 | Title: The Halfling's Gem
Author: R. A. Salvatore
First publication: 1990
Comments: In the third volume of the (original) series, Drizzt, Wulfgar, Cattie-Brie, and Bruenor give chase to the assasin Entreri to save their friend Regis. Entertaining and well written, the third volume focuses on racial (and other types of) bias, and teaches the reader to go beyond the stereotypes that society feed to us. It also focus on the adverse effect of xenophobia (and any other type of prejudice) on the victims and their self-respect.
Started: July 2010 Finished: July 24th 2010, San Francisco |
 | Title: The well of eternity
Author: Richard A. Knaak
First publication: 2004
Comments: I recently finished reading: Warcraft - war of the ancients by Richard A. Knaak.
Rhonin and Krassus (previously featured in "day of the dragon") and Broxigar (an orc working under Thrall, previously featured in "the lord of the clans") separately start investigating a strange and potentially dangerous magic anomaly. The three heroes end up being thrown back in time (just in time to catch the first attempt of Sargas to destroy the world with his burning legions).
The book brings together familiar characters from some of the previous Warcraft books. While it is not necessary to read those books before, it certainly helps.
The book is fun to read and explore the history of Azeroth. Finally some of the WoW missions are more understandable. This said, the story does not flow naturally: some of the character actions are clearly aimed at pushing the story in a particular direction, but they are often not credible and unnatural.
Started: July 2010 Finished: July 9th 2010, San Francisco |
 | Title: Pebble in the sky
Author: Isaac Asimov
First publication: 1950
Comments: This book made me understand why Isaac Asimov is considered one of the fathers of science fiction. The book is impossible to put down: I found myself staying up all night to see how it ends. This has not happened since my teenager years. On top of being so entertaining, the book also explores interesting themes like xenophobia, and how Religion ("customs" and "traditions" in the book) can potentially be used to enslave people. I recently read Asimov's Robot's series (that was fun, but not that special), but this is by far superior.
Started: June 30th 2010 Finished: July 2nd 2010, San Francisco |
 | Title: Dragon Age: The stolen throne
Author: David Gaider
First publication: 2009
Comments: A good read for fans of Dragon Age origins. It explores the history of Ferelden before the beginning of the videogame. This is the story of Prince Maric, the son of the Rebel queen, fighting to get back the throne that was taken from his grandfather by the Orlaisian Emperor. It is rather a sad story, of people sacrificing their love and repressing their feelings in order to perform what they believe to be their duty. Entertaining.
Started: June 2010 Finished: June 29th 2010, commuting from MTV to SF |
 | Title: Winds of fate
Author: Mercedes Lackey
First publication: 1991
Comments: I have been slowly reading Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar book series in order of publication. With this book her writing style and skills have reached maturity. The story flows really well, the characters are surprisingly human, more fascinating because of their limitations and short-falling than for their magic powers. The book uses all the tricks of modern fiction to capture the reader and it is very hard to put down.
While very entertaining and well written, there is something missing when compared with her less polished and rougher earlier work. Her earlier work was strongly influenced by / part of the feminist fantasy movement and that made her work more controversial, less mainstream and less easy to sell, but intriguing, interesting and deeper. The fantasy world was used as a setting to investigate real-world issues, or as utopia, a world to look forward to. I really hope these (difficult) themes will come back in her later books.
Started: May 2010 Finished: June 6th 2010, San Francisco |
 | Title: Streams of Silver
Author: R.A. Salvatore
First publication: 0
Comments: The original Drizzt trilogy is rather entertaining (and this cannot be said of the later "prequel" volumes). Even if there is nothing really groundbreaking and unique, it is a fun and enjoyable read. It also teaches young reader to go beyond society biases and judge people by their actions and character.
Started: May 2010 Finished: May 16th 2010 |
 | Title: The Master
Author: Colm Toibin
First publication: 2004
Comments: Like Michael Cunningham in The Hours, Colm Tóibín captures the extraordinary mind and heart of a great writer. Beautiful and profoundly moving, The Master tells the story of a man born into one of America's first intellectual families who leaves his country in the late nineteenth century to live in Paris, Rome, Venice, and London among privileged artists and writers.
In stunningly resonant prose, Tóibín captures the loneliness and the hope of a master of psychological subtlety whose forays into intimacy inevitably failed those he tried to love.
Started: April 2010 Finished: May 9th 2010, San Francisco |
 | Title: The Crystal Shard
Author: R.A. Salvatore
First publication: 1988
Comments: This is the book that started the legend of Drizzt (interestingly enough, Drizzt is not the main character in this book). The book is definitely more compelling and interesting than each of all the three prequel books that I have read so far. I like the message the book sends to young reader: judge people by their actions and by what they are, not by insignificant characteristics like the color of the skin, or their nationality, etc. Free yourself of all the inherited traditional biases and preconceptions. Enjoyable book.
Started: March 2010 Finished: April 2nd 2010, San Francisco |
 | Title: The Last Guardian
Author: Jeff Grubb
First publication: 2002
Comments: This is the story of the apprenticeship of Khadgar under Medivh, a powerful and revered mage, vested with the title and the power of guardian of Tirisfal. Mysterious events in the background appears to be linked: demons murder mages, orcs are suddenly appearing out of nowhere. The storytelling is quite good, it is hard to put the book down. The story is interesting, but nothing more can be said.
Started: March 2010, Atherton Finished: March 27th 2010, San Francisco |
 | Title: The charioteer
Author: Mary Renault
First publication: 1959
Comments: It is the story of Laurie, an injured world war II soldier, recovering from his injuries in a hospital. While there he meets a quaker and conscience objector, Andrew, whom he slowly falls in love with. The love is strictly platonic, both men haven't even come to terms with their homosexuality, or even realized that they are gay. Then Laurie meets his school senpai, his never confessed first love. It is at this point that the story become quite interesting (after a very slow start) in the discovery of the humanity and fragility of each character.
Started: February 2010 Finished: March 21st 2010 |
 | Title: The tales of Beedle the bard
Author: J. K. Rowling
First publication: 2007
Comments: A collection of fairy tales taking place in the Harry Potter universe. The book very short (done-reading-in-30-minutes short), but it is relatively entertaining. The highlight of the book are the Dumbledore's commentaries: the author get back at the fundamentalists that accused her books of introducing kids to witchcraft. Profits from the book sales goes to a non-profit organization aimed at helping child in need.
Started: February 2010 Finished: February 2010, Atherton |
 | Title: Lord of the clans
Author: Christie Golden
First publication: 2001
Comments: I usually stay away from video-game inspired books. They tend to capitalize on the success of the game and end up being horrible books. That's why this book was such a pleasant surprise. The books tells the story of Thrall, an enslaved Orc, raised by intolerant and racist humans to use him as a weapon. It is the story of an oppressed Race that finds the strength to fight for the right of self-determination and for freedom. I really enjoyed, I strongly recommend it.
Started: February 2010 Finished: February 22nd 2010, Atherton |
 | Title: A sight for sore eyes
Author: Ruth Rendell
First publication: 2000
Comments: I started reading the book and I was immediately captured by the deep psychological analysis of the main character, Teddy, a psychopath. The author led the reader in Teddy's mind. Suddenly it is easy to understand his way of thinking, and even relate and be sympathetic towards him. This is the kind of book that is impossible to put down once started, the kind of book you end up reading until an early hour in the morning to realize you need to be at work few hours later. (Spoiler alert, stop reading now if you want to read this book). What bothered me is that the author clearly felt the need to punish her character at the end. The book starts as a completely objective analysis of Teddy, but the ending is a subjective moral judgement of his character. While we all agree with the author, the conclusion goes against the premises of her work and taints her achievement.
Started: 2010 Finished: February 2010 |
 | Title: Sojourn
Author: R. A. Salvatore
First publication: 1991
Comments: I love fantasy, D&D, and I was told that the Drizzt series is quite a good one. Unfortunately, as the previous book, the story is not that great. It really does feel like a prequel written poorly but quickly to leverage on the success of the previously very successful books. It was entertaining, but I won't recommend it. I will keep reading at this point, hopefully I'll get soon to one of the good ones.
Started: January 2010 Finished: February 2010, Atherton |
 | Title: Babycakes
Author: Armistead Maupin
First publication: 1984
Comments: We are back to 28 Barbary Lane, San Francisco, following the adventure of Mary Ann, Brian, Mouse and Mona. It's the forth book, and all the character are now so familiar, that they do feel like family. This is, so far, the best written book of the series, Maupin really improved his writing skills over the year (and he was great to start with). The story flows very smoothly now and it's adroitly crafted so that everything falls in place without forcing events. As a result the story feel credible and real.
The story takes place during the AIDS years. Mouse is mourning the loss of Jon, Mona is looking for a new life in Seattle, Brian wants a baby to give a meaning to his life, and Mary Ann tries hard to balance married life with her career.
A quite amazing snapshot of a San Francisco of the end of the last millennium, witty and touching at the same time.
Started: January 2010, Florida Finished: January 16th 2010, San Francisco |
 | Title: Magic's Price
Author: Mercedes Lackey
First publication: 1990
Comments: This is the final chapter of Vanyel's trilogy. Vanyel is now powerful and treated with awe by everybody, but his life is a hell, because he knows that the enemy will attack everybody he loves to get to him (given that they can hardly get at him directly). A very strong sense of duty keep him going until a young bard enter in his life, teaching him to love again.
Started: December 2009 Finished: December 31st 2009, Miami |
 | Title: Magic's Promise
Author: Mercedes lackey
First publication: 1990
Comments: The hero of this story is Vanyel, completely crashed and lost after the tragic loss of his love. Unfortunately for him, there is no time to mourn the loss, he is catapulted in the middle of a multi national crisis involving magic, murder, and a young man, Tashir, that just discovered enormous powers inside himself. In the background, young Vanyel and his family come to terms with their differences.
Started: December 2009 Finished: December 19th 2009, flying toward Orlando |
 | Title: Day of the dragon
Author: Richard A. Knaak
First publication: 2001
Comments: I was expecting quite a bad book, given that it was inspired by a videogame. It turned out quite a nice surprise. Yes, granted, is not a masterpiece, but I enjoyed reading it quite a lot. The only things I did not like is that the Demon Soul reminds me of the One Ring.
