The Science of Discworld by Terry Pratchett

The title of this book is a bit misleading. It's not really about the science behind Pratchett's famous, flat world, carried on the back of a giant turtle. Rather, it's how the science that made our universe, so different from that in this fictional realm, baffles the smartest men on Discworld, the magicians. It's about two places at complete odds with each other, one vastly more advanced must come to terms with the chaos of the other (we're the "other.")

Why is our universe so baffling to the learned men of Unseen University? Well, in our universe, planets are round, Discworld is flat. Our universe is governed by rules (aka science), Discworld runs on magic. Change in our universe is propelled by scientific processes like evolution, but on Discworld, narrativium drives the story. To make things even more confusing for our Discworld natives, they encounter our universe at its very start, observing the first blob that forms the basis for our reality. Things move slowly, even with slight interference from Unseen University's best and brightest, leading to the generally accepted opinion that our world isn't a success and should just be done away with immediately.

Chapters swap between the observations of the Discworld professors and Earth-bound science lessons related to the creation of our universe and the development of our planet. Essentially, The Science of Discworld, is a science book with a science fiction wrapper. Discworld chapters infuse the science with humor and philosophical questions to ponder, like what would happen if an Unseen Univ. professor stuck his finger into our universe as it was forming, while the scientific chapters educate you.

Both silly and informative, this is a very unique approach to quite a few basic science lessons. While I had hoped the book would be more about the origins and development of Discworld itself, I didn't mind that I learned a little something about my own planet. Denser than a typical Discworld book, more like a lighter science textbook, it was still a good read that gave me a few things to think about.

A few other books in the Discworld series to check out include:

• Witches Abroad
• Equal Rites
• Mort
• Wyrd Sisters
• Lords and Ladies

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

"Your ability to navigate and tolerate change and its painful uncomfortableness directly correlates to your happiness and general well-being."

--Amy Poehler

This perceptive nugget is just a sample of what you'll find in Yes Please among the humorous anecdotes and insights into Poehler's life. It's also somewhat of a theme of the book, how Poehler approaches each new stage of her life, giving her writing a thankful and honest tone that makes it easy to identify with her even without sharing the same life experiences.

Poehler does a great job in this memoir, which is really more like a collection of personal stories, of showing the reader what makes her unique, what makes her a celebrity, and what makes her just like everyone else. You get a complete picture without learning every intimate detail of how she got to where she is today. What came through strongly for me, was how humbled and appreciative she is of the people in her life who have inspired and supported her. Poehler doesn't pretend she's a one-woman-show, she acknowledges that any road to success is paved with the helping hands of others.

The stories in Yes Please are a great mix of the crazy things actors do, the embarrassing moments that simply stick in your narrative, the emotional impact to your life that comes with being a parent, and what it's like being a kid from Watertown, Mass. growing up happily. It was a great read and I enjoyed Poehler's keen attention to telling her stories to entertain while passing along the knowledge she's acquired through her own experiences.

This is a quick read and lots of fun.

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

I will admit right off that I've never read The Tempest. This reinterpretation of the play though appealed to me because of my love for Margaret Atwood, as well as my belief that she'd do something fascinating to read having Shakespeare as her source material. 

I was right.

Shakespeare commonly employs the idea of a play within a play in his stories. He does it in Hamlet with the players reenacting Hamlet's dad's death, and he does it again in The Tempest as Prospero pulls the strings of the narrative on a small island to control the stranded characters. It really is an interesting tactic to be the playwright, writing a character who acts much like a play director with the impressive power of controlling reality. It's this central method of driving the action through control that Atwood takes hold of in Hag-Seed.

The biggest difference between Hag-Seed and it's source material is nobody is plotting to kill anyone in Atwood's version. Instead, the story starts with an assassination of a career. There's also no magic in the retelling, which factors pretty strongly in Shakespeare's play. Atwood replaces the magic with human intelligence and technology/special effects. The play within a play concept is all over the place as you spend most of the book with characters getting ready to put on The Tempest only to end up watching them perform a separate show for a special audience while the original play airs to the public on video. Sound a little confusing? Well, it's Shakespeare after all, so you're right where you should be.

Set inside a state prison, the players are all inmates participating in a theater program being offered as a kind of creative outreach. The main character, Felix, is a "ruined" theater director hiding out as the teacher while he bides his time for revenge on those who destroyed his career. The play within the play enables Felix to exact his revenge, and it's a doozy. 

So, the plot is Shakespeare, but the story is all Atwood. She infuses the story with a reality that Shakespeare lacks. Where he uses magic and dumb luck to drive his narrative, Atwood has her cast of characters work to set everything into place. I also feel as if there is more good in Atwood's version than in the original. Along the way of plotting his revenge, Felix ends up being quite a good person. He teaches for multiple years at the prison, always Shakespeare, inspiring inmates to think creatively, interpret literature, and brave the stage. He forces them to work together and try things outside of their comfort zones. He puts light and purpose into an otherwise dark place. Yes, Felix ultimately uses his players to exact his revenge, but he never forces it, these people are loyal because of what Felix has already taught them.

I really love the angle Atwood took to The Tempest in Hag-Seed, how she modernized the story, making a set of varied and imperfect characters come together to do a little good while having a little fun at others' expense. Atwood is such a creative writer and gives so much attention to flushing out all her characters. This is a great read and a fun way to bring a little Shakespeare into your book bag.

Why I keep reading YA fiction

I was born into a family of readers, and it has really paid off over the years. Book recommendations are always forthcoming, leading me to authors I love much sooner in life as well as those I'd never have discovered myself. It's how I ended up loving Louisa May Alcott when I was still pretty young (thanks Aunt K), how I found authors like Nelson DeMille and Robin Cook (thanks Dad), and even how I ended up tearing through VC Andrews novels throughout high school and into college (thanks Mom.)

I continue to love having people in my life who are big readers, people with whom I pass book suggestions back and forth each time we get together. The question, "So, what you are reading?" comes up more often than most others and it's wonderful.

My daughter, who's eight, is just getting to that stage where books are grabbing her attention. More than anything I want to help expose her to great reads. So far, I'm struggling due to her love of graphic novels, which didn't exist when I was a kid and isn't something I read very often. She doesn't fully trust my suggestions when I hand her a book that's solely text. Pippi Longstocking was tossed aside with disdain when I offered it up, but she really liked it when read by her second grade teacher. I know the love for books is there, so I'm working on getting caught up on YA content.

My desire to be somewhat of a book resource for my kids has made me realize I need to know about YA titles published this century. Not just Hunger Games and Harry Potter, but other books that will appeal to a younger reader. As a result, I try to read YA books I wouldn't typically pick up. This is what drew me to the first descendants novel.

I've seen the moves on Disney, but wanted to know if the books stacked up as a possible referral to my daughter.

I have no idea if my kids will be into these, we don't watch a lot of Disney princess movies, but after finishing the first book, I'm looking forward to the second. The writing is definitely geared toward a younger audience, but the story is developed enough to entertain an adult reader. Unlike the movies, the first book is only about the children of villains as they try to live up to parental expectations and fight off feelings of inadequacy. They also learn about friendship even though it goes against their villainous nature. Isle of the Lost is a strong combination of adventure and age-appropriate life lessons good for young readers.

I honestly can't recommend you add this book to your To Read list unless you're a parent who, like me, wants to have an arsenal of books at the ready for when your children come complaining, "I don't know what to read next...."