I’ve been pretty bad about reviewing our past books of the month, which is unfortunate because I actually have read all of them! To save you from some epic tl;dr and as the only way to finally be done with these books, I’m jamming them all into one post. This way I can give some short commentary instead of headdesking my way through full-fledged reviews for each book.

January’s book of the month was Timothy Ferris’ Coming of Age in the Milky Way. The book elegantly recounts our species’ interest in space, from ancient Sumerians and Greeks through Copernicus to modern-day theoretical physicists. While our knowledge of the universe seems infinitely superior to our ancestors, Ferris reminds us that:

Science is young. whether it will survive long enough to become old depends upon our sanity and courage and vigor, and, as one always must add in this nuclear age, upon whether we blow ourselves up first. “Nothing that is vast enters into the life of mortals without a curse,” as Sophocles said, and the knowledge of how the stars shine is very great, and its dark side is very dark indeed.

I love Ferris’ writing style throughout this book, especially when recounting the more personal histories of various scientists. Genius did seem to walk hand in hand with madness (or at least extreme eccentricity) for Kepler, Newton, etc… and Ferris’ gently amusing treatment of them made their stories all the more enjoyable. In fact, I loved his writing so much I recently purchased another book of his, called Seeing In the Dark – all about backyard astronomers. I strongly believe that the communications gap (more like gaping chasm, really) between scientists and non-scientists needs to be closed, and if there were only more writers like Ferris, that would happen all the more quickly.

Final Grade: A

In April we read another nonfiction, David Grann’s The Lost City of Z. Grann intertwines two epic voyages in one double biography. The first was British explorer Percy Fawcett’s quest to find an ancient, beautiful, and wondrously rich civilization called “Z” that was supposedly hidden in the Amazon jungle – instead, his entire party disappeared and despite following searches, no clues were ever discovered as to their fate. The second voyage was Grann’s own attempt to retrace the explorer’s steps some 75 years later to discover what happened to the missing expedition. Neither journey lacked for adventure; in fact, the entire history of the search for Z is one larger-than-life story after another:

[E]verything in this story is true: a movie star really was abducted by Indians; there were cannibals, ruins, secret maps, and spies; explorers died from starvation, disease, attacks by wild animals, and poisonous arrows; and at stake amid the adventure and death was the very understanding of the Americas before Christopher Columbus came ashore in the New World.

I enjoyed each story Grann told – his writing was perfectly suspenseful, mysterious, amusing, and serious in all the right places – but the format really didn’t work for me. Much like our February’s book of the month, Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City, the biographies alternate every chapter. For the White City, this worked beautifully. For Lost City of Z, not so much. For me the difference was that Larson’s stories were synchronous and both in the third person, while Grann’s stories were asynchronous and awkwardly shifting from first person to third. About 80 pages in I finally realized I was going to have to read Fawcett’s story all the way through first, and then come back to read Grann’s. When read in this way, the book flowed much more smoothly and was immensely more enjoyable.

Final Grade: B

Last month’s book choice was The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho. The premise behind this book is that it is a collection of statements made by acquaintances, friends, and family of a murder victim named Athena. It’s only by tying all perspectives together that the reader can begin to understand Athena’s existence.

Who knows, perhaps she sought death the way a shipwrecked victim sees an island. She must have stood late at night in many a Tube station, waiting for muggers who never came. She must have walked through the most dangerous parts of London in search of a murderer who never appeared or perhaps tried to provoke the anger of the physically strong, who refused to get angry. Until finally, she managed to get herself brutally murdered.

After beginning with her death, the transcripts then move forward chronologically from her adoption at a young age, to her early marriage and career restlessness, to her search for her birth mother and the Mother goddess, all of which stemmed from an intrinsic wanderlust that she could never satisfy.

Having previously been impressed by Coelho’s The Alchemist, I was really looking forward to this book, and I was only very slightly disappointed in my expectations. I sometimes felt that description needlessly overpowered the plot, slowing the story down without enriching my appreciation of the objects described. However, the flow of Athena’s story was impressively smooth, given the shifting narrative voices, and the surprising twist at the end of the book was neither too obvious nor too out of left field, leaving me pleased that my suspicions were correct. In the end the novel was not about Athena at all, but about her impact on those telling her story.

