Milestones of Science and Technology:
Making the Modern World
Edited by: Peter Morris, James C Hart, Lesley Henderson
Genre: Non-Fiction, Science
Publisher: KWS Publisher
Publish Date: January 15, 2013
Format: 10 x 10 Hardcover and e-Book | 270 pages
Rating: 5 of 5
Publisher’s Summary:
Organized chronologically, the book begins with a look at scientific achievement in the early Middle Ages and the navigational tools that mapped the New World before moving on to the steam-powered machines of the Industrial Revolution, the lifesaving medicines of World Wars I and II, and the dynamically designed consumer goods of the 1950s and 1960s. An essay about each invention, written by an expert from London’s Science Museum, includes a short history of the invention’s creation, use, and significance.
My Thoughts:
Beginning with the Byzantine Sundial-Calendar (c520) and making our way to the present day, we journey through a fantastic presentation of important scientific achievements, discoveries and inventions. Each essay is accompanied by a photo or illustration on the following page and over 100 of the photos are in color.
Each article provides a detailed overview filled with interesting facts and figures, while at the same time not overwhelming the non-scientist or mathematician. The beautiful photos give the feeling of wandering through a museum as we flip the pages. Pick and choose which essays to read; each is a self-contained article that can be read in any order. The Table of Contents contains a list of each milestone and the corresponding year.
Many of the essays are familiar discoveries such as Henry Ford using an assembly line to bring down the price of the Model T Ford, airplane engines, the Apollo space capsule, medical discoveries, the X-Ray machine and CT Scanner, Penicillin, Crick and Watson’s DNA Model and even genetically engineered mice. The accompanying photos are of the original discovery and in some cases bear little resemblance to the invention today creating a sense of history.
I previewed an e-galley which looked fantastic on my large monitor. However, I wasn’t as excited with how it looked on my small e-book app in my 7″ tablet. If you are only reading for the text, then small would be fine; visual readers will appreciate the larger images. The hardcover book is printed in 10 x 10 format which would make it the perfect size for a coffee table book.
Highly recommended for those who enjoy both science and history.
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Source: Review copy provided by JKS Communications
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.
Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. The February host is Audra @ Unabridged Chick.
I received a couple of print books last week, one for review and one win.
For review from Farrar Straus & Giroux:
Unremembered
by Jessica Brody
When Freedom Airlines flight 121 went down over the Pacific Ocean, no one ever expected to find survivors. Which is why the sixteen-year-old girl discovered floating among the wreckage—alive—is making headlines across the globe.
Even more strange is that her body is miraculously unharmed and she has no memories of boarding the plane. She has no memories of her life before the crash. She has no memories period. No one knows how she survived. No one knows why she wasn’t on the passenger manifest. And no one can explain why her DNA and fingerprints can’t be found in a single database in the world.
A win from Free Book Friday:
Junior
by Ray Donley
Thirty-year-old Joshua Jennings Jr. is the last living member of his family and the primary suspect in a terrorist bombing that killed the president, the vice president, and his own father. To make matters worse, Joshua discovers that his father planned the explosion and set up Joshua to take the blame.
Junior is Joshua’s journal. It chronicles his three years as a fugitive on the run from law enforcement and vigilantes while he tries to figure out how he fits into his father’s plan. When Joshua mysteriously disappears, the journal is discovered and becomes a worldwide bestseller, described by scholars and literary critics as “a classic study of the human condition.”
What are you reading?
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
One of my favorite winter migrants is the Dark-eyed Junco, a cheerful little sparrow. Most Juncos breed in Canada and Alaska and migrate to the US for the winter with only a few populations staying in the same area year-round. Each year their October arrival in my yard reminds me that winter is on the way.
This little guy in the photo below was only too happy to pose for me on the deck rail as I leaned out an open 2nd floor bedroom window.
There are 15 different geographic variations in plumage color in the Dark-eyed Junco. The most common are the “slate-colored” junco of the eastern US and Canada, and “Oregon” junco, found in the western U.S. The slate-colored is mostly gray with white underparts and the Oregon has a dark gray hood, pale peach flanks and rusty back. Alyce had a nice picture of an Oregon Junco last week. The ones visiting me are the slate-colored variety.
