Celebrate summer and beaches with these reads!
Beatriz Williams
|
May 15, 2020
May 13, 2020
Humble Pi
Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker
Summary: The book-length answer to anyone who ever put their hand up in math class and asked, "When am I ever going to use this in the real world?"
"Fun, informative, and relentlessly entertaining, Humble Pi is a charming and very readable guide to some of humanity's all-time greatest miscalculations--that also gives you permission to feel a little better about some of your own mistakes." --Ryan North, author of How to Invent Everything
Our whole world is built on math, from the code running a website to the equations enabling the design of skyscrapers and bridges. Most of the time this math works quietly behind the scenes . . . until it doesn't. All sorts of seemingly innocuous mathematical mistakes can have significant consequences.
Math is easy to ignore until a misplaced decimal point upends the stock market, a unit conversion error causes a plane to crash, or someone divides by zero and stalls a battleship in the middle of the ocean.
Exploring and explaining a litany of glitches, near misses, and mathematical mishaps involving the internet, big data, elections, street signs, lotteries, the Roman Empire, and an Olympic team, Matt Parker uncovers the bizarre ways math trips us up, and what this reveals about its essential place in our world. Getting it wrong has never been more fun.
"Fun, informative, and relentlessly entertaining, Humble Pi is a charming and very readable guide to some of humanity's all-time greatest miscalculations--that also gives you permission to feel a little better about some of your own mistakes." --Ryan North, author of How to Invent Everything
Our whole world is built on math, from the code running a website to the equations enabling the design of skyscrapers and bridges. Most of the time this math works quietly behind the scenes . . . until it doesn't. All sorts of seemingly innocuous mathematical mistakes can have significant consequences.
Math is easy to ignore until a misplaced decimal point upends the stock market, a unit conversion error causes a plane to crash, or someone divides by zero and stalls a battleship in the middle of the ocean.
Exploring and explaining a litany of glitches, near misses, and mathematical mishaps involving the internet, big data, elections, street signs, lotteries, the Roman Empire, and an Olympic team, Matt Parker uncovers the bizarre ways math trips us up, and what this reveals about its essential place in our world. Getting it wrong has never been more fun.
Angie’s comments: A fun, and sometimes serious look, at mistakes in math that caused engineering and other issues. The issues veer from trivial to deadly. Most examples are well-explained.
Recommended for readers who like math or interesting mistakes people have made.
Recommended for readers who like math or interesting mistakes people have made.
May 11, 2020
The Contact Paradox
The Contact Paradox: Challenging Our Assumptions in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence by Keith Cooper
Summary: Inside the difficult questions about humanity's search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
What will happen if humanity makes contact with another civilization on a different planet? In The Contact Paradox, space journalist Keith Cooper tackles some of the myths and assumptions that underlie SETI--the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
In 1974 a message was beamed towards the stars by the giant Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico, a brief blast of radio waves designed to alert extraterrestrial civilizations to our existence. Of course, we don't know if such civilizations really exist. But for the past six decades a small cadre of researchers have been on a quest to find out, as part of SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
The silence from the stars is prompting some researchers, inspired by the Arecibo transmission, to transmit more messages into space, in an effort to provoke a response from any civilizations out there that might otherwise be staying quiet. However, the act of transmitting raises troubling questions about the process of contact. We look for qualities such as altruism and intelligence in extraterrestrial life, but what do these mean to humankind? Can we learn something about our own history when we explore what happens when two civilizations come into contact? Finally, do the answers tell us that it is safe to transmit, even though we know nothing about extraterrestrial life, or as Stephen Hawking argued, are we placing humanity in jeopardy by doing so?
In The Contact Paradox, author Keith Cooper looks at how far SETI has come since its modest beginnings, and where it is going, by speaking to the leading names in the field and beyond. SETI forces us to confront our nature in a way that we seldom have before--where did we come from, where are we going, and who are we in the cosmic context of things? This book considers the assumptions that we make in our search for extraterrestrial life, and explores how those assumptions can teach us about ourselves.
What will happen if humanity makes contact with another civilization on a different planet? In The Contact Paradox, space journalist Keith Cooper tackles some of the myths and assumptions that underlie SETI--the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
In 1974 a message was beamed towards the stars by the giant Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico, a brief blast of radio waves designed to alert extraterrestrial civilizations to our existence. Of course, we don't know if such civilizations really exist. But for the past six decades a small cadre of researchers have been on a quest to find out, as part of SETI, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
The silence from the stars is prompting some researchers, inspired by the Arecibo transmission, to transmit more messages into space, in an effort to provoke a response from any civilizations out there that might otherwise be staying quiet. However, the act of transmitting raises troubling questions about the process of contact. We look for qualities such as altruism and intelligence in extraterrestrial life, but what do these mean to humankind? Can we learn something about our own history when we explore what happens when two civilizations come into contact? Finally, do the answers tell us that it is safe to transmit, even though we know nothing about extraterrestrial life, or as Stephen Hawking argued, are we placing humanity in jeopardy by doing so?
