I just realised that it’s been about 2 months since my last book review.
Yup, I’ve given up reading.
You wish.
Of course I’ve been reading away - just that I haven’t been in the mood to blog about books. But I’m noww in the mood, so here’s the mother of all book posts featuring some of the books I read that are worth mentioning (yeah I left out some crappy books, most of which I didn’t complete anyway).
Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter
I’m only about halfway through. I agree with my mathematician colleague when he said that this book is one of those where you read a little at a time. So far, it has been fabulous, examining interesting structures in mathematics, music, art, computing, and many other fields. It will definitely appeal to the logical types who like having their minds stretched and twisted. Not always an easy read, but it’s probably as easy as it can get. Each topic is introduced by a cute and short story which serves as an illustration and to prepare your mind for the heavier stuff ahead. I gladly paid 35 bucks for this, even though it’s easily available at the library.
Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder 
Over the years, too many friends have bugged me to read this so I finally did. It’s a fictional story that gives a brief introduction to western philosophy, from the pre-Socratic greeks to some of the more recent thinkers of the last century. I read this to refresh my dwindling knowledge of philosophy history, but was pleasantly surprised by the plot - the structure is mind-bending. I’m certain the author got the stuctural inspiration from Gödel, Escher, Bach, and both authors are probably fans of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Just like me 
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
I’m easily impressed by books with interesting structures, and this book fits that category. While not exactly mind-bending like Sophie’s World, this one is pretty good for a more ‘normal’ story (Sophie’s World is frankly quite weird). The worldview of the book is Christian, so avoid it if you’re allergic to anything christian. Be forewarned - while this is fiction, I know people who have been moved to tears and adjusted their worldviews because of this book. Many have also declared this their favouritest novel of all time. While I’m a little less generous with my praise, I still found this a great read.
Mastering Black and White Digital Photography by Michael Freeman 
Enough about fiction and words - here’s one about pictures. But if you’re one of those who cannot imagine why some people like black and white photographs (not because it’s cheaper to print them on newspapers), this book may not be for you. I almost decided to leave out this book from this post, but I figure that some of you might find this useful. The bulk of this book is on Photoshop techniques for conversion from colour and other tweaks and effects, and is pretty specialised (not for you if you’re satisfied with desaturation to convert colour to b/w). Also, I think that Michael Freeman’s books are generally of high quality, and this is certainly no exception. Required reading if you’re into b/w digital photography and editing, but not yet an expert. Some Photoshop knowledge required.
The Best Software Writing I selected & introduced by Joel Spolsky 
Since we’ve just mentioned Photoshop, which is software, here’s a software-related book. I enjoy Joel Spolsky’s writings on software and project management, which is why I decided to read this one. This is basically a collection of well-written software-related writings by others. There are articles by the usual suspects like Paul Graham and Clay Shirky, and there are also those by previously-unknown ones (to me) like “why the lucky stiff” who wrote an incredible guide to the Ruby programming language (complete with silly cartoons). If I ever decide to learn Ruby, it’ll be from there. Loads of good stuff for geeks, but not all will be willing to pay for this book, since the articles are available online.
The Big Moo by The Group of 33, Seth Godin 
Here’s another book composed of articles by different authors, but this time on business. The authors are a bunch of 33 business thinkers, speakers, and authors, such as Malcolm Gladwell, Tom Peters, and Guy Kawasaki. Really easy to read, since most of the articles are short (just a few pages) - great if you’re running a company and too busy to read a ‘proper’ book.
The title doesn’t say much, but the subtitle is “Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable”. Some of the chapters I like include “They Say I’m Extreme”, “Stop Being Ordinary”, and “Where Do Ideas Come From?” While I can’t say I like all the chapters, there’s enough great stuff in there to make this worth a read. An enjoyable one too.
The Power of the Purse by Fara Warner 
Here’s another business book, but targeted towards a more traditional big-business audience. The basic premise is that women are no longer just an important minority as consumers - they have become the majority market. And you need to make a shift in your company strategy to be competitive (and it’s not just about turning your products pink). Fara Warner uses quite a few case studies, mostly from large companies like McDonald’s, Home Depot, P&G, Kodak, Nike etc. Not exactly my kind of book (too traditional), but still an informative read.
iCon Steve Jobs by Jeffrey S. Young, William L. Simon 
Since we’re still on the topic of business, here’s a book about one of the most successful businesspersons around. If you iDolize Steve Jobs and are fanatical about Apple, this is a must-read (but you’ve probably already read it anyway). I read this not because I worship Jobs, but I think he’s done enough great stuff to make me want to know what makes him tick (you’ll also get to know what ticks him off). It also gives insight into how Apple as a company works (or what didn’t work). Oh, last I heard, Steve Jobs banned all Wiley books from Apple stores because of this book. (Thanks to my Apple-fan friend who lent it to me.)
The Geography of Thought by Richard Nisbett
Which 2 of the following 3 words should be grouped together?
panda, monkey, banana
If you’re Asian, you’re likely to group monkey and banana together, and if you’re American, you’d likely pick panda and monkey.
This book is basically about how Asians and westerners think differently, and the implications. One of the ways is Asians tend to be more aware of objects in their environments and contexts, while westerners tend to concentrate on the objects themselves. This is an important book - it really deserves a post of its own. I wish I had read it earlier.
I actually reserved this book for a friend who asked me to borrow it for her. But by the time it reached me, I had forgotten all that, and I ended up reading it myself. Later as I was returning iCon Steve Jobs to her (yup she’s that Apple-fanatic), I also told her how interesting this book is, and she reminded me (to my embarressment) that she asked me to borrow it for her. Oh well.
Okay, enough books for now. Time to give my eyes a rest. Can someone lend me the latest issue of Her World?