In the photo on the right you can see the distinctive white tail feathers typical of the slate-colored form. When the bird takes flight there is usually a flash of those tail feathers making them easy to identify from a distance.
Juncos are friendly little birds that readily come to backyard feeders in the winter. They can often be seen foraging on the ground with other sparrows. They are one of the most frequently reported birds by participants in Project Feederwatch.
Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
I love Italian food and I prefer to create it from scratch, but sometimes I don’t have the time or the energy to do it or the fresh herbs and veggies in the house. So I cheat!
One of my favorite easy recipes is Chicken Cacciatore, a traditional Italian dish of chicken braised in a tomato and white wine sauce with vegetables. It is sometimes referred to as Hunter’s Stew – “Alla Cacciatora” means “Hunter’s Style” in Italian. This is a great winter dish and with this recipe it practically cooks itself.
Recipe
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1½ to 2 pounds boneless chicken breast
• 16 oz can stewed tomatoes
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat parsley
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 small can pitted black olives
• 1 small can cut green beans
Preparation:
Heat oil to medium-high in a large frying pan. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour. Cook a few minutes on each side until brown.
Lightly chop the tomatoes in a food processor and add to the pan. Add all remaining ingredients except the olives. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add olives, cook another 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve over polenta in the traditional northern style or over pasta.
I Am A Reader Not A Writer is hosting the Print Book Giveaway Hop. Over 100 blogs are participating, each offering a printed book or books as a giveaway. The hop runs through midnight, February 8th.
Welcome new visitors.
Giveaway entry is easy, just fill out the form at the bottom of the post. Being a subscriber is not a requirement to win.
Feel free to take a look around. I’m an eclectic reader who enjoys a wide range of subjects and genres. Regular visitors already know I’m especially fond of audiobooks and love to photograph birds.
Giveaway: The Spy Who Jumped Off the Screen
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Viking
Publish Date: January 10, 2012
Format: Advance Reading Copy | 400 pages
The novel’s charismatic hero, former covert operative Ty Hunter, has become, almost by accident, the number one film star in the world. When he is recruited on a clandestine mission to thwart the transfer of nuclear warheads into rogue hands, he must deploy every skill he has as an actor, soldier, and spy. Donning his fame as a disguise, Ty matches wits and muscle with the enigmatic billionaire Ian Santal and his nefarious protégé Philip Frost-two supremely sophisticated adversaries- even as he falls in love with the entrancing young woman closest to them both, the jewelry designer Isabella Cavill.
Giveaway Details
Giveaway is open to anyone age 18 or older, US addresses only. To enter, fill out the form on or before midnight, February 8, 2013 (EST). For an extra entry tweet or blog the giveaway. For a second extra entry, leave a comment on this or any other post. Winner will be chosen by random.org and notified by email. Winner must respond within 48 hours with a US mailing address.
[Contest has ended]
More giveaways listed in the sidebar. Click HERE for a list of the other blogs participating in this The Print Book Hop.
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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Driving Alone: A Love Story
by Kevin Lynn Helmick
Genre: Southern Gothic
Publisher: Blank Slate Press
Publish Date: December 1, 2012
Format: Paperback | 102 pages
Rating: 4½ of 5
Billy Keyhoe is a loser. Thirty years old with no job, no plan and a wreck of a life. And now he’s really gone and messed things up: An argument with his girlfriend turned brutal with Billy beating her badly and an attempted robbery at Earl’s 66 netted him a tank of gas, twenty dollars and a shotgun blast when the clerk discovered what he was up to.
Now Billy is on the run driving his daddy’s old ’65 Caddy out of Georgia and heading for West Texas. Along the way he picks up a beautiful but mysterious hitchhiker who appears out of nowhere. She tells him her name is Feather, like in a bird. When Billy thinks to himself, “stripper name”, Feather replies, “I ain’t no stripper”. Feather knows what Billy is thinking, and Billy is charmed by Feather. As they drive, Billy’s life begins to unfold in a journey of self-discovery as he thinks back on his parents and his dysfunctional childhood.
Who is Feather? She knows Billy and has the power to manipulate him yet he can’t remember when or where he met her. Revealing much more about this tightly woven Southern Gothic would ruin the story for the reader. This is the point at which the plot takes off and the tension and suspense begins to build into a mind-bending psychological tale.
