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This is the location to see what I am reading or viewing lately, my projects to learn about new topics, reviews, etc. It is my intention to go beyond the narrow horizons of my own job over here, so hopefully you will not see many computer-related books. I will also try to keep a wish list (the old wish list is still available here). Wherever you notice a gap between when I was reading a book and the next, it could be because in the meantime I spent some time with one of my reading projects. Also, please note that starting in the summer of 2008 I moved the book reviews to Lecturas dispersas, a blog on Google's server, although later I returned to these pages once again. Below you will see a bit of everything: fully fledged reviews, mere quotes, a few unorganized notes jotted down as I read the book... it all depends on the time I had available, to be honest.

Lecturas dispersas Bitácora donde voy tomando apuntes y notas a vuelapluma sobre los libros que voy leyendo sin aspiración alguna de conseguir nada sistemático ni profundo.
Lecturas recomendadas Especie de modesto Reader's Digest de documentos que me voy encontrando por la Red sobre cualquiera de los temas que me interesan (política, artes, historia, tecnología, educación, cultura general...) y que me parecen dignos de mención. Con suerte, la periodicidad será semanal.
Reading Projects Link to my own reading projects, covering fiction, essay, drama, music, cinema and arts on a wide collection of topics. It is my own way to structure knowledge.
TV & Film Although I don't watch much TV, the programs I do watch are carefully chosen. They tend to be documentaries or movies I find interesting. I publish here some reviews as well as thoughts that occurred to me as a consequence of these.
Artes plásticas Colección de imágenes, documentación y reflexiones variadas sobre el mundo de las artes plásticas en su sentido más laxo: pintura, escultura, fotografía, arquitectura...
Music reviews Personal reviews of whichever albums I am listening to at the moment. A highly subjective section of the website (yes, even more than the others!).
Comentarios al Tao Te King Un clásico de la filosofía oriental que me ha interesado desde mis años juveniles. Aquí hago una lectura capítulo a capítulo, y comento con reflexiones variadas acerca del contenido.
Poemas disecados Análisis más o menos detallado de algunos de los mejores poemas de la literatura universal, incluyendo no sólo información acerca del contexto, sino también un comentario de las estrofas.
Personal Online Library Collection of texts on a wide variety of topics downloaded from the Internet, analyzed and commented. This section is password protected. If you are a friend who would like to take a look, please contact me.
22 Ideas About the Future By Benjamin Greenaway & Stephen Oram (eds.). A collection of provocations from the think tank Cybersalon that brings together a blend of near-future speculative fiction and non-fiction commentary from leading experts in the fields of health, community, retail, and money.
(February 2025)
Freedom By Daniel Suarez. The propulsive, shockingly plausible sequel to "New York Times" bestseller "Daemon, Freedom" features a world of rapidly diminishing human power, where what's at stake is nothing less than humanity's survival.
(November 2024)
Klara and the Sun By Kazuo Ishiguro. From her place in the store that sells artificial friends, Klara--an artificial friend with outstanding observational qualities--watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans. In this luminous tale, Klara and the Sun, Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?
(August 2024)
Daemon By Daniel Suarez. When the obituary of Matthew Sobol, a legendary architect of computer games, is posted online, a previously dormant daemon activates, initiating a chain of events that unravels our interconnected world. It recruits, corrupts, and kills. With Sobol's secrets buried with him, and as new layers of his daemon are unleashed, it's up to Detective Peter Sebeck to wrest the world from the grasp of a malevolent, self-replicating virtual enemy before its ultimate, terrifying purpose is realized: to destroy civilization. So far, Daemon is winning.
(July 2023)
The Great Philosophers: Socrates By Anthony Gottlieb. A very brief introduction to the thought of Socrates, father of Western philosophy.
(May 2023)
A World After Liberalism By Matthew Rose. A collection of essays on some of the philosophers of the radical rights that can be considered the gurus of today's populist conservatism.
(April-May 2023)
The Reckless Way of Love By Dorothy Day. Practical advice from the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement in the USA.
(April 2023)
EcoMind By Frances Moore Lappé. Drawing from her own experience, the author argues that our own pessimistic approach to environmental issues is, perhaps, the biggest obstacle to their resolution.
(June 2022)
Zend Mind, Beginner's Mind By Shunryu Suzuki. A classic of American Zen buddhism and meditation. It's a compilation of talks by the Zen master on the topic of zazen and buddhism in general.
(April 2022 - June 2022)
How to Meditate By Pema Chodron. Pema Chödrön is treasured around the world for her unique ability to transmit teachings and practices that bring peace, understanding, and compassion into our lives. With How to Meditate, the American-born Tibetan Buddhist nun presents her first book exploring in depth what she considers the essentials for a lifelong practice.
(March 2022 - April 2022)
The Buried Giant By Kazuo Ishiguro. In post-Arthurian Britain, the wars that once raged between the Saxons and the Britons have finally ceased. Axl and Beatrice, an elderly British couple, set off to visit their son, whom they haven't seen in years. And, because a strange mist has caused mass amnesia throughout the land, they can scarcely remember anything about him. As they are joined on their journey by a Saxon warrior, his orphan charge, and an illustrious knight, Axl and Beatrice slowly begin to remember the dark and troubled past they all share.
(February 2022 - April 2022)
The Daemon, the Gnu, and the Penguin By Peter Salus. A very short history of UNIX, free software and open source.
(December 2021)
Radicalized By Cory Doctorow. Four dystopian science-fiction novellas set in the near future.
(September 2021 - November 2021)
Tao of Jeet Kune Do By Bruce Lee. Published after the author's death, this volume expresses Bruce Lee's philosophy of martial arts, as well as his practical approach to fighting. A very good read for anyone interested in martial arts.
(August - September 2021)
Introducing Derrida: A Graphic Guide By Jeff Collins (author) & Bill Mayblin (illustrator). A short introduction to Derrida's philosophy combining text and illustrations.
(August 2021)
En defensa del decrecimiento Por Carlos Taibo. Apuesta por el decrecimiento como respuesta la crisis ecológica que tenemos planteada en el siglo XXI.
(Julio 2021 - Agosto 2021)
The Surrogates By Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele. Perhaps best known for the film of the same title, The Surrogates is a science fiction graphic novel that occurs in the year 2054, when most humans operate humanoids via remote control to carry on their daily lives.
(January 2020)
All Tomorrow's Parties By William Gibson. The third and final book in Gibson's Bridge trilogy. A science fiction novel that happens in a postmodern, duystopian, cyberpunk near future.
(December 2019)
The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu By Wong Kiew Kit. A purported "complete and comprehensive introduction to Kung Fu and all other aspects of ancient Shaolin wisdom". The chapters include information on the origins of kung fu and the Shaolin temple, as well as information on qigong and meditation, including kung fu tecniques.
(August 2019)
Station Eleven By Emily St. John. Not your usual post-apocalyptic fiction story. Although it includes a good amount of unsavory encounters that involve violence, this is no Mad Max. On the contrary, it centers on people's ability to survive after a pandemic while keeping their own humanity.
