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British mariners had latitude figured pretty early on, but longitude flummoxed them to the point of shipwrecks and lost lives occurring because they just didn‘t know where they were. This book talks about the efforts to fix longitude and the machinations of the organization created when someone finally did so. If you‘re looking for an excellent, short narrative nonfiction book, look no further. #ReadYourEbooks

January 17 #NewYearNewBooks Sci.Breakthrough @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

It's a short book, but it's been on my “Reading“ pile for a while. The problem wasn't the book. The problem was I was reading too many other books at the same time. I'm sure I'm not the only one with that problem! 😂

As a pop science book it pulls off the neat trick of not being technical at all, while still making you fall in love with the technology it's about.

Full review on my blog for those interested: https://tinyurl.com/bdey8u68

“Once on a Wednesday excursion when I was a little girl, my father brought me a beaded wire ball that I loved.“

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

Latitude is a piece of cake! Lines of latitude are all parallel to the equator, making the calculation of how far north or south of the equator you are located relatively easy. Not so longitude. The distance between lines of longitude vary, depending how far north or south you are. Ships and lives were lost because longitude could not be accurately determined. This is the fascinating story of how we learned to measure longitude.

"Longitude" is the fascinating true story of John Harrison, a self-educated English carpenter, and clockmaker, that solved the longitude problem of the 1700s.

Its intriguing narrative and captivating pace are full of scientific/engineering dilemmas and filled with historical figures, such as King George III, Galileo, James Cook, Isaac Newton, and Charles Darwin.

I made it through this for book club tomorrow but woke up today with the flu. So I read it for nothing! Littens, I‘m throwing myself a 50th bday party on Saturday. It‘s Tues night and I‘m shaking with chills and so achy. Keep a good thought!

Halfway through this month‘s book club pick and struggling. So boring! Hope it gets better. At least it‘s short!

#bookclub

🎶 “Because the world is round it turns me on, ahhh ahhh ahhhh ahhh ahhhhhhhhh” 🎶 #because #beatlemaynia

I read this for an assignment but I‘m glad I did; I never would have picked it up on my own and I loved it! A fun blend of history, science, biography, and memoir! Two thumbs up!

Next up! For a class.

One of my favorite books is on sale and you can add the audiobook for $7.49 if you have Audible! This is narrative non-fiction at its best! Go get it!

The perfect length and very well told. I recommend this if you're interested in the history of navigation, exploration, science, or technology. Would make a good companion to Timekeepers, by Simon Garfield, which is about clocks and telling time in general.

Edmond Halley and Peter the Great spent an evening pushing each other through hedges in a wheelbarrow?! 😂 This sounds like it should be a Kate Beaton comic 😊

I love seafaring books, and this is a non-fiction must read for the seafaring reader. It explains wonderfully and masterfully a complex topic in a very “smooth” voice that doesn‘t assume that you either know all or can‘t understand the concept that the sea is made of water. If you find clocks confusing, there is an illustrated edition under the title “The Illustrated Longitude”.

I returned from the awesome #CTLitsy meet up with the tagged book, recommended by @BookBabe She said she‘s also not a non-fiction reader and loved it, so I‘m excited to try it! (Notice #Chloe lying in wait down there. Her tail is twitching for an attack...😹) @Ncostell @CareBear @MrBook @mrozzz #catsoflitsy #tuxedokittiesoflitsy @MinDea

I finished this on my trip to South Dakota this weekend. I visited my friend Diane and like the nerds we are, we spent Saturday night doing crossword puzzles. 🤓 Pictures clockwise- me arriving in South Dakota after driving from Minnesota and through North Dakota(it was -26 when I left and it was above zero in the pic), the road on my drive home, Charlie the cat, me with Diane and a beautiful old house just outside of Watertown SD.

Picked a couple books for my road trip tomorrow. Just realized they‘re both by the same author...which I didn‘t plan. Oh well. Haha. They both looked good!

I bought a beautiful Folio edition of the above for my husband and this is what came for free for me! I love the seasonal freebies from the Folio society. This year I've received a 2018 diary and a Christmas card with a Brothers Grimm illustration, these please me greatly 😍

#10authorrecommendations

Finally gotten around to reading this amazing piece on clockmaker John Harrison's quest to create the perfect timekeeper. Something in my soul is stirred by nonfiction like this, so scientific and historical and lyrical and transformative.

This book sounds wonderful! About John Harrison, a carpenter who invented a clock that kept time at sea, it has been on my TBR for years. 🕰 #timeaftertime #augustgrrrl

Some #workaholics and some advice for them. Longitude is about John Harrison, who spent 40 years building the perfect time-keeper. I'm so keen to read it but it's still on my TBR. 📚🕰 #jubilantjuly

Had to give #swingmyway some serious thought!!! After a lot of hard thinking that hurts, I have chosen Longitude which tells the story of John Harrison who produced the chronometer which solved the thorny longitude problem. With this accurate timepiece he undoubtedly saved thousands of lives! #junetunz

#5555giveaway @Booksandcooks I've loved this slim volume since my first reading about 15 years ago. Thanks for the giveaway! I hope I win! 😊

Hehe. bonus points for adding Lewis Carroll poetry to the chapter heading, Sobel 😅
#nonfiction #lewiscarroll #poetry #snark #history

Just finished this and really enjoyed it. I'm a nerd and this is all about the genius and long fight of a severely nerdy craftsman against a bunch of other nerds about something we use all the time. Not the best history writingng I've ever read but really pretty good.
#nonfiction #history

I'm not into sailing but I'm into learning new things. I found this book to be very interesting. It's a name I won't soon forget.

I learned how to #sail in college because it was an actual class 😂 I thought we'd be listening to Jimmy Buffet while drinking boat drinks but instead we spent WAY too much time learning longitude and latitude. This is actually an interesting book that goes into the history of longitude. Song of the day is Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes #lyricalapril

When the world gets confusing and complicated, I turn to a good science read for facts that are comforting in their stableness. My current read will help navigate uncharted waters. #allisnotlost @Liberty

Who would have guessed longitude could be so interesting?! Okay, some of the math and science stuff is going over my head a little, but the story is fascinating. My one criticism is that the author relates apocryphal things as being true events, so at times I've gone 'Wow, I want to know more about that' only to discover that the event in question is widely thought to be made up. Still, with a pinch of salt, this is well written and a great read.

The British Parliament, in its famed Longitude Act of 1714, set the highest bounty of all, naming a prize equal to a king‘s ransom (several million dollars in today‘s currency) for a “Practicable and Useful” means of determining longitude.

#somethingforseptember #septphotochallenge #nonfictionlove all from my TBR 📚

For my next Russia binge, inspiring travel, and the ongoing crash-course-history project... 😉