Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading?

[Uncle Robin]

4.75/5 for The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean. Definitely one of my top five reads of 2020. Popsci perfection, near as nothing. A very enjoyable, very informative look at the periodic table, but probably the thing I liked best was the way the stories told remind readers that while "Science" may (arguably) be pure, "scientists", being people, are anything but.

[bizzybody]

Sounds interesting, getting The Disappearing Spoon... now.

Anything like John Drury Clark's "Ignition!"?

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by bizzybody

Sounds interesting, getting The Disappearing Spoon... now.

Anything like John Drury Clark's "Ignition!"?

From that book's synopsis the approach may be similar, but the scope is wider of course.

[cc_in_oh]

I've also borrowed Disappearing Spoon and looking forward to checking it out.

Amazon Prime had a great 3-or4-part series a year or two ago on the discoveries that led to the periodic table - Mystery of Matter or similar IIRC - about how scientists (without knowledge of atomic structure) started to recognize patterns, formulate theories and fill in unexplained gaps, all before the discovery of the neutron and modern distinctions between atomic number and atomic weight were known. Fascinating stuff...

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

I've also borrowed Disappearing Spoon and looking forward to checking it out.

Amazon Prime had a great 3-or4-part series a year or two ago on the discoveries that led to the periodic table - Mystery of Matter or similar IIRC - about how scientists (without knowledge of atomic structure) started to recognize patterns, formulate theories and fill in unexplained gaps, all before the discovery of the neutron and modern distinctions between atomic number and atomic weight were known. Fascinating stuff...

One snippet that particularly impressed me: "In addition to winning the prize himself, Rutherford mentored and hand-trained eleven future prizewinners, the last in 1978, more than four decades after Rutherford died." I love learning little details like that.

[cc_in_oh]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

One snippet that particularly impressed me: "In addition to winning the prize himself, Rutherford mentored and hand-trained eleven future prizewinners, the last in 1978, more than four decades after Rutherford died." I love learning little details like that.

Rutherford was an amazing guy. The existence of atoms as the fundamental particles of matter had only recently gained acceptance and they were naturally assumed to be solid. Rutherford's ingenious experiments showed that atoms are not only not solid but composed of smaller particles occupying mostly empty space, a gigantic leap forward in the understanding of matter. His stature attracted Niels Bohr to Manchester, helping to launch the quantum mechanics revolution.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

Rutherford was an amazing guy. The existence of atoms as the fundamental particles of matter had only recently gained acceptance and they were naturally assumed to be solid. Rutherford's ingenious experiments showed that atoms are not only not solid but composed of smaller particles occupying mostly empty space, a gigantic leap forward in the understanding of matter. His stature attracted Niels Bohr to Manchester, helping to launch the quantum mechanics revolution.

I didn't know any of that, fascinating!

[ReadingManiac]

In other news, I'm currently reading Ink by Jobie Baldwin. It's YA, but so far very interesting!

[Bookstooge]

Currently reading Darkwalker on Moonshae, a Forgotten Realms franchise book. I haven't read a FR book in almost 3 years and I had clean forgotten just how "insert your choice of phrasing" they are. Once I'm done this one I certainly won't be reading any more and I'll be making a note to myself to not "try again"

[Bookstooge]

Just started Trailin'! by Max Brand.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I confess I've forgotten the books entirely. Hopefully there'll be enough in the third volume to remind me.

Hmm.. back in 2010 I wrote "The story came back to me fairly quickly, and I enjoyed the sequel.". Let's hope the verdict is the same this time!

And indeed it is. And I enjoyed the third volume a great deal. Excellent Mil SF/Space Opera. I wonder when/if there'll be a fourth volume?

Next up: Thraxas of Turai by Martin Scott. The 11th and last (so far) in the series. A very recent purchase, at the astonishingly high price (for me) of £5.50!

[astrangerhere]

Listening to Nicholas Nickelby and reading Connie Willis' A Lot Like Christmas story collection on my Kobo.

[CRussel]

Which narration of Nickelby are you listening to? And how do you like it?

[Bookstooge]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Next up: Thraxas of Turai by Martin Scott. The 11th and last in the series. A very recent purchase, at the astonishingly high price (for me) of £5.50!

There is a new Thraxas book? I'm on it. Hopefully it resolves things. I was pretty bummed by book 10



I just started a re-read of Steal the Sky by megan o'keefe. It didn't really impress me back in '16, but since I want to try out some of her later books, I need to re-read this to get back in the flow.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

There is a new Thraxas book? I'm on it. Hopefully it resolves things. I was pretty bummed by book 10

I've enjoyed book 11 so far. There's a foreword where the author says that there'll be more.