(December 2018 - January 2019)
Survive! By Les Stroud. Although it seems as if the author gained notoriety due to some reality shows, don't let that fool you. This is a pretty good book with plenty of good advice on survival techniques in many different environments.
(October - December 2018)
Paleofantasy By Marlene Zuk. A book dedicated to debunking the trendy so-called caveman diet that and other paleofantasies.
(October - December 2018)
Bushcraft 101 By Dave Canterbury. A short guide discussing the most basic skills for an outdoor experience: cutting tools, knots, starting a fire, navigation, cooking, etc. One of the classics in the field.
(October - November 2018)
The Primal Blueprint By Mark Sisson. The book written by the "healthy lifestyle guru" who came up with a variety of paleo diet to promote weight loss and healthy living by following the example of the primitive hunter-gatherers.
(September - October 2018)
The US Navy SEAL Survival Handbook By Don Mann & Ralph Pezzullo. A handbook on the survival tecniques used by the US Navy SEALS. It includes overall survival information, as well as tips on how to survive in several different environments in the world (arctic region, desert, etc.).
(August - September 2018)
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up By Marie Kondo. The best-selling book that started the contemporary decluttering obsession back in 2011. A manual on how to declutter and organize one's possessions to improve quality of life.
(June - July 2018)
Fight Club By Chuck Palahniuk. The author's debut novel, perhaps best known for the movie of the same title starring Bradd Pitt. A true cult novel, it follows the life of a young guy with a boring job and insomnia who falls under the spell of an enigmatic guy named Tyler Durden and joins a club where people beat each other up for fun.
(May - August 2018)
Almost Amish By Nancy Sleeth. An overview on how to live a simple life inspired by the Amish. The author covers most usual topics (home decluttering, managing finances, use of technology...) from a Christian perspective.
(May 2018)
The Urban Monk By Pedram Shojai. Practices and advice inspired in the Eastern tradition that could help improve people's lifes in the 21st century.
(March 2018)
Man's Search for Meaning By Viktor Frankl. A true classic of the genre. The author, a psychiatrist of Jewish origin, writes about his experiences as a concentration camp inmate in Auschwitz and, from there, derives a new psychotherapeutic method that he describes in the second part of the book.
(November 2017)
Aladdin's Problem By Ernst Jünger. A short novella by the well known (and somehow controversial) German author. It tells the story of a former East German army officer and his philosophical musings about solitude.
(October 2017)
Un futuro sin más Por Antonio Turiel. En la primera mitad del siglo XXI, en algún lugar de Europa, dos científicos huyen de la persecución de las autoridades por negarse a aceptar el sinsentido de que el crecimiento insostenible en el que se basa el sistema económico imperante es posible. Relato de ficción sobre la crisis civilizatoria que, según todos los indicios, se nos avecina.
(Septiembre 2017)
New Seeds Of Contemplation By Thomas Merton. One of Merton's best known books, together with his The Seven Storey Mountain. Merton was an American Trappist monk, well known for his mystic work, as well as his deep commitment to the peace movement in the 1960s.
(February 2017 - April 2017)
The Shaolin Workout By Shi Yan Ming. Written by a Shaolin monk who requested asylum in the United States, a good introduction to the discipline of Shaolin kung fu.
(December 2016 - January 2017)
OpenStack in Action By V.K. Cody Bumgardner. An introduction to OpenStack, the free and open source platform to deploy cloud computing solutions.
(October 2016 - December 2016)
Tong Sing By Dr. Charles Windridge. An overall (and very succint) view of anything related to China and Chinese culture inspired by their old almanac.
(September - October 2016)
Scientology By L. Ron Hubbard. This is considered to be the book that lays out the fundamental philosophy behind the controverial Church of Scientology. The first in a long series of books that established a whole system.
(October 2016)
The Knowledge By Lewis Dartnell. A quick overview of what the author considers the most important knowledge we have accrued so far, and which might be useful in case of a major disaster.
(September 2016)
Danger on peaks By Gary Snyder. The first collection of writings by the author since 1983, this books gathers poems and prose poems with the usual topics that readers of Snyder will be familiar with: nature, experimental poetry, Japanese culture, personal musings, etc.
(August - September 2016)
The Essential Dalai Lama By Rajiv Mehrotra (editor). A collection of writings by the 14th Dalai Lama on a broad range of topics, from life and death to work, meditation, Buddhist principles and the world at large.
(June - August 2016)
The Story of Science By Susan Wise Bauer. An accessible introduction to the main books in the history of Western science from ancient times to our own days.
(February - March 2016)
The Way of Qigong By Ken Cohen. An introduction to the tradition of Chinese medicine and health practices.
(January 2016 - September 2016)
Complete Book of Shaolin By Wong Kiew Kit. A comprehensive guide throughout the tradition of Shaolin Kung Fu, including a short introduction to its history, its context, its methods, etc.
(December 2015 - April 2016)
Cutting through spiritual materialism By Chögyam Trungpa. A collection of two series of lectures given by Chögyam Trungpa in 1970-1971 on the topic of the pitfalls of self-deception when seeking spiritual answers.
(October 2015 - January 2016)
Socialism: A Very Short Introduction By Michael Newman. Part of the A Very Short Introduction series, this books covers an overall view of socialism, its ideas, its history and its current state after the fall of the Soviet Union.
(August - September 2015)
Zen Culture By Thomas Hoover. On the influence of Zen Buddhism on Japanese culture at large, including the world of the arts.
(April-May 2015)
The Art of Loving By Erich Fromm. A classic in its own time, Fromm's treatise became a key reading for anyone who ponders about the idea of love in our contemporary society. A little gem.
(February-April 2015)
What Is Zen? By Alan Watts. A very short introduction to Zen Buddhism by one of the West's best known promoters of the ancient Eastern wisdom.
(February 2015)
What Is Tao? By Alan Watts. A very short introduction to the ancient Chinese concept of Tao, which underpins a good part of the old Asian wisdom, together with Confucianism and Buddhism.
(February 2015)
Tratado sobre la intolerancia Por Voltaire. También publicado a menudo como Tratado sobre la tolerancia. Tanta guerra al estilo cruzado y tanto atentado terrorista en nombre de principios absolutos a nuestro alrededor me han impelido a echarle un vistazo a este clásico.
(Enero 2015)
Virtual Light By William Gibson. First book in William Gibson's Bridge trilogy, a science fiction novel set in a postmodern, dystopian, cyberpunk future.
(November-December 2014)
Derrida: Philosophy in an Hour By Paul Strathern. A succint account of Derrida's philosophy, theorist of deconstruction and godfather of postmodernism.
(November 2014)
No Beginning, No End By Jakusho Kwong. A Zen master teaches us how to treasure the ordinary events from everyday life through an understanding of Buddhist practices and ideas.
(October-November 2014)
Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction By Christopher Butler. A highly readable introduction to this philosophical and artistic movement. The key ideas are explored from a highly critical perspective.
(October 2014)
Understanding Zen By Benjamin & Amy Radcliff. Considered one of the best books to learn about Zen philosophy.
