/categories/booksnonfiction/ Recent content in Books>Nonfiction on Perlkönig Hugo -- gohugo.io Copyright © 2006-{year} Aaron Dalton. All Rights Reserved. Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/story-of-aint-by-david-skinner/ Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/story-of-aint-by-david-skinner/ Rating: 2/5 David Skinner, The Story of Ain’t: America, Its Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published (New York: Harper, 2012). It’s books like this that make me question my sanity. I read the jacket and promotional copy, I read the reviews, and I have to start to wonder if it’s just me. This book was awful! The only reason it’s getting 2 stars is because there is some kernel of interesting history here; it’s just very, very difficult to find. /posts/the-black-swan-by-nassim-nicholas-taleb/ Sun, 10 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-black-swan-by-nassim-nicholas-taleb/ Rating: 2/5 Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan (New York: Random House, 2007). This book was a disappointment. It started off OK, but it became apparent quite quickly that Taleb is—how should I say this?—arrogant and a bit of a jerk. The main thrust of the book (in itself interesting) could have easily been conveyed in a short 20-page essay. The book just goes on and on and on with some really silly examples and case studies. /posts/networks-crowds-and-markets-by-easley-kleinberg/ Sat, 26 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/networks-crowds-and-markets-by-easley-kleinberg/ Rating: 4/5 David Easley and Jon Kleinberg, Networks, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning about a Highly Connected World (Cambridge University Press, 2010). I really, really enjoyed this book. I learned so much. As far as textbooks go—I’ve read my share—this one is very well organized. I thought the progression of topics was perfect. The book is divided into seven overall parts: Graph Theory and Social Networks Here they introduce the basics of graph theory and how it applies to social networks. /posts/100-ideas-that-changed-by-various-authors/ Sat, 22 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/100-ideas-that-changed-by-various-authors/ Rating: 3/5 I finished these books months ago, but I’m just now getting around to posting about them. This is a series of coffee-table-style books (meaning mostly full-colour photos) that take a discipline and present one author’s take on the 100 ideas that changed that field. There are six books in the series:art, graphic design, photography, film, architecture, and fashion. I wasn’t able to get a hold of the art and photography books. /posts/unaccountable-by-marty-makary/ Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/unaccountable-by-marty-makary/ Rating: 4/5 Marty Makary, MD, Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won’t Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care (New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2012). A vital issue, harrowing stories, and reasonable solutions. The problem is the corporatization of health care and the lack of incentives to improve health care. The stories he shares of medical mistakes and issues are scary, to say the least. The answer he proposes is complete transparency of outcome data. /posts/jerusalem-by-simon-sebag-montefiore/ Wed, 26 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/jerusalem-by-simon-sebag-montefiore/ Rating: 4/5 Simon Sebag Montefiore, Jerusalem: The Biography (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011). This is one serious piece of work! This 650-page tome presents an excellent high-level summary of the history behind the conflicts we are seeing today in the Middle East. It does what a good history book should do: that is, go beyond just presenting a sequence of events and instead present a cohesive and meaningful narrative. The subtitle is “The Biography” because the book examines the people and families integral to the history of Jerusalem. /posts/evolution-of-language-by-w-tecumseh-fitch/ Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/evolution-of-language-by-w-tecumseh-fitch/ Rating: 3/5 W. Tecumseh Fitch, The Evolution of Language (Cambridge University Press, 2010). This is a textbook that surveys the state of research into the evolution of language. It does a high-level survey of our current understanding of human evolution, and Fitch then goes through seemingly each and every hypothesis on language evolution specifically and explicates their strengths and weaknesses. Fitch refrains from stating a strong personal preference for any given theory, but you can certainly sense which ideas resonate more with him. /posts/developmental-editing-by-scott-norton/ Sun, 19 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/developmental-editing-by-scott-norton/ Rating: 4/5 Scott Norton, Developmental Editing: A Handbook for Freelancers, Authors, and Publishers (University of