What have you read recently? 2009 -2020

[donheff]

I got the Stephen Hawking's latest book from the library for my Kindle Fire: The Grand Design: Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

It's a pretty interesting book but a little puzzling...

Regarding questions, towards the end there was this for example:

On the scale of the entire universe, the positive energy of the matter can be balanced by the negative gravitational energy, and so there is no restriction on the creation of whole universes. Because there is a law like gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing in the manner described in Chapter 6. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather then nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.

Well it's back to Chapters 5 and 6 for a review.

I have the same problem grasping how negative gravitational energy and quantum fluctuations can lead to spontaneous creation. I read Krause's, A Universe from Nothing which goes into more detail on the issue but I still don't understand it. If you ever read anything that clears up your confusion be sure to post here.

I guess it goes back to Feyman's quote: "I think I can safely say nobody understands quantum mechanics." I haven't met nobody yet but I plan on asking him about spontaneous universes when I do.

 

[Marita40]

Has anyone read Cutting for Stone? I was at a party last night and a number of people strongly endorsed it as a well written, compelling story. The reviews on amazon are unbelievably good. I'll have to check it out.

 

[antmary]

Enjoying Contact by Carl Sagen.

 

[Meadbh]

Has anyone read Cutting for Stone? I was at a party last night and a number of people strongly endorsed it as a well written, compelling story. The reviews on amazon are unbelievably good. I'll have to check it out.

I have read it and enjoyed it. I believe I may have reviewed it upthread.

Meadbh

 

[Marita40]

Thanks Mead. Sorry I didn't see the earlier posts.

 

[Lsbcal]

Thanks Mead. Sorry I didn't see the earlier posts.

What, you mean you didn't recall this with only 1329 replies on this thread?

I've noticed I personally don't always recall what books I've mentioned even last month.

 

[Marathoner]

I am reading and would recommend "Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: the Untold Story of English" by John McWhorter. I listed to his Teaching Company lectures on linguistics last year, and he is a very intelligent and funny man. This book is great fun for anyone with a passing interest in English or linguistics. I find myself frequently smiling/chuckling at stuff he writes, and wishing I had someone to share some of his anecdotes with. I'm reading it on my bus commute, and my fellow riders probably wouldn't appreciate that, though

A great read!

 

[donheff]

What, you mean you didn't recall this with only 1329 replies on this thread?

I've noticed I personally don't always recall what books I've mentioned even last month.

Yeah, I'm probably have reviewed a book at least twice in this thread.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I've just picked up a few of Augusten Burrough's books lately. I'd read his brilliant Sellevision novel a few years ago, but his latest essay in the WSJ caught my eye and I reserved a few others. Witty & elegant writer, lots of angst, but worthwhile reading.

Okay, I just wrapped up my Burrough's readings, unknowingly saving the best for last. His is a particularly disturbing form of satire, born in an awful childhood that serves as the basis of many of his books, including Running with Scissors. However his latest, This is How, is something altogether different. He bills it as the most brutally honest self-help book ever written, and boy is it.

I found it a fascinating and absolutely true read, in many ways. Even if there is nothing wrong with you (fat chance), I think his advice, coming from someone who surely "deserves" to wallow in self-pity, is quite useful. I am giving it as a gift to a couple of people because of the chapters on dealing with the death of a loved one and how to figure out that you are in an abusive relationship. His compassion is striking. It may be added to my short list of favorite books.

 

[haha]

I read three youth market books by Gary Paulsen-Hatchet, The River, and Brian's Winter. When I was a boy I read books that had been my Dad's when he was little, mostly about adventures in the North Woods. They were great, but I think Gary Paulsen's are even better, at least these three about Brian. If anyone wants to read them, they are short and go fast. Best to to read them in the order I listed.

Ha

 

[donheff]

I'm not sure if SarahinSC or someone recommended it here but I am reading Sunburn by Laurence Shames, a quirky character, mob oriented thriller, set in Key West. This guy could be a new fave on the Florida writer list.

 

[RoccoPacco]

I just finished reading Love in the Time of Cholera. I had wanted to read this for a long time. For me, it was not the "great love story" I though I was going to read.

 

[ronin]

I've been trading off among 3 different authors lately:

Michael Pearce - Novels set in early 1900s Egypt w/the Mamur Zapt. Very nice stories.

Daniel Woodrell - Variety of stuff from the Ozarks and No. Louisiana. Very good images, dialogue. Short of short on winding up the tales, but still very trippy characters.

Stuart Kaminsky - Murder and intrigue set in early 40s Hollywood movie studios. Just finished one involving Judy Garland, MGM and the murder of a Munchkin. Enough said. Weird, but likable.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I'm not sure if SarahinSC or someone recommended it here but I am reading Sunburn by Laurence Shames, a quirky character, mob oriented thriller, set in Key West. This guy could be a new fave on the Florida writer list.

That was me--I'm a huge fan of Florida fiction. Unfortunately, Laurence Shames only wrote 8 of them. He's also written a heartbreaking book co-authored with Peter Barton about the latter's final days called Not Fade Away: a short life, well lived.

