Alvy de microsiervos ha lanzado un meme sobre cinco libros para leer este verano. Pedro me lo ha relanzado a mí, de una forma «sutil»:
Y le paso el testigo a fernand0, jj, rvr y davidgp. Los demás que quieran, pues adelante también. Están invitados.
Así que voy a lanzar una lista de libros que tenía pensado leer este año, y que probablemente lo haga en el veranito (a la sombra). Algunos de ellos ya los tengo en reserva y a la espera de ser publicados, otros, acabarán en mi siguiente pedido ;-).
Finding Serenity : Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon’s Firefly (Smart Pop series): De Glenn Yeffeth y Jane Espenson (Editores). Obviamente, después de toda la lata que he dado sobre la mejor película que se va a estrenar este año: Serenity, este libro es de obligada lectura para mí. El libro explora diversos aspectos de la serie Firefly. Su descripción oficial:
In this eclectic anthology of essays, former cast member Jewel Staite, «Kaylee,» philosopher Lyle Zynda, sex therapist Joy Davidson, and noted science fiction and fantasy authors Mercedes Lackey, David Gerrold, and Lawrence Watt-Evans contribute to a clever and insightful analysis of the short-lived cult hit Firefly. From What went wrong with the pilot? to What’s right about Reavers? and how the correspondence between the show’s creator Joss Whedon and the network executives might have actually played out, the writers interrogate the show’s complexity and speculate about what might have been if the show Firefly had not been cancelled.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Escrito por: J.K. Rowling. De este libro no hace falta decir mucho, todo el mundo sabe de que va el asunto, si te gustaron los anteriores pues hay que leerse este, si no te gusta la saga, pues pasa al siguiente libro que nombro.
Olympos, de Dan Simmons. Segunda parte del genial Ilium. Personalmente, pienso que Dan Simmons es uno de los mejores, sino el mejor, escritores de ciencia ficción de nuestros tiempos, después de haber leído el maravilloso Ilium, necesito saber como acaba la historia ;-).
Genre-hopping Dan Simmons returns to science fiction with the vast and intricate masterpiece Ilium. Within, Simmons weaves three astounding story lines into one Earth-, Mars-, and Jupiter-shattering cliffhanger that will leave readers aching for the sequel.
On Earth, a post-technological group of humans, pampered by servant machines and easy travel via «faxing,» begins to question its beginnings. Meanwhile, a team of sentient and Shakespeare-quoting robots from Jupiter’s lunar system embark on a mission to Mars to investigate an increase in dangerous quantum fluctuations. On the Red Planet, they’ll find a race of metahumans living out existence as the pantheon of classic Greek gods. These «gods» have recreated the Trojan War with reconstituted Greeks and Trojans and staffed it with scholars from throughout Earth’s history who observe the events and report on the accuracy of Homer’s Iliad. One of these scholars, Thomas Hockenberry, finds himself tangled in the midst of interplay between the gods and their playthings and sends the war reeling in a direction the blind poet could have never imagined.
Simmons creates an exciting and thrilling tale set in the thick of the Trojan War as seen through Hockenberry’s 20th-century eyes. At the same time, Simmons’s robots study Shakespeare and Proust and the origin-seeking Earthlings find themselves caught in a murderous retelling of The Tempest. Reading this highly literate novel does take more than a passing familiarity with at least The Iliad but readers who can dive into these heady waters and swim with the current will be amply rewarded. –Jeremy Pugh–This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
We the Media: Escrito por Dan Gillmor. Una vez entras dentro del mundo de la blogsfera es habitual encontrarte con referencias de este libro. En el, el periodista Dan Gillmor habla de como gente normal, que postea noticias en internet, obliga a otros medios de comunicación multimillonarios a prestar atención a noticias que estaban ignorando por motivos políticos, comerciales, o ignorancia. Descripción del libro:
Grassroots journalists are dismantling Big Media’s monopoly on the news, transforming it from a lecture to a conversation. Not content to accept the news as reported, these readers-turned-reporters are publishing in real time to a worldwide audience via the Internet. The impact of their work is just beginning to be felt by professional journalists and the newsmakers they cover. In We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People, nationally known business and technology columnist Dan Gillmor tells the story of this emerging phenomenon, and sheds light on this deep shift in how we make and consume the news.
