Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson, an American astrophysicist, is the Director of the Hayden Planetarium, and the host of 'Star Talk' and 'Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.' Tyson is also a very funny guy, and his sense of humor lightens the 'lessons' in Astrophysics for People in a Hurry - which contains a brief overview of cosmology.
I'll just touch on some topics in the book I found interesting.....some new, some not so much.
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Fourteen billion years ago the universe was teeny tiny, 'a trillionth the size of the period that ends this sentence.' It exploded in 'The Big Bang' and expanded at a phenomenal rate - one second after the big bang the universe was already several light years across (at least 18 trillion miles).
The Big Bang
By then, the forces we're familiar with had formed: gravity, the weak nuclear force, the strong nuclear force, and the electromagnetic force.
At the same time, a large array of particles had appeared, including photons, electrons, neutrinos, quarks, and more....all the stuff that makes up 'matter.'
For the first billion years the universe continued to expand and cool, and matter coalesced into galaxies. Scientists estimate that there are about 100 billion galaxies, each containing hundreds of billions of stars. Debris around some stars merged to form planets, and Earth formed in a 'Goldilocks' zone where oceans remain liquid.....allowing life as we know it to develop.
Matter coalesced into galaxies
*****
Sir Isaac Newton
After Sir Isaac Newton determined the laws of gravity, scientists discovered that physical forces are uniform throughout the universe. Tyson notes, "The power and beauty of physical laws is that they apply everywhere, whether or not you choose to believe in them."
The astrophysicist has a fun story about this: When Tyson told a waiter that his hot cocoa had no whipped cream, the server insisted it had sunk to the bottom. But whipped cream has low density, and floats. So Tyson gave the waiter two options: "Either someone forgot to add whipped cream or the universal laws of physics are different in this restaurant." LOL
Cosmic background radiation (CMB), seen in every direction we look, is the microwave radiation emitted by the cooling universe 380,000 years after the big bang. It's the remnant of something that was once enormously bright, but now requires special instruments to observe.
CMB was first seen by two American physicists that worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories. They accidentally discovered CMB while trying to develop new channels of communication for AT&T.....and later won the Nobel Prize for this achievement (so that's a nice perk!).
*****
Ordinary matter makes up everything we see and feel. It has gravity and interacts with light. However, this ordinary stuff makes up only 15 to 20 percent of the universe. A full 80 to 85 percent of the cosmos is made of a mysterious substance called 'dark matter', which has gravity but doesn't interact with light. Scientists have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what this is.
As if dark matter isn't sufficiently enigmatic, the universe also contains a large amount of 'dark energy.' This is a kind of 'negative gravity' that's pushing the universe apart - accelerating its expansion. As a result, anything not gravitationally connected to the Milky Way Galaxy (where we live) will rush away at an ever increasing speed.
So galaxies that are now visible to our telescopes will eventually disappear from view. Tyson notes, "In a trillion years, anyone alive in the Milky Way may know nothing of other galaxies, and will see nothing but a dark, endless void." :(
*****
William and Caroline Herschel
In 1781, British astronomer William Herschel discovered a new planet in our solar system. He wanted to name it after his King, in which case the planets would be called: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and George. More traditional heads prevailed, and planet was named Uranus. :)
*****
To communicate with life elsewhere in the universe - who probably wouldn't understand our spoken languages (just watch the 2016 movie 'Arrival') - we would have to use the language of science. The Voyager spacecraft, launched in 1977, carries a plaque that shows humans, our solar system, our location in the Milky Way Galaxy, and the structure of hydrogen and the atom.
Voyager Plaque
It also carries a gold record album that has whale sounds, and music from Beethoven, Chuck Berry, and others. Tyson mentions that his favorite parody of this 'gift' is an old skit on Saturday Night Live, in which we receive a written reply from the aliens that asks "Send more Chuck Berry." Ha ha ha
Voyager Record
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Tyson's book has lots more interesting information about the universe - and how we study it. On the (slight) downside - since the book is based on a series of essays - it's a little repetitive. And there's a section on elements that veers off the topic of astrophysics.
I'd highly recommend this 'astrophysics light' book to non-specialists interested in the subject. (If you're a physicist, you presumably know all this already.)
In this life I've studied tons of biology and geology. In my next life I'd like to be an astrophysicist who solves the mystery of dark matter and dark energy. :)
Rating: 3.5 stars
This is the second book in the Blame series.
Tatya, a 29-year-old sports massage therapist, lives in sunny Miami, Florida. Tall blonde and athletic, Tatya is one of the stars of her women's beach volleyball team.
She's also in a romantic relationship with her 25-year-old teammate Kris, a leggy attractive redhead.
Tatya has been keeping the affair secret, fearing disclosure might affect team comradery and play. This bothers Kris, who thinks Tatya might be embarrassed about her. Moreover, each woman is troubled by occurrences in her past, which adds to the tension between them.
Still, the romance is going pretty well until Kris, a product manager, loses her job. Scrambling to find a new position, Kris questions her choice of career. Did she pick a field just for the prestige and money? Would an occupation that helps people be better? Kris's busy job search and angst keep her a little distant, which disturbs Tatya, who's already insecure about 'getting older.'
Trying to occupy herself while Kris is busy, Tatya socializes with other friends. One of my favorite characters is Cristal, a lively Latina volleyball player who liberally sprinkles her sentences with Spanish words and phrases. Cristal introduces Tatya to Friday night beach parties that include campfires, improv games, skinny dipping, and spicy s'mores.
At one party, Tatya meets Andre - a PTSD counselor for residents of violent communities - who becomes a helpful friend.
Other interesting characters include Tatya's fellow massage therapist Felicity and their boss Rossalyn;
Tatya's brawny Samoan roommate Brett;
beverage-inventing barista Sean;
and Francisco, a physical therapist with a connection to the Miami Heat.
I liked the scenes of vigorous volleyball practice sprinkled through the story. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the athletes' homemade meals, like injera with lentils;
pumpkin pancakes;
fruit smoothies;
ersatz paella, and more - all of which sounded very tasty.
The book is largely a romance, and there's plenty of sizzling sex between Tatya and Kris - in bed, on the couch, on the papasan, and in the car (where Kris's adorable cat Itchy gets an eyeful...ha ha ha).
I enjoyed the humor in the story (why can't baristas get customers' names right?) and the philosophical musings about life, love, and honesty. I look forward to reading more about these intriguing women as the series continues.
The book can be read as a standalone but readers familiar with the background will probably enjoy it more.
Rating: 4 stars
In this 19th book in the 'Claire Malloy' series, the bookstore owner/amateur sleuth investigates the death of an ESL student. The book can be read as a standalone, but knowing the characters is advantageous.
*****
Claire Molloy, who was single for many years, recently married Deputy Chief Peter Rosen of the Farberville Police Department. They live in a lovely home with Claire's college-bound daughter Caron.
Caron and her pal Inez plan to pad their college applications by volunteering at the Farberville Literary Council (FLC), which teaches English as a second language (ESL) to immigrants. Claire, now having a manager for her bookstore, agrees to help out at the FLC as well.
There are a host of employees, volunteers, and students at the FLC - and as happens with a diverse group of people - all kinds of sparks fly. Before long the dead body of an unpleasant, bullying Polish ESL student named Ludmilla is found in the copy room of the FLC - and against the wishes of her husband Claire jumps in to investigate.
Claire's attempt to solve the crime involves questioning people involved with the FLC again and again. She talks to them on the school's premises, in restaurants, and at their homes.
Claire even breaks into one employee's house when she doesn't happen to be at home. It seems like almost everyone at the FLC has things to hide and Claire is followed and threatened as she pursues the murderer.
Unfortunately the various 'suspects' in the book are not very interesting or distinctive, the interrogations go on and on, and the story becomes tiresome. Meanwhile, who knows what the actual police are doing because they don't seem to make any progress in solving the crime.
The story is punctuated by various snarky conversations between Claire and Caron - typical mom and teen daughter stuff - which are meant to be humorous but aren't. Claire also has intermittent interactions with Peter, some romantic, some about Claire sticking her nose in police business when she shouldn't. Of course Claire eventually solves the crime but by then I didn't care much who did it. I was just glad to be finished with the book. Unless you're a hard core fan of the Claire Molloy series and want to see what the characters are up to I'd say skip this book.
Rating: 2 stars
In this 18th book in the 'Commissario Brunetti' series, the detective investigates two murders. The story can be read as a standalone with regard to the mystery, but readers familiar with the characters will enjoy it more.
*****
Police Commissario Guido Brunetti and his wife Paola have been invited to dine at the home of Paola's wealthy, aristocratic parents - Conte and Contessa Falier - so Guido can meet businessman Maurizio Cataldo. Cataldo wants the Count to invest in China with him and Falier - a cautious man - asks his son-in-law to check the businessman out.
At the elegant dinner, Guido is seated near Cataldo's much younger wife, Franca Marinello. Guido is struck by Franca's face, which has an oddly frozen expression. Franca's 'mouth is permanently parted in a small smile; her cheekbones swell up in knots the size of a kiwi fruit; and her nose starts higher on her forehead than is normal and is strangely flat' - all clearly the work of a plastic surgeon. Guido is intensely curious about Franca, wondering why a beautiful woman would do this to herself.
