Tom Randall

Between this and Guilty Until Proven Innocent, you can get a pretty good perspective of the issues.

I'll confess I'm not a huge Mockingbird fan in the first place. This book made me reconsider that and made all of the characters much more interesting (yes, including and especially Atticus). I'm convinced that the most critical reviewers of Go Set a Watchman misunderstand both installments.

Interesting insider look at what is ultimately a semantic argument. There's a bit on the cultural and social reasons why people are attached to Pluto as a planet - the book would've benefited from more of that.

Foodie jerk schoolteacher gets run out of town by a guy who throws a pumpkin at him. Not great.

Not as interesting as the first in the series, but still worth reading for a second take on how a general AI could be accidentally created without us realizing it.

A fun book filled with interesting pieces of history. Not rigorous by any means, but if you like Bryson's way of providing bits of history tied together by a somewhat-arbitrary common narrative, you'll like this.

Pretty entertaining and engaging. The end was a little bit of a letdown, but otherwise enjoyed it a lot.

An excellent end to an excellent trilogy. Thoroughly modern, mostly highly plausible, and global. This is what modern sci-fi should be. Must-read for fans of Philip K. Dick or Neal Stephenson.

I can see how people who have trouble getting rid of things would get something out of this, but it didn't do anything for me. The author is also out of her mind and believes that you can make your underwear happy by caressing it and speaking to it aloud.

A must-read if you're interested in the culture and economics of open source software. The titular essay is the most famous, but the rest are also excellent.

A post-apocalyptic book that actually kept me guessing throughout and with a great ending. Reminded me some of Children of Men, though the prose isn't as good.

More moving parts in the second installment of the series, and more excellent sci-fi. The tech is all plausible and the story keeps me guessing.

Great read for casual football fans who want to know more about some of the game's most popular trends and strategies. The chapter on Dantonio-Narduzzi's defense puts it over the top.

Pretty short but full of interesting ideas, especially the final chapter that connects modern novels to the gap left in society by myth and religion. Actually made me rethink my own relationship to myth and religion.

Very much looking forward to starting Proust now, thanks in part to this excellent book. Well worth reading even if you never intend to actually read Proust.

Excellent story with equal parts philosophy and sci-fi, and beautifully written. The subject of dreams has always interested me, and the implications of the particular scenario in this story are endlessly fascinating. Don't know why it took me so long to pick up Le Guin, but I will definitely be catching up on her catalogue.

Excellently written and the premise is so good I would've liked it anyway.

Modern sci-fi at its best. The tech is plausible and raises several issues we will all be dealing with soon. Can't wait to finish the series.

Somewhat overhyped. The main point, praising “monopolies” in certain contexts, is interesting (though he is sloppy with the word). The back half rambles a bit and doesn't quite connect to the main premise. Still worth reading for startup founders and others interested in the subject.

Somewhat run-of-the-mill fantasy, with some engaging storylines and some disappointing ones (e.g. the forced and sometimes cringe-worthy romance). Overall pretty good; I'll probably finish the series eventually.

Very moving, and challenging to understand as a white reader. One of the few “important” books that is actually better than the hype.

I would have enjoyed it more as a short story. The politics and premise were great, but the plot itself wasn't strong enough to sustain 300+ pages. Still, worth reading if you haven't.

Just as good as, if not better than, the rest of the trilogy. The additional gender identity themes in this one made it extra interesting.

The writing didn't blow me away, but the plot was surprisingly plausible and thought-provoking. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Always love the prose and world-building from Murakami, and this is no exception. Don't expect it to make perfect sense and you might enjoy it.