Chicago Press, 2009). I’ve never read a book on developmental editing before, so I can’t speak to how it compares to others. I always find it interesting to watch other editors work, though. It’s one of the reasons I love working in house. I have to admit, some of the edited excerpts gave me pause. There were things I would never think to change. /posts/cookwise-by-shirley-o-corriher/ Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/cookwise-by-shirley-o-corriher/ Rating: 4/5 Shirley O. Corriher, CookWise: The Secrets of Cooking Revealed (New York: William Marrow, 2011). I thought BakeWise was a much better book. Not only does this book (which was written before BakeWise, I’ll grant) spend half the book talking about baking, I think the book could have been better organized as well. It’s still a good book and has some great-looking recipes, but I found BakeWise to be more intuitively and usefully organized, with more specific information. /posts/pie-in-the-sky-by-susan-purdy/ Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/pie-in-the-sky-by-susan-purdy/ Rating: 4/5 Susan G. Purdy, Pie in the Sky: Successful Baking at High Altitudes; 100 Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Breads, and Pastries Home-Tested for Baking at Sea Level, 3000, 5000, 70000, and 10000 feet (and Anywhere in Between) (New York: William Morrow, 2005). If you bake, and you live above 3000 feet, then this book is for you. It’s an excellent resource for concrete, trustworthy advice about high-altitude baking. I love that every recipe has been tested. /posts/professional-baking-by-wayne-gisslen/ Fri, 27 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/professional-baking-by-wayne-gisslen/ Rating: 5/5 Wayne Gisslen, Professional Baking, 5th ed. (New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2009). I love this book! This is a textbook used in cooking schools. It’s perfect if you really want to learn how baking works from the ground up. I love, love, love it! Not only does it have all the standard recipes, it goes through in painstaking detail how they work, why they work, and what to do when things go wrong. /posts/bakewise-by-shirley-o-corriher/ Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/bakewise-by-shirley-o-corriher/ Rating: 5/5 Shirley O. Corriher, BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes (New York: Scribner, 2008). Awesome, awesome, awesome! Corriher goes through all the main categories of baking: cakes, meringues, pies, cookies, and breads. She goes through all the ingredients, the chemistry behind how they work, as well as some awesome basic recipes. For people like me who want to take the next baby step from slavishly following recipes to starting to understand how recipes work (and don’t work), this is an awesome book. /posts/just-my-type-by-simon-garfield/ Fri, 06 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/just-my-type-by-simon-garfield/ Rating: 1/5 Simon Garfield, Just My Type: A Book About Fonts (New York: Gotham Books, 2011). Well I don’t know what I was expecting, but apparently it was more than I got. I ended up skimming through the book in an hour or so. Nothing really jumped out at me. There’s some biographical information on the various font designers, and there was some information on the origins of some fonts, but nothing really grabbed me as new or engaging. /posts/debt-the-first-5000-years-by-david-graeber/ Thu, 05 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/debt-the-first-5000-years-by-david-graeber/ Rating: 5/5 David Graeber, Debt: The First 5,000 Years (New York: Melville House, 2011). I really, really enjoyed this book. This is not a manifesto. It’s an honest-to-goodness anthropological history of money, debt, and everything that goes with it. What I love about the book is how it builds. After going through all the history, when he finally gets to modern times, everything makes sense, without him having to spell it all out. /posts/best-american-essays-2003-edited-by-robert-atwan-and-anne-fadiman/ Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/best-american-essays-2003-edited-by-robert-atwan-and-anne-fadiman/ Rating: 5/5 Robert Atwan and Anne Fadiman (eds.), The Best American Essays 2003 (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003). What I am loving most about these essay collections is the diversity. To use a Gumpism, “it’s like a box of chocolates.” There were a handful that I ended up skimming (toffee or peanut butter), and one that just made me sick (orange or cherry), but most were delicious (caramel or mint). They’re also bite sized, so I generally can read one or two on the bus and can stop if one was particularly poignant or thought provoking. /posts/rereadings-edited-by-anne-fadiman/ Sat, 02 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/rereadings-edited-by-anne-fadiman/ Rating: 5/5 Anne Fadiman (ed.), Rereadings (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005). Well