Data Science Book Selection

I seem to be slowing down on my reading. My average of 2 books a week is slowing to 1 book every week.  Still nothing to be upset about, but not what I was at. Life can get in the way of my reading, which is why I started to listen to books on CDs. They help fill the times between when I would be frustrated with not doing something productive, like commuting or waiting for soccer practice to end.

Some say that this is cheating, that I should not count them. I have started to track the mode of reading, and I am proud to say that I am about even with reading (ebooks included with paperback and hardback, in case there is any question) versus listening. And when I look back at the years I know when things are a bit off balance there were things going on that influenced this.

There are so many ways to capture information on what you have read. Location (see tab AROUND THE WORLD), Age (think Young Adult), Era (think Roaring 20s), or Themes (think dystopia) and more.  The hot industry of Data Science has either come about from our obsession with creating lists (Thanks David Letterman for the Top Ten), or actually led the charge for it.  A bit of the chicken or the egg dilemma.  Still new to the whole data tagging, I am muddling through it.  I used to be “cutting edge” of technology, but I have fallen so far behind!!!

Previously I had challenged myself to read around the world more – and I am actually searching for books that are from those cultures that are translated for me, and that is a bit harder than I expected. There is a challenge that is being run on http://www.goodreads.com Play Book Tag site in honor of a cherished member that just passed away. A widely admired woman, JoLene was a fan of historical fiction. The administrators suggested that we each read from an era that we have not read before in her honor this month. That sent me back to my lists of books to do another review, looking for a new “tag” when I never tagged before.

I seem to have done pretty well – thank you Ken Follett for covering so much time in the Kingsbridge Trilogy!   So, working backwards, I have identified one title for the following eras:

21^st Century –      The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

20^th Century –     The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

19^th Century –     Snowflower & the Secret Fan by Lisa See

18^th Century –     World Without End by Ken Follett

17^th Century –     The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

14^th Century –     Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

1^st Century –        The Dovekeeper by Alice Hoffman (approx. 70 BCE)

Biblical Times – The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

I see a gap between the first and 14^th centuries, but I know I didn’t get too far in the Canterbury Tales or The Name of the Rose.  Not too hopeful for those.  I also see that I don’t have anything for pre-historic. So I have requested The Clan of the Cave Bear as my tribute read.

I am again looking at my library through a different lens.  Do I try to fill in from each decade of the 20^th Century? Should I try to find more? Should I just defer to a new Best Books of the 21^st Century (so far) list that just came out – and I think I only knew of a handful.  All I know is that as long as there is more than one book out there for me to read, someone will find a new way to capture and count it – and then it will make its way to my TBR list (To Be Read).