(October 2014)
The Tibetan Book of Yoga By Geshe Michael Roach. Short book on Tibetan Heart Yoga, the Tibetan version in the tradition of the Dalai Lamas of this old Indian practice.
(September 2014)
Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction By Damien Keown. A short introduction to a few concepts in Buddhist ethics, as well as an overview of several ethical topics (animals and the environment, sexuality, war and terrorism, abortion, suicide and euthanasia, and cloning) from a Buddhist perspective.
(September 2014)
Gandhi: A very Short Introduction By Bhikhu Parekh. A short introduction to the life and thought of Mahatma Gandhi, including his ideas on religion, human nature, non-violence and modernity.
(September 2014)
Leonard Cohen: Poems and Songs By Leonard Cohen. A selection of song lyrics and poems by the internationally acclaimed poet-songwriter.
(September 2014)
Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction By Edward Craig. One of Oxford University Press' A Very Short Introduction books, this volume introduces us to the world of philosophy. A simple but quite easy to read and entertaining introduction.
(August 2014)
Hope's Edge By Frances Moore Lappé & Anna Lappé. Thirty years after the publication of Frances Moore Lappé's Diet for a Small Planet, she embarks on a worldwide trip with her daughter to meet people who are involved in projects to transform our societies in an environmentally friendly way.
(July - August 2014)
Book of Haikus By Jack Kerouac. Following in the tradition of Basho, Issi and other poets, Kerouac, the famous representative of the beat generation, experimented with this centuries-old genre that has its roots in the Zen tradition.
(June - August 2014)
Essays in Idleness By Kenkō. Considered to be one of the best expositions of Japanese aesthetics, these notes were jotted down by a Buddhist priest between 1330 and 1332. The author's musings clearly convey the love of the past, as well as the appreciation for the impermanence of things that has come to characterize both Buddhism and, in general, Japanese aesthetics.
(June 2014)
El lobo estepario Por Hermann Hesse. Segundo libro de Hesse que he leído este mes. Aprovechando un viaje a Peachtree City (Georgia, EEUU) por motivos de trabajo, me llevé éste y Demian para leerlos en los aeropuertos.
(Junio 2014)
Demian By Hermann Hesse. Junto a Siddhartha y El lobo esperario, una de las novelas más conocidas de Hesse. Escrita tras la Primera Guerra Mundial, narra la historia de un joven que rompe con el mundo tradiciona de su niñez y se lanza a la busca de un nuevo destino y una nueva sociedad que construya algo distinto a aquella otra que condujo a las abominaciones de la Gran Guerra.
(Mayo 2014)
The Irresistible Revolution By Shane Claiborne. After spending time helping Mother Teresa in Calcutta and a trip to Iraq during the 2003 US-led bombing campaign, Claiborne, a self-described old fundamentalist, proposes to reject materialism and return to the philosophy of the early Church to cure what ails us.
(April 2014)
Elements of Refusal By John Zerzan. The first collection of the author's writings. Zerzan became known in the late 1990s as one of the thinkers behind the anti-globalization movement in the American North-West, as well as a big force behind what became known as "anarcho-primitivism", a new strand of "green anarchism".
(April 2014)
My Ishmael By Daniel Quinn. Sequel to Quinn's famous Ishmael, it keeps the same intellectual framework but it centers around slightly different topics.
(March 2014)
Siddhartha Por Hermann Hesse. Una de las novelas más conocidas de su autor, se desarrolla en la India tradicional y relata la vida de un hombre que se entrega a la búsqueda de la verdad.
(Febrero 2014)
Robinson Crusoe By Daniel Defoe. The classic adventure story written in the 18th century about a sailr marooned in an island for 30 years. This abridged version has been modernized to make it more readable.
(January - March 2014)
Minimalism and the Minimalist Lifestyle By Michael Kershaw. A brief introduction to minimalism, a movement that has been spreading quite a bit throughout the advanced economies in the last few years.
(January 2014)
Evangelii Gaudium (La alegría del Evangelio) Por Papa Francisco. Primera exhortación apostólica escrita por el Papa Francisco, que trata principalmente sobre la evangelización y la necesidad de revitalizar el mensaje de la Iglesia.
(Enero 2014)
The Zen Experience By Thomas Hoover. A concise history of how Zen's great masters built a whole new approach to Buddhism after its arrival to China by mixing it with elements of Taoism.
(December 2013)
Jesus, Interrupted By Bart D. Ehrman. The author, a trained Bible expert, demonstrates that the New Tesstament is riddled with contradictions about who Jesus was and the significance of his life. Ehrman, previously a fierce and dogmatic believer, reveals that many of the books were written decades later, and that several key tenets of the Christian theology were invented even later.
(November 2013)
Bartleby y compañía Por Enrique Vila-Matas. Una de las novelas más conocidas del escritor español, de quien aún no había leído ningún libro, por difícil que pueda parecer. Tomando prestado el nombre de Bartleby de un relato de Herman Melville, Vila-Matas rastrea la existencia de numerosos "bartlebys" en el "Laberinto del No".
(Octubre 2013 - Marzo 2014)
Off the Grid By Nick Rosen. British journalist and documentary filmmaker Nick Rosen traveled across the United States to meet some of the people who have chosen to live off the power and water grid. A varied collection of characters that runs from millionaires to ex-hippies, foreclosure victims, paranoid survivalists and environmentalists.
(September 2013)
Deep Green Resistance By Aric McBay, Lierre Keith & Derrick Jensen. A well known exponent of the so-called deep green ecology movement, this book advocates that the environmental movement has been quite ineffective at bringing about change so far and new strategies are needed.
(August 2013)
The Web of Life By Fritjof Capra. An approach to human knowledge inspired by Ludwig von Bertalanffy's general systems theory and ecology, written by the well known author of The Tao of Physics.
(July 2013)
Hojas de hierba / Leaves of Grass By Walt Whitman. Bilingual edition (Spanis and English) of Walt Whitman's classic, considered the first and foremost example of American poetry.
(July 2013)
El Anticristo. Cómo se se filosofa a martillazos Por Friedrich Nietzsche. Dos obras bien polémicas del polémico Nietzsche en un solo volumen. La primera, El Anticristo es, sin duda, mucho más conocida. Auténtica carga de caballería contra el cristianismo y lo que el pensador alemán consideraba la "moral decadente".
(Junio-Julio 2013)
Your Money or Your Life By Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. Revised and completed edition of a contemporary classic of the personal finance book. The authors give plenty of advice on how to get out of debt, increase your savings, rethink one's priorities in life, adapt our lifestyles and find plenty of free time to do what we truly love.
(June 2013)
Zen Parenting By Judith Costello and Jurgen Haver. A short book introducing us to a few Zen-inspired ideas on how to be better parents.
(June 2013)
Zen Buddhism: A History. India and China By Heinrich Dumoulin. A classic study on the history of Zen Buddhism in two volumes. This first volume covers the early years of the emergence in India and China.
(May 2013)
Zen in 10 Simple Lessons By Anthony Man-Tu Lee & David Weiss. A concise manual that explains the principles of Zen thinking and living in ten very easy chapters. It also includes a question-and-answer section at the end of every chapter.