Started: December 2009 Finished: December 2009, Atherton |
 | Title: Magic's Pawn
Author: Mercedes Lackey
First publication: 1991
Comments: The book is a portray of the coming out in a fantasy settings. The main character is raised by a homophobic family. He is desperate, because he does not understand what he is doing wrong, he just wants to be loved by his father and mother. Eventually he moves away, in a far more civil place, and over there he learns his value and heal his self-esteem badly damaged by his family. It is a very touching story, that young readers (of all sexual orientations) should enjoy. And it is also a quite entertaining fantasy novel!
Started: November 2009 Finished: November 2009 |
 | Title: The robots of dawn
Author: Isaac Asimov
First publication: 1983
Comments: In the third volume of Asimov's "Robot" series all the characters of the previous books (Elijah, Daneel, Gladia) are back in this sequel. The book was written more than 20 years after the first two, and it shows. It is quite interesting to witness the cultural changes occurred in those 2 decades while reading the books. While I was reading the first two volumes, I was quite surprised by the prevalent gender inequality in the "future" societies described in the books. It was rather funny to see the shortcoming of the Western world of the 50s in a "future society". In the third book, things are changed quite a lot. While the previous books were almost puritan, in this third book sexuality is a central element. But while the author describe a society in which sex is quite free, he continues to make the point that sex without love is worthless. It come out a little bit hypocritical: on one side he speaks about free sex to lure readers, on the other he judge it. Anyway, there has been huge social progress in this 20 years, and the progress is astonishing and clear when you read this books.
Started: October 2009 Finished: November 5th 2009, Atherton |
 | Title: Exile
Author: R.A. Salvatore
First publication: 1990
Comments: I was traveling to Japan to attend a conference and I wanted something easy and relaxing to read while traveling. This was a perfect candidate. Unfortunately, as the previous book, the story is not that great. It really does feel like a prequel written poorly but quickly to leverage on the success of the previously very successful books. It was entertaining, but I won't recommend it. I will keep reading at this point, hopefully I'll get soon to one of the good ones.
Started: Oct 2009, Kyoto Finished: Oct 5th 2009, Osala |
 | Title: Dragons of the highlord skies
Author: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
First publication: 2007
Comments: I was traveling to Japan to attend a conference and I wanted something easy and relaxing to read while traveling. This was perfect. The characters are familiar, I could say I grow up with them. A fun read, even if the ending is disappointing, and the turn of the event is often unjustified and illogical.
Started: September 2009 Finished: October 1st 2009, Kyoto |
 | Title: The naked sun
Author: Isaac Asimov
First publication: 1956
Comments: I read a lot of Asimov when I was young (translated in Italian), and I used to love his books. I recently started to read them again, and hey, he was a master of mass market novels. His books are hard to put down. Many of his ideas now are clique, but they weren't at the time. The only disturbing part is to see some sexist comment in the book. I doubt Asimov was sexist, I believe that, at the time, it was "normal" at the time to treat female differently. Still, disturbing to see that in his vision of the future, women were living their home and joining their husband homes upon marriage.
Started: September 2009 Finished: Sept 25/26, flying over the international date line |
 | Title: Homeland
Author: R.A. Salvatore
First publication: 1990
Comments: When I was young, I always brought with me a pile of books every time I was going on vacation. Many were beach-friendly light reads, fantasy novels. Given that I was (for the first time after many years) on a beach vacation I bought this one. It was like traveling back in time. There is nothing better than sun, beach, warm ocean and a nice book to read lulled by the sounds of the waves. Regarding this book in particular, it really reads like a prequel. I have the strong feeling that the author wrote a book that was successful and then later decide to add a prequel to ride the success of the previous book. It is a fun book, but there is nothing special. I'll read the following to see if it gets better.
Started: August 2009 Finished: August 2009,on the Pacific flying back to SF |
 | Title: When you are engulfed in flames
Author: David Sedaris
First publication: 2008
Comments: Sedaris has a very peculiar sense of humor, and sometimes his funny stories turn out being not as silly as he pretend they are. Great book, it made me LOL more than once.
Started: August 2009 Finished: August 2nd 2009 |
 | Title: The caves of steel
Author: Isaac Asimov
First publication: 1953
Comments: I read a lot of I. Asimov when I was a kid, and it was quite interesting to read him again, in English this time. He was an adroit writer, able to capture the reader. I enjoyed this book, I was very surprised by the author mentions to the bible. I guess it was common at the time.
Started: July 25th 2009, over the pacific ocean toward Oahu Finished: End of July 2009 |
 | Title: A demon in my view
Author: Ruth Rendell
First publication: 1977
Comments: I am usually not fond of thrillers and mysteries, but this is definitely a great exception. I received this book as a present from a friend that swear R.R. is the best author on earth. I started reading the book and I was immediately captured by the deep psychological analysis of the characters. The reader can enter in the serial killer mind, understand his way of thinking, even relate and be sympathetic towards him. This is the kind of book that is impossible to put down once started, the kind of book you end up reading until an early hour in the morning to realize you need to be at work few hours later.
I was almost at the end of the book, when I discovered that there was a typographic problem with it: the last 2 chapters were missing (and the first 2 were repeated instead). The book vendor was very kind and offered to substitute it but it turned out the book is out of print. I got a refund, but I was craving to read the end. I tried everywhere but I could not find the book. Finally I managed to find it at the public library and I just got to read the end. Finally! The conclusion is almost as good as the rest of the book, even if it fells a little rushed and sudden.
Started: 2009 Finished: July 19th 2009 |
 | Title: Fellow Travelers
Author: Thomas Mallon
First publication: 2007
Comments: I am currently reading it.
Started: July 2009 Finished: I am currently reading it |
 | Title: Mothers and Sons
Author: Colm Toibin
First publication: 2007
Comments: A collection of short stories, each of them a in-depth investigations of them centered on human interactions (mother-son interactions), and the feelings, fears, desires beside them. As in Blackwater Lightship, the author demonstrates an astounding sensibility and understanding of human nature.
Started: June 19th 2009, on a plane to Miami Finished: June 24th 2009, on the plane back from Miami |
 | Title: Specimen Days
Author: Michael Cunningham
First publication: 2005
Comments: A second masterpiece (after The Hours) of Michael Cunningham. In The hours the lives of three people were intertwined together. In here we follow three characters in three historical periods, in three apparently unrelated separate novels. The historical background of each story is a different New York: the horrors of the industrial revolution, the fears of the Post September 2001, and a post apocalyptic feature. In each story the same characters come back over and over again, struggling over and over to understand the truth, to see what is hidden behind the reality, and to discover it in awe.
Started: May 2009 Finished: June 25th 2009, San Francisco |
 | Title: A Series of Unfortunate Events: the wide window
Author: Lemony Snicket
First publication: 2000
Comments: A pleasant read, entertaining read. I guess I will have to get the next volumes to see what happens to the orphans.
Started: April 2009 Finished: May 2009 |
 | Title: Gentlemen and players
Author: Joanne Harris
First publication: 2006
Comments: Joanne Harris managed to awe me again, with this clever and amazing book. I really enjoyed this book, the characterization and detailed analysis of the main character. The only thing I did not really find great was the final "shocking revelation", that, even if very surprising and unexpected, it is not really convincing. Anyway, another masterpiece of Joanne Harris, that I strongly recommend.
Started: February 2009 Finished: April 27th 2009, San Francisco |
 | Title: Chie-chan e io
Author: Banana Yoshimoto
First publication: 2007
Comments: Ho sempe amato i libri di Banana Yoshimoto, e anche quest'ultimo e' stata una piacevole lettura, ma devo dire che i piu' recenti volumi sfigurano a confronto ai suoi libri della giovinezza. Questa e' la storia di Kaori e Chie-chan, e del loro particolarissimo rapporto.
Started: January 2009 Finished: February the 15th 2009, Seattle |
 | Title: A Series of Unfortunate Events: the reptile room
Author: Lemony Snicket
First publication: 1999
Comments: I received the first volume as a present, and it intrigued me. The style is quite unusual for a children book, and it has a dark cynical tone, but... I enjoyed it. Let's see how the story progresses in the next volumes.
Started: January 2009 Finished: January 25th 2009, San Francisco |
 | Title: Further Tales of the city
Author: Armistead Maupin
First publication: 1982
Comments: The calamity-prone residents of 28 Barbary Lane are at it again in this deliciously dark novel of romance and betrayal. While Anna Madrigal imprisons an anchorwoman in her basement, Michael Tolliver looks for love at the National Gay Rodeo, DeDe Halcyon Day and Mary Ann Singleton track a charismatic psychopath across Alaska, and society columnist Prue Giroux loses her heart to a derelict living in San Francisco park
Started: January 2009 Finished: January 16th 2009, San Francisco |
 | Title: Unaccustomed Earth
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
First publication: 2008
Comments: Jhumpa Lahiri always is at her best with short stories. She manage to capture and describe with simple and delicate strokes, the feeling and the tragedies of real people. While all the short stories are interesting, the last three really stand out. These interwined stories shows reality how it is perceived through the eyes of the characters (very Pirandello's). What I particularly loved is the description of the inability of some of the characters of accepting their feelings, the struggle between what is considered right and true happiness, between the American and the Indian soul of the characters. Room with a view with a strong ABCD flavor. Must read.
Started: October 2008 Finished: December 28th 2008, flying between Denver and San Francisco |
 | Title: More tales of the city
Author: Armistead Maupin
First publication: 1980
Comments: A very comfortable book. The characters feels part of the family, after the first book and the TV series, similar to what happened to me when I watched the Sex and the city movie. But beside the funny jokes and the familiar character, this work of fiction turns into a very accurate documentary of San Francisco and America in the late 70s. Strongly recommended.
Started: Octorber 2008 Finished: October 18th 2008, San Francisco |
 | Title: One across, two down
Author: Ruth Rendell
First publication: 1971
Comments: An interesting analysis of the transformation of a loser into a killer, tempered with clever witticisms.
Started: September 2008 Finished: October 9th 2008, Palo Alto |
 | Title: Ricordi di un vicolo cieco
Author: Banana Yoshimoto
First publication: 2003
Comments: Cinque racconti, cinque diverse persone che si ritrovano ad affrontare situazioni difficili, a lottare per dare un significato alla vita e ritrovare la felicita'.
