A Brief History of Time

Stephen Hawking

I'm going to be honest with you up front, I did not read this entire book.  I am of the firm belief that the presence of this book on Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime should have come with a disclaimer like-

"Warning: Don't read this book if you at one time thought you were intelligent because Stephen Hawking will make you feel extremely inferior."

I feel that recommending this book as one of the essential books to read in your lifetime, is like me saying you must read Robert Hughes' Rome: A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History.  Though I will rave about this book in my review, I would never recommend it to someone who does not nerd out on Roman history as much as I do.

That said, I'm not saying this book was bad.  In fact, I learned an incredible amount which I then attempted to impart on a less-physicsy-more-4th-grade level to my students during our Space unit.  In the end I mostly ended up saying to them, "OK it's hard to explain but this book I'm reading is insane you guys, it's like on another level of smart."

How I felt for most of the book

In case you are not already aware, (I was not) A Brief History of Time is exactly what the title implies.  It chronicles the scientific explanations for the development of our universe up until now.  It also, details Quantum Physics for the better part of the ending.  I did read in full the part about black holes and the potential for time travel, because that seemed like a very interesting topic.  So, if you have any interest in learning A LOT, I do suggest you pick up this book and attempt to peruse.  However, I would not really say it would be on my personal list of books to read in a lifetime.

Orphan Train

Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline was one of the books I picked to read from not on Amazon's list.  It's been circling around my friends and family and, since one of those friends who read it recently was my roommate, it's been sitting on my coffee table for quite some time.  Therefore, it was quite easy to pick it up and read it.

Right off the bat I was hooked.  The book switches back and forth between the perspectives of a young delinquent orphan in modern day, and an immigrant orphan from Ireland in the 1920s.  This character, who in the beginning of the book goes by the name of Niamh, rode the so-called Orphan Train from New York to Minnesota.  This was a phenomenon in the early 1900's that brought orphaned children from the overcrowded East Coast, to the farms of the Midwest in need of laborers.  Obviously my fascination with history kicked in, and I was entranced.  The tumultuous first half is filled with wicked foster homes and bonding between the two main orphans as their stories become intertwined.  This part I loved. 

After about two thirds of the book the historical drama faded, and the book became a love story.  I had loved the book up until this point, but was quite disappointed in the ending, which felt a bit kitschy to me.  However, if you enjoy this kind of fairy tale ending, the book will definitely be up your alley.