Pick-a-Shelf discussion

I'm interested to see what everyone thinks of the books they read. I saw some interesting titles listed.

I read Dr. Eckener's Dream Machine: The Great Zeppelin and the Dawn of Air Travel 4 stars

This book is a must read for fans of airships. I liked the way the personalities came across. My favourite moment was when Dr Eckener was flying the Graf Zeppelin into such a beautiful cloud formation that he called an artist up to the control deck to draw the view. I might see if I can find a biography of Lady Grace Hay-Drummond-Hay as a follow up.

Finished The Red Queen, gave it 3 stars. Someone who enjoyed reading science would undoubtedly rate it higher, but since I'd really rather be reading fiction, 3* is pretty high praise from me. :) My review here .

I finished 2. In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto 4 stars. I like that it is concise and easy to understand. I also agree with his views on nutrition science. For me the book just makes sense.

Brave New World 2 stars. I don't generally enjoy this type of science fiction writing. But I have liked others I've read better than this one. I didn't really care about any of the characters and I didn't think it reflected our current world as much as some reviewers have said.

Oryx and Crake has been on my TBR forever, so I decided to include it this month even though I wouldn't have put it on the science shelf. It's clearly science fiction. I gave it 3*, but was disappointed not to like it more than I did. I'm now guessing I won't bother with its sequel, The Year of the Flood. My review here .

I finished Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman and gave it 4 stars. This is the review I posted:


Recommended for: lovers of physics, philosophy, fans of Calvino, Borges, Pavić, Rushdie, Murakami, Valente

Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman is a thought-provoking little volume filled with poetic imagery and dreamy (no pun intended) musings on the possible nature(s) of Time. It doesn’t rely heavily on plot, although theoretically the assorted vignettes are intended to be the literal dreams of one man, a young Albert Einstein. His nocturnal wanderings and ponderings relate to his work on his Theory of Relativity at the dawn of the 20th century.

In these various dreams, different conceptions of Time are presented, and we are taken on a what-if ride through the philosophical and practical implications of each. I found each concept both plausible and graspable, and although I am already comfortable with both scientific and philosophical writing, I think most any reader should be able to approach this book comfortably, as the ideas are presented in a down-to-earth, non-technical fashion, with a gently hallucinatory quality that makes them believable as someone’s actual dreams.

Although technically a work of fiction, this book serves more as a philosophy-of-science study and a brain stretcher than an entertainment, even as the words themselves are lyrical and lovely. I will surely revisit this slim volume again, and I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone with a healthy curiosity who is looking for an enchanting diversion that might just teach something, too.

I finished up The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry last it - it was an interesting book about our genetic ancestry and how mitochondrial DNA (which we only get from our mothers) can actually be used to trace our lineage. the researchers found that in Europe 95% of the population can trace their lineage back to 7 main women, who lived anywhere from 45,000 years to 20,000 years ago. It also had some stuff on how they proved Anna Anderson wasn't Princess Anastasia (the Russian princess executed in 1918) and lots of other interesting facts. One part that I liked was that the author included information on the people who didn't like the science, or tried to prove it wrong, in particular, one who published a paper with false data knowingly which couldn't have ruined the whole thing - so that really brought the idea of scientific integrity to light.

Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "I finished up The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry last it - it was an interesting book about our genetic ancestry and how mitochondrial DNA (whic..."

Dee,
Based on what you've said about this, you might like the book I'm reading right now, Delusions of Gender. It too does a lot of pointing out either sloppy work or downright misrepresentations that lead to people accepting things as facts when there's not really much support for them.

thanks for the rec - i'll check it out...the part i mentioned was only a small chapter in the book, but I think he did a good job in highlighting that, as well as the cut-throat nature of being involved in a science field where you are always trying to prove or disprove a theory to get ahead of your fellow scientists

In between the "true" science books I'm reading, I'm treating myself to some of the science fiction books that made their way onto the shelf. School's Out - Forever is one of those. It's the 2nd in a series, and I actually liked it better than I'd liked the first one. My review here.