Started: September 2008 Finished: September 2008 |
 | Title: Salome, Lady Windermere's fun, The importance of being Earnest
Author: Oscar Wilde
First publication: 1891-1895
Comments: I cannot avoid thinking how many more masterpieces Wilde would have produced if he was not being thrown in a jail because of homophobic laws. He was a genius, able to show the people of his time how hypocritical they were, with wit and sensibility. Just amazing.
Started: July 2008 Finished: August 2008 |
 | Title: The Amber Spyglass
Author: Philip Pullman
First publication: 2000
Comments: A great ending for this masterpiece, able to bridge fantasy and philosophy. Undoubtedly one of the best book of the century. As The Hours find its root in Mrs Dalloway and then move further, so does this trilogy find its root in Milton's Paradise Lost, as the starting point of a deep and enlightening reflection of human existence.
Started: May 2008 Finished: July 4th 2008, Paloalto |
 | Title: Il delirio di onnipotenza
Author: Cristiano Capuzzo
First publication: 2008
Comments: Una piacevole sorpresa, un sorprendente thriller, capace di descrivere i desideri piu' turpi e violenti di un serial killer, e la gioia di vivere e la capacita' di sorridere di fronte alle avversita'. Una lettura consigliatissima.
Started: April 2008 Finished: May 6th 2008 |
 | Title: The subtle knife
Author: Philip Pullman
First publication: 1997
Comments: WOW, this was quite a surprise! I liked the first book, but this is quite a different story. Some themes just barely hinted in the previous book are now developed and extended. While the first volume was just an interesting fantasy tale, the second volume is a fantasy modern re-edition of the Romantic rebellion against the authority and traditions in the name of freedom and free will. A modern Paradise Lost. The pace is fast, it is really hard to put this book down (I finished it in 3 days even if I was working on my dissertation... as a result I practically haven't slept!), entertainingly and... it goes quite deeper than expected! Strongly recommended!
Started: April 2008 Finished: April 9th 2008 |
 | Title: Tales of the city
Author: Armistead Maupin
First publication: 1976
Comments: A very accurate portrait of San Francisco in the 70s, when the heat of the summer of love has cool down and before the AIDS days. Each chapter appears at first as a simple funny episode. In reality is a well thought paint stroke. And stroke after stroke, an incredibly powerful and accurate portrait emerge. The books was written before I was born, but I can still see and feel that San Francisco in the city I live in. The book made me understand it a little bit more, even if it is just a work of fiction. I am looking forward reading More tales of the city...
Started: March 31st 2008 Finished: April the 5th 2008 |
 | Title: The Golden Compass
Author: Philip Pullman
First publication: 1995
Comments: Quite an interesting accomplishment. An interesting blend of religion and philosophy. I am looking forward reading the next volumes of the series.
Started: March 2008 Finished: March 2008 |
 | Title: Il coperchio del mare (Umi no futa)
Author: Banana Yoshimoto
First publication: 2006
Comments: Un'altro piccolo capolavoro della Yoshimoto, una riflessione sul significato della nostra vita ed esistenza. A detta di Mari, siam candele nell'oscurita', presto il vento ci spegnera' e fara' sparire ogni nostra traccia. Ma Hajime le insegna che la vita va vissuta, i ricordi son fiori da raccogliere lungo la via, creando un profumato bouquet da portare con noi fino alla morte. Insegna a Mari che il vero orrore della vita e' l'avidita', la continua corsa alla richezza, che fa perder la capacita' di apprezzare le piccole cose e i nostri piccoli traguardi. Se tutti condividessero questa realta' "l'oscurita' sarebbe spezzata per sempre da una grande luce, generata dalla luce di tutte le stelle unite, cosi' luminosa da essere visibile anche nell'ora piu' scura.
Started: March 2008 Finished: March the 7th 2008 |
 | Title: The Atrocity Archives
Author: Charles Stross
First publication: 2001
Comments: The idea is quite interesting, but the execution of the first story (the atrocity archives) is not great. It is confusing and it does not flow well at times. On the contrary Concrete Jungle is great. The interesting ideas are finally used in a adroitly written geeky and fast paced story. Lovecraft meet Dilbert....
Started: February 2008 Finished: March the 3rd 2008 |
 | Title: The portrait of a lady
Author: Henry James
First publication: 1880
Comments: I slowly read this book. Initially I was quite surprised because nothing really seemed to happen. Then suddenly everything fall in place. Suddenly everything single word has so much meaning. Characters so vivid, so realistic, so complex. The psychological motivations of each act are so adroitly orchestrated. I am in awe.
Started: Nov 2007 Finished: Feb 16th 2008, paloalto (CA) |
 | Title: Nemesis
Author: Isaac Asimov
First publication: 1989
Comments: I grow up reading Asimov’s novels. It was strange to read one of his books after so many years; in the original language it was written. I devoured the book as I devoured his book when I was a child. Definitely a fun book.
Started: Nov 2007 Finished: 27 Nov 2007, Castro (San Francisco), CA |
 | Title: Interpreter of maladies
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
First publication: 1999
Comments: I enjoyed The Namesake, but this book is on a totally different level. A very deserved Pulitzer Prize, the book is a collection of short stories. Each story may be quite unremarkable plot-wise. What makes them special is the extreme sensitivity of the author, the astonishing way of portraying people’s feelings just hinting them. The characters are realistic, credible and, as a result, the short stories are extremely touching. They have a way to work their way into the reader and start resounding inside, moving him or her to tears. WOW
Started: Nov 2007 Finished: Nov 21st 2007, Mac Arthur BART |
 | Title: Blackberry Wine
Author: Joanne Harris
First publication: 2001
Comments: It was quite a surprise to discover that this book is somehow a sequel to Chocolat. The story takes place in the same small town and some of the characters are the same. You can see what happened to them after some years. Because of that the French town becomes familiar. As every Harris’s book I have read so far, it is quite a magical book, where millennia old folklore and traditions, superstitions and myths are intertwined with the life of the characters. Remarkable.
Started: October 2007, Noe Valley (San Francisco) Finished: Nov 12th 2007, Castro (San Francisco) |
 | Title: Master of dragons
Author: Margaret Weis
First publication: 2005
Comments: This is the last book of the Dragonvard trilogy. I was quite disappointed by the previous book in the series. Even if the gay theme is vanished and just referred to in a way I am not too enthusiastic about (e.g. “Evelina was not far above attempting to seduce one of the women but…”), the book is quite enjoyable. It is hard to put down and there are interesting allegories about the right of the powerful to maintain their position in the word. In a time were the west is starting to lose its dominant position, the reflection is quite of interest.
Started: October 23rd 2007 Finished: October 25th 2007 |
 | Title: Oliver Twist
Author: Charles Dickens
First publication: 1838
Comments: A soap opera of the beginning of the 19th century. The plot is masterfully crafted so that all the pieces at the end perfectly fit. The writing style is quite classic, with a omniscient narrator that tells you what to look at and how to interpret it. Quite funny and wit at times, the author uses his work to describe and complains about the state of England and some of the modern laws (e.g. the Poor law). Quite breathtaking are some of the descriptions of the city of London. Something that I did not like is the xenophobic, sexist and classist innuendo of the book. I understand they were common in England at the time, still it really stain a book otherwise quite remarkable.
Started: September 2007 Finished: October 23rd 2007 |
 | Title: The bridge of San Luis Rey
Author: Thornton Wilder
First publication: 1927
Comments: This book was given me as a present by my friend Mark. It is a book of extreme interest. The book starts reflecting upon the reasons for the death of 5 people during a bridge collapse. Why those people died? Was God punishing them? Was preventing them to do something? Was releasing them from suffering? Or it was just a random accident and our lives are not governed by some higher scheme? But if so what sense our lives and deaths have? Does it make sense to even ask those questions? These reflections are carried over in a fictional setting, quite entertaining to read. The author tries to avoid giving an answer, but it hints something quite touching toward the end. Recommended reading.
Started: August 2007 Finished: September 2007 |
 | Title: Harry Potter and the deathly hallows
Author: J.K. Rowling
First publication: 2007
Comments: When I was working hard at Google I decided to order the hardcover version of this book, to read it and relax when the internship was finished, as a reward. It was fun to read, even if I did not like the ending. I realized though that I was quite used to read the HP books. Now I will miss him.
Started: August 2007 Finished: August 2007 |
 | Title: The catcher in the rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
First publication: 1945
Comments: I was looking for a good book at the bookstore when my friend Cherry told me I MUST read this book. I liked the idea of describing society though the eyes of somebody that does not fit into it, unable to conform to something that perceive as contradictory, phony and hypocritical.
Started: August 2007 Finished: August 2007 |
 | Title: The overcoat
Author: Nikolai Gogol
First publication: 1842
Comments: I realized I have to read this book before continue to read the namesake. Beside the fact it was really hard to find it at any bookstore (I managed to find a copy at a local library) it was quite an interesting short story to read. The story reminds me of some novel of Kafka, where the weak are crushed by the system for no reason and nothing is done to help them. The only think I did not really like was the ending, the almost gothic conclusion.
Started: May 15th 2007 Finished: May 15th 2007 |
 | Title: The Namesake
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
First publication: 2003
Comments: I was working on my internship at Google while I was reading this book. I was working hard and I had barely the time to sleep, but it was rewarding to read a couple of pages of it before bed. It is the story of Gogol/Nikhil (and his family) and his coming to term with his cultural identity (and with his name). Gogol leaves between two words, America and India and he need to come to terms with both.
Started: May the 1st 2007 Finished: August the 11th 2007 |
 | Title: The White Castle
Author: Orhan Pamuk
First publication: 1998
Comments: This is quite an unsettling book. It starts like an old style novel, where the narrator, in this case the main character, imposes his point of view to the reader. Initially it is just a reckoning of the misadventures of the main character, in this case the main character, a Venetian of the 17th century, as it is captured and enslaved by the Turks. Soon enough things get more interesting. The unnamed Venetian is given in custody to the scholar Hoja, which physically resemble him to an almost sinister degree. The encounters from the East and the West take place in the Hoja’s house, discussing science and the mysteries of the mind, why we are what we are. The Christians European will prevail against the Turks thanks to technological superiority, and the importance of science is well-understood by Hoja, but not by the others, that Hoja’s label the fools. Soon enough the characters starts to blur one into the other, they take the role of the other and at the end it is not even clear which one is the Turk and which one the Venetian. Unsettling. Looking forward his next book!
