I'm currently (by which I mean when I'm in the tub or before going to bed) reading "A Short History of Nearly Everything."
It started out a bit slow, but I'm starting to get into some more interesting stuff. It's basically the science textbook I wish I would have had in school. It's far more informative and entertaining than pretty much every science class I ever sat in. Plus, the book doesn't drown you with math, an area where I'm, well, let's just say math is a weak point for me.
Posted by Ryan at August 4, 2005 03:15 PM | TrackBackI actually found the book pretty damn boring. It might be because I always enjoyed science and had previously gone out of my way to at least get a general overview of many of the varied topics in the book, but I found most of the content to be stuff I'd already known. It's great for people who aren't huge science geeks, but if you are I'd stray away and go for something slightly deeper.
Posted by: Rick at August 4, 2005 03:25 PMRick, that's basically why the beginning struck me as being so slow. I was sitting there thinking, yeah, yeah, I know this already. I do like the author's occasional humor, and the interesting tidbits of personal life of some of science's luminaries are great. But, yeah, it's not deep scientific exploration, which is what I'm liking about it right now.
After I read "Einstein, The Life and Times" a few years back, I felt as if my brain was filled to capacity.
This book is a nice departure from that.
Posted by: Ryan at August 4, 2005 03:38 PMI listend to that one on tape on some long drives - I loved it. I'm not a huge science geek at all, but Bill Bryson may have turned me into one...
Posted by: klo at August 12, 2005 10:21 PM
Stumble It!