In The Contact Paradox, author Keith Cooper looks at how far SETI has come since its modest beginnings, and where it is going, by speaking to the leading names in the field and beyond. SETI forces us to confront our nature in a way that we seldom have before--where did we come from, where are we going, and who are we in the cosmic context of things? This book considers the assumptions that we make in our search for extraterrestrial life, and explores how those assumptions can teach us about ourselves.
Angie’s comments: An enlightening look inside the quest for finding extraterrestrial life. The assumptions we make really influence what we look for and how we look for it. Cooper takes a look into not only space, but human evolution and culture.
Recommended for readers interested in the search for extraterrestrial life or interested in human evolution and culture.
Recommended for readers interested in the search for extraterrestrial life or interested in human evolution and culture.
February 19, 2020
Apple Cider Slaying
Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey
Summary: Apples are at the core of the family business run by Winona Mae Montgomery and her Granny Smythe. But this year's crop is unseasonably ripe with murder . . .
ONE ROTTEN APPLE
Blossom Valley, West Virginia, is home to Smythe Orchards, Winnie and her Granny's beloved twenty-five-acre farm and family business. But any way you slice it, it's struggling. That's why they're trying to drum up business with the "First Annual Christmas at the Orchard," a good old-fashioned holiday festival with enough delicious draw to satisfy apple-picking locals and cider-loving tourists alike-until the whole endeavor takes a sour turn when the body of Nadine Cooper, Granny's long-time, grudge-holding nemesis, is found lodged in the apple press. Now, with Granny the number one suspect, Winnie is hard-pressed to prove her innocence before the real killer delivers another murder . . .
ONE ROTTEN APPLE
Blossom Valley, West Virginia, is home to Smythe Orchards, Winnie and her Granny's beloved twenty-five-acre farm and family business. But any way you slice it, it's struggling. That's why they're trying to drum up business with the "First Annual Christmas at the Orchard," a good old-fashioned holiday festival with enough delicious draw to satisfy apple-picking locals and cider-loving tourists alike-until the whole endeavor takes a sour turn when the body of Nadine Cooper, Granny's long-time, grudge-holding nemesis, is found lodged in the apple press. Now, with Granny the number one suspect, Winnie is hard-pressed to prove her innocence before the real killer delivers another murder . . .
Angie’s comments: A fun, cozy mystery with a hint of romance. The characters are lovely, and the mystery is intriguing.
Recommended for cozy mystery readers.
Recommended for cozy mystery readers.
December 23, 2019
Mrs. Jeffries and the Alms of the Angel
Mrs. Jeffries and the Alms of the Angel by Emily Brightwell
Summary: When a wealthy widow is murdered, Mrs. Jeffries investigates what happens when money can't buy your life in this all-new installment in the beloved Victorian Mystery series.
Margaret Starling wasn't the sort of woman anyone expected to be murdered. She was on the advisory board of the London Angel Alms Society, she was an active member of St. Peter's Church, and, best of all, she was always willing to lend a hand to a friend or a neighbor in need of advice. She was also a wealthy upper-class widow. But money alone won't protect you when someone decides it's high time you met your maker.
Margaret's next-door neighbor considered her an odious busybody, the Reverend Reginald Pontefract wished she'd never set foot in St. Peter's, and half the advisory board of the London Angel Alms Society heartily hoped she'd come down with pneumonia before the next quarterly meeting.
All in all, Margaret wasn't as well regarded as she'd always thought she was. But Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon know that justice isn't a popularity contest, and they won't rest until they sift through the suspects to catch a sinister scrooge.
Margaret Starling wasn't the sort of woman anyone expected to be murdered. She was on the advisory board of the London Angel Alms Society, she was an active member of St. Peter's Church, and, best of all, she was always willing to lend a hand to a friend or a neighbor in need of advice. She was also a wealthy upper-class widow. But money alone won't protect you when someone decides it's high time you met your maker.
Margaret's next-door neighbor considered her an odious busybody, the Reverend Reginald Pontefract wished she'd never set foot in St. Peter's, and half the advisory board of the London Angel Alms Society heartily hoped she'd come down with pneumonia before the next quarterly meeting.