I’ve decided that Anne Fadiman is pretty awesome :) I’ve also decided that the “essay” as a genre is pretty awesome too. I don’t know why I’ve had so little exposure to it so far in my life, but there it is. I’m glad I found it now, and I plan on seeking out more. While on my lunch break the other day (reading, of course) a coworker walked by and commented on how I was taking a break from reading to read. /posts/at-large-and-at-small-by-anne-fadiman/ Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/at-large-and-at-small-by-anne-fadiman/ Rating: 5/5 Anne Fadiman, At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays by Anne Fadiman (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2007). Another delightful read. While not as intentionally hilarious as Ex Libris , it certainly has it’s guffaw-inducing moments. She’s a tremendous writer and succeeds well at creating vivid imagery. This book is her contribution to the genre of the “familiar essay,” a genre that is intended as an intimate conversation between the author and a single reader. /posts/innumeracy-by-john-allen-paulos/ Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/innumeracy-by-john-allen-paulos/ Rating: 3/5 John Allen Paulos, Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and its Consequences (New York: Hill and Wang, 1988). Numeracy (critical thinking in general, really) is a topic I read about fairly often (e.g., here , here , here , here , here , and here , plus others that never made it to the blog). Certainly not because I think I am somehow super numerate. Far from it. It is something I’m aware of, though, and one reason I’m drawn to these books is a desire to improve in this area. /posts/the-man-who-invented-the-twentieth-century-by-robert-lomas/ Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-man-who-invented-the-twentieth-century-by-robert-lomas/ Rating: 4/5 Robert Lomas, The Man Who Invented the Twentieth Century: Nikola Tesla, Forgotten Genius of Electricity (London: Headline, 1999). This is an excellent non-academic biography (no source notes) of Nikola Tesla. I knew of Tesla, but it was nice to read his story from beginning to end. Lomas is obviously sympathetic towards Tesla, but I don’t care what you say, there is no way to spin Tesla’s story in such a way as to redeem Edison, Westinghouse, and JP Morgan. /posts/the-brain-that-changes-itself-by-norman-doidge/ Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-brain-that-changes-itself-by-norman-doidge/ Rating: 1/5 Norman Doidge, The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (New York: Viking, 2007). Wow. This book is the perfect example of how writing style can totally obscure (nay, all but obliterate) an otherwise sound and fascinating message. I found this book physically painful to read. Don’t get me wrong. I have no issue with the fundamental thesis of the book, which appears to be that neuroplasticity is real and that the neuroplastic model can provide novel and effective treatments for diseases and traumas previously thought untreatable. /posts/thesis-and-the-book-by-harman-montagnes-mcmenemy-and-bucci/ Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/thesis-and-the-book-by-harman-montagnes-mcmenemy-and-bucci/ Rating: 4/5 Eleanor Harman, Ian, Montagnes, Siobhan McMenemy, and Chris Bucci (eds.), The Thesis and the Book: A Guide for First-Time Academic Authors, 2nd edition (University of Toronto Press, 2003). Writing a PhD dissertation? Finished writing? Hope to publish it (or part of it) in book form? Then you must read this book. A thesis is not a book. They are unfortunately different beasts. The advice in this book will help you start the arduous journey of transforming those years of blood, sweat, and tears into something truly publishable. /posts/ex-libris-by-anne-fadiman/ Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/ex-libris-by-anne-fadiman/ Rating: 5/5 Anne Fadiman, Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998). I just finished reading the most wonderful book! It came up in one of the editing mailing lists I subscribe to. (I wish I could remember who recommended it!) It’s a series of essays by Anne Fadiman (someone I had never heard of before) that talks about her and her family’s obsession with words, books, and reading. /posts/manufacturing-consent-by-herman-and-chomsky/ Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/manufacturing-consent-by-herman-and-chomsky/ Rating: 2/5 Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky, Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media (New York: Pantheon Books, 2002). Herman and Chomsky assert that the best way to understand modern mass media and how it operates is using a “propaganda model.” They introduce the model and then give a slew of case studies to support their view. Let’s start with the model itself. It’s not that they believe there’s some conspiracy or government department that forces certain stories to be treated in