What science book is your most recent read? What do you think about it? Pt. 1

[Cheryl]

I've that on my list - tx for one more thumbs-up.

[Charise]

David wrote: "Has anybody read this book?
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void
It looks like a fun read. Some of Mary Roach's other books look quite entertaining, too."

AN excellent book, as are all of Mary Roach's books. Extremely funny and educational.

[Sam]

I've recently finished The World Without Us by Alan Weisman and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. He wrote it very well and obviously did a lot of research into every area he covered and it comes across in a very readable way (although it does make you slightly ashamed of man as a species, we don't do good things at all!) and despite the subject it was surprisingly optimistic in its own quiet way.

[Kenny]

Sam wrote: "I've recently finished The World Without Us by Alan Weisman and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. He wrote it very well and obviously did a lot of research into e..."

I think there was a History Channel series based on this book. Very well done and worth watching.

Found it: Life After People: http://www.history.com/shows/life-aft...

[Kirsten]

Sam- I LOVED that book. I recommended it to all my fellow enviro sci majors...the professors even read it after we sat around in the hearth talking about it.

I finished up Dry Run: Preventing the Next Urban Water Crisis, definitely for water geeks, but if you live in a dry area and own property, I definitely recommend giving it a read. Quick read.

[Sam]

Kenny wrote: "Sam wrote: "I've recently finished The World Without Us by Alan Weisman and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. He wrote it very well and obviously did a lot of res..."

I'll have to suggest that to Santa for me this year, it looks pretty good, thanks Kenny

[Sam]

Kirsten wrote: "Sam- I LOVED that book. I recommended it to all my fellow enviro sci majors...the professors even read it after we sat around in the hearth talking about it.

I finished up [book:Dry Run: Preventi..."

I'm surprised I've only just got around to it, it such a great read!

[David]

I just finished the book Everyday Survival: Why Smart People Do Stupid Things. It's a really fun book to read, but, but, I still don't know what it's about. NOT Recommended. Here is my review.

[Cheryl]

I'm halfway through The Migraine Brain: The Breakthrough Guide for Healing Your Headache. I was diagnosed over a decade ago and have been getting treatment - but still this book has new stuff, information I didn't know, in it. Recommended for sufferers *and* their loved ones.

[Lois]

Just finished Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Yeah, I know, I'm behind with the rest of the world. LOL For the past 30 some years I've been reading plenty of astronomy/astrophysics related books, but I only saw the whole series for the first time last year and picked up the book this year. It was pretty amazing, firstly overall; secondly, how it really stood up with time. Okay, maybe not the fashions (LOL), but the info. Or seeing certain things when they were new, like Viking or the Voyager info.

[Kenny]

Lois wrote: "Just finished Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Yeah, I know, I'm behind with the rest of the world. LOL For the past 30 some years I've been reading plenty of astronomy/astrophysics related books, but I onl..."

Very Cool! Check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnFMrN...

:)

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

I hear that a new Cosmos is coming to TV, with, I think, Neil deGrasse Tyson. Produced by Ann Druyan Sagan. For 2013, I think.

[Betsy, co-mod]

I like Neil deGrasse Tyson, but no one could compare with Sagan.

On the other hand, there have been a lot of changes in our understanding of the cosmos. Could be interesting.

[Lois]

That's another video I haven't seen yet, thanks. :) And have been wanting to check out his other books, but haven't been able to just yet.

I like both Sagan and NdT, but both definitely have different styles - but both are incredible enthusiastic about it all, and that's definitely the most important thing. Love them both.

And yeah, I think that's basically what the new Cosmos will be like - I can't imagine, even with his wife helming it, that they will try to make a copy of the original, but simply make it this decade's Cosmos with the info we know today about things. Plus, I figure, either revisit or update specifically things that were mentioned in the original series. So, what I'm trying to say, I think, is not copy it, but not ignore it.

[Ken]

Kenny wrote: "Lois wrote: "Just finished Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Yeah, I know, I'm behind with the rest of the world. LOL For the past 30 some years I've been reading plenty of astronomy/astrophysics related boo..."

TY for the youtube link, I did not know Carl S. was that eloquent.

[Cheryl]

Thanks for the rec. of The World Without Us; I'm enjoying it. I might even rec. it to my husband who is thinking about reading something besides just sf & thrillers.