The characters are nicely developed and at times I was tempted to sympathize with Billy as the layers of his life were peeled away, exposing his humanity. This was fast-paced and compelling with vivid, descriptive prose. The gritty language and slang gave the story an authentic feel. The foreshadowing and symbolism revealed gives the astute reader hints of what is to come.
The shorter format of the novella was the perfect length for this dark, engrossing tale. Recommended, especially for fans of the genre.
About the Author
Kevin Lynn Helmick, born 1963, Fort Madison IA, is the author of The Lost Creek Journal, selective poems and flash fiction, Clovis Point, a rural noir thriller, Sebastian Cross, a literary adventure novel, Heartland Gothic, a literary black comedy, and Driving Alone, a dark southern gothic romance novella. Growing up seven years younger than the youngest of four brothers, his views of the world were largely shaped by 60′s and 70′s pop culture, by Elvis Presley, James Bond, Andy Warhol, comic books and of course the music of The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Doors.
Kevin has had several short stories published including “Allison,” in Manarchy Magazine, “My Muse Plays Hard to Get” in Pulp Metal Magazine, and ”No 7 Valentine” in Noir at the Bar II. All proceeds from Noir at the Bar II go to support independent bookseller Subterranean Books of St. Louis. All Kevin’s books and full bio are available at Amazon Books.
Kevin keeps a blog with other short stories, commentaries and guest writers at The Write Room Cafe.
Click HERE for the tour schedule.
A Giveaway
The publisher has generously offered a copy to give away to one of my readers. If you would like to be entered in the drawing let me know in the comments. US/Canada only, no PO Boxes. Last day to enter is Wednesday, February 13th. I will choose one random winner who will be notified by email and have 48 hours to respond with a mailing address.
[Contest Now Closed]
Winner: ellie
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Source: Review copy provided by Blank Slate Press and TLC Book Tours.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Potboiler
by Jesse Kellerman
Narrated by Kirby Heyborne
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publish Date: July 5, 2012
Format: Audio, 11 hours | 6 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy – Intermediate
Rating: 2 of 5
Publisher’s Summary:
Arthur Pfefferkorn is a has-been, or perhaps a never-was: a middle-aged college professor with long-dead literary aspirations. When his oldest friend, bestselling thriller writer William de Vallèe, is lost at sea, Pfefferkorn is torn between envy and grief, for de Vallèe not only outshone Pfefferkorn professionally, but married the woman Pfefferkorn loved.
Pfefferkorn’s decision to reconnect with de Vallèe’s widow sets in motion a surreal chain of events, plunging him into a shadowy realm of double crosses and intrigue, a world where no one can be trusted–and nothing can be taken seriously.
My Thoughts:
From reading the summary, I thought this book would be a thriller, but in reality it’s a satire of a thriller, mocking the genre and using every known cliché and plot device to intentionally create an awful novel. The photo of the typewriter keys on the book cover should have given me a clue, but I managed to miss that hint.
In Potboiler, the initial premise was clever: Pfefferkorn steals an unpublished manuscript from his recently deceased writer friend and publishes it under his name, the book is a hit, he becomes famous, and then finds out the friend was really working for a covert agency coding secret messages in the text. Initially it was worth sticking with it and there were a few humorous moments.
About halfway in the story went downhill, totally off the cliff. The plot became convoluted and more and more ridiculous, bordering on just plain stupid. I suppose it was supposed to be a little absurd, but a successful satire needs to be smart and clever while it is mocking the overused plots and archetypal characters; this was neither. It read as awful as the very books it was poking fun at.
So why did I continue listening? When I don’t like a book, it’s abandoned after about 50 pages or an hour or two of listening, but I knew that this book had been selected as a 2013 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel by The Mystery Writers of America. Perhaps I was missing something and the story would pick up. It didn’t. However, the narration was good and Kirby Heyborne did a nice job with the various character’s voices, which kept me listening long after I would have thrown the book at the wall. But even with decent narration, after a while I became weary of listening to the clichéd bad guys with eastern European accents.
With a plot that was impossible to follow, unlikable characters and humor that fell flat for me, I have little to recommend. Possibly fans of the genre that read a lot of thriller and spy novels will discover what I was missing and enjoy the story.
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Source: Review copy.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Under My Apple Tree 