Coyote Moon by John A. Miller

After watching his brilliant and close friend Arthur Hodges die, (a world renowned thinker who held an endowed chair of mathematics at MIT), quantum physicist Benny Rhodes has an epiphany: He must quit his job as a university professor and divorce his wife. In what seems like a flash instant, he leaves Boston and travels across the country where he meets a woman who is more than 30 years younger in the parking lot of a drugstore in Oklahoma after their cars collide. The new couple soon find themselves in a trailer park in the Mojave desert, where they meet a strange German couple who believe (or at least the husband does) that they have all come together for a special, perhaps even mystical, reason.

Meanwhile, in Scottsdale, Arizona, a mysterious young man just out of the army, and who has never played formal organized baseball in his life, shows up at the training camp of the Oakland A’s. First dismissed as a nonentity, the player is told flat out that he has no chance of making the team. But when his playing ability reveals him to be a bona fide superstar (some are so shocked by his skill that they wonder if he made a pack with the devil) he is quickly offered a professional contract. Even weirder than his raw talent, however, is his bizarre mathematical ability, and his knowledge of advanced physics. When the player finds himself in the trailer park in the Mojave desert, a debate ensues about whether he is the reincarnation of a scientific genius.

This wonderfully original book was a pure joy to read. With amazing literary skill and a wonderful imagination, John Miller has written a book that is worthy of extensive praise. If this novel were a symphony, it would receive a standing ovation for several minutes from an adoring audience.

5 out of 5 stars

Spaceland: A Novel of the Fourth Dimension by Rudy Rucker

Joe Cube is a high-tech worker living in Silicon Valley who wants to develop a 3-D TV. On New Year's Eve, while working on his prototype, he is visited by a creature from the fourth-dimension named Momo who tells him that he can give him an advanced new technology.

In the ensuing pages, the reader is taken on a screwball sci-fi adventure involving Joe Cube (the names in this novel are awful), his wife Jena, and other characters with such names as Spazz, Tulip and the strange Wackles. As Joe works towards attaining this strange new technology, he is caught up in a geopolitical struggle between two different fourth-dimensional worlds, while having his body "augmented" so he can leave Spaceland (i.e. the three-dimensional world where humans live) in order to be able see into the hyperspace of 4-D.

This book is a modern rendition of the sci-fi classic Flatland, the 19th century story of a two dimensional creature that is introduced to the third dimension. Unlike the original story, however, Spaceland is hampered by some terrible writing. The dialogue is particularly horrific, while the cheesy humor throughout Spaceland comes across as a weak attempt to hide wooden characters that are (if I can use the expression) one-dimensional.

This is the second book by Rudy Rucker that I have read and, once again, I have not been impressed. It's true that Rucker's ideas are interesting, and that his background as a mathematician, computer scientist and professor give him a lot of legitimacy. As a novelist, however, I find him quite weak, and I am still not sure why he is held in such high esteem by some science fiction fans.

If you are interested in stories about multi-dimensional space, you should forego this book and read instead such works as Flatland, Sphereland and the Planiverse.

1 out of 5 stars

The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonick

Is it gauche to say that a cartoon book about physics is too simple? As a fan of both science and comics, as well as an admirer of Larry Gonick (who has a reputation for penning excellent illustrative works on a variety of science topics), I was looking forward to reading this book. To my disappointment, however, I found this book a bit too difficult for children, not that interesting for adults, and with little to offer and grab the attention of the teenage mind. So it wasn't clear to me who the audience is supposed to be. That said, if you enjoy quirky science discussions, then I would recommend that you pick up a Gonick book, though not this particular title.

2 out of 5 stars

Sphereland: A Fantasy About Curved Spaces and an Expanding Universe by Dionys Burger

This book is the sequel to Flatland, the peculiar fantasy novel by Edwin Abbott that was released in 1884, and which tells the story of the mathematician A. Square who lives in a two-dimensional world. After coming into contact with a being from a higher dimension, A. Square discovers the wonders of three-dimensional space, and postulates the existence of even higher dimensions. Instead of being declared a hero, however, he is jailed for preaching the heresy of higher-dimensional worlds.

In the sequel Sphereland, which was Published in 1965, or more than 80 years after Abbott's book's first appearance, the reader is introduced to A. Square's grandson, who discovers that Flatland is actually made up of curved space. This amazing discovery leads him to postulate that the third dimension, which is home to bizarre figures called homo sapiens, is curved by a fourth dimensional world..

