Theatre of the Mind by Jay Ingram

This is the first read so far where I can honestly say that this book changed my life. Extremely thought-provoking. Reminds me of my undergraduate days when topics such as these were discussed well into the wee hours of the morning. I will purchase this book for both my sons who, like myself, took/are taking philosophy courses at university. By some coincidence, my husband, a scientist, and I recently had a huge discussion (ok, heated argument) about whether or not robots could be said to be conscious. So this was a very timely topic for me. And as a bonus, Jay Ingram has no problem writing science for non-science people. A page-turner. Also a perfect non-fiction pick for a book club. I truly think this book is best experienced when it can be discussed amongst readers. Really hoping to get some comments from fellow readers on this one!

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

For someone who finds it hard to read non-fiction, this was a page turner. Written in the style of The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester where we have two stories being told "at once," knowing that sooner or later they will interconnect. Erik Larson decides to interweave the story of the Crippen murder and Marconi's story of commercializing wireless telegraphy. Although this truly was a fascinating read, I found the "back-and-forthing" less effective here as an architecture. The reader has to go back and forth too often - one chapter at a time and the thread is often lost (maybe my fault?). The author all-too-often would use the stylistic technique of hinting at things to come, as in "and this would prove to be significant," or "little did he know that ...." but I found that the "tie-up" didn't happen quickly enough for me to remember these little hints or cues. Nevertheless, a great read, full of interesting facts that don't bog down the narrative at all. The book left me wanting more information and isn't that a good thing? I think so.