I just finished Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883, which is a fascinating look at the history of discoveries arriving at plate tectonics, with Krakatoa as the main volcanic focus. Very interesting to hear about the aftermath and how it affected the entire world.

Living not too many miles away and downwind from a sleeping volcano myself, I have always been interested in the history of volcanic eruptions. As a child, I used to camp at Spirit Lake on Mt. St. Helens, heard it when it exploded (though I was many miles away and did not see it), and have visited it since, so that adds to my interest in volcanoes.

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void****, this was a really enjoyable listen. I think the reader did a great job and had just the right tone.

This book focuses more on the human side of the space program - what can you eat, how do you go to the bathroom and can you have sex in space? It is much more light hearted than most books dealing with the space program but very enjoyable. This was my first book by this author and I will be looking forward to reading or listening to more of her work.


Darwin's Island: The Galapagos in the Garden of England ***. An interesting read but a bit dry in places, this focuses on some of the other papers and books that Darwin wrote.

What We Believe But Cannot Prove: Today's Leading Thinkers on Science in the Age of Certainty **. Not a great book, this asks scientists and non-scientists what they believe but doesn't demand that they produce proof to back up their beliefs.

On the plus side this book had a chicken on the front and Darwin's Island has bees on its cover so they provided me with two books for this months ROAR challenge.

If you've looked at my review of Delusions of Gender (review here ), you know how impressed I am by it. I guess male vs female differences has always been an interest of mine. I hate that so many bright girls and women think they just can't do math because they're female. In fact, trying to help get rid of some of that is one of the main reasons I became a teacher.

But in recent years, I've heard more and more "scientific results" that I just haven't known how to answer. So I've begun to doubt my own convictions. And that, Fine says, is a huge part of the problem -- we're convinced by what we're told, and so we unwittingly make it reality.

Do put this on your lists, everyone! There's still 2 weeks to go in February, plenty of time. (Oh, and Fine is Australian -- so you could possibly get both Jan. & Feb. points for it in the ROAR.)

Susan wrote: "If you've looked at my review of Delusions of Gender (review here ), you know how impressed I am by it. I guess male vs female differences has always been an interest of mine. I ha..."

I'm adding that to my TBR - and a few others that have been reviewed above.

So after some real science, a little science fiction just for fun. I gave The Accidental Time Machine 3 stars. My review here

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain 3 stars

This book was really quite interesting. I learned about brain worms (the little bits of songs and jingles that get stuck in your head a loop over and over), as well as music hallucinations, people who see color or taste tastes when they hear music, and other almost unbelievable things I'd never heard of before. The author is the same man who wrote the book from which the movie "Awakenings" is based. I'm glad I read it.

Thanks to this shelf I finally read Ender's Game and I really enjoyed it. I have owned this book for ages but kept putting it off thinking that it wasn't my type of book and that it would be a chore to read. I gave it 4 stars as it kept me interested, I cared about Ender and the other characters and it was exciting.

I am planning to get the 2nd book soon, I really want to know what happens as I feel this could easily have been a stand alone book.

I read Changeless. Although I would not necessarily label the book a science book, I see why someone might. There is a little bit of scientific chatter, but it is more fanciful and speculative. I mean the scientists are interested in studying vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural beings.
Although I would not say it is a science book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and plan to continue with the series.

I miss Prospero's Book (my local independent that closed at Christmas).

I had to get on a bus last weekend to look for a copy of Godel, Escher, Bach. Couldn't find it in the chain stores anywhere. I did see Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme going cheap though. It name checks Douglas R. Hofstadter so I thought I'd give it a try. Big mistake. See my review here.
It's not all bad though - just got a copy of QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter through Read it/Swap it- so I think I'll do 2 science book this month.

Chris wrote: "I miss Prospero's Book (my local independent that closed at Christmas).

I had to get on a bus last weekend to look for a copy of Godel, Escher, Bach. Couldn't find it in the chain st..."

Chris,
Where do you live? I don't want to give up my copy of Godel, Escher, Bach. But I could mail it to loan to you if you're not far away. I live in the US, in Indiana. On the other hand, it's long and hard reading (though worth it), so you wouldn't be likely to get it and finish it before the month was up. Maybe a library?

