MobileRead June 2017 Book Club Nominations

[JSWolf]

Thanks all for the nods for Gulp.

[WT Sharpe]

Gulp would have received my nod, but I was waiting to see if others jumped in first. I can't imagine Mary Roach putting her name to anything that isn't both educational and highly entertaining.

[WT Sharpe]

When I got my first Kindle back in 2009 the very first book I read on it was by Neil DeGrasse Tyson (Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries). Knowing what a fine writer and speaker he is, I have no qualms about nominating his most recent book, published just this month, as June's Science selection: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Perhaps because of its short length (224 pages) the book is less expensive ($8.91 at Amazon) than some of his more established works.

From Amazon:

The #1 New York Times Bestseller: The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist.

What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There’s no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson.

But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.

While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.

[VioletVal]

I nominate Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

The #1 New York Times Bestseller: The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist.

What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There’s no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson.

But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.

While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by VioletVal

I nominate Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Beat you! But I'll count your nomination as a second!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Gulp would have received my nod, but I was waiting to see if others jumped in first. I can't imagine Mary Roach putting her name to anything that isn't both educational and highly entertaining.

When we read Stiff, that was a very fun read. So I'm thinking Gulp will also be a very fun read.

[Dazrin]

I will third Astrophysics. That was one my short list of things to nominate when I got another chance to sit down.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

When we read Stiff, that was a very fun read. So I'm thinking Gulp will also be a very fun read.

My main reason for not being particularly interested in Gulp is that we've already read a Mary Roach, and I think it would be good to try something else.

Originally Posted by Dazrin

I will third Astrophysics. That was one my short list of things to nominate when I got another chance to sit down.

Beat me to it. Though I'm still pulling for Longitude.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by CRussel

My main reason for not being particularly interested in Gulp is that we've already read a Mary Roach, and I think it would be good to try something else.

My reason for wanting to read another Mary Roach is because we HAVE already read one of her books. It was that good that I think we'd have a rousing good time with another of her books.

Why go for a maybe when we can go for a sure thing?

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

My reason for wanting to read another Mary Roach is because we HAVE already read one of her books. It was that good that I think we'd have a rousing good time with another of her books.

Why go for a maybe when we can go for a sure thing?

Nope. One of the things I would hope for here is a chance to try a different author. Obviously, in the case of Longitude, that won't be a new author for me, but I would hope to introduce it to others. As for Roach? Yes, we'd probably enjoy it, but I'd far rather read Neil DeGrasse Tyson's book, frankly. However, this isn't really the place to be touting our choices, except to get them to the next round where the serious lobbying can begin.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Nope. One of the things I would hope for here is a chance to try a different author. Obviously, in the case of Longitude, that won't be a new author for me, but I would hope to introduce it to others. As for Roach? Yes, we'd probably enjoy it, but I'd far rather read Neil DeGrasse Tyson's book, frankly. However, this isn't really the place to be touting our choices, except to get them to the next round where the serious lobbying can begin.

I'd like to get those that didn't read Stiff to read Gulp because I think they'd enjoy Mary Roach's writing.

I don't mind Neil DeGrasse Tyson, but he's no Carl Sagan.

[WT Sharpe]

Neither is Mary Roach, for that matter, although as authors I enjoy all three. Sagan was a poet.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Neither is Mary Roach, for that matter, although as authors I enjoy all three. Sagan was a poet.

But, Mary Roach isn't trying to take over from Sagan. I've seen both versions of Cosmos and I have to say that I liked Sagan's version better.

[Luffy]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But, Mary Roach isn't trying to take over from Sagan. I've seen both versions of Cosmos and I have to say that I liked Sagan's version better.

Neil DeGrasse Tyson's youtube videos are terrific, you should watch the one with Richard Dawkins.

[WT Sharpe]

With my last nomination, I nominate Physics: New Frontiers by Scientific American Editors.

From Goodreads:

In the world of physics, very little in the universe is what it first appears to be. And science fiction has imagined some pretty wild ideas about how the universe could work – from hidden extra dimensions in Interstellar to life as a mental projection in The Matrix. But these imaginings seem downright tame compared with the mind-bending science now coming out of physics and astronomy, and in this eBook, Physics: New Frontiers, we look at the strange and fascinating discoveries shaping (and reshaping) the field today. In the world of astrophysics, the weirdness begins at the moment of creation. In “The Black Hole at the Beginning of Time,” the authors discuss theories of what might have come before the big bang. Could our 3-D universe have sprung from the formation of a black hole in a 4-D cosmos? The math says: maybe. Later, in “The Giant Bubbles of the Milky Way,” the authors describe massive structures dubbed “Fermi bubbles” at its center – structures that no one noticed until recently. Technological innovations make much of this new science possible, as we see again in “Neutrinos at the Ends of the Earth,” where 5,000-odd sensors frozen deep within a cubic kilometer of ice in Antarctica aim to catch neutrinos in order to study distant cosmic phenomena. Scientists are also dissecting molecules with the most powerful x-ray laser in the world, as explored in “The Ultimate X-ray Machine.” Even our most fundamental notions of what reality is are up for debate, as examined in “Does the Multiverse Really Exist?” and the aptly named “What Is Real?” in which the authors question whether particles are indeed material things at all. While all of this abstraction might seem like a fun exercise in mental gymnastics, living things must also abide by the laws of physics, which, according to “The Limits of Intelligence,” may prevent our brains from evolving further. Then again, as we’ve learned, things could be different than they appear.

It was a hard decision. This book should be a mind trip. On the other hand, What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe (which still needs a third) should like a whole lot of fun. Maybe someone could show a bit of love to both of them?