I’ve been advocating a paperless future.
Yet, … I find myself still somewhat envious of those reading books, now that I’ve given them up.
There’s something about a hammock and a good read. Especially on a holiday.
Category: books
another brick in the wall crumbles
Random House Audio abandons audiobook DRM.
Hitler’s lost sub – Shadow Divers
A FANTASTIC story, as dramatic and compelling as any high altitude mountaineering epic.
I had no idea deep wreck diving was so thrilling.
Hitler’s Lost Sub was a NOVA TV special first aired in 2000:
In 1991, professional diver John Chatterton discovered a sunken German U-boat from World War II, lying undetected only 60 miles off the New Jersey shore, its unexploded torpedoes and the bodies of its crew still aboard. This two-hour special follows Chatterton and his dive partners in their dangerous quest to identify the missing U-boat, a pursuit that takes six years and costs three lives. The U-boat’s history involves unusual coincidences and a startling twist of fate. …
Of course Hitler lost hundreds and hundreds of submarines, but this one has a particularly compelling story.
Highly recommended too is this book on the adventure:
Actually, there is a follow-up book contesting the book I read: Shadow Divers Exposed: the Real Saga of the U-869 by Gary Gentile. I will not read that one. Sounds to me it is dull, badly written and perhaps a work motivated by jealousy.
Michael Palin – The New Europe
Like most everyone, I’m a big fan of Michael Palin’s travel TV specials and books.
His latest book was of particular interest to me as I’ve only been to a couple of the 20 countries he covers in this one — Eastern Europe.
Unfortunately I found this to be the least interesting of his books to date. His adventures tame in comparison to the things he did Around the World, across the Sahara, and in the Himalaya.
Still, it’s as well written as any of his other books. I enjoyed it. But less than the rest.
This is his 7th travel series.
I reckon Michael Palin has at least one more in him. But which?
Outer space would be my best guess.
recommended book – The Golden Compass
Northern Lights, published in 1995, is the first novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy by British novelist Philip Pullman.
In the USA the book was retitled The Golden Compass.
His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass)
As usual, I listened to it as an audio book. It was brilliant to have professional actors reading the parts of the many characters. Audio is so, so much better than reading.
In many ways the plot is far better and more fantastical than Harry Potter. It’s the coming of age story of Lyra Belacqua (later Lyra Silvertongue) — an orphaned, eleven-year-old girl growing up at Jordan College, Oxford.
The most interesting angle of this very adult story are the dæmons (animal-formed, shape-shifting manifestation of each human’s soul).
I haven’t seen the movie, yet. It was terrific. Especially the casting!
love libraries
More Americans have library cards than at any time since 1990, according to the American Library Association. …
… the 2 billion items checked out from U.S. libraries this year is 10 percent more than during the economic downturn in 2001. But books, DVDs and other material are only part of the story …
In tough financial times more folks take advantage of libraries.
In fact, I think libraries could be a growth industry in the future. If only they could make going to the library “cool” for young people.
Calgary is planning a new central library. I really hope they do as well as Vancouver or Salt Lake City.
Our current downtown library is pretty crappy, a hangout for the homeless during the winter.
McNew Year prediction
Life is a continuum. Each morning you awake assuming it is your last. There is no difference between Dec. 31st and Jan 1st to me.
But a young buddy pressed for some sort of pronouncement to mark the changing of the calendar. (I eschew resolutions so as not to tinker with perfection.)
Spontaneously I predicted that Rick McCharles would listen to even more audiocasts in 2008. Watch even more online video than in 2007. And “read” even more audio books.
I’m off to a good start. Waiting on my digital bookshelf are:
And I’m currently listening to A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash. (Not a great book, but a fantastic true story.)
Actually, I finally dropped my monthly subscription to Audible.com as the Calgary Public Library seems to offer more good books on MP3 than I could possibly need.
(I can still buy books one-at-a-time on Audible or iTunes.)
Digital on demand infotainment rocks in 2008.
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Super book, especially for anyone with a fondness for old comics. Kavalier & Clay are a “Czech artist named Joe Kavalier and a Brooklyn-born writer named Sam Clay—both Jewish—before, during, and after World War II.”
The writing is clean. Simple.
The plot fascinating and never predictable. I swear I could believe it was a true story.
Author Michael Chabon is widely considered one of the best working today. Though this book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001, that meant nothing to me. I got it as an MP3 from the library on recommendation from Downtown Ronnie. (Yes, he’s still alive, though almost 50 now.)
Unfortunately the audio was abridged. I want it all, so I plan to get the dead tree version as well.
Highly recommended as a Christmas Festivus gift.
The most famous super hero of the fictional Kavalier & Clay was called “The Escapist”. In 2004 Chabon collaborated on turning the character into a real comic. Life imitated art.
Big-Idea Book Generator
Downtown Ronnie is already a Canadian Best Selling Author (over 60 copies sold). Now he’s considering using Wired Magazine’s Big-Idea Book Generator to decide his next title.
It’s a sure fire Web 2.0 authoring system. Tips like this:
Hint: Before taking it to a publisher, pitch your Big Idea to Robert Scoble over an online telelunch. If he’s blogged 16 entries and started four businesses based on it by dinner, you’ve got a winner.
On the internet people can only scan a maximum of 3 steps:
1. Create a title-as-theory
2. Subtitle it!
3. Pick a premise.
Concoct a Best-Seller With Wired’s Patent-Pending Big-Idea Book Generator
book – A Piano in the Pyrenees
I am on a reading listening binge. (Thanks to Audible.com and hours each day on my bike with a Nano.)
A Piano in the Pyrenees: The Ups and Downs of an Englishman in the French Mountains
What? He’s not the world’s most famous skateboarder.
He’s Antony Gordon Hawksworth, better known as Tony Hawks, English comedian, author and philanthropist.
I loved his first book — Round Ireland with a Fridge and somewhat liked his second book — Playing the Moldovans at Tennis.
Piano is his fourth book. And it is excellent. I love the amusing, understated British humour.
A Brit out of his element in rural France after impetuously buying a house. Brilliant.
PS
A guy named Dave Nicoll also liked Round Ireland with a Fridge. Inspired, he decided to travel round the WORLD with a fridge.
Rick McCharles 