rafaela_borges's reviews
192 reviews

Mathematical Apocrypha: Stories and Anecdotes of Mathematicians and the Mathematical by Steven G. Krantz

funny informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.25

This is the kind of book I wish I had someone to discuss it with (it made me wish I had a mathematician boyfriend or something lol). It's full of funny, interesting and/or absurd anecdotes of mathematicians that one could use to appear more interesting and knowledgeable at parties (if I had parties to go to, I mean). I hope the sequel is just as good.

Indiscrete Thoughts by Gian-Carlo Rota

challenging funny informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

Rota is quite a character lol

I know nothing about mathematics, even though it was my favorite subject in school and I sometimes wish I was smart enough to learn it more deeply (my adult brain problem can't even handle 4th grade math 😬). But I do enjoy reading about mathematicians and I find them very inspiring (André Weil is the one who interests me the most and who has made me want to learn more about them).

Anyway, back to the book!

I've never heard of Rota before reading Stan Ulam's Adventures of a Mathematician (which I recommend to everyone), but his character kind of shines through the pages. He doesn't hold any punches and is very frank about his colleagues, which I appreciate, even though he doesn't seem like an easy person to deal with either. I was actually surprised when he said that he angered a lot of people because of this section, since (in my mind) scientists tend to be very thick-skinned and disagreeable.

The first third of the book is about Rota's peers, including a very moving, emotional chapter about his friend Stan Ulam. Not gonna lie, but I didn't expect that level of sentimentality from a mathematician (no offense lol I'm not sentimental either), and I thought it was a very nice surprise and the strongest part the book. It's not just "gossip", though, because Rota also talks about how mathematicians get to know each other and want to know their bottom lines, for example. Despite being clueless about math, I enjoyed those discussions a lot and was able to get something out of them.

[I thought it was a bit funny that Rota said Ulam was self-centered, had an overpowering personality etc., while Ulam said, in his own autobiography, that he liked Rota because they had very similar personalities 😆]

The second part of the book focus on philosophical discussions. I had to skip and skim through most of it, because apparently they bore me *a lot* more than reading about math I don't understand. That said, some parts of it were interesting, like the topics about truth, triviality, mathematical beauty etc. I lack the intellectual baggage, mathematical knowledge and philosophical inclination to appreciate it properly, but I can't say it doesn't have any merit. In this regard, this book is unlike other mathematicians' (auto) biographies, such as Weil's "The Apprenticeship of a Mathematician" (which I love) or "A Beautiful Mind" about John Nash, which most people can read and enjoy despite having no mathematical background.

The third and final part of Indiscrete Thoughts becomes readable again. It focus on advice about lectures (which I liked), book reviews, and a collection of some random thoughts about math.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but not as much as I had expected. It's too heavy on mathematics for me, but since it's not the book's (or the author's) fault, I don't think it's fair do give it a low rating or anything. Still, I really recommend the first part of the book for everyone interested in mathematicians.

A Estepe: História de uma Viagem by Anton Chekhov

adventurous lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This is one of those books where nothing seems to happen and it's mostly a travelogue, but it's still very enjoyable to read, to the author's credit. The descriptions are very vivid and made me feel like I was there. It's very immersive, in my opinion.

Crime e Castigo by Fyodor Dostoevsky

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A Era da Incerteza by Tobias Hürter, Tobias Hürter

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Maybe I should have paid more attention to the book description, because I was expecting something more. I thought it would involve more modern physicists and physics, but it went from Marie Curie to the Atomic Bomb, although there was no Oppenheimer or Fermi.

The book is about the origins of quantum physics, so it focus on Bohr, Heisenberg, De Broglie, Dirac, Pauli, Born, Planck, Einstein, Schrödinger, Ehrenfest and a few others. I had read a lot about it in other books and internet articles, so a lot of it wasn't new to me. I enjoyed knowing more about Pauli and Born, though, because they both seem very different from other physicists, in my opinion.

For those who don't know much about the subject, I'd definitely recommend this book. It flows really well, and the author explains difficult concepts in a way that doesn't make the book dry or tedious or overwhelming. It also contains stories and facts about the physicists' lives and, in my opinion, there was a good balance between that and the technical details. I wish there was a similar book about mathematics and mathematicians, to be honest.

Casos e casos: repensando a infidelidade by Esther Perel

challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

Well, this was surely an emotional rollercoaster!

The book is very informative and full of anecdotes and insights that made me think of infidelity with more nuance, although I often felt sickened by the stories and thought about abandoning the book several times because it was too bloody painful. But I'm glad I didn't, because it was very constructive and gave me the understanding I was looking for when I picked up the book.

And even though I've never personally dealt with infidelity (only because I've never been in a relationship lol), it was still useful and made me rethink some of the insecurities I have about relationships. I'd definitely recommend it for those who are interested in the subject.

Orgulho e Preconceito by Jane Austen

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Some time ago, I mentioned to an online friend that, just as Before Sunset is a romance film that is much loved even by people who don't like romance (like me), I wanted a romance book for those who don't like romance.

Out of curiosity, this week I picked up Pride and Prejudice, not knowing what to expect from it and wanting to diversify my reading, so as not to lose my ability to enjoy fiction. I skipped the introduction and preface which, in addition to being super long, gave spoilers about the plot, and so I just dove straight into the story.

