Hyperion by Dan Simmons
This is really a collection of science fiction short stories that are tied together around a common event. As short stories, they were really good. As a stand alone book with a beginning and end, it missed the mark. Grade: B-
Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
A very interesting book about human behavior and economics. The authors argue that we should do more to help people make good decisions, i.e., we should nudge them. I agreed with some of what they said, but not all. Enjoyable and interesting book. Grade: B+
Poisson Feather by Matthew Fitzsimmons
Cold Harbor by Matthew Fitzsimmons
These are books 2 and 3 of the current 3-book Gibson Vaughn series. They are your basic murder, mystery, suspense-type books. The first book in the series, The Short Drop, was pretty good, and, I assume, led to a big contract for books 2 and 3. Book 2, Poisson Feather, was a complete train wreck. The book didn't have an ending and was depressing throughout. Grade: F
Book 3, Cold Harbor, was better but still didn't quite hit the the quality of The Short Drop. Grade: B
Infinity Born by Douglas E. Richards
I've always enjoyed Richards' books, and this one was no exception. It was a little long and some of the scenes felt like they lacked authenticity, but there are other dialogues in the book that I completely enjoyed and will think about for a long time. This book tackled issues associate with AI and brain emulation -- lots of food for thought. Grade: A-
