Meet Me in the Future: Stories | Kameron Hurley

*Image and book provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

A collection of short stories written by Kameron Hurley. Some take place in other series she's written, some are standalone. All of them take place in the future. 

Review:

I haven't read as much of Hurley's work as I would like, so I was very happy to pick this book up. I highly recommend you do not skip the preface of the book. In the preface she describes what was behind each story, what inspired this or that story, and it's very informative of what you're about to read. It also helped me empathize with Hurley more, we both have chronic health issues that have shaped our world view. You really see how it bleeds into her stories.

These stories don't really paint a bright and happy picture of the future. There will always be war. There will always be those in power that must be ousted. There will always be those that use and manipulate those beneath them. This can easily be a very depressing read. But Hurley adds details to her worlds. Details that make sure the future is worth fighting for. From empathy between strangers, caring for a pet, finding your truest family. It can make even the darkest futures worth living. 

I admire Hurley's ability to combine telling a good story with asking important questions. She's able to do all of this without being preachy and, more importantly, can leave you with no answers and you're not disappointed. If anything, you find yourself driven to work harder for those answers. So, yes, there really aren't many happy futures in this book, but there is drive. 

This collection was entertaining, moving and insightful. I was happy to read it. 4 hoots!

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Conversations with RBG | Jeffrey Rosen

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

A collection of interviews with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Each interview is preceded by context from the author.

Review:

Like many people, I only really started paying attention to politics in the past few years. I knew that Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) was an important figure, but never really looked further into it. When she needed surgery and people were clamoring to offer their blood and organs, whatever she needed, I figured I should read up on her. Fortunately this book became available and I took the opportunity to educate myself. I'm very glad I did. 

This is neither a full biography nor a full case list. This has biographical elements but focuses on major past cases and how they influence current cases. It's also a lot of RBG discussing her hopes for the future. Honestly, the fact that she still has hope for the future does wonders for my overall anxiety about the world. She has an amazing approach to equal gender rights that she modeled off Thurgood Marshall's approach to equal rights for minorities. Incremental, showing those in power how these rules hurt them, and genuinely going for equality. 

At first I was surprised to find someone who had promoted equality was subject to scorn from feminist groups. I took every chapter, every interview question on that, as a lesson in reading past the headlines. I think that should be the message with almost every Supreme Court Justice. It's so very easy to get caught up in the headlines and following the rage. But in this day and age, we need to do ourselves a favor and read more, get the full story, and reserve our torches and pitchforks for the truly important things. She criticized Roe v Wade because it was, essentially, a legislation forced to walk around on stilts with no training. She was correct in predicting this would lead to all of the many, many, many challenges it has received since. This was quite the legislative history lesson for me. I'll never go back.

RBG is truly an interesting character and her relationship with the other Justices is a wonderful example for disagreeing without it coming to blows. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will be picking up more books about the Justices. 4 hoots!

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Zed | Joanna Kavenna | Mini-Review

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Review:

 

This book was promoted as a sci-fi dystopian where everyone's lives are dictated by algorithms, with a strong philosophical and dark comedy bent. I'll be honest, I get why it's listed as science fiction, but it's really more of a drama than anything. I will give Kavenna full credit, this is the first time I've read a book about a dystopian society falling apart from the perspective of those running the dystopia. That was a very nice change of pace and I greatly appreciated that. A lot of the book focuses on the philosophy/ethics of monopolies. Things like people can always choose to not opt into the algorithms. Of course, if they don't, they'll never get into college, will never get employed anywhere and will have to live in squalor, but it's still their choice. The fact that dissenters get drowned out or have some minor criminal activity brought to light is purely coincidence. And, honestly, to me that covers about 80% of the book. It was an okay read, a nice little stretch into the philosophical and, at times, the absurd. 3.5 hoots!

Mensch Marks | Joshua Hammerman

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

A collection of essays reprinted and updated where needed about Rabbi Hammerman's career and life trying to be a mensch, a good person. These essays are also his attempt to bring mensch into the common vernacular, much like chutzpah and schmuck. These essays cover a range of topics from personal failing and forgiveness to interfaith support to importance of just being human in today's seemingly inhuman world.

Review:

I'm buying this book. I'm not Jewish, I don't go to any church, but I am buying this book. It's a great help for anyone who just wants to try to do some good in the world but doesn't know where to begin. This book really helped me out when I was going through a really tough time. I'm buying this book.

