by Rupe | Jan 26, 2011 | Not So Recent Reads
Title:  The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene
- Publisher’s Summary
There was a time when “universe†meant all there is. Everything. Yet, in recent years discoveries in physics and cosmology have led a number of scientists to conclude that our universe may be one among many. With crystal-clear prose and inspired use of analogy, Brian Greene shows how a range of different “multiverse†proposals emerges from theories developed to explain the most refined observations of both subatomic particles and the dark depths of space: a multiverse in which you have an infinite number of doppelgängers, each reading this sentence in a distant universe; a multiverse comprising a vast ocean of bubble universes, of which ours is but one; a multiverse that endlessly cycles through time, or one that might be hovering millimeters away yet remains invisible; another in which every possibility allowed by quantum physics is brought to life. Or, perhaps strangest of all, a multiverse made purely of mathematics.
Greene, one of our foremost physicists and science writers, takes us on a captivating exploration of these parallel worlds and reveals how much of reality’s true nature may be deeply hidden within them.
My Comment
Really liked this book and would recommend it. Â This is the second book on the topic that I have read from Brian Greene. He is easy to read and makes a complex topic understandable.
by Rupe | Dec 26, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1: The Complete and Authoritative Edition by Mark Twain
Publisher’s Summary
“I’ve struck it!†Mark Twain wrote in a 1904 letter to a friend. “And I will give it away – to you. You will never know how much enjoyment you have lost until you get to dictating your autobiography.â€
Thus, after dozens of false starts and hundreds of pages, Twain embarked on his “Final (and Right) Plan†for telling the story of his life. His innovative notion – to “talk only about the thing which interests you for the moment†– meant that his thoughts could range freely. The strict instruction that many of these texts remain unpublished for 100 years meant that when they came out, he would be “dead, and unaware, and indifferent†and that he was therefore free to speak his “whole frank mindâ€.
The year 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Twain’s death. In celebration of this important milestone, here, for the first time, is Mark Twain’s uncensored autobiography, in its entirety, exactly as he left it. This major literary event offers the first of three volumes and presents Mark Twain’s authentic and unsuppressed voice, brimming with humor, ideas, and opinions, and speaking clearly from the grave, as he intended.
Edited by Harriet Elinor Smith and other editors of the Mark Twain Project.
Mark Twain (1835 – 1910) was born Samuel L. Clemens in the town of Florida, Missouri. One of the most popular and influential authors our nation has ever produced, his keen wit and incisive satire earned him praise from both critics and peers. He has been called not only the greatest humorist of his age but the father of American literature.
My Comment:
Really like…..
by Rupe | Dec 11, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Publisher’s Summary
At once a powerful evocation of his early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice to both the individual and the body politic, James Baldwin galvanized the nation in the early days of the civil-rights movement with this eloquent manifesto. The Fire Next Time stands as one of the essential works of our literature.
My CommentS:
I really liked this read. No doubt Mr. Baldwin is one of the great American brains, not to mention writer.l
by Rupe | Dec 1, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible by Bart D. Ehrman
Publisher’s Summary
Picking up where Bible expert Bart Ehrman’s New York Times best seller, Misquoting Jesus, left off, Jesus, Interrupted addresses the larger issue of what the New Testament actually teaches…and it’s not what most people think. Here Ehrman reveals what scholars have unearthed:
- The authors of the New Testament have diverging views about who Jesus was and how salvation works.
- The New Testament contains books that were forged in the names of the apostles by Christian writers who lived decades later.
- Jesus, Paul, Matthew, and John all represented fundamentally different religions.
- Established Christian doctrines, such as the suffering messiah, the divinity of Jesus, and the trinity were the inventions of still later theologians.
These are not idiosyncratic perspectives of just one modern scholar. As Ehrman skillfully demonstrates, they have been the standard and widespread views of critical scholars across a full spectrum of denominations and traditions. Why is it most people have never heard such things?
This is the book that pastors, educators, and anyone interested in the Bible have been waiting for, a clear and compelling account of the central challenges we face when attempting to reconstruct the life and message of Jesus.
My Comment:
by Rupe | Nov 2, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: Decision Point by George W. Bush
Publisher’s Summary
President George W. Bush narrates and describes the critical decisions of his presidency and personal life. Decision Points is the extraordinary memoir of America’s 43rd president. Shattering the conventions of political autobiography, George W. Bush offers a strikingly candid journey through the defining decisions of his life. In gripping, never-before-heard detail, President Bush brings listeners inside the Texas governor’s mansion on the night of the hotly contested 2000 election; aboard Air Force One on 9/11, in the hours after America’s
most devastating attack since Pearl Harbor; at the head of the table in the Situation Room in the moments before launching the war in Iraq; and behind the Oval Office desk for his historic and controversial decisions on the financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina, Afghanistan, Iran, and other issues that have shaped the first decade of the 21st century.
President Bush writes honestly and directly about his flaws and mistakes, as well as his accomplishments reforming education, treating HIV/AIDS in Africa, and safeguarding the country amid chilling warnings of additional terrorist attacks. He also offers intimate new details on his decision to quit drinking, discovery of faith, and relationship with his family.
A groundbreaking new brand of memoir, Decision Points will captivate supporters, surprise critics, and change perspectives on one of the most consequential eras in American history – and the man at the center of events.
My Comments:
Pretty easy read…additonal comments forthcoming…
by Rupe | Oct 2, 2010 | Not So Recent Reads
Title: Stein on Writing: A Master Editor Shares His Craft, Techniques, and Strategies by Sol Stein
Publisher’s Summary
Stein on Writing provides immediately useful advice for writers of fiction and nonfiction, whether newcomers or accomplished professionals. As Sol Stein, renowned editor, author, and instructor, explains, “This is not a book of theory. It is a book of usable solutions, how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good, how to create interesting writing in the first place.” With examples from his best sellers as well as aspiring students’ writing, Stein offers detailed sections on characterization, dialogue, pacing, flashbacks, liposuctioning flab, the “triage” method of revision, using the techniques of fiction to enliven nonfiction, and more.
My Comments:
Title:  The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene
