I have fallen behind in posts. A flurry of spring activities have slowed me down. Finding lost friends on Facebook, Laboratory Week potlucks, spring cleaning....
I have read 5 books since I last posted and am about to finish a sixth.
They are:
THE WELL OF LOST PLOTS BY JASPER FFORDE
TWILIGHT BY STEPHENIE MEYER
THE PARTLY CLOUDY PATRIOT BY SARAH VOWELL
WORLD MADE BY HAND BY JAMES HOWARD KUNSTLER
THE PLUTO FILES BY NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON
and I am just finishing THREE CUPS OF TEA BY GREG MORTENSON AND DAVID OLIVER RELIN
Twilight I have read before and enjoyed. I was in the mood to blow through a fast read.
The Partly Cloudy Patriot is a collection of articles and stories. It is a very interesting book with a great perspective. Sarah Vowell is a history buff and fascinated by our nations history. (I sold the book online to a man stationed oversees. He asked if I would mind filling out a customs form what kind of patriot could be bothered to fill out a form). I hope he enjoyed her writing as much as I did.
World made by Hand was a great novel. It is one of those books that really gives you something to think about. The premise of the book is a town coping after world war 3. How they get food, supplies, stay warm, communicate. No electricity, no new clothes or music or anything else. No gas for cars or road repair. Aside from the interesting fictional story it makes you consider your life circumstances, for instance I have solar power but I live ten miles from town. So I would have electricity but no way to get to town for supplies and in winter no plowed road to travel on.
The Pluto Files was interesting. I really wanted to read this book because I saw Neil Degrasse Tyson on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and he was hilarious. The book is about how the Pluto lost planet status. It is a nicely done book and tells you alot about the universe.
Three Cups of Tea is a fascinating book. I am very interested in the middle east regions and the actual populous feeling (not extremist views) so books like this are great. Greg Mortenson is a former mountain climber who spend his time now building schools for children in Pakistan. I am a firm believer that help and education is the way to reach others and this book just proves that.
I have to read something light next. I will scour my crowded shelf and see what novel jumps out at me.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
9 years ago
Pluto's planet status is not lost; it is still a matter of dispute. Even Tyson pretty much admits to this, labeling the IAU decision accurately as "flawed" and admitting that it may be too early in the field of planetary science for anyone to be defining the term planet. It is noteworthy that hundreds of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto, formally rejected the demotion of Pluto, which was done by only four percent of the IAU, most of whom are not planetary scientists. For another view on this ongoing debate, I recommend reading "Is Pluto A Planet?" by Dr. David Weintraub.
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