It doesn't take much to be a good person and this book takes you through several steps towards becoming a real mensch. Hammerman repeatedly discusses why such things are needed in today's world. Yes, it can be difficult but it can also be very rewarding. Hammerman doesn't just discuss the times he succeeded. He owns up to his failures but, most importantly, he discusses the lessons learned from these failures.

Hammerman also delves into his past throughout the book. The essays don't follow a particular timeline, opting for a thematic organization. We see how Hammerman has dealt with the consequences of being the son of clergy to trying to help his own children keep from living the "life in a fishbowl" he had to. We see his own physical, spiritual and mental struggles from the beginning and middle of his career as a Rabbi. Most importantly, we see how human he is and how being human is important to our everyday lives.

I was very happy to read this book. I look forward to its release when I can purchase it. You don't even have to be spiritual to enjoy this book. Yes, there are a lot of Biblical and Talmudic references, but Hammerman's book is about how you can be both human and a mensch at the same time. I highly recommend this book for those who are tired of all the hate but don't know where to begin on changing that hate. 5 hoots!

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Genius Jokes | Frank Flannery | Mini-Review

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Review:

Good news! I'm evidence that you don't actually have to be a genius to enjoy these jokes. Some of them were a bit on the dryer side of funny. Others literally made me laugh out loud. The topics cover science, history, politics, and more. My favorite part, I actually learned things! The explanations of the jokes in this book are well written and concise. They are clearly meant to educate without being boring and they succeed. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it for anyone who wants some fun filled, quick learning. 4 hoots!

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Robots vs. Fairies | Edited by Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe

Summary:

An anthology of stories alternating between robots and fairies as the main characters. The stories run the gamut from comedy to slice-of-life to thriller. The settings vary between past, present and future.

Review:

This collection was delightful, engaging, and I wish it were longer. The stories were so wonderfully different from each other in terms of tone and use of the themes. Some of the authors I'd read before, others are new to me and I'm actively looking for more of their books to read.

My favorite stories, hands down, were the ones that mixed elements of both robots and fairies, clearly an attempt to appease whichever group ends up as our overlords. "The Blue Fairy's Manifesto" was an encouragement of the robot uprising, but it used a familiar fairy tale for it. "Build Me a Wonderland" was an excellent choice for the first story as it shows Fair Folk creating robots that work lie magic.

There were a couple stories that weren't for me. "Bread and Milk and Salt" was a bit too dark for me (as the Fair Folk can get) and "To a Cloven Pine" was too abstract for me (but I can't logic like a  Robot can). Two stories out of a collection 18, though, definitely keeps this a good book. And if you like the darker or more abstract stories, you may like the entire collection more than me.

Some of the stories are fun adventures. Some are moving pieces about how magic and robots can't always give us what we really need. One story is just plain silly, and had me struggling to hold in the laughter while I was on the bus. Each of the stories are quality writing in and of themselves. The juxtaposition of the stories is well thought out and you never find yourself in the same world twice. The closest these get to overlapping is two stories involving both Fae and music, but they still ended up being incredibly different stories. Plus, one had a murder ballad, you gotta love it.

I really do recommend this collection for Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans. The back and forth and intermingling of the genres makes for an interesting, enjoyable read. I'm very glad to have this book in my collection and I will be looking for more books by the authors. 4 hoots!

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*Unrelated note: This is my 300th blog post on Purple Owl Reviews!

Quietus | Tristan Palmgren

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Habidah and her team of anthropologists from another plane are studying this world before and during the Black Plague. They are gathering information on how societies handle such a powerful epidemic because their own world is suffering from an incurable disease and information is helpful. Nicculoccio is a monk at Sacro Cuore, the only of his brothers to survive the plague. He's buried all of the others and has no reason not to believe he's the last human alive. When Habidah and Nicculoccio meet, it sets them on the path to discover what is really happening in both their worlds and how to stop it.

Review:

This book does an interesting thing. It manages a tight balance between exposition, philosophy and story that keeps this book interesting. With as long as this book is and with as little action as there is, there was the risk of being boring, but Palmgren does a great job of keeping all the elements in line so that I was still engaged in the reading. I never drifted off or loss interest because all the elements at play were kept balanced. Palmgren also keeps the mystery of the powers at play just out of reach enough that I had to keep reading because I couldn't guess and I was as curious as the characters. 