Started: April the 22nd 2007 Finished: May the 1st 2007 |
 | Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini
First publication: 2002
Comments: Well, it is just another fantasy book, still it is quite entertaining. Given the young age of the writer, it is surprisingly readable. I’ll probably read the rest of the trilogy.
Started: March 2007 Finished: April the 20th 2007 |
 | Title: Flesh and blood
Author: Michael Cunningham
First publication: 1995
Comments: This book is quite an accomplishment. The first part has so much of the Hours, but then it evolves in a quite distinct way. The inter-personal relations between the characters, their internal growth and their shortcomings are told with unprecedented realism, sensibility and humanity. Each member of the Stassos family is so well-rounded, so painfully and cynically real, that page after page become real in the mind of the reader. I am quite impressed.
Started: February 2007, San Francisco Finished: March 29th 2007 |
 | Title: Harry Potter and the Half-blood prince
Author: J.K. Rowling
First publication: 2005
Comments: I like the Harry Potter sage. Some books are better than other though, and I am not crazy about this one. The author manages to capture your attention, and it is quite hard to put the book down, still… there is no so much new in this volume. It is more or less the same old story structure again, with minor variation.
Started: February 2007, San Francisco Finished: February the 18th 2007, San Francisco |
 | Title: Dragons in the archives
Author: Margareth Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 2004
Comments: I grow up reading Weis and Hickman’s novels. They are simple stories, but they manage to relax me like no others. Krynn’s feels like home, the characters are childhood friends. This anthology collects many stories written in the past 20 years and they witness the creative path of the Dragonlance world. It feels like picking up an old photo album from my childhood.
Started: February 2007, San Francisco Finished: Feb the 97th 2007, San Francisco |
 | Title: La misteriosa fiamma della regina Loana
Author: Umberto Eco
First publication: 2004
Comments: In tutti I romanzi di Eco il protagonista principale e’ sempre la storia, ricostruita nei minimi particolari, con precisione certosina. Questo libro non fa eccezione da quel punto di vista, si ricostruisce il periodo fascista in Italia. A differenza dei precedenti romanzi pero’, l’autore ha vissuto quel periodo storico. Di colpo il tutto si tinge di autobiografismo e la ricostruzione si colora di emozioni, desideri. Non e’ piu’ la storia degli storici, ma quella vissuta sulla propria pelle da ragazzini, ove le guerre si mescolano ai fumetti e i film alle cotte. Oltre al tema storico/autobiografico si innesta il tema portante del libro, quello della memoria, dei ricordi e dell’esperienze come elementi di definizioone della persona. Uno dei romanzi piu’ riusciti dell’autore. Vivamente consigliato.
Started: January 2007, Venice Finished: February the 3rd 2007, San Francisco |
 | Title: Wicked
Author: Gregory Maguire
First publication: 1995
Comments: I was expecting a fairy tale, a simple, unsophisticated book. I was quite surprised to discover that Wicked is quite different. While the novel is quite entertaining and fun to read, it is a deep investigation of the nature of Evil and a metaphor of the Nazi's Germany. Reality is perceived differently by people and History is written by the winners. An amazing accomplishment.
Started: Dec the 30th 2006, Venice Finished: Jan the 6th 2007, Venice |
 | Title: Presagio Triste
Author: Banana Yoshimoto
First publication: 1988
Comments: Ho sempre amato Banana Yoshimoto per la sua capacita' di comunicare emezioni, stati d'animo e sentimenti con poche pennellate minimaliste.
Questa e' la storia di Yayoi e del suo viaggio alla ricerca della sua memoria e vita perduta, ben conscia che cio' che trovera' nell'altra sponda di Lete distruggera' la sua vita com'era, ma che e' ormai impossibile evitare tale passo.
Started: Dec the 29th 2006 Finished: Dec the 30th 2006, Venezia |
 | Title: Il cammino di Santiago
Author: Paulo Coelho
First publication: 1987
Comments: Forse sara' per il fatto che io non sia spirituale, ma questo libro mi sembra una accozzaglia enorme di superstizioni e insensataggini prive di senso. L'unico tema interessante che spicca tra deliri mistici e' quello dell'incapacita' dell'uomo di affrontare una sfida per paura di perderla e ritrovandosi cosi' costretto a non progredire.
Started: Dicembre 2006, Venezia Finished: 29 Dicembre 2006, Venezia |
 | Title: The Story of the Night
Author: Colm Toibin
First publication: 1996
Comments: I enjoyed another Toibin's book a couple of years ago. He's a great storyteller, able to communicate in a very powerful way emotions and feelings. He's able to create extremely realistic and credible characters. I recommend it.
Started: Dec 2006, San Francisco Finished: Dec the 21st 2006, Venice |
 | Title: The Tao of Pooh
Author: Benjamin Hoff
First publication: 1982
Comments: Well, he said at last, it is a very nice house, and if your own house is blown down, you must go somewhere else, mustn't you, Piglet? What would you do, if your house was blown down?
Before Piglet could think, Pooh answered for him.
He'd come and live with me, said Pooh, wouldn't you Piglet?
Started: Nov the 19th 2006 Finished: Dec the 1st 2006 |
 | Title: The red badge of courage and other stories
Author: Stephen Crane
First publication: 1895
Comments: War stories are not my favorites, but I realize how interesting is to place a man in such a context. The demonic and godly nature of men fight within each soldier while the battle rage outside. Anyway what is quite remarkable of this tales is showing how real people feel and behave within such major historical events. They are not Greek heroes, they are human, full of fears, weaknesses and courage.
Started: Oct 2006 Finished: Nov the 29th 2006, on a BART trian in West Oakland |
 | Title: Vows and honor: the Oathbreakers
Author: Mercedes Lackey
First publication: 1989
Comments: I was running out of books and this one was one of the few left. I have to say I really enjoyed it. The plot is not fragmented as in the previous volume and rather enjoyable.
Started: Sep the 29th 2006 Finished: Oct the 11th 2006 |
 | Title: Vows and honor: the Oathbound
Author: Mercedes Lackey
First publication: 1988
Comments: I was stressing over the move to my new place and I needed some light reading to relax. The book is nothing special, but the plot is interesting, even if it feels like a collection of short stories featuring the same characters. Anyway I got what I was looking for: an easy and amusing reading.
Started: Sep the 19th, 2006, CoronaHeights Finished: Sep the 29th 2006, Noe Valley |
 | Title: A Series of Unfortunate Events: the bad beginning
Author: Lemony Snicket
First publication: 1999
Comments: I was just moved to my new place and I could not find the book I was reading. Hence I picket out this one from one of the boxes on the side of my bed. The book was a present from Jari and it was an interesting surprise. It is extremely cynical and it presents life as a series of unfortunate events. Anyway it was a fun book to read. I guess I'll end up reading all the series.
Started: Sep the 23rd, San Francisco, Noe Valley Finished: Sep the 24th 2006 |
 | Title: Great Expectations
Author: Charles Dickens
First publication: 1860
Comments: This is the most interesting Dicken's book I've read so far. It is more modern in style, the omniscient narrator being substituted by the main character himself, an anti-hero often victim of snobbism and pride. It is a pleasant book, engaging, often humorous. The plot is pretty sad in itself, very autobiographical. I found it interesting in the its portrait of society and of its dynamics. As in Persuasion by Austen the book witness the event of people able to raise themselves in society, being rich without being born rich.
Started: July 2006 Finished: Sep the 19th 2006 |
 | Title: Exit to eden
Author: Anne Rice
First publication: 1996
Comments: I was given this book as a present from J. I confess I was expecting something very different from the author of Interview with the Vampire. I was expecting the typical erotic tension of a gothic novel, but the book gives you a way more than that. I enjoyed it. It is the story of Lisa, a woman raised in a claustrophobic and moralist Catholic family that believes to have reached freedom escaping into a world of fetish. In reality the baggage of her childhood are still with her, as she soon realizes when she discovers herself unable to live feelings and love.
I think this is the tale of many people in this society, which even if on the surface may seem sexually liberated, even daring, they are still fighting their inner sense of guilt and inhibitions.
Started: July 2006 Finished: July the 28th 2006 |
 | Title: As meat loves salt
Author: Maria McCann
First publication: 2002
Comments: If you never felt in love, get scared of it, and lost the person you loved, do not read this book, it won't make sense to you. If you have been driven mad by the loss, and you have tried to not let it go using your fingernails, losing it because of it for good... if the searing pain is not abated yet, do not read this book, because the demon of loss and despair will tear your soul apart. It is rare to find a book able to shake you deep to your core. This is one.
This is the author first book. It is sometimes slow toward the middle, but the author is always adroit in communicating what is not said or admitted through the cunning use of powerful little gestures, word choices and signs. It is the final though that turn the book into a masterpiece and shows how such a talented writer Maria is. I am looking forward her next book.
Started: May 2006 Finished: July the 20th 2006 |
 | Title: Sword and Sorceress III
Author: Various authors (edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley)
First publication: 1986
Comments: I was very interested to read more of feminist fantasy. I discovered the existence and the historical importance of this movement only recently, even if I grow up reading novels of Marion Zimmer Bradley and Jennifer Robertson. This anthology of short stories helped me better understand the movement. It is rather interesting that all the main authors belonging to this movement lived here in the Bay Area and I find rather intriguing to be living where my favorite childhood authors wrote the stories that kept me awake as a child. As a grown up I can now appreciate the courage of some of the plots, how the movement revolutionize a sexist and macho-oriented genre and helped bring forward the image of modern women, free to express themselves and pursue their dreams.
