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This really excellent book covers history, science and preparedness for earthquakes and tsunamis in the Pacific Northwest region. From the history, I loved the way they solved, down to the hour, the last major earthquake (magnitude 8.7 to 9.2) in the area. Color images would have been nice. Highly recommended!

While the book has excellent information, the underlying thread was more repetitive than "World Without Us" (which was 5 stars). Like that work, each chapter is a story of a particular thing - in this case, China (1 child policy), Israel (Palestinians and Jews both fighting the battle of the womb), etc. The big picture here is that there are good influences on population (contraception, education) and bad (religious doctrine, poverty). Excellent side points were made about world population, including the economic aspects (growth economy, lack of support for aging population) and the fact that consumption is just as important as population.

This is on a friends "10 books that influenced me" list, and I just couldn't get into it. May tackle it again sometime, especially after chatting with said friend.

This dark story has an interesting premise, and I liked the idea of a half-finished book containing nothing but empty pages after the bookmark. The rest was muddled with a dark corner in the middle. Having now finished a novel, a book in pictures and now a graphic novel short story, I must conclude that Ms. Niffenegger is just not my kind of author.

More of a coffee table book, this has some great maps! Most are given a two-page spread (with introduction and mini-bio of the cartographer) followed by a pair of pages with zoomed insets and details. Well done!

This is a legal mystery/thriller, establishing a complex character with a dark background and doubtful future. The author is clearly competent in the law, and at least an average writer.

The story and structure were decent at the beginning, but the writing slipped as the book continued. By the midpoint, I found the plot threads too convoluted, and the final reveal was unsatisfying. The title clearly refers to his brother, and I kept reading to find a nugget of information to connect the two. Never happened.

Title seems to indicate this is the start of a series - I will likely not read any further.

This book isn't particularly long but it was very difficult to get into, from the first chapter to the last. The subject matter is fascinating, and I want to find good books about certain aspects of cellular biology - but not this one.

This book alternates between the author's experiences in activism and his neighbor's beekeeping, with interesting parallels between the two. I found the apiculture fascinating and the activism interesting, though also somewhat depressing. Both have had to adapt to changes in climate, and both somewhat successfully - though an epilog would have to be further in the future for the final verdict. The connections were occasionally forced and the writing was not as smooth as his previous book, Eaarth. Would still recommend this to my friends.

This quick read was a combination of an excellent memoir and not particularly funny bits about aging. Billy himself says old Jewish comedians are an acquired taste - one I clearly don't have. The rest of the anecdotes and histories were well done and humorous. Overall I liked it.

This was the third female musician autobiography I read this year, and fell somewhere in the middle of the ratings. Covering slightly more than one turbulent year of her life, Kristin Hersh based the book on a diary she kept at the time. Powerful stuff, and slightly scattered. I really enjoyed reading her conversations with aging actress Betty Hutton and her descriptions of the recording studio process.

This thought-provoking book touches all the apocalyptic bases for a home run.

Starts by covering the mass extinctions through the history of our planet, then touches on the question of whether we are in (or are causing) a mass extinction now. Three short chapters cover groups that were successful scattering, adapting, and remembering, and then moves to a discussion of how well these strategies would work against future potential disasters. Science fiction authors discussed include Arthur C. Clarke, Octavia Butler and Paul McAuley. Extensive notes and references and a decent index conclude this thought-provoking book.

This obscure little book by Stephen Baxter is a fast read and quite a bit of fun. Set in 1962 with a decent cast of youngsters, it also has Dr. No (the movie), the Beatles and the Cavern Club, and a Vulcan nuclear bomber. Humor in appropriate places and suspense in the rest lead to an exciting conclusion.

Target audience seems to be teenaged British readers, and I needed to look up some of the slang. Minor technical quibbles are easily overlooked in favor of the story. Would make a cracking good movie!

Unlike many post apocalyptic tales, this one is told from the perspective of one man and in one chapter his wife. Together they face the end of humanity and this balanced perspective is different than the many similar books in this genre. The other characters in the book are also well written and interesting.

There are just 6 long chapters here, each one tale in the life. Two of them are flash backs, and it is only here that we pick up the details of the disaster that led to this situation. Really enjoyed this style, and the tale kept coming back to me.

I found myself thinking often of Earth Abides (read in 2012), primarily because of the aging narrator, though the outcome is similar also. Greybeard was included on a 100 best Science Fiction list and has been released as part of the SF Masterworks series. Recommended.