It was genuinely interesting to read the juxtaposition of the advanced, interplanar society next to the medieval, scientifically illiterate world. To see the similarities between how the amalgamates are treated and how God is thought of. To read about the varying reactions to an unstoppable, unpredictable disease. The attitude that Habidah's team has towards the "backward" people of Nicculoccio's world and the reverence Nicculoccio has towards Habidah's world makes for an interesting dynamic and conversation.

Then there are the thought experiments/meditations. Does the amalgamates refusal to cure the Black Plague equal the force that causes the plague in Habidah's world? Are they equally evil or is one worse than the other? Does the knowledge that nothing you do matters liberate you or trap you? How do you keep moving forward when everything seems pointless or trivial?

As much as I love books with high action and low exposition, every now and then it's good to stretch my brain with a book like this. A book with more philosophy and story than action, but still well balanced and interesting. If you're a fan of historical fiction looking to branch into Sci-Fi or looking for heavier read in general, I recommend this book. It's got plenty of power play drama, religious in-fighting and some actual fighting. It's also got new worlds to discover and governments to destroy. 3.5 hoots!

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Under the Pendulum Sun | Jeannette Ng

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Catherine Helstone has gone to Arcadia, land of the Fae, in search for her brother Laon, a missionary who has failed to follow up with her or his church in some time. Considering the mysterious death of the previous missionary to the Fae Lands, she is anxious to find him. Unfortunately, her long stay in Arcadia is riddled with riddles of a dangerous variety. She must find a way to navigate them while holding onto her own soul. 

Review:

Let me start out by saying: Holy wah. Holy wah! Holy WAH! This book was an amazing read! I can't remember the last time I was tempted to take a day off work just to finish a book! There were so many things to think about and work through! I generally highlight parts of a book that make me think, or to look up later, or that might be clues for the overall story. Usually I highlight just a few things overall. I swear I highlighted almost half the book just because there was so much that struck me! 

You can tell Jeannette Ng has done the research on this. Not just because she has her Master's in Medieval and Renaissance studies (by the way this book takes place in 1800's) but also because of her mastery of the language. She uses the terminology these characters would have used in their time, in their place. My favorite part was that the Fae tell how long it takes to get somewhere, not with time or distance, but stories. For example, the Pale Queen commented to the Salamander that it had been too long since they'd last seen each other.

The Salamander bowed deep, her wet-seeming scales glistening. "It has been as long as it takes to tell a tale, neither long nor short."

And this really gives you an insight into the Fae mindset. If one doesn't measure time by seconds and minutes or distance in feet or meters, it really affects your interpretation of the world around you.

The best part, for me, is that everything ended up making perfect sense. When I got to the end of the book and saw the full scope of this story my jaw dropped in awe. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say that the Mastermind of it all has much more power, influence and insight than I had EVER thought to give them credit for! I was floored by how little I had comprehended! Don't get me wrong, the story's only told from Catherine's perspective, but still! I ended up falling into the same thought trap that she did and I almost never do that! I was so caught up in this story that I was unable to predict, unable to see, except as hindsight. IT WAS AWESOME!

I'll admit, the dark, gothic fantasy genre isn't for everyone. If you are interested in true fairy tales, like the original dark Brother's Grimm stuff, you'll probably like this. There's a lot of theology mixed with mythology that does such a wonderful job of tickling one's curiosity.

I am so in love with this book that I'm pre-ordering it (click the picture above to go to the book's page). I happily give this book 5 hoots and look forward to more books from Jeannette Ng!

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The New Voices of Fantasy | Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman

*Image and book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

A collection of short stories written by some of the best new talent in the genre. Edited together with forewords written by Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman. Topics and stories range from a humorous story of a vampire trying to blend in to a dark story of a woman who lives off of other people's negative thoughts. 

Review:

Probably the biggest compliment I can give this anthology is that I can no longer say there's always one story in every anthology that I don't like. I greatly enjoyed every story in this collection. Every. Single. One. That has never happened before! 

This is an eclectic collection of fantasy, though I will say that, with one or two exceptions, these are all more Urban Fantasy than anything. The tones and moods of the stories, though, are delightfully all over the map. You have silly stories. You have scary stories. You have serious but heartwarming stories. I really feel there's a story for any fan of Urban Fantasy, maybe even all Fantasy fans.

I have added so many new authors to my Goodreads list. Admittedly, these are all short-story authors so I may have to consider joining up with Tor.com to get more regular access to them. If you know anything about Tor.com, please let me know in the comments below.

