The Code Book, by Simon Singh

Brilliantly written non-fiction book that tells the story of cryptography and cryptanalysis throughout the ages. I couldn't possibly say enough good words about this title. At the same time that it is very enjoyable for one with a math background, it's very accessible to general audiences with an interest in history and in code writing and breaking. One can easily get excited about this fascinating field after just this one read.

One Hot Summer in Kyoto, by John Haylock

I got this one from a bargain bin and had no expectations from it whatsoever. It turned out to be a very enjoyable, quick read. For some reason, the no-nonsense style reminded me of J. D. Salinger. It has that amusing, honest-to-goodness quality in the narration, even if it doesn't carry all the subtle layers and nuances that Salinger's writing has.

The book tells the story of an Englishman who runs off to Japan every summer to get away from his wife and spend some time in the arms of a devoted mistress. It does a fairly good job of outlining cultural and social differences and it tells its story in way that is reminiscent of the farce or the comedy of errors. Recommended reading to Nippo-philes like me.

High Crimes, by Joseph Finder

A true embarrassment of a book. I found a recommendation for this in a newspaper article on security or anti-terrorism and I honestly don't know why I decided to finish reading this book. There's nothing original about the plot and nothing noteworthy about the writing. You can see the end coming from miles and miles away. Do yourself a favour and don't waste your time with this ridiculous piece of junk.

Darwin's Radio, by Greg Bear

Great book. For those who don't know it, there are two kinds of science fiction: hard and soft. Soft sci-fi paints a story arch on the background of some type of futuristic landscape with advanced technology, aliens, interstelar travel, etc. No attempt is made to explain anything since the universe is not grounded on any kind of credible scientific foundation. That's the approach in many fun works like Star Wars. Hard sci-fi, on the other hand tends to be challenging, because science, or at least scientific speculation, plays a key role in the story. Among the contemporary writers in this sub-genre, Greg Bear has written some pretty darned good hard sci-fi books (though he's written some duds too).

This book talks about evolution, as it is obvious from its title. Most specifically, it talks about the next step in the evolution of the human race. Unlike Darwin's writings, though, this one is weaves a theory around molecular biology and bio-chemistry. Now, even though I know nothing of molecular biology, I was able to wade through the jargon and the (pseudo?) scientific explanations in this novel and still enjoy it immensely. I found that the science bits in this kind of book are crucial to ground the story in the realm of the believable.

The novel reads as a thriller, a very good one at that. I found myself caring for the characters and what they were going through, and at the same time, I was fascinated with the story about what triggers the evolution of a species. It was very hard to put it down once I started it, even thought I had a nasty cold with fever and the works at the time. I could think of nothing but reading this book as long as I was awake. The ending is a bit mysterious and smacks of a cliff hanger, but it is still very satisfying as a stopping point as long as one can live with the idea that the story could go on in a dozen different potential ways.

Ender's Shadow, by Orson Scott Card

Sometime around 1994, almost seven years since it was first released, I read this masterpiece of science fiction called "Ender's Game". It was a bittersweet story about a boy being plucked out of home to be trained as a military leader. Mankind faced an enourmous threat and in order to prepare for a third attack by an alien species, it looked for the next great warrior, leader, strategist within its very youngest. The book turned out to be the first in a great series that followed with "Speaker for the Dead", "Xenocide" and "Children of the Mind". There was a big temporal and thematic gap that separated "Ender" from "Speaker", so one often felt that the first installment stood apart from the other books.

Recently, good old Orson Scott Card, retook the universe created in "Ender" and expanded on it. This was not done so as to bridge the gap between the first books and the rest of the series, but to show the same story from a different point of view. As much as the first book was the tale of Andrew Wiggin, "Ender's Shadow" is the tale of Bean, a boy wonder saved from death by starvation, at the age of four, by a street gang. This book retells the story of the first, but it's in no way predictable or less exciting. Card has a knack for packing a heart into his stories and "Ender's Shadow" beats with it.

Throughout the book, the terrors and injustices of war are expounded through the voice of a child. Bean is no normal kid, though. At the age of four, he knows much in the art of survival and manipulation. One needs to use a bit of suspension of disbelief to get through quite a few pages, but eventually it becomes clear why Bean is so special. It's sort of impossible not to feel with him, not to ride his waves of excitement and sadness, not to get caught in his Tom Sawerish adventures, not to appreciate his sarcasm and wit. This is a delightful book that I recommend to anyone interested in science fiction, having read "Ender" or not. It's a companion book and I think it can be best appreciated if read after "Ender", but it definitely is self-contained.

A sequel to it, "Shadow of the Hegemon", is already out and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Also, it seems that Card already has plans for two more books in the same universe after that, so if you're a fan, rejoice!

About a Boy, by Nick Hornby

After thoroughly enjoying High Fidelity, I realized I could have found a new favourite author, so I was compelled to give Nick Hornby's second book a try. I wasn't disappointed: the guy not only writes well, but also seems to write from the heart. Althought some might argue that this book doesn't have much depth or substance, I've concluded that Hornby's writings don't give you answers, they make you work hard for them, to find them yourself.

"About a Boy" is another book about single thirty somethings with ties to pop culture: Will Freeman is the child of a one hit wonder song writer turned rich and Marcus (what is his last name again?) is a kid with an uncontrollable urge to sing out loud. The music connection is there again, but you won't see top 5 lists this time. The story revolves around Will, a 36-year-old man who has no direction in life and Marcus, a kid who doesn't fit in his new school. Through a series of unlikely events they meet and are thrown into a situation where a friendship develops. As they go along, they seem to complement each other and to provide a much needed learning ground where they both find a chance to grow.

If I were to stop this teaser right here, I'm sure you'd think it's corny story (and it may very well be so), but it's not really the story that matters when Nick Hornby is writing, it's how the story is told. This book makes you laugh out loud and also makes you stop to think and re-evaluate yourself as a human being. Maybe it's some kind of homeopathic cure for the modern day cynicism and hopelessness that you don't really see as medicine, until you observe the results. I highly recommend it for a pleasant light reading when you want to have your spirits lifted.

Dune: House Harkonnen, by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

Another interesting book by this duo who took the challenge to keep Frank Herbert's amazing universe alive. Again, the quality doesn't match that of the original author, but it's still a must read for the die hard fan. Be suspicious of my praises to anything related to Dune, however. It's been a long process that has started almost 17 years ago, but only recently I have discovered that 1) I'm a Dune freak, 2) I tend to like Dune things even if I don't like them (e.g. the infamous David Lynch movie, which I watch over and over even though I find it shallow and stupid), 3) I'm a Dune freak (just making sure I managed to get the point across).

This one takes you into Duncan Idaho's training as a Swordmaster, the development of Duke Leto as a leader, the further downfall of Ix, and, of course, several events related to the Harkonnens (such as the introduction of Gurney Halleck, the fall of Abulurd Harkonnen and the birth of Feyd-Rautha). It doesn't really taste like science fiction very much, but rather like space opera, and you know what? It doesn't matter, because it's still Dune and it sheds a strong light onto the background of characters from a fantastic story in an incredible universe.

If you've never read any Dune book before, this is not your starting point: go back to read them in the order they were written: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapter House Dune and then move on to the prequels that started with Dune: House Atreides. According to Kevin J. Anderson, there may be a new Dune book every year and I'm already anxious to get my hands of the next installment Dune: House Corrino.