The 19th Wife

by David Ebershofft

** [2/5]

This book is two or three stories tied together by polygomy. The backbone of the book is the story of Ann Eliza, the 19th wife of Brigham Young. Her own book outlines they way plural marriage effected her mother, her brother, and her own life.

The anachronism of the book is the secondary story of a modern day victim of polygamy from a compound in rural Utah. This story is not compelling, but rather just a horrible look inside the compound. Not the best read.

The End of the Heart

by Bowen

*** [3/5]

This book tells the story of Portia, a young girl who is sent to live with her half-brother and his wife in 1920's England. It explores the social issues that she confronts with her sister in-law and relationships with family friends. Not my favorite but a nice book if you are interested in teen angst.

Rukkha-Nor

by Tara Swanson

**** [4/5]

This book explores the world of Rukkha-Nor through the eyes of two citizens, one from the warm southern lands and one from the cold north. The two characters eventually find themselves on a quest to help the world in ways they could not have imagined. Great fast pace and colorfully written.

The Black Swan

by Nassim Taleb

** [2/5]

This book is an exploration of outliers, or black swans. The author investigates the frequency of these unlikely events. I did not enjoy this book, although many of the arguments he used are true (gaussians are not as common as we would like to think) the ways he extends the theory to theology and other areas are stretched. The existence of black swans is clear, but after reading I am still not convinced that one should make decisions based only on this theory. Not recommended.

Advanced Calculus

by Taylor

*** [3/5]

I picked up this book to give me some additional background about mathematical analysis. I found it less helpful than expected. Although it does have some material it is not organized in a way that provide much value. In addition, it does not have the depth required to supplement an advanced analysis class.

Applied Probability

by Kenneth Lange

*** [3/5]

I bought this book to supplement a statistics course I was taking. I has good high level material about Markov processes, but is very light on how to build your own Markov models. A bit disappointing but a good introduction.

World without end

by Ken Follet

*** [3/5]

Alexandria

by Lindsey Davis

**** [4/5]

This book was recommended to me by someone intimately familiar with historical accuracy. I enjoyed the story but as a mystery novel it was not as surprising as it might have been. The rich descriptions of the library at Alexandria in the peak of the Roman empire were well worth the read.

Spectral Analysis for Physical Applications

by Donald B. Percival

**** [4/5]

This is a great book for anyone looking for a good introduction to spectral methods. The focus of the textbook is on spectral analysis of data that has a wave form. A great way to identify if you data has a spectral footprint even if it is not strongly of a wave form. The analysis the author presents is also available as a free package in the R statistical software so you can minimize the amount of coding required to implement.

The Three Edwards

by Costain

**** [4/5]

This is a great piece of history. Costain details the reign of several Edwards in England. The book also explores the historical story of William Wallace (Braveheart to most of you) and his interactions with Edward. Great stuff.

The Man Who Would be King

by Rudyard Kipling

*** [3/5]

This book is the story of two adventurers who journey to a strange land to become kings. Oddly, they do. Short fun read although I did not enjoy it as much as Kim.

Jackdaws

by Ken Follet

**** [4/5]

This book is the story of an all female spy team that tries to disable a strategic Nazi communications network in the weeks before D-day. Told with the fast pace characteristic of Follet the story holds interest well. The heroine's story is woven into the tale well and makes for a fun read.

Belief in God in an age of science

by John Polkinghorne

***** [5/5]

In this book Polkinghorne aligns the ideas of scientific discovery with the explorations of religion. He also explores concepts from physics that illustrate the existence of God.

"Since the slightest disturbance totally changes the dynamic behavior of chaotic systems, caused by the exponential growth of the effects of such perturbations, the theory of chaos describes a realm of intrinsic unpredictability and non-mechanical behavior."

The Google Book Game

The fun folks at google have a game running that requires you to use Google books to search for fun facts. Win a free google books sticker or possibly a sony reader.

The Man from St. Petersburg

by Ken Follet

*** [3/5]

This was a fairly good read. Tells the story of the Russian and English entry into WWI. The drama surrounds an English family placed at the cross-roads of the diplomatic negotiations which come to a head as an anarchist tries to assassinated key players. Fast paced and fun.

What to read

Newsweek put together a list of books that "open a window to our times". I had read many of the books already, and I was intrigued that many classics were included. Many are truly worth reading like #33 Kim (my favourite Kipling). Others I simply disagree with - I didn't find much compelling about Underworld #38.

Enjoy ... THE LIST.

Night and Day

by Virginia Woolf

**** [4/5]

This is a slow starter, but it explores the issues of a heroine who is surrounded by poets and secretly does MATH. Of course she is also engaged to the wrong man and many delights ensue (but slowly). If you are looking for a long read pick it up.

Partial Differential Equations: Analytical Solution Techniques

by J. Kevorkian

***** [5/5]

This book focuses on analytical solutions with emphasis on the fundamental solutions to the heat equation, wave equation, and other PDEs. The author gives a very detailed approach to Green's functions. Not an introductory text but very well organized for the advanced student.

