A Rapid Review
The Future of the Mind by Michio Kaku
Publisher: Random House Audio | February 2014
Format: Audio Download | 15½ hours | Rating: 4½ stars
Audio Listening Level: Intermediate
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.
Science meets science fiction in this fascinating, informative, and highly readable book.
We begin with some background on the brain – how it works, what scientists already know, past research, and some interesting case studies. Then we move on to current research. Most interesting to me, and probably to many of us, was the section on the growing problem of dementia in an aging population and its implications for the future. Finally, we move on to speculation of what the future might bring (see quote above). If only I were born a few decades later so I could live long enough to see it!
Yes, this is a book about neuroscience, but author Michio Kaku’s interesting and enthusiastic writing style makes it accessible to everyone.
Audio production
The audiobook was read by Feodor Chin, his voice displaying the enthusiasm and excitement of the author’s writing.
Audio Sample:
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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
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A Rapid Review
Animal Madness by Laurel Braitman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster | June 2014
Format: Audio Download | 11½ hours | Rating: 4 stars
Audio Listening Level: Easy
How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, Gorillas on Drugs, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves.
Through extensive research on various species throughout the world, the author reveals hows animals, like humans, can suffer from mental illness and can possibly be helped through treatment. Her interest in the subject began with her own dog, a rescue, who exhibited severe emotional issues and fear of abandonment. He was aggressive, compulsive, and one time jumped out of a 4th story window.
This was a difficult and at times disturbing book for me to read. As a wildlife volunteer I observe animals in their natural habitats and am awed at what they do instinctively. Many of the animals the author profiled were wild animals – elephants, gorillas, birds – captured by humans; their stories are heartbreaking. When wild animals are removed from their natural environment, behavioral issues are often the result. I confess, I’m not a big fan of zoos or circuses. Many do an adequate job of providing for the animals, but far too many do not; a nice cage is still a cage.
Audio production:
The book was read by Madeleine Maby in a pleasant, easy to listen to voice. The book moves through a series of stories about the various animals the author researched, making this a good choice for audio over print.
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Source: Review copies were provided by the publishers.
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Happy New Year!
And welcome to First Book of the Year hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney.
My book choice – a true story about a bird sanctuary
I’m beginning the year with a book about one of my favorite topics – birds.
That’s Charlie in the photo with me. She is my reading and blogging buddy, and very curious about this book with the gorgeous cover. Regular visitors know I adopted Charlie from a bird rescue shelter. I’m also a volunteer at the shelter and a volunteer wild bird monitor for the forest preserve. If only I could get paid to do work I enjoyed!
The Birds of Pandemonium by Michele Raffin
Pandemonium, the home and bird sanctuary that Raffin shares with some of the world’s most remarkable birds, is a conservation organization dedicated to saving and breeding birds at the edge of extinction, with the goal of eventually releasing them into the wild. In The Birds of Pandemonium, she lets us into her world–and theirs. Birds fall in love, mourn, rejoice, and sacrifice; they have a sense of humor, invent, plot, and cope. They can teach us volumes about the interrelationships of humans and animals.
Their amazing stories make up the heart of this book. There’s Sweetie, a tiny quail with an outsize personality; the inspiring Oscar, a disabled Lady Gouldian finch who can’t fly but finds a brilliant way to climb to the highest perches of his aviary to roost. The ecstatic reunion of a disabled Victoria crowned pigeon, Wing, and her brother, Coffee, is as wondrous as the silent kinship that develops between Amadeus, a one-legged turaco, and an autistic young visitor.
The Birds of Pandemonium is about one woman’s crusade to save precious lives, and it offers rare insights into how following a passion can transform not only oneself but also the world.
What are you reading today?
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It’s always difficult to choose favorites, and I have been procrastinating on finalizing my picks. Science Fiction and Birds often top my lists, but I read a variety of genres and have a few other favorites too. Several fascinating non-fiction books also made my list. Because I read many genres, I didn’t rank them, they were all excellent.
I read 103 books this past year, achieving my goal of 100 books. A little over half of those were audiobooks. Here are my ten most favorite books read or listened to, but not necessarily published, in 2014.
Favorite Books
The Martian by Andy Weir. Not only was it a fantastic story combining a thriller with a plausible science fiction setting, it was exciting to find a new author whose writing had me glued to a book – the printed word, not audio – where I had to sit still, not multitask, and read, read, read. I had to know how it ended!
The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Hwang Sun-mi – a lovely story. This short book is a modern fable translated from Korean. It is the story of Sprout, a hen who wants more out of life than being a coop hen and laying eggs for the farmer. Beneath the fairy tale surface there are lessons on what makes a family, life and death, sacrifice, and ultimately that we should never lose sight of our dreams.
Influx by Daniel Suarez was another science fiction thriller – a high-tech, fast-paced adventure. The plot revolves around the idea of a conspiracy involving secret high-tech inventions and the question “Can technology be ahead of its time and its knowledge be too dangerous to be released?” As a techy and sometimes geeky person, I loved it. I’m still waiting for my flying car!
