How often do we hear/read true stories about people who do something because it's the Right Thing To Do?
This is the story of the hardware, software, and people that comprise the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, an attempt to map the characteristics of the universe.
Many of the scientists in this book knew from an early age that they were interested in astronomy, and they acted on that conviction. Several of them worked on the project for free; others sacrificed academic opportunities. The project resulted in a massive amount of publicly available data - how refreshing, in this age of proprietorship, copyrights and litigation to know that collaboration is possible.
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kerry reviewed Grand and Bold Thing by Ann K. Finkbeiner
Review of 'Grand and Bold Thing' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
How often do we hear/read true stories about people who do something because it's the Right Thing To Do?
This is the story of the hardware, software, and people that comprise the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, an attempt to map the characteristics of the universe.
Many of the scientists in this book knew from an early age that they were interested in astronomy, and they acted on that conviction. Several of them worked on the project for free; others sacrificed academic opportunities. The project resulted in a massive amount of publicly available data - how refreshing, in this age of proprietorship, copyrights and litigation to know that collaboration is possible.
kerry rated Animal, vegetable, miracle: 3 stars
Animal, vegetable, miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
When Barbara Kingsolver and her family move from suburban Arizona to rural Appalachia, they take on a new challenge: to …
kerry rated Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life: 3 stars
kerry reviewed Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach
The best-selling author of Stiff and Bonk trains her considerable wit and curiosity on the …
Review of 'Spook' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I know people who seriously, honestly, truly believe in reincarnation. And I occasionally find myself saying things like "In my next life, I'm going to learn to draw" or "In my next life, I'm going to learn to speak more languages." However, I would actually count myself among the nonbelievers. (Well, I hedge my bets. I think reincarnation is wishful thinking; if there is an afterlife, it's really unlikely that we're going to figure out what It is.)
Mary Roach's book is more entertainment and anecdote than a serious look at various beliefs about the afterlife. Tired of reading about hucksters and scammers, I ended up skipping through some of the later chapters.
I know people who seriously, honestly, truly believe in reincarnation. And I occasionally find myself saying things like "In my next life, I'm going to learn to draw" or "In my next life, I'm going to learn to speak more languages." However, I would actually count myself among the nonbelievers. (Well, I hedge my bets. I think reincarnation is wishful thinking; if there is an afterlife, it's really unlikely that we're going to figure out what It is.)
Mary Roach's book is more entertainment and anecdote than a serious look at various beliefs about the afterlife. Tired of reading about hucksters and scammers, I ended up skipping through some of the later chapters.
kerry reviewed Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach
Review of 'Spook' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I know people who seriously, honestly, truly believe in reincarnation. And I occasionally find myself saying things like "In my next life, I'm going to learn to draw" or "In my next life, I'm going to learn to speak more languages." However, I would actually count myself among the nonbelievers. (Well, I hedge my bets. I think reincarnation is wishful thinking; if there is an afterlife, it's really unlikely that we're going to figure out what It is.)
Mary Roach's book is more entertainment and anecdote than a serious look at various beliefs about the afterlife. Tired of reading about hucksters and scammers, I ended up skipping through some of the later chapters.
I know people who seriously, honestly, truly believe in reincarnation. And I occasionally find myself saying things like "In my next life, I'm going to learn to draw" or "In my next life, I'm going to learn to speak more languages." However, I would actually count myself among the nonbelievers. (Well, I hedge my bets. I think reincarnation is wishful thinking; if there is an afterlife, it's really unlikely that we're going to figure out what It is.)
Mary Roach's book is more entertainment and anecdote than a serious look at various beliefs about the afterlife. Tired of reading about hucksters and scammers, I ended up skipping through some of the later chapters.
kerry reviewed Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Review of 'Freedom' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Wow.
This book covered so much territory, but it was so effortless to read.
kerry reviewed Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Review of 'Freedom' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Wow.
This book covered so much territory, but it was so effortless to read.
kerry reviewed Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace
Do lobsters feel pain? Did Franz Kafka have a funny bone? What is John Updike's …
Review of 'Consider the Lobster' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
The title essay is terrific - funny and erudite. The section on the annual porn awards ("Big Red Son") went on far too long. There's also a touching portrayal of immediate reactions to 9/11.