From a purely geek perspective, this book is an interesting thought experiment. From a literary point of view, on the other hand, the written is unfortunately quite wooden. As a science fiction fan I often let poor writing slide if the idea is interesting. In this case, however, the weak narrative structure does not make up for the interesting mathematical ideas. That being said, I enjoyed this book, though I must also confess that I like books with characters called A. Square, so I understand why this novel would not be everyone's -- if not the vast majority of people's -- cup of tea.

2 1/2 out of 5 stars

Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism by David Mills

It's too easy to make fun of creationists and believers of intelligent design. The latter views are so wacky, illogical and -- let's be frank -- down right idiotic that it doesn't take a genius to see that they are wrong. Making fun of these views, however, is not particularly enlightening, nor does it provide a basis for thoughtful debate. Unfortunately, too many popular atheists (e.g. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Bill Maher) give into the temptation of ridiculing religious fundamentalists, rather than focusing on why atheism is a more reasonable position than religious belief. That is why this book was such a pleasure to read. For unlike other atheists (see above), David Mills spends the vast majority of his book describing the philosophical strengths in atheism, rather than wallowing in a chorus of, "religious people are stupid." That being said, Mills does occasionally make fun of religious zealots, but unlike, say, a Bill Maher, his focus is on presenting a logical argument for atheism, rather than reciting a series ad hominem attacks against an easy target.

4 out of 5 stars

One to Nine: The Inner Life of Numbers by Andrew Hodges

Imagine you are a mathematician who is drinking in a bar with your buddies. Several hours into your drinking session, a half-drunk friend says the following, "hey, I bet you can't write a book about the numbers 1 through 9." Intrigued by the challenge, you proceed to take up the drunken bet, and write a book about the first nine integers. The book contains some interesting parts -- such as the relationship between the prime numbers and 4/4 musical time -- but it also contains long passages that come across as aimless rambling. In other sections, meanwhile, it seems that you are not interested in providing insights to the reader, but are rather using the book as an excuse to show-off all of your scientific knowledge. In a nutshell, that is how this work came across to me. Without a doubt, it contains a lot of interesting ideas, and if it were structured differently it could have provided a great learning tool. Sadly, however, I was largely put off by the book, and by the last pages all I wanted was for it to end.

2 out of 5 stars

Flatland: A Journey of Many Dimensions, the Movie Edition by Edwin A. Abbott; (Introduction) Lori M. Campbell

This book is a delightful read. Written in 1884, this "memoir" tells the story of A. Square, a being in a two-dimensional world called Flatland. On the eve of the year 1999 in the Flatland calendar, A. Square -- who is a mathematician -- is visited by a creature from the third dimension, who introduces him to the fantastic world of three-dimensional space, and the possibility of worlds with four or even more dimensions. The original novel by Edwin Abbott contained a strong critique of Victorian Society, with its class divisions and subjugation of women. Besides these social commentaries, however, it also contained a fascinating discussion of multi-dimensional reality, which is amazing when once remembers that this book was written in the 19th century, or several decades before physicists started to seriously talk about extra dimensions. This short book is a wonderful work of fiction that captures the imagination, by leading the reader to wonder about their real place in the universe.

4 out of 5 stars

Why Beauty Is Truth: A History of Symmetry by Ian Stewart

This book purports to be a history of how the concept of symmetry was developed. In reality, it is a mish-mash of numerous ideas from math and physics, with the discussion of symmetry often appearing as an after-thought. To be fair, Stewart is able to convey the beauty of numerous mathematical ideas, such as octonions, and how these ideas can be linked to symmetry. On the other hand, this book also hops, skips and jumps from subject to subject (e.g. group theory; quadratic equations; quaternions; quantum mechanics; theory of relativity; string theory, e.g.) without tying them together into a coherent narrative. The result is a collection of fascinating topics, but no clear focus, and only a loose connection to what's supposed to be the main thesis, namely, a discussion on the history of symmetry.

2 1/2 out of 5 stars

The Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer (Great Discoveries) by David Leavitt

A good biography of Alan Turing, the famous British mathematician who helped crack the German spy machine enigma during world war two, and who was also one of the pioneers of computer science / artificial intelligence.