Nancy Kress is one of my favorite authors, so it's no surprise that I loved Nothing Human

It's a bit hard to find -- I had to buy a used one on the web. But if you enjoy thoughtful science fiction, it's worth it. My review here .

Chris wrote: "I miss Prospero's Book (my local independent that closed at Christmas).

I had to get on a bus last weekend to look for a copy of Godel, Escher, Bach. Couldn't find it in the chain st..."

Hi Susan,

Thanks - That's very kind of you! Except I live in London - so the postage would be huge.

I could always get a bus to Foyle's in the West End, but it's hard to find the time.
I just really miss having local independent book stores. Lazy I suppose.

Many Thanks again for the offer.

Chris

I read American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Not my favorite. I think I would prefer non-fiction science. I am not entirely sure why several people shelved it at science though. It was about the different beliefs in gods that people brought with them when they came to America. Gaiman's writing is just more raw and graphic than I am comfortable with and so I just tried to get finished as quickly as possible. I appreciate his craft with language, and the uniqueness of the plot and characters, but I just can't enjoy the violence and sex scenes.

Crystal wrote: "I read American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Not my favorite. I think I would prefer non-fiction science. I am not entirely sure why several people shelved it at science tho..."

Interesting that this book is shelved with both science and mythology. So some of you read it this month, and it's on my list for next. I wonder how many others there are on both shelves? I wouldn't have expected a lot of overlap.

I finished one of the books on my list, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Why this book is on the science shelf, I have no idea. There is no science in it at all, but since I plan to claim wide point for it on ROAR, I will post my review.

Last night I stayed up and finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and it is getting the coveted 5 stars. To quote my friend Marilyn, "The Hunger Games is a cross between The Running Man and Survivor with The Truman Show thrown in for good measure." That exactly sums up this YA book about a dystopian society where the masses are kept in line by having to supply a pair of children from each district once a year to compete in a competition where only one can survive, and all the others must die. The way they are chosen, the competition, and what comes after will make you anxious for the second book in the series.

I finished two books this weekend while I was out-of-town (at the beach -yay!).

The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson is a biography of the scientist-theologian, Joseph Priestly. He isolated and figured out the "job" of oxygen, basically invented ecosystem science, and was a co-founder of the Unitarian Church. His friends were great thinkers of his day like Franklin and Jefferson. His story plays out in England and the United States. Very interesting, though occasionally a bit of dry reading. 3.5 stars

Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease was a fascinating look at how man has overcome diseases of the past by changes in our bodies that caused other diseases in future generations. Our bodies and other organisms change to enable survival of the species past reproductive ages. In the chapter "Of Microbes and Men" there are examples of how other organisms fight for their survival -- the creepy(and amazing) little dicrocoelium dentriticum, the parasitic hairworm, and things we may have heard of before like the Guinea worm. Very interesting and very readable. 4 stars.

I chose to read Mockingjay for this challenge, as well as finishing the series.

I found it to be sad and a little more scattered than the rest of the series. I am still not sure what both Peeta and Gale see in Katnis, but I am content with the ending of the series. I gave this 4 stars.

LynnB - you might the one i'm reading right now - its about John Snow and the Cholera epidemic that hit London in the 1850's and how he identified the source of it, using disease clusters and commonality sources - vice the idea of miasmas' that were so prevalent at the time...i'm almost done with it and will post the review soon

LynnB wrote: "I finished two books this weekend while I was out-of-town (at the beach -yay!).

The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson is a biography of the scientist-theologian, Joseph Priestly. ..."

Delicious Dee Challenge Addict wrote: "LynnB - you might the one i'm reading right now - its about John Snow and the Cholera epidemic that hit London in the 1850's and how he identified the source of it, using disease clusters and commo..."

DeliciousDee, I have read that one and I think it was very interesting. I love to find out how they researched/figured out the answers to puzzles like diseases. I'll be reading your review to see if you liked it.

Debbie wrote: "I chose to read Mockingjay for this challenge, as well as finishing the series.

