This slim volume was recommended to me by Dad, and I really enjoyed it -- a quick read! So it turns out that it has long been easy to reckon one's latitude on the planet, but as recently as the late 1700's, there was no good way to reckon longitude. Who knew? It was a huge scientific/mathematical/astronomical/horological conundrum which had far-reaching military and mercantile implications. It was so important an issue for the British empire that King George III created a commission to solve the problem, and they created a competition with a huge monetary prize -- something like a million dollars today. This book tells the story of the actors in the administration of, and competition for, this prize, and it's loaded with intrigue, jealousy, and treachery, and it is centered on one lone eccentric who became the father of modern, accurate time-keeping through his solitary genius and creativity. It's quite a bit more interesting and intriguing than you'd imagine. Fun!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost
This was a fun, light read about a guys experiences while living on a Pacific atoll for 2 years. It's mostly about the culture shot he and his wife experienced all written in a sarcastic, humorous way. It's pretty short and quick to read. I laughed out loud several times on the bus while reading it. Not a whole lot in terms of plot here, but the outlandish living conditions are enough to keep me reading. I plan to read his next book, Lost on Planet China as well which I'll post about when I'm done. It gets my recommendation, especially if you just finished a long, relatively humorless 2000+ page trilogy ;)
Red Mars / Green Mars / Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
The following is a review of the Red Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. I decided to post them all as one post since I feel like they all really go together. One word of caution, llllloooooonnnnnggggg. You can't really judge how big a book is on a Kindle until you realize you've been reading 2 hours/day for a week and are only 25% of the way through. All 3 books are lengthy but I thoroughly enjoyed the saga.
The story follows the lives of the first 100 people to colonize Mars. They don't really have a goal when the international team lands on the red planet but the books are about what the first 100 do and how they work to achieve their vision of what the new world should be. The time line is fairly unrealistic (they first land in 2026 I believe for example) and the rate at which humans develop new technology makes the Renaissance look like the dark ages. But the story doesn't focus on the science fiction so much as the human and cultural forces experienced by the people there and their relationship with those still on Earth and the terrans who followed them to the red planet. The first 100 were a diverse group so while the narrative wanders back and forth among them, the reader gets to look through the eyes of biologists, physicists, geologists, ecologists, engineers, psychologists, and anarchists and get a feel for what they think is important in life and their fight to get it.
The settlers go about creating a completely new world, as opposed to a second Earth. I really enjoyed many of the changes proposed to traditional society but the author. One major element the author projected is the predicament Earth will be in in the next few hundred years. To me, the major point of the trilogy was to get people thinking about what the future holds for the world and what can be done to change it. He proposes some radical ideas which would likely never be possible on a world with so much momentum in one direction but the first 100 got the privilege to start fresh and do it right from the beginning.
This isn't so much your typical aliens vs. humans, pew-pew shoot em up kind of sci/fi, but more of a fictional anthropology set in the future. I really really liked it and felt fulfilled when the 3rd book was over. There is excellent character development and enough drama and excitement to keep me entertained all while exploring what we think of as human nature and how that can change depending on cultural influences.
The story follows the lives of the first 100 people to colonize Mars. They don't really have a goal when the international team lands on the red planet but the books are about what the first 100 do and how they work to achieve their vision of what the new world should be. The time line is fairly unrealistic (they first land in 2026 I believe for example) and the rate at which humans develop new technology makes the Renaissance look like the dark ages. But the story doesn't focus on the science fiction so much as the human and cultural forces experienced by the people there and their relationship with those still on Earth and the terrans who followed them to the red planet. The first 100 were a diverse group so while the narrative wanders back and forth among them, the reader gets to look through the eyes of biologists, physicists, geologists, ecologists, engineers, psychologists, and anarchists and get a feel for what they think is important in life and their fight to get it.
The settlers go about creating a completely new world, as opposed to a second Earth. I really enjoyed many of the changes proposed to traditional society but the author. One major element the author projected is the predicament Earth will be in in the next few hundred years. To me, the major point of the trilogy was to get people thinking about what the future holds for the world and what can be done to change it. He proposes some radical ideas which would likely never be possible on a world with so much momentum in one direction but the first 100 got the privilege to start fresh and do it right from the beginning.
