The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

15.9 - Geek Pride Day
May 25th is Geek Pride Day!! Embrace your inner nerd by reading a book (fiction or non-fiction) that focuses on a STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) topic or that features a hero or heroine that would be considered a nerd, geek, or genius. Here are some lists and examples to get you started: Books with Nerdy, Geeky, or Genius Heroes and Heroines; Hackers; Medicine and Literature; Best Pop Science Books; Nerd Do Well; Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions; An Abundance of Katherines; Steve Jobs; The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal Required: If the connection is not obvious in the GR description, please explain how your book fits the task when you post.

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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - would this be OK for science?

mstan wrote: "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - would this be OK for science?"

Absolutely.

Does The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley work. It says that the 11 year old heroine is an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison in the description

Sam wrote: "Does The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley work. It says that the 11 year old heroine is an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison in the descri..."

I think Flavia would definitely be considered a geek ;-). Yes, it works.

does this work Queen Geeks In Love

does Defying Convention work - they meet at a sci-fi convention...which to me screams geek/nerd (although i've never been to one...)

JennRenee wrote: "does this work Queen Geeks In Love"

Yes, that will work.

Dee wrote: "does Defying Convention work - they meet at a sci-fi convention...which to me screams geek/nerd (although i've never been to one...)"

From the reviews I read it certainly seems to fit.

thanks Kristi ;) I have a back-up one just in case, but this one sounds cute

I read about that at some point. I thought it sounded cute as well, Dee.

I'm thinking about using The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry - it seems sufficiently science-y to me, but wanted to make sure.

Jessica wrote: "I'm thinking about using The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry - it seems sufficiently science-y to me, but wanted to make sure."

Definitely science-y enough. Looks good!

Do the Artemis Fowl books work? He's a genius thief.
The Arctic Incident

Kathy G. wrote: "Do the Artemis Fowl books work? He's a genius thief.
The Arctic Incident"

They do.

I think this is OK but wanted to double-check - The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel?

I'm guessing Holmes qualifies as a genius and a bit of a proto-geek?

KarenF wrote: "I think this is OK but wanted to double-check - The House of Silk: A Sherlock Holmes Novel?

I'm guessing Holmes qualifies as a genius and a bit of a proto-geek?"

Holmes works.

I think this one will work Evil Genius

JennRenee wrote: "I think this one will work Evil Genius"

Absolutely. It's on my list, too. Looks good!

Ok one more Art Geeks and Prom Queens

JennRenee wrote: "Ok one more Art Geeks and Prom Queens"

That one works, too.

Does Looking for Alaska work?

Pollyanna wrote: "Does Looking for Alaska work?"

Looks like Miles is a bit of an outcast so, yes, it'll work.

Last Thursday I checked How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. I haven't read it yet an wondered if it would work for this task.

Donna Jo wrote: "Last Thursday I checked How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe. I haven't read it yet an wondered if it would work for this task."

Sounds like it has science and technology woven throughout it so, yes, it'll work.

How about The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. I am professed Chemistry Geek (even have a degree in it) and this really sounds cool.

April, I read that one for Joanna's microhistory task in the current challenge, and it's really good! Hope you enjoy it!

Jessica wrote: "April, I read that one for Joanna's microhistory task in the current challenge, and it's really good! Hope you enjoy it!"

Wish I had read it for that one instead of Salt: A World History. Salt was not good.

Jessica wrote: "April, I read that one for Joanna's microhistory task in the current challenge, and it's really good! Hope you enjoy it!"

that does look really good. i'm a complete science geek, so i'm definitely putting it on my to-read list !!!

April wrote: "How about The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. I am professed Chemistry Geek (even hav..."

Absolutely. I've got that one on my list, too! I almost got a degree in chemistry but couldn't decide between that and biology, so I went with biochem instead ;-).

i hope this book works for this task (its about how societies developed technology)
- i really want to read it!

Mariya wrote: " i hope this book works for this task (its about how societies developed technology)
- i really want to read it!"

