The Astronaut’s Son by Tom Seigel (AWESOME GIVEAWAY!!!)

Summary from GoodReads:
Jonathan Stein thinks only a bad heart can stop him from reaching the moon. But when he discovers his father may have been murdered to protect an appalling NASA secret, he must decide whether his moral compass still points towards the stars. 

Days before the Apollo 18 launch in 1974, Jonathan’s father, an Israeli astronaut at NASA, died of an apparent heart attack. A year before his own launch, in 2005, Jonathan, a typically devout skeptic, becomes captivated by the tale of a mysterious online conspiracy theorist who claims that his father had been killed. Unable to keep long-buried suspicions from resurfacing, he reopens the case, digging into a past that becomes stranger and more compelling the deeper he goes.

To get to the truth he must confront Dale Lunden, his father’s best friend and the last man on the moon, and his elusive childhood hero, Neil Armstrong. When his relentless pursuit leads to disturbing revelations about the Nazis who worked for NASA, the hardest questions to answer are the ones he must ask himself.

The Astronaut’s Son was inspired by the true story of Nazi scientists and engineers at NASA.

Okay.... where to start?

I received this one for review as part of the blog tour and, being me, put off actually reading it until October. (Like you do.  Because the TBR list is so so so long.)

But it's not terribly long, so no big deal.

I managed like 2 chapters.  The level of language was just kind of more than I could handle... especially when paired with my decision to take a couple of weeks' break from things like books with a lot of bad language.

(Before anyone starts in on the "realistic" aspect of profanity, yes, I know.  But it's not a big part of MY reality and I prefer, for personal and religious reasons, to keep it that way.)

So.... I didn't finish the book.

BUT it's a fascinating premise and if language doesn't bother you, you really should go read it.  

And then maybe come back and give me alllllllll the spoiler-y details.  (Or borrow my copy and black out all the profanity for me.  That would work for me.)

For better informed reviews, check out the blog tour so that you can read all the posts.

Now, for the awesome amazing so-freaking-cool giveaway!!

Comment on this post to win:
A copy of the book
A package of freeze-dried astronaut ice cream
A gift card for 2 movie tickets (which you could use to see the new First Man which is about Neil Armstrong and comes out this week!)

Here are the rules-- USA only, comment through Saturday.  Since it's Mister's birthday this week, I'll have him pick on comment over the weekend.  Please make sure you'll get an email with responses to your comment!

Christmas Gift Guide Astronomy Edition

Astronomy is kind of a big thing in my house.

So when Quarto Books offered us these titles for review, we really couldn't say no.

Destination: Space by Christoph Englert
Five cadets explore deep space in this awesome book.  Picture book format, great illustrations, and fabulous information.  I think this one's going to be a favorite around here for a long time.

Astronomy Lab for Kids by Michelle Nichols
How cool is this?!  Kids learn all about space with 52 lessons/activities.  We haven't done any of them yet, but I'm looking forward to it for sure.  Plus I'm absolutely going through these to see what will help Mister pass off some Cub Scout stuff!  (And really, who wouldn't want to learn about the speed of light with a candy bar?)  Also, at least one of my kids needs to do the science fair this year....

If you've got budding scientists on your list, I would definitely take a look at these!

Mousetronaut by Mark Kelly

Written by an astronaut and based on a (partially) true story, this is a super cute book.

Meteor is the smallest mouse and is thrilled when he is chosen to go on the shuttle into space.  While the other mice are scared, Meteor LOVES it.

My friend recommended this one and my kids all love it.  A little wordy for MeiMei, so we just summarize, but that's possibly more because she asks for it so often, lol.

Excellent choice for kids who are interested in space.

Heavenly Intrigue by Joshua Gilder and Anne-Lee Gilder

5 Stars
Nonfiction


This book was FASCINATING! Absolutely fascinating.

