Lightroom is far and away the best photo-editing and -organizing software that I've seen (and I've tried a lot of them), and this book is a rock-solid overview of how to use it.

Scott Kelby's guide is, as usual (and I have read a half-dozen of them), the best way to cut through the mass of features in any photo software and get to a workflow that makes the best use of its capabilities. I would have liked a little more depth on the features that are new to Lightroom 3, but I extracted enough that I feel confident using the new software.

I first read Neuromancer almost 20 years ago (before the worldwide web), and it blew me away then. I'm less blown away now, probably because so much of Gibson's universe has been adopted by mainstream culture. The Matrix borrowed freely from Neuromancer, as did Strange Days and just about every other scifi movie of the past two decades. The entire premise of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse is laid out in a throwaway paragraph where Molly tells Case about her past:

"You know how I got the money, when I was starting out? Here. Not here, but a place like it, in the Sprawl. Joke, to start with, 'cause once they plant the cut-out chip, it seems like free money. Wake up sore, sometimes, but that's it. Renting the goods, is all. You aren't in, when it's all happening. House has software for whatever a customer wants to pay for. . ." She cracked her knuckles. "Fine. I was getting my money. Trouble was, the cut-out and the circuitry the Chiba clinics put in weren't compatible. So the worktime started bleeding in, and I could remember it. . . "

This time around, I loved the noir atmosphere of the opening chapters, but the second half of the novel fell flat. It wasn't because I had read it before — I really didn't remember the plot at all. I think it was the way the layers of deception were revealed. It seemed like Gibson didn't figure out the ending until he got there, so some of the bits of resolution felt forced.

I think Gibson has become a much better writer over the years, and I'm looking forward to the release of Zero History.

Jonathan Carroll creates authentic, quirky, wonderful characters like no other writer in fantasy/speculative fiction whom I've read. The narrative details are rich and interesting and I could easily read hundreds of pages of Carroll's descriptive writing even if there was no plot advancement. Fortunately that's a non-issue, since there is a plot too. I loved all of the major characters here, especially Wyatt and Arlen, but I also enjoyed Carroll's portrayal of Death. Recommended.

At the time of this writing, you can get a kindle e-book edition of From the Teeth of Angels from Amazon for $0.99, which is a steal.

The Windup Girl has many of the elements that would make up my ideal science fiction novel: its universe is complex and immersive, there is no explanation of any of the fantastic elements, it lets you figure out the rules of the universe as you go, and it is plausible but slightly exaggerated on nearly every dimension. What's missing, unfortunately, is a character to root for. There are several characters that could be protagonists, but they all go beyond flawed (flawed is good!) to unlikeable. The narrative is fractured, and although the pieces ultimately fit together, the structure feels forced, and the ending ends up being a bit unsatisfying. It's like China Mieville without the fantasy elements, but also without the heart.

Although the basic form of this entry follows the pattern of the previous books, some slight hints about the narrator's backstory are starting to creep in, and Sunny's vocalizations are now sometimes clever puns, both of which are making the series more interesting.

I thoroughly enjoy Sarah Vowell's appearances on The Daily Show, and I share a lot of her political views, so I expected to enjoy her writing, but this history-lesson-cum-memoir was pretty dull. There are a handful of very witty short passages, but there is little sense of forward motion, and I found it all too easy to put down.

Kevin and I are still enjoying these, but I wish I had more of a sense that the series was going someplace.

Doomsday Book has a terrific premise (future historians have found a way to travel back in time to the time periods they study) and a decent plot outline (heroine is trapped; her colleagues struggle to save her), but I really struggled to finish this novel. It is dreadfully slow, and the "comedy of manners" thread with the American bell-ringers did not work for me at all. It read to me like a novel from the 60s rather than the 90s.

It won both the Hugo and the Nebula, so it must be pretty good on some level. I guess I'll chalk it up to a matter of taste.

I read this aloud to both kids (ages 5 & 9), and they both claim to have enjoyed it, but I do not understand the mass appeal this book seems to have. I really disliked it this time around. The wordplay was occasionally amusing, but not overly clever, and the structure is a disaster.

These books truly do not invite separate reviews, so I will merely note that Kevin is still enjoying listening to me read them.