BookOwl

    4/5 stars    *Spoiler alert!*   Things That Go Bump in the Universe by astronomer C. Renee James is one of my first nonfiction reads in quite a while. I happened upon the title while listening to one of my many science podcasts, where the podcast hosts interviewed the author herself to talk about her book, which spotlights the field of transient astronomy.   This field is concerned with the chaotic constituents of the universe, things that often explode, like stars into supernovae at the end of their lives, or black holes colliding and releasing enormous amount s o f energy. ( I’ m l istening!) A barbaric inner part of me was intrigued by the view of a universe that was a veritable demolition derby, albeit at a mostly safe distance from Earth.   “Before I knew it, I found myself working with more and more transient astronomers. I researched topics for a new article, a new class, and ultimately this book. Down the rabbit holes I went, dashing th...

      4/5 stars    *Spoiler alert!*   I’m very happy that I jumped on the “ Murderbot Diaries” wagon, because the second installment of the series, Artificial Condition , sees Murderbot go on a journey of self-discovery. Who doesn’t love a robot-finding-themselves story? “The inside of my head had been my own for 33,000+ hours and I was used to it now. I wanted to keep me the way I was.”   After leaving Dr. Mensa, Murderbot wishes to investigate the circumstances of the incident that changed his existence forever. He finds an astronomy research transport to take him to the system where the massacre took place that led him to hack his governor module and become a free bot.   Just imagine a snooty professor-type, and you have ART, piloting bot and data processing extraordinaire. Let’s just say that Murderbot names him so and that it doesn’t stand for “astronomy research transport.” (If you’ve read the book, you know.)   “Yes, the gi...