Reviews and Comments

One way to think of this is as a biography of the planet Vulcan, zeroth planet in our solar system.

It was born in an 1859 paper by Le Verrier (who discovered Neptune using only mathematics and astronomical observations of Uranus) as the story behind Mercury's perihelion advance. It's troubled childhood include hiding from astronomers and a claimed sighting by French physician and amateur astronomer Edmond Lescarbault. After being declared missing (and presumed dead) in 1878, the scientific community basically ignored the discrepancy in Sir Isaac Newton's system of the world until finally Albert Einstein came along to declare that poor Vulcan had never existed.

That discrepancy between Newtonian orbital mechanics and one described by the general theory of relativity are the focus of this short book, which also delves into the stories of the men involved. No serious math is required, though I felt the author rushed through the explanation of the change in distance / time required in a gravity field. It took Einstein years to make the math for this come out right - I expect a few more pages in a book for the layman.

If most of the terms in this review are familiar to you, I think you will enjoy this fairly quick read.

FTC Compliance - this review of of Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal is for an Advanced Reader Copy received from the author.

This author is a textbook case of positivism, and this book is her latest attempt to reach out and touch her audience, making their lives better.

I enjoyed the layout much more than her previous book, [b:Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life|39872|Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life|Amy Krouse Rosenthal|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388254638s/39872.jpg|39574]. The various anecdotes and experiences are categorized into "subjects", which could allow the reader to set their own course curriculum. I read it in the presented way, mostly smiling and occasionally laughing out loud.

Similar to earlier projects of [a:Amy Krouse Rosenthal|21674|Amy Krouse Rosenthal|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1448918468p2/21674.jpg], she wants you to be a part of the fun. Interactive text messages and a website complement the text in an excellent way.

I read this book entirely within the scope of a vacation with friends (of more than 30 years) in Nelson BC. The quirkiness of this town and its scenic environs complemented the text well for me. A reader could easily finish this book in a day, though they may come back to it many times afterwards - I know I will. Highly recommended!

Book four, written 30 years after the first three, had a rather abrupt ending, and unsatisfied questions - where is Earth? who was actively hiding it? how does it factor into history and the present day?

So book five was inevitable, and it does answer the above questions. Unfortunately, it does so with a meandering plot, openly fractious characters and somewhat tenuous connections to the rest of Isaac Asimov's books - most importantly the Robots series. One major character from those books makes an appearance at the very end of this book.

Like book four, this was told as one story instead of two, and now with only one point of view. What worked so well for me in the series early on was dropped. The only other mechanical complaint was that the book was quite long, meandering at times. Not only were openly hostile characters not fun to read, they were not fun for a lot of pages!

Next up would be some of the prequels, though I am in no rush to start them at this point. My advice for the Foundation series so far has to remain - read only the first three books.

This book is a long series of articles interspersed with a bit too much Todd Coffey and Daniel Hudson, and doesn't live up to it's subtitle. Let me explain.

Many chapters are along the lines of articles from a journal - popular mechanics for instance. These are often interesting, though they draw few conclusions. For an article, that's fine, but I found it a bit frustrating as a chapter.

In this book, we learn about kids that require surgery, over and under use among kids and adults, and a history of the procedure. We go further back in history to our simian relatives and forward to repeat surgeries, with a side trip to Jon Lester's free agency. We receive a glimpse at the year-long rehab (would have liked more here) and a good discussion of injuries in Japanese baseball. Two more interesting chapters examine alternative remedies and strengthening exercises to help prevent problems.

After all that, though, we have no solutions - not even a summary of what we know or suspect. Again, not necessary in an article, but very much lacking in a book. We also have the scattershot stories of two guys who recovered from second Tommy John surgeries - one ends up being successful, one less so. These stories are interesting in their way, but don't mesh well with the articles. The styles of the stories also vary considerably - some calendar based facts, some anecdotes. I felt like some facts were skipped or ignored.

Side note - I was at Todd Coffey's last home game for the Tacoma Rainiers, and saw him pitch fairly well. In one inning of work, he struck out three batters, allowing only one hit. I don't remember if he ran in from the bullpen.

My summary: I found a few portions of the book interesting and the rest in need of better direction and/or editing. If done as a series of articles, it would be shorter (because the Hudson and Coffey articles would be more focused) and probably a better match for the subtitle - if not perfect.

The first volume ([b:Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome|243601|Imperium A Novel of Ancient Rome (Cicero, #1)|Robert Harris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442657816s/243601.jpg|1237325]) dealt with the rise of a hungry Cicero, whose wit and legal tactics impelled him to the office of Consul. This novel deals with the aftermath - death threats and a conspiracy while in office, the rise of Caesar and the founding of the Triumvirate. This Cicero has his power nibbled away and rests on his laurels for a bit too long while the Roman Republic crumbles around him. The story ends with the flight into exile.

