About Netsurfer Books

Netsurfer Books is a twice-monthly listing of books which we think would be interesting to read. These are not book reviews - we have not yet necessarily read any of these books. Think of this simply as a list of books which we think look neat, and which you may not have otherwise heard of. Yes, we do get a small commission from Amazon.com if you buy any of these books through the links included here. No, nobody tells us to include any specific book - we just pick neat stuff which catches our attention. Have fun!

EDITOR'S CHOICE

Bill Gates 99 : Paper Doll Book

Bill Gates 99 : Paper Doll Book

St Martins Pr (Trade); ISBN: 0312192258

Ever used a Microsoft product that crashed on you, bugged you with its Gatesian idiosyncrasies, or inexplicably suffered from idiotic menu changes during so-called "upgrades"? Now you can get revenge with this witty do-it- yourself paper-doll construction book. "Dress him up as Agent 5.0 (complete with a pie-in-the-face shield), Bill "Hefner" (with a copy of Pentiumhouse magazine under his arm and a blowup computer), and Janet Reno (because "They've already got the same Archie haircut and Mr. Magoo glasses"). " - TechWeek Magazine

SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY

Moonlight and Vines

Moonlight and Vines
by Charles De Lint
St Martins Pr (Trade); ISBN: 031286518X

It's de-vine, it's de-lint-ful. Sorry, pun detesters, but this fabulous fantasy feeds the imagination. You'll encounter gothic creatures, Gypsies, angels, vampires, ghosties, and more in this dreamy collection of tales from "one of the world's leading fantasists"--Toronto Star

Incubus

Incubus
Ann Arensberg
Knopf; ISBN: 0394556968

A blissfully terrifying tale of ghosties and goblins and horror, oh my! "Under a different writer's hand, this material could easily be graphically salacious, but Arensberg handles it with a light, almost drowsy touch: the sensuous nature of cultivars is described in greater detail than the crude manipulations of the dark spirit. A refreshing variation from Anne Rice's gothic ramblings." - American Library Association.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Cascading Style Sheets Complete

Cascading Style Sheets Complete
David D. Busch and J.W. Olsen
Computing McGraw-Hill; ISBN: 0079137032

If the complexity of those oh-so-trendy style sheets is giving you nightmares (or at least a few headaches), here's a must-buy book for you. "Throw out all those trendy cascading style sheet books on your shelf. Recycle the incomprehensible CSS spec that you printed off the W3C Web site. Whether you're merely moderately skilled or you're a Webhead, this is the only guide you need." - Tech Week Magazine

The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence

The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence
Ray Kurzweil
Viking Pr; ISBN: 0670882178

Creak, creak. It's midnight, you're home alone, and - AIEEEE! It's the computer, awakening to raid your refrigerator. Well, okay. Maybe your PC won't gobble up your peanut butter in the wee hours. But if you've ever mused about the potential for PCs to take over the world, you'll enjoy this witty author's insights into a future where we'll have "machines with as much memory and intelligence as ourselves." - Kirkus Reviews

Extra Life: Coming of Age in Cyberspace

Extra Life: Coming of Age in Cyberspace
David S. Bennahum
Basic Books; ISBN: 0465012353

This beautifully written book is both a memoir and "a social critique, a gently phrased but often-stinging rebuke of a software industry `dedicated to fine-tuning the surface of software ... hiding the machine, burying it in ossified layers.' Although Bennahum is talking about Microsoft Corp., he may as well be discussing any of today's large software companies." - Upside

Superstrings, Symmetry and the Theory of Everything

Superstrings, Symmetry and the Theory of Everything
John R. Gribbin
Little Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316329754

Having persuaded my family doctor to write a note excusing me from high school physics experiments because I was supposedly allergic to it (he was very, very old and I was very, very pitiful), I feel qualified to state that this book actually makes the topic of physics intriguing. The author describes the progress toward that all-desire goal: a Grand Unified Theory, which brings us to such topics as supersymmetry and superstrings. "A clear and comprehensive popular treatment of the cutting edge of physics." - Kirkus Associates

Countdown Y2K : Business Survival Planning for the Year 2000

Countdown Y2K : Business Survival Planning for the Year 2000
Peter De Jager, Richard Bergeon
John Wiley & Sons; ISBN: 0471327344

You know, it's starting to sound like the Millennium isn't exactly a party-hardy time. After reading this well-written and nerve- wracklingly thorough guide to all the preparations those in technology management/entrepreneur-land should make, I think that I'd better expand my personal Y2K plan (which currently consists of "Buy Champagne in June In Case There's A Shortage"). Lots of good, solid info for tech managers and business owners who want their gizmos, gadgets, and professional lives to continue after 1-1-00.

The Woman's Guide to Sex on the Web

The Woman's Guide to Sex on the Web
Cathy Winks and Anne Semans
Harper Edge; ISBN: 0062515489

Have a question that would make Miss Manners blush? You can probably find the answer on the wild Web-for-Women that is amusingly mapped out in this playful guide. From purchasing hardware and software to the nitty-gritty-sometimes-graphical sexually focused Web sites, this book's got it all. Whether you're seeking information on sexual health or sexual products, let these former saleswomen at Good Vibrations lead you to it.

