Link to my review of Stephenson's "Anathem"
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Review of the book "Old Man's War"
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really liked this book because it was well written and the story (unlike most of Science Fiction I’ve read) wasn’t silly and yet was believable. Good Science Fiction helps us look into a future and shouldn’t feel like an acid trip in basement full of broken Star Trek memorabilia. This book scored well on both tests. A thorougly enjoyable book.
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My review of the book "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do"
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do by Tom Vanderbilt
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a fairly engaging read. It slows down a bit in the middle and gets better toward the end. Most insightful was the statistics of accidents (showing who generally gets into accidents and why).
If you have a heavy commute, this book will explain a bit of the behavior you see and what you should do about it (stay away from young hormonally driven men in pickup trucks).
In one way this is a sad book. It mentions how little we protest over the deaths of thousands of accident victims each year and yet paralyze ourselves over the modest deaths that come with airline accidents. There is food for thought here and can serve as the foundation for each of us driving a bit smarter and pushing for changes that will results in fewer deaths and injuries.
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My review of "Unthinkable"
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why by Amanda Ripley
My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars
READ THIS BOOK. PERIOD.
How people react to disaster is often different than you think. Most of the time we all go into shock and that shock can benefit or hinder our survivability. The tips in this book will help you harness or overcome (where needed) your instinctive reactions to better survive many situations.
I read this book in only a few hours because the stories and the advice are so compelling. It will make you think differently about how you react to situations and will cause you to change your level of preparedness.
At the end, this is a positive story. Humans in difficult situations bond for the common good. Somewhere in there is the ability to bond through all situations. There are heroes among us and sometimes we just need to look inside ourselves to find them.
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My review of "Proust and the Squid"
Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a very engaging and enlightening book. For someone like me who has a small curious child, this has reinforced the need to read with him every night.
As the book mentions, a child’s brain is naturally able to communicate verbally (all of the neurological structure is there to do this). But a child has to learn how to communicate through writing by forming and utilizing many different areas of the brain. In so doing, the brain is changed (as covered in the book) and forces the child to associate emotions with images.
If you need any impetus to help read to your child every night, read this book. It shows how such as small investment in time will help your child to grow up with the tools needed to prosper in a world that changes day by day.
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My review of Richard Morgan's "Broken Angels"
Broken Angels by Richard K. Morgan
My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ve read a few of Morgan’s previous books (“Market Forces”, “Altered Carbon”) and found this one to be a little less engaging and entertaining than the others. But this story does continue the Kovac’s story line and I do recommend it for Morgan fans.
What I liked about the two previous books was they did not enter the fantasy realm as much as this one. Going into the story about the Martian’s was a bit far fetched and got away from what I feel is Morgan’s amazing insight into what the world will be like in the future.
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My Review of Jeff Shaara's "The Steel Wave"
The Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II by Jeff Shaara
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a very engaging book. I have a hard putting it down and would have finished it by now if I could only keep my eyes open at night.
This is historical drama that I use for entertainment and not for learning more about the events that surrounded D-Day (there are many good books for that).
I thought the amount of material about the tragedy of the beach invasion lacked the importance of the event and some of the dialogue was just downright silly. But other than those points, I have found this a very good book that I will keep to read at some point in the future.
* Update *
I finished this book last night. One of the best things I think Shaara does is end the book with a follow up on what actually happened to the characters he writes about. For me, this brings home the effect war has on people and the emotional cost they carry through the end of their lives.
I look forward to the third book in this trilogy. Keep them coming Mr. Shaara.
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My review of the book "The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal"
The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal by Jonathan Mooney
My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars
For anyone who went through any form of special education, this book is for you.
Reading this book brought back some memories for me. I came through an educational system that treated me as an oddity. In fifth grade I was spending my extra hours reading such books as “All Animals Wise and Wonderful” by James Herriott while my classmates were all reading comics. I had a hard time with how they taught math so my teachers started to label me as a slow learner. Needless to say, I went on to high school where I completed calculus in my final year and have progressed into working as a consultant who helps large companies run complicated software.
The book starts out a little slow. The chapters where Mooney prepares to go on the trip held little stimulating information. It is not until almost halfway into the book that the story takes on life when Mooney visits a deaf blind girl (this chapter is magicical). Wow. What a magical little girl. The chapter about her made me pause for a few moments to consider my life. Here she is, with every excuse to back away from people and live alone within the trappings of her disabilities. But she doesn’t. The little girl loves life and demonstrates it with her powerful personality.
From there the book continues to demonstrate (through other similar stories) that labels thrust upon people should not prevent them from living a full life. Break through the barriers of traditional education. Show the world that you have talent beyond what some people in the closed contrite world of education believe. Everyone has something to contribute and everyone should be included. Like Clinton mentioned in one of his acceptance speeches, It’s not about the “them’s” it’s is about the “us’.”
Looking back, this book could have been written with very little of the information about Mooney’s trip. The people in the different chapters are a story all to themselves. The symbolism of the short bus fell short for me (I never rode one). But for others, the association should be a powerful one.
In short, don’t let the short bus define your life. If anyone tries to put you down or label you as stupid, then push them into the past and blast right on into the future. And for god sakes, never believe anybody in the education system when it comes to who you are and what you should be. They just don’t know.
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Review of Alan Alda's Book "Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself"
Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself by Alan Alda
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a very good book which I found to be better than Alda’s other book from a few years ago.
Alda provides us with wisdom as he goes back through the speeches he has given over the last few years. Much of it is indirect advice he gave to his children. Mainly, his advice is to enjoy life and to fight for the things you believe in. If you feel it in your heart, then validate that feeling by acting on it.
This is great advice from a very profound man. I have admired Alda for his ability to be an artist and a communicator for science. This book demonstrates further, what a gift his presence continues to be for people in both fields.
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