Book Recs of the Day 10/6-10/11/2008

THE SONG IS YOU

Shakespeare called it “the food of love”; John Cage described it as “a means of rapid transportation”; cognitive neuroscientist (and former record producer) Levitin implies that it is as active as a drug in the way it connects directly to our brains. The book starts with the basics of music and neuroscience, but keep reading, because the rest—exploring such matters as the brain’s reaction to music, music’s role in evolution, why we like the music we like—is a lively work from a man with an infectious enthusiasm for his subject.

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC: THE SCIENCE OF A HUMAN OBSESSION, by Daniel J. Levitin (Dutton, 2006)

FRIENDS AND LOVERS

“From the opening gun, Sisman delivers pleasant prose, clever repartee, and insight into the differences between men and women. . . . A pleasure to read.”—The Boston Globe

British art dealer Freya and struggling writer Jack have been friends for years. They are both thirtysomethings, living their hip single lives in Manhattan. When she breaks up with her live-in boyfriend, Jack invites her to share his apartment until she can find her own. Of course, that’s when the fun begins. These characters are winning and witty, and the book is simply delightful.

JUST FRIENDS, by Robyn Sisman (Ballantine Books, 2002)

ROBOT WARS

Wilson holds degrees from the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University and has worked at Intel Research Seattle and Microsoft Research, to name a few. So he knows a few things about robots. He teaches us about the latest advances in the field while showing us how to recognize when robots, and other smart machines such as microwave ovens, are about to rebel. And for when the fateful uprising begins, he offers simple tips about what to do.

HOW TO SURVIVE A ROBOT UPRISING: TIPS ON DEFENDING YOURSELF AGAINST THE COMING REBELLION, by Daniel H. Wilson (Bloomsbury USA, 2005)

Charley LeBlanc is the black-sheep son of Virginia aristocrats. At a family gathering, a bomb kills his oldest brother’s entire family. Charley is suspect number one, and this novel is the tale of his struggle to prove his innocence. Hoffman, author of ten other books, is able to create vivid characters and move them easily and entertainingly through a compelling if somewhat formulaic plot. The West Virginia characters are a special pleasure.

TIDEWATER BLOOD, by William Hoffman (Harper Paperbacks, 2002)

As history, as literature, as autobiography, this book is one of the gold standards in American letters. Unless you are very young, you’ve probably read it, but how long ago? It’s time to read it again, with all the insight you have gained since you first read it. Adams viewed his country through the mirror of himself and his family. What he saw gave him a great deal for his acute and wide-ranging mind to mull over. We, his fortunate readers, enjoy the result, a work arresting, entertaining, and profound.

THE EDUCATION OF HENRY ADAMS, by Henry Adams (1918; Oxford World Classics, 1999)

A horrible virus is killing three women in a Baltimore hospital. Dr. Nathaniel McCormick from the Centers for Disease Control must find out what the virus is and where it came from before a major, lethal epidemic gets under way. The smart, brash McCormick must contend with, among other things, an old girlfriend, a murder victim who happens to have had sex with all three patients, and treachery by people who are trying to thwart his investigation. Isolation Ward is absolutely everything you want a medical thriller to be—a genuine page-turner.

ISOLATION WARD, by Joshua Spanogle (Delacorte Press, 2006)