Summer Book Reviews

Children of Time by Brian Tchaikovsky
An interesting science fiction novel that address so many different issues: cooperation vs conflict, person/machine divide, slavery, etc.  The book was very slow at times, but it kept me thinking.  Avoid it if you hate spiders.  Grade: B

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harris
This book is a historians view on what will be the next major challenges faced by humanity.  Incredibly interesting.  Avoid if you do not like to hear someone attacking belief in God.  Grade: B+

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
Wow, the best book I've read this year (or more).  A fascinating and moving story of growing up in a backward home in Idaho and then clawing your way out.  Ms. Westover has grit and more grit.  Must read.  Grade: A

Factfulness by Hans Rosling
It is so nice to read a book written by an optimist.  I learned a lot about the world in the 21st century while reading this book and you will too.  Grade: A-

Evicted by Matthew Desmond
A case study based look at poverty and the rise in eviction in the United States.  Good but soooo slow.  Grade: C

Turtles all the Way Down by John Green
A fictional story about a teenager with mental illness.  I enjoyed the other John Green books I read more, but this one probably made me think more.  Grade: B

Spring Book Reviews

Wow, it has been a long time since I updated my book list... Here it goes.

I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll
A murder mystery that is very popular with many readers, but that I found to be a little slow.  The ending surprised me, the characters were well developed and believable, but I wish the book had moved faster.  Grade: C

The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
The true story of a series of expeditions to Honduras to find a lost city.  The book was very interesting and very well researched.  My wife was in Nicaragua while I was reading the book so the chapters on mysterious rainforest diseases absolutely freaked me out.  An enjoyable book.  Grade: A-

Red Hope by John Dreese
Blue Hope by John Dreese
Two books that tell one science fiction story.  Do not attempt to read just one of the books.  The story concerns a manned mission to Mars after evidence of a lost alien race is discovered.  From there the story is mostly interesting and moves along well.  I think these may have been the first two books by Mr. Dreese, and it shows.  The story is entertaining -- like the author has wanted to write the books for a while, but the story also contains a few items that lack authenticity -- a common issues with first-time writers.  They are not bad books, and in fact they are very good, but they are not the best.  Grade: B

We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
For We are Many by Dennis E Taylor
All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor
Three books that tell one science fiction story, and they really need to be read together, in sequence.  I loved this story.  It is about an engineer that finds himself as the first **human** explorer of the the Milky Way.  The books and the overall story is complex with many interwoven, smaller sub-stories.  I usually do not enjoy big, complex, interwoven stories, but it worked here.  Just a fantastic story and highly recommend.  One final note, I listened to a lot of these books via audible.  The narrator for these 3 books is easily one of the very best narrators I've encountered after listening to parts of >100 books.  Consider the audible book here.  Grade: A-

December Book Reviews

Hyperion by Dan Simmons
This is really a collection of science fiction short stories that are tied together around a common event.  As short stories, they were really good.  As a stand alone book with a beginning and end, it missed the mark.  Grade: B-

Nudge by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
A very interesting book about human behavior and economics.  The authors argue that we should do more to help people make good decisions, i.e., we should nudge them.  I agreed with some of what they said, but not all.  Enjoyable and interesting book.  Grade: B+

Poisson Feather by Matthew Fitzsimmons
Cold Harbor by Matthew Fitzsimmons
These are books 2 and 3 of the current 3-book Gibson Vaughn series.  They are your basic murder, mystery, suspense-type books.  The first book in the series, The Short Drop, was pretty good, and, I assume, led to a big contract for books 2 and 3.  Book 2, Poisson Feather, was a complete train wreck.  The book didn't have an ending and was depressing throughout.  Grade: F
Book 3, Cold Harbor, was better but still didn't quite hit the the quality of The Short Drop.  Grade: B

Infinity Born by Douglas E. Richards
I've always enjoyed Richards' books, and this one was no exception.  It was a little long and some of the scenes felt like they lacked authenticity, but there are other dialogues in the book that I completely enjoyed and will think about for a long time.  This book tackled issues associate with AI and brain emulation -- lots of food for thought.  Grade: A-

