American Scientists List of 100 or so books that shaped a century of science

Sometime in the past, the good people at American Scientist decided to publish a list of scientific books that shaped 20th century science. My aim is to read all of them. Yes, I hear you! Its a tall task, but probably by the end of my life I would read a good amount of them. So to put into perspective I decided to list the books that I have already read, either partly or in full from that list. To see the original list, click here. Here goes my sub list from that list.

Books that I read in 2014

The last year (2014) was not a very good one for me, book-wise. I didn't read a lot of books, and the fiction titles that I read last year disappointed me a bit. The year was a very busy one for me academically and it was a bit successful in that front. Also, if you do not do an activity for a long time, it really gets difficult to take up that activity again. For me, reading books had taken a backseat after I joined university in 2009, and so 2014 was also not an exception. But I did manage to read some really good books in the last year too. Since August 2014 I have started to keep track of the books that I have read here. One of my new year resolution is to read at least 10 books each of fiction and non-fiction titles in this year. Here I give a brief account.

Book Review: Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman

Can an extraordinary scientist be at the same time a really funny man? Can he be a trickster of the highest degree? Well, after reading Richard P. Feynman’s series of biographical anecdotes titled “Surely You’re Joking Mr. Feynman”, I am sure everyone will agree to it. Feynman was one of the greatest theoretical physicists of the 20^th century who got the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965. Apart from being an excellent physicist, Feynman was at the same time an extraordinary teacher and a passionate human being. Feynman had a charm and wit that made the world seem so real, so easy. His rugged looks and an extraordinary sense of self-confidence made him a natural with anybody to talk to. This book is a collection of written our taped conversations that Feynman had with his long-time friend Ralph Leighton. The style of the book is not at all autobiographical, but we do see a trait of an autobiography in it.

Book Review: Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track

A perfect book is a blend of rare joy, charm and wisdom. And a book that I recently read fits the exact description. “Perfectly reasonable deviations from the beaten track” is a collection of letters written to and by the Nobel Prize winning American theoretical physicist, Richard P. Feynman. The book also contains some articles written about Feynman. Meticulously edited and introduced by his daughter, Michelle Feynman, this book for the first time gives a peek into the human world of a person revered throughout the world for his scientific works.