and 101 other questions
compiled and edited by Mick O'Hare, New Scientist
This book appeals on all sorts of levels. It is great for the curious, excellent for those interested in Science, valuable for the hoarders of trivia, and a good “dip in” book (i.e. one you can read in random chunks). I was only a few pages in when I recognised some familiar material. The reason is that I regularly read New Scientist, and the whole book is drawn from the back pages of that magazine... in particular the section where readers pose questions and other (well informed) readers answer them.
I was interested in the section on why Bond required martinis to be “shaken not stirred”... a number of complex theories were proposed and courageously tested. Other questions arise from natural curiosity (“Why are there no green mammals?”) or from keen and well informed observation (“why is the moon as bright as a cloud in the daytime sky when their albedos are quite different?”)
Some of the answer are whimsical and playful, but alongside these there is always an attempt at a good science based answer. In some cases readers propose a variety of explanations, and a sample of these is often given, leaving the reader of the book the job of deciding which is the most satisfactory account.
The material is fine for any age (unless you are worried by the martinis). The explanations range from the general (perhaps Middle School and up) and the reasonably technical.
review by Andrew Lack
A whole lot of stuff about Birdwatching
by Sean Dooley
I have a personal passion for books you dip in to, rather than read cover to cover. Yes, I dip into dictionaries, into Fowler’s English Usage, and into my Guide to Tracking South African Animals. It was with great pleasure that I spotted this book and now commend it to you. Dipping books actually last longer than cover-to-cover books, and they can be useful when your day or evening is too full to allow yourself the luxury of stretching out for a good read.
Sean Dooley is an Australian writer and journalist. In Anoraks to Zitting Cisticola he bares his private obsession... for bird watching.
I was lucky enough to have seen The Big Twitch on television, an entertaining documentary about bird watching that Sean devised. This book has the same delightful blend of straight information and wry, self depreciating humour. He knows it is an odd obsession, with its own code of conduct, its own history of scandal and its own boulevard of stars. Sean is one of them, holding the Australian record of the most birds seen in one year.
The book is laid out as an alphabetical encyclopaedia... entries that caught my eye include “Captain Twitchpants”, Parabolic Grot” and “Armchair Ticks”. The Zitting Cisticola of the title is in fact a type of marsh warbler. Don’t think, however, that this is about ornithology. There are plenty of birds discussed, but so are the bird watchers, their clothes (anorak) and accessories (binoculars), their tribal habits and customs. If this book had been written by a mocking outsider, it would not work. As it is written by a real insider, he can entertain us with his gentle digs at the idiosyncrasies he is only too familiar with.
Recommended for Middle School and up, a different type of book but thoroughly enjoyable in its own quirky way.
by Tangey Penny
Richard Feynman was an American physicist who received a Nobel prize in 1965. Catherine is a bright school girl who especially enjoys her Maths and Science classes. Her father tells her about Richard Feynman, and gives her a poster. She starts to read anecdotes about his life in a book he published called Surely Your Joking Mr Feynman.
Catherine’s life becomes increasingly complex as she tries to sort out a crush on a boy, where she fits in with the groups at school, dealing with a very bright and confident boy who arrives at the school, and ultimately with her parents marriage problems. She decides to put her thoughts into words by writing to Feynman, even though he is dead. As she reads more of the book about him she finds that even her hero has aspects of his life she cannot admire.
This is a charming and thoughtful book that touches on a number of real situations for young people, and from the point of view of a young high achiever. It would be most suited to younger high school students but is a thought provoking and enjoyable read for older students. The book consists entirely of letters to Feynman, but the overall storytelling still works well.
I must confess that I had similar mixed reactions to the Feynman book, so I found this book especially engaging. While some things get sorted out in Catherine’s life, we leave her contemplating the great sadness in the life of one of her friends, so the book balances hope with an understanding of difficulties that deeply impact some teenagers.
