"What If?" Great Summer Reading for the Curious Reader

Book Review: What If? by Randall Munroe

Not sure this book is meant for the poolside or the beach, but it makes good light summer reading, especially if you like humor and science: What If? by Randall Munroe.

• Full title: What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

I spotted What If? on the new-books table at my local independent bookstore, and flipping through its pages it immediately intrigued me. Although I have definite likes and dislikes in books, I would describe my reading tastes as eclectic and this book hit that spot perfectly.

What If? fills the desire for a fun read. It's crammed with humor. It brings up interesting questions or scenarios, and then it answers them, using real science - which is one of my interests. And it is written and illustrated by Randall Munroe who writes and illustrates the xkcd comic website. What's not to like about that!

Munroe studied physics and math in college and went on to work on robotics at NASA before giving it all up to freelance stick-figure comics on his own popular website. He uses that acumen to answer the silly hypothetical questions the people have sent him both to interact with his readers and to inform others through this book.

I would suggest this book is a great way to introduce science to curious young  minds who might otherwise be having a tough time finding science interesting in school. Or perhaps a way to keep their minds engaged in science during the summer or during other holidays. It's not like they have to take a test or exam when it's over - it's casual reading. And no actual math is involved.

So, if you're looking for a fun read and some crazy hypothetical questions with answers to go with them, or if you just want a good laugh, consider picking up What If? by Randall Munroe.

(c) 2015. Alan Eggleston. All Rights Reserved.

Book Editors and Literary Agents on Twitter

If you're a writer, here are a couple of resources that might help you.

From GalleyCat ("The FirstWord on the Book Publishing Industry"):

• Best Book Editors on Twitter
• Best Literary Agents on Twitter

Sometimes, following the right person or people on Twitter can make all the difference in the world.

Triple Agent, Triple Crossed

Book Review:

The Triple Agent by Joby Warrick

The al-Qaeda Mole Who Infiltrated the CIA

This is the gripping non-fiction spy thriller about Humam Khalil al-Balawi, a Jordanian physician turned underground blogger turned counterspy who in December of 2009 actually because a counter counter spy and blew himself up at a secret CIA base in Afghanistan known as Khost, killing not only himself but a number of CIA and allied assets. Joby Warrick is a Pulitzer Prize winning staff writer for the Washington Post with a knack for detail and storytelling, spreading out this story like a novel and recounting every turn of this gripping tale. I read the electronic version, which was 1060 pages. I highly recommend it for its descriptive detail, historic perspective, clear character development, and well-paced storytelling.  This is great reading about the battle that goes on in Afghanistan and Pakistan against al-Qaeda, a most difficult and pernicious enemy.


Review by
Alan Eggleston
Writer, editor, bookseller of leisure and business books


Follow me on Twitter: @Booksville

Publishers Weekly's Best Books 2011

Publisher's Weekly presents its list of "Best Books 2011: The Top 10", including brief synopses.

• The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
• The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock
• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
• After the Apocalypse by Maureen McHugh
• Bossypants by Tina Fey
• Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
• There but for the by Ali Smith
• Hemingway's Boat by Paul Hendrickson
• One Day I Will Write About This Place by Binyavanga Wainaina
• Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens

See what the publishing industry thinks are the year's best reads.

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Follow me on Twitter: @Booksville

Rowling Dumps Longtime Literary Agent

Harry Potter's J.K. Rowling has dismissed her literary agent, Christopher Little. It's a stunning development discussed today in London's Daily Mail: "The announcement in the industry journal The Bookseller stunned the literary community and industry watchers, who had always regarded the Rowling-Little partnership as one of the strongest and most enduring in the business. Little, a fiercely private man, would say only that he was  ‘disappointed and surprised’ by the ‘premature news’."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2012997/Harry-Potter-author-JK-Rowling-dismissed-Dumbledore-book-agent.html#ixzz1RkX1GHUn

A Book Series for the Non-Reader?

If you have a non-reader in the family - someone who doesn't enjoy the process of reading or who is more visually oriented than word oriented, a new non-fiction book series may be their answer. It's called For Beginners Books. 


Here is how their website describes themselves:

"Every book in the series serves one purpose: to present to the reader in a straightforward, accessible manner the works of great thinkers and subjects alike. With subjects ranging from philosophy, to politics, to art and beyond, the For Beginners^® series covers a range of familiar concepts in a humorous comic book-style, and takes a readily comprehensible approach that’s respective of the intelligence of its audience. This series is for those who want to know more about a subject, but don’t want to get bogged down in dry facts. Each book is painstakingly researched, written and illustrated in a style that best suits the subject."

I bring it up because I think everyone should have the opportunity to "read," and a discomfort with the traditional book shouldn't be a reason not to. If something new comes along that will open them to the world of discovery that is the book, then by all means take it! If graphic novels, For Beginners Books, or even comic books introduce you to the joy of reading, have at it.


Credit to Jason Sadler of iwearyourshirt.com for bringing For Beginners Books to our attention.

Lord Hornblower Is a Great Adventure in the Forester Tradition

Lord Hornblower
A Book Review
By Alan Eggleston, writer and editor, business books, leisure books


C. S. Forester’s Hornblower was the first Age of Sail series I’d read, and in 2002 I bought the last two books of the 11 book series. At the time, I didn’t realize there were other authors also writing Age of Sail books, and not wanting to run out of books to read, I set these aside for some future need. I’ve since discovered Patrick O’Brien, Dudley Pope, and now Julian Stockwin. So I’ve begun the final journey with Hornblower.


Lord Hornblower is Forester’s 10th masterfully written book. In it, Horatio Hornblower, now knighted and a Lord, married to his second wife, sister to people in high places, is living the high but un-seaman-like life on land. He gets the call from Admiralty to scuttle a mutiny on board a frigate off the coast of the enemy, France, that threatens to hand the ship over to the French if every man isn’t given amnesty and the Captain court martialed for cruelty. But discipline at sea requires the men responsible be punished without mercy. 


Lord Hornblower (Hornblower Saga)


Only Hornblower’s ingenuity can save a ship, her crew, and England from losing face to Napoleon. Yet this is only the beginning of a tale that takes Hornblower to service on land to confront Napoleon’s Army and face eventual death by firing squad. In the meantime, his wife goes off to Austria with her brother to reunite Europe against Napoleon, leaving Hornblower to fall in love with the daughter of an old French ally. These are the waning days of Napoleon’s attempt to build an empire, and you are there to witness the effects on the countryside and its people.


This story is full of brave sea tangles, edgy land battles, daring escapes on horseback, and dear friends lost. It’s a great adventure in the Forester tradition.


(I purchased these books and was not compensated in any way for this review.)

My next read in the series: 
(Links: commission may be paid on purchase)