The Moviegoer by Walker Percy

A very good, very thought-provoking book about reality and the self and how one lives life or lets life pass by and how modern life can be lived in a way that time and place are irrelevant. A point the internet and cell phones etc. make even more striking now. The self can anchor itself to time and space by interacting with people in the present place and creating connections of time, place, and self.

Would-be Worlds by John L. Casti

Very thorough book of simulation and virtual reality and modeling. Lots of depth and sources and whole fields of mathematics. Too much for me to take in.

The Story of the Reformation by William Stevenson, John Knox Press

An older but short, very readable account. Good on Knox, fair with anabaptists. Poem by Burns - "The Cotter's Saturday Night."

Back Spin by Harlan Coben

Pulp mystery, but better than I expected. Protagonist is remarkably ordinary and clueless, or at least not sure of what is going on. gives it a different flavor. Myron Bolitar a sports agent. I'm not a fan but was pleasantly surprised.

The Language of the Genes by Steve Jones

Could have been interesting, but loaded with cant. Poisoned by politics. And he thinks he is the first to know how foolish everyone in the past was and how smart we are now because we know enough to not be bigoted. A jaundiced book with tons of interesting facts.

Euclid's Window by Leonard Mlodinow

This is a really good book, well written, easy to read. It starts with Euclid and moves through non-euclidian systems to Newton, Einstein - via relativity to string theory. The explanation is done very well. He has some interesting explanations of relativity. The string part is understandably vague but interesting. His math history is interesting and focuses on personalities.

A Long Way from Euclid by Constance Reid

Excellent discussion of Euclid. Concept of number, multidimension discussion is excellent. Discusses calculus. Good non-euclidian presentation. Valuable logic introduction. A lot of accessible math in a readable book.

Crypto by Steven Levy

An up-to-date good book about crypto. A lot about personalities. Good discussion of public key.

The White House Connection by Jack Higgins

Fun, usual Higgins plot: Walther, Irish, planes, etc.

Lost in the Cosmos by Walker Percy

Different than anything I have ever read and dealing with a difficult, elusive topic - the self. Keeping you constantly off balance and always going too far, you are nonetheless caught by the importance of the subject, the great difficulty of any ordinary approach to discussing the self, and a great reluctance to admit that the author is onto something. Indeed he forces you to make a great many "points" against your will and dutifully pay him homage for causing you to think about the part of you that thinks and to analyze the analyzer and de-costume the actor.

The Private Life of the Brain by Susan Greenfield

An interesting if reductionist view of the brain = mind --> consciousness. Deals with many interesting currents in neuroscience by a very astute writer/researcher. It seems we are beginning to get a glimpse of some things but I can't help but feel we are seeing what we "hope" to see in the haze.

The Universe and the Teacup by K. C. Cole

About math in all areas of life, not very interesting. Some interesting moments with distasteful (to me) political asides.

Micropower: The Next Electrical Era by Seth Dunn

Basically about the decentralization of power generation.

Lexical Aids for Students of New Testament Greek by Bruce M. Metzger

A very valuable book, not easy reading, mostly for reference, very helpful to beginners.

The Terrible Hours by Peter Maas

The thrilling story of the tragic sinking of the Squalus and the dramatic rescue thanks to the remarkable Momsen, an eccentric genius who developed the Momsen Lung and the rescue bell and helium/oxygen mixture for deep diving. A short but engaging book, very good.