Fall Book Reviews

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
A fascinating book about the creation and growth of Phil Knight's shoe companies -- Blue Ribbon Sports initially, later renamed Nike.  The stories of the original ideas, the first sales, the first store, etc. are fascinating.  Everyone that I've talked with about the book has a 'favorite part.'  For me, my favorite part was when Phil was running the startup company (mainly an import company with mail order sales) and he went back to work as a CPA.  It was an impressive display of humility and commitment, in my mind, that he worked a day job even though he was running a company with employees.  The book really only gives the story into the late 70's so we miss the Jordan years and other major milestones, but it is still a great book.  Highly recommended.  Grade: A-

The Neon Lawyer by Victor Methos
A book based on a true story and set in Salt Lake City.  It tells the story of a new lawyer battling to help a client against a ladder-climbing district attorney looking to move up.  The book is short and enjoyable.  Grade: B+

Breakthrough by Michael C. Grumley
A science fiction book set here on earth.  It includes everything from aliens that are here but hidden to AI for communicating with dolphins.  Pretty good, but the ending was a bit of a let down because the bad guys got away with too much bad stuff.  Grade: B-

Summer Book Reviews

Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked by Adam Alter
The title of this book say it all, this book talks about the different types of technology that some people become addicted to, it addresses the question of whether or not behavioral addiction is even possible, and it talks about the reasons why technology can be addictive.  I thought the book was interesting, especially the sections on video game addiction, but I wished it had talked more about solutions or strategies to overcoming/avoiding behavioral addictions.  Grade: B

The Black Widow by Daniel Silva
A best selling book with very, very high reviews on Amazon.  This fictional book is about a terrorist group within ISIS that is planning a major attack, and a women working for Israel that is trying to infiltrate the group and help to stop the attack.  The book felt pretty real -- it was not an unbelievable James Bond-esq book, but I think I like my fictional books to be a little more exciting and maybe less real.  Grade: B

A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang
Set in New York during the later part of World War I, this fictional book is about a group of mostly wealth and young New Yorkers that are in the middle of a series of murders.  The book has some interesting characters and some interesting chemistry, but the story is also slow and too character-driven for me.  Grade: B-

The Man of Legends by Kenneth Johnson
This book is interesting and very hard to describe.  It is a fictional story about a man with a very, very long and complex past and he is now facing a climactic good vs evil situation.  It felt a little like Forrest Gump crossed with Lord of the Rings -- I know that sounds crazy, but it had lots of history and lots of good vs. evil.  Entertaining.  Grade: A-

Ancillary Justice
A science fiction book that won the Hugo and Nebula awards; hence it was one of the most critically acclaimed science fiction books ever.  The concept behind the book is interesting, especially to me as I am interested in artificial intelligence and the limits/potential therein.  However, the story felt slow and choppy to me.  Grade: C-

June Book Reviews

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
A very interesting and funny memoir by Trevor Noah, current host of the Daily Show, about growing up in South Africa.  The title is a reference to the fact that his mom was black and his dad was white (a Swiss/German ex-pat) and for them to have sex was illegal under apartheid.  I loved the book and thought his mom sounded like an amazing person.  Highly recommended.  Grade: A

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
I might be biased because Mark Sullivan is a local author, living in Bozeman, Montana, but I thought this was a fascinating and interesting story of a young, Italian man, Pino Lella, during World War 2.  Pino survived an incredible number of harrowing experiences, and he faced some incredibly difficult decisions during the war.  We all need to know and understand history so we can learn from it.  Grade: A-

I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong
Microorganisms are all around us and inside of us.  They have more of an impact on our health and well-being than most of us realize.  This book is about the incredible interactions between microbes and other living things. Fascinating and highly recommended.  Grade: A

Book Reviews: The Red Rising Trilogy

The Red Rising Trilogy, much like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, is really one long story spread across three books.  You can read none of them or all of them, but you cannot read one or two of them.  I thought the trilogy was exceptional, second only to the Lord of the Rings Trilogy from those I've read.  The books are emotionally moving -- at times I was exhilarated, angry, crushed, elated, moved, appalled, etc. Pick an emotion, and I probably felt it, strongly, at some point while reading these books.  They are part social commentary, and they are part inspirational.  One way to describe them is to take one part "The Hunger Games", one part "Game of Thrones", and one part "Star Wars (episode IV - VI)" and mix.  The overall trilogy gets a grade of A, but a few notes before closing:

