43. A book related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) [fiction or nonfiction]

[Joan]

Jill wrote: "What are you reading this week?
I read The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

Is the book nonfiction or fiction? Fiction

How is it related to STEM? Science. It ..."

I was planning on reading that one for this prompt too. Did you enjoy it?

[Jill]

Joan wrote: "Jill wrote: "What are you reading this week?
I read The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore



I did find this book interesting, and it did make me look further into the situation that evolved around the use of AC and DC currents of electricity. I had no idea that so much effort and controversy went on regarding a simple thing like a light bulb. The ongoing love story was ok and not made too much of.
I liked that at the end of the book, the author explained that he had changed some of the time-line of the events to make the story more interesting.
I would add that although I gave it 3 stars it was a strong 3 stars

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

- What are you reading this week? American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race
- Is the book nonfiction or fiction? Nonfiction
- How is it related to STEM? It's about how we got to the moon. It was much more politically focused than I would have liked. I originally read it for the Something New prompt, but now I'm shuffling around books to finish in the next few weeks. But I still might read a more science focused book on the moon landings. I read a couple space books a year anyways.

[Shelley]

- What are you reading this week? 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Is the book nonfiction or fiction? Fiction
- How is it related to STEM? I've never watched the movie but felt like I knew the story. Yea, definitely did not. Interesting take on AI relations though.

[Marie]

I read The Science of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart & Jack Cohen.

It's a combination - a fiction chapter set on Discworld, then a non-fiction chapter about how things are different on "Roundworld". The non-fiction parts are all science - the creation of the universe, the stars and planets, evolution of life on Earth.

[Chrissy]

I went non-fiction and technology: Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech. It was a great, and easy to read, argument about the importance of consumers being more aware of how tech is created, and for more diversity being needed. I'm really interested in the subject matter, but I'd recommend it to a general reader anyway.

[MaryAnn (EmilyD1037)]

The Periodic Table by Primo Levi has been on my TBR for quite awhile. I read one of his books for Reading 1001 and really enjoyed it. Holocaust stories/memoirs are one of my favorite genre's. Levi has written several and all are on my TBR. This book is of 21 short stories based on his experience before, during and after the Holocaust as a scientist..

[Sue]

I read True Stories from the Morgue. Stories from a Forensic Counsellor by John Merrick. This man had worked for many years in the Sydney Morgue, but there was so much dialogue included that I thought couldn't possibly be true unless he recorded every conversation he had, which I think most unlikely. It really irritated me. The actual descriptions of the situations he was involved with were really interesting though (Bali bombings, major bus crashes etc).

[SadieReadsAgain]

What are you reading this week? Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Is the book nonfiction or fiction? Fiction
How is it related to STEM? Early medical science, gone wrong...

I’ve read a couple of classic stories this year, stories that I thought I was familiar with as they are so prominent in pop culture. This was one of them, and like the others it was completely removed from what I expected. I was expecting an evil scientist cackling as he summoned the power of electricity on a dark and stormy night, lab assistant Igor hobbling about with his hunchback and saying yessss massster, and the emergence of a green monster with a bolt through his head. Spoiler, but basically none of that happens in this book. It’s more the case of an over ambitious student pieces together body parts, reanimates them (the details of which are fluffed over) and then promptly cacks his pants when he realises what he’s done. He then spends the rest of his life paying for, repenting for and seeking vengeance for the outcome of that misguided experiment. Oh, and throwing a lot of pity parties and fainting quite a bit. No judging, I would need the smelling salts too if a hideous beast of my own creation decided to torment me and harm anyone I ever loved. My struggle with this book is that Frankenstein - for all his hand wringing he isn’t a very effectual or empathetic character. He feels bad when bad things happen, but doesn’t really take responsibility for them in a tangible way or extend that despair to anyone half as long as he wallows in it for himself. I found his “monster” to be a much more human character, and actually felt very touched by his struggles. He holds a mirror to the monstrous behaviour of his creator and those who judge him at first sight, how we are conditioned to see the physical first without considering the person within. That message is still so pervasive today, so I like to think that it isn’t just the pop culture references which keep this book alive. I don’t think this book will make my favourite classics list, but I’m glad it gave me much more than the trope we’re all so used to.

[Wendy]

I'm reading Dark Matter by Blake Crouch for this one. It's a thriller (I originally thought it would fit that category), but the main character is an atomic physicist, and the plot hinges on String Theory taken to the extreme. I think it fits here quite well!

[Celia]

- What are you reading this week?
Hidden In Plain Sight 6: Why Three Dimensions?
- Is the book nonfiction or fiction?
Nonfiction
- How is it related to STEM?
Science AND Mathematics

[Angela]

What are you reading this week?
The Secret Life of Planets: A User’s Guide to the Solar System, by Paul Murdin
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Is the book nonfiction or fiction?
Nonfiction

How is it related to STEM?
It’s about astronomy and appealed to the 9-year-old astronomer in me.

[Angie]

What are you reading this week?
The Martian by Andy Weir

Is the book nonfiction or fiction?
Fiction

How is it related to STEM?
Mark, the protagonist, must use science to survive when he is stranded on Mars.

[Joan]

- What are you reading this week? Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon
- Is the book nonfiction or fiction? Non-fiction
- How is it related to STEM? The technology and the calculation it took to get to the moon is amazing to me.

[Andrea]

I finished The God Game by Danny Tobey for this prompt. It is decidedly related to technology. A group of intelligent, techie outcasts receive an offer from an AI to eliminate their troubles and fulfill their dreams if they participate in a VR/AR game. They accept its offer even though it means risking their lives.