I have to admit that I listened to an audio recording of some of these essays, and did not listen to/read the entire book (although I would like to). I really enjoyed hearing DFW read his own work.
The title essay is terrific - funny and erudite. The section on the annual porn awards ("Big Red Son") went on far too long. There's also a touching portrayal of immediate reactions to 9/11.
I have to admit that I listened to an audio recording of some of these essays, and did not listen to/read the entire book (although I would like to). I really enjoyed hearing DFW read his own work.
kerry reviewed Flight by Sherman Alexie
Review of 'Flight' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Touching book about betrayal, justice, rage, respect, and connectedness. What happens to Native American teenager "Zits" as he time-travels and inhabits various bodies feel like a series of short stories laced together by tragedy.
Easy to read, and had a hope-filled ending.
Touching book about betrayal, justice, rage, respect, and connectedness. What happens to Native American teenager "Zits" as he time-travels and inhabits various bodies feel like a series of short stories laced together by tragedy.
Easy to read, and had a hope-filled ending.
Review of 'The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
David Grann's story underscores the dangers of Western imperialism and the immense power of nature. The perils (and tribes) of the Amazon jungle have consumed many of those who were filled with wanderlust, confidence, greed, and arrogance enough to explore it.
The story (which centers on the disappearance of explorer Percy Fawcett in the Amazon in the early part of the 20th century) was unavoidably choppy. Like an archaeological dig, the book has various layers: we get Fawcett's story, as well as those of others who attempted to find him (à la Stanley, of "Dr. Livingstone, I presume" fame). The author even inserts himself into the narrative, to good effect. The mystery of what happened to Fawcett and his companions (including his son) will likely never be "solved."
Chickenhearted homebody that I am, I was horrified by the descriptions of voracious stinging insects, piranha, intestinal parasites, swollen limbs, and the …
David Grann's story underscores the dangers of Western imperialism and the immense power of nature. The perils (and tribes) of the Amazon jungle have consumed many of those who were filled with wanderlust, confidence, greed, and arrogance enough to explore it.
The story (which centers on the disappearance of explorer Percy Fawcett in the Amazon in the early part of the 20th century) was unavoidably choppy. Like an archaeological dig, the book has various layers: we get Fawcett's story, as well as those of others who attempted to find him (à la Stanley, of "Dr. Livingstone, I presume" fame). The author even inserts himself into the narrative, to good effect. The mystery of what happened to Fawcett and his companions (including his son) will likely never be "solved."
Chickenhearted homebody that I am, I was horrified by the descriptions of voracious stinging insects, piranha, intestinal parasites, swollen limbs, and the like. I've never been camping, and I never intend to.
kerry reviewed The Lost City of Z by David Grann
Review of 'The Lost City of Z' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
David Grann's story underscores the dangers of Western imperialism and the immense power of nature. The perils (and tribes) of the Amazon jungle have consumed many of those who were filled with wanderlust, confidence, greed, and arrogance enough to explore it.
The story (which centers on the disappearance of explorer Percy Fawcett in the Amazon in the early part of the 20th century) was unavoidably choppy. Like an archaeological dig, the book has various layers: we get Fawcett's story, as well as those of others who attempted to find him (à la Stanley, of "Dr. Livingstone, I presume" fame). The author even inserts himself into the narrative, to good effect. The mystery of what happened to Fawcett and his companions (including his son) will likely never be "solved."
Chickenhearted homebody that I am, I was horrified by the descriptions of voracious stinging insects, piranha, intestinal parasites, swollen limbs, and the …
David Grann's story underscores the dangers of Western imperialism and the immense power of nature. The perils (and tribes) of the Amazon jungle have consumed many of those who were filled with wanderlust, confidence, greed, and arrogance enough to explore it.
The story (which centers on the disappearance of explorer Percy Fawcett in the Amazon in the early part of the 20th century) was unavoidably choppy. Like an archaeological dig, the book has various layers: we get Fawcett's story, as well as those of others who attempted to find him (à la Stanley, of "Dr. Livingstone, I presume" fame). The author even inserts himself into the narrative, to good effect. The mystery of what happened to Fawcett and his companions (including his son) will likely never be "solved."
