What I'm reading ...

I have started Pythagoras by Kitty Ferguson. It was time for non-fiction and this looked potentially interesting. I have no idea where I got the book from. Here’s the blurb:

This is the enthralling story of Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans, whose insights transformed the ancient world and still inspire the realms of science, mathematics, philosophy and the arts.Einstein said that the most incredible thing about our universe was that it was comprehensible at all. As Kitty Ferguson explains in this eye-opening new book, Pythagoras had much the same idea – but 2,500 years earlier.Though many know him only for the so-called Pythagorean theorem, in fact the pillars of our scientific tradition – the belief that the universe is rational, that there is unity to all things, and that numbers and mathematics are a powerful guide to truth about nature and the cosmos – hark back to the convictions of this legendary scholar and his ancient followers.Born around 570 BC on the cultured Aegean island of Samos, Pythagoras founded his own school at Croton in southern Italy, where he and his followers began to unravel the surprising deep truths concealed behind such ordinary tasks as tuning a lyre. While considering why some string lengths produced beautiful sounds and others discordant ones, they uncovered the ratios of musical harmony, and recognised that hidden behind the confusion and complexity of nature are patterns and orderly relationships – they had glimpsed the mind of God. Some of them later found something in nature and numbers that was darker: irrationality, an unsettling and subversive revelation.Alongside the poignant human saga, Kitty Ferguson brilliantly evokes Pythagoras’ ancient world, showing how his ideas spread in antiquity and in the Middle Ages, and chronicles the incredible influence he and his followers have had on extraordinary people – from Plato to Bertrand Russell – throughout the history of Western thought and science.

The Immortalists - by Kyle Mills

Overall I’d say that this was a good book. It’s quite a complex story, with quite a few surprises and it kept me turning the pages. I thought that the science behind it sounded to credible, so I didn’t need to suspend belief.

The book raise some interesting questions:

Are there rich people/organizations who are really above world governments?

What would the world be like if everyone could be immune from old age? Statistically, everyone would die eventually from illness or injury. However, the birth rate would need to be much lower or the population would grow to a totally unsustainable level. Would just rich people [secretively] buy into the anti-aging therapy?

What I'm reading ...

I have started The Immortalists by Kyle Mills. Time for fiction again. I am not sure how I came by this book, but it sounds interesting enough to give it a go. Here’s the blurb:

Dr. Richard Draman is trying desperately to discover a cure for a disease that causes children to age at a wildly accelerated rate—a rare genetic condition that is killing his own daughter. When the husband of a colleague quietly gives him a copy of the classified work she was doing before her mysterious suicide, Draman finally sees a glimmer of hope. The conclusions are stunning, with the potential to not only turn the field of biology on its head, but reshape the world. Soon, though, he finds himself on the run, relentlessly pursued by a seemingly omnipotent group of men who will do whatever it takes to silence him.

The Book of Fame - by Lloyd Jones

This book was a bit of a surprise. I was expecting a non-fiction account of the tour, hoping that, even though I have minimal interest in rugby, it might give me some interesting insights, through the eyes of visitors, to this country 100 years ago. It turns out that, even though the book is based around the facts, the author has used his imagination and knowledge of the period to elaborate. The result is an enjoyable read and I did feel that I got some insights.

There are quite longs sections of the book that are written in stream-of-consciousness, blank verse [I think that’s what it is]. This proves to be a very effective way to convey impressions and feelings.