I found it to be sad and a little more scattered than the rest of the series. I am still not sure wh..."

I just finished this today and also gave it 4 stars, I am not sure if I liked the ending or not. It was not as good as the other 2 but still enjoyable although it did drag in parts.

Lyn M wrote: "I finished one of the books on my list, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Why this book is on the science shelf, I have no idea. There is no science in it at a..."

Ummmm, not so much. I know I am the only person in the universe who didn't care so much for this book, but I'm glad you enjoyed it.

******SPOILER****

Didn't you think the robotic dogs at the end were a little much?

I just finished the science fiction book I was reading for the science shelf and I agree with some others that I don't know why it was classified as science, but I'm glad it was because I loved it.

The book was Blackout, and is the second book I have read by Connie Willis. I would definitely give this book 4*. I can not wait to read everything else she has written.

This book is about 3 time travelers who each get stuck in a different aspect of the London Blitz during WWII. One is a shopgirl in London, one is a maid in a manor house were evacuated children were sent, and the last is a "reporter" who ends up on a boat evacuating soldiers from Dunkirk.

THe book was a great mix of historical fiction, comedy and tragedy. I hope that some of the same "contemp" characters return in the sequel All Clear. I really want to find out what happens to Binnie and Alf and if Polly and Sir Godfrey ever deepen their relationship.

The only thing that kept this from being a 5* read is that I got a little tired of the three time travelers rationalizing why they weren't stuck in time, as they clearly were. It got a little whiney.

For anyone who hasn't yet read anything by Ms. Willis I say "What are you waiting for?"

Lynne wrote: "Lyn M wrote: "I finished one of the books on my list, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Why this book is on the science shelf, I have no idea. There is no scie..."

I was thinking the whole Hunger Games arenas fit the science plus they had hover crafts and genetically engineered stuff in the Capital.

I think some people are just too lazy to label their shelves properly as science fiction.

If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! was sitting around at home, is on the science shelf, and has a pink cover. So it seemed the time to read it and decide whether to keep or get rid of it. I found it quite dated, but interesting if you think of it as reading about what someone thought at that time. My review here .

Coralie wrote: "I think some people are just too lazy to label their shelves properly as science fiction."

I don't think it is so much being lazy as it is making a differecne what you consider the definition of science verses science fiction. Some thing could be both/either depending on how you define it and everybody has there own why of doing that.

Lynne wrote: "Lyn M wrote: "I finished one of the books on my list, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Why this book is on the science shelf, I have no idea. There is no scie..."

(view spoiler)[I almost laughed when I got to that part cuz I was sure that was the part that you were talking about. I could have done without that part myself. Not really necessary to the story. Actually I thought it detracted from it as it made it seem like Katniss and Peeta were too weak to win on their own. (hide spoiler)]

i finished up The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World today - it was an interesting look at the Cholera Epidemic which hit London in the 1950's and how John Snow utilized various methods (water source, sewers, population illness) to identify where the outbreak occurred. It was controversial because during his time, the miasmists (those that believed illness was caused by smell) were prominent, and so he faced an uphill battle to convince people of what he knew. The epilogue and broad street (the site of the outbreak) at the end goes on to discuss how his information then is used today with other disease outbreaks and touched briefly on how if diseases such as this were utilized as biological weapons what we could expect.

I decided now was the time to read To Say Nothing of the Dog, because of my zodiac sign. I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as others of this group who've reviewed it earlier.

Also, in my opinion, it's misplaced on this shelf. There's no real science here at all; a little science fiction, but even that is skimpy, in my opinion.

My review here .

Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers by Michael Baden with Marion Roach.

When I first saw the shelf was Science, I admit it, I groaned. Then I figured that I like thrillers, so a book on forensics might be pretty good. And I was right. Between Marion Roach's writing style, and Michael Baden's experience in forensics, this book was a surprisingly easy read. Definitely a 4 star read and recommended for anyone who is interested in the science behind the thrillers that are so popular.

And can I just say - this is what is so great about this group. I NEVER would have come across this book or picked it up, much less read it, if it wasn't for this group. Again...A big thanks to all the members and the mods that keep this group running.

