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This short book by UK author Marcus Chown does what a popular science book should - give a brief history, good examples and anecdotes, end notes for those who want more, sprinkle with humor and step out of the way. I just wish it had a few illustrations and a bibliography.

Starting with Newton then leading to Einstein, the first two parts of the book do an excellent job of describing not just where we are but why we wanted to go there. The third part explains some of the why (black holes) and then gives many of the options for where next, but also makes clear that we just don't know yet. I really appreciated the views of Nima Arkani-Hamed in this section.

This book doesn't delve into the math, but leaves enough bread crumbs for those who want to delve into that, physics, or even history. One minor quibble - we "build too many walls and not enough bridges" was said by Joseph Fort Newton, not Isaac. Chown does an excellent job of setting other historical myths in their place - though the occasional scene of fantasy revealed as "fun to imagine" wore a little thin.

Overall an excellent book on the subject, and a decent introduction to where we are now - or at least were in 2017 :)

Survival reality show meets apocalyptic event, with the main character caught in the middle. Unfortunately this good premise isn't well served by the novel provided.

This story is told from two perspectives. The primary one is that of a contestant in a reality TV survival show on a "solo challenge" that has gone way beyond what she expected. The secondary perspective is that of the producer (and later the fans, via internet) of the show, who refers to everyone on the show by a cringe-worthy caricature, e.g. "zoo", "rancher", "asian chick" and "black doctor". Interestingly, the contestant mentally refers to the various cameramen she sees by giving them labels as well.

This book felt a lot longer than 304 pages, and not in a good way. The producer and crew didn't come off as a true character, and later morphed into a way of reporting the situation in the current day. Either would have worked, but the hybrid felt clumsy - though still conveying information. The contestant perspective is strictly first person, with observations and reflections reported as is, including impact of grief and suffering. This worked pretty well, though at times it felt a bit long. In order for the premise to work, she has to bury all curiosity about the things she encounters, and that doesn't come across in her character from either perspective. For instance, this could have been specified more stringently in the "rules" of the game, or her character could have been described as "single-minded". More than one reviewer has said they wanted to shake her, to wake her up.

An interesting premise, will likely be a book club choice, compared with [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451446835l/20170404.SY75.jpg|28098716] and [b:Good Morning, Midnight|27405160|Good Morning, Midnight|Lily Brooks-Dalton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449682335l/27405160.SX50.jpg|47452606]. For me, this is the least of that set.

Somewhat silly and mostly humorous, but goes on a lot longer than it should.

The plot summary is well covered in the book blurb and most reviews. I appreciated the (mostly) caricatured characters, and their satire. The snarky humor is good, though a bit overdone at times. This is not the first Christopher Moore I have read, and I would still recommend the irreverent Lamb as a very good example of his work (he says it is his favorite book).

The plot of A Dirty Job is a bit convoluted, overly long, and covers six years without much warning that time is passing. Many extraneous passages, including one describing hospice workers (understandable with the dedication), and a religious zealot chanting "death to the infidel" (no effect on the plot). Wraps up quickly and in a decent fashion, and a sequel was released 9 years later.

It is perhaps telling that I am in no rush to put it on hold at the library. 2½ stars (out of 5).

This is an excellent history of the American connection to rivers, from laws and policies to reshaping and later reclaiming through conservation. Much like [b:The Death and Life of the Great Lakes|35187180|The Death and Life of the Great Lakes|Dan Egan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523542441l/35187180.SY75.jpg|50692507], this is very readable and interesting, though it could use a few more pictures and maps.

The book is broken into sections, each with a strong focus on one aspect of inland waters. Some of the most interesting parts for me were the differences in laws between the riparian east and the more public land focused west. I also had no idea the flood control districts were that important. Also quite interesting were settling the various claims on water, from eldest to use-it-or-lose-it, and how the Colorado river was eventually settled between many states. In the last section of the book, the conservation and restoration sections were very interesting, if a bit too short. Extensive notes refer to articles an occasionally books, and an index completes the work.

Policies and laws are the strongest focus, and entirely within the lower 48 - Alaska and Hawaii are not mentioned. Natural lakes are also covered only in passing. This book is focused on rivers, but is mostly a people story. Recommended, but left me wanting a little more.

The author is a science journalist and this (her first novel) builds an interesting world of biotech. Sentient robots also make up part of the picture. The plot is muddled, her characters are flat and unlikable, and the resolution unsatisfying. I would pass on this one.

The setting is the best part. 150 years in the future, the author has set corporate patents against freedom, bringing indentured people into that mix also. Most of the action takes place in Canada, with hints that New York is only around because of massive dikes and sea barriers. Sentient robots are not explained, but part of the setting - I can accept that.

The plot pits corporate biotech vs pirates and free labs, which makes sense. What law there is in this setting seems to be focused on corporate lawsuits - apparently individual rights have evaporated. The novel pits two characters (pirate and law enforcement) against each other, but law enforcement seems to have no limitations, no threat of oversight. It is that much harder to stay ahead of the law when they can torture and kill everybody you know.

