I just received my V-ray : The Complete Guide book from Italy.

This is by far the most expensive book I have ever bought;  how does $320 sound?

This 1024 page book weighs 3 kilograms and is in full colour.

It’s simply an awesome book about an awesome renderer.

Halo – The Fall of Reach

I must say this is one of the best audiobook narrative I have heard since Batman – Knight Fall.

Richard Dawkins – The Greatest Show On Earth: The Evidence for Evolution

Read by Richard Dawkins and Lala Ward.

Here is the open and shut case for evolution.

Nuff Said.

A long time ago, (December 31, 2007 to be exact) I promised I would grow more assiduous in my reading.

I made good on that promise for I managed to read a total of 55 books in 52 weeks.

So what have I learned reading all of those books? Well I managed to develop several unique argots, one of which is a special grab-bag collection of jargon and expressions that is peculiar and only applies to certain crisis and will be totally forgotten by the time people see me again.

At least this time around, some of the words I picked up while reading has already crept into my daily usage.

Without further ado, here my 2008 reading list.
The Last Juror
Anansi Boys
Million Dollar Baby
By the River Piedra I sat and wept
Diablo: Legacy of Blood
The Pilgrimage
Whatever you think, think the opposite
Tuesdays with Morrie
The Five people you meet in heaven
Neverwhere
Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow
Stardust
The Historian
The Fifth Mountain
American Gods
A Mysterious Affair At Styles
Fragile Things
Home With God
Murder on the Links
Poirot Investigates
Northern Lights
Confessions of a Pilgrim
Think and Grow Rich
Subtle Knife
Like the Flowing River
One More Day
Troy: Shield of Thunder
It’s not how good you are, It’s how good you want to be
Troy: Fall of Kings
Blue Ocean Strategy
Stumbling on Happiness
Witch of Portobello
Life Lifters
Cosmos
The Undercover Economist
If you want to be Rich and Happy, Don’t go to School
Singularity is Near
The Shock Doctrine
God Is Not Great
Playing for Pizza
The Innocent Man
Inside Steve’s Brain
The Broker
The Speed Reading Book
Instant Memory Improvement
Focus
Buzan Bites
Batman and Philosophy
Hero with the Thousand Faces
Mythology
More Loyal Customers
The Ten Commandments for Business Failure
YES! 50 secrets from the science of persuasion
Outliers
Strategic Intuition

If anybody would like me to feel deep, visceral envy of them, they should read; alot and daily.

Even if you don’t care if I feel deep, visceral envy of you, you should read, because it’s likely to be a phenomenal thing.

It’s so rare that I agree with lists of the best books of the year that I’m astounded to see Amazon.com picked two books I’m quite fond of as its top two science fiction/fantasy titles of the year: Brian Slattery’s Liberation: Being the Adventures of the Slick Six After the Collapse of the United States of America and Jeff Ford’s The Drowned Life. I may even like more than those top two, but I haven’t had time to read any of the others.

And if you really interested in a good argument, pick up Alfe Kohn’s What Does It Mean to be Well Educated?

It’s pretty frightening to see just how much money we spend on things we like. $900 is a lot of money to be spending on books and I don’t think I can stop.

My week was preoccupied with books of economic nature.

The Undercover Economist – Tim Harford
How Dell Does It – Steven Holzner
If you want to be Rich and Happy, don’t go to school – Robert T. Kiyosaki
The Richest Man in Babylon - George S. Clason

I am not going to tell how great these books are. Go and read them for yourself. No wait you can’t, I just remembered reading makes you sleepy.

If there is one book that you want to present someone. Buy them the Absolute Dark Knight by Frank Miller.

Why? Because in my estimation it is probably the greatest batman tale ever told.

And next time I can do without the silly questions.

A Masterpiece. David, you will be missed.