Lyn M - that book looks interesting - I find it intriguing in one of the reviews I just saw when looking at it mentioned that he discusses the TWA 800 flight that went down off the coast of New Jersey in 1995 and (I don't know if it was him or the reviewer) but it is referred to as a bombing when it has been proved since about 1997 that it was an explosion of the fuel tanks - I recently attended a course with the guy who headed up the investigation into the incident, as well as going to the NTSB training academy and seeing the wreckage that was re-assembled into a portion of the plane (words cannot describe it) - however, there are a few court cases out there (one which may make it to the supreme court) that claims it was an act of terrorism and that the government is covering things up

Dee - He didn't talk a lot about TWA 800, but it was in the book. Interestingly, he never referred to it as a bombing that I can recall. He just talked about it with respect to how they were able to eventually identify some remains for every passenger on the plane. Maybe it was the reviewer that referred to it as a bombing? His line is "TWA 800 which exploded and fell from the air over the Atlantic Ocean just east of Long Island." One of the things that he talks a lot about is how forensics is a science and therefore a person practicing it should stick to the facts and not draw conclusions or embellish.

it was the reviewer then - based on how they wrote it, i couldn't tell if it was something that he wrote, or they assumed...they talked about identifying the remains of the people at the seminar i attended...how the navy divers were responsible for retrieving lots of the bodies...it made you cringe just seeing some of the footage we saw

I'll bet. WOW. What do you do that you were at a course that included this subject? I't must have been fascinating.

Back to Baden - the chapter on Dr. Henry Lee was fabulous. What a fascinating person he is.

I was attending a course on intelligence analysis in DC and the one guest speaker was the individual who headed up the investigation and how initially he thought it was a bombing or a missile that had caused it to go down, but that he was able to eventually prove through science (physics) what had caused it (lots of sound analysis - the explosion and then the time it takes for sound to travel various distances etc).

Lyn M wrote: "Dead Reckoning: The New Science of Catching Killers by Michael Baden with Marion Roach.

When I first saw the shelf was Science, I admit it, I groaned. Then I figu..."

I totally agree! I didn't want to read from the Science shelf either and I have to say *drum roll* that I actually think it has been my favorite so far. That's right, I said it...and now that I understand a little more about science I know that no lightning bolt is going to strike me. Oh, wait,,,next month is about Zeus. Maybe I better duck just to be safe. :)

Lynne wrote: "I totally agree! I didn't want to read from the Science shelf either and I have to say *drum roll* that I actually think it has been my favorite so far. That's right, I said it.."

Whoa! Amazing! :)

Lynee you have me yet again in stitches here


"I know that no lightning bolt is going to strike me. Oh, wait,,,next month is about Zeus. Maybe I better duck just to be safe. :) "

*killing myself laughing*

Here is my review for the 2nd book I've finished from the science shelf.

The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief was a 4* read for me.

It was an interesting book about how science an religion should not be opposed to one another, they should actually be embraced as supporting on another fully.


It was written by Francis Collins who was the head of the Genome Project when the final mapping of the human Genome was completed. He talks a little about why he converted from atheism to Christianity, but much more of the book is devoted to WHY he came to the conclusion that God must exist and that not only is there a higher power, but that higher power wants to be intimately involved with humankind. He also spends much of the book explaining and debuncking various theories of those who do not believe in a higher power.

I enjoyed the book because it gave me some facts and arguments to back up what I have always felt was true about God and evolution. It turns out that I am a "theistic evolutionist". I also now understand why I am not a believer in "intelligent design". I would be interested to see how someone who doesn't go into reading this book initially agreeing with Dr. Collins would recieve his arguments. Would they seem as logical to a non-believer as they did to me? I don't know.

The main point of the book is that whether or not you come to one conclusion or the other "Does God exist?" is probably the most important question each person must answer for themselves. Dr. Collins' opinion is that the decision should not be made lightly, apathetically or based on a lack of information.

I finished A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes by Stephen W. Hawking. I enjoyed it much more than I expected! I'm working on my review. When it is done, it will be here.