I was having a conversation the other day with a customer and we started talking about what each of us had been reading (non-technical, no work related).  It is always fun to learn about a new author and share opinions on common books.  I thought I would post on what I have recently finished or am currently working on.

Recently Finished:

The Dreaming Void (The Void Trilogy, Book 1) : Peter F. Hamilton
I am a huge Peter F. Hamilton fan.  His The Reality Dysfunction Series was absolutely fantastic, as was his series starting with Judas Unchained.  The Dreaming Void is set in the same universe he developed for Judas Unchained.  It was a bit of a slower start than his other books, but it really started to move in the second half of the book.  Hamilton is a master at developing a complete world and the characters within it, and setting a fantastic pace at the same time.  If you like "space opera" type novels, I cannot recommend Hamilton enough.

Drive to the East (Settling Accounts, Book 2) : Harry Turtledove
I picked up the beginning of this series American Front (The Great War, Book 1) (actually, it's the Great War series but the story and characters continue between the series) on a bit of a flyer.  I had avoided Turtledove since he has so many books (lots of ghost writers maybe, I don't know???) so I was a bit leery since its hard to imagine that much quality work being turned out.  It turned out to be a great move since this is another series that I have fallen in love with.  While the twists on the historical timeline are interesting, it really is the characters that drive these books.  Another top recommendation.

In Progress:

The Traveler (Fourth Realm Trilogy, Book 1) : John Twelve Hawks
Picked this one up based on a recommendation. I have been pleased with it so far - about halfway right now. The story is a bit slow but there is enough going on to hold my interest and I'm hoping for the pace to start to pick up now that a lot of ground work has been laid. We will see...

Titan (Gaia) : John Varley
Another recommended book. It has been interesting as well but only about a quarter of the way through it. A few reviews compared the series to Dune (as far as scope) but so far I haven't seen it. It's an easy read so hopefully it to begins to grab me.

Thirteen : Richard K. Morgan
I really enjoyed Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs Novels and thought the premise of this one sounded interesting as well. I've been a bit disappointed. Slow start and Morgan seems to make a few too many pointed "political observations" in his book that I don't entirely agree with, so I've spent a few pages rolling my eyes at his views. It has slid off the active reading list as I work on the others I am reading, but I'll return to it as I finish the others and hopefully it will get back to the quality I have previously enjoyed from his novels.

Harrington on Cash Games: Vol. 1 : Dan Harrington / Bill Robertie
A poker book on playing No-Limit Texas Hold'em Cash Games. I have played limit for almost ten years and have dabbled in tournaments, but I have yet to step into the no-limit cash game arena in any big way. That has, for good, bad, or indifferent, become the rage in Vegas and even online to a large degree so finding good limit games has become hard (I like $8-$16 or so, but it's hard finding more than a $4-$8 or the occasional $6-$12), so it's time to get better at no limit. I have done ok when I have dipped my toes into the no-limit games, but I was not beating them to the same degree I do when I play limit so I know I have holes in my game and am not always thinking right. I have faired decently in the tournaments I have played, but in general I do not like tournaments and deep stack no-limit games play (or should be played) differently than no-limit tournaments. I'm halfway through and have already learned a great deal.