MobileRead June 2016 Book Club Vote

[WT Sharpe]

June 2016 MobileRead Book Club Vote

Help us choose a book as the June 2016 eBook for the MobileRead Book Club. The poll will be open for 5 days. There will be no runoff vote unless the voting results a tie, in which case there will be a 3 day run-off poll. This is a visible poll: others can see how you voted. It is You may cast a vote for each book that appeals to you.

We will start the discussion thread for this book on June 20th. Select from the following Official Choices with three nominations each:

• Longitude by Dava Sobel
Goodreads | Amazon US / Audible / Kobo Ca / Overdrive Audiobook / Overdrive eBook
Print Length: 192 pages

Spoiler:

From Amazon:

Anyone alive in the eighteenth century would have known that "the longitude problem" was the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day-and had been for centuries. Lacking the ability to measure their longitude, sailors throughout the great ages of exploration had been literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Thousands of lives, and the increasing fortunes of nations, hung on a resolution. The scientific establishment of Europe-from Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton-had mapped the heavens in both hemispheres in its certain pursuit of a celestial answer. In stark contrast, one man, John Harrison, dared to imagine a mechanical solution-a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had ever been able to do on land. Longitude is the dramatic human story of an epic scientific quest, and of Harrison's forty-year obsession with building his perfect timekeeper, known today as the chronometer. Full of heroism and chicanery, it is also a fascinating brief history of astronomy, navigation, and clockmaking, and opens a new window on our world.

• The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World by Edward Dolnick
Goodreads | Amazon US / Kobo US
Print Length: 416 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

At the end of the seventeenth century—an age of religious wars, plague, and the Great Fire of London—when most people saw the world as falling apart, these earliest scientists saw a world of perfect order. They declared that, chaotic as it looked, the universe was in fact as intricate and perfectly regulated as a clock. This was the tail end of Shakespeare’s century, when the natural land the supernatural still twined around each other. Disease was a punishment ordained by God, astronomy had not yet broken free from astrology, and the sky was filled with omens. It was a time when little was known and everything was new. These brilliant, ambitious, curious men believed in angels, alchemy, and the devil, and they also believed that the universe followed precise, mathematical laws—-a contradiction that tormented them and changed the course of history.

The Clockwork Universe is the fascinating and compelling story of the bewildered geniuses of the Royal Society, the men who made the modern world.

• Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Goodreads | Amazon US / Kobo US
Print Length: 499 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

In the highly anticipated Thinking, Fast and Slow, Kahneman takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. Kahneman exposes the extraordinary capabilities—and also the faults and biases—of fast thinking, and reveals the pervasive influence of intuitive impressions on our thoughts and behavior. The impact of loss aversion and overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the challenges of properly framing risks at work and at home, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning the next vacation—each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems work together to shape our judgments and decisions.

• Philosophy of Physics: Space and Time by Tim Maudlin
Goodreads | Amazon US / Kobo US
Print Length: 183 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

This concise book introduces nonphysicists to the core philosophical issues surrounding the nature and structure of space and time, and is also an ideal resource for physicists interested in the conceptual foundations of space-time theory.

Tim Maudlin's broad historical overview examines Aristotelian and Newtonian accounts of space and time, and traces how Galileo's conceptions of relativity and space-time led to Einstein's special and general theories of relativity. Maudlin explains special relativity using a geometrical approach, emphasizing intrinsic space-time structure rather than coordinate systems or reference frames. He gives readers enough detail about special relativity to solve concrete physical problems while presenting general relativity in a more qualitative way, with an informative discussion of the geometrization of gravity, the bending of light, and black holes. Additional topics include the Twins Paradox, the physical aspects of the Lorentz-FitzGerald contraction, the constancy of the speed of light, time travel, the direction of time, and more....

• The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind by Michio Kaku
Goodreads | Amazon Ca / Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / iTunes / Kobo US / Overdrive / Overdrive Audiobook
Print Length: 377 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

The New York Times best-selling author of Physics of the Impossible, Physics of the Future and Hyperspace tackles the most fascinating and complex object in the known universe: the human brain.

For the first time in history, the secrets of the living brain are being revealed by a battery of high tech brain scans devised by physicists. Now what was once solely the province of science fiction has become a startling reality. Recording memories, telepathy, videotaping our dreams, mind control, avatars, and telekinesis are not only possible; they already exist.

The Future of the Mind gives us an authoritative and compelling look at the astonishing research being done in top laboratories around the world—all based on the latest advancements in neuroscience and physics. One day we might have a "smart pill" that can enhance our cognition; be able to upload our brain to a computer, neuron for neuron; send thoughts and emotions around the world on a "brain-net"; control computers and robots with our mind; push the very limits of immortality; and perhaps even send our consciousness across the universe.

Dr. Kaku takes us on a grand tour of what the future might hold, giving us not only a solid sense of how the brain functions but also how these technologies will change our daily lives. He even presents a radically new way to think about "consciousness" and applies it to provide fresh insight into mental illness, artificial intelligence and alien consciousness.

