Download or read book Geek Sublime written by Vikram Chandra and published by Graywolf Press. This book was released on 2014-09-02 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The nonfiction debut from the author of the international bestseller Sacred Games about the surprising overlap between writing and computer coding Vikram Chandra has been a computer programmer for almost as long as he has been a novelist. In this extraordinary new book, his first work of nonfiction, he searches for the connections between the worlds of art and technology. Coders are obsessed with elegance and style, just as writers are, but do the words mean the same thing to both? Can we ascribe beauty to the craft of writing code? Exploring such varied topics as logic gates and literary modernism, the machismo of tech geeks, the omnipresence of an "Indian Mafia" in Silicon Valley, and the writings of the eleventh-century Kashmiri thinker Abhinavagupta, Geek Sublime is both an idiosyncratic history of coding and a fascinating meditation on the writer's art. Part literary essay, part technology story, and part memoir, it is an engrossing, original, and heady book of sweeping ideas.

Download or read book Sacred Games written by Vikram Chandra and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2011-03-03 with total page 1203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An enormously satisfying, exciting and enriching book, Vikram Chandra's novel draws the reader deep into the lives of detective Sartaj Singh and Ganesh Gaitonde, the most wanted gangster in India. Sartaj, the only Sikh inspector in the whole of Mumbai, is used to being identified by his turban, beard and the sharp cut of his trousers. But 'the silky Sikh' is now past forty, his marriage is over and his career prospects are on the slide. When Sartaj gets an anonymous tip off as to the secret hideout of the legendary boss of the G-company, he's determined that he'll be the one to collect the prize. This is a sprawling, epic novel of friendships and betrayals, of terrible violence, of an astonishing modern city and its underworld. Drawing on the best of Victorian fiction, mystery novels, Bollywood movies and Vikram Chandra's years of first hand research on the streets of Mumbai, this novel reads like a potboiling page-turner but resonates with the intelligence and emotional depth of the best of literature.

Download or read book Geek Love written by Katherine Dunn and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-05-25 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National Book Award Finalist • Here is the unforgettable story of the Binewskis, a circus-geek family whose matriarch and patriarch have bred their own exhibit of human oddities—with the help of amphetamines, arsenic, and radioisotopes. One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years Their offspring include Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan . . . Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins . . . albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick, whose mysterious gifts make him the family’s most precious—and dangerous—asset. As the Binewskis take their act across the backwaters of the U.S., inspiring fanatical devotion and murderous revulsion; as its members conduct their own Machiavellian version of sibling rivalry, Geek Love throws its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene. Family values will never be the same.

Download or read book Good Math written by Mark C. Chu-Carroll and published by Pragmatic Bookshelf. This book was released on 2013-07-18 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mathematics is beautiful--and it can be fun and exciting as well as practical. Good Math is your guide to some of the most intriguing topics from two thousand years of mathematics: from Egyptian fractions to Turing machines; from the real meaning of numbers to proof trees, group symmetry, and mechanical computation. If you've ever wondered what lay beyond the proofs you struggled to complete in high school geometry, or what limits the capabilities of computer on your desk, this is the book for you. Why do Roman numerals persist? How do we know that some infinities are larger than others? And how can we know for certain a program will ever finish? In this fast-paced tour of modern and not-so-modern math, computer scientist Mark Chu-Carroll explores some of the greatest breakthroughs and disappointments of more than two thousand years of mathematical thought. There is joy and beauty in mathematics, and in more than two dozen essays drawn from his popular "Good Math" blog, you'll find concepts, proofs, and examples that are often surprising, counterintuitive, or just plain weird. Mark begins his journey with the basics of numbers, with an entertaining trip through the integers and the natural, rational, irrational, and transcendental numbers. The voyage continues with a look at some of the oddest numbers in mathematics, including zero, the golden ratio, imaginary numbers, Roman numerals, and Egyptian and continuing fractions. After a deep dive into modern logic, including an introduction to linear logic and the logic-savvy Prolog language, the trip concludes with a tour of modern set theory and the advances and paradoxes of modern mechanical computing. If your high school or college math courses left you grasping for the inner meaning behind the numbers, Mark's book will both entertain and enlighten you.

Download or read book Mirrored Mind written by Vikram Chandra and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2013-11-15 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vikram Chandra has been a computer programmer for almost as long as he has been a novelist. In this extraordinary book he returns to his early days as a writer, when he was beginning Red Earth and Pouring Rain, and looks at the connections between these two worlds of art and technology. Coders are obsessed with elegance and style just as writers are but do the words mean the same thing to both? And is it a coincidence that Chandra is drawn to two seemingly opposing ways of thinking? To answer his questions, Chandra delves into the writings of Abhinavagupta, the tenth- and eleventh-century Kashmiri thinker, and creates an idiosyncratic history of coding. Part literary theory, part tech story and part memoir, Mirrored Mind is a book of sweeping ideas. It is a heady and utterly original work.

