#22 - Possible Side Effects

While Running With Scissors got all the press for Augusten Burroughs I found it to be little more than a good backstory to truly appreciating his other books. It laid some foundation. Burroughs really hits his stride when he is writing short, true accounts from his life in books like Dry, Magical Thinking, and Possible Side Effects. Few authors can get me to actually laugh out loud while reading, but Burroughs is one of them and there was no shortage in this one. Neurotic, obsessive, strange, introspective and brutally honest all barely begin to describe the contents of any Augusten Burroughs tale and they really must be read to be appreciated. The only downfall is his "need" to end each story with some quip or pun that almost always falls flat. It might be intentionally groan-inducing but often it simply succeeds in wiping the smile off my face that I had the entire time through the tale. It's a minor quibble, but noteworthy. Highly Recommended.

#21 - Cisco IOS in a Nutshell

I've been mainly working with Alcatel-Lucent switching gear for work but don't want to let my Cisco knowledge fade away from memory so I did some brushing up. To a non-techie that made no sense but a proper explanation would take too long. Basically, Cisco is the dominant maker of network gear and the operating system it uses is very complex and a bit archaic and if you are not working with it daily it can be hard to jump back into easily. Certainly not like riding a bike. IOS in a Nutshell is a great tour-de-force of the operating system and commands and easily catches me back up. This book should be part of any network admin/tech's library and re-read often. Highly Recommended.

#20 - The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics

Yes, I am probably the only person who considers a fairly large collection of math, physics, and astronomy writings to be a "beach read" but I do. The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics is a great collection because it straddles the line between being too simple and too complex and mostly succeeds. It is understandable to the layman and can be used as a reference or "dictionary" of concepts or read through as a book that properly flows from one concept to the next like building blocks. Einstein, Hawking, Assimov, and on and on are captured from lectures and talks to dissertations and it is all accessible. Highly Recommended.

#19 - Lost on Planet China

I needed a good plane/beach read so I went with Maarten Troost's newest even though his second book was pretty much a failure for me. Lost on Planet China has brief glimpses of greatness but unfortunately it ultimately falls flat and fails to even tie up any of the story elements before ending abruptly. Just a meandering mess. It did manage to make me genuinely laugh out loud a few times but beyond that it just bombed. I hate to say it but it looks like his initial brilliance was just a flash in the pan. Not Recommended.

#18 - Touch The Dragon

Touch the dragon is part travelogue, part diary of a young girl's experience of living abroad in Thailand at the age of 17. The author, Karen Connelly, was originally from Canada and a Rotary Club exchange program sent her to live in this strange new land. Ultimately the book fails but the author does a good job of describing certain aspects of Thai life and play that it truly places you there in the middle of it. Much gets glossed over or rushed only to linger far too long on boring dairy-ish 17-year-old-girl bits. I have a love for Thai cuisine and culture and this book was a random purchase with little in the way of expectations. Which is good because I came away with little in the way of insight or depth, so I guess it was a wash. Not recommended.

#17 - The Hedge Knight

After finishing Legend and still in the fantasy mood, but not enough for another series novel, I turned to George R. R. Martin's "The Hedge Knight" graphic novel/comic book. It is a prequel to the Song of Ice and Fire novels and very centered around the characters and the human side of fantasy and heroes which so often goes underdeveloped in favor of action and tales of love. The Hedge Knight is thicker than a comic book but slightly undersized for a graphic novel, however it is a great mix of dialogue and art that is a treat for any fan of the series or genre. Certainly wordy for the average comic book but easily worth it. Recommended.

#16 - Legend

I have been meaning to read some of fantasy author David Gemmell for quite a while now so I started at the beginning with Legend. Gemmell was known for fantasy that incorporated magic sparingly but intelligently and gripping and descriptive battle scenes. For the most part I can agree with this but I have to say it was just shy of my expectations. A lot of his wording gets reused when it comes to battles and some characters are fully fleshed out while others become a muddy mess. The tale contained within is very enjoyable and worthwhile for fantasy fans and thankfully breaks free from some of the standard cliches but sadly not all of them. Recommended.