Started: May 2006 Finished: May the 28th 2006 |
 | Title: Hard Times
Author: Charles Dickens
First publication: 1854
Comments: A classic novel in its structure, extremely powerful and captivating. It was meant to lure readers to purchase Dickens's weekly magazine. It worked and even today it is hard to put down the book once started. It reminds me a little of Voltaire's Candid, a book meant to discredit a particular philosopher. Leibniz in the case of the French writer, Malthus and the materialists in this case. It is a very successful description of the Industrial English suburbs, of the horrors of the life of the "hands" and the hypocrisy of the new materialistic approach to life.
Started: April 2006 Finished: May the 19th 2006 |
 | Title: The secret garden
Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
First publication: 1888
Comments: Some books that are meant for children turn out to be some of the most powerful books ever written. This book, as well as The Little Prince, are good example of what I have just stated. Moving.
Started: April 25th 2006 Finished: April 28th 2006 |
 | Title: The dragon's son
Author: Margaret Weis
First publication: 2004
Comments: I enjoyed the book but... what happened to the gay theme? There is almost no mention of the intense love of Bellona and Melisande, almost as if the author was afraid to have risked too much in the previous book. This is a little disappointing. Let's see what will happen in the next one.
Started: April 2006 Finished: April the 24th 2006 |
 | Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
First publication: 1818
Comments: This is the 100th not school related book I have read since I started to record my readings on this web-site. I decided to celebrate the occasion reading the only Austen's book I had not read yet. It was a bitter sweet pleasure to read it. Bitter because I ran out of book from one of my favorite authors. Sweet because I enjoyed it. Extremely interesting is to observe how the opinion of the time toward nobility and self-made men is changing. Something could be sensed in the dedication in Emma's, but in here the critique to the British nobility is one of the main themes.
Started: March 2006, San Francisco Finished: April 2006, San Francisco |
 | Title: Draconian Measures
Author: Don Perrin, Margaret Weis
First publication: 2000
Comments: I really enjoyed this book. I hope the saga will continue with other volumes!
Started: March the 26th 2006 Finished: March the 29th 2006, San Francisco |
 | Title: The Hours
Author: Michael Cunningham
First publication: 1999
Comments: An extraordinary achievement. This is the story of three women, each of them living in a different place and time. Their stories are though intertwined and the choices of one impact the one of the others. It is a story of depression, suicide and every day miracles that helps people to hold on and go on. A tribute to Virginia Woolf, that manage even to surpass the original.
Started: March the 12th 2006 Finished: March the 25th 2006 |
 | Title: Walden
Author: Henry David Thoureau
First publication: 1854
Comments: When I finished this book I was so relieved. It is a hard book to read. Even if some of the concepts in the book are particularly interesting, the book is often repetitive or it wanders into strange and boring topics. I think this is one of the few books that would greatly benefit from abridging. It is amazing, as a final remark, how modern and how closely related to modern society this book is. The critique of man that works to cumulate treasures without having any time to live their life, the critique of travelers that want to explore farther and farther away without even starting to try to understand themselves... seems to be written by somebody living today and not 2 centuries ago.
Started: Feb the 25th 2006 Finished: March the 11th 2006 |
 | Title: Mistress of dragons
Author: Margaret Weis
First publication: 1996
Comments: In a moment of stress like the one I was living, between deadlines and presentations to finish, it has been very helpful to have something easy and fun to read like this book. As for most of the Weis' book, it is hard to put down this book when you start reading it. This in particular evokes Mercedes Lackey's atmospheres. There are gay characters (atypical for Weis), and the topic is treated like I would like it to be treated: as if there is nothing odd about it. Unfortunately it is not the case in the real world and often in the literature.
Started: Feb the 25th 2006 Finished: March the 8th 2006 San Francisco |
 | Title: The doom brigade
Author: Margaret Weis, Don Perrin
First publication: 2003
Comments: I love to read fantasy books. They help me relax after a long work day. This one was very entertaining. It may be trash literature, still it fulfills my needs and... it is actually one of the best dragonlance novel I have read so far.
Started: Feb the 21st, 2006 Finished: Feb the 24th 2006, San Francisco |
 | Title: The city of falling angels
Author: John Berendt
First publication: 2005
Comments: It's strange to follow the author while he guides you through familiar places of my youth, while he introduces you to people and events you are familiar with. All the pieces, all the events that were happening years ago while I was there now in a book. It is strange to re-discover them and to re-experience it under a new light. I really liked to immerge myself in this vivid and realistic portrait of what I used to call home.
Started: Jan 2006, Washington D.C. Finished: San Francisco, Feb the 20th 2006 |
 | Title: Dreamcatcher
Author: Stephen King
First publication: 2001
Comments: Well, I guess I should have guessed it was a bad book when I found it on the "extreme sales" section. One of the worst King's book ever. Beside the continuous profanities, beside the homophobic and intelligent design statements... the plot is weak and not that original. And all the psychological introspection King is famous for... it seems to be a faded memory.
Started: Dec 2005 Finished: February the 2nd, 2005 |
 | Title: Brokeback Mountain
Author: Annie Proulx
First publication: 19**
Comments: David borrowed me the book after we saw the movie. A powerful, great book. It is amazing how sometimes
you end up ruining your life, losing what you love just because your afraid of it and of losing it.
Started: December 2005 Finished: December 2005 |
 | Title: Arrow's fall
Author: Mercedes Lackey
First publication: 1988
Comments: This is the last volume of the Heralds of Valdemar series. Honestly it is just a fun reading, but a nice break from "Walden" that I am struggling to finish desperately!
Started: December the 1st, 2005 Finished: December the 2nd, 2005 |
 | Title: Holy Fools
Author: Joanne Harris
First publication: 2005
Comments: Another great book from Joanne Harris, one of my favorite writers. Even if not as powerful and magic as five quarters of the orange, the book is a little masterpiece.
The clash between the barren hypocritical church and an ancient sensual
and wise superstition play a similar role as in Chocolat, but in here there is a
strong attraction between this two opposites...
Started: August 21st 2005, Newark (NY) Finished: August 25th 2005, Stinson Beach (CA) |
 | Title: Hornet Flight
Author: Ken Follett
First publication: 2002
Comments: It is strange, I have read many books from Ken Follet even if he is not one of my favorite writers. I enjoyed the book, exactly what I need to relax after my PhD quals and before my talk at the EmSoft conference!
Started: August 2005, San Francisco Finished: Newark (NY), August 19th 2005 |
 | Title: The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
First publication: 2003
Comments: Another fast-paced intriguing book from Dan Brown. I have to say this is one of the best he wrote, but he is kinda repeating after a while. The conclusion fail the crescendo and the "secret" about
Mary Magdalene should have been kept for later in the book. Anyway this book kept me company while
I was preparing for my quals and help me escape from the stressful reality for a while! This book was a present
given to me by Mark for my 29th birthday.
Started: Aug 22, 2005 Finished: San Francisco, Aug 25, 00:30 AM, 2005 |
 | Title: Emma
Author: Jane Austen
First publication: 1925
Comments: I started it before one of the busiest period of my life. I'll remember summer 2005 as one of the most stresssul summer ever. By the way I finished this book while I was deep into my
PhD quals and it helped me a lot to escape from the reality for a while. Emma is a great book,
but I really prefer the first Austen. In her first work I could sense her rage and disapointment
over society. On her latest book she seems to be more cinical, and she seems to smile and laugh
over it.
Started: Berkeley, Apr 2004 Finished: San Francisco, August 21st 2004 |
 | Title: Mrs. Dalloway
Author: Virginia Woolf
First publication: 1925
Comments: I understand the importance of this novel in revolutionizing fiction. I understand how original
is the storytelling style. I am fascinated by the way the story switch smoothly and seamlessly from
character to character but... the novel fails in being entertaining. I did not enjoy the reading at all.
Started: Berkeley, June 2004 Finished: Berkeley, Apr 27 2005 |
 | Title: Solitudini imperfette
Author: Andrea Mancinelli
First publication: 1998
Comments: Questo libro mi fu donato la scorsa estate da Matteo, che vide in questo libro molto del nostro rapporto.
Attesi un anno esatto prima di cimentarmi in questa lettura, un po' per paura di cosa ci avrei trovato dentro...
Started: Berkeley, Apr 13 2005 Finished: Berkeley, Apr 17 2005 |
 | Title: Harry Potter and the order of the phoenix
Author: J. K. Rowling
First publication: 2004
Comments: I loved Harry Potter's first book but I had been disappointed by the following books.
This last volume, on the contrary, is far from disappointing. It is the best one I have
read so far, I could not put it down! The character dark side grows stronger and more
interesting.
Started: Berkeley, March 2005 Finished: Berkeley, Apr 9th 2005 |
 | Title: Mansfield Park
Author: Jane Austen
First publication: 1814
Comments: With Mansfield park, Austen reaches her maturity. It is an enjoyable reading, but the most striking element of her previous books is gone. Her previous character came to realize
that public morality is just moralism used to justify convenience. The author appears liberal and
feminist there. In here... she plays the same themes, but with a conservative attitude. The society
is following convenience, morality has been forgotten. Fanny is almost as far from a feminist character
can be. Let's see how her following books are...
Started: Berkeley, Dec 2004 Finished: Berkeley, Feb 19th 2005 |
 | Title: Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
First publication: 2002
Comments: Amazing, this is one of the most powerful and touching book I ever read. The first part is such a powerful punch in the stomach to make you breathless. The last part is strikingly less impressive,
but it is still a must-read!
Started: Anahaim, Jan 2005 Finished: Berkeley, Jan 28th 2005 |
 | Title: Arrow's Flight
Author: Mercedes Lackey
First publication: 1987
Comments: I have always loved fantasy, and this book is no exception. Moreover, it is
interesting to have gay characters in the plot.
Started: Berkeley , December 8th, 2004 Finished: Berkeley, December 31st, 2004 |
 | Title: Midnight in the garden of good and evil
Author: John Berendt
First publication: 1994
Comments: An original "non-fiction" book. It starts as a diary, a Savannah city guide,
a travel book. Soon it turns into dirty-linned airing and mystery book. A
surprising and interesting book.
Started: Atlanta , December 18th, 2004 Finished: Berkeley, December 29th 2004 |
 | Title: A room with a view
Author: E.M. Forster
First publication: 1908
Comments: I started this book when I was moving to my new place on Rose street. I had to stop reading because of the chaos
I was suddenly living in. The book is amazing. I loved to see Leonora waking up inside Lucy. I loved to see the struggle
between the Victorian "being proper" and the Italian "living your feeling". I loved this book!
