Book List for This Month

I already went and bought two SF books to read for this month from our local Barnes and Noble (it's on the way home from work). I am half way done with the AI book and disappointed. So far, it's almost purely pathing algorithms. Not exactly what I hoped for. I was hoping for some of the stuff that the developers put in Black & White, frex. Back to books, I bought The Wilding from B&N by CS Friedman. I am a huge fan of her books, even when they are mildy disturbing. I loved her characterizations of Zatar and Anzha waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back. I really liked Gerald Tarrant. Some of her scene descriptions from that series are just stunning.

Frex, from When True Night Falls:

There were songs on the hillside, glorious songs of sunlight, optimism, and energy, the endless music of faith. She could see them arrayed along the gentle slope, warriors whose armour gleemed Core-golden in the light of noon, soldiers whose banners were strung with bits of glass so that as they moved their standards sparkled, and as the wind beat upon the richly woven cloth there was the sound of bells, of sparkling water, a thousand glassy chimes rangout the song of God's One Faith across the Darklands. Young men, old men, women astride their horses, soldier-priests so young they were nearly children--all helmeted in silver and gold and pennanted in brilliant silks, lining up for battle. The very air about them rang with their faith, their sacrificice, their passion. The very daylight was a song of triumph.

She floated through their ranks like a fae-wraith, touching, seeing, hearing all. Shields that flashed like fire in the sunlight. Swords that sang of perserverence and hope. She touched one blade and could hear all the hymns that had gone into its making, the thousand and one voices that had lent it power. The years of chants, years of prayer, years of utter faith...she moved tow here another soldier stood and gazed at the crystal flask in his hand. The liquid within glowed with a heat she could feel on her face, and its music was a symphony of hope.

They were riding into death, she knew. All these brilliant soldiers, all these pricelss weapons, were about to ride into a darkness so terrible it would snuff out their songs forever. She could feel their place in history taking shape about them, not a beginning of hope but an ending, the extinguishing of a time of untrammeled dreams, in exchange for one of cyncism and despair. She wanted to cry out and warn them, but what good would her words do? They knew the odds. That the Evil they had decided to fight might well prove more powerful than all their prayers and spells and charms combined...and still they gathered. Thousands upon thousands of them. Knees clasped tightly about their anxious steeds, hands clasped restlessly about their sword grips and their springbolt butts and polished pistols. And the Fire. It glistened in a dozen crystal Orbs, in a thousand crystal vials. So very beautiful that it hurt herto look upon it, so rich in hope that she cried out to hear its song. Faith. Pure faith. She could drink it in all her life and never have enough.

You'll die! she cried out. Not wanting the music to end. You'll all die horribly. The Forest will eat you alive! What good is that to anyone? Go home while you still can!

And then it seemed that one of the soldier-priests turned to her. Eyes of liquid flame, brilliant as the Holy Fire, fixed upon the space she occupied. His shield, and sword were molten gold, and his banner-glass tinkled in the wind. He was too bright to look upon, and too beautiful to look away. His voice was like the wind.

Somethings, he whispered, are worth dying for.

I really hope The Wilding lives up to the book it is a sequel to (In Conquest Born). The reviews say otherwise, which is why I waited for the paperback.

I also bought to finish up the Galactic Center series, by Gregory Benford. It's an okay read. I'm just interested in how he finishes it all up. If I have time later in the month I'll pick up some Stross.

From Amazon I picked up a a bunch of books. Most of them are construction related.

Drilled Pier Foundations

Construction of Drilled Pier Foundations

Tips & Traps When Building Your Home

The Complete Guide to Contracting Your Home

How to Plan, Subcontract and Build Your Dream House: Everything You Need to Know to Avoid the Pitfalls

Drilled Piers and Caissons II: Construction Under Slurry/Nondestructive Integrity Evaluation/Load Testing/Geotechnical Behavior Under Load

Measuring, Marking, and Layout: A Builder's Guide

Working with Concrete,

There is a lot of foundation related works and project planning guides there. The foundation is the most challenging of the items being designed. That's because of the particular plot of land. We'll see how this plays out. If it does work, and I get this done, I'll be mildly impressed with myself. ;)

At any rate, the one nonconstruction based book is King of the Crocodylians: The Paleobiology of Deinosuchus. The pterodactyl book won't be published until the end of the month, so I'll just read that next month. I have a feeling that I am going to be mildly ODed on construction stuff in August, so I'll lighten up next month and let that simmer in the background in September. Then try ODing again in October. Prolly not foundations though.