Concrete Planet by Robert Courland

If the author is correct, there is a lot we don't know about concrete; and if the past is an indicator, we may find out the hard way. The Romans may have had secrets about concrete we don't know.

Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith

(read aloud)

Delightful multi-threaded mystery with charming simple (in the best sense) characters. A praise of traditional African life. Written in a style that brings to mind 'primitive' art. Beneath the simple humble surface stories, there is a deep wisdom informed by generations of stories and proverbs, a profound understanding of hidden human strengths and weaknesses.

Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder

(read aloud)

About Deo, a young man from Burundi who survived the genocide in Burundi and Rwanda and came to the United States, lived homeless in Central Park, and then went through medical school a second time and built a clinic in Burundi. An amazing story, masterfully written.

I think the writing is even better than the story, which is saying quite a lot.

The Legacy of the King James Version by Leland Ryken

My college literature professor has written a very well-documented treatment of the influence of the KJV. He also accesses and explains its beauty and power.

His case is strong and persuasive. I am less satisfied with his view of translation, which is simplistic and anglocentric. He of all people, steeped in the ways of allegory and metaphor and idiom, should know that these are so culturally based that translation across very different cultures must address the meaning of phrases in their cultural context. He calls this 'dynamic equivalence,' and as he uses it, it is pejorative. I think the brilliant King James translators did this far more than he realizes.

The Theory that Would Not Die by Sharon Bertsch

About Bayesian statistics. This is a very interesting history of Bayes and his descendants. It is very complete and descriptive. It is perfect in this regard.

It does not take up the mathematics in any substantial way. It does develop the idea of "priors" very well and shows their importance. There are a few simple examples of uses, such as breast cancer screening, but not even basic sketches of how it is actually applied. I think it is possible to do this in a popular book. Also, I was wondering more about the possibility of a mathematical synthesis between the Bayes school and the frequentist school. This was discussed at length but mostly in terms of personalities and competition. Are there situations where the solutions merge?

The King of Infinite Space by David Berlinski

An exposition of Euclid, at once laudatory and critical. Berlinski brings out many interesting ideas and touches on the idea of proof and the roots of mathematical constructs. Though I usually delight in his pungent prose, in this book it seems to obscure his developing thesis, to the point that he seems to take no risks, arguing all sides of every question and committing to none.

Perhaps there is a method in this. It could be that at this level of abstraction and at the root of mathematical thinking, the actors are still struggling and there is no clear winner.

Jesus, the Middle Eastern Storyteller by Gary M. Burge

Very good and convincing. Theme is that Jesus told stories and the meaning of them must be understood in the context of the Middle Eastern culture of his day. Some if not much of that culture can be found in places today or reconstructed from rabbinic or other literature. More accessible than Kenneth E. Bailey but made me want to attempt Bailey again.

Death of a Kingfisher by M. C. Beaton

(read aloud)

Our first exposure to Hamish Macbeth, a Scottish detective. Writing was good and characters interesting. Plot very convoluted and not artful. Didn't really make us want to read the others, which may be good because the writer is prolific.

Uncommon Carriers by John McPhee

(read aloud)

McPhee has multitudes of devoted followers so I am somewhat late to the party. In this book he deals with trucks, trains, and barges. These commonplace things he takes and shows how much more is going on than meets the eye. With a profound sense of people, places, and history, he writes of technology in use. These people have a level of experience and competence that is amazing and yet he has come to know them, their families, their hobbies, their roots.

We know these things changed America but he shows how; from Henry David Thoreau canoeing the first waterway to UPS planes landing every two minutes, we have been changed in a myriad of ways.

This is a series of stories but tied together. McPhee has a unique voice. He is describing and explaining; he seems to refrain from making judgments. These are real people working hard, doing honest work.