Books I done read (lately)
Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. Highly recommended. Sagan is an eloquent writer whose passion for knowledge and irrepressible sense of wonder at the cosmos shines through, even in this volume (which some critics have singled out as being pessimistic among his writings). At no time does he come across as condescending or aloof, even as he explains why he doesn't believe in psychic powers or UFO abductions. He clearly draws from a wealth of humanity's cultural riches, past and present and from around the globe, whenever he puts his thoughts down on paper.
Neil deGrasse Tyson and Donald Gold Goldsmith's Origins, the companion book to the eponymous Nova special. It sweeps from the moment of the Big Bang through the abiogenesis of life on Earth, and speculates about the possibility of life on other worlds. There is always a clever turn of phrase that instantly -snaps- difficult or abstract astronomical concepts into perspective. Tyson's the science teacher you wish you had as a kid.
Carl Zimmer strikes gold again with the Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins. Well-written and gorgeously complimented by concise, effective full-color photographs. It gives you the state of the science of human evolution from the first appearance of primates 65 million years ago to the recent discovery of "hobbits," Homo floresiensis (which may have been the last separate line of Homo erectus descendants up into only 18,000 years ago, were only three feet tall and made unique stone tools unlike those of contemporary modern humans).
Science is well-served by having the works of writers like these folks. I'ma have to pick up my own copies to have on hand, instead of just hoping the Library has them on the shelves.
Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentleman displays the man's dorky wit and impeccable sensibilities as an author, which makes you wonder what the Hell Hollywood was smoking when they scripted something vaguely similar with the same title for a movie a few years back. Also, check out Moore's Tom Strong; considerably lengthier, more meta-humorous, and even more pulpy, but set in alternate-modern times.
Jeff Smith's Bone is best read in the original black and white, avoid the colorized version if you can help it. I consider this one of the most significant independent comics in the last 20 years. I got the "one volume edition," about 1300 pages of delicious artwork and charming story, skillfully mixing humor and serious fantasy elements into a seamless whole. Hopefully this will be THE work of his that's remembered and used as an example in sequential art lessons, while his mini-series Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil will be forgotten to the dustbin of history. Sorry, Jeff, but that was just horribly executed.
Tonight I picked up a rather hefty book, "The Best of Spiderman Vol. 1." The first half was dedicated to the story arc where they change Spidey's powers from being radioactive to being the mystical Spider Totem powers. ... Yeah. Don't trust Marvel when they hand you "The Best" of anything.
Neil deGrasse Tyson and Donald Gold Goldsmith's Origins, the companion book to the eponymous Nova special. It sweeps from the moment of the Big Bang through the abiogenesis of life on Earth, and speculates about the possibility of life on other worlds. There is always a clever turn of phrase that instantly -snaps- difficult or abstract astronomical concepts into perspective. Tyson's the science teacher you wish you had as a kid.
Carl Zimmer strikes gold again with the Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins. Well-written and gorgeously complimented by concise, effective full-color photographs. It gives you the state of the science of human evolution from the first appearance of primates 65 million years ago to the recent discovery of "hobbits," Homo floresiensis (which may have been the last separate line of Homo erectus descendants up into only 18,000 years ago, were only three feet tall and made unique stone tools unlike those of contemporary modern humans).
Science is well-served by having the works of writers like these folks. I'ma have to pick up my own copies to have on hand, instead of just hoping the Library has them on the shelves.
Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentleman displays the man's dorky wit and impeccable sensibilities as an author, which makes you wonder what the Hell Hollywood was smoking when they scripted something vaguely similar with the same title for a movie a few years back. Also, check out Moore's Tom Strong; considerably lengthier, more meta-humorous, and even more pulpy, but set in alternate-modern times.
Jeff Smith's Bone is best read in the original black and white, avoid the colorized version if you can help it. I consider this one of the most significant independent comics in the last 20 years. I got the "one volume edition," about 1300 pages of delicious artwork and charming story, skillfully mixing humor and serious fantasy elements into a seamless whole. Hopefully this will be THE work of his that's remembered and used as an example in sequential art lessons, while his mini-series Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil will be forgotten to the dustbin of history. Sorry, Jeff, but that was just horribly executed.
Tonight I picked up a rather hefty book, "The Best of Spiderman Vol. 1." The first half was dedicated to the story arc where they change Spidey's powers from being radioactive to being the mystical Spider Totem powers. ... Yeah. Don't trust Marvel when they hand you "The Best" of anything.