This isn't so much your typical aliens vs. humans, pew-pew shoot em up kind of sci/fi, but more of a fictional anthropology set in the future. I really really liked it and felt fulfilled when the 3rd book was over. There is excellent character development and enough drama and excitement to keep me entertained all while exploring what we think of as human nature and how that can change depending on cultural influences.
A Thousand Splended Suns by Khaled Hosseini
I have a bit of a backlog of books that I've read recently. I keep track of what I read here which is a pretty decent website in my opinion to help you remember what you've read.
Anyway, content ahoy!
A Thousand Splendid Suns follows the lives of two Afghan women through the 70s to the recent past. It gives a great feeling for the difficulties women go through on a daily basis and the discrimination they face under the rules of the Taliban. There are happy parts and heartbreaking events but overall it talks about the importance of love even in the face of tremendous loss and oppression. If nothing else, it made me glad that I live in a country where people are guaranteed certain human rights and are allowed to choose how they live their lives. It is a good insight into the lives of those much less fortunate than us and helped give me a tiny glimpse of what life is like in war-torn Afghanistan.
I've never read The Kite Runner, but I've heard many people compare it to that (same author). It was a moderately easy read but not for the light-hearted.
Anyway, content ahoy!
A Thousand Splendid Suns follows the lives of two Afghan women through the 70s to the recent past. It gives a great feeling for the difficulties women go through on a daily basis and the discrimination they face under the rules of the Taliban. There are happy parts and heartbreaking events but overall it talks about the importance of love even in the face of tremendous loss and oppression. If nothing else, it made me glad that I live in a country where people are guaranteed certain human rights and are allowed to choose how they live their lives. It is a good insight into the lives of those much less fortunate than us and helped give me a tiny glimpse of what life is like in war-torn Afghanistan.
I've never read The Kite Runner, but I've heard many people compare it to that (same author). It was a moderately easy read but not for the light-hearted.
How to add yourself as a contributor
For those of you who use gmail as your primary email account, you might be like me and find it frustrating to have to sign out of gmail and sign into the familyofreaders account in order to post (actually anyone can do this). To avoid this, simply log onto faimilyofreaders@gmail.com (like usual) go to "new post, "settings", "permissions", then click on "add authors". You can add your email address and you will be sent an email with instructions on how to confirm/accept the invitation to contribute to this blog. This way you won't have to sign out/sign in in the future.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
if you want to be happier, read this book-- really.
Family member: Aniko
Book: EAT, PRAY, LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert
Brad and I stopped by The Strand Bookstore again last Monday so he could pick up a new Oliver Sacks book (which looks really cool-- can't wait to read his review). I spent the whole time winding through the miles of narrow stacks across three floors. I was unfocused, unable to commit to buying a book, even ones I had been meaning to read forever. After an hour, I was standing with Brad in line, resigned to leaving without something to read. At that moment, though, out of the corner of my eye I saw a book with three huge words on the cover: EAT, PRAY, LOVE. On an impulse I grabbed the book and thrust it onto the checkout counter at the last second.
I'm generally a pretty picky reader. I normally choose classics, modernist novels, and quirky contemporary stories (which, more often than not are set in NYC). I'm not sure that I had read anything on a New York Times bestseller list before. But, let me tell you-- this book was AMAZING. I wasn't able to put it down until I finished it this morning (silently reading while Brad made me breakfast and then silently reading while I ate the breakfast and he stared at me).
I had read an article about the backlash against the book the day before (as they say there's no such thing as bad press) and was intrigued by what the article said. EAT, PRAY, LOVE is an autobiographical account of the trip the author took to Italy, India, and Bali after a painful divorce and her equally painful subsequent relationship. She basically eats her way through her 4 months in Rome (gaining 23 healing pounds in the process!). She then spends 4 months meditating in an Ashram in India (which I think is really, really cool. She attempts to describe the absolutely outofthisworld experiences that she has while meditating and I'm definitely intrigued). Finally, in Bali (which also sounds amazing) she comes to a point of balance someplace between that decadence and the self control.