(April 2013)
Collapse By Jared Diamond. By the renowned author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond studies in this new book what are the factors that contribute towards the success or failure of human societies. As in the case of other books of his, he centers in the empirical study of both modern and historical societies.
(March - April 2013)
The Book of Zen By Eric Chaline. A very short book that introduces us to the world of Zen Buddhism, including information about its historical origins, its precepts, practice, martial arts, aesthetics, etc.
(March 2013)
Running on Emptiness By John Zerzan. Anti-technology and anti-civilization writings by one of the most important thinkers of the so-called anarcho-primitivist movement.
(February 2013)
The Road By Cormac McCarthy. A post-apocalyptic tale of a journey of a father and his son across a world totally devastated by some sort of unnamed disaster. Civilization is gone and there is little organic life on the planet anymore.
(February 2013)
Epicurean Simplicity By Stephanie Mills. A proposal to live our lives with greater intention, enjoying the world through our sensory pleasures without destroying nature. Mills bets on an updated version of classical epicureanism as a possible solution to our current problems.
(January 2013)
Green Politics By Fritjof Capra & Charlene Spretnak. Overall introduction and overview of the German Green Party (its founding, philosophy, political platform, internal organization structure, currents...), as well as a few reflections on how the phenomenon of green politics could affect the rest of the world. Written in 1984, so it shows its age.
(January 2013)
Occupy the Economy By Richard Wolff. A series of conversations between journalist David Barsamian and critical economist Richard Wolff about the 2007-2008 crisis and the occupy movement that developed a few years later.
(December 2012 - January 2013)
This Changes Everything By Sarah van Gelder (ed.). Collection of very short articles put together by the staff of Yes! magazine pretty much as the events unfolded. Thus, the volume benefits from the feeling of immediacy, but it lacks the analysis.
(December 2012)
In Praise of Slowness By Carl Honoré. One of the most recognized examples of the so-called slow movement. A paean against the speed of today's society. A call to arms for a return to a more civilized lifestyle.
(November 2012)
Home! A Bioregional Reader By Van Andruss, Christopher Plant, Judith Plant and Eleanor Wright (eds.). A compilation of short pieces on the topic of bioregionalism and everything associated to it. Musings on rebuilding society from a sustainable point of view rooted in community.
(November 2012 - December 2012)
The Innovator's Dilemma By Clay Christensen. Well known business bestseller that studies why great companies can do everything right and still lose their market leadership to up and coming competitors.
(November 2012)
Deep Ecology By Bill Devall and George Sessions. Explorations on the philosophical, psychological, and sociological roots of a new thought strongly identified with the idea of nature and ecology as the cornerstone of a new paradigm to understand our reality.
(October - November 2012)
The Story of B By Daniel Quinn. Directly linked to Ishmael and My Ishmael, Quinn tells us the story of a priest who is tasked with following a new Anti-Christ. In reality, this supposedly evil figure is nothing but a lecturer who speaks against the excesses of civilization.
(September - October 2012)
Voluntary Simplicity By Duane Elgin. One of the original books that spearheaded the whole voluntary simplicity movement, it argues in favor of a well balanced life respectful of the environment. Elgin deeply believes that it is possible to reduce our overall ecological footprint and, at the same time, improve our quality of life, therefore solving the conundrum we face today.
(August - September 2012)
Narciso y Goldmundo Por Hermann Hesse. Novela que narra la historia de la amistad entre dos individuos con caracteres bien contrapuestsos. Por un lado, Narciso, idealista, ascético e intelectual. Por otro, Goldmundo, quien encarna el arte, la pasión, la vida.
(Agosto - Septiembre 2012)
Radical Simplicity By Jim Merkel. Previously an engineer involved in the American military industry, Merkel had a big change of mind in 1989 and decided to reduce his personal impact on the environment and encourage others to do the same.
(August 2012)
El corte bajo la piel Por Jorge Reichmann. Colección de poemas galardonada con el premio "Feria del Libro de Madrid - Parque del Buen Retiro" en 1993, y claro ejemplo de la llamada poesía de la conciencia que representa Riechmann.
(Agosto 2012)
The Collected Stories of William Goyen By William Goyen. Collection of short stories written by this relatively unknown American writer. The first story was published in 1947, and the last one in 1975, the same year this collection was published. Most of Goyen's stories take place in East Texas, the area where he grew up and lived.
(August 2012)
The Art of Eating By M.F.K. Fisher. A collection of the writings of Mary Frances Fisher, one of the best known food writers of the USA. Many of the stories discuss more autobiographical, historical issues or anecdotal musings, rather than comments on recipes and food preparation. Still, it makes for an interesting read.
(July-August 2012)
Bélver Yin Por Jesús Ferrero. Segunda vez que leo esta novela del escritor zamorano, tras la primera lectura en 1990. Uno de los "jóvenes escritores" de la camada de los años ochenta que vinieron a transformar la narrativa española no tanto en las formas (que también, al menos en parte), sino en el contenido. España se abría al mundo tras décadas de aquel infame Spain is different. En el caso de esta novela, la novedad era su temática oriental, así como la centralidad de lo sensual (que no sexual).
(Julio 2012)
The Consolations of Philosophy By Alain de Botton. A true gem where Alain de Botton deals with philosophy in a very down-to-earth approach, using some of the best known thinkers (Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche) to find consolation for some of our most common pains. An excellent gift to the loved ones, especially to young people.
(July 2012)
A Citizen's Guide to Ecology By Lawrence B. Slobodkin. Introduction and overview of the most basic concepts in ecology, as well as the main ecological problems that we face nowadays. The author, though, tries to stay away from the usual warnings about impending catastrophes, which are so popular in the field.
(July 2012)
The Gary Snyder Reader By Gary Snyder. A collection of prose, poetry and translations by poet Gary Snyder, one of the best known figures of contemporary American poetry and the San Francisco Renaissance.
(June-July 2012)
The Dharma Bums By Jack Kerouac. As in many other of Kerouac's books, in this one he tells us his stories hanging around with friends (famous and infliential friends, at least in the literary scene of the 1950s and 1960s, to be sure). In The Dharma Bums, Kerouac hangs around with Gary Snyder (called Japhy Ryder in this book) right before spending a Summer working as a fire lookout on Desolation Peak. Along the way, he muses about practicing Buddhism as a bum in modern day society.
(June-July 2012)
How Much Land does a Man Need? and Other Stories By Leo Tolstoy. A volume comprising some of Tolstoy's best known stories: The Raid, The Prisoner of the Caucasus, How Much Land Does a Man Need?, What Men Live by, as well as the novella Two Hussars.
(June 2012)
Ecology: A Pocket Guide By Ernest Callenbach. A concise, compact book that uses non-techical, everyday language to explain 60 ecological concepts that are considered to be fundamental to understand the environment.
(May-June 2012)
Buddhism: The Religion of No-Religion By Alan Watts. The reputed expert and popularized of Eastern religions and philosophies in the West introduces us here to Buddhism, a religion that he considers almost "a no-religion". (May 2012)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Self-Sufficient Living By Jerome D. Belanger. Overall introduction to a relatively self-sufficient life or, as other people put it, homesteading. An idea worth considering these days.
