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.