Modern science has shown that Tycho Brahe was murdered and the most likely suspect is Johannes Kepler. Between the two of them, these men are the fathers of modern astronomy.

By all accounts, Kepler was a class A jerk. Holy cow. What a piece of work. The language he used (there are quotes from surviving letters throughout the book) is that of a man with some serious delusions of grandeur. At the very least.

Brahe, on the other hand, was open, friendly, generous and forgiving-- both of those to a fault. Kind of ironic given the scar on his face from deuling with his cousin. (He had a prostethic nose made of a gold and silver alloy for special ocassions and a copper one for everyday use. Not kidding.)

Both had rough lives. Kepler started out with nothing and was never happy. Brahe started out with everything and gave it up for love and astronomy.

Brahe's life was also laced with a certain irony-- he was accused, hounded, and eventually exiled from Denmark on two main charges. One- he was "living in sin" with his "mistress". Since he was a nobleman and his wife was a commoner, the church would not recognize their marriage. It was a "common law" marriage which was then outlawed with the ascension of Christian IV to the throne. The irony? His estate was seized and given to Christian's mistress. Apparently it's okay to have one as long as you don't live with her?

Two- he allowed the priest to forgo the exorcism before his son's baptism. (The priest making that accusation omitted the exorcism himself when he baptized the king's son a few years later.)

Brahe was also an interesting person in his lack of interest or belief in astrology. In an age where astrology and astronomy were nearly inseparable, he said "Because of this, man, if he wishes to live as a true, supermundane person, can overcome any malevolent inclinations whatsoever from the stars."

Kepler, on the other hand, writes his horoscopes yearly and is constantly blaming the planets for his bad temper and violent mood swings.

Like when he gave Brahe two doses of mercury, most likely from Brahe's own lab. When the first didn't kill him, Brahe was given a stronger dose that killed him in about 13 hours. Kepler then made off with Brahe's forty years of observations and empirical evidence, which was supposed to go to Brahe's heirs.

It's a twisted affair, but if Kepler hadn't been such a nasty person, would he have discovered his three laws? Would he have been able to lay the groundwork that allowed Newton to develop the science of physics? History would certainly be vastly different.

Anyway, fabulous book, though if you're not interested in astronomy, it's probably not for you. Personally, I loved it!

*Sorry about the late post (and no post yesterday). Comcast ate my internet!*

Astronomy!

I LOVE astronomy. I've been devouring information on the subject since about the 2nd or 3rd grade. Seriously.

The Planets by Dava Sobel
5 Stars
nonfiction

This book is BEAUTIFUL. There's really no other way to say it.

In lyrical prose, Dava Sobel discusses the Solar System, from Sun to Pluto, varying her tone to suit each celestial body. It is a wonderful example of science for the non-scientist.

The information found is not limited to the astronomical, though. Sobel also touches on the Bible, mythology, flowers, astrology, poetry.... I could go on and on... and on.

If you didn't see the quote posted Wednesday, scroll down and read it! It's taken from the chapter on the Moon- Lunacy.

I HIGHLY recommend this to ANYONE. (Whether you're an astronomy nut or not!)

This is my 100th post!!!! WOWSERS!!!

Wednesday Quote Time

Which, yeah, needs a better name. Any ideas?

One bit of Blog Business first-- the list of March Possible Reads at the moment includes Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card and Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George. I'll keep taking suggestions until the 12th or so....

On to today's quote!

From The Planets by Dava Sobel

Nothing could summon water from those dark seas of the Moon because they are, all of them, dry. Nor have the Moon's so-called seas ever known the presence of water. Though the lunar maria hintedd off a fluid interconnectedness to the first astronomers who eyed them and names them through telescopes, the first Moonwalkers to tread them retrieved the driest imaginable materials from their shores.
"Bone-dry", the lunar samples were described, though they are much drier than bones, which form inside the Earth's wet living systems, and retain the memory of water long after death.
Dry as dust then? No, drier still. On Earth, even dust holds water.