This anthology was a delight to read and I highly recommend it for fans of the Urban Fantasy genre. More general Fantasy fans may enjoy it as well. There are a couple of stories more up your alley. Fans of the Supernatural genre will also find plenty to enjoy in this collection. For me, I happily give it four hoots!

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The Uploaded | Ferret Steinmetz

*Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

In the future, death is not a problem. The human consciousness gets regularly copied onto servers so that, once you die, you can join Upterlife, literally a virtual utopia. Of course, there are rules. You cannot get in to Upterlife if you are a suicide, if you are a criminal or if the dead judge you to be unworthy. You prove your worth by serving the dead, who have the greatest political say since there are many more of them than there are living. The living have to suffer through soul crushing work and being under constant surveillance by the dead. Amichai, however, has other plans for his life.

Review:

For being based in a world where the dead are connected to everything and the living can connect with each other easier than ever, this book is all about disconnection. The dead no longer have to breathe, eat or sleep so in the many years they've been dead, they've lost touch with the needs of the living. The highly educated director of Amichai's orphanage has several degrees in adolescent psychology but has no clue how to deal with actual teenagers. The living care more about their Upterlife demo time than they do connecting with other living humans. The Neo-Christians are divided into more sects than contemporary Christianity and do not communicate openly as a precaution against involuntary brain scan interrogation. It's really hard not to see parallels to today's real world concerns. 

I'll admit, there were a few tropes in this book. It takes a rebellious teenager to really set things in motion. You have one guy who's the leader of dead and who is willing to sacrifice the living to meet his goals. You have a mentor who is actually more invested in the rebellion than the main character thought. You even have a love triangle. 

Where this book diverges, however, is much more important and poignant. I actually made a comment on Twitter about how where most books would have ended and set up for a sequel, this book just keeps on going (in a good way). The end of this book is a true ending and I'm not wanting this to have a sequel, for all the right reasons. I really feel that this story line is complete. There are no loose threads or questions that still need to be resolved. I thank the author for this; plot holes and loose threads are pain. 

Best of all, this was a very engaging book. I accidentally had a couple long lunch hours because I just needed to keep reading. The characters are well thought out in their personalities and philosophies. It was really easy to feel for them. The world of this book is easy to get into and understand. Heck, one of the villains from this book was so good he kept catching me off guard because I kept underestimating him.

I really enjoyed this book and, if you're a fan of dystopian books, a fan of books about society, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy this one. 4.5 hoots!

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Paradox Bound | Peter Clines

*Book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

Eli Teague is waiting for someone. He's met Harry twice, when Eli was in elementary school, then again when he was 13. Each time, Harry's never aged and has always shown up in a Model A with an engine that runs on water. Each time she's been followed by the Faceless Men. When Eli, all grown up, finds out Harry is in danger, he heads out to warn her and gets caught up in history traveling (not time traveling) quest for the American Dream.

Review:

This book is very different from other Clines books that I've read. He has a reference in it to the world of two of his other books (14 and The Fold) which I appreciated. But other than that, this is a very different book. I'll admit, it's not my kind of book, but I still enjoyed it. I'm not usually one for historical fiction, but this book was kind of like National Treasure but with history travel (again, not time travel). I appreciated that the ending was different enough from what I as predicting. There's also a strong sense of humor throughout and the two main characters don't fall in love by the end of the book. All things I enjoy reading. Overall, it was a nice step outside my usual genre. 3 hoots!

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How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe | Charles Yu

Summary:

Charles Yu is a time-machine repair man who spends most of his time in a pocket universe with just his computer, TAMMY (who's avatar looks like a sexy librarian) and Ed, a dog that exists, yet doesn't. Mentally he's been in a kind of stasis since his father disappeared in time. He rarely visits his mother whose retirement plan is reliving the same hour every hour for the rest of her life. Everything gets thrown off, however, when he sees his future self walking towards him.

Review:

I was introduced to Charles Yu via an anthology (Press Start to Play). After reading the entire book, his short story was the one that stuck with me the most, so I knew I had to pick up something else, anything else, that he'd written. When I was at the bookstore, I found this one and bought it. At the checkout, the woman behind the counter even told me "That's a really good book!" So, going in, the standards for this book were set quite high. Yu delivered and then some.

This book is so very different in all the right ways. The combination of scientific, linguistic and narrative terminology to explain time travel was humorous and sensible at the same time. The observations and experiences are poignant and resonated with me long after I finished the book. Though I've never experienced many of the things the main character does, I still felt him to be incredibly relatable. I felt his pain, his dad's pain and his mom's pain. For a book about science fictional universes, this book feels very well steeped in reality. This book made me laugh and almost made me cry. 

