The Magnificent Obsession

by Lloyd Douglas

***** [5/5]

This is truly a classic. I enjoyed "The Robe" so when I found this title I was intrigued. This is a much more modern setting but a wonderful story of the difference that one man can make in the lives of others. It also explores the subtle ways that personal relationships are woven together. The story primarily follows the life of one man and his decision to become a doctor and help others in many ways.

Wonderful read!

Sleepwalk with Me

by Mike Birbiglia

*** [3/5]

I received this book for Christmas since I am a fan of this comedian. The book did not really cover much of his material that I had not already heard in various places (maybe 20% new), but it is still funny. If you enjoy painfully true stories this will entertain you for an afternoon. I am guessing the audiobook might actually be better since the author's cadence would be helpful to add to the laughs.

PS. Mike if you google alert picks this up I am sorry it wasn't more glowing. Also come do a live show in Portland OR.

The Eleventh Man

by Ivan Doig

***** [5/5]

This book chronicles the WWII adventures of one Montana football team. Each of the men is stationed in a different part of the war, including one conscientious objector who works as a medic. The story weaves through key battles like Guam and Antwerp as the narrator visits each of the original football team members as a war reporter.

This is a well written war story that you won't want to put down.

The Robe

by LLoyd Douglas

**** [4/5]

I read this book several years ago, but I have decided to give it away as a gift and I wanted to write my review before I did.

The book tells the story of Christ's robe that the soldiers gambled for. A man named Marcellus wins the robe and then begins trying to understand the mysterious power the robe has. It is a very well written story and chronicles interactions with many of the disciples.

I liked this book much better than Quo Vadis, but not as well as the Silver Chalice (both comprable works of fiction). A very worthy read.

The Great Fire

by Susan Hazzard

**** [4/5]

This story tracks the adventures of Aldred Leith in post-war Asia. The hero encounters many well built characters, friends, and people from his past. His relationship with the 17 year old Helen is the focus of the story and the challenges they face as her ailing brother becomes worse. Well worth the read if you like the WWII era pieces.

Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to go to Graduate School

by Adam Ruben

** [2/5]

A friend gave me this book, because I did make a stupid decision to grad school and have been living with this decision for several years. The book is mostly a funny description of classic graduate school issues, however it does not provide more than a few laugh out loud moments. Fun read but far from a must read.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

by Helen Simonson

****
[4/5]

This is a fun book written about Major Pettigrew in the evening of his life. He struggles with evolving relationships with his son, his community, and his grocer; all with a wonderful witty British outlook. The book has a deeper subtext about the challenges of aging and loss of a spouse. It also touches on the complexity of the British social structure and biases. A fun, quick read.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

by Marisha Pessl

**** [4/5]

This book was strangely compelling. It tells the story of Blue Van Meer in her senior year of high school and her odd relationship with her father. The people she encounters and the strange events of this year seem odd but interesting. The author added the mystery in quietly enough that it almost seemed like a teen angst novel until the halfway mark. The mystery that ties all the pieces together is well woven but the author never fully reveals the solution which is a bit annoying. Great read, novel style.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

by Stieg Larsson

*** [3/5]

I liked this book a bit less than the first in the series. The characters are still very strong but the story did not have the same zing and the plot unfolded in an odd way.

In general this book expands on the story of the "Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" by outlining more of her past and explaining how she became the way she is. The details are interesting but not as clean as the first book. A good read overall, won't disappoint for a nice airport read.

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo

by Stieg Larsson

*** [3/5]

Everyone else was reading it .... This is a compelling mystery novel. I think what makes it so interesting is the way Larsson weaves three mysteries together and unfolds them in layers. The key character, a journalist, is working directly on one historic set of events while a financial riddle plagues his present. Very fun read, great for a summer beach novel.

Terra Incognita

by Ruth Downie

*** [3/5]

This is a mystery set during the roman occupation of Britain. The turmoil at the border makes it difficult for a roman doctor to unravel the true killer of a soldier before the Governor of the province arrives.

The details are well composed and the story is engaging but this is not a riveting novel.

Angelography

by Danielle Trussoni

* [1/5]

This book tells the story of a young nun who slowly uncovers her family's history as angelographers. The story is fast paced and full of action and adventure, however it is not a good story. The fiction of the story is based on the existence of angels, which the author builds a case for using poorly organized science and religious contexts. If she had just gone with religion it would have been more plausible, but as it stands this novel was almost un-readable for me based on the poor execution of the idea. Don't waste your time.

The White Queen

by Phillipa Gregory

**** [4/5]

This was a good book. I don't always like Gregory's style, but this book was a fascinating look at the plantageanets and provides a plausible set of events for the missing princes in the tower of London. Told from the point of view of one of England's most unlikely queens it provides a narrative to the War of the Roses that is comprehensible and interesting. Nice read for history fans.

Lord of the Silient

by Elizabeth Peters

*** [3/5]

This is a classic Peters novel that follows Amelia Peabody in Egypt during the first world war. This episode involves a murder (no surprise) and also the return of the Master Criminal. Fun read for an airplane.

The Privledged

by Jonathan Dee

** [2/5]

This book chronicles one family as they journey to affluence in modern society. The evolution of their housing and the family's trials is well composed but not interesting. The morality of the family is questionable and the author does not clearly define why we are exploring all these mundane aspects of their lives.

I recommend passing on this one.

Below the Salt

by Costain

***** [5/5]

This book tells two stories, one in the future and one in the time of the plantaganets as you might expect from Costaine. The bulk of the story occurs in medieval times and tells the story of the Pearl of Britteny, the princess locked in the tower during the reign of the John. In Costain's version the princess escapes and marries and creates a proud family in Ireland. The story reveals the political history of the signing of the Magna Carta and the drama of the church.

Well written and compelling book.

Numerical Linear Algebra

by L.N. Trefethen

**** [4/5]

This book provides a detailed and incisive look at numerical linear algebra. The most useful sections to me are the careful breakdown of the orthogonal techniques for Singular Value Decomposition.

Excellent mathematical resource. Trefethen was on campus a few weeks ago giving seminars. I really wanted to get my copy of this book signed but I didn't want to look quite that nerdy.

Shadows in Bronze

by Lindsey Davis

*** [3/5]

The mysteries by Davis are marginally better than many others I read, simply by virtue of the humour of the main character. The story of this book is well composed and moves quickly as the hero travels Italy in pursuit of a killer in disguise. Along the way he courts the daughter of a Senator with great irony.

Good book for an airplane flight.

Turblence, Coherent Structures, Dynamical Systems and Symmetry

by Holmes, Lumley and Berkooz

***** [5/5]

While many of my colleagues did not find this book helpful, I have enjoyed the authors clear treatment of the subject. While Proper Orthogonal Decomposition may not be a solution to all problems in turbulence, the treatment in this text does clearly outline the history, how it has been used by prior authors, and finally the implementation.

I found this book to be very helpful in untangling the large volume of publications on the subject with a concise review.

Multiphysics Modeling of Comsol

by Pryor

** [2/5]

This book was disappointing because I assumed it would give insights about strategies in COMSOL. In fact the book simply provides walkthroughs for example models. Not a great book unless you want more example problems than the website offers.

The Fugitive Wife

by Peter C. Brown

** [2/5]

This book tells the story of a woman from the midwest who finds herself in Nome, AK during the peak of the gold rush. Her estranged husband follows her and the drama of her new life colliding with her old is the body of the work. Sadly the story is not well executed and the side story of the engineering innovations for gold dredging expire too early.