(April-May 2012)
The Old Way By Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. Back in the 1950s, the author and her family spent some time with the Bushmen of South Africa. In this book, we learn about how they live, which is most likely the closest we have ever seen to the lifestyle of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.
(April-May 2012)
Viaje a Oriente Por Hermann Hesse. Pequeño libro que narra el viaje iniciático de un grupo gnóstico denominado simplemente "el Círculo" en su búsqueda de un renacimiento espiritual. Junto a Siddharta, muchos consideran esta novela corta como la contribución de Hesse al tema del desarrollo interior y la búsqueda de un sentido a la existencia.
(Abril 2012)
Ishmael By Daniel Quinn. Philosophical novel written in 1992 that examines mythology, ethics and sustainability. It uses a socratic style to argue against the idea that humans are somehow the pinnacle of biological evolution. As such, some consider Ishmael a clear example of Green Anarchism and Anarcho-Primitivism.
(April 2012)
Twilight of the Machines By John Zerzan. A clear example of what has become to be known as anarcho-primitivism, one of several currents of green Anarchism. To Zerzan, the ultimate roots of our current malaise go way beyond the capitalist society that surrounds us, which pretty much invalidates the old right vs. left division. On the contrary, the source of today's problems is to be found in civilization itself.
(April 2012)
Ender's Game By Orson Scott Card. A science fiction novel set in Earth's future, where humankind has barely survived two wars against an alien species and is getting ready for a new one. The Earth, organized around the International Fleet (IF), maintains a school to find and train the future fleet commanders among the youngest kids. The book's main character, Ender Wiggin, is the most talented of them.
(March 2012)
Food Rules By Michael Pollan. Although Pollan is far more famous for other books he wrote, such as The Omnivore's Dilemma or In Defense of Food, this other little book is a true gem. In just about 140 pages, Pollan summarizes all the basic rules one must follow to eat well.
(March 2012)
Beyond Civilization By Daniel Quinn. Examining ancient civilizations such as the Maya and the Olmec, as well as modern-day microcosms of alternative living like circus societies, the author guides us on a quest for a new model for society, one that is forward-thinking and encourages diversity instead of suppressing it.
(February 2012)
WebMage By Kelly McCullough. Twenty-first-century magic has gone digital and an array of descendents from the Greek titans oversee what happens in the human world. One of them, Atropos, wants to dislodge the balance between Chaos and Order. A talented young digital sorcerer tries to stop her.
(February 2012)
Counterculture Green By Andew G. Kirk. Overall analysis of the importance of The Whole Earth Catalogue as a stepping stone towards a new era in American environmentalism, as well as fundamental to understand its markedly different approach to technology.
(January 2012)
Community Gardening By Ellen Kirby and Elizabeth Peters (editors). A closer look at garden programs that bring neighbors together and supply healthy food, including hands-on tips for members of these projects, case studies, etc.
(January 2012)
Radical Homemakers By Shannon Hayes. This book is about men and women across the US who focus on home and hearth as a political and ecological act; who center their lives around family and community for personal fulfillment and cultural change. It explores what domesticity looks like in an era that has benefited from feminism; where domination and oppression are cast aside, where the choice to stay home is no longer equated with mind-numbing drudgery, economic insecurity, or relentless servitude.
(December 2011)
Great Expectations By Charles Dickens. Since my kids had to read this book for English class at school, I decided to take this chance to finally read one of Dickens' works. It is easily available online, so I chose to download it in EPUB format from the Project Gutenberg website.
(December 2011)
Obras completas Por Epicuro. Volumen que recoge la totalidad de la obra de Epicuro que nos ha llegado, fundamentalmente en la forma de epístolas y fragmentos.
(Noviembre-Diciembre 2011)
Diet for a Small Planet By Frances Moore Lappé. Published in 1971, this was one of the first books to critique grain-fed meat production and call for an overall reassessment of our diet and its effect on the planet.
(November 2011)
A Clockwork Orange By Anthony Burgess. Famous dystopian novella written in 1962 that would become even more famous after Stanley Kubrick released the film by the same title inspired on the book.
(October 2011)
Big Sur By Jack Kerouac. Written in 1962, when Kerouac was already a known writer, Big Sur tells the story of three brief trips to a cabin in Bixby Canyon, Big Sur (California), owned by fellow beatnik poet, Lawrence Felinghetti.
(October 2011)
Filosofías del underground Por Luis Racionero. Breve introducción a las distintas filosofías que confluyeron en el movimiento contracultural de la década de los sesenta, haciendo hincapié en su reivindicación del irracionalismo y los estilos de vida alternativos.
(Agosto - Diciembre 2011)
The Audacity of Hope By Barack Obama. Best seller where Obama introduces the main themes of what later would be his presidential campaign in 2008. While reflecting on his years in the Illinois Senate and the US Senate, he also muses about the divide between Democrats and Republicans, the role of the US in the world, the main values that shape American society, etc.
(July 2011)
Los movimientos ecologistas Por Luis Lemkow y Fred Buttel. Editado allá por 1983, este pequeño libro aspira a servir de introducción al mundo de los movimientos ecologistas.
(Junio-Julio 2011)
The Little Green Handbook By Ron Nielsen. A sourcebook, choke-full of statistics and facts, about the most important environmental problems that we face at the beginning of the 21st century, from the population explosion to climate change and social issues.
(June 2011)
Diccionario de ecologia, ecologismo y medio ambiente Por Fernando Parra. Simple diccionario de referencia sobre téminos relacionados con la ecología, el ecologismo y el medio ambiente en general.
(Junio 2011)
Howl and Other Poems By Allen Ginsberg. Originally published in 1956 by the legendary City Lights Books, this collection of poems was quickly seized by the US customs and the San Francisco Police and subject to a court trial for obscenity which did little else but to bring public relevance to its author, part of a group that started to be known at the time as the beat generation.
(June 2011)
Escritos revolucionarios Por Ernesto Che Guevara. Breve antología de escritos y discursos del célebre revolucionario argentino en orden cronológico y sobre diversos temas relacionados con la lucha revolucionaria y la construcción del socialismo: principios generales de la lucha guerrillera, discurso contra el burocratismo, el concepto de trabajo en el socialismo, el nuevo hombre, etc.
(Mayo 2011)
Marinaleda. Huelga de hambre
contra el hambre 		Por Candi Martínez y Godofredo Camacho. Breve reportaje sobre la huelga de hambre y demás movilizaciones que sacudieron el campo andaluz entre 1977 y 1980, dando lugar a la ocupación de fincas y, en último lugar, el comienzo de un experimento de poder local de la izquierda radical en el pueblo de Marinaleda.
(Abril 2011)
Underground By Suelette Dreyfuss. Written in 1997, this book describes the exploits of a group of Australian, American and British hackers during the 1980s and early 1990s, the time when the so-called black hat hackers began to define themselves.
