Software and Web design, investing and business, gardening and organic farming, and just plain good reads!

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Software and Web Design

Artifical Life, Steven Levy.

This "report from the frontier where computers meet biology" makes for fascinating reading. It is also a must for anyone interested in programming complex systems.


The Tao of Objects, Second Edition, Gary Entsminger.

An entertaining and well written introduction to modern object-oriented software development and programming.


Code Complete, Steve McConnell.

This "practical handbook of software construction," written by a Microsoft project leader, is the best structural guide to modern program construction.


Investing and Business

Options As A Strategic Investment, Lawrence G. McMillan.

The "bible" of options trading. The third edition covers new topicssuch as LEAPS ("Long-Term Equity Anticipation Securities"), SPAN("Standard Portfolio Analysis of Risk"), and much, much more.

Have you ever wondered what "time value decay" means? Find out now!

This book is essential for any serious investor.


The Craft of Investing, John Train.

Elegant, slim and insightful, this volume by Train - the author of "The Money Masters" and other profiles of investing virtuosos - compares growth investingto a field of acorns, and value investing to a pawnshop. The chapteron "The Market Cycle and Its Choruses" is a must read for those who are too young to remember a true bear market.


How to Buy Technology Stocks, Michael Gianturco.

Gianturco has some interesting insights on technology investing.Sample of the tone of this book: "Be it up or down, biotech is now widely understood to be the red-light district of the NASDAQ exchange."


Gardening and Organic Farming

Let it Rot!, Updated and Revised Edition, Stu Campbell.

Face it, as they say, compost happens. If you live in the country, compost becomes an important part of your life. This book hasall the dirt. You can order it on-line from Amazon.com.


A Northeast Gardener's Year, Lee Reich.

This is a poetic and well-written account of living witha garden well north of the Mason-Dixon line. You can order it on-line from Amazon.com.


Gardening for Dummies, Michael MacCaskey.

I kind of hate to recommend a "dummies" book, but Phyllis swears this one is actually good!


Good Reads

Moo, Jane Smiley.

Smiley has clearly spent plenty of time in University cafeterias, and readingcreative writing assignments. Her knowledge of the anthropology, sociology and politics of the eponymous state ag school, Moo U., is wicked. This hilarilously funny book contains subtlety of structure and characterization. Deftly written, the author shows fondness for all her characters, even those who exhibit distinctly unlovable characteristics.


Wicked, Gregory Maguire.

This is the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West. In otherwords, the "Wizard of Oz" from an alternative viewpoint. According to Kirkus Reviews, you should "save a place on the shelf between Alice and The Hobbit - that spot is well deserved."

Actually, this book is totally unique - and a great read without referenceto any other work.


Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson.

This is the Nebula and Hugo award-winning epic Mars trilogy by Kim Robinson. Set in the near future, the science is realistic. Accounts of the geology,ecology, and terraforming of Mars are fascinating. Eco-political-economyis well-handled. Characterization is slim to none. In short, this is "hard"science fiction at its best.


Chung Kuo: The Middle Kingdom, David Wingrove.

This is the first volume in Wingrove's six volume Chung Kuo series.If you're up for a future in which medieval Chinese sadists rule anearth consisting entirely of plastic encapsulated cities, then thisone's for you. It's total dreck, and a complete waste of time, butnever entirely predictable. You can order it on-line from Amazon.com.


Stormy Weather, Carl Hiaasen.

Carl Hiaasen's paperback involves the same themes and some of the same cast of characters as his earlier books. In other words, it is a touch tired. However, any novel that features an ex-Governor of Florida who enjoys eating road-kill and smoking the hallucinogenic excretionsof toads cannot be all bad. You can order it on-line from Amazon.com.



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