October Reading List

Disclaimer: I have not read any of these books so all of these descriptions are just assumptions that I am extrapolating so take all of them with a grain of salt 🙂

1        Prose Fiction

1.1      Exile and the Kingdom by Albert Camus

Interestingly, this collection of six short stories was published the same year that Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (1957). However, its literary significance has been overshadowed by Camus’s other works, most notably The Stranger, The Plague, and The Myth of Sisyphus. Below is an excerpt from the blurb on the back of the Vintage International edition (translated by Carol Cosman with a foreword by Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk):

“A wife can only surrender to a desert night by betraying her husband. A missionary brutally converted to the worship of a tribal fetish is left with but an echo of his identity. Whether set in North Africa, Paris, or Brazil, these stories are probing portraits of spiritual exile and man’s perpetual search for an inner kingdom in which to be reborn.”

1.2      The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Does this book need an introduction? Hopefully I will finally get around to this science fiction and popular culture staple.

1.3      King, Queen, Knave by Vladimir Nabokov

Nabokov regarded this novel as unaffected by the “expatriation, destitution, and nostalgia” that dominated much of his life prior to America. Following what appears to be a trio of characters, emotional incest and poorly matched couples make way for an “elaborate and rapturous composition” (translated by Vladimir’s son, Dmitri Nabokov).

2        Drama

2.1      The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

Full disclosure: I am reading this for Quiz Bowl. In contrast to other famous Williams plays, such as A Streetcar Named Desire, this play lacks memorable character names. One can always remember Stanley Kowalski and Blanche DuBois but who remembers Amanda and Jim?

2.2      Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett

This honestly just sounds delightful:

“Krapp’s Last Tape evolves a shattering drama out of a monologue of a man, who after thirty years, plays back the autobiographical tape he had recorded on his thirty-ninth birthday.”

3        Nonfiction

3.1      Life’s Engines: How Microbes Made Earth Habitable by Paul G. Falkowski

This constitutes my self-imposed mandatory popular biology book of the month. To be fair though, this one sounds fairly intriguing. Not to mention, I would love to learn more about the early organisms of Earth – perhaps ancient microbes will provide salvation once the planet is ruined.

3.2      Physical Theory: Method and Interpretation by Lawrence Sklar

Perhaps the densest work on my list, Physical Theory is a collection of nine scientific essays collected by Lawrence Sklar, with topics ranging from the scientific method to foundational issues in statistical mechanics. It’s highly possible that this book will end up being a two-month endeavor.

3.3      The Little Book of String Theory by Steven S. Gubser

I will readily admit that I am one of those who view string theory as physics mumbo-jumbo. Perhaps this “accessible yet entertaining” will change my mind on the topic.

3.4      QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter by Richard Feynman

Book is still on order from Amazon, but I believe it’s a collection of lectures from the famed Caltech professor. Oh and by the way: QED stands for quantum electrodynamics.

3.5      Impossible?  by Julian Havil

Linear Algebra is wonderful right now and so I have been seeking out more mathematics recently. “Part one” is a seemingly wonderful romp through unintuitive math paradoxes, including Simpson’s paradox and Cantor’s Paradise. I am very excited.

3.6      Birth of a Theorem: A Mathematical Adventure by Cedric Villani

Part two (and also on order from Amazon still) of my newfound math love is this memoir by 2010 Fields Medalist, Cedric Villani. I know nothing except he loves violin (Prokofiev Concerto No. 2!) and manga. Sounds like pretty much a perfect fit.

 

-dwmalu

P.S. I’m glad to be back!