(March/April 2011)
Lo mejor de Martínez El Facha Por Joaquim Aubert, Kim. Conocida historieta publicada en el semanario satírico El Jueves y protagonizada por un grupo de amigos de ideología ultraderechista. El diario Público recopiló las que consideraban eran las mejores historias y las publicón en fascículos semanales todos los domingos junto con el periódico.
(Enero-Febrero 2011)
The Virtual Community By Howard Rheingold. One of the pioneering books that introduced the general audience to the wonders of the Internet back in the early and mid-1990s.
(December 2010)
Anathem By Neal Stephenson. A novel of speculative fiction that mixes a story about a planet called Arbre with musings about the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics and the philosophical debate between Platonic realism and formalism.
(December 2010 - January 2011)
Antes del Incal Por Alejandro Jodorowsky y Zoran Janjetov. Comic que sirve de precuela a la serie de El Incal, historia de ciencia ficción escrita por Jodorowsky y que fue ilustrada por distintos dibujantes en sus distintas fases de publicación. De una clara inspiración cyberpunk refleja un futuro bastante negro.
(Enero 2011)
In the Beginning... was the Command Line By Neal Stephenson. Written by the internationally known author of science fiction novels such as Cryptonomicon or Snow Crash, this is an essay on operating systems and how we, users, interact with them, including quite a few musing on the history of computing and the technology business.
(January 2011)
Freeware By Rudy Rucker. Third part of the so-called Wared Tetralogy, this science fiction novel tells us the story of a future world where moldies (a lifeform evolved from the molds described in Wetware, the second part of the series) try to destroy the Earth.
(Diciembre 2010)
Viento del pueblo Por Miguel Hernández. Publicado en plena Guerra Civil, esta recopilación de poemas rinde tributo a quienes lucharon en el bando republicano tomando las armas frente al fascismo. Claro ejemplo de poesía comprometida escrito por un poeta del pueblo, hijo de unos pastores de cabra.
(Noviembre 2010)
Empire By Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri. Considered by many a Communist Manifesto of sorts for the 21st century, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri study the form that capitalism takes in a century dominated by the forces of globalization.
(November 2010)
El origen de la familia, la propiedad privada y el Estado Por Friedrich Engels. Partiendo de la obra del antropólogo estadounidense, Lewis Morgan, Engels desarrolla una teoría sobre la evolución histórica de la familia y su relación con la construcción de la civilización y las relaciones de poder desde un punto de vista marxista.
(Octubre 2010)
Pyongyang Por Guy Delisle. Un quebequés que debe viajar a la capital norcoreana por motivos de negocios y residir allí durante unos meses nos narra cómo transcurren los días en un país completamente aislado del mundo y marcado por un totalitarismo nacionalista altamente paranoico.
(Julio 2010)
En tierras bajas Por Herta Müller. Ganadora del Premio Nobel de Literature de 2009, la rumano-alemana Herta Müller narra en esta colección de historias la vida en una aldea de su país. En un mundo supuestamente idílico se suceden historias de lo más negras. Cargado de un profundo pesimismo, la dictadura de Ceausescu prohibió esta obra al poco de publicarse.
(Julio 2010)
Tony Blair: La forja de un líder Por Philip Stephens. Sucinta biografía de Tony Blair que solamente cubre hasta el año 2004, bastante antes de su abandono del poder. Este libro recoge, no obstante, los elementos más importantes de su gestión: la relación con Brown, el triunfo del New Labour, las intervenciones militares en Kosovo, Sierra Leona, Afganistán e Irak, etc.
(Mayo 2008)
Dejando atrás los vientos Por Alfonso Guerra. Segundo volumen de las memorias políticas de Alfonso Guerra, dedicado en este caso al período de gobierno y que finaliza con su dimisión en 1991.
(Abril 2008)
Euskadi: sin la paz nada es posible Por Txiki Benegas y Pedro Altares. Volumen de entrevistas a Txiki Benegas realizadas por el periodista Pedro Altares publicado en 1984, al poco de llegar los socialistas al poder en Madrid. El tema central, como no podía ser de otro modo, es el terrorismo de ETA.
(Marzo-Abril 2008)
Chaos By James Gleick. An American bestseller and a masterpiece in the field of popular science, so important in the US or the UK and almost unknown in Spain (at least until Eduardo Punset gained fame thanks to Redes).
(February-March 2008)
Third Culture By John Brockman. Wonderful collection of essays and conversations with some of the most prominent scientists today. Brockman contends that science is becoming central to contemporary culture, and scientists can be seen as the heirs to the ages-old tradition of intellectuals who address the important questions facing humankind.
(January-February 2008)
Cuestiones curiosas de ciencia Por Varios autores. Interesante compendio de artículos publicados en la revista estadounidense Scientific American respondiendo algunas de las preguntas más comunes sobre temas científicos.
(Enero 2008)
Política para Amador Por Fernando Savater. Sucinta introducción a los principales conceptos políticos escrito con los jóvenes en mente, pero que se aplica igualmente a cualquier ciudadano interesado por el tema.
(Diciembre 2007)
Felipe González Márquez Por Josep Sánchez Cervelló e Iván Tubau. Parte de la colección Cara y cruz de Ediciones B, este volumen está dedicado a la figura política de Felipe González, desde sus inicios en Sevilla hasta que fue derrotado en las elecciones de 1996.
(Noviembre 2007)
Burning Chrome By William Gibson. Ten short stories written by the master of Cyberpunk, including the world renowned Johnny Mnemonic, which would be shot as a film in 1995.
(October-November 2007)
El final de la edad dorada Por Carlos Solchaga. Reflexiones del antiguo Ministro de Economía y Hacienda sobre la economía española desde la llegada de la democracia y sus problemas fundamentales: inflación, paro, déficit fiscal...
(Octubre-Noviembre 2007)
Aprender a convivir Por José Antonio Marina. Reflexiones sobre cuáles puedan ser las normas y actitudes que mejor nos puedan ayudar a convivir en sociedad.
(Octubre 2007)
Las edades de Lulú Por Almudena Grandes. Ganadora del XI Premio La Sonrisa Vertical, ésta es la novela con que se dio a conocer Almudena Grandes a finales de los ochenta.
(Septiembre 2007)
Neuromancer By William Gibson. First volume of the so-called Sprawl Trilogy. I had read it many years ago (perhaps back in 2000?), and now felt the urge to re-read it after Count Zero for some reason.
(September 2007)
Count Zero By William Gibson. Second volume in Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy, this book quickly became one of the main examples of the cyberpunk movement back in the 1980s.
(August 2007)
El Mediterráneo y los bárbaros del Norte Por Luis Racionero. Ésta debe ser la tercera vez que leo este maravilloso ensayo que reivindica la tradición humanista del Mediterráneo como solución al callejón sin salida en que nos ha metido el progreso puramente tecnológico y material, el desarrollo sin criterio moral y humano.
(Julio 2007)
Pleamar Por Rafael Alberti. Primer libro de poemas reseñado en estas páginas. Escrito precisamente por un poeta a quien no suelo leer, recelando como recelo de su fama de poeta comprometido. He de reconocer, no obstante, que me he llevado una grata sorpresa.
