451F

Ray Bradbury's novella, "The Fireman", published here in the February 1951 issue, became the classic "Fahrenheit 451".

Great story telling

A River Runs Through It and Other Stories by Norman Maclean
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great story telling set in the mountains of Montana. Norman Maclean recounts stories of family, nature, hard work in the wilderness, a Forest service camp, rattlesnakes, forest fires, waitresses, pimps and whores, high stakes card games, bar room fights, and of course (if you have seen the movie) fly fishing. Three stories that bring to life living in the mountains in the early 20th century. A nice read.

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Nick Offerman On How He Got Involved With Wendell Berry

explaining the science of Star Trek

The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence M. Krauss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved reading this book. It is perfect for a Trekkie who loves and appreciates science! Dr. Krauss (who we were fortunate to hear speak earlier this year) is an excellent writer and communicator of complex science to the casual "armchair" scientist. He covers many of the basic foundational technologies portrayed in the universe of Star Trek, and explains them and their implications in terms of proven laws and practices of physics and the the scientific method. A great read for even the casual Trekkie who loves science. I highly recommend this book! I am looking forward to reading Dr. Krauss's newest book "The Greatest Story Ever Told--So Far: Why Are We Here?" which my daughter got signed by him when we heard him speak. He is a great communicator and teacher.

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a gruesome sobering tale from our past

Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

i love reading Cormac McCarthy, but frankly, i'm glad this one is behind me. Blood Meridian is wonderfully written, but the story is gruesome. It is filled with an excess of violence and massacre. Were this book not solidly based on historical events, i'd say "don't bother". But because it is based on history, specifically Samuel Chamberlain's memoir "My Confession: The Recollections of a Rogue", i am glad i read it. Chamberlain rode with the Glanton gang of mercenaries between 1849 and 1850. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Meridian#Background_and_writing). Even McCarthy's excellent writing gets wearisome as it recounts the bloodshed and cruelty inflicted by this renegade group upon other humans. It was a dark time in our history. As an aside, the story, being based on facts, gave historical credibility to the gangs of outlaws that Clint Eastwood's characters fight against in his classic spaghetti western films.

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