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I recently finished Where The Animals Go: Tracking Wildlife with Technology in 50 Maps and Graphics and Giants of the Lost World: Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Monsters of South America.

It has been awhile since I have been able to complete a science based non- fiction book.

A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins

The author had invented the Palm Pilot, a handheld computer, in 1992. He is interested in human intelligence as it relates to computing and AI.

My review - /review/show...

I just finished reading Stephen Hawking's short book Brief Answers to the Big Questions. It is a marvelous book! It is very readable--definitely not a technical book, and I learned what a great sense of humor Hawking had. Here is my review.

Finished "In the Waves" by Rachel Lance, which is a combination of personal memoir, history of the Confederate submarine effort, and the the author's research effort to come to a better understanding of why the final crew of the "H.L. Hunley" met their demise.

Shrike58 wrote: "Finished "In the Waves" by Rachel Lance, which is a combination of personal memoir, history of the Confederate submarine effort, and the the author's research effort to come to a better understandi..."

That sounds so interesting! Must read. I didn't even realize submarines were invented at the time of the Civil War!

I haven't read it yet, but have Mr. Lincoln's High-Tech War: How the North Used the Telegraph, Railroads, Surveillance Balloons, Ironclads, High-Powered Weapons, and More to Win the Civil War by Thomas B. Allen on my TBR pile.

Nancy wrote: "Shrike58 wrote: "Finished "In the Waves" by Rachel Lance, which is a combination of personal memoir, history of the Confederate submarine effort, and the the author's research effort to come to a b..."

It turns out that Dr. Lance has a forthcoming book on WWII researchers into the science of pressure...I'm looking forward to it.

David wrote: "I just finished reading Stephen Hawking's short book Brief Answers to the Big Questions. It is a marvelous book! It is very readable--definitely not a technical book, and I learned ..."

Glad to hear it's marvelous and not technical. It is on my TBR. Previous I read Reality is not what it seems and found it hard, especially the second half.

An Immense World, a full 5-star read. And I got my copy signed at the National Book Festival. Highly recommended. My review

Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage mostly medical science, or history about the understanding of women's atonomy. My review

I forgot to mention that I finished up Steve Brusatte's "The Rise and Reign of the Mammals," a worthy follow-up to his book on dinosaurs.

On 9/5/22, I posted my 46th pair of reviews, 1 for Naish's Dinopedia: A Brief Compendium of Dinosaur Lore (which is great: /review/show... ) & 1 for Bakker's Raptor Pack (which is great: /review/show... ).

A Planet of Viruses by Carl Zimmer was short & really interesting. It was narrated well, too. I gave it a 5 star review here:
/review/show...

Finished Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding The evolution biology of why we need exercises but also prefer to sit on the couch. There is also a chapter of the origin of sports.

Totally enjoyed it. my review

Just knocked off Thor Hanson's "Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid;" my net response is that Hanson (who I've never read before) actually has style as a writer, but this work felt slight.

I am ambivalent about Neil deGrasse Tyson. His latest book, Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization is a mixed bag. He has some good points, but sometimes I wasn't clear about what he was trying to say. And he seems to have this attitude of, "We scientists are smarter than the rest of you." My review:

Mike wrote: "I am ambivalent about Neil deGrasse Tyson. His latest book, Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization is a mixed bag. He has some good points, but somet..."

I enjoyed your review! I know what you mean about the smarter-than-thou attitude. I'm still kind of miffed about the Pluto thing. Here he is on The Big Bang Theory ...

Finished Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us, not a hard science book, but interesting case studies of four mental illness patients, 3 in the US and 1 in India. What strikes me most is that we still know very little of mental illness. My review

Finished Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking, a nice summary of recent research on human emotions. my review

In his book Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution physicist Carlo Rovelli writes about the origins of quantum theory, discusses the three best-known theories of quantum mechanics, and offers his own explanation. He also delves into philosophy. Interesting book, but I question whether his voice from the original Italian comes through in this English translation.

My review:

Mike wrote: "In his book Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution physicist Carlo Rovelli writes about the origins of quantum theory, discusses the three best-known theo..."
Thank you for sharing, good review. The point about the essence of entities being only in how they interact with other entities (or something like that) makes sense. If a tree falls in the forest ... but there is always SOMEBODY there to hear it. More like one hand clapping.
I will try this book. Not the audiobook ... I can't absorb anything deep from an audiobook.

On 11/6/22, I posted my 47th pair of reviews, 1 for the Holmes' Meat-Eating Dinosaurs: The Theropods (Dinosaur Library (which is great: /review/show... ) & 1 for Cole's "Allosaurus: The Life and Death of Big Al" (which is very bad: /review/show... ).

Nancy wrote: "Mike wrote: "In his book Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution physicist Carlo Rovelli writes about the origins of quantum theory, discusses the three be..."

Carlo Rovelli is my favorite theoretical physicist.

Mike, a great review! Adding to my TBR.

Finished Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea, marine biologist and oceanographer Edith Widder's scientific memoir. It's science heavy, but also how she did science. I attened her talk back in September and liked it very much.