(Junio 2007)
Why Read Marx Today? By Jonathan Wolff. Obviously, this is a book against the current of our times when, after the fall of the Berlin War, almost nobody but the most dogmatic souls dare to defend the intellectual figure of Marx. Yet, Jonathan Wolff manages to convincingly argue why we should still read his texts, in spite of it all.
(May 2007)
Conversaciones con Lukács Por Hans Heinz Holz, Leo Kofler y Wolfgang Abendroth. Volumen que recoge una serie de charlas con el filósofo marxista que tuvieron lugar allá por 1966. Se habla un poco de todo: estética, sociología, marxismo, las características de la sociedad de capitalismo avanzado...
(Febrero-Mayo 2007)
El perfume Por Patrick Süskind. Apasionante novela sobre la seducción del olor y los crímenes cometidos por un maestro creador de perfumes en su obsesiva carrera por encontrar (y fabricar) el olor del ser humano, el de la vida misma.
(Enero-Marzo 2007)
El aznarato Por Javier Tusell. Análisis sereno y objetivo de los ocho años de gobierno del PP, lejos de los panegíricos a la persona de Aznar de unos y las apocalípticas soflamas de los otros.
(Noviembre-Diciembre 2006)
Los masones Por César Vidal. No sabe uno si considerar este libro como una historia de la masonería o, en su lugar, un panfleto conservador sobre las conspiraciones luciferinas que han asolado a la Madre Patria desde los inicios de la Ilustración, de acuerdo a la febril imaginación de don César Vidal.
(Noviembre 2006)
Civilisation By Kenneth Clark. Companion book to a TV series that Kenneth Clark made for BBC, it searches into the very sources of our Western civilization starting with the Low Middle Ages and ending with what the author refers to as heroic materialism in the 19th century.
(October-November 2006)
San Manuel Bueno, mártir Por Miguel de Unamuno. Brevísima novela que, no obstante, logra sintetizar la dialéctica entre fe y duda que marcara la vida del autor vasco.
(Septiembre 2006)
El arte de vivir Por Luis Racionero. Pequeño manual sobre el arte de vivir con sensualidad y mesura, disfrutando de los cinco sentidos: la gastronomía es el arte del gusto, como el sexo es el arte del tacto y el erotismo el de los cinco juntos.
(Septiembre 2006)
La maldición de Ra Por Naguib Mahfuz. Novela de la primera época de este ganador del Premio Nobel de Literatura en 1988, cuando aún andaba procupado por la novela histórica que recreaba el esplendor del Egipto de los faraones.
(Septiembre 2006)
Guía de la Posmodernidad Por Francisco Umbral. Visión muy sui generis (como suele serlo siempre en el caso de Umbral) de la postmodernidad madrileña escrita por quien quizás sea el cronista más admirado del periodismo español desde la instauración de la democracia.
(Agosto 2006)
The World Is Flat By Thomas Friedman. A major best seller in the USA, and most likely across the world, The World Is Flat portrays the reality of a new, interconnected world, that is changing our lives and social institutions.
(April-May 2006)
Historia del ojo Por Georges Bataille. Uno de los clásicos de la literatura erótica, así como claro exponente del surrealismo literario y de vanguardia, prologado ni más ni menos que por Mario Vargas Llosa.
(Enero 2006)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy By Douglas Adams. Perhaps the greatest science-fiction satires ever written. "Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun..."
(January 2006)
Hitler Youth By Susan Campbell Bartoletti. After many interviews with Germans who joined the Nazi Hitler Youth organization and some others who did what they could to avoid it, Susan Campbell wrote a great book that contributes in its own way to explain how such evil movement could get the support of so many young people.
(December 2005)
Cuando el tiempo nos alcanza Por Alfonso Guerra. La primera entrega de las esperadas memorias de Alfonso Guerra, Vicepresidente del Gobierno con el primer Gobierno socialista desde la transición democrática, y una de las figuras políticas más polémicas de nuestro país.
(Octubre-Noviembre 2005)
¿Qué es una nación? Por Ernest Renan. Uno de los principales ensayos sobre el sentido del término nación, quizás junto a El derecho a la autodeterminación de las naciones, de Vladimir Lenin.
(Octubre 2005)
The Communist Manifesto By Karl Marx. Without any doubt, and in spite of whatever one may think about its contents, one of the classics of Western political thought. A key book to understand today's world.
(September 2005)
Civilization and Its Discontents By Sigmund Freud. Written in 1929, it became one of the seminal volumes of twentieth-century thought. In it, Freud summarizes his views on culture from a psychoanalitic perspective.
(September 2005)
Early Writings By Karl Marx. A real sensatin when they were discovered back in the 1920s, Marx's Early Writings have lost most of its lustre ever since. Still, they make an interesting read.
(August 2005)
Frankenstein By Mary Shelley. Without any trace of doubt, one of the most imporant classics of the history of literature, and definitely one of the masterpieces of Romanticism. A myth very well known to most people nowadays, although quite often in a form that bears little resemblance to its original form in the novel.
(June-August 2005)
Where Shall Wisdom Be Found? By Harold Bloom. One of the most important literary critics of the 20th century, Bloom writes here about some of the greatest thinkers and writers of the Western civilization in their search for meaning.
(May 2005)
Selected Writings By Walter Benjamin. A collection of writings by this member of the Frankfurt School, critic of the culture of his time, clear predecessor of today's postmodern intellectuals in some ways.
(February-March 2005)
Persepolis 2 By Marjane Satrapi. The sequel to the highly acclaimed Persepolis, this young Iranian girl tells us how her parents sent her to Vienna to avoid the mullah's fundamentalist closemindedness, became disillusioned of her newly found Western liberties and decided to go back to her country.
(March 2005)
Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar By Simon Sebag Montefiore. After a comprehensive research of the latest documents from recently opened archives, Sebag Montefiore wrote an exhaustive account of Stalin's court from the late twenties to his death.
(February 2005)
Why Read? By Mark Edmundson. A real manifesto in favor of reading from a humanistic point of view, which is not necessarily what our universities promote these days.
(January 2005)
Discourse on Method and Meditations
on First Philosophy 		By René Descartes. One of the most influential books in Western culture, in spite of its brevity. Descartes describes his method to approach the most important philosophical questions in life using just reason.
(December 2004)
The Renaissance: Maker of Modern Man Edited by Kenneth Setton. A beautiful book, published by National Geographic Society, that gives us a nice overview of the Renaissance in several regions and countries (Florence, Rome, Venice, France, Spain and England) with quite a few illustrations.
(November 2004)
The Remains of the Day By Kazuo Ishiguro. Nearing the end of his career, Stevens, the perfect English butler, reminisces about the past while we struggle to understand how he could have been so oblivious to everything going on around him.
(October 2004)
Greece: Land of Light By Nicholas Gage (text) and Barry Brukoff (photographs). A travel book that intends to serve as an introduction to Greece and its islands, peoples, culture, traditions...
(October 2004)
Sweet Life By Violet Blue. Collection of short erotic stories for couples brought together by sex educator Violet Blue. It runs the gamut from straight regular sex to wild fantasies.
