Fun images

From my instagram page, a picture of the physical books I have received:

Scientific Autobiography

Sorry, Max, this just wasn’t that interesting to me. The title is fitting, though, as this is not really a personal history, more the history of some scientific advances and different peoples’ disputing theories. These pieces might sound better at a seminar – indeed, they originally were lectures. The reading might be better in print, too, which made me wonder what Max Planck would have thought of ebooks.

November post

This being the last day of the month, and I haven't posted any reviews, I will just give an update on what I've been reading. I read the other "Yosemite Meditations" book; my first Stephen King book (borrowed from a friend), "Under the Dome"; and a book on a topic I've always found interesting, biomimicry, called "The Shark's Paintbrush".

Dataclysm

This is a really interesting book. We’re hearing a lot about big data, but here is a different look at some of it. Everything here is fresh. This is not another attempt to explain statistical methods either. Rather, the data speaks for itself (selves? “data” is plural, if you want to be technical). There is so much of it out there that we can now see very revealing trends. These are often in line with cultural assumptions, but there are some new insights, too. And, it’s all backed up by numbers. The volume alone is outstanding, and the author repeats a fact that I still find shocking: there are more tweeted words in two years than printed words for as long as there have been printed words.

Nest

As with my last review, I want to leave out specific events from this book’s plot. Instead I will attempt to explain how the book is unique, and why it is worth reading. (That’s the point of a review, isn’t it?) This book is sad, and, in parallel, really quite charming – that descriptor just seems to fit.

The Magician's Land

Note: I won a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.

As this is the third book in a trilogy, I had to read the first two first, so I will treat the three as a whole for purposes of this review. Each book could stand on its own, but they’re even better together, as a series. Once again, it’s hard for me to review fiction without giving away too much. The plot, each book by itself, and the larger story in one, is compelling; your interest and attention are held with an iron grip.

Yosemite Meditations for Adventurers | Blue Horses

I was very lucky to win both of these through goodreads, and as they arrived around the same time, I thought I would feature them together here. Both are pocket-sized and full of admiration of nature. These will be nice to carry around and think about outside somewhere.

The Rosie Effect

The predecessor to “The Rosie Effect” hit a little too close to home for me: a geneticist uncomfortable in many social situations, among other reasons. Having read a few other books that deal in one way or another with the autism spectrum, I understand this condition to be different in all people anyway. Thus I feel that writing of that perspective from the outside requires caution in attaining a semblance of accuracy. So, I wasn’t sure what to think, but accepted that the story of Don and Rosie is a romantic comedy, and is best when taken lightly. These books are very entertaining, and unlike Don Tillman’s approach, it shouldn’t be picked apart in a logical way.

A Forest A River and me

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Patrick Michael Murphy offers a very close and personal look into living off the grid. In this book he is in Idaho, near the Priest River. While he had lived in other similar places, this time he was much more on his own. His friend Stan helped him construct the two cabins on the land, which they had decided to purchase together and utilize with the lowest possible impact. This is a lifestyle many environmental types might fantasize of pursuing, but is full of challenges and unexpected complications. Patrick went into this situation with substantial credit card debt among other obstacles, but made a great effort to live this way, and shares some of his lessons in this book.

2 A.M. at The Cat's Pajamas

A feel-good book is always welcome. Many readers will find “2 A.M. at The Cat’s Pajamas” to have an overall uplifting effect. If you liked “The Good Luck of Right Now” (see also “Silver Linings Playbook”) you will probably also delight in this Philadelphia story. The Cat’s Pajamas is a jazz club in Philadelphia’s Fishtown – another name I like. The house band there is the Cubanistas, led by Max Cubanista, who tells people he is from Cuba. Lorca, however, inherited the place along with the prized Snakehead guitar. His son Alex, the next generation, practices guitar when he can, while in another part of the city young Madeleine hopes to sing, anywhere, since they won’t let her at Saint Anthony’s. Her teacher and her principle – childhood classmate of Madeleine’s recently deceased mother – don’t know what to do with this sassy girl. The things a child like Madeleine worries about, and isn’t afraid of, and the grown-ups, they have their significant memories and imaginings. Everyone has their flaws, and their positive character traits. One complaint I’d have is that some of the secondary characters are a little hard to sort out; they are in and out, usually together, so telling one from another may require a closer second reading. However, I give this book points for the descriptions of music, and for its real originality, making the unnoticed details of everyday life shine, and in the crossing paths of the various characters. Though the chapters are only an hour or less apart, each passage feels like a new day, showing how much can happen in a day – and a night.