I really want to talk about plot points, even jokes, but I'm so afraid of giving spoilers. This entire book is an experience and I don't want to ruin that experience for anyone who may read it. I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful this book is to me. The entire experience of perception versus reality, free will versus fate, I immediately wanted to read it all over again.

When I finished reading, I experienced a kind of high that I don't get from a lot of books. The kind where I didn't want to pick up any other books for hours because I was in such a good mood over how beautiful this book is. I smiled for the rest of the night. I'm recommending it to people with even a slight interest in science fiction. 5 Hoots!

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Rift | Lieke Arends

Summary:

Naran Stalwart is a Swedish born, Minnesota resident, scientist who gets invited to live among the Didelians, a nomadic group that performs shows throughout Europe and the United States and accomplish feats that make people question reality. No one has ever been invited to join the Didelians. In fact, very little is known about their culture or how they accomplish such incredible feats. Naran goes on a journey to learn about Didelians and herself.

Review:

There is a lot to like about this book. The characters and the Didelian culture in general are quite interesting. The guided meditations Naran is taken on are effective for readers as well. There is plenty of good natured humor and some cute animals. Most of all, there is a sense of wonder throughout almost every single chapter, especially those describing the Didelian shows. 

I always appreciate when magic and science can work together. While the Didelians use what we would call magic, Naran's training requires science terminology that the Didelians are able to expand on for her. 

My biggest problem with this book is that so much of it felt like an exposition dump. This is not a short book and I get that a lot of the concepts the author wants to discuss are not quickly or easily done. There were so many times, unfortunately, that I found myself skipping ahead a bit because it was just so much exposition., Honestly, there was enough of it that, by the time I had finished the first few chapters of the book, I had figured the two or three "surprises" revealed in the last few chapters. 

If you're interested in a fiction that creates an entire race dedicate to helping people expand their minds using physics-breaking techniques, this is a good story. For me, I won't be picking up more books in the series. I appreciate what the author was trying to do and the Didelians had so much charm about them, but for me, it fell a little flat. 3 hoots!

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Philosophy 100 Essential Thinkers | Philip Stokes

*Book and Image provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

From the publisher: 

Philosophy will serve as an excellent guide for those interested in knowing about individual thinkers--such as Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau and Nietzsche, to name just a few--and the questions and observations that inspired them to write. By presenting individual thinkers, details of their lives and the concerns and circumstances that motivated them, this book makes philosophy come to life as a relevant and meaningful approach to thinking about the contemporary world.

Review:

This book is pretty much what you would expect it to be based on the title and the publisher's summary. It is a glimpse into the lives and philosophies of 100 western philosophers. As someone with a BA in Philosophy, I can tell you that this was a pretty pleasant refresher. If you are looking for a place to start in terms of studying philosophy, this is a good book.

I do wish that Stokes had either specified that it would be all western philosophers or that he would have included some alternate philosophies. In the US you don't normally get to study philosophers outside of western philosophy, and I had hoped that this book would introduce me to some new people. Also, while I applaud the idea that all the philosophers get the same number of pages, it was evident the author had problems with this. Sometimes the pages would be dense and you felt much was left out, other times they would be sparse and you could tell things were stretched.

If you're teaching or taking a Philosophy 101 course, this could be a good supplement. If you're wondering where to begin in your own personal philosophy readings, this is a good place to start. Overall, I give this book 3 hoots.

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School of Deaths | Christopher Mannino

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Death is not one person, it's a collective of men taken from the world of the living and trained for years to reap the souls of the living. There hasn't been a female Death for a million years because, last time there was one, bad things happened. Imagine everyone's surprise when Suzie is called to take her place as a Death.

Review:

I was hesitant to accept this book because I've had some really bad experiences with YA books and teen, female leads, but this ended up being a good read with a couple of surprises. Despite the main characters being 13 and 14 years of age (give or take) the characters are smart, and sometimes even clever, and mature in their actions. Then again, in a world where the main sport causes pain and paralysis in it's players, you kinda have to grow up fast. 

As good a read as the story is, I find the world to be even more intriguing. I greatly appreciate that the Deaths are not the reasons people die, they are just there to transport souls to the afterlife. The Deaths take their work seriously. Heck, they have to be licensed before they can work by themselves after all, "this is a profession."* The book introduces us to Elementals ('Mentals) and references the land of Dragons, keeping both of these open for the next two books. 

