My first reading of an old classic using Amazon's Kindle device, a device which has grown on me the more I played with it. The well-known story had me gripped from the start & I enjoyed the way the dog's consciousness was conveyed without becoming overly anthropomorpic & sentimental.
Concise and because of it, mind-blowing analysis of human culture & civilisations & how they risk destroying themselves through stupidity, greed & ignorance of history's lessons & 'progress traps'. The description of the millennia of human history before the present day made me appreciate for the first time how relatively tiny a timespan our current culture has existed for, & how inconsequential it would be for the planet's history if it ceased to exist. The description of the fall of the Easter Island civilisation after they cut down the last tree on the island resonated hugely in light of our continued preoccupation with reducing biodiversity as much as possible. The only downside was a slight tendency by the author to stray somewhat into polemical, particularly towards the end.
A spooky old tale that introduces Lovercraft's classic mythology which has since spawned a whole genre. I read it using Stanza on my iPhone & enjoyed the book & the 'app', especially as both are free. The suspense builds up nicely although the ending gives you nothing more profound than a curiosity to read more because I felt there was no closure or gore-splattered finale.
Compelling but grim read about the destruction of the world's predators by humans and the potentially devasting affect their absence has on the ecosystems they once inhabited. The book is almost exclusively about North America and it spends the first few chapters exploring the implications of detailed studies carried out in the Pacific Northwest, & the scientists involved. It also introduces the theory that humans were responsible for the extinction of the Palaeolithic megafauna around the globe & what might done in North American to help remedy it. Ultimately though after it had stated its main premise the book ended up being more valuable in providing sources for further reading rather than in much else it had to say. Granted there isn't much positive to be said about the continued human extermination of any predators worthy of the name, though I remain an eternal optimist that things might change!
Comprehensive text describing Microsoft's preferred layered architecture with plenty of diagrams, suggestions & cross-references. It should be standard reading for every .NET architect and developer as its lessons are easily digested. However the book was spoiled somewhat by poor quality-control with frequent grammatical & spelling mistakes.
A very engaging and slightly different angle on the current environmental 'challenges' that the world, & humankind faces. It is the first book I've read that challenged my quixotic assumption that there will be one fine day, when humans & all other organisms will be able to coexist happily & that the gates to all the zoos will then be thrown open so that their inhibitants can run free to re-stock newly pristine wildernesses. This isn't going to happen. On the other hand the author does provide some (there aren't many out there) uplifting descriptions of how things might be different, & often of how things once were, however this is soon coloured with descriptions of mounting evidence that since the stone age humans have laid waste to any natural resources they've come across. Therefore the one clear thought I had on finishing this book is "this isn't going to end well", but if you can face up to that, it's a fantastic read with a wealth of cross-referenced material.