Perlkönig

The books I read, the music I listen to, and the games I play

“The Words We Live By” by Linda Monk

  This book is the entire text of the US Constitution and its 27 amendments, annotated line by line with explanations, historical motivations, and ramifications thereof. If you’re a US citizen, or just interested in politics, then understanding the Constitution is essential. This book gives you not just the text but also the tools to [...]

“A First-Rate Madness” by Nassir Ghaemi

The thesis of the book is that in times of peace and plenty, the best leader is a mentally normative (or “homoclite”) one. In crisis, however, you need an exceptional leader. Ghaemi asserts that the best such leaders are mentally abnormal. He focuses mainly on depression and mania, selecting four major traits of manic-depressives (creativity, [...]

“The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss

I have a general rule that forbids me from starting a series of books that’s not already finished. It can take years for a sequel to make it through production, and by that time I’ve read so many other books that I basically have to start over anyway. When I first picked this book up, [...]

“The Martian Chronicles” by Ray Bradbury

  Originally published in 1950, The Martian Chronicles is another of those classics that I have known about but never taken the time to read. This  is a true piece of literary art—poetry. The core story is of the colonization of Mars. It doesn’t sound very poetic, but trust me. Even if you’re not a [...]

“Ringworld” by Larry Niven

Rating: 2/3 – This is a story of the exploration of the Ringworld by a team of two humans, a kzin, and a puppeteer. The book starts off strong, but by the end, as things start to resolve, I became less enthused. This is a classic book that any sci-fi fan should read eventually, but I think there are better places to start.

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  • Who am I?

    My name is Aaron Dalton. See the "About Me" link for more information. The name Perlkönig is a combination of my favourite programming language (Perl) and the title of one of Franz Schubert's most famous lied (Erlkönig).

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