2010 Book Wrap-Up

Frost Moon

For me and reading, 2010 was the year I tried to abandon paper. I am already at the point where I will probably ignore a novel that is not available in electronic form. However, for scholarly books, I still prefer paper, for reasons I've discussed in another blog post:
http://jimdavies.blogspot.com/2011/01/citations-endnotes-references-footnotes.html

I got a Kobo e-reader, and loved it until it had a software "upgrade" that ticked me off so much I returned the device. My reasons for this I've blogged about too:
http://jimdavies.blogspot.com/2010/09/why-im-returning-my-kobo.html

I now own an iPad and an iPhone, and I read on those devices. I read novels on the iPhone (using the Kobo or Kindle applications). I actually prefer this to the dedicated e-reading device for a few reasons.

1. - The screen is self-lit, so I can read in the dark without waking my beloved.
2. - It's actually very easy on the eyes. I use a black background gray letters. It's very pleasant.
3. - I can read with one hand, or no hands if it's on a table. 
4. - It's always with me, unlike the Kobo or an actual book. 

And although I still like paper for heavy reading where I'm making tons of notes, I use my iPad for the middle ground, where I might want to make a few notes, but not a whole lot. This is mostly for non-fiction that is not too heavy (e.g., books like A Paradise Built in Hell).

For a list of all the books I've ever read since 1993, see
http://jimdavies.org/personal/books-read.html

Here are the books I read in 2010:

Gods of the Word: Archetypes in the Consonants by Margaret Magnus

The first book I read on the Kindle (iPad application). A book for non-scientists about her theory of phonosemantics.


Handbook of Imagination and Mental Simulation Keith D. Markman (Editor), William M. P. Klein (Editor), Julie A. Suhr (Editor)
This took me a year and a half to read. Full of stuff very relevant to my research.

Frost Moon (Skindancer, Book 1) Anthony Francis

This book was written by a dear friend of mine, and I'm so proud of him. Check it out. It's good!
Read this one on paper. Anthony signed it for me and my beloved when we visited him in California.



World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War Max Brooks

Excellent world-building. Fascinating.  Read on the Kobo device.



The Lightning Thief Rick Riordan

My beloved and I listened to this on CD as we drove up the coast of California. Pretty good.

Under and Alone: The True Story of the Undercover Agent Who Infiltrated America's Most Violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang William Queen

Interesting insight into motorcycle gangs. Read on Kobo device.



The Diamond Age Neal Stephenson

Read on my Kobo device with great frustration. The chapters are incredibly long, and sometimes when I'd synch the Kobo it would forget my bookmark. As my beloved and I sat by Ashley Pond in Los Alamos, New Mexico, I spent 15 minutes paging through to get to where I was. Infuriating. That said, it's a awe-inspiring book. 




Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets Sudhir Venkatesh

Listened to this on CD with my beloved as we drove across America.


The Compleat Academic darley, Zanna, Roediger (Eds.)

My book on how to be a scientist is being reviewed by a publisher-- I needed to read all the other scientist advice books out there. 




Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde


The last book on tape I listened to before we sold sold our car. Fascinating world in which you can travel into the realities of different novels. Light-hearted, and creative.



The Mantram Handbook by Eknath Aeswaran

This guy is my favorite author when it comes to meditation.

Pictured: Frost Moon, by Anthony Francis.