The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert. While this is non-fiction, it is not a heavy science book – it’s very readable and engaging. There have been five mass extinctions in the history of our planet and evidence leads scientists to believe we are on the verge of the next one. This is a fascinating, balanced account of the current threat to the diversity of life on our planet.
You by Caroline Kepnes. This book was so creepy and so obsessive it is still resonating in my brain. Seriously creepy and at the same time addictive – it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion and not being able to look away. I listened to the audio, which was so well done it had me looking over my shoulder.
Defending Jacob by William Landay. This was a bookclub choice. I had seen it on favorites lists last year so I had a feeling it would be good. Once I started this book I couldn’t stop listening – a fascinating legal thriller filled with the complexity, conflict and drama.
Life Drawing by Robin Black. I knew nothing about the author or the book when I was offered a review copy. All I had read was the synopsis and publicity sheet, and we know how wrong those can be – but in this case I discovered a new author and a beautifully written novel on relationships with complex, well-defined characters. And for you audiophiles – it’s narrated by Cassandra Campbell.
Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop. This is book two in a paranormal fantasy series about an earth inhabited by preternatural beings. And it’s written for adults! No sappy romantic triangles or sexy vampires, just fantastic world building and well-developed characters.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I enjoy dystopian novels best when they are set in a realistic environent – no flesh-eating zombies or vampires, please. In Station Eleven the world-building around a flu pandemic that kills most of the population and the tale of the survivors is so realistic I fear it could actually happen. Read it!
The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson. You don’t need a background in tech to enjoy this interesting and entertaining look at the people who had the most influence on the tech we use today.
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The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II
by Molly Guptill Manning
Narrated by Bernadette Dunne
Genre: Nonfiction/History
Publisher: Blackstone Audio | December 2014
Format: Audio Download: 7 hours
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 4 of 5
From the Publisher
When America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned over 100 million books and caused fearful citizens to hide or destroy many more. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations. In 1943, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million small, lightweight paperbacks, for troops to carry in their pockets and their rucksacks, in every theater of war.
Thoughts
During World War II millions of books were distributed to soldiers during a little known part of history that is brought to life in When Books Went to War.
Initially libraries, publishers, and the public banded together to collect books in a nationwide Victory Book Campaign, but it soon became apparent that it wasn’t working as well as they would like. Most of the books were hardcover and many were inappropriate cast-offs, such as knitting or children’s books, which needed to be sorted and disposed of. But many books did make it to the soldiers who enjoyed the reading material and wanted even more titles.
The book program was so popular that the Army created the Council on Books in Wartime to take over the task of getting appropriate books to soldiers. The Army, along with publishers, devised a lightweight, portable book specific for shipment overseas – the Armed Services Edition, or ASE.
I knew there was a book program during WWII, but I had no idea of its extent and influence. The paperbacks we have today owe their existence to the need to reduce the bulk and weight of the books. Previously books were mostly hardcovers with Penguin and Pocket Books being the only paperback labels. The Great Gatsby was rescued from obscurity to become the classic it is today thanks to ASEs.
Mixed in with the story of the books is an account of America’s involvement in the war and the challenges facing soldiers sent far from home, away from their family and friends. Not only do we learn how the army was able to get millions of books to the soldiers, but also what the books meant to them, and how many became lifelong readers because of these books. Towards the end of the war more non-fiction was included, and this often inspired them to choose a career and attend college on the GI bill.
I learned a lot from this book – not because I don’t read history, but because I had not previously come across this information. It’s all here in an interesting and very readable style. A short but thoroughly researched book, this is the perfect read for history buffs, or anyone who loves books.
Audio production
This is an easy listen and a good choice for new listeners. Bernadette Dunne narrates with a pleasant voice, adding just the right amount of emotion and emphasis. At times serious and at other times light, she keeps the listener engaged.
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Source: Review copy provided by Blackstone Audio through Audiobook Jukebox.
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Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
The last Monday of the year! That sure went fast. Hope everyone is having a good holiday week.
I received a couple of new books for review, but none as Christmas gifts. Everyone thinks I have more than enough books, but really, can you have too many books?
New Arrivals
Fiercombe Manor by Kate Riordan from Harper.
In this haunting and richly imagined dual-narrative tale that echoes the eerie mystery of Rebecca and The Little Stranger, two women of very different eras are united by the secrets hidden within the walls of an English manor house.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari from Harper.
How did Homo sapiens conquer Earth? * What befell the other human species? * When did money, states and religion appear, and why? * How did science and capitalism become the dominant creeds of the modern era? * Does history have a direction? * Is there justice in history? * Did people become happier as history unfolded? * And what are the chances that Homo sapiens will still be around in a hundred years?
How was your week?
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Thank you to everyone that stopped by to enter the Tempting Fate paperback and wine charms giveaway last week.
Winner: Crystal Hernandez
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