At first I thought it was just an endless succession of dialogues and descriptions of landscapes, but the story flowed so well, the conversations were so dynamic and the characters were so interesting and charismatic, that I couldn't stop reading. From my description of Pride and Prejudice, it seems boring. However, Before Sunset could also be summed up as a very long dialogue between two people, but it doesn't make the movie any less enjoyable.

And Pride and Prejudice is definitely a remarkable book ❤️

For me, it's a romance book that transcends the barriers of literary preferences. Well, at least it trespassed mine without any difficulty and even left me with a huge void when I finished reading. I don't know if any other book could leave me with such a great impression. Maybe I should check out other works by Jane Austen.

The construction of the relationship between the characters (between sisters, between members of the same family, between couples, etc.) happened in such a natural, pleasant and subtle way that made me very quickly attached to them. It is a very well written book written by an author that knows how to develop the characters in a believable and natural way. The beautiful descriptions also add a great deal to the story, of course.

Anyway, I don't think I've managed to do justice to the quality and beauty of Jane Austen's work, but I couldn't not write a review due to the strong impression that this book left on me. I think it's a great "comfort book" to reread whenever one is feeling melancholic and in need of something heartwarming.

Man's Search for Himself by Rollo May

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

At Home with André and Simone Weil by Sylvie Weil

emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

3.5

I took up this book because I've been obsessed with André Weil (yes, I know it's an odd obsession xD). Besides, I really, really liked Sylvie Weil's latest book Selfies, which, despite not being my kind of book, still managed to become one of my favorites and I'll probably re-read it eventually.

This one wasn't as interesting, though, but it was still very much worth it :)

What I liked:

• The author is socially and emotionally perceptive enough to offer a lot of compelling insights about her family, and she has a quirky, witty sense of humor that makes the narrative very pleasant to read. In my opinion, the best example of this is the chapter in which Sylvie conjures up a picture of her family (her aunt Simone, her mom Eveline, and her grandparents Selma and Bernard) based on a short letter the four of them wrote to André while he was in prison for draft-dodging.

• Sylvie is very open and honest about the mixed feelings she has for her aunt, Simone's unintentional family legacy and the fact that she's treated like a saint's tibia. This treatment made me sympathize with the author a lot, to the point where I'm impressed that she's not as bitter and resentful as I would've been in her place. Like she said, it's one thing to be related to a singer, a Hollywood actress or a famous scientist... but being a relative of a saint is a whole other issue. On the other hand, it reinforced an impression I had while reading Selfies: that she tends to be a bit competitive towards other women, which in my opinion also affected her perception of Simone.

• I loved getting to know more about André and Simone's parents, especially Bernard, who are very remarkable people in themselves. It was terribly sad reading about how such a close, loving family became haunted by Simone's ghost to the point of breaking apart and tainting Sylvie's childhood memories. I had no idea that there was such a long, nasty fight over Simone's writings.

What I disliked:

• It's not exactly a biography, which I knew beforehand, but I still got bored and impatient when the author spent so many pages rambling about Judaism and the distant relatives of the Weil siblings. Had it been a longer book with a lot more information about them, maybe I wouldn't have mind it so much, but it felt like a long digression that broke the flow of the narrative. Although some of it was interesting and helped me understand more about the Weils, I wish most of it had been left out and replaced by more interesting anecdotes and reflections about them, especially André (but this is a personal, unpopular preference, since I bet that most people who picked up this book were interested in Simone).

Random thoughts:

• Reading Selfies, especially the final chapter, before reading At Home With André and Simone Weil made me see some of the things described in the later with a new light. Both books complement each other well, but I still wish she would write another one (Selfies Volume II?).

• I wouldn't recommend this to someone who is looking for a proper biography. It's more a collection of stories and anecdotes and some reflections the author has made about growing up in the shadow of a saint and a genius.

• I wish there were more things about André. I thought he was more interesting than his sister, even though his work is only understood and appreciated by a small % of people. But as a character, he's fascinating! Sylvie doesn't shy away from exposing her family's less flattering side, but based on what I've read about her father in other places, I think he still came off fairly well (or at least better than in other sources).

• I kind of wondered why Sylvie doesn't mention her half-brother Alain and barely mentions her sister Nicolette.

• This book only reinforces my perception that very few famous scientists seem to have been kind people and good/dedicated family men. Luckily, Sylvie seems like a strong person who knows how to see things with a sense of humor (I know I would've handled it much worse, if I had been in her place). I thought it's admirable and it made me more curious to know more about her too.

Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill

challenging informative mysterious slow-paced

4.0

A bit too long and there's sooo much information that I feel like my brain has melted and wasn't able to grasp everything, but it was worth it.

I love Helter Skelter, by the way, but Bugliosi now seems both unreliable and a major AH. I'm glad Chaos shed some light on the Manson murders, even if it felt convoluted and made me feel like I was reading a conspiracy theory book. At least the author seems like he just wanted to let all the information he gathered out there, instead of pushing his beliefs onto the readers. And he himself seems self-aware enough to acknowledge how some of his arguments must have sounded to his readers. I liked that.