I am a slow reader and usually don’t get through a whole book before I forget what’s what going on and give up. This year I set a goal to read a book for 5+ minutes each day. Some days I missed, but most days I read beyond my goal. Here are my thoughts on a few of the books I read this year. (May include spoilers.)
Stuff Matters
Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World
By Mark Miodownik
This book dives into the history and science behind some of the most common man-made materials. It gave me a better appreciation for ubiquitous materials such as concrete, paper, stainless steel, and chocolate. It is full of interesting information presented in an approachable way. Some tidbits stuck with me, like how plastic was invented to replace ivory as a material for pool balls. There were a lot of other interesting details that I can’t recall anymore but what I really appreciate is that this book gave me a better awareness of what makes up the world around me.
Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension
A Mathematician’s Journey Through Narcissistic Numbers, Optimal Dating Algorithms, at Least Two Kinds of Infinity, and More
By Matt Parker
Matt Parker has a great sense of humor and puts it to good use in making complex math concepts more fun to read about. It goes deep into some familiar math concepts and also introduces more complex topics like higher dimensional geometry and classifying knots. Who knew that knots only exist in 3-dimensional space? I didn’t. Unlike a typical, dry math book this book shows the reader how math can be interesting and fun.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a suspenseful Sherlock Holmes story. It mainly follows Dr. Watson who corresponds with Sherlock by letters to report his findings. When Holmes does appear in the story, he is portrayed a bit differently than before. He is still an astute detective but he also makes more mistakes than he did before. I like this change to Holmes since it makes the him more relatable and believable.
The Wright Brothers
By David McCullough
Orville and Wilber went through quite a lot of difficultly to discover the secrets of flight. This book shares details of their personalities, home life, work life, and their journey to flying. It makes it clear that the Wright brothers were leaps and bounds ahead of others who were attempting to fly at that time. The brothers were both very bright, but their success is probably best attributed to their rigorous work ethic and pure grit.
The Mutt
How to Skateboard and not kill yourself
By Rodney Mullen with Sean Mortimer
I already knew that Rodney Mullen could do amazing things with a skateboard but now I also know that he invented a great deal of skate tricks ranging from the basic flat ground ollie to a casper 360 flip. He also trail-blazed new designs for skateboards that are commonly used today. Skateboarding was both a career and a creative outlet for Rodney. His love of skateboarding helped him through his fair share of personal and family issues.
