What Books Are You Currently Reading?

[wattsAndSquats]

Genome by Matt Ridley

The tagline says it all: "The Autobiography Of A Species In 23 Chapters"

Each chapter is dedicated to exploring one particular gene on the chromosome with the corresponding chapter number (23 chromosomes, 23 chapters) and how that gene has impacted our history, intelligence, morality, fate etc.

It's very fun for a nonfiction book. One chapter detailed the hunt for the gene who's mutation is responsible for Huntington's disease; very dramatic and action packed. Another chapter explored free will, and the immutability of genetic influence very prosefully.

All around fun, informative read.

 

[diogenesNY]

Just finished reading _The interstellar age : inside the forty-year Voyager mission_ by Jim Bell

http://search.library.duke.edu/search?id=DUKE006502117

A compelling book, with a glimpse into many of the personalities behind the mission and its ongoing history. Lots of very interesting details on the science aspects that were not all that widely covered in the popular press. A great deal of historical perspective on the previous and subsequent missions as well.

Very timely with the New Horizons mission finally giving us up-close-and-personal visuals of Pluto.

Highly recommended.

diogenesNY

 

[thankz]

currently reading,

crystal fire, the birth of the information age. about the invention of the transistor.

 

[thankz]

currently reading,

the chip: how two americans invented the microchip & launched a revolution.

 

[BobG]

Just recently finished "The Martian".

This is a very good story. Lots of suspense and hard to put down.

For the most part, it's scientifically accurate, but I had a few issues with the performance of their rocket ships. Have to leave Mars immediately because the high winds are threatening to tip the rocket over? And a launch in winds that high is going to go well? Plus other issues that I don't want to talk about because they would be serious spoilers. Not exactly Sandra Bullock performing an out of plane rendezvous with a fire extinguisher degree of silliness, but enough to make me sigh, "Really?"

It should still be a great movie when it comes out.

I'm currently reading "The Boys in the Boat". Pretty cool true story about a competitive rowing team.

 

[PopeAtom]

I just finished Ashlee Vance book on Elon Musk. It was really inspiring and i would recommend it for any engineers who are looking to move into entrepreneurship.

 

[Enigman]

Reading Dracula. The writing style sucks.

 

[Borek]

Speaking about the sucking writing style: yesterday I have finished reading "The Elephant's Journey".

 

[thankz]

where wizards stay up late: the origins of the internet.

 

[vsgarciaaleman]

Currently reading Capitães da Areia. Seems good so far.

 

[epenguin]

A part of my reading is in a way unplanned - unlike the more 'deliberate' e-books I buy online having read the reviews - when I'm in London which is only a part of the time I wander into secondhand and charity bookshops and buy very cheap books even if I'm not going to have time to read them, because unlike new online I think I won't find it again. So I have a fair number of yet unread ones. I wish everybody would go away.

Anyway the one I last got through is "The Terror" by Graeme Fife 2004 (about the French Revolutionary Terror). Sort of true history that makes your blood boil, like that of the Holocaust, Great Purges, or Gulags. Also for how the Terror was proclaimed and exalted (rather than defended, since it was hardly attacked or openly criticised ). I have read numbers of histories of the Revolution over the years; they have a large caste of characters that one then forgets then revises on next reading and slowly sink in, so I caught up with some old acquaintances and reminded self of which was which between Hébert, Hanriot and Hérault de Séchelles etc. The men who got rid of Robespierre and ended the terror included some who had been worse terrorists even than he (the decimations in the provinces were just as or more ghastly than those in Paris but generally get less attention) and who did it for fear the mincing machine was turning against them. They prospered under Napoleon and even the restored Monarchy. A pretty insightful and critically researched history, this book.

The book I'm reading now is bang up to date - '1914' by Malcolm Brown, publ. 2014. Of course the anniversary of the outbreak of WW1 has seen a plethora of (good) books. The caste of characters is even larger. Again I have read other histories so there is the same revisitation and revision, but a lot is new. Mainly British perspective. This is a publication associated with the Imperial War Museum, which must have the vastest archive on the subject in the world. The politics are covered informatively but so far it is mostly about the experiences of civilians and the (in the UK all volunteer in 1914) joiners-up to the armed forces, based on the extensive IWM archives. Critical examination of things calling for it - how well do the filmed clips of cheering crowds at outbreak we have all seen represent real state of the populations' feelings? So far I've read a large section on something you might never have considered - if you were a civilian working or holidaying in working or holidaying in what became enemy country just before and after the rather sudden outbreak, what could you/ did you do and how successfully? Or if you ran into an enemy cruiser at sea? Lots of individual stories quoted from original letters , diaries, and reminiscences.

