I’m a pretty big fan of historical fiction, and I love a good mystery, so when I get my hands on a historical mystery, well watch out. And this one also employs one of my favorite techniques, the unreliable narrator. Wait, what’s that you say, multiple unreliable narrators? Stop it, you’re killing me! The main action of An Instance of the Fingerpost takes place in 1660s Oxford, after the Restoration of Charles II to the throne. I say “main action,” because the story is told […]
More fun than the DaVinci Code and at least as plausible
In our house, we tend to purchase hard copies of most of the books we read, as opposed to, say, going to the library or downloading digital versions. So I wish I could say I bought Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore in a quaint neighborhood bookstore, nestled between an independent coffee house and and an artisanal cheese shop. The truth is, though, that I bought it online during a “half price on used hardcovers” promotion. Then again, since this tale merges a world steeped in tradition […]
Stupid things people do, explained by a smart guy
First published: 2008 Revised and Expanded: 2010 Recommended for: People whose bosses have just told them they need to give a presentation on Behavioral Economics to some senior marketing leaders Stars: 4. I debated giving it 3 because you can get the same info from TED talks, but walking into my presentation with a hardcover book with pages tagged earned me some points for initiative, so I’m sharing the love. Ok so I didn’t pick this book up by choice, exactly. I work in marketing communications, and the […]
The novel we deserve
American War is the most timely and poignant novel I’ve read in years. Grim from the first chapter, this isn’t a novel that will make you cry, but it sure as hell will make you despair. Set in 2075, the America of this future has been torn apart by a second Civil War. Three Southern states have broken off from the Union in order to maintain the freedom to use fossil fuels, which have been banned by the Union due to the devastation they have wrought on the continent. […]
Next time, more history less theory, please
Funny story: a number of years ago I read Blackout by Connie Willis, one of my favorite authors. I really love Connie Willis, even though there have been some disappointments (Remake is way too obvious and Promised Land. . .I don’t even want to talk about it). But when she’s on, I’m nuts for her writing. Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog, which are curiously tied together by a time-travel theme and some shared characters, are two of my favorite contemporary novels, in spite of them being very […]
So you’re saying the movie 300 might not have been historically accurate?
I picked up this book not knowing too much about it, except that it looked quirky with some fun artwork and promised to teach me math and physics in an entertaining way. I didn’t know that the author, Randall Munroe, is the cartoonist behind xkcd.com, the delightful webcomic where stick figures rule and sarcasm explains science. Munroe actually studied physics in school and was a roboticist at NASA before becoming a cartoonist full-time. On his site, and in this book, he combines his passion for science with his keen […]
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