NONFICTION

Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies : From Spare Ribs to Humbel Pie-A Lightearted Look at How Food Got Their Names

Ladyfingers and Nun's Tummies : From Spare Ribs to Humbel Pie-A Lightearted Look at How Food Got Their Names
Martha Barnette
Vintage Books; ISBN: 0375702989

Yummy, yummy, yummy, I got a love-for-food-and-humor-in-my-tummy. Okay, we admit it: we have no future as lyric writers. But we do think that this book about the derivation of such bizarrely named foods as pumpernickel is mighty tasty. "Everything in [this book] is delightful to learn. Barnette takes us through languages and across millennia in a charming style . . . that offers endless food for thought." --The New Yorker

Stasi: The Untold Story of East Germany's Secret Police

Stasi: The Untold Story of East Germany's Secret Police
John O. Koehler, Jack Koehler
Westview Pr (Trd); ISBN: 0813334098

The East Germans ran their intelligence organizations with typical Teutonic efficiency, deploying one agent for every 166 German citizens and one informer for every 66 citizens. They kept jars filled with cloth swatches carrying the body odors of suspected dissidents, in order to track them with bloodhounds when necessary. This is the story of a ruthless organization which played such a pivotal role in the history of this century. Fascinating reading.

Zen Path Through Depression

Zen Path Through Depression
Philip Martin
Harper San Francisco; ISBN: 0060654457

Complain that you're depressed, and in these enlightened times, a friend will probably recommend Prozac. Or, if you live in Santa Cruz, you'll be offered a St. John's Wort brownie (with hemp seed sprinkles on top). Now there's a new option, based on an ancient tradition. Some good mind food, and lots of cool quotes. My favorite, from Issan Dorsey: "The path is always right beneath your feet."

Cities in Civilization

Cities in Civilization
Peter Geoffrey Hall
Pantheon Books; ISBN: 0394587324

Why do certain cities flower into a golden age and disproportionately drive the wheels of civilization? That's the question Peter Hall asks in this book. The impressive volume, which required 15 years of research, consists of more than 1000 pages of absorbing exposition about the raise and fall of no less then 21 great cities spanning 2,500 years of history. It's a book best read in parts ,a chapter here and there. The wealth of thought and detail within these pages will delight any history buff.

The Neatest Little Guide to Personal Finance

The Neatest Little Guide to Personal Finance
Jason Kelly
Plume; ISBN: 0452280613

Money, money, every where, and not a cent for me. If you'd like to chop down your expenses and fatten your piggy bank, here's a book that's worth your time and pennies. "It's a treasury of ideas, phone numbers and Web addresses that lead to useful information - such as credit unions you can join to save your money from today's bank robber-barons." - Dallas Morning News

Before the Change : Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause

Before the Change : Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause
Ann Louise Gittleman, Jonathan V. Wright
Harper San Francisco; ISBN: 0062515373

An estimated 35 million women are now going through perimenopause. If you're among their numbers - or know a woman who is - this book can make the difference between suffering symptoms such as insomnia and bloating and (what a concept!) enjoying life. The author "describes the changes women experience before the change and presents a program for countering unpleasant symptoms. . . . Before the Change is very readable, and its helpfullness is increased by its resource lists and product recommendations." - Natural Health

FICTION

The President's Astrologer

The President's Astrologer
Barbara Shafferman
Llewellyn Publications; ISBN: 1567186742

Here's a book to please astrology buffs, mystery fans, and political groupies. This novel, set in the year 2006, describes how a successful Washington-based astrologer devotes herself to helping the President. Lots of intrigue and fascinating details of the practice of astrology. The author, who is a professional astrologer, clearly relishes her subject, and it seems to be "in the stars" that she's a skilled writer as well.

Glamorama : A Novel

Glamorama : A Novel
Bret Easton Ellis
Knopf; ISBN: 0375404120

Hey, glamour groupies! Yes, you, the one sneaking a peek at People magazine and InStyle as you stand in line at the store. This satire-thriller-nifty novel features a young man in the Big Apple world of fashion and celebrity worship. Lots of twists, turns and tinkling laughter. "Superb . . . courses with energy and intelligence even as it retains the vacuity of it all." - Bookforum

BIOGRAPHY

Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made

Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made
David Halberstam
Random House; ISBN: 0679415629

Another insightful, fascinating biography from the maestro. "What David Halberstam delivers--and what the reader has come to expect from Halberstam--is insight, balance, analysis, an assemblage of pertinent anecdotes and the kind of digging for information you would get from, say, Schliemann's band of archeologists, hip-high and burrowing deeper into Troy." - The New York Times Book Review

The New Global Leaders; Richard Branson, Percy Barnevik, David Simon and the Remaking of the

The New Global Leaders; Richard Branson, Percy Barnevik, David Simon and the Remaking of the
Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries, Elizabeth Florent-Treacy
Jossey-Bass Publishers; ISBN: 0787946575

What does it take to become the leader of an international corporation in today's turbulent times? This book seeks to answer that question by profiling and analyzing three highly successful global leaders. Kets de Vries, a psychologist, and Florent-Treacy, a management/leadership researcher, have created a well-written, educational guide-to- greatness.

MUSIC TO READ BY

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Uni/Interscope; ASIN: B00000DFDK

These swinging dudes love good, old-fashioned rock & roll. Push back the carpets, slick back your hair, and prepare to have fun. Follow the link above to hear samples of such hip songs as "Minnie the Moocher."