 | 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 |
 | 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 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 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: 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 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 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: 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 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: Fellow Travelers
Author: Thomas Mallon
First publication: 2007
Comments: I am currently reading it.
Started: July 2009 Finished: I am currently reading it |
 | 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 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 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 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 |