With Dr. Kaku's deep understanding of modern science and keen eye for future developments, The Future of the Mind is a scientific tour de force--an extraordinary, mind-boggling exploration of the frontiers of neuroscience.

• A Crack in the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester
Goodreads
Print length: 512 pages

Spoiler:

Unleashed by ancient geologic forces, a magnitude 8.25 earthquake rocked San Francisco in the early hours of April 18, 1906. Less than a minute later, the city lay in ruins. Bestselling author Simon Winchester brings his inimitable storytelling abilities to this extraordinary event, exploring the legendary earthquake and fires that spread horror across San Francisco and northern California in 1906 as well as its startling impact on American history and, just as important, what science has recently revealed about the fascinating subterranean processes that produced it—and almost certainly will cause it to strike again.

• The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
Goodreads | Amazon US
Print Length: 400 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

Every great drink starts with a plant. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley. Gin was born from a conifer shrub when a Dutch physician added oil of juniper to a clear spirit, believing that juniper berries would cure kidney disorders. "The Drunken Botanist" uncovers the enlightening botanical history and the fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, and fruits (and even one fungus).

Some of the most extraordinary and obscure plants have been fermented and distilled, and they each represent a unique cultural contribution to our global drinking traditions and our history. Molasses was an essential ingredient in American independence: when the British forced the colonies to buy British (not French) molasses for their New World rum-making, the settlers outrage kindled the American Revolution. Rye, which turns up in countless spirits, is vulnerable to ergot, which contains a precursor to LSD, and some historians have speculated that the Salem witch trials occurred because girls poisoned by ergot had seizures that made townspeople think they d been bewitched. Then there's the tale of the thirty-year court battle that took place over the trademarking of Angostura bitters, which may or may not actually contain bark from the Angostura tree.

With a delightful two-color vintage-style interior, over fifty drink recipes, growing tips for gardeners, and advice that carries Stewart's trademark wit, this is the perfect gift for gardeners and cocktail aficionados alike.

• Death from the Skies: The Science behind the End of the World by Phil Plait
Goodreads | Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Kobo US / Overdrive (1) / Overdrive (2)
Print Length: 336 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

A lively astronomy primer that uses cataclysmic scenarios to explain the universe?s most fascinating events.

According to astronomer Philip Plait, the universe is an apocalypse waiting to happen But how much do we really need to fear from things like black holes, gamma-ray bursts, and supernovae? And if we should be scared, is there anything we can do to save ourselves? With humor and wit, Plait details the myriad doomsday events that the cosmos could send our way to destroy our planet and life as we know it. This authoritative yet accessible study is the ultimate astronomy lesson.

Combining fascinating—and often alarming—scenarios that seem plucked from science fiction with the latest research and opinions, Plait illustrates why outer space is not as remote as most people think. Each chapter explores a different phenomenon, explaining it in easy-to-understand terms, and considering how life on earth and the planet itself would be affected should the event come to pass. Rather than sensationalizing the information, Plait analyzes the probability of these catastrophes occurring in our lifetimes and what we can do to stop them. With its entertaining tone and enlightening explanation of unfathomable concepts, Death from the Skies! will appeal to science buffs and beginners alike.

• Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal
Goodreads | Amazon Ca / Amazon UK / Amazon US / B&N / Kobo US
Print Length: 352 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

What separates your mind from an animal’s? Maybe you think it’s your ability to design tools, your sense of self, or your grasp of past and future—all traits that have helped us define ourselves as the planet’s preeminent species. But in recent decades, these claims have eroded, or even been disproven outright, by a revolution in the study of animal cognition. Take the way octopuses use coconut shells as tools; elephants that classify humans by age, gender, and language; or Ayumu, the young male chimpanzee at Kyoto University whose flash memory puts that of humans to shame. Based on research involving crows, dolphins, parrots, sheep, wasps, bats, whales, and of course chimpanzees and bonobos, Frans de Waal explores both the scope and the depth of animal intelligence. He offers a firsthand account of how science has stood traditional behaviorism on its head by revealing how smart animals really are, and how we’ve underestimated their abilities for too long.

People often assume a cognitive ladder, from lower to higher forms, with our own intelligence at the top. But what if it is more like a bush, with cognition taking different forms that are often incomparable to ours? Would you presume yourself dumber than a squirrel because you’re less adept at recalling the locations of hundreds of buried acorns? Or would you judge your perception of your surroundings as more sophisticated than that of a echolocating bat? De Waal reviews the rise and fall of the mechanistic view of animals and opens our minds to the idea that animal minds are far more intricate and complex than we have assumed. De Waal’s landmark work will convince you to rethink everything you thought you knew about animal—and human—intelligence.

[din155]

Not a single comment so far? I want to read The Future of Mind but happy to go with any choice. To be honest this was the category I was looking forward to the most since we voted for the new categories for 2016. I have a feeling that any of these books would inspire a great discussion.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by din155

Not a single comment so far? I want to read The Future of Mind but happy to go with any choice. To be honest this was the category I was looking forward to the most since we voted for the new categories for 2016. I have a feeling that any of these books would inspire a great discussion.

