The Clockwork Universe

So I started reading this book, then I put it down to read Sookie Stackhouse, then I picked it up again, but now it's due back at the library, so I'm not going to finish it. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend it, or that I didn't like what I read.

Dolnick's writing style is very conversational, it's not over-the-top academic at all, which makes for an enjoyable read. And what I read of the book was not really the story of Isaac Newton, but more the story of the circumstances of the world in the 1600's the allowed an Isaac Newton to come into being.

I'm not a scientific person, but I do love history, and I think people in both of those groups will enjoy this book. I may put it on hold again so I can finish it.

The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World

Dead in the Family

It's been a while since I read a Sookie Stackhouse book, but I was ready for something a little lighter. I really enjoyed this one, although I think I've skipped at least one book because I didn't recall all the events she talks about.

If you are familiar with the series, or watch True Blood on HBO (which is based on the books), then you know all about Sookie the mind-reader and her undead, two-natured, and Fae friends in Bon Temps, Louisiana. If you aren't familiar with the series but like fantasy (particularly vampires), then I recommend you start with the first Sookie book, Dead Until Dark. Harris writes very "real" fantasy, and the characters are super-likeable.

Reading the novel inspired me to put the first DVD of True Blood on my NetFlix (I don't have HBO). A friend told me that people who read the books generally don't care for the series, but we shall see.

Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 10)

The Happiness Project

This is an interesting and insightful book in which Gretchen Rubin outlines her year spent trying to make herself and those around her happier. She admits up front that she isn't particularly unhappy when she starts the project, but she just feels that she and her family and friends could benefit from more happiness in their lives. Full disclosure, I haven't finished the book, I'm only up to July, but a library book I'd had on hold came in so I put this aside for the time being.

Rubin is a good writer with an accessible style. She does a nice job of interspersing personal anecdotes with research about the causes and consequences of happiness. She doesn't set herself up as any paragon of perfection and she is forthcoming about her mistakes and shortcomings.

I've read a little over half the book and I will definitely finish it at some point in the near future. I've also already checked out Rubin's blog (http://www.happiness-project.com) and signed up for the Moment of Happiness daily email. Although I doubt this book will cause any epiphanies for anybody, it's a book that makes you want to try to improve your outlook on life, even if just in little ways, and that's a pretty positive thing.

The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun