What would happen if you had a mole of moles? Or if everybody on planet Earth decided to jump up and down at the same time? How high up would you have to drop a steak for it to be cooked by the time it hit the ground? Former NASA scientist Randall Munroe has been amusing the internet with his stick figure drawings since 2005, mostly on the popular website xkcd.com, but the popular comics website is also home to a column where he answers hypothetical (and very often insane) questions about physics, space, chemistry and just about everything else.
For those who have been enjoying the Temperance Brennan Mysteries by Kathy Reichs, Bones Never Lie brings forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan and Detective Andrew Ryan of Canada back together in the search for a serial murderer.
Ten strangers have come together on a remote English island under false pretenses. Each one bears a dark secret that they have hidden from the world. Stranded on the island and as the guests begin to die one by one, they discover that someone in the company has uncovered those secrets and is willing to make them pay.
Continuing the story of Celia West following the death of her superhero father and the retirement of the superheroes of her beloved city, Celia continues to look out for the best interests of her city and has carefully been watching the grandchildren of the superheroes waiting to see if there is a new generation of powerful superheroes in the making. Two of these new superheroes may be her own daughters Anna and Bethy but so far they aren't exhibiting any signs of superpowers or at least they're not sharing with her if they are developing powers.
Leonard Marnham, an engineer employed by the British post office, has lived an extraordinarily sheltered life when he arrives in 1950s Berlin to work on a collaborative project between the British and Americans to tap into Soviet phone lines. His new job and colleagues, and living on his own for the first time, open him up to a wide variety of new tastes and experiences. As befits the Cold War setting,both his work and personal lives also consist of complex webs of secrecy, fear, mistrust, and paranoia.
What more could you ask for in a book about people who love words and communication and the preservation of that communication? When I started reading The Word Exchange I had no access to a dictionary and definitely needed one. I almost gave up right away but decided to pick my adult children's brains and see if I could continue. Nope, they didn't know those words either, so I continued to read. I was fascinated by how the book drew me in and made me want to learn the meaning behind the words, but I definitely felt lost a time or two.
I am by no means a religious person. But I do appreciate spirituality and love people who actively live their proclaimed faith. Having read a spiritual memoir or two that didn’t quite deliver, I approached Mercy in the City somewhat tentatively. It turned out to be as surprisingly wonderful as I was skeptical.
Readers who first became aware of Emma Donoghue via her blockbuster 2010 novel Room might imagine that her current offering, Frog Music, is a break from form. In fact, it's Room that's more of an anomaly in the author's canon. Donoghue has often crafted her novels by fictionalizing and elaborating on scant historical records to create richly detailed historical novels.
The Kettle triplets Lyn, Cat and Gemma are celebrating their 33rd birthday as they traditionally do, with three cakes and champagne and just the three of them. The triplets create a stir everywhere they go and this night is no different. However, what they don't realize is that this birthday is bringing to a head many years of secrets, misunderstandings, and misguided intentions.
I read How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read with my book club and, full disclosure, I was the only one who liked it. Which made for a rousing discussion!