[Sasha]

World Without Us is a ton of fun.

Kirsten, glad to hear you dug 1493! I've been eyeing it along with Susanna; I really, really liked 1491.

I am going to come in late on the Poisoner's Handbook read. I'm preparing for it by reading a bunch of literature about poison.

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

How's the brucine going, Alex? LOL

[Sasha]

Not dead yet!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Yay!

[Kirsten]

Alex-I really liked 1491 too, and I don't think you'll be disappointed by 1493.

I just picked up Steve Jobs...I own a lot of Apple products, so I was curious to read it. Gotta see what all the fuss is about.

[Lois]

I finally picked up The 4 Percent Universe - only two chapters away from finishing, but I love it. And while the whole dark matter/energy thing is a topic I've followed for a long time, it is a mighty apropos book for the times. (definitely loved that they got the Nobel Prize for Physics - when I saw their names and why, I was like, I know who they are, and more importantly, what the heck they won it for! LOL)

[Sasha]

Oh cool, Lois! I'll have to take a look at that book. (He says optimistically, pretending that the new Brian Greene book hasn't been staring dolefully at him for months now.) I love dark matter.

[Kirsten]

I just picked up Cascadia's Fault and thus far I can't put it down. I went to school in Oregon (an hour from the coast, about 110 miles from the fault), and the first day of orientation we were presented with the school's earthquake emergency plan in case the "big one" hit. That probably adds a layer of interest to me, but I think it's still a great book for the casual reader. Quick read, too. Written by a journalist, but he really did his homework on this one.

[Betsy, co-mod]

Kirsten wrote: "I just picked up Cascadia's Fault and thus far I can't put it down."

I'd really like to read this, but it's not available on Amazon even as a paper book, much less Kindle. Since I live in Seattle and am fascinated by earthquakes and volcanoes, this sounds especially interesting to me. Frustrating that I can't find it.

[Cheryl]

I just enjoyed Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals. Too bad the author comes to the conclusion that there is no ultimate 'why' we feel about different animals the way we do - but that's just the truth we face. Most of us are least somewhat irrational and somewhat hypocritical as we relate to different animals, both individuals and species.

[David]

Betsy wrote: "Kirsten wrote: "I just picked up Cascadia's Fault and thus far I can't put it down."

I'd really like to read this, but it's not available on Amazon even as a paper book, much less ..."

Betsy, it is listed on Amazon as a Kindle book:
http://www.amazon.com/Cascadias-Fault...

Also, it is listed as a hardbound book (but not paperback).

[Kirsten]

I got it at Barnes and Noble, I believe it has only been out a few months, though. I was totally going to hold out for the paperback version, but I caved and bought the hardcover one any way. I had a coupon, so it was almost the same price it would have been.

[Betsy, co-mod]

David wrote: "Betsy, it is listed on Amazon as a Kindle book"

Thanks, David. I swear it wasn't there the other day. I just downloaded a sample.

[Kenny]

Damn scary stuff. Like the hotspot under Yosemite that is overdue for a supervolcano eruption...in fact they could be tied together via tectonics! Eeeek!

[Aloha]

I just finished From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time. He has an interesting viewpoint from a cosmologist's point of view. It's an angle on time that I did not really consider. I enjoyed it for the cosmologist's angle, although I still want a bit more of theoretical possibilities and conclusions towards the end as far as technology, since I like my imagination to be stimulated. But he is a scientist, and it makes sense that he would not do that.

Now, to find the discussion thread on this book.

[Kenny]

I've got to get going on that one! eeek! I did not finish the Poison book but will get back to it at some point. :(

[Steve]

The book I just finished reading is a bit out of our group's focus. But about a year ago Kirsten, Alex, I and others were discussing how Richard Dawkins' approach to believers can be, at times, a little strident to put it mildly. For anyone trying to reconcile their religious and scientific selves, or just interested in fascinating books, I highly recommend Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible & Why We Don't Know About Them. The book is by Bart Ehrman a professor at Chapel Hill, UNC and a former fundamentalist evangelical Christian who over time became an agnostic. Rather than use blunt instruments to make his points, Erhman simply summarizes the case that has been made by the majority of biblical scholars over the last century using the historical – critical method of textual analysis. I read it twice, something I almost never do, it was that interesting

[Kirsten]

Interesting, Steve. I'll definitely check that one out.

