Updates to Archive of Book Reviews by Fred Bortz

THE SCIENCE SHELF NEWSLETTER

News about the Science Shelf archive of book reviews, columns, and comments by Fred Bortz

Issue #3, January, 2005: What Are You Reading?

Dear Science Readers,

Happy New Year!

One of the best parts of being a book reviewer is always having an interesting answer to one of my favorite questions. What have you been reading lately?

I begin the New Year for The Science Shelf with my answer to that question and two great additions to the site. But before I tell you about those titles, let me ask you the same question. What have you been reading lately?

I'm hoping to make The Science Shelf a place where readers share their finds with each other. If you have a recommendation, just e-mail me the author and title, and I'll create a page for that book. I will either keep the recommendation anonymous, use your cyber-alias or, if you permit, your real name and/or e-mail address. Send me a sentence or two or a more detailed review (up to 1000 words) and I'll consider it for publication here. See the Science Shelf guidelines page for more information.

Now without further delay, I present two fascinating titles that are just being published this month. Follow the links for more information.
cover Astro Turf: The Private Life of Rocket Science by M. G. Lord

cover Centauri Dreams: Imagining and Planning Interstellar Exploration by Paul Gilster

My review of Centauri Dreams is scheduled to be published this month in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. I am also hoping that a few other newspapers will also pick it up. Until it appears in print, only a partial version of the review will appear here in electronic form, but it is enough to give everyone an idea of how much I liked this deliciously speculative book.

I am still seeking an assignment to write a full review of Astro Turf, but the link above will take you to a dust jacket blurb by Dava Sobel, author of Longitude and Galileo's Daughter. Sobel's comments are right on target about this fascinating discussion of the intersection of technological history, popular culture, and the author's personal quest.

I'll close this newsletter with a link to the previous newsletter, which has a link to the newletter before that. You can follow such links back to the very first newsletter. Or if you want to find something you remember from an earlier newsletter, you can do a Google search for it on this site. Please feel free to send this URL (www.scienceshelf.com/news.htm) to your friends. And don't forget, you and they can join the Science Shelf's e-mail list to be alerted to the latest news at the site. Please be assured that I will not share your name or e-mail or use them for other purposes.

Again, Happy New Year, and Happy Reading!

Fred Bortz

Browse reviews and "Science Shelf" columns organized by

author
subject -- page to be constructed
book title, and
date of column or book publication, most recent first.
Try a Google search of www.scienceshelf.com and www.fredbortz.com. (Very recent reviews may not yet have been "crawled" by Google spiders. Those are always listed on the date links page.)

I also write children's science books, which you can learn more about at "Dr. Fred's Place".

Thanks for your interest. Please e-mail me comments and suggestions about my reviews or this website.

Note: All materials on this site are the copyrighted property of Alfred B. Bortz. Individuals may print single copies of reviews or columns for their own use. For permission to publish or print multiple copies of any of the materials on this site, please contact the author by e-mail.