The Future of the Mind is my first choice also, but Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? would be another great one. If there's one aspect of life in which I feel scientists and philosophers have let us down, it's in the understanding of animal intelligence and emotions. In the past, so many of them have been so fearful of "anthropomorphizing" animal behavior that they refused to admit the possibility of animal's sense of self altogether. As de Waal has pointed out elsewhere, that view is slowly changing. And then there's Death from the Skies. You can hardly go wrong reading a book by the Bad Astronomer himself, Phil Plait.

[din155]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

The Future of the Mind is my first choice also, but Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? would be another great one. If there's one aspect of life in which I feel scientists and philosophers have let us down, it's in the understanding of animal intelligence and emotions. In the past, so many of them have been so fearful of "anthropomorphizing" animal behavior that they refused to admit the possibility of animal's sense of self altogether. As de Waal has pointed out elsewhere, that view is slowly changing. And then there's Death from the Skies. You can hardly go wrong reading a book by the Bad Astronomer himself, Phil Plait.

No doubt about the selection this month. I have not had much opportunity to read about animal behaviour and sense. Off course the nature or wildlife documentaries try a lot but always but I always thought they were more for entertainment value than real understanding.

[CRussel]

I'm really sorry to see that Longitude is not getting any love here. It's a superb book, and unlike the two leaders, is both of a reasonable length and a price I'm willing to pay. Both the leaders are $12, which is a bit rich for a book I'm not really excited about. Longitude, OTOH, is inexpensive (or free with KU), short, and most importantly, is a really well written book about of the most important scientific challenge of the 18th century, and one of the most difficult -- how to know how far east or west one had traveled, and exactly where you were. We have GPS, but they didn't even have an accurate clock, and thousands of sailors lost their lives because they weren't where they thought they were. To say nothing of the mercantile cost.

Longitude tells the story of how one man solved this problem, and changed the face of navigation forever. It's a well written and compelling story, and well worth the read. (Plus, if you're ever in London, take a day trip to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and see one of the magnificent clocks he built!)

[Hampshire Nanny]

Originally Posted by CRussel

Longitude tells the story of how one man solved this problem, and changed the face of navigation forever. It's a well written and compelling story, and well worth the read. (Plus, if you're ever in London, take a day trip to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich and see one of the magnificent clocks he built!)

Not only solved it -- but had to spend YEARS trying to claim the prize for solving it since he wasn't a "scientist". The whole discussion on how the scientific community shut him out is as interesting as the problem that he set out to solve.

I didn't notice that Longitude is a KU book. However, I did check to see which of the nominees are available as audiobooks. I read very little non-fiction and I prefer to listen rather than read the text. (Must remind me of being in lecture halls ...) My votes were cast with that in mind.

[WT Sharpe]

I'm amazed that three of the selections would fit if the category was history. I'm more interested in today's cutting edge science.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I'm amazed that three of the selections would fit if the category was history. I'm more interested in today's cutting edge science.

Heh. I'm more interested in history. Much more.

[CRussel]

I'm most interested in a good book I can enjoy. And frankly, I get most of my science from more primary sources than consumerized books. But I find the history of science fascinating and highly informative. But apparently others want to spend more than I'm willing to spend right now.

[Hampshire Nanny]

Well ... I'm not a fan of history itself, but I have enjoyed a couple of books on the history of science. Reminds me of a university experiment which in the Freshman year took all the subjects and taught an integrated curriculum based around history. So you got the politics (wars and governments), science, math, arts, music, daily life, exploration, and so forth. I think that's a fantastic way to tie things all together. Probably a good reason why reading some of the books covering history and science (or history of science) has been such a pleasure for me who normally avoids non-fiction.

I'll go with whichever book is selected. (Of course, I'm also going to be acquiring and reading the rest of the Steerswoman series during June!)

[BenG]

I remember it seemed like everyone was talking about Longitude when it first came out but I never got around to reading it. Maybe now is the time. I find science books about that time period really interesting. Also Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle about the doings and machinations around the Royal Society in the 18th century.

[BenG]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I'm amazed that three of the selections would fit if the category was history. I'm more interested in today's cutting edge science.

The thing about physics is that it seems to be all mathematics nowadays. The analogies they use to explain it in popular science books are only approximations of the real science which you can't really understand unless you can do the math.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by BenG

I remember it seemed like everyone was talking about Longitude when it first came out but I never got around to reading it. Maybe now is the time. I find science books about that time period really interesting. Also Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle about the doings and machinations around the Royal Society in the 18th century.

I read Longitude when it first came out, and I was really impressed. I devoured it! And then just after that, we had a chance to be in the UK, so I took a trip to Greenwich. Perfect.

I had hoped that Longitude would get more consideration. It's an excellent book, and lends itself to quick reading, without being superficial.

[JSWolf]

I don't recall when it was, but for the book club, we did read a book by Simon Winchester. The description didn't make the book sound all that interesting. It was about the making of the Oxford Dictionary and it did turn out to be very well written and very interesting.

I voted for A Crack in the Edge of the World because of Simon Winchester.

[BenG]

I haven't read this one but Winchester is usually a reliable choice.