The Very Best of the Feynman Lectures

Title: The Very Best of the Feynman Lectures

Author: Richard P. Feynman

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Physics, Non-Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Richard Feynman is one of the more famous modern physicists.  He was a long-time professor and lecturer at UC Berkeley and his lectures have long served as a go-to resource for students of physics.  These lectures covered Newtonian physics, Einstein's general theory of relativity, superconductivity, quantum mechanics as well as a couple of other topics.  

My Review: I enjoyed listening to these lectures on CD as the audio is taken straight from his courses in the late 1960's.  The upside was that you got to hear his lectures and it almost felt like you could be participating. The downside was when his lecture included a demonstration or complex mathematical formula that he was deriving on the board.  I was able to use my imagination for the demonstrations, but I got lost during the equation descriptions as they were harder to focus on while I was driving.

Janitors

Title: Janitors

Author: Tyler Whitesides

Pages: 288

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Janitors in our schools are far more powerful and important that any of us previously thought.  They are wizards and magicians tasked with fighting toxins in the schools.  Very few people can actually see the toxins as they are magical creatures, but everybody would recognize their effects, especially the effects they have on elementary school children.  They cause children to fall asleep in class, get distracted and uninterested in their school lessons.  However, the Bureau of Educational Maintenance (BEM) has other ideas for the roles the janitors should play in this battle.

My Review: This is another book that took a really long time to read.  As often as I could, Ada and I (and sometimes Kate) would read a chapter from the book.  I was afraid that a lot of the vocabulary would be too complicated for the girls, but like always, they surprised me with their understanding.  Ada really loved the book and is begging to read book #2.  I also enjoyed the book, but the plot was a little too unbelievable at times.

The Skeleton in the Closet

Title: The Skeleton in the Closet

Author: M.C. Beaton

Pages: 6 discs?

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: Fellworth Dolphin is a pretty simple kid who works hard to pay the bills and support his mother after his father died. The Dolphin's live in a simple house and have never really had anything exciting happen to them.  When Fellworth's mother dies suddenly Fell finds out that he has inherited a sizable sum.  He can't figure out how or where this money came from so he enlists the help of his homely friend Maggie to help him unravel the mystery.

My Review:  This book wasn't great, but I enjoyed it.  I started listening to this book back in January of 2012, but when my car was broken into and my stereo was stolen, the City Library required me to pay for the stolen disc.  At the time I was halfway through the book, it took me this long to find another audiobook and to startup where I left off. The story is unique and the characters each have flaws that help to make them more real. I was glad that I finally got the chance to finish the book.