Final Grade: B

What if someone looked at you, really looked at you, for the first time in 150 years? How would you feel? And what if you were a ghost, completely unaccustomed to any form of human contact only to get that all back in the span of a few hours? How would you react? Laura Whitcomb’s debut novel, A Certain Slant of Light , examines life, death, love, and friendship from a whole new angle, going deeper into the typical young adult supernatural novel. This is instead a truly wonderful example of young adult gothic.

When you are Light, it is only your emotions that can send a ripple into the tangible world. A flash of frustration when your host closes a novel he is reading too soon might stir his hair and cause him to check the window for a draft. A sigh of mourning at the beauty of a rose you cannot smell might startle a bee away. Or a silent laugh at a misused word might cause a student’s arm to prickle with an inexplicable chill.

This story has all the right elements. There are spirits, mystery, haunting parallels, romance, and even some creepy wind.  I couldn’t help but get the chills while reading this book, and there was no way I could put it down! It was so easy to fall into Helen’s world; to feel her surprise, confusion, pain, and wonder over all of the changes and realizations she was forced to face in the span of only a couple of days. The love and companionship she feels for James, first because he can see her and then because they find they are tied in such a unique way, is wonderfully heartbreaking.

James, like Helen, is a ghost. But unlike Helen, James has taken over the body of a teenage boy in order to get his second chance at life. The soul of that boy had given up and in order to keep the darkness from taking over, James stepped in for control. Originally meant to be a temporary situation, James finds that he cannot leave this body, at least until he comes to terms with things he had long forgotten. It raises the questions of what it truly means to be alive. Helen and James both prove that live is more than just a physical act and they both learn through their host’s bodies that living is also taking everything life throws at you. The two of them experience what life was like for their hosts while at the same time grappling with everything they had gone through.

Whitcomb clearly understands her characters as well as her readers. There are tons of gothic novels that have failed to not only to impress me, but have caused me to simply return them unfinished. The moment I began reading A Certain Slant of Light, I was drawn into the story. The narrative was personable and flowed with ease. The plot was complex but also began with such a simple idea—what it really means to be seen by another being. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone curious about the world of the gothic novel.

Final Grade: A+

See larger image A Certain Slant of Light (Paperback) By (author) Laura Whitcomb List Price: $8.99 USD New From: $2.51 In Stock Used from: $0.44 In Stock

Erik Larson’s national bestseller The Devil in the White City is a unique double biography of opposite characters. The chronology of Daniel Burnham’s creation of the 1893 World’s Fair is sharply contrasted with the life of serial killer H.H. Holmes, who was skulking around Chicago at the same time. Larson’s book attempts to combine historical facts with suspenseful narrative – but does he succeed?

Larson’s book is a meticulously researched piece of writing. His attention to detail is seamlessly integrated into the narrative so that the reader appreciates the countless detailed facts without becoming weighted down by them. The flow of the book is extremely smooth, despite the alternating subjects. The only stylistic flaw in Larson’s storytelling is his tendency to end almost all chapters (actually, even section after section) with “dramatic” cliffhanger sentences, many of them as their own petite paragraph. For example:

At midnight, many nights, Mudgett would pace the street outside his lodging.

And,

But even he did not, and could not, grasp what truly lay ahead.

And even,

Which terrified her.

This occurs so often it actually takes away from a story that is already dramatic enough – the extra effect becomes irritating, as though Larson needs to constantly reassure the reader that the subject is interesting. Trust me, America’s first serial killer is interesting! Now calm down, sir.

Despite this one small (though constant) stylistic annoyance, Larson’s book is a fascinating study of two of America’s most interesting historical figures. I can’t claim to have heard of Daniel Burnham before reading, but my new-found admiration for him is entirely due to the power of Larson’s writing. And Larson’s descriptions of H.H. Holmes are equally strong and as creepy as you could hope for. So yes, Larson does successfully interweave the factual history and the fanciful storytelling, making it easy to see why this book is a bestseller. Overall, The Devil in the White City is an entertaining, and at times thrilling and horrifying, look into the heart of America at the turn of the 19th century.

Final Grade: B

See larger image The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (Paperback) By (author) Erik Larson List Price: $15.00 USD New From: $5.00 In Stock Used from: $1.18 In Stock Release date February 10, 2004.

Author and physicist Lee Smolin bravely faces the sad truth about the state of his science in his book The Trouble With Physics. As his introduction makes abundantly clear, “This is a story of a quest to understand nature at its deepest level… To put it bluntly… we have failed.”

Why have physicists failed? And, more importantly, where do they go from here? The heart of Smolin’s book discusses these questions while providing an intricate yet accessible chronology of physics since 1900, when Max Planck famously discovered that energy is quantized and began a new revolution in the field.

