false 14 41 24 true 5893662 read 2 true 3186698 currently-reading 15 true 3186697 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76397042 7th Son: Book One - Descent (Podiobook) by J.C. Hutchins
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]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76396972 The Red Tree (Paperback) by Caitlín R. Kiernan
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]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76396860 The Rookie (Podcast Novel) by Scott Sigler
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]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76345092 to: Oliver Twist (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73269478 to: The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (Paperback) by Steven Pinker
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73269447 The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution (Hardcover) by Richard Dawkins
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65703361 to: Free-Range Chickens (Hardcover) by Simon Rich
This is a very short collection of humorous vignettes compiled by Simon Rich who, among other things, was a former Harvard Lampoon editor and a writer for Saturday Night Live and Mad Magazine. I had just finished reading the book Middlesex, which I have recently reviewed. In searching for a new book to read I decided to look at a friends book-list on Goodreads.com. My strategy was to and scroll down until I got the first book that he rated five stars and read that one no matter what. This was an experiment in randomness.

I thought this book was really funny. I enjoyed reading it, and I enjoyed even more sharing the vignettes with my wife (who didn’t quite get it as much as I did.) The best vignette I thought was the one titled Acupuncture School, which was hilarious. It pretty much sums up my feelings about acupuncture and pseudoscience/alternative medicine. I also enjoyed reading Dracula’s match.com profile.

The one disappointing thing about this book was that it was really short. I read it in about an hour and a half. However I did reread several sections. I also read several sections out loud to my wife as she was getting ready for bed (much to her annoyance.)

Overall I would recommend this book. It was very funny however very short. Some may feel that it was too short to warrant the price, but it is something that you can reread and share with friends. In fact it’s the kind of book that actually gets more funny when you reread it and when you share with other people. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42161781 Guns, Germs, and Steel (Paperback) by Jared Diamond
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60410196 to: The Blind Watchmaker (Paperback) by Richard Dawkins
I enjoyed reading this book. It was written in the late 80's by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. It is a detailed description of how evolution works with many examples. It also goes into various 1980's computer models of evolution, which is kind of entertaining to read in 2009. There are some direct refutations of creationist counter arguments that are very much old news to anyone who has read anything about this debate.

Evolution is the cornerstone of modern biology. Its fundamental premises are not really even questioned anymore by biologists that are doing scientifically sound and rigorous research. Sure there are still points of disagreement and areas that still need to be researched, but that is the way science works. It works by pushing back the darkness and sorting out what we see. As the evidence comes in, we change our theories and premises. This is what is cool about science. It thrives on the complex and the unknown.

The religious arguments against evolution are such a distraction. As new evidence comes to light that refutes the written word of a bronze-age civilization, the religiously dogmatic scramble to either retrofit it into their belief system or to outright refute it. This is so far outside of the way I see the world that it is hard for me to understand how someone can feel comfortable doing this. It truly blows my mind.

Anyway, this was a good book, but there are other, more contemporary books on the topic. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61382206 to: Middlesex (Paperback) by Jeffrey Eugenides
Middlesex is the story of a hermaphrodite that was raised as a female, then later in life identified as a male. It is, however, more than just an Oprah-esque freak show.

The narrative extends back to the narrators grandparents flee from Greece during an invasion by the Turks, and their immigration to Detroit. There are very compelling descriptions of warfare, and class struggle. It then moves forward to the story of her parents ascent into the middle class. Then it settles into the meat of the story, the narrators troubled experience with puberty.

The characters are all very intriguing and well-developed. It is clear who they are and what their motivations are. The writing style is somewhat whimsical, with the narrator at times stepping out of character in an artful way.

I only gave the book 4 stars because I thought the pacing was off. I was interested in the story throughout, but at times I was really wondering where this was all going and felt on the brink of loosing interest. Mid-way through, as the plot focuses on Cal as a pre-teen, it becomes more engaging.

Overall this is an enjoyable and worthwhile book. ]]>