Read 50 books in 2007

A book a week is a pretty frantic pace. I need to schedule a few more vacations to make it. :) Still, covering some ground.

4) – Life of Pi
Beautiful, undeniable story with a twist ending that will curl your toes. Highly recommended.

5) – This is Your Brain on Music
Very cool book about how our brains receive music, and why it is hardwired into our society. It was cool reading this book so soon after Stumbling on Happines – giving me a better idea in general of how the brain works.

6) – The Elegant Universe
Awesome physics overview with no math. My bible. :)

7) – What Should I Do With My Life?
Comes at a timely point where I’m pondering some radical change.

8) – A Short History of Nearly Everything
Cool book. Jumps around quite a bit (as I suppose it would given what it’s trying to cover). My favorite bits were the wacky anecdotes about the lives of famous figures in science. Most everything else was review though.

January has been slow, so I’m already at three:

1. 1776
Gorgeous, epic construction of the defining year in the Revolutionary War and George Washington as the commander. Riveting.

2. Stumbling on Happiness
Interesting look at how the human brain fools us in the business of memory, perception, and forecasting. Isolates why people are bad at predicting what will make them happy, and what types of behaviors generally are better at leading to happiness. I liked how many simple studies were outlined as anecdotal proof.

3. Dune
Always said I’d read this since it’s supposed to be a classic scifi book. Thought it was pretty good. A richly constructed world and epic story. Not sure I had much sympathy for most of the characters. Ready to see the movie now starring Sting, that ugly guy from Sex and the City, and Jean-Luc Picard. :)