On books

Time for a break, while I ponder the great things to opine on for the weekend papers.

My seventh-grader is reading again. I can’t remember the name of the book, but it’s a novel about a boy who becomes a friend of wolves, and it’s written from the wolves’ point of view. So I was thinking about some of my favorite books of recent years and past years. This is not my list of all-time favorites, and it’s not a comprehensive list. It’s a list of the books that come to mind while I think about these things.

“Raptor Red,” by Robert Bakker. Takes a look at the year in the life of a Utahraptor, known to fans of the “Jurassic Park” movie series as a velociraptor. The velociraptors of the movies were not the same as the velociraptors of real life. The movie velociraptors are a lot like the Utahraptor.

“Coming of Age in the Milky Way,” by Timothy Ferris. A wonderful, readable history of science, astronomy, cosmology, physics and biology.

Ohio River navigation charts. I’ve been a map freak since I was in grade school. My favorite maps are anything to do with the Ohio River. My archives at home include depth charts of the part of the river between the Belleville and Willow Island locks and dams. Really. The navigation charts for the full river show the names of islands, major tributaries and such.

“Relativity,” by Albert Einstein. I bought this at a Half Price Books store in Columbus. I made it through the first two pages. If I were to go back to it, I might be able to understand it better because of the next two books. But for now, two pages will do.

“The Mechanical Universe” and “Beyond the Mechanical Universe.” These are textbooks for an introductory physics class at CalTech. As long as they’re not dealing with the mathematical part of physics, they are interesting to browse. If you can find copies of the 52-part series of half-hour television shows that go with the books, physics will come alive, even for people with math phobia.

“The Twilight Zone Companion” and “Nitpickers Guide to Classic Trek.” Two books you have to have beside you when you watch episodes of these classic television series. The Twilight Zone book discusses how each episode was written and produced. The Star Trek book points out the silly mistakes and plot holes of classic Trek.

“Men, Mountains and Rivers.” A history of the Huntington District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers up through the late 1970s. Not as dry as it sounds, but you really have to like rivers, dams and lakes to be interested in the subject.

The “Artemis Fowl” series. I started on this one a couple of months ago, and I have not yet read the most recent book. I got tired of waiting for the next “Harry Potter” book, and this series is better.

There is no "worst book" on my list, but a few years ago I had to read a book for an assignment. I tried. I really did, but when I would read three pages I would have to lie down and take a nap. Later I met the author, and he autographed it for me. I didn't tell him about the tranquilizing effect of his (or his ghost writer's) prose.