3 out of 5 stars

Five Equations that Changed the World: The Power and Poetry of Mathematics by Michael Guillen

Written in a clear and easy to understand language, this books tells the story of five separate monumental discoveries by some of histories most renowned scientists (i.e. Isaac Newton, Daniel Bernoulli, Michael Faraday, Rudolf Clausius and Albert Einstein). This book does an excellent job of explaining, among other ideas, Newton's universal law of gravity, Bernoulli's law of hyrodynamic pressure and Einstein's famous theory E = MC2.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman

This ingenious novel is nothing short of brilliant. Spanning a three month period in 1905 (April to June), this novel "recounts" a series of dreams that Albert Einstein has about time, as he is working on his special theory of relativity. Each chapter describes a different dream, with each dream allowing the young Einstein to analyze time from a different point of view (e.g. time flowing backwards; frozen time; relative time; time as a quality rather than a quantity, e.g.). This wonderful dreamscape is broken up on a few occasions when the reader is given tiny vignettes of Einstein's waking life. For most of the book, however, the reader is allowed to peer into Einstein's dreaming mind as he sleeps, while putting the finishing touches on his theory of time that would go on to revolutionize physics and change the world.

4 out of 5 stars

Naive. Super by Erlend Loe

This is a sweet book that is misleadingly simple. With easy to read language, the character ruminates on such topics as space, time, bouncing a ball on a wall, love, toys, travel and what makes some friends good and others bad. An enjoyable novel that is perfect for a weekend on the cottage or during a trip.

3 out of 5 stars

The Five Ages of the Universe: Inside the Physics of Eternity by Fred Adams

I couldn't stop reading this remarkable book. In just over 200 pages, the authors provide a description of the evolution of the universe, (as predicted by our current understanding of physics), from the big bang to the far distant future, when stars, planet, galaxies and even black holes no longer exist. By the end of the book, Adams and Laughlin are describing a universe that is 10 to the power of 100 years old (that's 1 followed by 100 zeros). A time span this large is almost incomprehensible for humans to contemplate.

As I turned the pages, I was repeatedly awed by a slew of brilliant ideas. Among some of the more fascinating thoughts: Whether a cosmic computer made of black holes could result in conscious life; if other universes can be created – as many physicist believe – then is it possible that universes are born, die and evolve in a manner similar to Darwin’s theory of evolution; and is it possible to travel to the distant future, given what Einstein’s theory of relativity tells us about space and time.

This is a wonderful book that left me in a constant state of wonder, and which has inspired me to read further about astrophysics.

5 out of 5 stars

Universe on a T-Shirt: The Quest for the Theory of Everything by Dan Falk

A fascinating history of the scientific search for the Theory of Everything, i.e. a unifying theory that explains the structure of the universe. Ranging from the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus, who speculated that matter was formed by a basic entity called atomon – today we call them atoms – to the Copernican revolution in the middle ages, the development of Newtonian mechanics in the 17th and 18th centuries, the formation of electromagnetic theory in the 19th century, Einstein’s discovery of special and general relativity in the first-half of the 20th century, and the mind-blowing conclusions of quantum mechanics and string theory, this book is a captivating read.

After describing how scientists have searched for answers to such questions as “what is the universe? What is it made of? How did it begin? And how will it evolve?” Dan Falk concludes his book by discussing the limits of scientific knowledge, and what a Theory of Everything, if one is ever found, would mean. A great read for anyone interested in the history of physics and the latest theories of the structure of the universe.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

In Search of Time: Journeys Along a Curious Dimension by Dan Falk

This is a brilliant book that asks the question, "What is time?" In easy-to-read language, Dan Falk explains such mind-bending concepts as string theory, Einstein’s theory of relativity, the quest to build time machines and the view held by some physicists that time is an illusion.

Adding to this fascinating discussion are chapters on the development of the calendar, the creation of such concepts as “hour” and “second”, and a captivating discussion on the future of the universe and the human race. This book is a wonderful read that will capture the imagination of anyone who is interested in time and the fabric of reality.

4 out of 5 stars

Losing My Mind : An Intimate Look at Life with Alzheimer's by Thomas DeBaggio

In this incredibly brave book, Thomas DeBaggio describes what it’s like to suffer from Alzheimer’s. In a poignant autobiography, he offers a heart-breaking meditation on memory – and the role that memory plays in making us human – as well as a beautiful story of love, family and the power of words.

As the book progresses, we watch as DeBaggio struggles to hold on to the sentences that make up the description of his life, which seem to slip ever faster through his fingers. A writer of three previous books on herb farming, this loss of syntax and vocabulary is especially hard.

In the end, however, the reader can’t help but find a mysterious beauty in this tragic book. For as the author notes early on in his story, “Getting used to the idea of dying is difficult, emotionally and physically, but what awaits me is losing the idea of dying and that is incomprehensible and at the same time it may be liberating."

3 out of 5 stars