1. The first book was very good.  It felt overly violent, but maybe that was necessary (I'm skeptical).  Grade: B+
2. The second book had the single worst ending of any book I've ever read.  Whoever made the tragic mistake of not moving the last 2 or 3 chapters to the start of book 3 should never be allowed to make such a decision again.  Grade: F-----
3. The third book saved the trilogy. Grade: A+
4. Obviously, the third book's grade counts more than the others.
5. The books are written first person, from the point of the protagonist, Darrow of Lycos.  However, it is a limited first person view because the reader does not always know what Darrow is thinking/doing.  This writing style is very effective for raising the emotional level of the books.  In retrospect, I found it both frustrating and interesting.

March Book Reviews

Brain Web by Douglas E. Richards
The second book in the Nick Hall Series follows the ongoing story of a character (Nick Hall) that can read minds and has an internet implant in his head.  Another enjoyable story from Douglas Richards.  Grade: B-

The Frackers by Gregory Zuckerman
A fascinating book about the rise in hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling and the people and technologies that led to a resurgence in U.S. oil and natural gas production from dense rock (shale).  Very well written and extremely interesting.  The book does not directly address the environmental questions, but it does focus on some interesting and real people. A near must read.  Grade: A-

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
A story setting in Italy during World War 2.  The main characters are a Jewish woman and a priest, and they are in love.  Very moving and you are going to learn some (more) history.  Highly recommended.  Grade: A-

Brilliance by Marcus Sakey
This is a fictional story about what happens when some people are born with incredible abilities or 'brilliance'.  The story is enjoyable, but the book also raises some fascinating questions that I cannot get out of my head.  Grade: B+

Written in Fire by Marcus Sakey
The third book in the Brilliance Trilogy.  Probably the best book in the trilogy, but otherwise forgettable.  Grade: B+

February Book Reviews

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
An interesting memoir from someone that grew up in a hillbilly family from Kentucky and Ohio. He talks about the challenges that he and his family faced and then he expands to discuss the wider challenges faced by individuals in those communities. It was an interesting book that I would recommend, and, based on its best seller status, everyone else is recommending it also. Grade: B+

An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff
A fascinating story of a women that becomes friends with a homeless black child in New York City. The book cover's both Laura's story and the challenges faced by homeless children. Extraordinarily moving and inspiring. Grade: A-

Thank You for Being Late by Thomas L. Friedman
Friedman is a great author that has previously written seminal books on globalization (The World is Flat) and the middle East (The Lexus and the Olive Branch). This book looks at the impact of 40 years of accelerating change in technology, global warming, and markets, and then looks at how that accelerating change is impacting people. It is a phenomenal book. It felt, at times, like Friedman was trying to capture all that he had learned over his career in a single book. Personally, I wish he had left the last two chapters out because they felt off-topic and disconnected from the rest of the book, but it was otherwise nearly perfect. Grade: A-

January Book Reviews

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
An extremely enjoyable story.  The story builds upon an idea from quantum mechanics research that the probabilistic behavior predicted by the equations of quantum mechanics can be explained by a multiverse -- or multiple universes that are generated for all possible outcomes of a probabilistic event.  Well, in Dark Matter, some characters are able to move from one universe (say our universe) to another, nearly identical parallel universe that branched off sometime in the past so it is somewhat different.  Doesn't seem plausible, but it makes for an entertaining and interesting story.  Grade: A-

Quantum Lens by Douglas E. Richards
I don't know what it is with me and quantum mechanics-based fiction this month, but this story is also extremely enjoyable and is based on the quantum mechanics idea of a zero-point field.  The zero-point field is related to the spontaneous appearance and rapid disappearance of a particle and an anti-particle and the energy related to this event.  In this story, a few select individuals are able to exploit energy from the zero-point field to gain 'super-hero'-like powers.  There are some great twists and turns in this interesting and pretty well researched book. Grade: A-

The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukerjee
This book looks at the history of human's search for the mechanism for heredity, the discovery of genes, the development of recombinant DNA technology, the human genome project, and many other related  developments.  The author is a master at weaving anecdotes, personal stories, and other historical events to help the reader stay interested and engaged.  Very interesting and highly recommended. Grade: A

