Welcome to the Engineer's Book Club!

Hi Chris,

I think this is a good idea. As you can tell from my name I like a good book. I'm not sure I'll be able to join in on Sea of Glory. Its 416 pages according to Amazon. I won't have time to read that in one week. Omnivore's Dilemma is a good Choice and I've read it already so I'll chime in in week 2.

Hi Silas - thanks for stopping by. As I said in the original post, this isn't school. if you find time to read the books beforehand, that's great. If not, I'll simply review the book and you can decide if it's worth reading.

Omnivore's Dilemma should produce an interesting discussion....

It looks like a history book?

True, it is a history book, but it's much more than that. In addition to covering the exploits of a little remembered expedition that logged 87,000 ocean miles, surveyed 280 Pacific Islands, penetrated closer to the South Pole then any group before them, mapped some 800 miles of the Pacific Northwest US coastline and amassed the original collection of specimens and artifacts that would make up the Smithsonian Institution; it's a fantastic read on the value of communication and good (or in this case very poor) management. It provides terrific insight into the insecurities of managers and how this can sabotage even the best laid plans.

Additionally, Philbrick is a very good writer. The book literally flys by. I read this on a flight to Las Vegas in November. It was a quick few hours.

Hi Chris,

I'm still waiting to get a copy of Omnivore's Dilemma from our library and/or Bookmooch so I may or may not be able to contribute anything more than what I read in the extended reviews in several sections of the NYT. I'll try to get a copy of Elephants on LSD, but Sea of Glory looks both too long for the available time to read and not my cup of tea. Cryptomonicon, OTOH, is one of my all-time favorites, and you'll be hearing from me on that topic when the time comes.

If I may, I suggest any books by either Don Norman (The Psychology of Everyday Things) or Henry Petroski (To Engineer is Human) would be good selections for this audience.

Anna

Hi Anna,

To Engineer is Human is a perfect addition. We'll put that one in for March 25th. I'm not familiar with The Psychology of Everyday Things, though. I'll be happy to put it on the list if you're willing to lead the discussion.

Hi Kris,

Like others, I think this book is a bit long to just plunge into. The following extract from a review is an interesting teaser;

"The American writer Nathaniel Philbrick has a passion for such legendary adventures. His last book, In the Heart of the Sea, recounted the story which was the basis for Melville's Moby -Dick; now he has chronicled the greatest US voyage of exploration, the "South Seas Exploring Expedition" of 1838-42."

I haven't read either of the other books mentioned, but wondered if they bore any comparison - Wilkes sounds a bit similar to Ahab. Those who want a further taster may like to read this preface I came across.

Hi Kris,

Thanks for posting the link to the preface. It provides a solid overview of the book. I highly recommend Sea of Glory even if you don't have a chance to read it in the 6 days before I provide my review.

I'll look forward to your review Chris ( Hey, I spelt your name right this time !). Thanks in anticipation.

The last book I was able to read for my own enjoyment was "Welcome to the Monkey House" by Kurt Vonnegut. That was 9 years ago. With college and then work, I never have any time or energy to read anything that doesn't have pictures (magazines, comic books, car parts catalogs). How do you all find time? I've worked 60 hours a week for the last 5 years...thankfully I dont have kids to add to all that.

Avery Montembeault

Hi Avery,

College in many ways takes the pleasure out of reading. With all of the assigned readings the idea of using your free time to read for enjoyment can appear downright barmy. I don't think I read anything of substance for a full year after I got my M.A. It comes back through, once your work load normalizes and you settle into "adult" routines.

Hello, Chris. I just finished two very entertaining books: (1) Blood, Tears and Folly: An objective look at World War II; by Len Deighton; and (2) Pearl Harbor; December 8th (as seen from the Japanese side), by Nerwt Gingrich and ....; the latter is a historical novel. I'd like to see and discuss some really up-to-date books and discussions on Dark Matter and Dark Energy. There was an entry on CR4 a few weeks ago about a group in (Switzerland ?) nearly ready to create a microscopic black hole. THAT certainly should be an interesting topic for discussion! Will the BH, if indeed created, suck in all of Earth's atmosphere? How would anyone contain it? How would anyone "get rid" of it? Talk about a horror story!! I like your idea. Count me in.

I hope you avoid flooding this blog with management guru books or success formulas and other nonsense. Please stick with the practice of engineering and the stories of the great men who have changed our world forever. Also look into books that delve into the history of failed ideas, failed designs, technological disasters and other related topics. There's considerable education to be gained by studying the ideas of the past, why they didn't work and how they could be improved.