Growing up, Paul Bunyan was always too big. Too big for the furniture. Too big for regular clothes. Too big to play with the other kids. But out among the tall trees in the great northern forests, Paul felt at home.
Stephen William Hawking, (born 1942) is a British theoretical physicist. Hawking is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He is known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes, and his popular works in which he discusses his own theories and cosmology in general.
In a thoughtful, well-informed study exploring fiction from throughout Stephen King's immense oeuvre, Heidi Strengell shows how this popular writer enriches his unique brand of horror by building on the traditions of his literary heritage. Tapping into the wellsprings of the gothic to reveal contemporary phobias, King invokes the abnormal and repressed sexuality of the vampire, the hubris of Frankenstein, the split identity of the werewolf, the domestic melodrama of the ghost tale.
Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are famous for their comic talents and numerous television and film appearances. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, they made a wonderful pairing as Jeeves and Wooster, also appearing together in "Blackadder" and "A Bit of Fry and Laurie". Also a successful writer, Stephen Fry now hosts the upmarket BBC2 quiz show QI. Whilst Hugh Laurie has hit the huge time in the US in the television series "House" where he stares as the irascible American Doctor Gregory House.
Whether they prefer scotch on the rocks or a double mocha latte, readers will enjoy Braun's dissection of caffeine, alcohol and the processes by which they work. For one thing, the presentation of complicated scientific concepts is understandable without being condescending. Braun makes analogies ("Drinking caffeine is thus like putting a block of wood under one of the brain's primary brake pedals") that help the reader to visualize what's going on. also helped by the author's inclusion of stories and humorous moments. From David Letterman quotes ("If it weren't for the caffeine, I'd have no identifiable personality whatsoever") to personal anecdotes about the effects these two mood-altering substances had upon the formulation of his book, Braun manages to take abstract concepts and mold them into something highly readable. Science novices should find this book as enjoyable and well-written as those who have spent their lives working with biology or chemistry..
