Star Stuff

Recently, I’ve been watching a program on TV called Star Talk, hosted by Neil deGrass Tyson. deGrasseTyson is an astrophysicist (say that three times in a row) who has become well-known because of his engaging, approachable personality and hands-on style of teaching difficult concepts. Topics range from Quantum Physics, Quantum Mechanics to Time Travel, Black Holes, Dark Matter, The Walking Dead and more. Yes, I said The Walking Dead.

The format of the show consists of Tyson doing interviews. Some are done via video conferencing and some in person with guests in the studio. The studio guests are normally a comedian and a professional in one of the fields mentioned above. They then proceed to discuss everything from philosophy to theoretical physics to string theory to pop culture. I love this show! It never fails to push me intellectually. I don’t pretend to fathom everything they discuss but I love trying to understand.

Once before, in April of 2015 I wrote a blog called Look Up about deGrasseTyson and his mentor, Carl Sagan. They both encouraged us to stretch our intellect and to never stop learning. When we think we know everything, we stop growing.

This time of year is the perfect time to remember this.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

THE CHEMIST- DECEMBER 2016 BOOK SELECTION

This month’s book selection is Stephanie Meyer’s second adult fiction novel: The Chemist. I rarely buy hardbacks but I was curious to see how Meyer handles adult fiction. I was also interested to see her subject matter and  if her writing style had changed. I read all four of her hugely successful Twilight series books and enjoyed them. I thought she was still developing as a writer but that her storytelling ability was excellent. Her novels sparked a phenomenon, which is no small thing.

The main character of The Chemist is best described as a female Jason Bourne. The character has many names but the one most used is Alex. I’m giving very little away to say she is a highly-trained employee of a covert agency and is on the run for her life. You learn this information in the first few pages.

This is a hefty book at over five hundred pages and Meyer kept my attention for most of it. Very well-done characterizations make you feel you are meeting the people she has created. I have to say she excels, however, at her rendering of action sequences. They fairly thrum with excitement and heart-pounding situations. Our girl Alex can run with the best of them. A fun read.