My review

Wrapped up "Midnight in Chernobyl." This has been touted as the best current book on the disaster and it certainly met all my expectations.

A short history of nearly everything by bill Bryson..

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time by Dava Sobel

It's an esoteric topic but it's a tale with messy human emotions and conflicts that's been engagingly written for the general reading populace.


My review --
/review/show...

I just finished reading the book Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation by Christopher Kemp. I enjoyed reading this book; it describes a wide range of topics related to how humans navigate. The brain has evolved some specialized neurons that specialize in different aspects of navigation. Here is my review.

I recently read Eloquence of the Sardine: Extraordinary Encounters Beneath the Sea by Bill François. It combines science, literature, mythology, and memoir in its discussion of sea life. Short but enjoyable.

My review:

That sounds wonderful! I love sardines, hope this book does not diminish my appetite for them.... putting it on my list anyway.

Mukherjee's The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human . . . history & present day science, excellent

Carol wrote: "Mukherjee's The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human . . . history & present day science, excellent"

Thank you. I didn't know he had a new book. Adding to my TBR

It may not have won this year's GR Choice award for nonfiction, but it definitely merited being nominated.


An Immense World by Ed Yong


For readers who like popular science books, this is a solid selection. For fans of comparative zoology, this is a must read.


My review -- /review/show...

Finished "Stealth: The Secret Contest to Invent Invisible Aircraft." Mentioned here because the author spent a lot of time dealing with the basic science that allowed for the creation of stealth technology.

Wadhams' A Farewell to Ice: A Report from the Arctic, very technical & readable

On 1/10/23, I posted my 48th pair of reviews, 1 for the Willoughby's Drawing and Painting Dinosaurs: Using Art and Science to Bring the Past to Life (which is great: /review/show... ) & 1 for Feduccia's "Romancing the Birds and Dinosaurs: Forays in Postmodern Paleontology" (which is terrible: /review/show... ).

/book/show/3...

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
must read for anyone remotely interested in participating in the global solution for climate change

In their new book How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures author Sabrina Imbler describes how ten different sea-dwelling animals live (and die) in the ocean, and offers vignettes from her own life. The science is fascinating and their reflections on their journey as a non-binary person are both compelling and revealing. Imbler’s narration of the audiobook is deeply personal.

My review:

Finished "Turtles as Hopeful Monsters," which is badly undercut by poor organization and a failure by the author to be a bit more explicit about what they were trying to accomplish. Which is to say that if the author really wanted to write a book about the nature of scientific authority they needed to be more upfront about it.

Finished up "Escape from Earth," Fraser MacDonald's accounting of the early days of Caltech's Jet Propulsion Lab.

Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus by David Quammen

This was interesting but limited, and the title is a bit misleading. However, I recommend it. Here is my review.

I just finished There Are No Accidents by Jessie Singer.

In the tradition of Ralph Nader, it is a plea for changes in how we respond to the thousands of involuntary injuries that occur in the U.S. every year. We don't have to just accept them. If we can adjust our thinking just a little bit, we could find ways to predict and prevent them.

I strongly recommend this book. Here is my review.

Sextant: The Elegant Instrument That Guided the Great Explorers, and a Young Man's First Journey Across the Atlantic is really three books intertwined into one. The bulk is the story of the most famous explorer/cartographers (Cook, LaPerouse, Vancouver, et al). Then, as the title suggests, it's a history of the science of navigation. And finally it's a continuing account of the author's first trans-ocean passage in a small boat. Having been a navigator and cruising sailor myself, I thoroughly enjoyed it. By chance I happened to visit the remote island of Vanikoro where evidence of LaPerouse's end was recently discovered. Vanikoro was also Michener's inspiration for the fictional Bali Hai.

In his book Ways of Being: Beyond Human Intelligence author James Bridle discusses self-awareness, asks what constitutes intelligence, and has a lot to say about AI. It's quite readable despite the heavy subject matter.

My review:

How Medicine Works and When It Doesn't: Learning Who to Trust to Get and Stay Healthy by F. Perry Wilson.

This was interesting, but a little disappointing. However, it's short and an easy read. Here is my review.

In his new book The Transcendent Brain: Spirituality in the Age of Science author Alan Lightman endeavors to reconcile spirituality and science. I don't think he quite achieved his goal.

My review:

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World I enjoyed it quite much, despite a few small disappointments. my review and analysis

I listened to this in January, the traditional month of new beginnings.
How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman

This isn't just a self-help book but one that included studies on behavioral science.

My Review -- /review/show...

Woman Reading wrote: "I listened to this in January, the traditional month of new beginnings.
[book:How to Change: T..."

Thanks for the review -- looks like an interesting book!

On 3/13/23, I posted my 49th pair of reviews, 1 for Kuether's The Amazing World of Dinosaurs: An Illustrated Journey Through the Mesozoic Era (which is good: /review/show... ) & 1 for Jackson's "The Magic School Bus Presents: Dinosaurs: A Nonfiction Companion to the Original Magic School Bus Series" (which is terrible: /review/show... ).