December Book Reviews

Earth Alone by Daniel Arenson
Most science fiction books that have aliens attacking the earth are set it space and involve lots of ships (think Star Wars).  This book focuses on a few young people that are drafted into an all-earth defense military, and it describes how they are impacted by basic training in a post-apocalyptic earth.  The book is pretty well written and the characters have some depth, but it isn't my favorite style -- I like stories about a hero driving a shiny ship, not kids struggle to survive each other in basic training.  Grade: B-

On Tennis by David Foster Wallace
(Note: I'm working through Bill Gates' recommended books that he read in 2016 and this book is from that list.)  A collection of 5 essays (I think most were written for Tennis Magazine) by one of the best writers ever.  Some essays were more personal, some were more historical (mostly Connors to Federer), and some were more focused on APT Tour players that were really good but relatively unknown.  All the essays were fantastic.  I enjoyed the book and it increased my appreciation of tennis.  Grade: B+

The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and our Energy Future by Gretchen Bakke
(Note: I'm working through Bill Gates' recommended books that he read in 2016 and this book is from that list.)  This comprehensive book examines the past, present, and future issues associated with the US electrical grid.  The book is extremely well researched and written.  It's interesting... at times the book paints a concerning and almost depressing picture of the future of the US electrical grid, but at other times is is somewhat optimistic.  I'm glad I read the book because most depressing thing would be to go into the future with zero knowledge.  Grade: B+

One Second After by William R. Forstchen
A book about a family living in a small town in North Carolina, and their experiences during a year following an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) pulse (resulting from an upper atmospheric nuclear explosion) that knocks out the power grid and every electric device in the US.  Basically, all transportation and communication is destroyed and almost everyone dies.  The book is incredibly depressing and sad.  My guess is that the authors goal was to scare people into being more prepared for an EMP pulse.  Personally, I resent the fear-mongering and authors trying to manipulate my emotions in a depressing way.  Grade: F

November Book Reviews

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Probably the longest book I've ever read.  It is a story of a women that travels back in time 200 years in Scotland.  The characters have depth and are very interesting, but the story is too slow with too much violence.  Grade: C-

Departure by A.G. Riddle
I don't know what it is with me and time travel books, but this story has a group of plane passengers going 200 years into the future.  The book seeks to explore issues of technology and the impact of technological developments on people.  Good but not great.  Grade: B

The Hike by Drew Magary
Probably the strangest book I've read.  It is about a man that goes for a hike and enters a surreal world.  It is a more modern and more twisted Odyssey-type story. Read if you like strange stories, but skip it if they are not your thing.  Grade: B-

October Book Reviews

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
I would describe this book as "The Hunger Games" meets "Game of Thrones."  Good but not great story, but the hero is fun to cheer for throughout.  Grade: C+

Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben
Mr. Coben is a great story teller and writer, and this book was full of twists and turns that I loved.  Unfortunately, I hated the ending. Grade: B-

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
A MUST READ.  Top 5 of all time.  I don't think anyone reads this blog, so I'll be direct here:  Bridger, reading this book will help you to better understand your father, grandfathers, and great grandfathers.  You come from a long line of Oves.  Grade: A++

More September Book Reviews

King of Thieves: Star Rogue Series by Evan Currie
This book and series represent a spin-off of the Odyssey One series by Evan Currie.  The book was entertaining but I found it relatively predictable -- maybe because I've read too many books by Evan Currie in the last 6 months.  The book also lacked a hero that you could really cheer for like the Odyssey One books.  If you love Mr. Currie's other books, you'll enjoy this one.  Otherwise, skip it. Grade: B-

Constitution: Book One of the Legacy Fleet Trilogy by Nice Webb
This book is very stereotypical Sci-Fi.  There is, of course, a space ship with a captain that we can love.  There is also an impossibly huge threat to Earth.  The only problem with this book, I hate cheering for really old space ships.  Grade: C

Tier One by Andrews and Wilson
An entertaining book that falls between a spy novel and a special forces novel.  The hero is a likable character and the story is reasonably entertaining.  It was a little to graphic for me, however.  Grade: C-