The central issues in Smolin’s book revolve around the split between string theory and other theories (loop quantum gravity, etc.) as physicists attempt to determine a unified theory that answers the greatest unsolved problems in theoretical physics. Specifically, they are attempting to unite general relativity with quantum theory into something called “quantum gravity.” (For more details than that, you’ll have to read the book. Trust me, Smolin’s explanation far surpasses any attempt I could make.)

Smolin describes a break between string theorists and other physicists that is responsible for the breakdown of science as an ethical practice.** String theory is now the dominant point of view within the academy such that is is harmful to a physicist’s career to pursue other theories.

Why is this bad, you ask? Isn’t string theory the hottest idea since sliced bread? I certainly thought so – that’s what the The New York Times’ “Science Times” always told me when I was growing up. I found Smolin’s answer surprising and persuasive. Smolin illustrates many issues with string theory – there are no unique testable predictions, there are actually multitudes of different string theories, and there is an insidious pressure felt by young physicists to join the field if they have any hope of successful careers. This has led to a consensus for string theory, but not because the evidence favors it. Smolin argues that this limited focus is damaging to how physics is studied, because science progresses only when researchers pursue multiple avenues of study.

Controversy is essential for the progress of science… When we are forced to reach a consensus by the evidence, we should do so… until the evidence forces consensus, we should encourage a wide diversity of viewpoints… Science proceeds fastest when there are competing theories. [Emphasis added.]

String theory is not a consensus by the evidence, because as mentioned earlier, string theory does not provide testable predictions that are unique to the theory (that cannot be explained just as well by other theories). Smolin sheds light on the fact that the academic community is in many ways closed off to other ideas – a very disturbing issue.

In case you couldn’t tell, I found the subject of Smolin’s book compelling. However, it is more than picking an interesting topic that makes a book great. Whenever I read a nonfiction book about math or science, there are two issues I always attend to first. Will I understand the complexity of the subject? And can I trust that this author is objective? For this book, the answer to both questions is an emphatic “yes!” As someone whose knowledge of physics is more informed by Star Trek than by that one sad year of introductory physics in college, I was surprised and delighted to find the technical aspects Smolin discusses elucidated so well. The clarity of Smolin’s writing greatly increased my understanding and appreciation of his arguments, and further reinforced my own personal belief that the general public can and should understand the modern issues of scientific research.

Because I am not a theoretical physicist (ha!), while reading I had to decide whether Smolin objectively described the rift within the academic community and the pitfalls of string theory’s dominance. Fortunately, his rational arguments supporting all of his points convinced me that he did. Smolin’s own research path has led him to both string theory and other theories, and he is thus able to paint an accurate picture of the crisis in physics today without mud-slinging at any colleagues. Smolin is clear – his issue is with the current paradigm, not his fellow scientists. And this is essential, if there is any hope for his arguments to be heard. I strongly believe they should be.

Final Grade: A+

See larger image The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next (Paperback) By (author) Lee Smolin List Price: $15.95 USD New From: $4.99 In Stock Used from: $3.08 In Stock

Hey y’all, Readhead Reviews is happy to announce a new feature – video posts! In our first post, I give a brief review of a Jane Austen-based book and a preview for a book I’m starting to read about paleontology and dinosaur fossils. Let us know what you think of the post format! I’ve included the video on both Vimeo and Youtube. If the Vimeo format doesn’t work for you, hit the jump to watch the Youtube version!

Books mentioned:

• Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure
• Grave Secrets of Dinosaurs: Soft Tissues and Hard Science

Here’s the Youtube video in case Vimeo didn’t work for you:

When I first found out the Book of the Month was going to be a science book, I wasn’t completely thrilled. Science and I do not get along and the idea of reading a 500 page book revolving around all things science did not sound like a good time to me. Luckily, while reading Coming of Age in the Milky Way, I found myself enjoying at least 60% of what I read.

I found Ferris’ narrative very engaging on the biographical side, and somewhat engaging on the science side. I admit, it was difficult for me to get beyond the concepts and graphs, but for those brief chapters where I was able to focus on the scientist and not the science, I loved learning about all the crazy quirks that made these people so interesting. The fact that Newton was the definition of socially awkward and reminds me of Sheldon from “The Big Bang Theory?” Or knowing that Lambert would only strike a profile when speaking to someone instead of facing them? Definitely makes this English-lit freak not feel so freak-like anymore.