Ah History! I would really like to know and retain everything that ever happened! Well I could skip detail of a few things - say the early Church Fathers. I have forgotten more than I have read , must brush up. If only everybody would go away!

 

[Astronuc]

Just started reading, The Quartet, by Joseph J. Ellis. Very interesting narrative of what Ellis considers the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789. The quartet consists of George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay.

In the first chapter, there is a discussion of the Dickinson Draft of the Articles of Confederation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dickinson_(Pennsylvania_and_Delaware)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/contcong_07-12-76.asp
http://digitalhistory.hsp.org/pafrm/doc/draft-articles-confederation-john-dickinson-june-1776

I see much the same strains in political circles and among the body politic these days.

 

[skad]

Just started reading. Birth of a theorem by Cedric Villani. What is mathematics by Courant.

 

[Enigman]

Shada
A Doctor Who novel based on one of the lost Tom Baker episodes written by Douglas Adams and novelized by Gareth Roberts.

 

[thankz]

done reading iWoz, now it's masters of the game.

 

[BOAS]

I am reading "The Fires Of Heaven" by Robert Jordan. Number five in his Wheel Of Time series.

Excellent in my opinion :)

 

[EngWiPy]

Just started reading The Open Society and its Enemies by Karl Popper.

 

[BobG]

Re-read Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five", wondering, if this book is consistently rated as one of the top books in recent history, why don't I remember much of it.

And the result was to remind myself why I don't remember much of it.

"Breakfast of Champions" was a seriously good book, and "God Bless You Mr Rosewater" was a good book. I just don't think any of Vonnegut's other books were really all that good and have no idea why "Slaughterhouse Five" gets such high ratings.

 

[Hornbein]

Hey people,

I believe this would be a good way to find out new(probably good ) books, so just as it says on the tin, what are you reading now?

I currently alternate between Simon Singh's Fermat's Last Theorem, and Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan. Nearly finished both so I can surely use some suggestions!

The Spirit Glass by Carol Berg. Fiction, but I quite liked it. The main character is an undercover investigator. His lies are quite clever and kept my interest.

 

[Kojack]

Edgard allan poe stories , incredible imagine power

 

[zoobyshoe]

I'm going to recommend the novels of C.J. Box to anyone looking for entertaining reading. He's written about 20. They're primarily murder mysteries, but the trappings are different than most, which is refreshing: the main character is Joe Pickett, a Montana game warden, who seems to stumble across a human murder every time he goes out to ticket unlicensed hunters or fishermen who are over their limit. The author paints a picture of an American West that I assumed had died long ago, but still exists in Montana, apparently; an underpopulated, underpoliced, expanse that is mostly still wilderness roamed by elk herds, pronghorn antelope, and people who own more acres of land than you'd think possible in the modern world. Just as in the old west, Joe encounters hard characters out to grab what they can, and fights the corrupt state bureaucracy that sees him as a do-gooder, loose canon.

Unlike many authors, C.J. Box has become a better and better author as time goes by. It's worth starting at the beginning and reading in order as his writing becomes more engrossing. I'm currently reading his latest: Badlands, and it's very hard to put down.

 

[Sophia]

E. A. Poe Sounds like a great idea, I might read him.
I am currently on book 5 of Harry Potter series. It was written for children of course, but even adults can find hidden meanings in it. I really enjoy reading it at the age of 28.
My other book is Hunger Games trilogy. I really disliked the first part. I keep reading so that I can write a very long negative review on Goodreads

 

[Silicon Waffle]

E. A. Poe Sounds like a great idea, I might read him.
I am currently on book 5 of Harry Potter series. It was written for children of course, but even adults can find hidden meanings in it. I really enjoy reading it at the age of 28.
My other book is Hunger Games trilogy. I really disliked the first part. I keep reading so that I can write a very long negative review on Goodreads

 

[Enigman]

I am currently on book 5 of Harry Potter series. It was written for children of course, but even adults can find hidden meanings in it. I really enjoy reading it at the age of 28.

When you are done try Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. It may be fanfiction but it is one of the most life changing stories I have ever read. The author is an artificial intelligence theorist and uses the story adeptly to teach the reader about the scientific method, rational thinking and cognitive biases. It takes place in an alternate universe where:

Petunia married a biochemist, and Harry grew up reading science and science fiction. Then came the Hogwarts letter, and a world of intriguing new possibilities to exploit. And new friends, like Hermione Granger, and Professor McGonagall, and Professor Quirrell...

