Sara's reading log

I am a book hoarder and reader. My main genre is SF, but I also love magic realism, fantasy and general fiction. Favorite authors are Iain M. Banks, Ursula K. LeGuin, Haruki Murakami, José Saramago, Isaac Asimov, Ben Aaronovitch and more. My rating system is based on five stars. I rate books based on my expectations and what a books aims to be. This means that the brilliant 'Fahrenheit 451' gets five stars because I thought it would be good, people said it was good, and it was good, but 'A Closed and Common Orbit' also gets five stars because in its series, in its style, I really enjoyed it and was not disappointed.

Het meten van de wereld by Daniel Kehlmann

  • Started on: 2011-06-07
  • Finished on: 2011-06-08
  • Read in: Dutch
  • Rating: ****-
  • Genre(s): Historical Fiction

This book deals with two famous scientists from the nineteenth century, the adventurer Alexander Humboldt and the homebody Carl Friedrich Gauß. They meet, and in alternating chapters their life stories are described. The contrast between the two is large, Humboldt loves and craves adventure, where Gauß wants to stay home and focusses on theoretical science. Halfway through they meet, and the rest of the book is a mix of both their stories.
The writing in the book is great, with some humor and lots of facts. A couple of months ago I read Humboldts abridged travel journal, which made this book even greater, offering a human side to the travelling scientist. A very nice read for those who like the nineteenth century scientists. Four out of five stars.

  • Started on: 2011-06-07
  • Finished on: 2011-06-08
  • Read in: Dutch
  • Rating: ****-
  • Genre(s): Historical Fiction

This book deals with two famous scientists from the nineteenth century, the adventurer Alexander Humboldt and the homebody Carl Friedrich Gauß. They meet, and in alternating chapters their life stories are described. The contrast between the two is large, Humboldt loves and craves adventure, where Gauß wants to stay home and focusses on theoretical science. Halfway through they meet, and the rest of the book is a mix of both their stories.
The writing in the book is great, with some humor and lots of facts. A couple of months ago I read Humboldts abridged travel journal, which made this book even greater, offering a human side to the travelling scientist. A very nice read for those who like the nineteenth century scientists. Four out of five stars.