Some parts of the story were predictable. I'm not going to say them because, well, spoilers. But I still walked away from this book feeling good about what I had read. Publicists for this book compare it to Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson, and, while I can kinda see why, I don't think these comparisons are quite right. I feel that this book is good enough to stand on its own feet. It doesn't need these kinda weak comparisons to be successful. This is a good YA fantasy book for just about anyone, and I don't care for a lot of YA books, so that's saying something. 

School of Deaths has an attention keeping story, and intriguing world, and good characters. While the whole "million years" aspect seemed a bit silly, the rest of the book was solid. I'm genuinely curious enough about other aspects of this world that I want to read the next two books. 4 hoots!

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*Chapter 3

The Imitation Game | Jim Ottaviani

*This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

This book is a graphic novel interpretation of the life and research of Alan Turing, told from the perspectives of the people who new him best as well as his own correspondences. 

Review:

I really liked this book. The artwork was well done, the book was well researched, and the story was very intriguing. This isn't just a book about math or logic. This is a book about World War II history,  breaking the German Enigma machines, and the gender bias in British Army. This book even has the first computers! That's how intriguing Turing's life really is, it involves so much world history.

Yes, there are long(ish) segments where Turing talks through his ideas on logic, but they are written in a natural language that makes a lot more sense to a layman than a logic book. What's funny to me is that the artwork for these streams of consciousness, it often shows Turing moving on ahead while his acquaintances are left behind, having problems keeping up with him. Considering how few people seemed to understand him, it makes sense in the moment and overall.

 This is not just a book for mathematicians or logicians. This is a good read for people interested in cryptography, World War II, LGBT history, or even just real life drama. The art style is appropriate for the story and the dialogue is easy to read. I happily give The Imitation Game 4.5 Hoots!

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Mars One: Humanity's Next Great Adventure | Norbert Kraft, MD

*Image and ebook provided by NetGalley

Summary:

A collection of essays answering vital questions about the Mars One project. Namely how the chosen astronauts will survive, physically and mentally. What kinds of technology we still need to develop. Where the funding for the project will come from. It also includes a short story about an average day of the first four colonists.

Review:

Like many people, I am skeptical about a one-way trip to Mars However, I would be very happy to have my skepticism be proven wrong. The world needs something to look forward to, something for all of us to be proud of and be a unifying thing. If this works out, the colonization of Mars could have one of the strongest impacts on our world. 

My favorite thing about this book is that it shows that this venture was not taken up lightly. Research has been done and is still being done, to make sure that everyone who goes to Mars survives it. There has also been considerable work in weeding out personalities that just wouldn't make it or would be difficult for a team to work/live with. 

As far as readability, there were a couple of things here and there that were of less interest to me (one essay specifically addresses legal issues). But if you have any interest in space travel, technology, survival, or even psychology, you will find this book interesting. At the very least, I learned that, while I'd love to support this project, I am not candidate material. I think I'm okay with that.

For a non-fiction book, I found it to be a pretty easy read and one that I'd like to see revised as the project moves forward and more understanding of practicalities develops and new technologies become publicly available. Who knows how much of the content of these essays will need to be updated in the next 10 years? I happily give Mars One 4 hoots and would love to read any and all revised editions.

                 Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoot! Hoot!

Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? by Consolmagno, SJ and Mueller, SJ

I was delighted to get to review this book. While I never have been, and never will be, Catholic, I'm always appreciative of books that show the compatibility of religion and science.  Both authors are Jesuits who work for the Vatican Observatory and they are presenting 6 of the most commonly asked questions they get and they discuss the different answers and ways to answer them. More importantly, to me, they also discuss WHY people ask these questions.*

The entire book is written as a dialogue between Consolmagno and Mueller. I haven't read a non-fiction book like this since getting my BA in Philosophy. It was definitely a nice change of pace and I greatly appreciated the humor the two shared and their interactions. This made the discussion of the big questions seem a lot more manageable. It also makes this a less reference heavy read. It's just a discussion. There really aren't any footnotes to distract you or make you feel like you're reading a textbook.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is having their own struggles with religion/science. I also recommend that you recommend this book to anyone who claims the two can't work together. And I happily give this book 4 hoots!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!Hoot!

*This feeds into the whole science-religion-compatibility thing I was thankful for.
**I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.