certain ways. /posts/chicago-manual-of-style-16th-ed/ Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/chicago-manual-of-style-16th-ed/ Rating: 5/5 University of Chicago Press, The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. (University of Chicago: 2010). It’s unusual to “review” reference works, perhaps, but the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS, or the “orange bible” [don’t let the dust cover fool you, the book is actually bright orange]) is too exceptional to not mention here. While in my line of work there are sections that see constant, recurring use, I’ve only read the entire 1000+ pages cover to cover three times: I finished the third time today. /posts/panic-virus-by-seth-mnookin/ Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/panic-virus-by-seth-mnookin/ Rating: 4/5 Seth Mnookin, The Panic Virus (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011). This book is a history of both vaccination itself and its opponents. The take-away message is that the media is not the place to go for truly balanced and accurate information about science and health. They are far more interested in ratings and catchy headlines than truth. Epidemiology is not something you can just pick up from the University of Google. /posts/how-i-killed-pluto-by-mike-brown/ Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/how-i-killed-pluto-by-mike-brown/ Rating: 3/5 Mike Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2010). When Pluto got demoted, I remember hearing about it, but I apparently didn’t care enough to do any reading about it. I had no idea how it happened or why. So when I saw this book sitting on the shelf, I felt a responsibility to pick it up. It’s a personal (IMO, too personal) account of the discoveries and events that led up to Pluto’s demise and some of the fallout therefrom. /posts/recipe-writers-handbook-by-ostmann-and-baker/ Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/recipe-writers-handbook-by-ostmann-and-baker/ Rating: 4/5 Barbara Gibbs Ostmann and Jane L. Baker, The Recipe Writer’s Handbook: Revised and Expanded (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2001). Well this is a book for editors. What it is is a style guide specifically for cookbooks. Should you use “green onions” or “scallions”? “Red pepper” or “red bell pepper”? What are the best practices for recipe testing? How should you manage metric vs. imperial measurements? What about copyright and plagiarism? /posts/almost-christian-by-kenda-creasy-dean/ Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/almost-christian-by-kenda-creasy-dean/ Rating: 5/5 Kenda Creasy Dean, Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church (Oxford University Press, 2010). I’ve been holding off writing this review so I could let the book percolate a bit in my head. Regardless of where you might stand theologically, the debate/struggle/discussion this book represents is, in my opinion, vital. I happen to believe strongly in the reality of God, Jesus Christ, and all that that entails. /posts/nontechnical-guide-to-petroleum-geology-drilling-and-production-by-norman-j-hyne/ Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/nontechnical-guide-to-petroleum-geology-drilling-and-production-by-norman-j-hyne/ Rating: 3/5 Norman J. Hyne, Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology, Drilling and Production (Tulsa: Pennwell, 2001). In my new job I edit materials surrounding the regulation of natural resource production in Alberta. While I have a background in science in general, oil and gas is not something I’ve had lots of experience with. Fortunately this book was sitting on my desk. The book is exactly what it says it is. It starts by explaining the geological foundation of hydrocarbons and goes through the technicalities of how these resources are found, assessed, and produced. /posts/autobiography-of-parley-p-pratt/ Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/autobiography-of-parley-p-pratt/ Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985). And now for something completely different. As yet I haven’t reviewed any church-related literature, of which I read a great deal. Certainly not because I am ashamed in any way of my faith. Any who know me at all well are aware that I am a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints . /posts/the-words-we-live-by-by-linda-monk/ Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-words-we-live-by-by-linda-monk/ Rating: 4/5 Linda R. Monk, The Words We Live By (New York: Hyperion, 2003). This book is the entire text of the US Constitution and its 27 amendments, annotated line by line with explanations, historical motivations, and ramifications thereof. If you’re a US citizen, or just interested in politics, then understanding the Constitution is essential. This book gives you not just the text but also the tools to understand this incredible