I am currently reading a couple of non-science books, but I also picked up Forests in a Full World and The World In 2050 which isn't completely a science book, but combines science with geography, history, politics, etc. It's really a wonder I get anything done in life with all the awesome books I've found to read lately.

[Steve]

Wow, Kirsten, you could be the first to read and review the Forests book for GoodReads! I think I have one of those to my credit, Safe on Mars: Precursor Measurements Necessary to Support Human Operations on the Martian Surface.

[Karlo]

Genome by Matt Ridley

[Aloha]

That's on my list to read.

[Martina]

Just finished , I really like the way Kaku is speaking about difficult stuffs of this universe

[Tim]

I'm in the middle of by Graham Farmelo. Dirac was a fascinating (and strange) theoretical physicist, and the book also provides a window on the history of the development of quantum mechanics.

[Martina]

Tim wrote: "I'm in the middle of by Graham Farmelo. Dirac was a fascinating (and strange) theoretical phy..."
ahhh, I wish I could read that book soon! I adore Dirac!

[Kirsten]

Steve-that book also looks awesome. I looked at a book at Barnes and Noble the other day about humans living on Mars, I can't recall the title but it looked fascinating. It had something to do with what's there and what would have to change for survival.

I love all things space, solar system, and planetary related.

I just finished Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them...the pictures and graphics were gorgeous, but the words were thoroughly preachy and irritating. I don't recommend it, if you want a book about over fishing and pollution, read Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food, if you want a book about the ocean, read anything Sylvia Earle has written. I outlined this in my review, but yeah. Skip this one, even though it looks condensed and helpful.

ETA: my friend who studies marine biology and is also a political activist for the ocean feels Oceana was written for morons, which made me laugh because she's usually really nice about giving books a chance.

[Gary]

Kirsten:

If you love all things astronomical, let me suggest Coming of Age in the Milky Wayand Strange Universe: The Weird and Wild Science of Everyday Life-on Earth and Beyond. I enjoyed them both immensely.

[Kirsten]

Gary-added to my reading list, thanks!

[Jonathan]

Finished Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Some have complained that it's too long (especially the section about the Greenland Norse) but I really appreciated the wealth of examples. A lot of people speculate about how civilization will collapse. It's good to have some historical data about why it has happened in the past. Highly recommended.

[Kenny]

Jonathan wrote: "Finished Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Some have complained that it's too long (especially the section about the Greenland Norse) but I really appreciated the wealth..."

Thanks for recommendation. This is now on my wishlist.

[Steve]

Just finished Trailblazing Mars: NASA's Next Giant Leap. I was disappointed. Rather than new and original material it was mostly a re-hash of space missions since Sputnik. I got a lot more out of Safe on Mars: Precursor Measurements Necessary to Support Human Operations on the Martian Surface, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void and The Case for Mars. On the other hand if you haven't read much about the history of Mars exploration and the basic challenges to be faced for a manned mission, it's a decent summary. Here's my revew: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/94...,

[Kirsten]

The Case for Mars! That's the one I was looking at. Thanks!

[Steve]

Some of Zubrin's ideas (author of the The Case for Mars) are a little zany. But he does have some very interesting ideas about in situ air separation plants for obtaining oxygen for fuel and life support and also intriguing ideas about staging earth return vehicles and habitat modules prior to the arrival the first astronauts. Definitely worth checking out.

[Kirsten]

I just picked up a copy of Forest Management and the Water Cycle. I can see where studying for tests might become even harder than usual, super interesting read. It's a collection of papers written on the topic and organized by theme.

[Ibis3]

I recently finished The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True and Bang!: How We Came to Be, two science books for kids. I'll come back and give you summaries of my reviews once I've written them.

But I'd like to put in an honourable mention for Vimy, a history book by Pierre Berton. It is history, but there's a good treatment of the innovations of martial science employed by Canadian troops and how the openness to adoption of scientific methods largely led to their eventual success. I didn't know this, but Charles Darwin's grandson went to work with the Canadian contingent at Vimy to ply his expertise in sound ranging with an oscillograph.