Right Words

Books take longer to consume than movies, but here’s a few items from my literary diet to share.

Out of the Silent Planet (1938). The first novel in C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, I found this work absorbing as a sci-fi adventure and profound in its moral considerations, not something typical of sci-fi, at least in my experience (some works excepted). The Audible version by Alex Jennings is superb and basically divides into 12 episodes of about 30 minutes each. Thus far, the material strikes me as Narnia-like material for adults, though I think that children could still enjoy this work, even if they didn’t grasp the themes.

Underground (1976). Didn’t realize until now that this book is 50 years old, but it’s certainly still relevant. David Macaulay writes accessible books on engineering topics for all ages, and this astonishing book explains the structural and mechanical world under your feet. A colleague of mine at work was giving some old books away, including this one which I had not heard of, though I was familiar with the rest of Macaulay’s opus. Don’t let the topic deter you: you’re bound to be impressed with his drawings and explanations on a topic few besides professionals consider.

The Botany of Desire (2001). A coworker recommended this nonfiction work to me, and I’m glad they did. This book emphasizes how plants can influence people more than vice versa. Plants provide us with sweetness, beauty, mental stimulation, and a sense of control, the author asserts, and his documentation from science, history, and culture is impressive. For me this work was a good follow-on to Tom Standage’s The History of the World in Six Glasses, which I reviewed in an earlier “Book Batch” post.