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Ever wonder about all those stories of the near-death phenomenon, psychic energy, UFOs, or ghosts? Throughout cultural history, mankind has experienced many oddities of reality, and until now, no one adequately had a rational or scientific explanation. Here comes Michael Talbot, whose life-long fascination with the paranormal propelled him to further investigate these anomalies of life. Exploring the theories of David Bohm in quantum physics, and the seminal work of Karl Pribam in neuroscience, these men, among others, theorize that the universe might be an all-encompassing hologram and that the experiences of the mystics and ordinary people through the ages were not fantasies, but real events. Bridging the gap between conventional science and spirituality, Talbot offers a wealth of testimonials to the above theories, written in easy-to-understand prose, and in fascinating detail. Don’t miss it!

Reviewed by Rosanne L., Matthews Branch

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In September 1900, atmospheric conditions, bureaucratic regulations, and the limits of contemporary communications and knowledge combined to create a disaster when a tropical storm suddenly changed directions, transformed itself into a hurricane, and headed straight toward Galveston, Texas. A brief history of weather studies, a summary of Weather Bureau Chief Isaac Cline’s life, an introduction to the community, and an overview of the mood of the times provide context for the devastating storm. Once the hurricane hit, death, destruction, and seemingly miraculous salvation characterized the storm’s attack on people while it indiscriminately destroyed the city. Isaac’s Storm conveys the frightening power of nature with a sobering yet fascinating sense of immediacy that leaves the reader feeling like one of the drenched, exhausted survivors.

Reviewed by Charles D., Morrison Regional

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Very interesting and moving in light of what has happened with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
-Angela, Concord, NC

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I'd like to tell you my favorite book and two others on my list. I like all three because they are about context -- where we are in place and in time -- and how we got from there to here. My favorite is Dava Sobel's Longitude: the True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. This is a wonderful, witty, fascinating, at once highly technical and breathtakingly simple story of John Harrison, who figured out how to make a timepiece that would keep accurate time anywhere -- in any kind of weather -- aboard ships, a solution that allowed navigators to finally determine accurately their longitude and -- coupled with their existing ability to determine latitude -- to know where they were on the face of the earth. Sobel proves that technical writing can produce a riveting story -- and be funny and informative as well. I'm currently reading Clark Blaise's Time Lord: Sir Sandford Fleming and the Creation of Standard Time. This is about how scientists and government officials in the 19th century finally came to agreement on standard time. Prior to that there were thousands upon thousands of local times, all pegged to the local solar noon. The drawing of travel schedules, with the advent of trains and steamboats that were far faster than wagon teams or sailing vessels, was simply a nightmare. Blaise's account of how this was resolved is a good read. Next on my list is John Noble Wilford's The Mapmakers: the Story of the Great Pioneers in Cartography -- from Antiquity to the Space Age. I don't know whether it'll be any good, but Wilford has won two Pulitzer Prizes for reporting on technical subjects, and I'm looking forward to getting into it.

Reviewed by Jack B., Associate Editor, The Charlotte Observer

This book review was submitted by a celebrity reviewer.

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Like the title implies, this book contains a wealth information on folk remedies and alternative healing methods. If you love to read about natural science and the human body, and don't get queasy, this is fascinating stuff! And as we are discovering, our ancestors learned how to treat injury and disease, through trial and error, with what was available around them. You may not ever want to be treated with leeches, but in some cases they do outperform modern medicine. Ick!

Reviewed by Pam R., Main Library

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It seems science has gone full circle! The authors show that the best medicine is the one you think will work, regardless of who administers it or what they utilize. I for one am happy to get my health for 'free' as it is entirely possible. Once emergency procedures are finished and our life has been saved, it appears that our healing mostly depends on our own inner functions. If only this book had been written in laymen's language, it would have become a best seller!
-John, Tamworth, NSW

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The twelve-step journey from do to do took centuries to reach the evenly spaced tones accepted as equal temperament tuning. After Pythagoras calculated the mathematical relationships between notes, their ratios were regarded as divinely inspired signs of the natural order. Despite the dissonance of the Pythagorean scale, attempts to adjust (temper) the notes’ intervals for a more harmonious sound encountered tremendous resistance. This short book presents a fascinating overview of the musical, mathematical, religious, scientific, philosophical, and artistic influences that interacted to challenge people’s sense of the world. Read Equal Temperament while listening to your favorite music for a new appreciation of the surprisingly involved concept of tuning and for a greater understanding of a debate that leapt from the keyboard to the universe.