To investigate businessman Cataldo, Guido asks his boss's secretary - Signorina Elettra - to work up a file on the man. Signorina Elettra is a whiz with computers while Guido can barely log in. Nevertheless, Guido gets a yen for his own computer in this book....and we'll see if he gets one. LOL
Meanwhile, another case crops up. Maggiore Filipo Guarino of the Carabinieri (military police) asks Brunetti to help find the killer of a truck company owner named Stefano Ranzato. Ranzato had been caught cooking the books, and was pressured into becoming a police informant.
Moreover, Ranzato - who was hauling goods for the Camorra (organized crime) - had a lot to inform about. Guarino suspects the Camorra discovered Ranzato's double dealing and murdered him.
The issue central to the plot is Italy's trash problem. Naples has mountains of uncollected garbage that can't be burned because the incinerators are being used to torch trash that's trucked in from other areas. Even worse, industrial waste is being brought to Italy from other countries. These toxic substances are disposed of locally or shipped to third world nations. Apparently, garbage is a very lucrative business....and the Camorra is at the heart of it.
Before long another person connected to the Ranzato case is murdered, and Brunetti has two crimes to solve. The Commissario follows various clues and identifies a suspect who likes to gamble at the local Casinò. A couple of trips to this gaming establishment uncovers some surprising things.
In the end, the murder cases are resolved, we find out what businessman Cataldo is up to with China, and we learn about Franca Marinello's face. Not surprisingly, all these threads are connected.
Though the Brunetti books are mysteries, they always have a heavy dose of the Commissario's personal life, including his interactions with family and colleagues. In this story Bruno takes a lot of boats around Venice; has coffee and hot punch at the local café; has home-cooked meals with his family (these sound scrumptious); marvels about his wonderful children; has heart-to-heart talks with his in-laws; deals with jealous, underhanded cops; has discussions about Virgil, Cicero, Ovid, and Henry James; and so on.
Some of my favorite parts of these books are the scenes where Brunetti and Signorina Elettra slyly maneuver around their vain, blowhard boss - Vice-Questore Patta - who never saw a job he couldn't evade doing.
For me this book is just average. I enjoyed visiting with favorite characters, but the plot is too convoluted - and the ending doesn't provide total closure. It seems like 'justice' is impossible to get in Italy, since half the officials are corrupt....which is too bad. :(
Still, I'd recommend the book to fans of the series.
Rating: 3 stars
In this 24th book in the 'Mrs. Murphy' series, Harry Harristeen and her pets investigate the death of a history professor. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.
*****
This cozy series - set in Crozet, Virginia - was once a favorite of mine. The main character, 'Harry' Harristeen, was a divorced postmistress and amateur sleuth.
Harry solved mysteries with the help of her 'talking pets', two cats and a corgi.
The lovable animals commented on Harry's activities, philosophized about people, rode mail carts around the post office, protected Harry, and helped solve crimes. The stories also had an array of recurring characters that added fun and depth to the the tales. Most importantly, the mysteries were interesting, with plenty of suspects and clues. The last few books in the series, however, were more political diatribes than cozy mysteries and I decided I'd had enough.
Nevertheless, I decided to check this latest addition out of the library. This book is more of a historical novel about the American Revolution than a mystery and many of the well-liked recurring characters are absent or marginally present. As for Harry, she's now re-married and living on her farm. Thus, there's no chit-chatting with folks in the post office or snacking on baked goods prepared by fellow postmistress Miranda - which was an entertaining aspect of previous books. The talking pets are still present, but not as fun as they once were.
The story: A beloved retired history professor, Greg "Ginger" McConnell, whose specialty is researching and writing about the American Revolution, is shot on the golf course.
Harry and a cadre of college football players - who were Ginger's students decades before - are profoundly grieved. Soon afterwards the death of another person with a connection to Ginger occurs.
Harry and the cops don't know anyone who disliked or had a grudge against Ginger. Thus Harry decides (for no obvious reason) that the murder probably was linked to Ginger's historical research. Unlike standard mysteries, there's not much questioning of suspects or searching for clues. Instead, Harry examines local geography, maps, and old records and becomes very interested in a historically accurate housing development under construction.
The book alternates between the present and the past. In the 'now' parts Harry investigates the murders, caddies for her golfing friend Susan, assists some homeless people, and tends her farm and horses. In the 'then' parts the American Revolution has started and British prisoners of war are housed in a barracks in Virginia.
The historical sections are depictions of the lives of the POW's, who were treated fairly well in the circumstances. They had beds and food and were sent out to work at local farms and businesses. The POWs were friendly with their guards and the local population, and many remained in the colonies when the Revolution ended.
The story is okay, and the solution to the crimes makes sense. Still, the book seems more like an excuse to write about the American Revolution than a mystery. It would make more sense for Rita Mae Brown to publish literary novels about her areas of interest rather than add more pseudo-mysteries to this (formerly well-liked) series.
I wouldn't recommend this book to mystery fans but if you're interested in POWs during the American Revolution you might like it.
Rating: 2 stars