Laurence Shames
is his website, with all the books listed. The rest of the FLA ones are an absolute riot.

 

[Lsbcal]

deleted

 

[Marita40]

I picked up Lucy Worsley's If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home at the library yesterday and haven't been able to put it down. It is a history of the bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen, and what people from the Middle Ages to contemporary times did in these rooms, how they furnished them, and how technological advances changed them. It is focused on England but relevant, of course, to the U.S. It is a fun read and educational to boot!

 

[Michael108]

I am reading these posts! Good read, but seems to never end ; )

About to start "the Emotional Life of Your Brain" by Richard Davidson. Neuroscientist + buddhist = interesting combo. He regularly hobnobs with the Dalai Lama, who is quite keen on western neuroscience by the way...

 

[Sarah in SC]

Haha, thanks for reminding me about Gary Paulsen--I've been meaning to get a copy of his book about dogs, because he has working border collies. The one I want to read is My Life in Dog Years.

I just finished a neat book that I think will appeal to many, called Wild, from Lost to Found on the Pacific Trail by Cheryl Strayed. I borrowed the electronic version from our library, but I just looked it up at Amazon and discovered that it is an Oprah book selection. I hate to be a book snob, but glad I didn't know that beforehand.

It is quite interesting, mostly for the stories of the trail, but for those who like angsty 'girl goes off to find herself after tragedy', it is also good on that level, I guess. I've got the itch to start thinking about taking a really long walk, and the PCT is one on my radar, so that's why I got it. I've reserved her novel, Torch, in hopes I'll like it as much as the real-life story of her solo hike.

 

[Michael108]

I just finished Steven Pinker's "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined". I saw him speak about this book last Fall. DW gave it to me for Xmas. It's not just a lot of data and psychology experiments. It's a sweeping account of human history. It's very readable though I did take 5 months to finish it. Also, just in time, my May 18th edition of Science magazine is devoted to the topic of "Human Conflict".

Simultaneously, last week, I finished Sherry Turkle's book, "Alone Together". She's an MIT psychologist who has studied human/computer/artificial intelligence issues for the last 30 years. The first half of the book is about human interactions with the current generation of human like robots. The second half of the book is about the impact of social media on our lives. Very interesting. Both halves compliment each other nicely. I hadn't been keeping up with robot development so I learned a lot from this book.

Read about Pinker and also heard him via YouTube. Similar message was discussed in recent book "Abundance" I.e. violent crime is on a long decline, but our brains are geared to seek out threats and this leads us to over represent bad news. (helped by media's "if it bleeds, it leads" approach.

 

[Nemo2]

because he has working border collies..

I presume you've already read this oldie: Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men?

(And if you're locked from the NYT.....here's another link.)

 

[scrabbler1]

I have just started reading "Going Solo" by Eric Klinenberg. It is a book about living alone. He was interviewed on C-Span's BookTV recently and the book is very interesting so far.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I presume you've already read this oldie: Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men?

(And if you're locked from the NYT.....here's another link.)

I've read a couple of McCaig's novels (Nop's Hope and Nop's Trials) about Border Collies, but my library doesn't have that one. I need to put it on my list at Paperbackbookswap and see if I can't get it there. Thanks for the reminder. I loved the novels, especially the speaking voice of the Border Collies as narrators.

 

[W2R]

One of the books that Amazon has been pushing lately for Kindle is The Mayo Clinic Diet: Eat Well, Enjoy Life, Lose Weight. It only costs $2.99 for the Kindle and is also available in paper form (for a higher price). It has a lot of color figures so I read it on my iPad, even though personally I prefer reading on my Kindle to reading on my iPad.

This book was a great kick in the rear. It emphasizes the importance of developing good habits (and ditching bad habits) for good health, and various desired behaviors. Some of the recommended behaviors seemed extreme to me, but the more I think about it, the more I think they are right. An example of one behavior that the books says we should develop, and that I think is extreme, is spending no more time watching TV than exercising. What? Is that possible in the 21st century? Definitely worth some thought, though. It also has the usual menus, recipes, techniques for dealing with restaurant eating, nutrition, BMI, and so on, and includes exercise and burning calories.

The food recommendations are consistent with Weight Watchers so the low-carb folks here will have to skim by the part on "moderate meat and low fat dairy - - the size of a deck of cards" I guess. But the other recommendations might be of interest to low carb devotees as well. One thing that I thought was interesting is that their methods don't require weighing and measuring food.

Anyway, good book, cheap, sensible, nicely presented. What's not to like? I probably wouldn't recommend buying it were it not so reasonably priced, though.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Just ordered it, W2R! And Nemo, I found the McCaig book at the bookswap, so it will be on the way soon. Score! Thanks, y'all!

 

[Lsbcal]

This is the author's first novel in the spy genre: Amazon.com: The Silent Oligarch: Christopher Morgan Jones: Books

It seems to be a pretty realistic rendering. 5 stars.

For some reason the hardcover book price is on sale right now (under $6). I got it from the library.