Book meme

[compilerbitch]

Stolen from livredor's page:

1) What is your favourite book?

Against a Dark Background, Iain M. Banks. The one that isn't a culture novel. (Not that I don't like the Culture series, far from it, it's just that I think that this particular book is outstanding).

2) What is the book that has most affected/changed you?

A book on FORTRAN I borrowed from the local library, age 5 or so.

3) Your favourite character from a novel?

W

It is the widest. :-)

Or, being more serious and a little less typographical, probably Sharrow, the lead character in Against a Dark Background. I think I identify with her ability to do the right thing and yet lead everyone and everything around her to ultimate doom.

4) The best villain from a novel?

The Shrander, from Light by John Harrisson. (OK, I know the Shrander isn't necessarily a villain, but still... I don't tend to go for villains typically. The noocytes from Blood Music by Greg Bear would probably be the closest thing to a villain I'd typically go for).

5) What was the last book you read?

The new Harry Potter.

6) What are you reading now?

A couple of books on VHDL, and a book on Verilog.

7) What was the last non-fiction book you read?

Probably part of ML for the Working Programmer, Larry Paulson, sitting on the loo on Sunday morning!

Comments

Re:

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Also, going back to my example of the Shrander from Light. The Shrander is, most certainly, not a villain, but is misinterpreted as one, causing the person who makes that mistake to truly become a villain himself, by any conventional definition of the word. That book is to be recommended, by the way -- definitely one of the best SF novels I've ever read. Harrison isn't that well known, but this book is as good as anything I've seen by the accepted greats.