Chickenhearted homebody that I am, I was horrified by the descriptions of voracious stinging insects, piranha, intestinal parasites, swollen limbs, and the like. I've never been camping, and I never intend to.
kerry reviewed Tara Road by Maeve Binchy (Oprah's book club)
Thanks to a chance phone call, Ria from Dublin and Marilyn from New England switch …
Review of 'Tara Road' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
Ugh.
Started: September 7, 2010
Gave up: September 13, 2010
kerry reviewed Then we came to the end by Joshua Ferris
No one knows us quite the same way as the men and women who sit …
Review of 'Then we came to the end' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This book was easy to read, and it quickly pulled me into the tragicomic lives of employees an advertising agency.
Those of us who are alumni of corporate cube-land can relate to what happens in this novel: these people thrive on rumors, they flock to free food in the kitchen, they break up their idle chitchat whenever the boss comes by, they parse everything management says to search for hidden meanings, they go to lunch, they play pratical jokes, they take offense.
"These people will believe anything. They will say anything."
Initially funny, the tone gets darker as employees are let go (or "walked Spanish," a terrific idiom). Unfortunately, having a large cast of characters means our knowledge of them is limited (apart from a poignant interlude that focuses on Lynn Mason, the boss).
This book was a great reflection on where white-collar working class America finds itself …
This book was easy to read, and it quickly pulled me into the tragicomic lives of employees an advertising agency.
Those of us who are alumni of corporate cube-land can relate to what happens in this novel: these people thrive on rumors, they flock to free food in the kitchen, they break up their idle chitchat whenever the boss comes by, they parse everything management says to search for hidden meanings, they go to lunch, they play pratical jokes, they take offense.
"These people will believe anything. They will say anything."
Initially funny, the tone gets darker as employees are let go (or "walked Spanish," a terrific idiom). Unfortunately, having a large cast of characters means our knowledge of them is limited (apart from a poignant interlude that focuses on Lynn Mason, the boss).
This book was a great reflection on where white-collar working class America finds itself after the dot-com collapse and 9/11.
kerry reviewed Inherent vice by Thomas Pynchon
Doc Sportello is bewildered when an ex-girlfriend returns to recruit him in a plot to …
Review of 'Inherent vice' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
What a fun ride this was!
Like every good hard-boiled noir story, this one's got a lengthy cast of characters (and they are characters). From the start, I decided to try to keep track of who's who, and wrote out a list. Good decision! I referred to it often.
Thomas Pynchon obviously has much affection for Southern California. He gets so many little details right (the May Co. parking lot at Hawthorne and Artesia, which did exist circa 1970; taking the freeway to La Cienega, and then the Stocker shortcut over to La Brea). I guess that's why the few factual errors were so glaring. It's Canter's deli, not Cantor's. And there was not yet a freeway eastbound from the beach cities to Gardena.
The book is full of great cultural references too: Gilligan's Island, Let's Make a Deal, the precursor to the Internet (ARPAnet), E-ticket rides, …
What a fun ride this was!
Like every good hard-boiled noir story, this one's got a lengthy cast of characters (and they are characters). From the start, I decided to try to keep track of who's who, and wrote out a list. Good decision! I referred to it often.
Thomas Pynchon obviously has much affection for Southern California. He gets so many little details right (the May Co. parking lot at Hawthorne and Artesia, which did exist circa 1970; taking the freeway to La Cienega, and then the Stocker shortcut over to La Brea). I guess that's why the few factual errors were so glaring. It's Canter's deli, not Cantor's. And there was not yet a freeway eastbound from the beach cities to Gardena.
The book is full of great cultural references too: Gilligan's Island, Let's Make a Deal, the precursor to the Internet (ARPAnet), E-ticket rides, the Charles Manson case. Pynchon adds these details (like putting a beer in the freezer, "hoping it wouldn't explode") almost as though they are throwaway lines, and they added immensely to the pleasure of reading this book.