroduction/ C. C. W. taylor
4. Aristotle: a very short lntroduction/ jonathan barnes
5. Night Watch/ terry pratchett [One of the funniest in the 'night-watch' series, IMHO. In fact, this one could even be classified as Sci-Fi/ Fantasy, 'cos time travel is involved]
6. Conspiracies & cover-ups/ david alexander
7. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson/ louise rennison [A teens read; highly entertaining even for adults]
8. A Storm of Swords part2: Blood & gold (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3)/ george r.r. martin
9. It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers!: Further Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (Angus)/ louise rennison

AUG 03
1. Analog (may03)
2. Analog (jul/aug03)
3. knocked out by my nunga-nungas: further, further confessions of georgia nicolson/ louise rennison
4. Dancing in my nuddy-pants: more confessions of georgia nicolson/ louise rennison [There can be too much of a good thing]
5. The Lovely Bones/ alice sebold [I forgot how great this book was til I read the review again. It's a bit out of this world, like Sci-Fi/ Fantasy, but very REAL at the same time.]
6. The Secret Life of Bees/ sue monk kidd [One of those rare books that is intelligent, touching and extremely moving. It brought tears to my eyes, seriously.]
7. Atonement/ian McEwan
8. Not not while the giro/james kelman
9. the Stargate conspiracy/lynn picknett & clive prince
10. Management challenges for the 21st century/peter f. Drucker
11. Who moved my cheese/dr spencer johnson
12. The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from Ideo, America's Leading Design Firm/ Tom kelley

SEPT 03
1. the buffalo soldier/ chris bohjalian
2. Bukit merah: from a hilly kampong to a modern town
3. the jossey-bass guide to strategic communications for nonprofits/ kathy bonk, henry griggs, emily tynes
4. The bear & the dragon/ tom clancy
5. What Makes You Tick?: The Brain in Plain English/thomas b. czerner, M.D.
6. The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization/ thomas friedman [Probably THE book to read to get an understanding of the Globalisation phenomenon]
7. S'pore's foreign policy: coping with vulnerability/ michael leifer
8. Strategies of s'pore's economic success: speeches & writings by hon sui sen
9. all the right moves: a guide to crafting breakthrough strategy/ constantinos c. markides

OCT 03
1. Future Wars/ edited by martin h. Greenberg & larry segriff [If you are into Military Sci-Fi]
2. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers/ mary roach [Funny, witty, informative. A page-turner. No wonder it was on Amazon's bestseller list.]
3. Fengshui & destiny for managers/ raymond lo
4. The dirty dozen: the world's greatest financial disasters & frauds/ margaret allen
5. mammoth bk of best new SF 14/ gardner dozois (ed) [The 'BEST OF' series is always a fav. of mine; Dozois is my fav. Sci-Fi editor]
6. Courage is contagious/john kasich
7. Simpsons comics royale
8. Helping the difficult library patron: new approaches to examining and resolving a long-standing and ongoing problem/ Kwasi Sarkodie-Mensah (ed)
9. War and American women: heroism, deeds, and controversy/ william b. breuer
10. knights in white amour: the new art of war and peace/ christopher bellamy

NOV 03
1. Rushing to paradise/ j. g. Ballard
2. Scarlet memorial: Tales of cannibalism in modern china/ Zheng Yi
3. The Wit and Wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt/ Alex Ayres (ed.)
4. Future Shock/ alvin toffner
5. Tis: A Memoir/ frank McCourt [By the guy who wrote 'Angela's Ashes']
6. Panzer Commander: The Memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck/ hans von luck
7. A Blood-Dimmed Tide: The Battle of the Bulge by the Men Who Fought It/ gerald astor

DEC 03
1. analog scifi & fact/ sept 2003
2. analog scifi & fact/ oct 2003
3. analog scifi & fact/ dec 2003
4. Asimov's science fiction/Oct. Nov03

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