Ferris clearly spent those years writing Coming of Age in the Milky Way well. I only wish I was more interested in science so I could fully enjoy it!

Final Grade: B

See larger image Coming of Age in the Milky Way (Paperback) By (author) Timothy Ferris List Price: $15.99 USD New From: $9.78 In Stock Used from: $5.60 In Stock Release date July 29, 2003.

The controversial Richard Dawkins’ new book responds to creationists’ question, “Where is the proof?” The Greatest Show on Earth generally takes a gentler, more persuasive tone than his previous books, but Dawkins may be preaching to the choir. Given his reputation and the vitriol of his earlier The God Delusion, it would be surprising if creationists can approach the book with an open mind, or if most even care to read it.

Dawkins refrains from creationist bashing for the most part, except for some passages in the book’s introduction “Only a Theory”, which is an unfortunate placement in a book meant to persuade the doubtful. Those who believe the earth is less than 10,000 years old, however, are not spared from Dawkins’ continuous derision. Dubbing these young earthists “history deniers,” Dawkins draws a controversial parallel with Holocaust deniers.

In contrast, the meat of the book is accessible and straightforward. In “Dogs, Cows, and Cabbages,” Dawkins begins with a discussion of artificial selection in domesticated animals to soften up the doubtful reader. He progresses to the process of sexual selection, and finally to natural selection. The transitions are deftly written and considerably persuasive.

Fascinating case studies abound, of which my favorites were the mbuna of Lake Malawi, the lizards of Pod Mrcaru and Pod Kopiste, and Dr. John Endler’s livebearers. While the segments on plate tectonics and sedimentary rock may drag a bit, The Greatest Show on Earth blends powerful evidence with wit. Dawkins relates an amusing exchange between J.B.S. Haldane and woman in attendance of his lecture:

Skeptic: Professor Haldane, even given the billions of years that you say were available for evolution, I simply cannot believe it is possible to go from a single cell to a complicated human body with its trillions of cells organized into bones and muscle and nerves, a heart that pumps without ceasing for decades, miles and miles of blood vessels and kidney tubules, and a brain capable of thinking and feeling.

Haldane: But Madam, you did it yourself. And it only took nine months.

The ire that Dawkins inspires notwithstanding, The Greatest Show on Earth is a much-needed book filled with cogent arguments. I’m inclined to agree with his claim that no unbiased reader will finish the book without recognizing evolution’s explanatory power.

Final Grade: B+

See larger image The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution (Hardcover) By (author) Richard Dawkins List Price: $30.00 USD New From: $9.99 In Stock Used from: $7.90 In Stock

First off, I apologize that my review has been a long time coming. I am in the middle of a big move, and I’m afraid my blogging has suffered as a result. However, I would like to offer a brief defense of A Game of Thrones. I initially read the book several months ago and was instantly smitten with the series. While I typically don’t read epic fantasy, the sheer unpredictability of A Game of Thrones distinguished it from similar efforts in the genre.

At times its unpredictability stems from plain good storytelling, and the plot boasts several startling surprises. But more often, George R.R. Martin toys with reader expectations. A likeable protagonist? Martin will kill him off. Time for a happy resolution? Guess again. The end result is that nothing and nobody seems safe from Martin’s calculated brutality, and the reader needs to keep guessing.

I can see how this would not appeal to all readers, and A Game of Thrones has other flaws. At times the gargantuan and intricate plotlines lag under their own weight, and the lack of a clear protagonist can leave a reader feeling lost. But ultimately, Martin’s clever character studies, skilled storytelling, and unpredictable (even cruel) plot twists make A Game of Thrones an outstanding fantasy.

Final Grade: A-

See larger image A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) (Paperback) By (author) George R.R. Martin List Price: $16.00 USD New From: $7.04 In Stock Used from: $5.00 In Stock Release date May 28, 2002.

This month I was really absorbed by other things and put off reading A Game of Thrones until a few days ago. I bulldozed straight through it over the past three days – and boy, is that the wrong way to read this book. I ended up feeling completely swamped by the unending horror and cruelty that just never let up. By the end of the book I was so frustrated I was ready to throw it away.

A Game of Thrones is not only part of a planned seven book series, it is an epic in itself. The major plot lines depict several noble families fighting over the Iron Throne that rules the Seven Kingdoms, as well as the fierce Night Watch, the army of men who defend the kingdoms against the “Others” – an as yet unknown, eerie, and possibly mythological malevolent presence beyond The Wall. If that’s not complex enough for you, there’s also another civilization chronicled on another continent, where an exiled princess plans to return as queen of the kingdoms with her three pet dragons.