You can read other reviews for details on robot sex and homophobia, neither of which was needed for the story. 3 stars for the setting but 1 star (or less) for everything else, ending up at 1½ stars.

Breezy survey of the history, science and impact of p53, a protein (and associated gene) that suppresses tumors and basically prevents cancer. Discusses the impact of mutations, temperature, and more without getting too technical, and is a good starting point for current knowledge.

The history starts early and covers the breakthroughs that led to where we are now. This was the most interesting portion for me. The science is not as well covered, and left me wanting a little more. Armstrong does cover what we know (so far) of explanations for inherited cancer, childhood cancer and damage caused by environment (e.g. smoking and sunburn).

I started with breezy because the journalism might seem excessive. Knowing she met a scientist on a spring day or that he has curly hair is a little outside the topic at hand. Aside from that, this book does cover a lot of ground in its less than 300 pages. 3 stars (out of 5).

Poetic exploration of underground topics, following the authors physical exploration of many of them. Caves, catacombs under Paris, hidden rivers, urban exploration and nuclear containment vaults are just some of the many topics touched on in this wonderful work.

This is the first Macfarlane book I have read, and what a treat. He goes well beyond just describing the spaces - philosophy and history often come into play. The book has one small picture at the head of each chapter, and google has the rest available when necessary. Putting some of this into the book may have been too much distraction from the descriptions and dialog. Rob certainly has some interesting friends!

Highly recommended, and only a desire to reduce my to-read list keeps me from adding every single one of his books to it. On goodreads, each of them is rated over 4, which is significant praise from the reading community.

An interesting world of corporations is built in the first portion of the book, with rich descriptions of the protagonist and her friends, her school, and her situation. This teeters and is abruptly pushed into the second portion, solitary confinement. Dark and difficult to read, but it does show character growth. In the final portion, the aftermath, a new life is built. The narrative here is solid and the writing excellent.

It took me three tries to start this book. The first chapter has a lot of world detail and many characters. Several are left behind, and may not have been strictly necessary. Perhaps this was written at different times? Travel forced a break shortly after starting the second part, and I ended up thinking of a Phillip K Dick version of the rest of the story. Unfortunately, the narrative didn't go that direction - but I did enjoy Eskridge's resolution. 3½ stars.

This sophomore effort is comparable to sagas (Ken Follet, Alex Haley, or even Leo Tolstoy), but the novel blurb is all Matterhorn. This is probably because this family study just isn't as good as his first book.

The descriptions of the land are lush, even though the distances seem a little too compressed. There are moments of action in this sweeping drama that are well done. It also feels historically accurate. My favorite aspect is comparing the Red/White struggles of Finland to the IWW's fight against the colluding capitalist barons of the early logging, milling and canning industries. A lot of US history of labor relations works into this story, along with prejudice against (and between) immigrants.

An authors note explains why the characters are named for the Kalevala, and some may have actions resembling their counterparts. Aino is a strong female character, but is not generally well written. This is unfortunate because a lot of the story is from her viewpoint. The male characters generally come off better here, and the authors first novel didn't have many women. Improving this would have added a lot to the story.

I haven't read other big family stories, though some are on my list to-read. My goal was to read this before a trip to Finland; I ended up finishing it in Helsinki. This story rates a good, not great - 3 stars.

The good - four distinct voices, as the individual characters each get their own chapters.
The bad - this reads like a sitcom - one of the older ones with a laugh track.
The ugly - either a) Maureen is clueless about caring for her own son, or b) the author is clueless about writing this situation. Either way his incarceration in a chair was painful to read.

This is the first Nick Hornby I've read, and unfortunately it lives down to it's rating. While I like much of his writing style (and humour), the plot of this book just doesn't work. The last few chapters are an attempt to escape the corner, and I think they fail. The last lines of the book, regarding the London Eye, are:

"We stared at it for a long time, trying to work it out. Martin was right. It didn’t look as though it was moving, but it must have been. I suppose."

I understand this was made into a movie with pretty horrible reviews also. 1½ stars.

Horowitz writes with a style closer to the cerebral stories from Doyle than the action filled recent implementations. This is really two connected stories, two mysteries for Holmes to solve, and this book is the first of two from the author of Alex Rider and Foyle's War.

Penned by Watson in his latter days, this story is to be hidden until the implicated parties are long gone - which means a government or monarchical conspiracy is afoot. Indeed, Mycroft makes an appearance trying to turn Sherlock away, saying there is nothing he can do to help him if he is caught. The combination of conspiracy and crime, initially launched by a vendetta, makes for an excellent plot for this detective duo.

So why not five stars? The social commentary, and indeed a chunk of the mystery, don't quite match the original stories or the London that Doyle wrote about. They are a better match for our modern times. Perhaps the author thought this could be used in one of the recent Holmes incarnations? Not sure. 4 stars.