Teaching and Learning STEP: A Practical Guide by Felder and Brent
A book that discusses every issue associated with teaching science and engineering courses at the college level, and its written by a chemical engineer and his wife.  It contains so many suggestions and guidance that it can help everyone to teach better and improve student learning.  If you teach science or engineering at a college or university, I think this book is a must read.  Grade: A

September Book Reviews

Odyssey One: Homeworld (book 3/5) by Evan Currie
This book is really half of a story.  Basically, as the title implies, this is the book where the bad guys find and attack the earth.  I hated the ending to this book.  It really wasn't an ending.  It felt like I was 6 years old and watching the Empire Strikes Back again.  I hated that ending too.  This book really should have been combined with the next book in the series to make a single book.  Grade: F--

Odyssey One: Out of the Black (book 4/5) by Evan Currie
Mr. Currie has a real knack for writing inspiring speeches and uplifting paragraphs.  This is the book where the people of Earth rise 'out of the black' against the bad guys. The best book in the series.  Grade: A+

Odyssey One: Warrior King (book 5/5) by Evan Currie
This is a good but not great book relative to the rest of this series.  It didn't feel like the final book of the series, but the story line might be shifting to the Star Rogue series.  Grade: B-

Seinfeldia:How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything by Jennifer Armstrong
An interesting look into the 1990's TV show Seinfeld and its impact on society. A well written and well researched book.  I always enjoyed Seinfeld even though it wasn't my favorite show in the 1990's (I somehow enjoyed Friends more), but this book will help me to appreciate the re-runs more.  Grade: B+

Summer Book Reviews

As Good As Gone by Larry Watson
A critically acclaimed book that is set in Montana is pretty much a must read for me.  The book is set in Eastern Montana in middle of the previous century.  The characters are interesting and, in my mind, a shockingly good portrayal of people that I knew from the region and time period.  The book is well written, but also slow and uneventful.  If you like character driven novels and you like Eastern Montana, this is a must read, but for everyone else, meh.  Grade: C+

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
I put off reading this book because I didn't think I would enjoy it.  It was so successful and so well reviewed, however, that I eventually had to read it, and I'm glad I did.  It is exceptionally well written, exciting, and interesting.  I learned a lot about France in World War 2.  Definitely read this if you have the time, but it is pretty long.  Grade: B+

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Extraordinarily interesting book about the history of humans over the past 100,000 years or so.  The book focuses on the 3 major revolutions that impacted humans over that time: the cognitive revolution, the agricultural revolution, and the industrial revolution.  I learned so much reading this book and I love it.  My only warning is that the author really does not like religion.  I read this book on Bill Gate's recommendation.  Thanks, Bill!  Grade: A-

The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
I read this book after watching Erin speak at the Global Leadership Summit.  I thought her presentation was the highlight of the Summit, and this book did not disappoint.  If you work or interact with people from different countries/cultures, this book is a must read.  Incredibly interesting.  Grade: A

Into the Black: Book 1 in The Odyssey One Series by Evan Currie
Probably my all-time favorite science fiction book.  This book was incredibly exciting, interesting, and well written.  My guess is that it was inspired somewhat by Star Trek, and later books have elements of Star Wars, but it is still fantastic.  An absolute must read if you like science fiction.  Grade A

The Heart of Matter: Book 2 in The Odyssey One Series by Evan Currie
Not as good as the first book in the series, but still well written.  My guess, after reading this second book in the series, is that the series is going to address many major questions faced by humans, including when to fight and when to walk away, honor, pacifism, and racism, etc.  Grade: B+

June Book Reviews

Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times by Donald T. Phillips

I have probably read 10 books on leadership and management, and the lessons in this book may be the most memorable out of all the books.  One quality that makes the lessons in this book easy to understand and easy to remember is that they are connected to a person and events that we have all learned about. Lincoln's honesty, his willingness to listen to people that didn't agree with him, and his commitment to always "do the right thing" are lessons for all of us.  Great book if you want to be reminded about what it means to be a leader.  Grade: B+

Darknet by Matthew Mather
My second book by Matthew Mather in the last month, and this is the one of the two that I would recommend.  The story is extremely timely and raises relevant concerns about technology in the world of finance.  I really enjoyed this book.  Grade: A-

Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach
I'm pretty sure I've read every book Mary Roach has ever written.  They have all been interesting, quirky, and unlike anything else out there.  This book was no exception.  The chapters on the military battle against pathogens was excellent, and I will forever be thankful for a relatively clean home.  The chapter on clothing was probably the weakest, and, of course, there is a chapter on penis reconstruction. Overall, the book is definitely worth reading.  Grade: B+

This is Your Brain on Parasites: How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior and Shape Society by Kathleen McAuliffe
Fantastically interesting, extremely scary!  How did I know so little about the impact of parasites on living things, including humans.  I would call this a must read if you are a living thing.  Grade: A

Spring Book Reviews

Original: How non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant
The world had pretty high expectations for this book after Grant's incredible first book: Give and Take.  This book was good, but I suppose that it did not live up to my impossible expectations.  It had lots of interesting 'nuggets' but the basic message was something that felt pretty widely known.  We need to encourage people to be creative and think outside the box because they have a huge impact.  Grade: C+

Six Years by Harlan Coben
I've been reading lots of fiction lately (as you'll see in this list), and this was one of the better stories.  It is a story that starts with a nice hook -- a guy has seen from or hear from a lost love for six years, but then the story grows into something bigger.  Grade: B+

The Phoenix Descent by Chuck Grossart
Another good fiction book that includes everything from a fungus that wipes out 99.999% of the people on earth plus a general relativity phenomena that moves blasts some space travels forward in time.  Not the very best of the science fiction genre, but really good.  Grade: B+

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
This book is basically a collection of newspaper columns that Dr. Rovelli wrote to help the general public better understand the most important developments in Physics, mostly post-Newton.  Dr. Rovelli's a great writer, but I was hoping for more depth. Grade: C

The Kasari Nexas by Richard Phillips
Classic science-fiction book that includes good and bad aliens as well as super-hero-esque humans that interact with them.  The book is part of a much larger series that I have not read.  If you like science fiction series -- pick this book up.  If you like stand-alone books -- skip it.  Grade: B

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
I think this is Stedman's first book, and she's a greater writer.  Unfortunately, I had emotional, character driven books that have way too much incredible sadness and emotion.  Yuck.  Grade: C-

Cyber Storm by Matthew Mather
Imagine a world in which the U.S. is hit by a debilitating cyber attack that takes out the power grid, communication, and some basic infrastructure (e.g., water, natural gas) for a few weeks.  Then combine that with two massive blizzards hitting New York.  The result is bad, really bad.  I don't enjoy reading about so much pain, suffering, and death, but the book is well written and made me think.  Grade: B

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Incredible long and detailed story about fight by the human race to survive after the moon is broken apart and moon rocks make it impossible to live on earth.  A very good, very well researched story, but I wish the book had 75% less detail and 75% fewer words. Grade: B+

March Book Reviews

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
I read this book on a trip to Washington DC.  It is about the work of Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer who represents African-American individuals in jail (mostly death row) in Southern States.  The stories are extraordinarily moving and heart breaking.  The pain and damage caused by racism is immeasurable.  Grade: A

Way Station by Clifford D. Simak
A fictional story about an person that fought in the Civil War and then went on to run a 'way station' used by aliens traveling across the Milky Way galaxy.  A little slow but okay.  Grade: C+

Tom's River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin
A very lengthy and comprehensive account of the impact of both a Ciba-Giegy dye factory and an unconnected, illegal hazardous waste dump on the people of Tom's River, New Jersey.  As a chemical engineer, I think this book is a 'must read' for other chemical engineers.  I learned so much about the abuses of a dye plant and illegal hazardous waste disposal on people.  There is much in this book that I plan to discuss with my students.  Grade: A-

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Dr. Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon that developed and died from cancer at a young age (less than 40 years old).  He was a fantastic writer and this book is about his life before and after developing cancer.  He talks about life and death in a powerful and insightful way.  Grade: A-

February Fiction Reviews

The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle
This book started off as a James Bond-esq spy novel that somehow transitioned to scify for the final 15%.  I like consistency in my literary genres so I wasn't a huge fan of this book.  Grade: B-

Terms of Use by Scott Allan Morrison
A murder-mystery set in silicon valley/facebook.  I enjoyed this one.  Grade: A-