document. /posts/a-first-rate-madness-by-nassir-ghaemi/ Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/a-first-rate-madness-by-nassir-ghaemi/ Rating: 3/5 Nassir Ghaemi, A First-Rate Madness (New York: Penguin, 2011). The thesis of the book is that in times of peace and plenty, the best leader is a mentally normative (or “homoclite”) one. In crisis, however, you need an exceptional leader. Ghaemi asserts that the best such leaders are mentally abnormal. He focuses mainly on depression and mania, selecting four major traits of manic-depressives (creativity, realism, empathy, and resilience) and examines the careers of leaders such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King, FDR, JFK, and others. /posts/wheat-belly-by-william-davis/ Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/wheat-belly-by-william-davis/ Rating: 5/5 William Davis, Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health (New York: Rodale, 2011). This is another book that talks about the low-carb diet, wheat in particular. Did you know that wheat impacts your blood sugar even more than table sugar? One of his main points is that the wheat we eat today is simply not the same wheat we were eating even 50 years ago. /posts/eyetracking-web-usability-by-nielsen-pernice/ Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/eyetracking-web-usability-by-nielsen-pernice/ Rating: 4/5 Jakob Nielsen & Kara Pernice, Eyetracking Web Usability (Berkeley, CA: New Riders, 2010). If you’re a web designer, then you really owe it to yourself to at least check this book out from the local library and read it once. The list price of $70+ dollars is a little more than I would want to spend, but if you can find a good deal, I think it’s worth it. /posts/merchants-of-culture-by-john-b-thompson/ Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/merchants-of-culture-by-john-b-thompson/ Rating: 4/5 John B. Thompson, Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century (Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2010) This book discusses the history, current state, and possible future of trade publishing in the US and UK. This book does not discuss at length academic or STM publishing—he does that in other books—but instead focuses on mass-market fiction and non-fiction publishing. If you work in the industry, there’s not too much here that you won’t already know. /posts/metamagical-themas-by-douglas-hofstadter/ Sat, 06 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/metamagical-themas-by-douglas-hofstadter/ Rating: 4/5 Douglas R. Hofstadter, Metamagical Themas: Questing for the Essence of Mind and Pattern (New York: Basic Books, 1986). This book (revised again in 1996) is a collection of the columns Douglas Hofstadter wrote for Scientific American in 1981–83. The columns are grouped by topic and each is followed by a lengthy postscript that expands on the original column. He explores topics from self-referentiality to Rubic’s Cubes, from Lisp atoms to the nature of cognition. /posts/dont-make-me-think-by-steve-krug/ Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/dont-make-me-think-by-steve-krug/ Rating: 4/5 Steve Krug, Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd ed. (Berkeley, CA: New Riders). Krug’s book on web design is terrific. It’s a nice edition in full colour with lots of illustrations. Whether you’re a novice designer trying to build your first web site or a seasoned veteran, Krug’s “Laws of Usability” are easy to understand and remember. He discusses the fundamental design elements every site should have and why (with concrete, full-colour examples), spends some time talking about usability testing, and even provides a generous “Further Reading” section. /posts/the-introvert-advantage-by-marti-laney/ Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-introvert-advantage-by-marti-laney/ Rating: 3/5 Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D., The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World (New York: Workman, 2002). If you even think you might be an introvert, then this book will be of some value to you. The book’s goal is to help you determine if you’re introverted, explain what exactly that means, help you realize that you are not in any way “broken” or in need of changing, and provide information on how to best thrive as an introvert in a mostly extroverted world. /posts/why-we-get-fat-by-gary-taubes/ Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/why-we-get-fat-by-gary-taubes/ Rating: 5/5 Gary Taubes, Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011). If you wanted to read Taubes’s book Good Calories, Bad Calories (GCBC) but were put off by the 500 pages of small print, then immediately go out and get this book. This is a distillation of GCBC crammed into just over 200 pages of normal-sized print. The core message is the same and delivered just as forcefully. /posts/bad-science-by-ben-goldacre/ Sat, 11 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/bad-science-by-ben-goldacre/ Rating: 4/5 Ben Goldacre, Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks (Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart, 2010). I first saw Ben Goldacre on YouTube, where I saw his stand-up comedy routine in which he talks about the placebo effect. I decided to give his book a go. I liked it, but it came across overall as far too rantish for my taste. He does accomplish his goal, but he could have addressed some important issues at greater length. /posts/good-calories-bad-calories-by-gary-taubes/ Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/good-calories-bad-calories-by-gary-taubes/ Rating: 5/5 Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007). This book is required reading. If you care at all about your health, if you are diabetic or obese, if you just need to decide what to make for dinner, you absolutely owe it to yourself to read this book. It requires some effort, but anything worthwhile does. /posts/remembering-our-childhood-by-karl-sabbagh/ Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/remembering-our-childhood-by-karl-sabbagh/ Rating: 3/5 Karl Sabbagh, Remembering Our Childhood: How Memory Betrays Us (Oxford University Press, 2011). This book turned out to be not quite what I expected. I thought it would be a lower-level discussion of what memory is, but instead this book is a higher-level overview of memory (childhood memory in particular) and focuses primarily on false or repressed memories that come up often in child abuse cases. Sabbagh examines the literature and makes the case that memory is so fallible (it is a reconstructive process, not a reproductive one), and children in particular are so suggestible, that it is irresponsible to use such memories in the sending of innocent people to jail (as happened frequently in the ’80s and ’90s). /posts/the-vegetarian-myth-by-lierre-keith/ Mon, 30 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-vegetarian-myth-by-lierre-keith/ Rating: 5/5 Lierre Keith, The Vegetarian Myth: Food Justice, and Sustainability, 4th ed. (Crescent City, CA: Flashpoint Press, 2009). Everyone should read this book. Don’t let the title fool you. It’s not a book just for vegetarians. Nor is it some brutal tirade against vegetarianism. Keith was a vegan for 20 years, and her appeal to vegetarians—nay, everyone—is empathetic and heartfelt. Her writing style is so direct and immediate that you can’t help but feel her powerful emotions. /posts/grammar-matters-by-jila-ghomeshi/ Thu, 26 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/grammar-matters-by-jila-ghomeshi/ Rating: 3/5 Jila Ghomeshi, Grammar Matters: The Social Significance of How We Use Language (Winnipeg, MB: Arbeiter Ring Publishing, 2010). This book was mentioned by a colleague in the latest edition of the EAC magazine Active Voice . I immediately checked it out from the library. Unfortunately I have to say I was underwhelmed. It’s a small book (only 100 pages, 4.25 x 5.5 inches), and she really only needed a couple of pages to make her point. /posts/infectious-greed-by-frank-partnoy/ Tue, 24 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/infectious-greed-by-frank-partnoy/ Rating: 4/5 Frank Partnoy, Infectious Greed: How Deceit and Risk Corrupted the Financial Markets (Revised ed.) (New York: Public Affairs, 2009). Make no mistake, this is one daunting read. It is 450 pages of small print and excruciating detail, and the content is enough to make you just go mad with frustration. This book is a financial history. Partnoy’s point is that the financial meltdown of 2008 did not come out of nowhere. /posts/visual-intelligence-by-donald-d-hoffman/ Mon, 09 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/visual-intelligence-by-donald-d-hoffman/ Rating: 3/5 Donald D. Hoffman, Visual Intelligence: How We Create What We See (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1998. Well if you need to be reminded just how truly awesome the human body is, or need to be reminded just how illusory what we think of as reality is, this book is for you. The book attempts to explain as clearly as possible how vision works (and doesn’t work). /posts/the-lightness-of-being-by-frank-wilczek/ Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-lightness-of-being-by-frank-wilczek/ Rating: 4/5 Frank Wilczek, The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces (New York: Basic Books, 2008). The Lightness of Being is the type of content you might expect in a first-year honours physics class—maybe even second-year. It attempts to summarize where things are at in regards to quantum mechanics theory (QED and QCD) and what it tells us about the universe. The author assumes that you have a more than passing interest in science in general and that you have done at least a little recreational reading about physics specifically. /posts/being-wrong-by-kathryn-schulz/ Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/being-wrong-by-kathryn-schulz/ Rating: 4/5 Kathryn Schulz, Being Wrong: Adventures In The Margin Of Error (New York: Ecco, 2010). This is a book I read sometime last year but just never got around to reviewing. As the title suggests, it’s a book about fallibility. It’s a relatively lengthy book, but the writing style is clear and engaging, and the book is indeed intended for the general public. Schulz examines why it is that we are wrong so often. /posts/a-view-from-the-eye-of-the-storm-by-haim-harari/ Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/a-view-from-the-eye-of-the-storm-by-haim-harari/ Rating: 5/5 Haim Harari, A View From the Eye of the Storm: Terror and Reason in the Middle East (New York: Regan Books, 2005). Read this book. It will only take a few hours. It is worth every minute. /posts/colour-by-victoria-finlay/ Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/colour-by-victoria-finlay/ Rating: 3/5 Victoria Finlay, Colour: Travels Through the Paintbox (London: Sceptre, 2002). Victoria Finlay is one adventurous woman. From the Australian outback to war-torn Afghanistan, Finlay explores the origins of various colours and how they ended up on canvasses and clothes. It’s not enough for her to simply read and research, instead she must herself visit the places and people involved. The resulting narrative goes beyond simply “the facts” and becomes instead a colourful recounting of a fascinating journey (which includes all the facts too). /posts/the-pattern-on-the-stone-by-daniel-hillis/ Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-pattern-on-the-stone-by-daniel-hillis/ Rating: 4/5 Daniel Hillis, The Pattern on the Stone: The Simple Ideas that Make Computers Work (New York: Basic Books, 1998). Have you ever wondered how a computer actually works? How is it that a wafer of silicon no wider than your thumbnail can do all the things that computers do? How can a device that at it’s most essential only understands the numbers 0 and 1 and the operations AND, OR, and NOT run your phone or send an email? /posts/reality-is-broken-by-jane-mcgonigal/ Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/reality-is-broken-by-jane-mcgonigal/ Rating: 3/5 Jane McGonigal, Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World (New York: Penguin Press, 2011). This book was a bit of an emotional see-saw for me. I found myself agreeing then disagreeing with her almost page by page. But before I analyze, let me describe the book. It’s roughly 350 pages long and is divided into three parts: “Why Games Make Us Happy,” “Reinventing Reality,” and “How Very Big Games Can Change the World. /posts/the-unfinished-game-by-keith-devlin/ Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-unfinished-game-by-keith-devlin/ Rating: 4/5 Keith Devlin, The Unfinished Game: Pascal, Fermat, and the Seventeenth-Century Letter that Made the World Modern; A Tale of How Mathematics is Really Done (New York: Basic Books, 2008). One of the intriguing things about studying history is hindsight. As a music historian, I was fascinated by the development of music notation and how it took centuries for composers to make the (now-seemingly simple) leap to a unified representation of pitch and duration—the breakthrough that eventually led to the notation we know today. /posts/dance-of-the-photons-by-anton-zeilinger/ Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/dance-of-the-photons-by-anton-zeilinger/ Rating: 1/5 Anton Zeilinger, Dance of the Photons: From Einstein to Quantum Teleportation (New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2010). I just can’t do it. I’m 100 pages in and I just can’t bring myself to slog through the other 200. I love science books, I am fascinated by physics, and I still want a math degree one day. I was hoping this book would be a good survey of the latest in quantum theory. /posts/musicophilia-by-oliver-sacks/ Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/musicophilia-by-oliver-sacks/ Rating: 4/5 Oliver Sacks, Musicophila: Tales of Music and the Brain (New York: Alfred A Knopf, 2008). I received this book as a gift on my birthday back in 2008, but at the time I was studying for my comprehensive exams so I was somewhat over saturated (understatement!) with music readings. I’m sorry, Blais, but I’m just getting around to it now! Dr. Oliver Sacks is a neurologist and a musician. /posts/imagination-in-place-by-wendell-berry/ Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/imagination-in-place-by-wendell-berry/ Rating: 5/5 Wendell Berry, Imagination in Place (Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint Press, 2010). I have read a fair bit of Wendell Berry lately, and I will soon be looking more closely at his fiction. This collection of essays is more autobiographical and is certainly more literary. The overall focus is on influence—how we are influenced by our place and by who we know and what we read. He suggests (p. 