We the Media is essential reading for all participants in the news cycle:
* Consumers learn how they can become producers of the news. Gillmor lays out the tools of the grassroots journalist’s trade, including personal Web journals (called weblogs or blogs), Internet chat groups, email, and cell phones. He also illustrates how, in this age of media consolidation and diminished reporting, to roll your own news, drawing from the array of sources available online and even over the phone.
* Newsmakers politicians, business executives, celebrities get a wake-up call. The control that newsmakers enjoyed in the top-down world of Big Media is seriously undermined in the Internet Age. Gillmor shows newsmakers how to successfully play by the new rules and shift from control to engagement.
* Journalists discover that the new grassroots journalism presents opportunity as well as challenge to their profession. One of the first mainstream journalists to have a blog, Gillmor says, «My readers know more than I do, and that’s a good thing.» In We the Media, he makes the case to his colleagues that, in the face of a plethora of Internet-fueled news vehicles, they must change or become irrelevant.
At its core, We the Media is a book about people. People like Glenn Reynolds, a law professor whose blog postings on the intersection of technology and liberty garnered him enough readers and influence that he became a source for professional journalists. Or Ben Chandler, whose upset Congressional victory was fueled by contributions that came in response to ads on a handful of political blogs. Or Iraqi blogger Zayed, whose Healing Irag blog (healingiraq.blogspot.com) scooped Big Media. Or acridrabbit, who inspired an online community to become investigative reporters and discover that the dying Kaycee Nichols sad tale was a hoax. Give the people tools to make the news, We the Media asserts, and they will.
Journalism in the 21st century will be fundamentally different from the Big Media that prevails today. We the Media casts light on the future of journalism, and invites us
all to be part of it.
Just a Geek: Escrito por Wil Wheaton. La primera vez que escuché algo sobre este libro fue en la conferencia que el mismo autor dio sobre sí mismo en la Gnomedex 4.0. En dicha conferencia leyó varias partes del libro, donde el autor habla de lo que le costó separarse del personaje de Wesley Crusher y de su decisión de abandonar la serie Star Trek: The Next Generation en su tercera o cuarta temporada (no me acuerdo). Descripción del libro:
Wil Wheaton has never been one to take the conventional path to success. Despite early stardom through his childhood role in the motion picture «Stand By Me», and growing up on television as Wesley Crusher on «Star Trek: The Next Generation», Wil left Hollywood in pursuit of happiness, purpose, and a viable means of paying the bills. In the oddest of places, Topeka, Kansas, Wil discovered that despite his claims to fame, he was at heart Just a Geek.
In this, his newest book, Wil shares his deeply personal and difficult journey to find himself. You’ll understand the rigors, and joys, of Wil’s rediscovering of himself, as he comes to terms with what it means to be famous, or, ironically, famous for once having been famous. Writing with honesty and disarming humanity, Wil touches on the frustrations associated with his acting career, his inability to distance himself from Ensign Crusher in the public’s eyes, the launch of his incredibly successful web site, wilwheaton.net, and the joy he’s found in writing. Through all of this, Wil shares the ups and downs he encountered along the journey, along with the support and love he discovered from his friends and family.
The stories in Just a Geek include:
– Wil’s plunge from teen star to struggling actor – Discovering the joys of HTML, blogging, Linux, and web design – The struggle between Wesley Crusher, Starfleet ensign, and Wil Wheaton, author and blogger – Gut-wrenching reactions to the 9-11 disaster – Moving tales of Wil’s relationships with his wife, step-children, and extended family – The transition from a B-list actor to an A-list author
Wil Wheaton–celebrity, blogger, and geek–writes for the geek in all of us. Engaging, witty, and pleasantly self-deprecating, Just a Geek will surprise you and make you laugh.
Exceptuando las dos novelas, Harry Potter y Olympus, las primeras referencias que he tenido al resto de los libros ha sido a través de Podcasts, especialmente el de It Conversations.
Por otro lado, hay otro libro que también llevo esperando bastante tiempo, que es A Feast for crows de George RR. Martin. Pero como le andan cambiando la fecha de publicación cada dos por tres, no estoy seguro si me llegará para este veranito.
Actualización: Se me había olvidado pasarle el testigo a los de BBoing! y a Nando.
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