This story would normally sound far too ridiculous for the often cynical me to be interested-- but it's good, really good. She's a fantastic writer (if a bit of an emotional wreck as a person) and the way she's able to weave the story together is fascinating and intriguing. And inspiring. GIlbert's journey for self discovery is already nudging me to take stock of what's important and what's excess in my life and how to remain balanced and happy. If this is telling-- when I finish a book that I'm really in love with, I normally feel a bit depressed when I come to the end because it's over. The end of this book left me feeling both empowered and relaxed-- I'm a bit incredulous that the book had such an great impact on me, but I love it all the same.
Don't get me wrong, though-- there's no way that I'm going to see the movie. The movie's going to be ridiculous.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
it worked!
So here's what you do if you want to get an email every time there is a new post (I know I do). Click on "New Post", and on the next page, click on "Settings", and on the next page, click on "Email & Mobile", and on that page, put your email address next to mine in the top box, separated by a comma. Then click on "Save Settings" at the bottom and you are ready to go.
David
one more thing....
If you'd like email notification of new comments as well, go to "Settings", then "Comments", and scroll all the way to the bottom to Comment Notification Email and fill in your email address just like before.
D
Monday, August 9, 2010
An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
Book
Cal
I've read the book three times and enjoyed it even more the third time than I did the first two.
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Book: A Short History of Nearly Everything
Family Member: Bradley!
Bill Bryson, in this book, makes the science and history of Earth fun and funny. He covers topics spanning from atoms and the creation of universe to apocalyptic meteors to the history and lives of the scientists and major players in scientific history.
There are indeed, some slow parts like when Bryson chooses to talk about the entire history and intricacies of those special scientists who collect the thousands of varieties of mosses around the world. However, the part I found most interesting were the mico-biographies of the people that history 'forgot' when writing the books on who discovered what and who deserves credit.
It's a fun read and you will definitely learn at least a baker's dozen new things.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Blood Lure by Nevada Barr
by Gwyn
I never used to be able to read mysteries because by the time I got to the end of the book, and the mystery was solved, I had forgotten who was who and how things all tied together.
Then, one summer, I decided to do Cameron's summer reading along with him. I followed the same instructions as he. The book was
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. The assignment was to write in the margin each time a new character appeared. This is a most amazing concept to me. Throughout the book, I kept referring back to my notes. By the end, I knew who everyone was and how it all tied in together.
This brings me to the present and Nevada Barr's series of mysteries. I am able to enjoy these sinplistic books because I keep a running log in the front cover of all the characters.
Barr was an actual NPS ranger. She writes stories about the adventures of ranger Anna Pigeon as she is assigned to various of our national parks. Ms Pigeon travels with a black cloud over her. Everywhere she goes, strange things happen, usually deaths, and she needs to solve the mysteries.
I have enjoyed all of the books I've read in the series. Every one of them includes details about natural features of the park; politics of working in the park; park visitors; conflicts between natural features and accesibility; and reappearing characters in the life of Anna Pigeon.
Blood Lure takes place in Glacier, and its focus is on the lives of grizzly bears.
I recommend this series for anyone who wants an easy read without too much mental challenge, other than keeping the characters straight. I imagine that anyone with much familiarity with actual park workings might find the series annoying, though.
I never used to be able to read mysteries because by the time I got to the end of the book, and the mystery was solved, I had forgotten who was who and how things all tied together.
Then, one summer, I decided to do Cameron's summer reading along with him. I followed the same instructions as he. The book was
A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. The assignment was to write in the margin each time a new character appeared. This is a most amazing concept to me. Throughout the book, I kept referring back to my notes. By the end, I knew who everyone was and how it all tied in together.
This brings me to the present and Nevada Barr's series of mysteries. I am able to enjoy these sinplistic books because I keep a running log in the front cover of all the characters.
Barr was an actual NPS ranger. She writes stories about the adventures of ranger Anna Pigeon as she is assigned to various of our national parks. Ms Pigeon travels with a black cloud over her. Everywhere she goes, strange things happen, usually deaths, and she needs to solve the mysteries.
I have enjoyed all of the books I've read in the series. Every one of them includes details about natural features of the park; politics of working in the park; park visitors; conflicts between natural features and accesibility; and reappearing characters in the life of Anna Pigeon.
Blood Lure takes place in Glacier, and its focus is on the lives of grizzly bears.
I recommend this series for anyone who wants an easy read without too much mental challenge, other than keeping the characters straight. I imagine that anyone with much familiarity with actual park workings might find the series annoying, though.
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