(July 2004)
The Tao Of Philosophy By Alan Watts. Series of speeches by one of the most popular experts who introduced Eastern culture in our Western world back in the sixties. Dr. Watts was an Episcopalian priest, professor, graduate-school dean and research fellow of Harvard University who specialized in Eastern (especially Chinese) religions.
(May 2004)
The Next Christendom By Philip Jenkins. By the year 2050, only one Christian in five will be non-Latino and white, and the center of gravity of the Christian world will have shifted towards the Southern Hemisphere. Jenkins, Professor of History and Religious Studies at Pennsylvania State University, explores what the possible consequences are.
(January 2004)
Mrs. Dalloway By Virginia Woolf. Considered one of the most innovative precedents of modern literature, the book is loosely based on Lady Ottoline Morrell, an acquaintance of the author.
(December 2003)
Rebel Code By Glyn Moody. The most comprehensive history and analysis of the opensource movement I have read so far. If you care about Linux and opensource, check this book.
(November 2003)
The Pieces from Berlin By Michael Pye. Inspired in a true story, a novel about a woman who made her fortune trafficking in stolen art in wartime Berlin, and the agonizing moral issues this poses at the end of her life.
(November 2003)
The Great Big Book of Tom Tomorrow By Tom Tomorrow. It should ashame the Democrats that the most cogent, comprehensive and consistent critique of the Bush Administration is not coming from any of them but from the author of a comic book.
(September 2003)
Bodas de sangre Por Federico García Lorca. Parte de la trilogía del autor, Bodas de sangre bebe directamente de la tragedia clásica griega.
(Agosto 2003)
Yerma
 Por Federico García Lorca. Los sufrimientos de una mujer sin descendientes en medio de una cultura tradicional andaluza que sólo valora a la mujer como madre.
(Agosto 2003)
La casa de Bernarda Alba
 Por Federico García Lorca. Uno de los clásicos de la literatura española del siglo XX, si bien hasta cierto punto oscurecido por la fama de la obra poética del autor. La casa de Bernarda Alba es una de las obras cumbres del teatro español, además de ser la obra de madurez de García Lorca.
(Agosto 2003)
La sombra del águila Por Antonio Pérez-Reverte. Uno de los autores más exitosos de la narrativa contemporánea española, y definitivamente el más conocido en el exterior. Ésta es una obra menor, originalmente publicada por entregas en El País Semanal.
(Julio 2003)
Juan de Mairena Por Antonio Machado. Obra cumbre del pensamiento de Antonio Machado, más conocido por su obra poética, pero cuyas reflexiones filosóficas están repletas de ternura, compasión, sentido común y amor por lo popular.
(Julio 2003)
El Epicureísmo Por Emilio Lledó. Breve reivindicación de la actualidad del pensamiento de Epicuro, pensador olvidado y maldito, defensor a ultranza de vivir la vida del más acá.
(Junio 2003)
Introducción a la Filosofía del Derecho Por Gregorio Peces Barba. El antiguo Presidente del Congreso de los Diputados español escribe sobre la filosofía del Derecho, postulando un concepto basado en la teoría democrática de la justicia.
(Junio 2003)
It's Not That Complicated By Doug Peine. Great parenting book written not by an expert in child psychology, but a simple lawyer from the Twin Cities. There are no focus groups or scientific papers to be found in this book. Just clear, concise and commonsensical advise.
(June 2003)
Memorias Por Willy Brandt. Las memorias del anterior Canciller alemán abarcan desde los años del ascenso nazi hasta la caída del muro de Berlín, pasando por la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el terrorismo izquierdista de los años setenta y su labor al frente del Gobierno de la República Federal Alemana.
(Mayo 2003)
Snow Crash By Neal Stephenson. One of the most celebrated exponents of the cyberpunk literary tradition born in the 1990s. Stephenson portrays a post-modern society where individuals survive amidst the most absolute social fragmentation.
(April 2003)
1984 By George Orwell. The undisputed masterpiece of negative utopianism. This classic portrays a totalitarian future where hope, feelings and freedom have no room.
(March 2003)
Understanding Open Source Software Development By Joseph Feller and Brian Fitzgerald. An academic study on the practice of open source software development, including an analysis of its history, licenses, quality, motives, etc.
(March 2003)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick. The book that inspired Blade Runner. A thrilling dive into a world full of radioactive dust, species forced into extinction and artificial life.
(February 2003)
Just for fun By Linus Torvalds and David Diamond. This is not so much a book about Linux as a book about Linus, the founder of the revolutionary opensource operating system.
(February 2003)
Hackers By Steven Levy. Ever wonder what hacking was like before it became cool? This books takes us back to the days of the MIT Tech Model Railroad Club, the Homebrew Computer Club, Steve Wozniak... the dawn of the modern hacking era.
(January 2003)
Free as in freedom By Sam Williams. The story/biography/manifesto of Richard Stallman, free software guru and worst nightmare of the more moderate opensource movement.
(January 2003)
The Hobbit By J.R.R. Tolkien. No need to introduce this classic of the literature of fantasy. The Hobbit can be considered the introduction to Tolkien's more mature book: The Lord of the Rings.
(December 2002)
The Hacker Ethic By Pekka Himanen. According to the author, we are currently witnessing the first steps of a radical change in the way we work. The hackers who brought about the Linux and open source revolution are not only putting at risk Microsoft's semi-monopoly of the computer market, but they are also threatening to put an end to the traditional Protestant ethic described by Max Weber.
(November 2002)
El Camino del Zen Por Eugen Herrigel. Uno de los clásicos sobre la tradución religiosa Zen. El autor cubre casi todos sus aspectos, si bien de forma bastante breve: artes, metodología, poesía, relación entre el maestro y el discípulo, etc.
(November 2002)
Corelli's Mandolin By Louis de Bernieres. Excellent novel that tells us the love story of a young and rebellious Greek girl and a polite and well mannered Italian officer in the context of World War II.
(October 2002)
Los Maestros Pensadores Por André Glucksmann. Más que un libro, una bomba lanzada contra las entrañas de los "maestros pensadores" de la filosofía occidental (Fichte, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche).
(Septiembre 2002)
The Magus of the North By Isaiah Berlin. Short essay on J.G. Hamann, obscure intellectual figure in 18th century Germany who can arguably be considered a predecessor of the Romantic movement and some other philosophies opposed to the Enlightenment.
(August 2002)
Derechas e Izquierdas Por Norberto Bobbio. ¿Qué significa ser "de derechas" o "de izquierdas" hoy en día? ¿Tiene algún sentido el usar estos términos en una sociedad moderna y post-industrial? El prestigioso pensador italiano responde a esta y muchas otras cuestiones relacionadas con el tradicional binomio.
(August 2002)
The Left Bank By Herbert Lottman. A history of the intellectual life on the Left Bank of Paris between the conflictive 1930s and the treacherous 1950s.
(July 2002)
Netscape Time By Jim Clark. A succint story of how Jim Clark left Silicon Graphics and started a new company that would revolutionize the software industry and spearhead the "new economy": Netscape.
(July 2002)