Book Club with CJ (beta)

Book Club beta closing (farewell)

2008-12-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

At this point Book Club has served its purpose as a proof of concept, and the energies behind it will now be folded into several different online ventures. It was a fun experiment, and I greatly enjoyed having a chance to discuss these books with everyone. I was especially grateful to those of you who contributed comments, purchased the books through this site, and, in one heroic case,

John Scalzi: additional reading

2008-08-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

The Ghost Brigades is that rare treat: the sequel that's even better than the original. It continues chronologically from where Old Man's War leaves off, picking up with Jane Sagan and a new group of Special Forces characters.Most enjoyably, at least to this reader, TGB raises intriguing questions and broaches fascinating ideas — taking the dual ideas of human consciousness transfer and body

Why Earth needs a Space Elevator

2008-07-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Since the dawn of the space age, climbing toward the stars has required a breathtaking amount of rocket fuel, making trips into space both expensive and dangerous. Science fiction is the province of big dreams, and few dreams are bigger than our planet's very own stairway to heaven, the space elevator. This grand idea offers the promise of safe, inexpensive trips into orbit (and back!) on a

Military science fiction: books & more

2008-07-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Do you enjoy military science fiction? Exploring the personal, technological, and moral implications of inter-species warfare has long been a rich vein of material for sci-fi authors. If you enjoyed Old Man's War, you may also enjoy the following books:Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein - Hugo winner and grand-daddy of the subgenre, was also made into a (far, far goofier) movie in 1997.

Consciousness transfers and brainboxes

2008-07-23T16:27:00.001-07:00

I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.— Woody AllenA small but fervent clique of geeks and dreamers has long imagined a future in which people can upload their consciousness into a machine. In doing so, humanity would end-run our messy biological entropy and thus achieve immortality.(Warning: The following contains a mild spoiler for Old

[SPOILERS] Old Man's War: open discussion

2008-07-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

So, what did you think? In addition to my favorable review, I'll post some extremely spoilerific details in the comments.Again, don't click through to the comments unless you want to see SPOILERS (all future page numbers refer to the mass market paperback version of Old Man's War).# # #Other posts on Book Club for Old Man's War, by John Scalzi:Intro and review: Old Man's War OMW discussion w/

"Begin it now."

2008-06-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the change to draw back—Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events

"The Myths of Innovation" review & discussion

2008-06-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

A generation ago, Peter Drucker coined the term "knowledge worker" to describe someone whose job involves developing and manipulating information, rather than material goods. An important part of successfully performing these jobs is the ability to be creative, or to thrive in a creative environment. Scott Berkun's The Myths of Innovation (TMOI) helpfully demystifies and de-mythologizes the

Book Club schedule update

2008-06-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

After taking a month off to assess everyone's feedback, and to consider how best to move forward, I've made some schedule changes:Discussion for The Myths of Innovation will begin this Saturday, June 21 The July novel selection will be Old Man's War, with discussion beginning on 7/19Player of Games has been bumped to NovemberSee the full book schedule for a complete run-down.I'm looking forward

Introducing "Old Man's War" by John Scalzi

2008-06-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

One of science fiction's greatest strengths is its unabashed enthusiasm for exploring provocative "What if...?" scenarios. John Scalzi opens Old Man's War with a firecracker setup:I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife's grave. Then I joined the Army.The universe is a dangerous place, and the Colonial Defense Forces need help protecting humanity's interests throughout

"The Road" additional reading & links

2008-04-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

Book Club recently read The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. Here's a list of our discussion posts:Introducing The RoadThe Road open SPOILER discussionThe best of post-apocalyptic fictionMcCarthy's beautiful writing styleView all entries on The RoadBelieve it or not, our book selection has even been discussed elsewhere on the Internet. :) Here's a list of external resources for additional reading:

[SPOILERS] Cormac McCarthy's beautiful writing style

2008-04-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

[Be warned that mild, non-plot-oriented spoilers follow in this post. It's largely a discussion of Cormac McCarthy's unique punctuation and prose style, including excerpts from the book.]There are two literary conventions used in The Road which are, well, unconventional. They are:All the characters are nameless, including the two protagonists (referred to simply as "the man" and "the boy");

Introducing "The Myths of Innovation" by Scott Berkun

2008-04-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

The selection for June, our first foray into non-fiction, is a gem of a book:In The Myths of Innovation, bestselling author Scott Berkun takes a careful look at innovation history, including the software and Internet Age, to reveal how ideas truly become successful innovations-truths that people can apply to today's challenges. Using dozens of examples from the history of technology, business,

The best of post-apocalyptic fiction

2008-04-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

This month's Book Club selection, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, is set in a grim, post-apocalyptic future. This sub-genre of science fiction has historically featured a nuclear holocaust as its apocalypse event, although biological plagues, alien invasions, Biblical literalism, and even climate change have all featured prominently in this setting. Here are some of my favorites, spanning a variety

[SPOILERS] "The Road" open thread

2008-04-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

So what did you think of Cormac McCarthy's The Road? Share your opinions in the comments.This is a potentially spoiler-filled discussion thread, so use discretion if you don't want to learn key details of the novel (like, say, how it ends). I'll kick it off below...

Introducing "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

2008-04-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

The selection for April is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. You may be familiar with the author's work already; the Coen Brothers just won multiple Oscars for their adaptation of another McCarthy novel, No Country for Old Men.The Road is a searing, post-apocalyptic novel, even more grim than No Country. From the back cover:A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in

Book Schedule

2008-03-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

Sidebar links will be provided for each book a month in advance, and unless an exception is announced, discussions will begin on the Second Saturday of each month:April: The Road, by Cormac McCarthyMay: (Break)June: The Myths of Innovation, by Scott BerkunJuly: Old Man's War, by John ScalziAugust: (Break) September: Cryptonomicon, by Neal StephensonOctober: This is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel

Welcome to Book Club

2008-03-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Book Club. The first rule of Book Club is -- I kid, I kid. Welcome.I want to mention right off the bat that everyone is welcome to participate, even if you haven't read/finished the book that's being discussed. All spoiler threads will be clearly marked in case you decide to someday read it, but most of the discussions are designed for general input from anyone