What Are You Reading???! - 'i, Robot'

It was cool to see Rowan reading -

i, Robot - by Isaac Asimov

the other day, I didn't know there was a book. Apparently the book is nothing like the movie. Rowan says the book is about an old lady whose worked at the plant or wherever for a lifetime, telling 9 stories of things that have happened over the years, to a reporter.
He was telling me about one of the stories where this robot won't believe that he was made by humans because humans are inferior, and in his understanding, there's no way something inferior can make something superior. So he believes that the machine that produced him, is God. And he worships the machine, and carries out his missions in service to the machine rather than the humans. But the humans don't mind because he's doing what they want him to do despite his motives.
And Rowan told me something about 'the three laws.' A robot must protect a human. A robot cannot harm a human, unless it's necessary to keep the first law. And a robot must obey a human. I have no ideas if those laws are right or not, I don't remember, but they sound good to me, lol.

Genre: Science fiction short stories
Series: Robot - series
Publication date: 2 December 1950
Pgs: 272

Seems like a very easy read. 9 different stories in 272 pages. I love when books have a lot of short sections.

What Are You Reading???! - 'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner'

Last week at work Adrian wasn't the only one reading, Maggie had a new book on her too.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - by Stephenie Meyer

(side note: Maggie never has the covers on her books, at work, because she doesn't want to ruin them)

According to Wikipedia:

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a companion novella to the Twilight series. It tells the story of a newborn vampire, Bree Tanner, who is featured in the third book of the series, Eclipse. The book is written from the viewpoint of Bree, as opposed to the rest of the series which is predominantly narrated by character Bella Swan.

178 pg book.

I know Maggie finished this book already, I wonder if she'll be at work this evening with a new one.

What Are You Reading???! - 'Dark Haven'

Last week my friend Adrian brought a book to the table where five of us ended up playing 'Headbands' (so fun and hilarious) during our break at work, so I had to snap a picture of the book for you.

Dark Haven - by Gail Z. Martin
from - The Chronicles of the Necromancer

According to wikipedia:

The Chronicles of The Necromancer is a series of fantasy novels.

Dark Haven is the third book and was released in February, 2008.

(The books all continue from each other, so you won't understand what the book is really about, but I'll tell you anyways, just in case your interested in these kinds of books and hearing the type of stuff happening will intrigue you to read the series.)
(I wonder if Rowan has read or knows about this series, hmm, going to ask him tonight if he's at work.)

In Dark Haven, Vahanian has taken his post as lord of Dark Haven, and must deal with trouble caused by the vayash moru council member Uri and his brood. Meanwhile, Tris and Kiara plan their wedding while dealing with several assassination attempts. Tris is forced to go to war against Curane, who plans to kill the new Margolan king and queen and install Jared's bastard child in their place. During the war, Kiara is left at the Margolan castle, and must deal with more assassination attempts as well as the strategic removal of her companions.

Hmm, that planning wedding part sounds interesting, lol. :)

Glad I got a book from Adrian before he starts university in September, I may not see him as much, and he may not do as much leisure reading.

What Are You Reading???! - 'The Road Less Traveled'

I don't know if he's finished yet but a little over a week ago my bro Jermaine was reading:

The Road Less Traveled - by M. Scott Peck

According to Wikipedia:

The Road Less Traveled is a description of the attributes that make for a fulfilled human being, based largely on Peck's experiences as a psychiatrist and a person.

In the first section of the work Peck talks about discipline, which he considers essential for emotional, spiritual and psychological health, and which he describes as "the means of spiritual evolution".

In the second section, Peck considers the nature of love, which he considers the driving force behind spiritual growth.

The final section describes Grace, the powerful force originating outside human consciousness that nurtures spiritual growth in human beings.

--

When Jermaine and I talked he was on pg 45 of the book and these were some of his favorite quotes thus far:

Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths."

The feeling of being valuable -- "I am a valuable person" -- is a cornerstone of self-discipline. It is a direct product of parental love."

What are these tools, these techniques of suffering, these means of experiencing the pain of problems constructively that I call discipline? There are four: delaying gratification, acceptance of responsibility, dedication to truth, and balancing."

--

This is a book I would like to read.

Hey Stranger!! - 7/25/12

So last week at work again when I was doing trays (serving dinner to people who had surgery that day) there was one patient who asked me to help him with his iPad. It belonged to his wife and there was music playing and he didn't know from where or how to turn it off. When I finished helping him with that I noticed he had a book on his table, now in good standing with the man, he then graciously obliged when I asked if I could take a picture of it for my book blog.

The Devil in the White City - by Erik Larson

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

Apparently it's a 2003 non-fiction book presented in novelistic style. The book is based on real characters and events.

According to wikipedia:

The book is set in Chicago circa 1893, intertwining the true tales of Daniel H. Burnham, the architect behind the 1893 World's Fair, and Dr. H. H. Holmes, the serial killer who lured his victims to their deaths in his elaborately constructed "Murder Castle".

Apparently there's a movie as well.

Seems pretty interesting, especially since it's based on real events.