What I've Been Reading

Fruitless Fall: Honeybees are fascinating little creatures, and this book discusses their recent trials and triumphs. The book follows the attempts at diagnosing colony collapse disorder (CCD) in the honeybees of North America. The book goes on to talk about the difficulties of scaling complex, biological systems to meet our food requirements. Overall, I found it an interesting examination of several complex systems and organisms, and would suggest this book to any engineer or scientist. Or anyone who wants motivation to buy fancy honey.

Pride and Prejudice: I never had to read this book in high school, but figured I should probably pick it up at some point. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the story was, but I was disappointed in how little Austen examined Darcy's motives. Also, very few of the main characters perform any sort of work, they just seem to talk, think and feel a whole lot. Overall it was worth the read, but I don't see myself reading it again. I think Wuthering Heights has better stood the test of time.

Reaper Man: Terry Pratchett's Death is one of my favorite (dare I say favourite) personifications. I love reading his novels on airplanes, the humor is enough to keep me focused during the distracting flights. In between hilarious stories involving wizards chasing shopping carts and an undead support group, Pratchett manages to make a point about humans misinterpreting the natural force of death. If you want some light reading with serious undertones, a good read. If you're looking for something a shade darker, there is always Soul Music from the same author.

I'm excited about lots of books in my unread queue, though they're all non-fiction. I'm looking forward the most to The Big Necessity, which discusses the history of human waste and sewage.