Unless planetary disaster or personal misfortune, the first year 2011 will be fully covered by the reports monthly readings on the blog. The practice began in August last year on the old blog , and October moved over here. In any event, since 2009, my readings are consistently reported and commented on my page aNobii , An aid that is perhaps more useful to me than the rest of the world. How else could I be dismayed at the thought that I currently have 393 unread books waiting for me on the shelves?
But let's get to the first month of the year. If you followed the previous episodes, you know that December was a month rather unfortunate , marked by readings not entirely engaging, and two of those that I later awarded the worst books of the year. But in January more than offset this negative trend, with six titles, as you will see, reaching an average rating of very high.
Last exit Edizioni XII is the anthology Carnival , I've got now and I wanted to read as soon as possible. Some might remember the good impressions left by other books by the same publisher (and someone else may also be noted that this is what made me end up on a bookmark ), and in this case I have to repeat myself in praise for work done by this gang. In Carnival twelve tales of horror character primarily (but also with a few forays into other genres like science fiction) intersect in Venice during the carnival on Shrove Tuesday 2009. The twelve works, held together da una cornice che aumenta la loro interdipendenza, sono tutti di livello più che buono, con alcune punte di eccellenza. Non mi dilungo sui singoli racconti sia perché l'ho già fatto qui (warning, spoiler ahead!), sia perché, quando sarà il tempo, forse parlerò più ampiamente di questo libro. Ma posso dire che attraversando Venezia seguendo storie e stili diversi che si combinano per creare una miscela univoca, sono riuscito a percepire davvero l'atmosfera di un luogo speciale, tanto che sono rimasto così affascinato e inquietato al tempo stesso dalla città che, un giorno, vorrò vederla. Voto: 9/10 
La mia biblioteca è composed almost entirely of books of fiction. There are few cases where it diverges from this line and read non-fiction texts, perhaps because they are convinced that new ideas would not necessarily have them explain. But every now and then too, and I thank whatever entity is listening more than I have done so because of The Selfish Gene Richard Dawkins is one of the books that I was upset. Yes, just shocked . But in a positive way in the sense of "shaken", "led to believe." The author is currently best known for his activism pro-rationalism, and is the leading exponent of so-called radical atheism. Perhaps for this position may seem like an obnoxious character, but we must not forget that first of all, Dawkins is a biologist. The theory presented in this book is not only scientifically sound, but revolutionary in every point of view, illuminating ethical, historical, psychological, artistic, architectural, and, boh, put any adjective, it would be appropriate. I already knew the theory of "selfish gene" from other writings (I had already read The Blind Watchmaker ), but despite this I read this book, I repeat, shocked (in fact, recently I took from here a [quote] , and soon other extract tracks / topics interesting). By the way, after reading this book fully understands the perspective of an atheist Dawkins, and you come to accept it as natural without having read one of his last book on its subject, The God Delusion . Rating: 10/10 - best of the month! 
Theodore Sturgeon I've never been disappointed. In this Birth of Superman, one of the first collection Urania, a group of handicapped children in a way, but with extraordinary powers in another, come together (not in a physical sense) to create a unique be super -human, which will later be called homo gestalt. As in his best novels Sturgeon used as the protagonists of freaks relegated to the margins of society and shows their true humanity. But the sense of this history it has in the last part, where great strength is shown the value of morality and ethics, and affirms the nature of man as an individual and species. Rating: 9 / 10 
I think I can say that A Fire Upon the Deep, aka Universe inconstant, is one of my favorite books. This is one of those contemporary space opera made up not only from interplanetary explorations and wars, but revelations about the origin and fate of the universe whole. Apart from this novel, however, Vernor Vinge I've never been impressed a lot, but after reading several of his stories. For this I was slightly skeptical to approach the end of the rainbow , fearing another disappointment. To further lower expectations there was also controversy unleashed against Urania after the release of the book, because of heavy cuts on the novel (and apparently, not only about this). But in the end everything went well. In this sort of Neuromancer updated at the beginning of the twenty-first century, many elements come into play, and despite starting a bit 'weak story can be compelling, while retaining some obscure point. It is hoped that this darkness has not been cut because of the notorious ... Rating: 8 / 10 
Even against Variable Star (a short series of titles released in the New Galaxy Armenia) party is prevented, mainly due to the fact that we cover two names were: Robert A. Heinlein and Spider Robinson. Heaven knows how skeptical of these works for four hands, next to where it joins an illustrious name to a level far from impressive. I could call in the dock Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson Or even Eoin Colfer , but this is not the suitable location. But this Mr. Spider has not only rented a name to put on its cover to sell more: Robinson wrote a story to Heinlein, but his way. He feels that the original idea was one of the masters of science fiction, but the novel can not attempt to imitate. By the time the rocket takes to reach Novo Brazil is also ways to make a lot of interesting thoughts on history, psychology, music, agriculture, terraforming, nymphomania and so on. In addition, the novel ends with a "making of", in which Robinson makes it clear how he came to be lost to the author of this Heinlein. This hitherto unknown author has got all my respect. Rating: 8.5/10 
relatively unimportant in the month, read in a day and a half (but only a hundred pages), The stars of sentient Lucius Shepard, published in the series Odyssey of Delos , convinced me a little. A rather banal story, with strange creatures from spherical (perhaps) from another dimension that seem to "grow" the talent, but especially a lot of blather about the work of a producer of rock music in search of new talent that, frankly, I done without. But the month had already gone too well to be angry, then, to the point I'm not even feel it but to treat him badly. Rating: 5 / 10 
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