Welsh Summer

by Tara Swanson

**** [4/5]

I was kindly allowed to read this pre-released book by a friend. This is a great fun read that explores Welsh legends and mysticism. The heroine comes to Wales to spend the summer with her family and uncovers a strange link to the past while patching up her family with the help of new friends. Quick pace and strong themes. Great stuff.

Sync: How Order Emerges From Chaos

by Stephen Strogatz

***** [5/5]

The best book you will read all year. This is a fascinating exploration of the syncronization and chaos theory. The author focuses many of the examples on bioliogical systems, but the theme of the book is still clear. I took a mathematics course related to chaos theory this year and the book relays many of the complex mathematical concepts from the class in a clear and reachable way. Excellent read.

The Game

by Jack London

*** [3/5]

I enjoyed this short story by Jack London. It was very different from his more widely known books with outdoor settings, but the character development was very strong.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

by Eric Larson

** [2/5]

My uncle recommended this book to me and it was NOT great. The background of the book is a wide historic account of the Chicago's world fair, which is interesting. The engineering account of the Ferris wheel and the architectural challenges actually fascinating. Sadly the main plot to the book follows the exploits of a mass murder as he goes to elaborate lengths to trap and kill visitors to the fair. Not a cheerful read, go cautiously.

This I Believe

by Studs Terkel

**** [4/5]

This book is a compilation based on the 1950's radio series and also the modern NPR series. I read this book because my Aunt Cecile had her essay featured in the book. The more interesting part of the story is that I heard her essay broadcast on NPR before I ever met her. More than a year after her essay was read on the radio she married my Uncle. Now the essay is even more important to me because it is about family. All the essays are superb, even the ones I disagree with. Well worth your time.

Mountain Time

by Ian Doig

** [2/5]

I normally like this author but this story was not one of my favourites. It tells about an older author and the upheaval of his life as he is losing his job, his father, and struggles with his relationship. While the characters are likeable this story just didn't have the adventure and spice that most of Doig's other novels have contained.

Death on the Black Sea

by Douglas Frantz

**** [4/5]

This is a great work of non-fiction that documents the struggles of a group of jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi's in WWII on the Struma. The author documents the political tensions on the Black Sea at the time that prevented the refugees from entering Israel. The book also chronicles the story of a team of divers searching for the boat.

Next

by Michael Crichton

** [2/5 ]

In my opinion this is not some of Crichton's better work. The science he tackles (genetics) is very relevant but the story is disjointed and the motivations of several characters is not well developed. Fast read but not as insightful or thought provoking as I think the author hoped.

The Grapes of Wrath ++

I have not been tracking books for a month or two, so I will be adding some posts to catch up on the books read during that time.

I also had a fun conversation with a friend who is working on reading everything Stienbeck ever wrote. I spent a few minute remembering my favourite.

***** [5/5]
by John Steinbeck

Although I read East of Eden and many others The Grapes of Wrath has always been compelling to me. I read it in high school, and something about the plight of the children in that family was very real to me.

The Sea Runners

by Ivan Doig

**** [4/5]

This is a survival story of 4 men who leave Sitka, AK under Russian rule and paddle south along the pacific northwest coast to Astoria. The story includes all the tough elements and the dynamic of the 4 men in isolation.

I did not enjoy this as much as some of the Doig's other books but well worth the read.

Hydrodynamic Stability

by P.G. Drazin

*** [3/5]

I read this book on the recommendation of a friend. Not very through in the treatment of thermal instability section, really just limited to Rayliegh-Bernard convection. The book does have a wide treatment of the subject - perhaps more useful as a class text than as a reference.

The Eustace Diamonds

by Anthony Trollope

*** [3/5]

This book has a tough heroine. Lizzy Eustance is difficult (impossible) to like and only a few appearances of our better characters. In general this book felt like a long "leave it to beaver" episode. You could always see the stupid things she was going to do coming, yet you can't stop the train wreck.

Somewhat insightful for Trollope's cynicism but not a spectacular book.

The Needle

By Ken Follet

*** [3/5]

This book is WWII fiction about a German spy named the needle. The story is compelling in many ways, the story is vibrant and fast paced.

The Pillars of the Earth

by Ken Follett

*** [3/5]

This is a fun and easy read but leaves you empty with all the shallow characters. In general it tells the story of a family of masons involved in the creation of the Kingsbridge cathedral. The lives of the characters also touch on key historical events of the day, but not in a convincing way. Nice book for a long plane ride but don't get your hopes up for the content.

The Sun's Bride

by Gillian Bradshaw

***** [4/5]

This is a classic Bradshaw novel with compelling characters and a great story. It is set in the 300 BC era of the island of Rhodes and outlines the political challenges facing the independent nation at the time. The hero Isokrates is a relatively un-important figure who is accidentally positioned to influence global events. Great read, recommended.

Immortal

by Traci L. Slatton

* [1/5]

I almost didn't write this summary because I was fairly disappointed by this book. I like historical fiction but the premise of this book is a bit weak. The cameos from famous people are interesting but not as well tied together.