Phy-Sci Book Club
Welcome to the Physical and Natural Science Book Club at Cellar Door Bookstore, the independent bookstore of the Canyon Crest neighborhood of Riverside, CA.
We meet on the last Wednesday of each month (or as planned).
This month's book: (April 26, one month hiatus) Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space, by Janna Levin. Pick up your copy at Cellar Door and join us on Wednesday, April 26 at 6:00pm.
Next month:Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ. See also: past books
We welcome science enthusiaists of all levels; our book selections are accessible to a general audience, including high school students and anyone with curiosity about nature. We look forward to you joining our discussion about each book!
About This Month's Book
Janna Levin is the Tow Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. Her research focuses on cosmology and general relativity, where she has worked on black holes, extra dimensions, and gravitational waves. She is also the award-winning author of How the Universe Got Its Spots.
In Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space, Levin tells the story of the experimental search for gravitational waves from black hole collisions. These ephemeral gravitational waves were finally discovered in 2015 by the LIGO collaboration and are a heavy favorite to win the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Related articles:
- ``Life on a Mobius Strip,'' Levin's funny and charming autobiographical story-telling performance on The Moth. (See also video at the World Science Festival)
- ``Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space,'' Janna Levin talk at Google in May 2016.
- ``'Black Hole Blues' Recounts the Quest to Find the Cosmic Kazoo,'' NY Times review.
- Review on Good Reads
TL;DR ("too long; didn't read"): For those with limited time, we still invite you to join our discussion. In a pinch, you can view Janna Levin's Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space"talk at Google last year.
Join us on Wednesday, April 26 at 6:00pm in Cellar Doors Bookstore to discuss the book. Bring your thoughts, questions, and excitement for science!
Past Books
We maintain an archive of past books that we have discussed.
Possible Future Books
| Title | Author | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Black Hole Blues & Other Songs from Outer Space | Janna Levin | A history of the 2015 observation of gravitational waves. Many expect this discovery to be crowned with the 2017 Nobel prize in physics! (By a gifted cosmologist and story teller.) |
| We Have No Idea | Jorge Cham & Daniel Whiteson | A collaboration between a particle physicist and a cartoonist on the big open questions in physics. |
| A Brief History of Time | Stephen Hawking | By Request |
| Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Harari | By Request |
See also the list of 2016 physics books by Symmetry Magazine.
About The Moderator
Flip Tanedo is an assistant professor of theoretical physics at the University of California, Riverside. He specializes in the puzzle of dark matter and how it fits into a fundamental theory of particle physics. He fell in love with science after reading The Physics of Star Trek in eighth grade.
About The Cellar Door Bookstore
Cellar Door Bookstore is locally owned bookstore for all ages now open in the Canyon Crest Town Center in Riverside, California. It is conveniently located right across from Jammin' Bread Cafe. You will find storytimes, book clubs, puppet shows, writing groups, many, many authors and a welcoming staff that really knows books. Finally, a place you can share your love of reading with your fellow Riversiders.