 

[Sophia]

Wow that sounds cool! Will definitely read it ☺

 

[WWGD]

When you are done try Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. It may be fanfiction but it is one of the most life changing stories I have ever read. The author is an artificial intelligence theorist and uses the story adeptly to teach the reader about the scientific method, rational thinking and cognitive biases. It takes place in an alternate universe where:

But aren't magic/sorcery and alternate universes considered to be outside of the realm of the Rational , at least at this point?

 

[Enigman]

But aren't magic/sorcery and alternate universes considered to be outside of the realm of the Rational , at least at this point?

There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief needed, yes. 'The alternate universe' just refers to an alternate storyline and isn't explicitly mentioned in the story and is perhaps poor phrasing on my part. Also the incongruity of existence of magic is one of the themes explored and Harry James Potter Evans-Verres almost immediately starts experimenting to quantify 'magic' as scientifically as possible (which includes delving into Mendelian inheritance to prove or disprove the claim mudbloods are 'inferior' and exploring why magic completely overlooks laws of conservation.) Here magic is just parts of laws of nature that no one has really delved into scientifically and just taken for granted by wizards like muggles took things falling down to Earth as granted for much of their time on Earth and as most wizards still do.

 

[WWGD]

There is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief needed, yes. 'The alternate universe' just refers to an alternate storyline and isn't explicitly mentioned in the story and is perhaps poor phrasing on my part. Also the incongruity of existence of magic is one of the themes explored and Harry James Potter Evans-Verres almost immediately starts experimenting to quantify 'magic' as scientifically as possible (which includes delving into Mendelian inheritance to prove or disprove the claim mudbloods are 'inferior' and exploring why magic completely overlooks laws of conservation.) Here magic is just parts of laws of nature that no one has really delved into scientifically and just taken for granted by wizards like muggles took things falling down to Earth as granted for much of their time on Earth and as most wizards still do.

Yes, that is a good point, there is a difference between the non-Rational, that for which there is still no scientific evidence, and the irrational, that which directly contradicts known science.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I'm reading Hitch-22

 

[JorisL]

I'm with Engiman, the fanfiction is awesome (I recently read it).
A sequel by another writer is "S1gn1f1cant D1g1t5", it's good so far (read arc 1, waiting for arc 2 to finish and grab the pdf)

 

[Enigman]

I'm with Engiman, the fanfiction is awesome (I recently read it).
A sequel by another writer is "S1gn1f1cant D1g1t5", it's good so far (read arc 1, waiting for arc 2 to finish and grab the pdf)

There are two other sequels of note- Harry Potter and the Memories of a Sociopath, and Draco Malfoy and the Practice of Rationality. Both however pale against HPMOR.

 

[AkshayJain]

Hey everyone :) I'm currently reading the second book of the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire. I think almost everyone has read the series apart from me. haha. (I'm VERY hooked on this series at the moment)

 

[dkotschessaa]

I just finished reading all of Asimov's books in the Robot/Empire/Foundation series, in Asimov's prescribed order. (found here). 15 books in all. Quite a journey. It was kind of strange reading them in this order. The books weren't originally all written as a series. Later books were written into create a psuedo-consistent universe. The written order is therefore not the same as the chronological universe order. So it was kind of jarring to go from Asimov's 1950s prose to 1990s.
Nonetheless, Asimov is just so important, IMO, and it was a great trip.

I am not sure what to do next. I am back to Analog magazine for awhile, which I've been away from for a good year.

Also reading some math history stuff. Autobiography of Andre Wiles (of Bourbaki fame) and "Euler's Gem," a book about the history of Topology.

-DaveK

 

[KiggenPig]

Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman. Fantatically written, pretty heavy at times.

 

[OCR]

I'm going to recommend the novels of C.J. Box to anyone looking for entertaining reading. He's written about 20.

C.J. Box... My wife just informed me, she has read all, or, almost all of them (she's not absolutely sure), she reads a great deal, honest!

She also informed me that "Joe" is a Wyoming game warden... I believe she is correct... (really think I couldn't ?) ... lol

I'm going to recommend the novels of C.J. Box to anyone looking for entertaining reading.

On that, she agrees...

 

[Hornbein]

The last intellectually stimulating thing I read that wasn't a textbook, exam, or homework assignment was probably the lyrics to Britney Spears, I Wanna Go.

Without your guidance I never would have encountered this literature

I picked up twelve old New Yorker magazines for free. I enjoyed perhaps one tenth of the text. They take jejune art such as punk rock seriously. I liked an article about Alexander Humboldt.

 

[zoobyshoe]

C.J. Box... My wife just informed me, she has read all, or, almost all of them (she's not absolutely sure), she reads a great deal, honest!