Yes, that works. I've heard it's really good, too. Enjoy!

Would Deception Point or Digital Fortress work for this task?

Kathryn CA wrote: "Would Deception Point or Digital Fortress work for this task?"

Yes, either one would work for this task.

Kristi (Passion for the Page) wrote: "Kathryn CA wrote: "Would Deception Point or Digital Fortress work for this task?"

Yes, either one would work for this task."

Thanks!

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle was on the books with nerdy, geeky... heros list. I haven't read it- will it work for this task? Thanks!

Jayme VA wrote: "A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle was on the books with nerdy, geeky... heros list. I haven't read it- will it work for this task? Thanks!"

Wikidpedia describes Meg (one of the main characters) as: "Mathematically brilliant but less than adept at other subjects in school, Meg is "awkward", unpopular, and defensive around authority figures as well as her peers." So, yes, it'll work.

I assume this would work for mathematics - The Square Root of Murder?

Kristi (Passion for the Page) wrote: "Jayme VA wrote: "A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle was on the books with nerdy, geeky... heros list. I haven't read it- will it work for this task? Thanks!"

Wikidp..."

Thanks Kristi! I'm excited to finally read this!

Any Sherlock Holmes book?

Suzanne wrote: "I assume this would work for mathematics - The Square Root of Murder?"

Yes, it will.

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Any Sherlock Holmes book?"

Yes, any book featuring Sherlock Holmes would work.

Kristi,
Another option:
?

WHEN John Caine, an obscure midlevel banker from Detroit, accepts the opportunity of a lifetime to manage the backroom business functions of an important National Institutes of Health medical research lab in Bethesda, he believes his ship has finally come in. But his quirky penchant for illicit tinkering results in the creation and accidental release of a powerful new virus, with effects no one could have imagined. Only he holds the answer to how it can be stopped, and he's not telling. Caine finds himself confronted with a desperate White House and an onslaught of rage from all quarters of the world's bureaucracies, while his compulsive and unrequited romantic fascination with a distinguished female scientist adds to his woes.

Fast paced, provocative, and offbeat, this cautionary story is thick with political satire and intrigue. It occurs in a world of government turned upside down, where Nancy Pelosi is president of the United States and George Bush a convicted felon. Caine's Pestilence brings together present and former U.S. presidents, would-be assassins, two Supreme Court chief justices, national media political commentators and the infamous prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, all in a story readers will not be able to put aside.

Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Kristi,
Another option:
?

WHEN John Caine, an obscure midlevel banker from Detroit, accepts the opportunity of a lifetime to manage the backroom ..."

That would work.

Kristi (Passion for the Page) wrote: "Anne (Booklady) wrote: "Kristi,
Another option:
?

WHEN John Caine, an obscure midlevel banker from Detroit, accepts the opportunity of a lifetim..."

Thanks, I may do this one since I see many reading plans have Sherlock Holmes.

Are either of these geeky enough?

Ysabel
Description: Fifteen-year-old Canadian Ned Marriner accompanies his famous photographer father, Edward, on a shoot at Aix-en-Provence's Saint-Saveur Cathedral while his physician mother, Meghan, braves the civil war zone in Sudan with Doctors Without Borders. As Ned explores the old cathedral, he meets Kate Wenger, a geeky but attractive American girl who's a walking encyclopedia of history. In the ancient baptistry, the pair are surprised by a mysterious, scarred man wielding a knife who warns that they've "blundered into a corner of a very old story. It is no place for children." But Ned and Kate can't avoid becoming dangerously entangled in a 2,500-year-old love triangle among mythic figures.

or

A Spy in the House
Description: Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there?

Chris wrote: "Are either of these geeky enough?

Ysabel works. A Spy in the House not so much.

Kristi (Passion for the Page) wrote: "Chris wrote: "Are either of these geeky enough?

Ysabel works. A Spy in the House not so much."

Great, thanks. Ysabel was my top choice.