Started: June, 2004 Finished: Dec 7th 2004, berkeley |
 | Title: Digital Fortress
Author: Dan Brown
First publication: 1998
Comments: Another fast-paced intriguing book from Dan Brown. I find it less interesting than the other two DB books I read before.
I think I am getting used to his style and his books are starting to repeat a little bit... By the way I liked the last
coded greeting. It toke a little bit to crack it but... it is just a cesar box code, and the numbers can be substituted with
letters (hint: use chapter numbers).
Started: November the 11th, 2004 Finished: November the 22nd, 2004 |
 | Title: Uncle Tom's cabin
Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe
First publication: 1852
Comments: I start reading this book in May, then I moved to my new place, I had my prelims, I travel to Italy and I end up not
reading at all for months. Well Finally I am done and well... this is really a masterpiece. It is powerful and moving,
intense and breathtaking. It made me understand how important freedom is and how much we take for granted every day.
It made me understand this country better.
Started: May the 4th, 2004 Finished: November the 11th, 2004 |
 | Title: Dark rivers of the heart
Author: Dean Koontz
First publication: 1994
Comments: I had a Dan Brown book saved for the intercontinental trip to Italy but, when I was at the check in
I realized I forgot it home. I run to the closest book shop at SFO to get something else... and with my
horror they had only a couple of extremely uninteresting books. Well... bad choice. The only interesting thing
is the "big brother" theme toward the end.
Started: August 2004 Finished: 00:06, October the 18th, 2004 |
 | Title: The Little Prince
Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupery
First publication: 1943
Comments: This book was given me as a present by an ex of mine. He gave it to me shortly before breaking up and leaving
for France. I was hurt and I barely read the first chapters. I did not understand why we spend time dating if
it was going to finish like that... I then left it at my parent's home when I went back in Italy that summer. This summer Donato, a friends of mine, start speaking about that book. And I decided to finish it. And I finally
understood why my ex gave to me. I am sorry I did not understood it before. And thanks Keith, that was one of the
most appropriate and thoughtful present I ever received.
Started: January 2000 Finished: August 2004 |
 | Title: Arrows of the queen
Author: Mercedes Lackey
First publication: 1987
Comments: I have always loved fantasy, and this book is no exception. Moreover, it is
interesting to have gay characters in the plot.
Started: April the 30th, 2004 Finished: May the 2nd 2004 |
 | Title: Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
First publication: 1868
Comments: I found this book fascinating. I like that, at that time, people were able to sacrifice and improve themselves and the world around them using the strength of their morality. Nowadays
, on the contrary, moralism is used to spread hate and prejudice.
I found disconcerting the condition of the women at that time. Austen's book gave me an idea of
the situation, but the English writer at least was condemning the situation. On the contrary
Louisa seems to believe in a society where the goal of a woman is to get married and where young
girl should spend their time to prepare for the duties of the marriage.
Started: April the 16th, 2004 Finished: April the 30th 2004 |
 | Title: Deception Point
Author: Dan Brown
First publication: 2001
Comments: Reading the book is like watching a fast-paced suspense sci-fi movie. The plot is intriguing and it reserve continue surprises to the reader.
Started: April the 9th, 2004 Finished: April the 15th 2004 |
 | Title: A Tale of two Cities
Author: Charles Dickens
First publication: 1859
Comments: Interesting book. The author seems to report events almost unconnected and then
suddenly all the pieces come together.
Started: March the 4th, 2004 Finished: April the 7th 2004 |
 | Title: Magic's pawn
Author: Mercedes Lackey
First publication: 1989
Comments: I have always loved fantasy, and this book is no exception. Moreover, it is
interesting to have main characters that are gay for once.
Started: February the 28th, 2004 Finished: March the 3rd, 2004 |
 | Title: The picture of Dorian Gray
Author: Oscar Wilde
First publication: 1890
Comments: I read this book translated in Italian many years ago and I did not like it at all.
I guess I was too young or the translation was poor. I read it in English and I have
been surprised: the book is full of wit! Many authors has hitherto wrote
that moral is often moralism. Dorian is the man that free himself from the moralistic
preconceptions of society. But he cannot handle such a freedom and he lose himself.
Started: February the 22nd, 2004 Finished: February the 28th, 2004 |
 | Title: Jackdaws
Author: Ken Follet
First publication: 2001
Comments: This is the third Follett's book I read and do far the best one. It is as fast paced, enjoyable
and historical grounded as usual but... this time the characters and their inter-relationships
are more interesting.
Started: February the 15th, 2004 Finished: February the 21st, 2004 |
 | Title: The blackwater lightship
Author: Colm Toibin
First publication: 1999
Comments: This is an amazing book. It is the story of three women, grandmother, mother and daughter. It is the story of two sick men that are going to die, father and son. Death and sickness are the main catalyst of the plot, which is centered in the complex emotions of the three women at war with themselves.
Started: February the 9th, 2004 Finished: February the 15th, 2004 |
 | Title: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Bronte
First publication: 1847
Comments: I had high expectations on this book. I remember I read small part of it when I was at high
school. It is a story that shows the bad side of love, and how passion can turn into a curse.
Started: January the 24th, 2004 Finished: February the 9th, 2004 |
 | Title: Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
First publication: 1813
Comments: So far the best Austen's novel I ever read.
Started: January the 7th, 2004 Finished: January the 24th, 2004 |
 | Title: Code to zero
Author: Ken Follett
First publication: 2000
Comments: It is an easy reading, entertaining, probably historically and scientifically accurate.
Nothing more than that...
Started: January 7th, 2004 Finished: January the 12th, 2004 |
 | Title: Angels in America (part I and II)
Author: Tony Kushner
First publication: 1992/1995
Comments: A very interesting play... I like the Louis character and its inability to face the disease of the person he loves... I like the way parallel threads of the story are intervened and they are placed on the different side of the stage... Powerful, touching, intense.
Started: January 6th, 2004 Finished: January the 7th, early in the morning, 2004 |
 | Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
First publication: 1847
Comments: I enjoyed reading the book. Some of its elements are interesting. It mixes gothic novel,
fairy tales and incredibly modern element. I like to compare Jane Eyre with Elinor of
Sense and Sensibility as a way to understand the woman conditions in England. I like also
the character of the first Mr Rochester wife, that can be seen as an avatar of the hidden
Jane, everything that Jane does not want to show because it is not proper...
Started: December 22nd, 2003 Finished: January the 6th, 2004 |
 | Title: Prey
Author: Michael Crichton
First publication: 2002
Comments: This was the perfect reading to relax after finals. It was nice to read a sci-fi book set in the place where
I live and speaking about technologies similar to what I am working on (I am working on UAVs swarms, the book is about nano-particles swarms). This is an entertaining book, but nothing really special.
Started: December 19th 2003 Finished: December 22nd 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: Holidays on ice
Author: David Sedaris
First publication: 1997
Comments: Well, this was not exactly a Christmas reading... but I enjoyed it. Some of the short stories are little jewels of sarcasm and irony. My favorite one is "Season's greetings to Our friends and Family!".
That's really something!
Started: December 19th 2003 Finished: December 19th 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: Delitto e Castigo
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
First publication: 1866
Comments: Era da molto che non leggevo un libro in Italiano e da molto che non leggevo Dostoevsky...
Mi ha riportato indietro con la memoria, a quando lessi "L'idiota"... Devo dire che Dostoevsky
e' un genio! La descrizione dello stato morboso in cui si trova Raskolnikov e' a dir poco inquietante
da quanto ben riuscita. Uniche due note negative del libro: il fatto che solo a meta' il tema del
superuomo compaia e il finale aperto...
Started: October 2003 Finished: December 18th 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: Angels and Demons
Author: Dan Brown
First publication: 2000
Comments: I really enjoyed the book. It made the time go back, at the time I was working at C.E.R.N. in Geneva
at the LHC project. In one of the first chapters the main character visit the building where I used to
go to do my laundry, walk in front of the building where I lived and end up in a lab close to LHC itself!
Even if almost all the Italian quotes are wrong (bad grammar, incorrect word choices, etc), even if the
scientific background is not as solid as the author would like us to believe... I liked it a lot. The book was suggested me during a date. The date ended up not working as we expected but... the book suggestion
was great. Thanks!
Started: December 2003 Finished: December the 4th 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: Harry Potter and the goblet of fire
Author: J.K. Rowling
First publication: 2000
Comments: I really liked the story! It is fun, original and well-written. Probably one of the best of the Harry Potter's book!
Started: November 2003 Finished: December 2003 |
 | Title: Chocolat
Author: Joanne Harris
First publication: 1999
Comments: It is not as good as "five quarters of an orange" but it is an impressive book. The author is extremely talented and her stories are unusually vivid, real, touching. A recommend reading!
Started: November 2003 Finished: November the 12th 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: 3001 - The final odissey
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
First publication: 1997
Comments: It is a nice conclusion of the 2001 saga. It is far from being striking, but entertaining. I like the author point of view on religion.
Started: The night between the 6th and the 7th of November 2003, Berkeley Finished: November the 8th, 2003, Berkeley, in one of the first rainy days of the season |
 | Title: Dragons of a Vanished Moon
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 2002
Comments: The plot becomes more and more intriguing in this last chapter of the book. Of course, it is far from being a masterpiece, but it is entertaining and fun.
Started: September 2003, Berkeley Finished: September 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: Dragons of a Lost Star
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 2001
Comments: Even if there were some little inconstancies with the previous books, the authors create a really enjoyable book. I found myself reading in the middle of the night just to see what was going to happen.
Started: September 2003, Berkeley Finished: September 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: Five quarters of the Orange
Author: Joanne Harris
First publication: 2002
Comments: Amazing... honestly one of the best book I have ever read. The story is captivating, evocative, powerful and
realistic. The characters almost seem to come out from the page of the books.
The author is so adroit that I want to buy all her previous books.
Started: September the 19th 2003 Finished: September the 25th 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: 2061: Odyssey Three
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
First publication: 1991
Comments: Fifty years after the alien message forbidding humans to approach the moon Europa, an expedition to Halley's Comet is forced to violate the prohibition in the name of mercy.