All in all, Margaret wasn't as well regarded as she'd always thought she was. But Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon know that justice isn't a popularity contest, and they won't rest until they sift through the suspects to catch a sinister scrooge.
Angie’s comments: This was the first book I have read in this series, and it works well as a stand-alone novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy historical mystery. The pace was quick and the characters interesting.
Recommended for cozy mystery readers.
Recommended for cozy mystery readers.
December 20, 2019
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Death by Caitlin Doughty
Summary: New York Times Bestseller
Winner of the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for Science & Technology
Best-selling author and mortician Caitlin Doughty answers real questions from kids about death, dead bodies, and decomposition.
Every day, funeral director Caitlin Doughty receives dozens of questions about death. The best questions come from kids. What would happen to an astronaut's body if it were pushed out of a space shuttle? Do people poop when they die? Can Grandma have a Viking funeral?
In Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, Doughty blends her mortician's knowledge of the body and the intriguing history behind common misconceptions about corpses to offer factual, hilarious, and candid answers to thirty-five distinctive questions posed by her youngest fans. In her inimitable voice, Doughty details lore and science of what happens to, and inside, our bodies after we die. Why do corpses groan? What causes bodies to turn colors during decomposition? And why do hair and nails appear longer after death? Readers will learn the best soil for mummifying your body, whether you can preserve your best friend's skull as a keepsake, and what happens when you die on a plane.
Beautifully illustrated by Dianné Ruz, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? shows us that death is science and art, and only by asking questions can we begin to embrace it.
Winner of the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for Science & Technology
Best-selling author and mortician Caitlin Doughty answers real questions from kids about death, dead bodies, and decomposition.
Every day, funeral director Caitlin Doughty receives dozens of questions about death. The best questions come from kids. What would happen to an astronaut's body if it were pushed out of a space shuttle? Do people poop when they die? Can Grandma have a Viking funeral?
In Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, Doughty blends her mortician's knowledge of the body and the intriguing history behind common misconceptions about corpses to offer factual, hilarious, and candid answers to thirty-five distinctive questions posed by her youngest fans. In her inimitable voice, Doughty details lore and science of what happens to, and inside, our bodies after we die. Why do corpses groan? What causes bodies to turn colors during decomposition? And why do hair and nails appear longer after death? Readers will learn the best soil for mummifying your body, whether you can preserve your best friend's skull as a keepsake, and what happens when you die on a plane.
Beautifully illustrated by Dianné Ruz, Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? shows us that death is science and art, and only by asking questions can we begin to embrace it.
Angie’s comments: A fun and enlightening book about death. Doughty has the right mix of humor and seriousness about the subject. The book had the effect of reassuring me about my body after death.
Recommended for anyone interested in odd scenarios about death.
Recommended for anyone interested in odd scenarios about death.
December 18, 2019
Women and Money
Women and Money: Be Strong, Be Smart, Be Secure by Suze Orman
Summary: Why is it that women have such a complicated, dysfunctional relationship with money?
Straight-talking money guru Suze Orman equips us with the knowledge and confidence needed to overcome the mental and emotional blocks and take control of our financial destinies. At the heart of the book is the all-new Save Yourself Plan, a super-clear, pragmatic, streamlined path to durable financial security.
This revised edition includes fully up-to-date information that factors in the latest financial and tax legislation and economic data, and tips on investing in the digital banking age. In these tough times, none of us can afford to sit back and relax when it comes to our money.
Suze Orman understands what women want when it comes to personal finance- a trusted source who understands that time is a precious commodity and security is the goal. With her signature mix of insight, truth-telling, and compassion, Suze hits home with advice that is at once intuitive and pragmatic-and as her millions of fans will attest, highly effective.
Straight-talking money guru Suze Orman equips us with the knowledge and confidence needed to overcome the mental and emotional blocks and take control of our financial destinies. At the heart of the book is the all-new Save Yourself Plan, a super-clear, pragmatic, streamlined path to durable financial security.
This revised edition includes fully up-to-date information that factors in the latest financial and tax legislation and economic data, and tips on investing in the digital banking age. In these tough times, none of us can afford to sit back and relax when it comes to our money.
Suze Orman understands what women want when it comes to personal finance- a trusted source who understands that time is a precious commodity and security is the goal. With her signature mix of insight, truth-telling, and compassion, Suze hits home with advice that is at once intuitive and pragmatic-and as her millions of fans will attest, highly effective.
Angie’s comments: This is a good guide for anyone, but especially women, to start handling their money. I learned some from it, and I have read a lot of financial self-help books. The steps are clear, and while not easy, she explains how to go about each part and why.
Recommended for readers interested in handling their money.
Recommended for readers interested in handling their money.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)