She also informed me that "Joe" is a Wyoming game warden... I believe she is correct... (really think I couldn't ?) ... lol

Yes, Joe Pickett is based in Wyoming, not Montana! His other characters, Cody Hoyt and Cassie Dewell are the ones from Montana.

 

[Astronuc]

I'm currently reading "The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones" by Thomas Asbridge, Harper Collins Publishers, 2014.

It is a compelling story about William Marshal, who at the age of 5 faced execution by King Stephen when William's father broke his word to the king. Stephen did not execute the young lad. Marshal went on to become a successful knight in service to Henry II and his on Henry the Younger. Henry the younger died at a young age while rebelling against his father. Upon Henry II's death, Richard the Lionheart became king, and upon his death (from a gangrenous wound from a crossbow bolt in his left shoulder) John became King. King John's reign was problematic, and he eventually died from dysentery in October 1216 while facing an invasion Prince Louis of France and a rebellion of may barons.

There is an interesting discussion of the Magna Carta, which was more or less ignored by John in the latter half of 1215. Overall, it provides an interesting perspective on the history of England and Angevin France, also parts of Wales and Ireland, and the various political and religious conflicts of the times.

Marshal lived to the age of 72, which was remarkable given his military experience.

Some background:
https://www.royal.gov.uk/historyofthemonarchy/kingsandqueensofengland/theangevins/theangevins.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Marshal,_1st_Earl_of_Pembroke (1146–1219)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_I_of_England , http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/richard_i_king.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chepstow_Castle

 

[poot lovato]

A Briefer History of Time by Leonard Mlodinow and Stephen Hawking yo

 

[Monsterboy]

How is the book 'What is life ' by Schrodinger in 1944 ?

 

[CFDFEAGURU]

Currently reading: The Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. This is the first book in the Century Trilogy and I have to say it is an extremely well researched and written novel.

 

[Hornbein]

Astrophysics for Physicists. Though I don't know if I'll ever have time to read the whole thing.

 

[WWGD]

Sorry for a sort of "meta" question:
I have become kind of obsessive about getting the most out of a book. Anyone else feel the need to re-read books?
It seems hard at times to fully get the content and ideas from a first read alone. The first read gives you an overview of the structure of the book. Once you know the structure/layout, you can, upon a second reading more easily absorb the actual content, form issues being out of the way.

EDIT: I mean that understanding the context consumes a good chunk of attention/focus away from the actual content, ideas in the book. Anyone else see it this way?

 

[OCR]

Anyone else see it this way?

Yup... I sure do.

It's basically like watching a movie more than once...

 

[WWGD]

Yup... I sure do.

It's basically like watching a movie more than once...

So we are both have OCD -- a relative of yours (OCD-OCR)?

 

[lisab]

I just started reading "Infidel: My Life" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

 

[Sophia]

Sorry for a sort of "meta" question:
I have become kind of obsessive about getting the most out of a book. Anyone else feel the need to re-read books?
It seems hard at times to fully get the content and ideas from a first read alone. The first read gives you an overview of the structure of the book. Once you know the structure/layout, you can, upon a second reading more easily absorb the actual content, form issues being out of the way.

EDIT: I mean that understanding the context consumes a good chunk of attention/focus away from the actual content, ideas in the book. Anyone else see it this way?

It depends on the book. If it's popular science, if it's almost always good to read it a couple of times. But when I re - read 'normal' books, I tend to like them less than the first time. I may be completely charmed by a book, totally loving it. But than I re-read it some time again and I ask myself wtf? Is this the same book I liked so much or has someone telepathically rewritten it while it was lying on the shelf?
So I now I always read a book only once.

 

[Monsterboy]

Anyone else see it this way?

This is quite common ,lot of people do it ,not all books can be understood in one go.

 

[Borek]

not all books can be understood in one go.

There are books that can't be understood no matter how many times you try.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Sorry for a sort of "meta" question:
I have become kind of obsessive about getting the most out of a book. Anyone else feel the need to re-read books?
It seems hard at times to fully get the content and ideas from a first read alone. The first read gives you an overview of the structure of the book. Once you know the structure/layout, you can, upon a second reading more easily absorb the actual content, form issues being out of the way.

EDIT: I mean that understanding the context consumes a good chunk of attention/focus away from the actual content, ideas in the book. Anyone else see it this way?

Depends on the book of course. I'm not going to re-read any of the star trek novels I picked up for a dollar and read on the beach during vacation. But certainly many books merit one or many re-reads.

I think it's partly about the things you said, but there's also the experience of re-reading a book *many* years later. There were many books I read as a teenager and I really doubt I would even recognize them or see them the same way now. There are some books I plan to read every n years or so.
-Dave K