The first two volumes make up Cicero's early career, though I would have liked a few more speeches. While the writing is still good, the story drags a bit in the second half, and I had to fight to stay interested. There is a third volume that arrived last year ([b:Dictator|25488982|Dictator (Cicero, #3)|Robert Harris|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442418779s/25488982.jpg|43767637]) which probably delves into the mid career. With all the material there, I may wait to see if a fourth book is planned and read them together.

Somewhat similar to [b:Rendezvous with Rama|112537|Rendezvous with Rama (Rama, #1)|Arthur C. Clarke|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405456427s/112537.jpg|1882772] or [b:The Martian|18007564|The Martian|Andy Weir|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1413706054s/18007564.jpg|21825181], but with more people.

Not far removed from [b:The Abyss|40289|The Abyss|Orson Scott Card|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1423648046s/40289.jpg|937985], but much drier.

Has aspects of the [b:2010: Odyssey Two|70539|2010 Odyssey Two (Space Odyssey, #2)|Arthur C. Clarke|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388271989s/70539.jpg|615175] or [b:The Hunt for Red October|19691|The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan Universe, #4)|Tom Clancy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1281995542s/19691.jpg|1112006], but focused on the Chinese.

This science fiction thriller is set a plausible 50 years in the future, and concludes with a few short pages explaining how they extrapolated the technology and outcomes. I enjoyed the characters, I didn't enjoy the early infodumps, but once both were introduced the novel really started rolling. This is a big book, but it kept me coming back for more.

Does it live up to it's glowing blurbs? Maybe. Let's put it this way - don't read the book for these borderline unbelievable "quotes".

I understand [a:John Sandford|4610|John Sandford|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1202524015p2/4610.jpg] is really great with characters and often focuses on Minnesota. This book did the former (but contains a chief engineer from the latter) but many reviewers thought these characters were not his best. I liked them enough, and look forward to comparing this writing to something he is really known for. Basically recommended.

Author Steve Olson set out to tell the story of most of the 57 people who died as a result of the May 18th eruption, and in doing so he incorporates a lot of history. Several had a connection to logging, and Weyerhauser owned land that abutted the prohibited zones, so a history of that company starts off the book. Science, economy, and the politics of 1980 also factor into this comprehensive story.

The eruption and aftermath are clearly detailed, along with speculations of the final moments of those who died. Interspersed are narratives of some who escaped, burned and bruised. Maps, charts and photographs provide a visual context of the area and event.

Ten years after the fact, my roommates and I drove to the mountain for the first time, parking at what would become the Windy Ridge viewpoint. From there we hiked towards and up the lower slope, to the point that we could look in and see the growing lava dome. Along this dry hike (we didn't bring water), we saw very little greenery. The book concludes with sections detailing the efforts at conservation and creating the National Volcanic Monument. I for one am glad that this occurred - a hike through a cleaned-up disaster area wouldn't be as interesting or educational.

I started reading this book on May 18th, and I will post my review at 8:55 am on Sunday. I recommend the book, and if any are close enough, a trip to the mountain as well.

This is optimistic science fiction, and it has also been referred to as pastoral.

Shortly after the American Civil War, Enoch Wallace was selected to be the station keeper for a galactic relay located here on Earth. He only ages when he is outside the station, collecting the mail or tending his garden, so by the 1960s there are a few questions from the government and one of his Wisconsin neighbors. This novel details his work, using flashbacks and recollections to insert important points. Earth and Galactic politics are nearing a crisis point at the time of the story.

This is the sort of book that inserts itself into your own thoughts and dreams, and for me that includes comparisons with the Highlander, another man living outside society. If it were me, the Way Station would be more like an English Pub. I loved the descriptions of Enoch's land and the midwestern characters he interacts with; the station visitors were suitably interesting and alien as well. Most of all, I like the hope this novel demonstrates, with Enoch always working towards Earth joining the galactic scene. Highly recommended.

Reread of a classic in the relatively new genre of Cyberpunk. First read this in the mid 80s and was pretty impressed.

William Gibson, essentially a luddite in his early career, banged this story out on a 1927 portable typewriter, olive green. This sort of descriptive imagery and style are exactly what his stories were liberally dosed with. The trick is, he was writing about computer stuff that was just around the corner. My fellow techies didn't have particular names for things, so adopting Gibson technospeak like deck, construct, and icebreaker was par for the course. Reading this book 30 years later, the majority of the technobabble is still a reasonably good fit - though I can see how some would be lost.

The story itself is a heist, a favorite situation to read or watch. Case experiences a lot of character growth, especially since he was near bottom at the start. If the overly flowery imagery (and occasional gaffes) don't slow you down, the story is hard to put down. Very deserving of the 3 awards (and many more nominations) received, not to mention genre-defining.