Download or read book Red Earth and Pouring Rain written by Vikram Chandra and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2011-04-07 with total page 664 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The gods of poetry and death descend on a house in India to vie for the soul of a wounded monkey. A bargain is struck: the monkey must tell a story, and if he can keep his audience entertained, he shall live. The result is Red Earth and Pouring Rain, Vikram Chandra's astonishing, vibrant novel. Interweaving tales of nineteenth-century India with modern America, it stands in the tradition of The Thousand and One Nights, a work of vivid imagination and a celebration of the power of storytelling itself. 'A dazzling first novel written with such originality and intensity as to be not merely drawing on myth but making it.' Sunday Times

Download or read book Art Max written by David Wiesner and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2010-10-04 with total page 45 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Max and Arthur are friends who share an interest in painting. Arthur is an accomplished painter; Max is a beginner. Max’s first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various artistic media, which turn out to have unexpected pitfalls. Although Max is inexperienced, he’s courageous—and a quick learner. His energy and enthusiasm bring the adventure to its triumphant conclusion. Beginners everywhere will take heart.

Download or read book American Nerd written by Benjamin Nugent and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An engaging study of the nerd in American popular culture and throughout history discussed in such contexts as the rise of online gaming, the science fiction club, ethnicity, Asperger's syndrome, autism, and high school and college debating.

Download or read book The Shadow Saint written by Gareth Hanrahan and published by Orbit. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 597 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thieves, dangerous magic, and a weapon built with the power to destroy a god clash in this second novel of Gareth Hanrahan's acclaimed epic fantasy series, The Black Iron Legacy. "This is genre-defying fantasy at its very best... Insanely inventive and deeply twisted" (Michael R. Fletcher). Enter a city of spires and shadows . . . The Gutter Miracle changed the landscape of Guerdon forever. Six months after it was conjured into being, the labyrinthine New City has become a haven for criminals and refugees. Rumors have spread of a devastating new weapon buried beneath the streets - a weapon with the power to destroy a god. As Guerdon strives to remain neutral, two of the most powerful factions in the godswar send agents into the city to find it. As tensions escalate and armies gather at the borders, how long will Guerdon be able to keep its enemies at bay? "A groundbreaking and extraordinary novel . . . Hanrahan has an astonishing imagination" (Peter McLean). The Shadow Saint continues the gripping tale of dark gods and dangerous magic that began with Hanrahan's acclaimed debut The Gutter Prayer.

Download or read book A Letter to My Mom written by Lisa Erspamer and published by Crown/Archetype. This book was released on 2015-04-07 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Including letters from Melissa Rivers, Shania Twain, will.i.am, Christy Turlington, and Kristin Chenoweth Just in time for Mother's Day, the next book in the A Letter to My series (after A Letter to My Dog and A Letter to My Cat) takes on mothers, with celebrities and civilians writing letters of gratitude and admiration to the women who raised them, alongside gorgeous, intimate photos.

Download or read book I Am Dust written by Louise Beech and published by Orenda Books. This book was released on 2020-02-16 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When iconic musical Dust is revived twenty years after the leading actress was murdered in her dressing room, a series of eerie events haunts the new cast, in a bewitching, beguiling, moving and terrifyingly dark psychological thriller... 'A delicate supernatural thriller of love, loss, murder and the dangers that come with getting what you wish for. Quite lovely in a dark, dark way' Sarah Pinborough 'Dark and haunting ... further cements Louise Beech as one of the most original and exciting authors of the moment' Claire Allan 'Haunting, provocative, and true to Beech's style: packed with pain and heart' Jack Jordan _________________________________ A haunted theatre A murdered actress Three cursed teenagers A secret that devastates them all... The Dean Wilson Theatre is believed to be haunted by a long-dead actress, singing her last song, waiting for her final cue, looking for her killer... Now Dust, the iconic musical, is returning after twenty years. But who will be brave enough to take on the role of ghostly goddess Esme Black, last played by Morgan Miller, who was murdered in her dressing room? Theatre usher Chloe Dee is caught up in the spectacle. As the new actors arrive, including an unexpected face from her past, everything changes. Are the eerie sounds and sightings backstage real or just her imagination? Is someone playing games? Is the role of Esme Black cursed? Could witchcraft be at the heart of the tragedy? And are dark deeds from Chloe's past about to catch up with her? Not all the drama takes place onstage. Sometimes murder, magic, obsession and the biggest of betrayals are real life. When you're in the theatre shadows, you see everything. And Chloe has been watching... ___________________ 'A bold, original concept brilliantly executed ... I adored it' John Marrs 'Ghost story, murder mystery, romance. This mesmerising and entertaining book has it all...' Emma Curtis 'A delicate and mesmerising thriller' Matt Wesolowski 'Loads of twists and turns as the tension ramps up to breaking point' Gill Paul 'This book is about believing in yourself and finding out that you had the power all along' Madeleine Black 'It kept me reading until my eyes hurt and kept me thinking about it long after I'd finished' Fionnuala Kearney 'A work of almost tangible atmosphere and authenticity ... poignant and layered' S. E. Lynes 'This book works magically, emotionally and psychologically' Carol Lovekin 'With its cast of leap-off-the-page characters, solidly created settings and a story arc that will keep you guessing, all delivered in this author's trademark lyrical style, I am Dust is Louise Beech's best crime book to date and I advise you to grab a copy as soon as you can' Crime Fiction Lover 'Haunting and provocative' Crime Monthly 'Chock-a-block with chills, this supernatural thriller also beautifully evokes teenage feelings of uncertainty and how they travel with us into adulthood ... While this is spooky as heck, it is also hugely considerate of emotional heartache and distress. Compelling, original, and unmistakably Louise Beech' LoveReading

