Scan barcode
imrehg's reviews
441 reviews
Programming Scala: Tackle Multi-Core Complexity on the Java Virtual Machine by Venkat Subramaniam, Venkat Subramaniam
3.0
Not a bad intro to Scala, but it is getting a bit dated, as the language changes quite quickly. Some good examples, and some weird ones too (e.g. I think there's just too much XML processing in there for this day and age, though maybe it's just that I'm hanging out with a different programmer crowd). Would recommend checking it out, though not relying on it for learning Scala.
Beginning Lua Programming by Kurt Jung
4.0
It is a very thorough introduction to this fun language. Good and insightful explanation for most of the things, and fortunately up to date (or notes diligently whenever it cannot be). Some of the later chapters are quite out of the "introductory scope" (e.g. the web and server programming) or curious choice (Lua on Palm PDAs) but can be useful at times. All in all I would recommend this book as first exposure to Lua.
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
4.0
I really struggled with this book first, but in the end, it kind of opened itself up a little. This is one work that I think one has to read more than once just to start to appreciate it. First - just get through it. Read the "Atrophied Preface" and the editors' note in this edition - things start to make sense. Re-read - time for revelation.
This of course means that it is proper hard work to get to the core of things. The books style doesn't make things easy either, things are fragmented on all different levels. On the highest level, there's no single plot or story, just a collection of stories with different places and characters, that in the end paints a more or less comprehensive picture of a certain world. Then within stories, sometimes there are sub-stories. Then even paragraphs can be very loosely connected. Then there are sentences that just stand side by side for a certain effect. Finally, even a single sentence can be near incomprehensible collection of words. Once I stopped forcing it to make sense, it was all alright, but that needs a certain mindset and mood.
All in all I really liked it. Many stories seem to have great insight into human nature - just brought it to the very extreme before being written down. Reading about such twisted fantasy world like the Interzone can feel strangely dirty but exhilarating and liberating. Wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, but if someone can set aside their prejudices, it will be a rewarding experience - but keep off the junk.
This of course means that it is proper hard work to get to the core of things. The books style doesn't make things easy either, things are fragmented on all different levels. On the highest level, there's no single plot or story, just a collection of stories with different places and characters, that in the end paints a more or less comprehensive picture of a certain world. Then within stories, sometimes there are sub-stories. Then even paragraphs can be very loosely connected. Then there are sentences that just stand side by side for a certain effect. Finally, even a single sentence can be near incomprehensible collection of words. Once I stopped forcing it to make sense, it was all alright, but that needs a certain mindset and mood.
All in all I really liked it. Many stories seem to have great insight into human nature - just brought it to the very extreme before being written down. Reading about such twisted fantasy world like the Interzone can feel strangely dirty but exhilarating and liberating. Wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, but if someone can set aside their prejudices, it will be a rewarding experience - but keep off the junk.
Coin Locker Babies by Ryū Murakami
4.0
I can really count on Ryu Murakami to cook up a tale that I can barely take, but still cannot put it down. I think I will trying to figure out this story for a while as well.
When reading there were a couple of impressions I had:
This is a really busy novel in that sense that almost every character, from the important ones down to the really episodic ones have a background we came to know. This makes the story flow slower but also more intimate.
From the descriptions of people's experience, what did they feel, what did they go through, what did they do, it feels the writer also has all this experience. He depicts so many little nuances that i think he cannot possibly know if he hasn't been through the same things. But of course this is impossible, or is it?
The ending is kinda weird, like in some of his other similar novels. Some might say even failed ending. As I except, probably with time the whole thing will make more sense, just as it happened after I read his other books. With time I come to see that I have learned something from that ending that I wouldn't have from more "normal" ones.
When reading there were a couple of impressions I had:
This is a really busy novel in that sense that almost every character, from the important ones down to the really episodic ones have a background we came to know. This makes the story flow slower but also more intimate.
From the descriptions of people's experience, what did they feel, what did they go through, what did they do, it feels the writer also has all this experience. He depicts so many little nuances that i think he cannot possibly know if he hasn't been through the same things. But of course this is impossible, or is it?
The ending is kinda weird, like in some of his other similar novels. Some might say even failed ending. As I except, probably with time the whole thing will make more sense, just as it happened after I read his other books. With time I come to see that I have learned something from that ending that I wouldn't have from more "normal" ones.
The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa
4.0
I'm not sure if it's the hallmark of South American authors, but this book, the atmosphere created, the writing style all reminded me of [b:One Hundred Years of Solitude|320|One Hundred Years of Solitude|Gabriel García Márquez|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/610TvZHmkfL._SL75_.jpg|3295655]. It is a very intense story, maybe even more because it is based on real events, but the way [a:Mario Vargas Llosa|22515|Mario Vargas Llosa|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264454700p2/22515.jpg] filled the historical skeleton out with hundreds of little stories, it's just remarkable.
The way the timeline is presented is quite unusual for books, because it's not an easy one to do such non-linear storytelling. It is more the realm of movies, but this book puts most movies to shame in that sense. The way the thoughts of those different sides, the different people are described just makes it impossible to pass a simple judgement, which makes it even more worthy for me, since it makes people really think and decide for themselves, keep the debate open about what's important.
It's indeed a story of misunderstanding. Not a single person have seen the events the way they were happening, though couldn't do that because their lack of information and often overwhelming preconceptions. Which just begs the question - how many stories, people, events do I misunderstand around me? Most certainly I should be more curious about figuring out the truth.
A heavy book indeed. But it was worth it.
The way the timeline is presented is quite unusual for books, because it's not an easy one to do such non-linear storytelling. It is more the realm of movies, but this book puts most movies to shame in that sense. The way the thoughts of those different sides, the different people are described just makes it impossible to pass a simple judgement, which makes it even more worthy for me, since it makes people really think and decide for themselves, keep the debate open about what's important.
It's indeed a story of misunderstanding. Not a single person have seen the events the way they were happening, though couldn't do that because their lack of information and often overwhelming preconceptions. Which just begs the question - how many stories, people, events do I misunderstand around me? Most certainly I should be more curious about figuring out the truth.
A heavy book indeed. But it was worth it.