Reviewed by Charles D., Morrison Regional

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Move over Steve Hawking, and tell Mr. Einstein the news. The Earth may not be flat, but the universe is. And that’s just the start of it. Tears in the space-time continuum, multiple universes and dimensions, faster-than-light-speed communication, the nature of creation… In this wonderfully enlightening book, Brian Greene explains it all. Using popular culture references such as Homer Simpson and the X-Files, Greene illustrates in everyman language the scope of modern astrophysics and cosmological theory. He explores string theory, the most successful attempt at a unified field theory, in a convincing and understandable way. The spookiest part about this book is that the science backs it up.

Reviewed by Nathan C., Main Library

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Gould was one of the most eloquent writers on evolutionary biology in particular and natural history as a whole. His essay collections are routinely fascinating, and move through a diverse range of subjects. The best of them is probably Dinosaur in a Haystack, a 1995 essay collection that covers subjects as diverse as the evolutionary views of Tennyson, Hitler's "Final Solution", Edgar Allan Poe's authorship of a book about snails, "Cordelia’s Dilemma" and how it exposes publication bias in the sciences, and the wonder of seeing a solar eclipse in New York City. Gould truly was a master of the popular science field, we can only hope to see his like again.

Reviewed by Ian R., North County Regional

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Anyone who thinks the Bermuda Triangle has been neatly resolved needs to read Quasar’s new analysis. Meticulously researched, no author to date has compiled so much data regarding this Caribbean hotspot, notorious for devouring both ships and planes over the centuries. Maddeningly, entire crews and craft are not only unaccounted for, they literally “disappear” – leaving no hint of what transpired, very often in a blink of an eye. One pilot insists his plane was suddenly enveloped in a strange ‘tunnel,’ and upon exiting the tunnel, ended up hundreds of miles away in just a matter of minutes! Similar eerie occurrences happen to ships and their crew – even after immediate and exhaustive searches, no bodies or artifacts are ever found. Is there some unknown force, some magnetic undersea anomaly that pulls both planes and ships into a vortex, or even into some 4th dimension of time and space? Strange, but true accounts in this unusual but very interesting new look at an enduring mystery.

Reviewed by Rosanne L., Matthews Branch

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Stephen Jay Gould was famous for his ability to explain science to the general public. As well as being a master communicator, Gould was also an expert at reimagining scientific perceptions. His look at evolution from a non-gradual point of view gave us punctuated equilibrium. In this book he revolutionizes the way we should look at trends in populations. With entertaining examples such as the death of .400 hitting in baseball and why museums are incorrect to use the horse to illustrate evolution, he shows us the world of statistics, and explains why it is important to look at whole populations, not just their upper or lower extremes. A fascinating book by one of the best science writers of all time.

Reviewed by Ian R., North County Regional

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While working for various technology and defense journals, Nick Cook stumbled over clues to a secret world of scientific research deep within the military industrial complex. In scenes that remind one of Bob Woodward's meetings with Deep Throat, Cook describes his multi-year quest to get to the bottom of one of the great phantom stories of modern physics and military technology: antigravity. He traces the history of the research from its early days in the Third Reich to modern inquiries into anti-gravity technology and zero point energy. The cast of characters range from the reputable to the insane, and although Cook never stumbles on a clear answer, many interesting questions are raised, including the possibility of infinite, cheap energy and breaking the light barrier.

Reviewed by Nathan C., Main Library

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The CIA has done plenty of wacky things in its history. What wasn't known, at least as a matter of official historical fact until the early 1990's, is that the CIA actively recruited, trained and used, as spies, psychics from around the world. President Bill Clinton put an official stop to the program, and declassified much of the information relating to the CIA's 'Stargate' program, and the bulk of this book relies on recently declassified information. Using facilities and professors from some of the United States most reputable colleges and universities, the CIA ran a thirty-year psychic spy program that rivals a great science fiction plot. A quirky, engaging look at one of the more odd subhistories of American intelligence during the Cold War.

Reviewed by Nathan C., Main Library

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At first it feels no different from a flu. Quickly, the back pains start, followed by uncontrollable fever and blistering. Your insides begin to liquify, and in a matter of a few days, you're dead, your internal organs have literally melted. Reader, meet Ebola. Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone explores Ebola from its first appearances in the rain forests of Africa to its one outbreak in the United States, at a monkeyhouse in Reston, Virginia, a short drive from Washington, D.C. He focuses on the history of the disease, and gives us a look into the high security world of the CDC and the U.S. military's viral technicians. Truth is often more frightening than fiction. Enjoy the book, and don't forget to wash your hands.

Reviewed by Nathan C., Main Library

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It sometimes seems tough to find common ground between science and religion. The temporal and the physical can seem to be in competition, with people having to accept one side to the exclusion of the other. This is nowhere more true than in the question of origins. As a cell biologist and a devout Catholic, Kenneth Miller is able to not just find common ground between the two, but show how they are interlinked in his life. This book is both a spirited and well-thought-out defense of evolutionary theory, and an intriguing spiritual examination. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Ian R., North County Regional

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