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This year's been a pretty great one in terms of reading. Some of my highlights: Roxanne Gay's Bad Feminist <http://www.roxanegay.com/bad-feminist/> - A great collection of essays on pop culture, feminism, race, and professional Scrabble. bell hooks' Writing Beyond Race <http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Beyond-Race-Living-Practice/dp/0415539153> - With everything happening around the US and as the Code4Lib Journal ramps up to put out our first special issue on diversity, I've been re-reading hooks' work, and especially love this book. Matt Kirschenbaum's Mechanisms : New Media and the Forensic Imagination <http://www.amazon.com/Mechanisms-New-Media-Forensic-Imagination/dp/026251740X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418218683&sr=1-3&keywords=mechanisms> - Words cannot describe. Another book that I'm reading that's in the same vein (though a bit older and more theoretical) is Embodying Technesis by Mark Hansen. Cory Doctorow's Little Brother and Homeland - The first one is by far better, but both are great, quick reads. Books I'm really excited to read, but haven't had time yet: Martin Paul Eve's Open Access and the Humanities <http://www.cambridge.org/nl/academic/subjects/general/open-access-and-humanities-contexts-controversies-and-future?utm_source=print+book&utm_medium=cover&utm_campaign=open+access> Doctorow's Information Doesn't Want to Be Free: Laws for the Internet Age <http://www.amazon.com/Information-Doesnt-Want-Be-Free/dp/1940450284> Biella Coleman's Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy: The Many Faces of Anonymous <http://www.amazon.com/Hacker-Hoaxer-Whistleblower-Spy-Faces/dp/1781685835/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418219027&sr=1-1&keywords=hacker+hoaxer+whistleblower+spy> On Wed, Dec 10, 2014 at 2:03 PM, Henry, Catherine <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Video games: Seconding Dragon Age: Inquisition. I've logged over 80 hours, > and there's still tons to do. Running an inquisition is hard work! > > Not from this year, but I played a bunch of the Lego games near the > beginning of the year. The Harry Potter ones were my favorites, followed > closely by Star Wars. > > Also seconding Guardians of the Galaxy. Best comic book movie yet! > > Books I enjoyed: > > - Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin. It was so good I took the time to > write a short review on Goodreads. It was a nice standalone novel amidst > all the ridiculously huge series I usually read. Great for people who like > the steamboat/Mark Twain era of U.S. history -or heck, even if you don't. > It might be a good gateway book from historical fiction to > fantasy/paranormal. It had kind of a gothic, Anne Rice-ish feel to it. > > - Mike Carey's Lucifer graphic novel series, based on Neil Gaiman's > amazing Sandman series > > - Gillian Flynn's three books, Sharp Objects, Dark Places and Gone Girl > > L. Catherine Henry, MLS, Assistant Systems Librarian > Beaufort County Library > 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, SC 29902 > Phone 843.255.6444 [log in to unmask] > www.beaufortcountylibrary.org > For Learning ♦ For Leisure ♦ For Life > > -----Original Message----- > From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of > Matthew Sherman > Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2014 2:06 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] what good books did you read in 2014? > > Nothing professional comes to mind but here are some fun stuff in no > particular order: > > > Books: > > Skin Game by Jim Butcher > - Another in the consistently great Dresden Files series. For those > unfamiliar urban fantasy novels that are always just a fun read. > > The Broken Eye by Brent Weeks > - The third in the Lightbringer series from a newer but really good fantasy > author. > > > Comics: > > Avengers vol. 5 and New Avengers vol. 3 by Jonathan Hickman > - The current run on Avengers and New Avengers, both written by Jonathan > Hickman who is good at playing the long game and paying off well as proven > by his run on Fantastic Four. > > Batman vol. 2 by Scott Snyder > - The current run on Batman by Scott Snyder who has been consistently a > great batman author, and currently doing a very interesting Joker story. > > > Movies: > > Guardians of the Galaxy > - Great movie as Andromeda mentioned. As a fan of the book it was based on > I was afraid this was going to be awful and was pleasantly surprised. > > > TV: > > The Flash > - The new Flash show has been one of the most fun TV shows I have seen in > quite some time, they have a very fun dynamic and surprisingly good > production values. > > > Games: > > Dragon Age: Inquisition > - Another great Bioware RPG, with real pay off if you have played the > previous games. Even if you haven't it is a lot of fun and a pretty good > story. Admittedly I am only part way in, but when it took the reviewers 80 > hours to finish the story it is not something you will finish within the > first month of getting it. > > On Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 1:34 PM, Mark Pernotto <[log in to unmask]> > wrote: > > > Fun question - thanks! > > > > In no particular order: > > > > *What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions* > by > > Randall Munroe > > - *I really enjoy the physics, as well as the absurdity.* > > > > *Two Scoops of Django 1.6* > > - *based on Andromeda's recommendation - thanks! Looks like I have > another > > Django book to read now. Really appreciate it!* > > > > *Invincible Compendium Volume 2* by Robert Kirkman > > - *someone had gifted me Compendium 1 last Christmas - I just had to > > continue. I feel accomplished after reading such a large book* > > > > *Wonders of Life* by Brian Cox > > - *I know there's a lot of hype surrounding Neil Degrasse Tyson's > "Cosmos", > > but I prefer Cox's presentation. He also did a series "Wonders of the > > Universe" and "Wonders of the Solar System" years ago. If you hurry, you > > can get the 3-series BluRay set for $0.12 cheaper than just "Wonders of > > Life"* > > > > > > On Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 6:47 AM, Andromeda Yelton < > > [log in to unmask] > > > wrote: > > > > > Hey, code4lib! I bet you consume fascinating media. What good books did > > you > > > read in 2014 that you think your colleagues would like, too? (And hey, > > > we're all digital, so feel free to include movies and video games and > so > > > forth.) > > > > > > Mine: > > > http://www.obeythetestinggoat.com/ (O'Reilly book, plus read free > > online) > > > - > > > a book on testing from a Django-centric, front end perspective. > > *Finally* I > > > get how testing works. This book rewrote my brain. > > > > > > _The Warmth of Other Suns_ - finally got around to reading this magnum > > opus > > > history of the Great Migration, am halfway through, it's amazing. If > > you're > > > looking for some historical context on how we got to Ferguson, Isabel > > > Wilkerson has you covered. > > > > > > _Her_ - Imma let you finish, Citzenfour and Big Hero 6 and LEGO movie > and > > > Guardians of the Galaxy - you were all good - but I walked out of the > > > theater and literally couldn't speak after this one. Plus, funniest > > > throwaway scene ever. Almost fell out of my chair. > > > > > > _Tim's Vermeer_ - wait, no, watch that one too. Weird tinkering genius > > who > > > can't paint obsesses over recreating a Vermeer with startling, > > > physics-driven results. Also, Penn Jillette. > > > > > > -- > > > Andromeda Yelton > > > Board of Directors, Library & Information Technology Association: > > > http://www.lita.org > > > Advisor, Ada Initiative: http://adainitiative.org > > > http://andromedayelton.com > > > @ThatAndromeda <http://twitter.com/ThatAndromeda> > > > > > > -- *Heidi Elaine Dowding, MLIS* www.thegloballibrarian.com | @theglobal_lib <http://twitter.com/theglobal_lib>