Shaman by Noah Gordon

An epic historical fiction about a deaf doctor who was raised by an Indian nanny of sorts who was murdered. Many good medical historical notes. Loaned to me by a patient.

The Hubble Wars by Eric J. Chaisson

Detailed story of Hubble failures and squabbles. Lots of politics, scientific pride, and amazing systems analysis faults. How good was the repair?

Chaos and Life by Richard J. Bird

Begins with an insightful critique of science or rather scientism. After a brief intro of chaos theory, fractals, and iteration, he briefly presents Darwinism as inadequate. Then a discussion of entropy and randomness. He then introduces his major ideas of iteration and recursion as an answer to Godël's incompleteness theorem and as a model of time, consciousness, and the fractal world, and understanding God as other and in the world. Starts strong, interesting ideas. Overreaches at the end but not offensively, rather almost embarrassedly.

Abduction by Robin Cook, Invasion by Robin Cook

Read and entered here only to avoid reading again.

What Saint Paul Really Said by N. T. Wright

Wright says the Gospel is the proclamation that Jesus is King (Messiah), that this proclamation brings faith, belief, justification, and salvation. Paul is following Christ, not inventing Christianity, and is thoroughly Jewish, not Hellenistic. My questions about Wright's view are about his view of righteousness and imputation (he is against this) and his view of Pharisees vis à vis the Law.

L'Abri by Edith Schaeffer

About prayer and hospitality and listening as much as great ideas skillfully rendered.

A Thread Across the Ocean by John Steele Gordon

A good book about a technological marvel and the dedication of Cyrus Field against great odds. Though an American, he got more support from England. The transatlantic cable changed the world.

Fool's Gold edited by John MacArthur

Good chapters on the New Perspective on Paul, Purpose Driven Life.

The Great Influenza by John M. Barry

Very good book about the history and epidemiology and the era and medicine and the scientists. Not so much virology. Part One Chapter One about secularism, science, and medicine is extremely well-written and thoughtful and thought provoking. I disagree but it is really wonderfully done.

Last Man Out by Melissa Fay Greene

A mine disaster in Nova Scotia in 1958 is the subject of this gripping story. The survivors speak and the townspeople tell their story. No sanitizing of the story, no false heroes. The scars and open wounds and grudges and fears and racism are all shown. After reading this powerful story, one is amazed to learn it is a reconstruction from tapes and other sources. It is a masterfully researched and written account of a unique people in a unique time.

Empires of Light by Jill Jonnes

This is a history of DC vs. AC electrification. Edison vs. Westinghouse in a battle of the titans. It is very good and shows how an obviously superior technology can be suppressed for a time. Woven throughout is the exotic mysterious Tesla, genius, bon vivant, and dreamer. Edison is petty, Westinghouse is full of integrity and larger than life. The World's Fair and the Niagara project figure large in the story.

Clear and Convincing Proof by Kate Wilhelm

Set in Eugene, it is a fairly good mystery but the writing is uneven and at times sophomoric.

Emperors of Chocolate by Joel glenn Brenner

Mainly about Mars and Hershey, both really fascinating people, more different than imaginable, both admirable in different ways. Well-written and very very interesting. Historical, psychological, and insightful. An unexpectedly tasty treat!

Empire Express by David Howard Bain

This book about the transcontinental railway is good when it talks about the construction, but is full of endless finance talk. How sad to review the swindling among the rich and the debauchery along the route as it is built.

Signposts in a Strange Land by Walker Percy

Very good series of essays. Some of the best I've ever read about language and reality and dualism and reductionism and the self. The essays about novels are good. Catholicism is discussed ably and his philosophy of science is I think quite helpful and solid. These essays are all brilliant, some more interesting to me than others. Some are classic.

Love in the Ruins by Walker Percy

An intriguing enigmatic novel with colorful characters and situations both funny and filled with pathos. Threads of catholicism, the south, alcoholism, and human weakness are woven in a winsome and sometimes confusing manner. There is a method in his madness. Modern life is confusing, conflicted, and misguided where most self-assured.

A Certain Justice by P. D. James (an Adam Dagleish novel)

Fun, nothing especially noteworthy. Adam is very understated and enigmatic, more of a presence than a character. Murder mystery set in England.

Descartes' Baby by Paul Bloom

A very interesting book based on the thesis that children are born dualists, believing in body and soul. While believing that dualism has been proven false by science, particularly neuroscience, Bloom is outspoken in stating that dualism is what everyone intuitively believes and this is why religion and spirituality and morals are universal. He purports to have a materialist stance that still admits morality and truth, and carefully defends evolution. My biased reading of the book finds his data and exposition fascinating and persuasive. His defense of materialism, his interpretation of science, and his attempt to salvage morality is to me weak and flawed of course. His child studies are delightful, his discussion of ethics is insightful, his presentation of religion is very fair-minded. A very good book.

Failure is Not an Option by Gene Kranz

An eyewitness account of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo from one who was involved in everything. Very interesting, personal and accurate. Names names, very frank. Not rose-colored but loyal.

Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science that Changed the Course of World War II by Jennet Conant

About Alfred Loomis, a Wall Street tycoon who sold out just before the crash. Built a lab, hired all the best scientists, and became a bona fide scientist himself. Started a radar lab at the onset of WWII that may have won the war. Very interesting, well-written, and has all the great names of physics of the era.

Looking for Spinoza by Antonio Damasio

The parts about Spinoza are the best, better than his thesis that feelings are a result of emotions that are measurable effects of the brain. Emotions are detectable, feelings are secondary results. Exactly the opposite of what we think we experience.

Trace by Patricia Cornwell

Better than last time, though obsessed with money and Ferraris.