The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling

From our two lords of cyberpunk, we are brought something collectively made and different. The Difference Engine is considered an essential in the forming of Steampunk as a subgenre. It was written collectively through the mail, as the two writers Mailed floppy disks to each other from Texas to British Columbia. It sounds crazy, doesn't it? 

Instead of a regular novel, we got a collection of stories centering on a theme of analog computers, and the Babbage Machine. Instead of getting high tech low lifes in an imagined future, we get those types of characters in a less-imagined victorian setting. While it's not my favorite thing from either writer, I consider the book as successful experiment in form and genre. 

Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter by Tom Bissell

I probably talk about privilege too much in these book reports. Oh well. Some segments of This book give the term a whole new meaning, expounding on the experience of its writer who dedicated months of his life to doing cocaine while playing Grand Theft Auto, and doing nothing else. So it is a very singular experience we get to peak into. Moreso, this book is about the impact games can have on your life and on our culture as a whole. It's worth reading for anyone who is a serious gamer and wonders if they are letting life pass them by. 

The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi

This book is about forming and maintaining relationships with lateral instead of vertical power structures. It is told in a series of dialogues, like something from Socrates. Was it useful to me? I don't know. It's possible. I'm generally not afraid of being disliked because very few people have the power to make my life better or worse, as it things are. But I was looking for some information to aid me in feeling better about myself, and less anxious in general. What I got was a lot about Adlerian philosophy, suggesting most things that hold us back in life come from our own doing. I'm skeptical, but I'm sure this can't apply to all people. Maybe you should read this book and let me know what you think, and if it does much to enhance your life. 

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

Here's another in the Harry Dresden series. The third to be precise. Last time we had werewolves and this time we have Ghosts, Angels, and Demons. The demons were already there, but this time our story with them goes a bit deeper as Harry's Peril becomes more Grave, but that's part of the slow burning big story that I'll kind of forget about between now and the time I'll read the fourth book in the series. The Dresden Files are pretty good but I'm not over the hill for them, and I'll continue the series when I run out of more interesting things to fulfill my inclusion in the literate zeitgeist.