This is a memoir by the creator of the Web. In it he details the events that led to its creation, the constant battle to keep it free, and his thoughts on its future.
Stuff about Books I've Read
This is the first time I have read the 2003 revised edition of this book. I had a copy of the original when I was a teenager, and remember liking it a lot. The book came up in a discussion I was having in the dystopian novels book club. The person I was talking to was talking about how much she loved this series, and this book in particular. When I was reading the series it was incomplete. There were only three books, and it ended with The Waste Lands. It’s a little daunting how much there is of it now that it is complete, but I think I’ll make my way through it.
In this story a new virus has infected large portions of the human race. The virus causes some people to have locked in syndrome, where they are aware and conscious but cannot move in any way. Technology has developed to allow these people to take control of robots, which then effectively become their bodies. There is also another group of people who were infected, but did not become locked in. These people can become “integrators”, which means that they can allow sufferers to take control of their body. This allows the sufferers to have a more direct experience.
I have no idea how many times I have read this book. I certainly read it when I was in primary school, after one of my teachers read parts to the class at the end of each day. It is a wonderful adventure story, and feels absolutely timeless.
The real name of the main character of this book is never revealed. He is referred to as Theo throughout the story. Theo is the name of his friend at University who lived in the room next door. That friend was murdered in a duel with a rich sociopath also attending the University. This happened over an argument over how said sociopath was treating a woman at a house party. After the murder the main character adopts his friend’s name and life, since he has no real future otherwise and Theo’s parents and family are effectively estranged.
This book takes place in an alternate history, set in the UK. There are three identical boys in what appears to be some kind of orphanage. They are being cared for by three women that are taking shifts and are called Mother. For instance the woman that wakes them at the start of the day is Mother Morning. She notes each of their dreams down in a large book.
This is the thirteenth Discworld book, a stand-alone story set in Omnia. It tells the story of Brutha, a trainee monk who has a photographic memory and the Great God Om, who is currently stuck in the form of a tortoise.
I saw this book appear in the Standard Ebooks newsletter since they had just added it to their catalogue. I remember liking Crime and Punishment very much, and I had never heard of this novel so I was intrigued. I ended up not reading that version. Although I think they make excellent ebooks, the version in the public domain is the Constance Garnett translation, and it seems there are far better ones now.
This is a short Japanese novel about an architect who builds a tower to house criminals. The tower is not a prison but a good quality housing block. The term Homo Miserabilis has been adopted to refer to these people, in contrast to Homo Felix for the rest of the population. This distinction is an attempt to recognise that they are not entirely in control of their own destiny, and to elicit sympathy for them.
This is a history book written by David Mitchell, who played Mark Corrigan on Peep Show. I love that show, and I’m interested in history, so thought I’d give this a go. This book sits at an interesting level: he is a comedian rather than a professional historian, so it’s funny, and he’s happy to gloss over details and call people twats. I think he did actually study history though, and I believe he is fascinated by it, so it’s not just a superficial celebrity book.
This is a biography of Terry Pratchett written by his assistant, Rob Wilkins. He says that Pratchett always meant to write an autobiography, and had lots of notes for the beginnings of one, but his early onset Alzheimer’s meant that it was never finished.
I spotted this in WHSmith while waiting for a flight to Hong Kong. I almost bought it, but it turned out I already had a copy on my e-reader. I read some of it while on the flight, but ended up putting it aside, as it really isn’t holiday reading. Once back, I picked it up again and finished it.
This is the third Discworld book, and the first in the witches series. It introduces Granny Weatherwax, one of the main characters of the whole series.
I knew a little about Fred and Rose West before reading this. I remember seeing the house in Gloucester on the news when I was a child. This book is the first I’ve read about them, it’s written by someone who was a journalist at the time and was reporting on the case. It prominently features extracts of the interviews that Fred West gave to the police during their investigations.
I read this one on a flight to Hong Kong. This is a non-fiction book about a group of libertarians who decide to all move into a particular town and try to collectively get their ideas adopted in its running. They believe that the government, other than in its most core functions such as national defence is a tyranny. They refuse to pay any taxes viewing it as theft, and think nearly all regulations and laws should be repealed. They seem to believe that when they achieve this people will be truly free and come together collectively to build a kind of utopia.