Though it is entertaining, it lacks the lyrical prose of the previous volumes.
Started: September 2003 Finished: First minutes of September 19th 2003, Berkeley, just got back from one of the worse date ever |
 | Title: Girl with a Pearl Earring
Author: Tracy Chevalier
First publication: 2001
Comments: With precisely 35 canvases to his credit, the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer represents one of the great enigmas of 17th-century art. The meager facts of his biography have been gleaned from a handful of legal documents. Yet Vermeer's
extraordinary paintings of domestic life, with their subtle play of light and texture, have come to define the Dutch
golden age. His portrait of the anonymous Girl with a Pearl Earring has exerted a particular fascination for centuries--and
it is this magnetic painting that lies at the heart of this novel. Girl with a Pearl Earring centers on Vermeer's prosperous Delft household during the 1660s. When Griet, the novel's quietly
perceptive heroine, is hired as a servant, turmoil follows. First, the 16-year-old narrator becomes increasingly intimate with
her master. Then Vermeer employs her as his assistant--and ultimately has Griet sit for him as a model. I was disappointed by the book. Chevalier vividly evokes the complex domestic tensions of the household, ruled over by the painter's jealous, eternally pregnant wife and his taciturn mother-in-law. But... At times the relationship between servant and master seems a little anachronistic and some epiphanic scenes do not work at all.
Started: Beginning of September Finished: September the 15th 2003, at Berkeley, my first night as a single |
 | Title: Sense and Sensibility
Author: Jane Austen
First publication: 1811
Comments: I started this book back in June, but when my relationship was falling apart I decided to stop reading it. I wanted only light readings for a while. I could not read of the misfortune of Marianne and being at ease at
the same time since me and her were going through similar misfortunes... I really liked the book, but I am puzzled by the ending. I thought that Jane Austen was a modern woman, but... the
happiness of Elinor and the end of the relation between Marianne and Willoughby... they seems to suggest
to the reader to conform to the
archaic society rules of convenience. I was pretty disappointed.
Started: June, I stopped to read it when I arrived in Italy Finished: First September night, at Berkeley, really sad because what was going on with my ex |
 | Title: Le rose di Atacama
Author: Luis Sepulveda
First publication: 2000
Comments: Il viaggio, il vagabondaggio per il mondo, e' il filo conduttore delle storie raccolte in questo libro. Lo scrittore narra le vicende di
personaggi anonimi e marginali incontrati per il mondo, uomini e donne che
hanno in comune l'aver fatto della propria vita una forma di resistenza. Un
amico cileno che ha diretto la rivista Analisis, prima barricata della
lotta contro Pinochet. Un cantante che ha partecipato alla Primavera di
Praga. Un cameraman olandese ucciso dall'esercito del Salvador. Uomini che
non hanno mai sperato di uscire dai margini, ma che per una volta sono
affiorati, con le loro storie, dal buio dell'oblio. Come le rose che, in un
solo giorno dell'anno, ricoprono il deserto di Atacama. Certi racconti non sono male, altri scivolano sul pateticamente melo'.
Started: luglio 2003, Venezia Milano, in treno, sperando di ricostruire una relazione ormai in frantumi Finished: 1 Agosto 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: H/H
Author: Banana Yoshimoto
First publication: 2003
Comments: Due racconti lunghi che trattano della morte mostrando i diversi modi con cui la si puo' affrontare e mettendo a fuoco il contrasto tra la sofferenza della perdita,
la tentazione di sprofondare nel dolore e una inarrestabile voglia di rinascita. Come per il precedente, anche questo libro ha accompagnato un giorno triste, la fine di una relazione.
Started: 10 luglio 2003, Venezia Milano, in treno Finished: 11 luglio 2003, Milano Venezia, in treno, sperando di ricostruire una relazione ormai in frantumi |
 | Title: The Eve of the Maelstrom: Dragons of a New Age (Dragons of a New Age)
Author: Jean Rabe
First publication: 1997
Comments: I love fantasy; this is why I like this book. It is not a masterpiece, but it is original and entertaining enough. I enjoyed reading it. I was going through a bad break-up and it helped me to do not think about it.
Started: July 2003, Mestre (VE), Italy Finished: July 2003, Mestre (VE) Italy |
 | Title: The pillars of the earth
Author: Ken Follett
First publication: 1989
Comments: In twelfth-century feudal England, a master builder plans to erect a towering cathedral. But, unfortunately, he lives in a world of rigid class structures where corrupt kings and queens rule, and the common man shows eternal promise. Around the construction site swirls a cast of characters in a story of betrayal, revenge, and love. This book was a present of my best friend Cristiano, I really appreciated it. I enjoyed the book a lot, even though I do not consider a masterpiece as Cristiano does.
Started: May 2003, Berkeley Finished: June the 26th 2003, 11:20 PM, during a warm summer night in Berkeley |
 | Title: The Two Towers (The lord of the rings volume II)
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
First publication: 1954
Comments: Some parts of the first book are slow and boring. This second one is, on the contrary, fast paced and fun. It toke forever to finish it because I was studying and working hard: I've never read so little in my all life as during this semester.
Started: February 2003, Berkeley Finished: May the 15th 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: Year of wonders
Author: Geraldine Brooks
First publication: 2001
Comments: It is really a good book. The characters are well-rounded, the plot original and intriguing but... the
most striking aspect of the book is how the feelings, emotions, fears of the characters are adroitly
described. I am looking forward the author next book!
Started: December 2002 Finished: February the 6th 2003, Berkeley |
 | Title: L'Italia dei comuni
Author: Idro Montanelli, Roberto Gervaso
First publication: 1997?
Comments: Continua con questo volume la storia d'Italia di Montanelli e Gervaso. Devo dire che spesso e' facile perdere il filo e perdersi trai nomi e le date.
Started: December 2002 Finished: 21 dicembre 2002 |
 | Title: Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban
Author: J.K. Rowling
First publication: 1999
Comments: The book is fun but it is not as special as the previous two. It is hard to keep a high quality standard in a series of book. This Harry Potter does not seem to be an exception.
Started: December 2002 Finished: December the 12th, 2002 flying from Miami to Chicago |
 | Title: The fig eater
Author: Jody Shields
First publication: 2000
Comments: I bought this book on September the 11th at the Washington airport. I forgot my book in the baggage I checked in, and I started to look for something to read. The airport was kind of empty and it was a little bit scary.
Started: October 2002 Finished: December the 5th, at Berkeley |
 | Title: The day of the tempest
Author: Jean Rabe
First publication: 1997
Comments: I love fantasy; this is why I liked this book. It is not a masterpiece, but it is original and entertaining enough.I enjoyed reading it.
Started: October the 13th, 2002 Finished: October the 22nd 2002, at Berkeley |
 | Title: 2010, odissey two
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
First publication: 1982
Comments: This book was not as good as the first one, but it is not bad at all. Almost 20 years after the first
book, Clarke wrote
this sequel... how many things are changed! The Chinese enter as a third powerful empire, there is a gay character in the
Leonov spaceship... It is interesting to see how much the world has changed reading two books from the same author.
Started: October the 7th, 2002 Finished: October the 12th 2002, at Berkeley |
 | Title: Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
First publication: 1999
Comments: It is not as good as the first one, but it is entertaining. There is a lot of suspense and it is hard to stop to read it. Addicting!
Started: October the 1st 2002, Berkeley Finished: October the 6th, Berkeley |
 | Title: Insomnia
Author: Stephen King
First publication: 1994
Comments: When I was young I read a lot of King's book. Some of there were interesting. This one is not. It is flat. There is no psychological introspection as in some previous book. I was really disappointed. I bought this book in Arizona, Tucson airport. I toke a book with me, but in the rush I picked
one I've read yet... This was the only decent book I found.
Started: August, the 29th 2002, on the plane from Tucson to Oakland Finished: September the 30th 2002, Berkeley |
 | Title: Northanger Abbey
Author: Jane Austen
First publication: 1818
Comments: I was expecting Jane Austen's book to be stupid sentimental novel. I was a way wrong.
This novel is full of wit and sarcasm. It is the story of a young girl turning into
a woman in a world that is surprisingly similar to the contemporary one.
Started: June, I stopped to read it when my parents arrived Finished: August, the 29th, 2002, Tucson, Arizona |
 | Title: The dawning of a new age
Author: Jean Rabe
First publication: 1996
Comments: It is nothing special, just a standard fantasy novel. But it is entertaining and it is good to improve my English. I tried to compare this book with precious dragonlance's book. This one wants to be politically correct. There are characters of many different ethnicities, people with health problems... Is this a sign that the time is changing?
Started: July, the 25th 2002 [I haven't read so much while my parents were visiting...] Finished: July, the 28th, 2002, Berkeley |
 | Title: The Soulforge
Author: Margaret Weis
First publication: 1998
Comments: Just another fantasy book. I can read them really fast, they are good to relax (because they do not require to use to much the brain after one long work day).
They are good for my English as well! This one tells the story of the young Raistlin.
It seems he was not so bad after all...
Started: June, the 2nd 2002 Finished: June, the 8th, 2002 |
 | Title: 2001, a space odissey
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
First publication: 1968
Comments: This was a good book. I loved the sarcastic humor of the author! The plot is interesting and original. I really liked it. I think I am going to read it sequel soon.
Started: 28st May 2002 Finished: June, the 2nd 2002, at Berkeley |
 | Title: Dragons of a fallen sun
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 2000
Comments: I really liked it, but it seems to me that there is something missing. A lot things seem to have
happened between the previous book and this one. I feel like I am reading the second book of a trilogy without having read the first one. I am going to read the "dragons of a new era" trilogy. Maybe I will understand better this book then.
Started: 21st May 2002 Finished: May, 27th 2002 |
 | Title: L'Italia dei secoli bui
Author: Idro Montanelli, Roberto Gervaso
First publication: 1965
Comments: Il libro di Montanelli sulla storia di Roma m'era piaciuto parecchio, e Matteo aveva deciso di farmi un regalo, cosi' l'ho spinto a regalarmi questo volume.
M'e' piaciuto, anche se trovo che troppi avvenimenti siano stati riassunti in
un singolo libro. Comunque una lettura consigliata.