42): /posts/the-untied-states-of-america-by-juan-enriquez/ Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-untied-states-of-america-by-juan-enriquez/ Rating: 3/5 Juan Enriquez, The Untied States of America: Polarization, Fracturing, and Our Future (New York: Random House, 2005). As I read the book (and specifically, as I slogged through the insane typography) I wasn’t sure whether I should accuse him of genius or hubris. After finishing the book, I decided it’s closer to hubris. First, the elephant in the room. I don’t know who typeset this beast, but I hope he’s a minor masochist, because setting this book must have been brutally painful and taken many, many hours. /posts/what-matters-by-wendell-berry/ Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/what-matters-by-wendell-berry/ Rating: 5/5 Wendell Berry, What Matters? Economics for a Renewed Commonwealth (Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, 2010). I can’t say enough how much I enjoy Wendell Berry’s writing. At a technical level, his writing is beautiful. He uses plain language , and his arguments are clearly and logically laid out. At a content level, he really speaks to me. I have known for a long time that the world has truly gone insane, but Berry chapters and verses it in clear, powerful language. /posts/is-the-internet-changing-the-way-you-think-edited-by-john-brockman/ Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/is-the-internet-changing-the-way-you-think-edited-by-john-brockman/ Rating: 3/5 John Brockman (ed.), Is the Internet Changing the Way You Think?: The Net’s Impact on Our Minds and Future (New York: Harper Perennial, 2011). Edge.org is a sort of think tank, and every year, John Brockman comes up with a question to ask “over 150 of the smartest people in the world.” This year’s question is the title of the book. Some of the other questions look interesting, but after slogging through this 450-page book, I’m not sure I’ll tackle them any time soon. /posts/the-death-and-life-of-the-great-american-school-system-by-diane-ravitch/ Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/the-death-and-life-of-the-great-american-school-system-by-diane-ravitch/ Rating: 3/5 Diane Ravitch, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education (New York: Basic Books, 2010). Well I’ve decided to stop reading books about education for a while. I just get too frustrated and frankly, too hopeless. If Adele and I are ever in a position to have children, it will be home school all the way. (I’m not saying that’s a perfect solution to all problems, but a solution given the current circumstances. /posts/home-economics-by-wendell-berry/ Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/home-economics-by-wendell-berry/ Rating: 5/5 Wendell Berry, Home Economics: Fourteen Essays by Wendell Berry (San Francisco: North Point Press, 1987). One thing I love about editing is the opportunity to read so many different types of texts I would never normally pick up. Sometimes, even if the book I’m editing is not particularly interesting, I almost always find at least one book or author cited that catches my attention. The Solnit book I previously posted about and this collection both came from my current project. /posts/wanderlust-by-rebecca-solnit/ Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/wanderlust-by-rebecca-solnit/ Rating: 5/5 Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking (New York: Viking, 2000). I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is beautifully written and I think hits some very powerful points. It’s not a history of walking per se (what would that look like?) but more a history of what walking has meant and how the perception of the peripatetic has changed over time. She touches on issues of class, gender, and politics. /posts/salt-by-mark-kurlansky/ Sat, 06 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/salt-by-mark-kurlansky/ Rating: 3/5 Mark Kurlansky, Salt: A World History (A. Knopf Canada, 2002). If you like reading history, then you’ll enjoy the book. It’s well organized and clearly written—very accessible writing style. If history bores you, then the book will bore you. It is just what it says it is, a book on the history of salt production throughout the world. Some very interesting stuff, actually! I did do a bit of skimming, though, when I got to parts that weren’t particularly interesting to me personally. /posts/guns-germs-and-steel-by-jared-diamond/ Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000 /posts/guns-germs-and-steel-by-jared-diamond/ Rating: 4/5 Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel (W. W. Norton, 1997). Well now I know. After 6 months, I’m still not recovered from grad school. After reading some “art for art’s sake” books, I thought I’d try Guns, Germs, and Steel, a book on my to-read list for some time. After 100-odd pages, I finally had to give up. I’m too exhausted. That said, it is an excellent book. Diamond writes in an exceedingly clear and accessible style.