Discover's 20 Things.... by the editors of Discover Magazine

To the authors' credit, they admit in the introduction that the title of this book is misleading; it's not 20 things about "everything". But there are 20 chapters of various subjects, ranging from aliens to weather, each contained in it's own chapter.

If you are familiar with the monthly magazine and it's regular column "20 Things You Didn't Know About...", then you may have seen these before, or like me, you may not. I'm not entirely sure if they are reprints since I have only been an infrequent browser of the magazine.

That said, there is still plenty of reason to read the book, even if you do know everything. It's fun, for one thing. There are the 20 things in each chapter, but there are a lot of sidebars with other intriguing pieces of info, and numerous quotes from different people that are peppered in the text.

Give it 7½ stars.

The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet by Neil deGrasse Tyson

The story of how one man single-handedly brought down a planet. Well, not entirely so, but it was partially due to the displays that astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson worked on at the Hayden planetarium that ended up with the reclassification of Pluto. This is mostly his story, but it also has some background story and history.

Peppered with lots of feedback, mostly from children, decrying the author's decision to not list Pluto among the bona-fide planets at the planetarium, this book is still a bit hard to take. The engaging style of the author does not detract from the fact that much of the story is not very interesting. To be sure, a devotee of astronomy won't be entirely put off by it, especially since the author makes a great case for his decision.

However, I found that it took a bit of an effort to complete the book. The collected cartoons were interesting, as were the letters from Tyson's younger debators. Still, I can only rate this one 5½ stars.

The Spychips Threat by Katherine Albrecht & Liz McIntyre

Don't let the subtitle "Why Christians Should Resist..." divert you from reading this book. It is not a diatribe designed to save your soul from eternal damnation, but a serious look at the dangers that could derive from the implementation of RFID technology. The few mentions directed toward the Christian community are just that, so you need not worry about any hellfire and brimstone sermons here.

The authors do an outstanding job here, and Stephen King has nothing that will scare you near as much as the reality posed here. If you believe in privacy and the right to live your life ithout any intervention from either marketers or government, then this book is a call to arms.

RFID (radio frequency identification) is the technology of using small implants that have the capability of radioing information to a reciever about how and where the spychipped item is being used. But this is only the beginning. The authors will introduce you to a nightmare future possibility, in which everyone is tracked via GPS through implants under the skin. Think Big Brother from he classic George Orwell novel 1984 come to real fruition.

Of course, if you are of the Chritian faith, this book is very important, given that the authors occasionally relate how significant these developments are in relationship to end times prophecy. Don't miss out on this one.

I give this one 9 stars.

Apocalypse 2012 by Lawrence E. Joseph

"The sky is falling ! The sky is falling!"

Chicken Little couldn't have it anymore correct, if this author is to be believed. Everything from mass extinction from an asteriod striking the planet, to sunburn from Hell due to global warming and declining, eroding protection from the sun's harmful rays are the subject of this book. Taking it possibility by possibility, ranging from the Mayan prediction of upheaval, to the deteriorating magnetic field, and a few other things, all of them verging on the apocalptic year of 2012, in essence, the Earth is pretty much toast.

If a supervolcano in Yellowstone, pretty much overdue for erupting again in it's umpteen million year cycle, doesn't send you running for the bomb shelter, perhaps various groups of religious zealots bent on forcing the coming of the predicted Armageddon, or end of this age war in their respective religions will cause you to finally build that rocketship to take you off the planet. Either way, you'll have plenty of opportunities to get a new pair of pants after you soil the ones you're wearing when you read this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, even if the author failed to convince me there is any more reason to panic this year, than say, oh, about 4 years in the future.

Rating for this one. 6 stars.