"Hiding in the Mirror: The Mysterious Allure of Extra Dimensions, from Plato to String Theory and Beyond" by Lawrence M. Krauss

Occasionally I get to thinking that I'm a pretty smart guy. Heck, I have a degree in Mathematics. I work as a software engineer doing research for a successful public company. There's an reason solution to this sort of prideful thinking. All I need to do is read a book about theoretical physics. A few minutes of reading this book was all I needed to remind myself that compared to many of the minds on the planet, I am Forrest Gump. It's a bit demoralizing to read a book and only understand one out of every four pages. What I understood was quite good though.

"The Spine of the World" by R.A. Salvatore

I don't know if I am becoming desensitized to R.A. Salvatore or if this is actually an alright book. As I say every time I finish one of his books, I think Salvatore is a very poor author. His books focus way too much on fighting (explaining every sword swing in excessive detail) and generally contain very one-dimensional characters.

There was something different in this book though. I think it is because he focuses more on character development and exploration than he has in his recent works. I was first drawn to Salvatore by his Dark Elf Trilogy. It was a very introspective trilogy about the conflict between one's principles and the acceptable practices of an amoral society. After that series, it seems that he decided to become simply popcorn. Spine of the World seems to be a return to his earlier style.

Another device that he uses well, that I generally really enjoy when used properly, is the device of telling two stories in tandem that do not actually join until very close to the end. He uses it well, resulting in an unexpected but significant connection between the two plots.