Hollow Earth

This is the brand new (or rather, just over a week old) children’s book by John and Carole Barrowman, Hollow Earth.

I was a little bit dubious when I first picked it up, as it had been written by a “celebrity” pair and I’m afraid celebrities don’t have the best track record when it comes to children’s books; but I was hooked immediately. “Ah! What’s going to happen?!” I thinking to myself, which is why I didn’t want to put it down. So sorry to my lecturer last Monday, this is why I kept yawning in your lecture, I couldn’t put it down until 2am in the morning.

So this is not a typical story. We currently live in an age full of romantic vampires, teenage spies and medieval style magic. But this has none of those. It is a whole new magical idea, one that is original. And it has been written brilliantly and grips the reader, and a fantastic cover which attracts the eye, at least my eye, doesn’t hurt either!! Hollow Earth reminds me of another series of books that I adore by Jordin Everrey, where the main character discovers a whole hidden world which she knew nothing about.

It follows twins Matt and Emily, who have some rather odd abilities. They can make images come to life. And they’ve always been able to. But now they’ve done something dangerous, they were spotted doing something incredible and now they need to run, though their mother doesn’t explain who from or why, and be protected behind the walls of an ancient monastery on a Scottish island owned by a grandfather they didn’t even know existed, and be introduced to a world they never knew existed. But is it safe?

Seriously, this has everything a good book needs. So what are you waiting for?? Go find yourself a copy!!

The Story of Physics

‘The Story of Physics’ really is a story. When I first heard about it, it sounded as though it was along the lines of a popular science book; paperback and with the author explaining aspects of physics in an almost Brian Cox-ish manner. But not this book.

Firstly, it is larger than a normal book, but not so large that it feels cumbersome in your hands. And it’s written more along the lines of an informative coffee table book, without the coffee table. Plenty of pictures illustrate what Anne Rooney has described in her text, which itself covers everything from the dawn of time to the end of the universe and back.
With a quick introduction into what physics truly is (which actually is a hard question to answer) and how it has changed over the last few thousand years, she jumps straight into it, physics in all its wonderful different shapes and sizes. From the smallest possible thing that can be measured to what holds galaxies and the universe together, and about the great scientists who discovered all of this.

Though the book doesn’t cover details of the physics which a more advanced reader might require, this book covers physics in a simple format, with clear explanations to several concepts that can be difficult to understand. This book would be perfect for any child who has a keen interest in physics and the history behind it, and also perfect for any adults who want to take a new stab at understanding the physics they may not have grasped first time around.

This is a top notch book, covering all the bases and brings physics, even some complex physics to any reader.

And sorry Anne, it didn’t really help with the university revision. But it does mean that my mother might actually understand something I tell her now!!

Incoming! – Or Why We Should Stop Worrying And Learn To Love The Meteorite

This book is fantastic. If you’ve ever wondered where meteorites come from, ever been curious about what would happen if one hit the Earth or ever thought about just how many could have smashed into the skin of our planet in the past, then this is the book to explain everything to you.

Dr Ted Nield looks at the destructive past, the investigative present and the forever unknown future of meteorites. He covers the history, places they have landed and he describes in detail the accounts of the witness who saw them fall, be they peasants from the 18th century or car owners from the 20th. And then the theories to explain what they were and where they came from, including the possibility of a red dwarf star called Nemesis a couple of lightyears away having an effect on the Oort cloud, where the meteorites live on the very edge of the Solar System.

He also dives into the many theories involving meteorites such as: how a meteorite might have participated in the demise of the Dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous, known as the KT-boundary; or the biodiversity spike in the Ordovician when there was a sudden increase in fauna and how meteorites might have paved the way for these new species.

He delves into how evidence of the meteorite showers have been discovered over the past few decades from fossilised fragments of meteorite in Sweden, and how geologists have slowly pieced together extraterrestrial bombardments throughout time.

And he explores the implications of another massive meteorite shower, and what the likely outcomes for the planet and its inhabitants be. And I’m not going to tell you what he said, you’ll have to read the book for yourself to find out!

So if you want a good book to read that is both about meteorites, and about how such varied life may have come about on our planet, this is the book for you. He writes in an excellent, clear and simple way about complex geological theories and how they relate to the fire balls that fall from the sky. And no previous knowledge is required about geology, palaeontology or anything. It is just that well written!

My only problem with the book is that the dust cover feels weird. And I prefer the hidden cover of the book behind the dust cover. That’s it.

But that really is my only complaint so doesn’t that show you how good the book is?