Download or read book Mistletoe written by Alison Littlewood and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2019-10-10 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Alison Littlewood has a real talent for building atmosphere, loaded with the promise of things to come -hints of dread with the possibility of hope' Guardian Leah thought Maitland Farm could give her a new life - but now old ghosts are dragging her into the past. Following the tragic deaths of her husband and son, Leah is looking for a new life. Determined to bury her grief in hard work and desperate to escape Christmas and the reminders of what she has lost, she rushes through the purchase of a run-down Yorkshire farmhouse, arriving just as the snow shrouds her new home. It might look like the loveliest Christmas card, but it's soon clear it's not just the house that needs renovation: the land is in bad heart, too. As Leah sets to work, she begins to see visions of the farm's former occupants - and of the dark secrets that lie at the heart of Maitland Farm. If Leah is to have a future, she must find a way to lay both her own past and theirs to rest - but the visions are becoming disturbingly real . . . 'Alison Littlewood is one of the brightest stars in the horror genre' This is Horror

Download or read book Giants Beware written by Jorge Aguirre and published by First Second Books. This book was released on 2012-04-10 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Claudette wants nothing more than to slay a giant but her little village is too safe and quiet.

Download or read book Geek Actually A Novel written by Cathy Yardley and published by Serial Box. This book was released on 2017-09-20 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Geek, Actually is a sexy, geeky contemporary women's fiction series that follows the lives of five diverse, nerdy women as they navigate work, love, life, and the internet. For fans who love Sex and the City as well as Star Wars, for anyone who knows that sci-fi can be sultry and that "gamer" is not gender specific-this serial will turn you on, rile you up, and leave you with five new friends. Meet your new best girlfriends. Michelle is a hard-nosed fantasy and sci-fi editor used to things going her way. Taneesha is a talented video game programmer used to being the odd (wo)man out. Aditi is a fantasy writer on the verge of her big break. Christina is a rebel on the sidelines of Hollywood. And Elli is a fan-of anything and everything that keeps her from "proper adulting." Together they are Rebel Scum (at least in their shared group chat), and best friends through thick and thin. They might live far apart but through the power of the internet and a shared love of all things geek, they are ready to face the world together. Originally presented in serial form by Serial Box Publishing, Geek Actually is brought to you by Cathy Yardley, Melissa Blue, Rachel Stuhler, and Cecilia Tan.

Download or read book The One and Only Marigold written by Florence Parry Heide and published by Schwartz & Wade. This book was released on 2009 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Relates the misadventures of Marigold, a monkey, as she shops with her mother for a coat, makes a hobby of "bugging" her best friend, Maxine the hippo, and imaginatively copes with finding the right outfit for the first day of school.

Download or read book The Touch written by DANIEL. KEYES and published by . This book was released on 2020-11-12 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ultimate 'what if' novel, from the million-copy-bestselling author of FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON: 'A masterpiece of poignant brilliance ... heartbreaking' Guardian Karen and Barney Stark should never have married. Childless, uncomfortable and incompatible, their marriage has not been a success, and the lack of a child only makes the tension between them worse. And living their lives to the beat of a fertility clock only adds to the increasingly volatile atmosphere. When an incident at Barney's workplace causes them both to be unknowingly contaminated with radioactive dust, they also become pariahs - in their neighbourhood and with their families. But things are only going to get worse. Karen discovers she is pregnant and as their closest friends become frightened enemies, the dream of becoming parents turns into a nightmare...

Download or read book Star Wars Visions Ronin written by Emma Mieko Candon and published by Random House. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A mysterious former Sith wanders the galaxy in this stunning Star Wars tale. An original novel inspired by the world of The Duel from the Star Wars Visions animated anthology. The Jedi are the most loyal servants of the Empire. Two decades ago, Jedi clans clashed in service to feuding lords. Sickened by this endless cycle, a sect of Jedi rebelled, seeking to control their own destiny and claim power in service of no master. They called themselves Sith. The Sith rebellion failed, succumbing to infighting and betrayal, and the once rival lords unified to create an Empire . . . but even an Empire at peace is not free from violence. Far on the edge of the Outer Rim, one former Sith wanders, accompanied only by a faithful droid and the ghost of a less civilized age. He carries a lightsaber, but claims lineage to no Jedi clan, and pledges allegiance to no lord. Little is known about him, including his name, for he never speaks of his past, nor his regrets. His history is as guarded as the red blade of destruction he carries sheathed at his side. As the galaxy's perpetual cycle of violence continues to interrupt his self-imposed exile, and he is forced to duel an enigmatic bandit claiming the title of Sith, it becomes clear that no amount of wandering will ever let him outpace the specters of his former life.