But wait, there’s more! Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of an ensemble cast of main characters. The characters come from House Stark, House Lannister, and House Targaryen, and getting a handle on their families and marital ties takes well through the first 100 pages. There is a handy appendix to help you trace the lineages of each family, but frankly, if Martin had done away with several uninteresting characters, there would be no need for the notes and the streamlined novel would flow more smoothly.

Now, I have to admit I’m not much of a fantasy buff – I’ve read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, but not much else – but A Game of Thrones only reminded me of why I don’t usually go for it. I don’t do well when dropped into fantastical universes with intricate back stories that are only explained in dribbles over time. The book starts with a short prologue that successfully introduces nothing, and is told by a character you never hear from again. The painfully intermingled history of the noble families is revealed only in parts and drops even more names for you to remember (or check in the appendix).

But for me, the worst thing about A Game of Thrones is that the world of the seven kingdoms is unrelentingly unjust. The downward spiral has every chapter landing a character in a worse fate than the start, and the fact that no good guy ever catches a break and no bad guy is ever punished is just infuriating. The casual depictions of rape, incest, murdered children (a butcher’s boy is run down like a dog before he’s hacked with a sword)… there were several times when I threw the book down from frustrated disgust and never wanted to read another word. There’s no balance to this book, no sense of hope or joy or triumph of honorable over evil. By the end, I felt completely cheated by Martin. I suffered through his tormenting every single one of his main characters and was rewarded with the death of my favorite one. I guess since Martin has three more books to write he feels he can get away with such a frustratingly unfair first novel, but all he’s done is make me never want to read another word by him.

Final Grade: F

See larger image A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) (Paperback) By (author) George R.R. Martin List Price: $16.00 USD New From: $7.04 In Stock Used from: $5.00 In Stock Release date May 28, 2002.

I’m not really a fantasy person. Or maybe I should say I’m only into fantasy if it’s a young adult book, and even then only if the book comes from an author I have been loyal to for years. But a fantasy book, the first in a long series might I add, thrust at me by an author I’ve never heard of? It took me a while to pick it up and even longer to actually get into it, but once I had given A Game of Thrones a fair chance (I think 200 pages is more than fair), I was surprised at how much I took to certain characters and how complex the storyline became.

George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones has three major plots that take place in three different locations, with each chapter rotating between eight main characters. Set in a medieval world, Booklist describes this book as “combining intrigue, action, romance, and mystery in a family saga” but I would hardly call this fun for the whole family. With plenty of violence, political intrigue, jealousy, and incest to go around, Martin clearly had too much on his mind when he wrote this book. There are some great characters and the plots are clearly well thought out, taking shocking twists I never saw coming. But on the whole, I would have rather read a book focusing on one of these plots with two of the main characters, rather than three main plots with eight characters, all with their own tormented drama.

I found it difficult getting into this book, mainly because the storyline comes with so much historical background. The reader only gets a vague sense of the world’s history through other character interaction. The appendices in the back help, but there are so many different noble families, all with very unique but confusing names, and their own claim to the throne, that I still only have the very basic understanding of family ties, friendly rivals, and bitter enemies. The characters themselves have promise, my favorites being young Arya for her anti-noble woman, pro-warrior tendencies (Tamora Pierce, anyone?) and Jon as the bastard son of Lord Eddard determined to make something of himself in the cold north.

What I loved about this book was how easy it was to skip over what I didn’t like. After about 100 pages, I had figured out which storylines and characters I was interested in. Since the chapter titles dictate which character perspective they’re following, it was simple to skip over the chapter following characters I hated to the ones I had grown interested in. it turned an 800 page novel into a 500 page read.

I can see how die-hard fantasy lovers would fall in love with this series. I, unfortunately, am only a friend of the fantasy world, there for the genre when it needs support, but I’m not about to go abandoning my beloved classics. Sorry Martin, but you’re no Bronte.

On a final note, Martin’s series “A Song of Ice and Fire” is in the process of being made into television series, with HBO giving the go-ahead to begin filming the pilot episode. For the details, check out Variety.

Final Grade: B-

See larger image A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) (Paperback) By (author) George R.R. Martin List Price: $16.00 USD New From: $7.04 In Stock Used from: $5.00 In Stock Release date May 28, 2002.