Started: May 2002 Finished: 21st May 2002 |
 | Title: Storia di Roma
Author: Idro Montanelli
First publication: 196x
Comments: Quando andavo a liceo, l'unica materia che proprio non sopportavo era storia. Recentemente e' nata in me una forte curiosita' in materia. Ho deciso pertanto di leggere questo libro di Montanelli per "sanare", almeno
in parte, le mie lacune. Il libro e' molto divertente e lo consiglio vivamente a tutti.
Started: February 2002 Finished: April 2002 |
 | Title: The Fellowship of the ring (The lord of the rings volume I)
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
First publication: 1954
Comments: I read this book when I was really young. I did not enjoyed it so much. Maybe I read a bad translation. The original is a way better, but I hate the long songs and the part of the book on Tom Bombadil.
Started: December 2001 Finished: April 2002 |
 | Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
First publication: 1997
Comments: I really liked the story! It is fun, original and well-written. When you read it, you feel like magic is something real and normal...
Started: December 2001 Finished: 5th December 2001 |
 | Title: Storia Vera
Author: Luciano di Samostata
First publication: 2ndo secolo avanti Cristo
Comments: Era da tempo che desideravo leggere questo racconto definito da molti
"primo esempio di letteratura fantascientifica". Divertente, interessante,
ma niente di eccezionale.
Started: December 2001 Finished: December 2001 |
 | Title: Frankenstein
Author: Mary Shelley
First publication: 1818
Comments: I think this is one of the best books I read in my all life. The book is modern and interesting,
the story is touching, the characters well-rounded and far from the typical gothic novel ones.
Started: 27th December 2001 Finished: 3rd December 2001 |
 | Title: Favola d'amore
Author: Herman Hesse
First publication: 1922
Comments: "Solo in questo consiste per me la vita, nel fluttuare tra due poli, nell'oscillazione tra i due pilastri portanti del mondo. Vorrei con gioia far vedere sempre la beata varieta'
del mondo e anche sempre ricordare
che al fondo di questa varieta' vi e' un'unita'".
Started: 27th November 2001 Finished: 27th November 2001 |
 | Title: Il fato e la superstizione
Author: Plutarco
First publication: 1st / 2nd century
Comments: Il primo dialogo tratta di libero arbitrio e fato. Il secondo
analizza la superstizione contrapponendola al suo opposto,
l'ateismo.
Started: 27th November 2001 Finished: 27th November 2001 |
 | Title: A.I. Intelligenza Artificiale
Author: Brian W. Aldiss
First publication: 2001
Comments: Ero a casa di Matteo a Milano, ove m'ero recato per
un colloquio di lavoro. terminato questo aspettavo ora
di cena e cominciai a leggere, terminandolo, il libro
sul comodino di Matteo. Le storie del volume sono abbastanza
insignificanti, la migliore e' quella che ha ispirato Spielberg...
Ma anche quella non e' poi un granche'.
Started: 24th October 2001 Finished: 24th October 2001 |
 | Title: De brevitate vitae / De providentia
Author: Seneca
First publication: 50 a.d. / 64 a.d.
Comments: Il primo dialogo insegna come la vita non sia poi corta, ma
semplicemente si passi in genere il tempo a sprecarla. Nel secondo spiega come le sventure siano dei provvidi doni del signore per rafforzare i giusti.
Started: October 2001 Finished: 22 October 2001 |
 | Title: Bartleby / Benito Cereno
Author: Hermann Melville
First publication: 1854
Comments: I thought that Melville wrote only long and boring books. It was a prejudice: the first novel is really interesting and modern. The language of the second is pretty hard and the plot is less interesting.
Started: October 2001 Finished: November the 26th, 2001 in Mestre |
 | Title: Baudolino
Author: Umberto Eco
First publication: 2000
Comments: Ho sempre amato i libri di Eco, e anche questa volta
;devo dire che sono rimasto colpito. Eco si libera finalmente di
;quell'ampollosita' e di quelle continue citazioni e digressioni
;che lo contraddistinguono per finire con il far parlare Baudolino,
;nato contadino e arrivato ad essere figlio di Barbarossa.
Started: September 2001, Mestre Finished: October, the 13th 2001, Mestre |
 | Title: The turn of the screw
Author: Henry James
First publication: 1898
Comments: I was in Milan when I realized that I have forgotten the book I was reading (Baudolino) at home. I went to Feltrinelli and I bought this book. I have studied Henry James at high school, but my teacher did not spend any time on this gothic novel. It is a typical gothic novel, I did not like it so much. Tomas Hardy was right when he wrote that "[H. James says] nothing in infinite sentences".
Started: Sunday October the 7th, 2001, Milan Finished: Thursday October the 12th, Milan |
 | Title: The second generation
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1995
Comments: The second generation is a good book. It is a collection of short stories.It is well built and it has an interesting plots.
Started: September 2001 Finished: 24th September 2001, Mestre |
 | Title: Test of the twins
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1986
Comments: The story does not work, the characterization is poor but... there is a nice end.
Started: September 2001 Finished: 19th September 2001, Sardinia |
 | Title: War of the twins
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1986
Comments: As for the first book of the saga this book is not such a good book... The main characters are incredibly flat and stereotypical.
Started: September 2001 Finished: 16th September 2001, early morning, Sardinia |
 | Title: Honeymoon
Author: Banana Yoshimoto
First publication: 1997
Comments: Amo particolarmente i libri di Banana Yoshimoto. Le trame delle sue storie
spesso contano assai ben poco. I veri protagonisti sono i sentimenti, le
sensazioni, che lei e' abilissima a descrivere in maniera evocativa. Questa e' la storia d'una giovane coppia, sposatasi prestissimo. Il padre dello sposo sembra far parte di una setta religiosa Ho finito questo libro in un giorno assai particolare: il giorno della caduta delle torri. Lo shock m'ha impedito di godermi la fine come avrei dovuto. Sotto quelle torri c'era una parte di me.
Started: 10 September 2001 Finished: 11 September 2001, while the towers were falling |
 | Title: Time of the twins
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1986
Comments: This second group of books is really bad... The characters are often flat, the plot confusing...
Started: September 2001 Finished: 5th September 2001, Sardinia |
 | Title: Dragons of spring dawning
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1985
Comments: The last volume is a really good one, but the ending... it is not good. It is clear that the authors do not want to finish the story... In order to write other three books!
Started: August/September 2001 Finished: September 2001 |
 | Title: Waterdeep
Author: Richard Awlinson
First publication: 1989
Comments: The end is not as bed as the first volume...
Started: July/August 2001 Finished: August 2001 |
 | Title: Tantras
Author: Richard Awlinson
First publication: 1989
Comments: The second book of this fantasy saga is better than the first... but it is not a masterpiece though...
Started: 5th July 2001, in Venice Finished: 23rd July 2001, in Milan |
 | Title: Shadowdale
Author: Richard Awlinson
First publication: 1989
Comments: I really enjoyed this book when I was young. This time I did not like it as much. The characters are incredibly flat and the plot is banal.
Started: 2001, in Venice Finished: 4th July 2001, 12:43, stressed because of the thesis |
 | Title: Dragons of winter night
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1985
Comments: I decided to read all the fantasy books I used to read when I was young in their
; original language, in order to improve my English. I was stressed because I was writing my master thesis.
; I needed something not to complex to read. This and the following fantasy books seem to be perfect in that moment. The plot is more interesting in this second volume.
Started: June 10th 2001, stressed because of the thesis Finished: June 13th 2001 |
 | Title: La Filosofia Antica
Author: Emanuele Severino
First publication: 1984
Comments: Stressato per via della tesi cominciai a leggere dei filosofi studiati in gioventu'. Una lettura interessante che m'ha fatto riscoprire quelle figure che, a suo tempo, avevo assai sottovalutato.
Started: May 6th 2001 Finished: June 9th 2001, after an evening spent with Matteo |
 | Title: Snow falling on cedars
Author: David Guterson
First publication: 1995
Comments: This was one of the book Kirsten suggested me. I started it while I was going to the Broadband wireless world forum. It is a good book. I like the way people behave in this book: they are extremely realistic.
Started: February 21st 2001 Finished: May 6th 2001 |
 | Title: You and your aquarium
Author: Dick Mills
First publication: 1998
Comments: As soon as I will be able to do it, I am going to buy an aquarium. This was a simple guide to collecting and keeping aquarium fishes. Interesting. I was unable to finish it because Matteo toke it back to Italy.
Started: January 2001 Finished: May 2001, my parents' house |
 | Title: Dragons of autumn twilight
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1984
Comments: This was one of my favorite books when I was a child. I thought it was a good idea to read the
English version now that I am a grown-up. It is an entertaining book. Its strength and limit is to be strongly bound with the RPG game.
I have forgotten the plot, and I really enjoy the original version.
Started: February 11th 2001, on my bed after brunch Finished: February 18th 2001, late at night |
 | Title: The lost language of cranes
Author: David Leavitt
First publication: 1986
Comments: This book is a Christmas present. Matteo bought it for me while we were in a bookstore in San Francisco. He really enjoyed the book and he wanted to share it with me. I liked it, but honestly I do not think it is a masterpiece. The book is realist, true, honest and painful. Those are the aspects that make me appreciate it.
Started: January 8th 2001 Finished: February 10th 2001, night |
 | Title: The seventh gate
Author: Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
First publication: 1994
Comments: When I was a young kid I used to read a lot. I was fond of fantasy novels. I started to read
the first book of the "Death Gate cycle" when I was 15. I never had the chance to read the last one.
When I saw it in the bookshop I bought it immediately. I read the book in one day. I waited to read the end of this story since I was a kid.
Started: Jan 5th 2001, when Matteo went back to Italy Finished: Jan 6th 2001 |
 | Title: Memoir of a Geisha
Author: Arthur Golden
First publication: 1997
Comments: I decided to start reading some American books to improve my English. My best friend Kirsten suggested me a couple of books: this one and "Snow Falling on Cedars" by David Guterson. She lent me this one. I was amazed to be able to read an English book without using the Dictionary... I really enjoyed it. Maybe the happy ending is a bit artificial, but it is a really good book.
Started: Third week December 2000 Finished: January 5th 2001, when Matteo went back to Italy |
