If Wasp Factory made you go "just... no," then it did the job it was tasked
with doing. That being said, if you want some Banks that's a little
friendlier and doesn't actively try to alienate all of humanity, you could
do worse than The Bridge.

On Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 3:21 PM, Valerie Forrestal <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I have to plug The Best American Science and Nature Writing series
> because they are always soooooo good. I look forward to them coming out
> every year, and they haven't let me down since i started reading them
> about 4 years ago.
>
> I also caught up on the Sandman Slim series by Richard Kadrey. If you
> like Dresden Files, you'll probably like these. (A little more violent
> though. I call them a cross between True Blood and Dresden Files.)
>
> I also really enjoyed the classics: The Once and Future King by T.H.
> White, and Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. Dandelion Wine is best read
> in spring or summer though. It puts you in kind of a magical summery mood.
>
> Oh and this year I started reading and then forever swore off Iain
> Banks. The Wasp Factory was just.... no.
>
> ~val
>
> Valerie Forrestal
> Web Services Librarian/Asst. Professor
> City University of New York
> College of Staten Island Library
> 2800 Victory Blvd., 1L-109I
> Staten Island, N.Y. 10314
> Phone: 718.982.4023
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> On 12/9/2014 2:56 PM, Mark Pernotto wrote:
>
>> On the (board) gaming front: not new, but *Lords of Waterdeep* was quick
>> to
>> learn, and very dynamic, with a fantastic expansion pack!
>>
>> .m
>>
>> On Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 11:52 AM, Andreas Orphanides <[log in to unmask]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>  I had fun with both the Southern Reach trilogy (Jeff VanderMeer) and The
>>> Expanse series (James S. A. Corey). If you're into sci-fi-ish stuff.
>>>
>>> On Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 2:46 PM, Heather Rayl <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>
>>>  While I've done a lot of re-reading this past year (something that I do
>>>> when I'm particularly stressed), I did read a few new things thanks to
>>>> my
>>>> book club. The one that sticks with me is _The Enchanted_, by Rene
>>>>
>>> Denfeld.
>>>
>>>> It had me reeling by the end of the book, and I am still thinking about
>>>>
>>> it
>>>
>>>> three months later. And I will probably end up reading it at least a
>>>>
>>> second
>>>
>>>> time, if I can go through it again.
>>>>
>>>> ~heather
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 2:33 PM, Galvan, Angela <[log in to unmask]
>>>> >
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>  I have an unhealthy love for William Gibson's latest novel, _The
>>>>> Peripheral_.
>>>>>
>>>>> Like Andromeda, I thought _Her_ was incredible.
>>>>>
>>>>> Not from this year, but _MISS DMZ_ found here:
>>>>> http://www.yhchang.com/MISS_DMZ.html. I learned about this from a talk
>>>>> Seo-Young Chu gave on representation of the DMZ in science fiction.
>>>>>
>>>> She's
>>>
>>>> also the author of _Do Metaphors Dream of Literal Sleep? A
>>>>> Science-Fictional Theory of Representation_ which I've been meaning to
>>>>>
>>>> read
>>>>
>>>>> but am terrified it will make me consider a PhD again.
>>>>>
>>>>> A.S. Galvan
>>>>> Digital Reformatting Specialist
>>>>> Head, Document Delivery
>>>>> The Ohio State University
>>>>> Health Sciences Library
>>>>> [log in to unmask]
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
>>>>>
>>>> Of
>>>
>>>> Andromeda Yelton
>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2014 9:47 AM
>>>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>>>> Subject: [CODE4LIB] what good books did you read in 2014?
>>>>>
>>>>> 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>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>
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