Do The Math!

Books By The Numbers…

If you tell me something, anything really, I’m likely going to do the math on it. And if it doesn’t have an obvious correlation to the world of mathematics, trust me when I tell you I will find a way to get it there.  And I will enjoy every minute of it.  And when I share this enthralling facet of my personality with people with a big ‘ol smile on my face, their eyes usually start scanning for accessible escape routes! Math however, cannot be circumvented.

People most commonly associate mathematics with numbers, equations, computations, algorithms, and statistics.  But it’s also embedded in puzzles, computer gaming, sports scoring, alchemy and so much more. Math is loved for its purity and truth, but I love it equally for its evations and deceptions. While I agree that numbers don’t lie, whoever is manipulating them into the story to tell can shroud them in complexities and jargon that would put the best magician’s sleight of hand to shame. 

Stories and mathematics are interwoven in ways that we readers likely never give a second thought. The most obvious of which is the puzzling out of a mystery within a book; plotting out the facts and revealing the secrets are akin to solving a well-constructed math riddle. It’s the math’s that allow us to stretch to the outer reaches of our imagination and demonstrate how in finding a solution it is possible to illuminate an idea. It can be either simple or intricate, the same can be said of stories.

No matter your position on the debate regarding math love, the books I have compiled for you will have you embracing it like a long-lost friend. 

So, trust me, this won’t hurt a bit!

Math In Fiction…

Alice In Wonderland – Lewis Carroll

            While his references to mathematical concepts and logic may be obscured by a delightful abundance of absurdity, they are there.  Carroll was in fact a math teacher which makes sense and yet really doesn’t…

Housekeeper & Professor – Yoko Ogawa

            A brilliant math professor has a peculiar problem.  Ever since he suffered a traumatic head injury, he has lived with only 80 minutes of short-term memory. Every evening as he is introduced anew to his housekeeper, he unpacks elegant equations from the past that keep them connected even as his memory disconnects.

Zero Sum Game – S. L. Huang

            A debut that follows Cass, a math genius whose ability to calculate reaches superpower levels.  Usually able to think circles around everyone, she finds herself pulled out of her element.  But her skills prove invaluable, and she learns to kick ass! Literally.

Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime – Mark Haddon

            Our main character loves math and is particularly fond of prime numbers. Which morphs into the form of a mystery that requires solving.  One of my fav’s, a gem of a novel!

Tenth Muse – Catherine Chung

            A female protagonist who happens to be a brilliant and ambitious mathematician tackling one of the subjects most pressing conundrums.  Exhilarating and moving novel about legacy, identity and the beautiful ways in which our minds can set us free.

Doubters Almanac – Ethan Canin

            A story of how the flame of genius both lights and scorches every generation it touches.  This book alternately depicts math as poetry, and mystery, infusing it with crackling energy.  One-part intellectual thriller, one-part domestic saga.

Last Equation Of Isaac Severy – Nova Jacobs

            The owner of a struggling bookstore receives a letter from her deceased mathematician grandfather alluding to a secretive organization that is after his final equation.  She must unravel a series of confounding clues hidden inside her favourite novels in order to find it.

Devotion of Suspect X – Keigo Higashino

            Overhearing a murder next door, a high school math teacher offers his help in covering up the crime.  What ensues is a high-level battle of wits, with characters attempting to outmaneuver and outthink each other.

This Story Is A Lie – Tom Pollock

            A teen math prodigy with an extreme anxiety disorder finds himself caught in a web of lies and conspiracy.  A top pick of 2019!

The Eight – Katherine Neville

            A legendary chess set is scattered across the globe to ensure that its pieces are kept separate. When united they have the power to topple civilizations. Adventures, cyphers and puzzles are intricately layered for a brilliant read!

Special Topics In Calamity Physics – Marisha Pessi

            A narrator whose head is full of facts of all kinds finds herself caught up in a byzantine murder mystery.  The author provides visual aids for a truly interactive reading experience.

Cryptonomicon – Neal Stephenson

            The entire plot hinges on the ideas involved in cryptography, from programming to spy craft, it’s no wonder this novel elevates math’s cool factor. Cutting edge when originally published, it’s no less so today.

Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy – Douglas Adams

            Precise and serious use of mathematics in the service of utter nonsense.  True story…

Divide Me By Zero – Lara Vapnyar

            As a young girl, Katy learned from her mother that math was the answer to everything.  At forty, with her life in crisis, she looks to find guidance in mathematical concepts.

And A Few Non-Fiction…

Humble PI: A Comedy Of Math Errors – Matt Parker

            Pretty much everything relies on math and when the math goes wrong, there are consequences. An amusing, eye opening and at times, unsettling collection of these tales of woe!

Professor Stewarts Cabinet Of Mathematical Curiosities – Ian Stewart

            Knowing that the most exciting math is not taught in school, Professor Stewart has spent years filling his cabinet with intriguing mathematical games, puzzles, stories and factoids.  Hidden gems of logic and probability abound in this clever and delightful collection.

Zero: The Biography Of A Dangerous Idea – Charles Selfie

            Zero is not like other numbers.  It is both nothing and everything.  Follow as its history unfolds through to modern day.  Remarkable links to everything from religion to science are outlined in a fascinating narrative.

Change Is The Only Constant – Ben Orlin

            Engaging exploration of the intersection of math in daily life.  Done through engaging tales and quirky drawings.

Spider Network – David Enrich

            Math Crimes! I have an odd fascination with these.  A math genius and his outrageous colleagues take advantage of a flawed and corrupt banking system to ignite one of the biggest financial scandals in history.

Fun With Math…

…cool facts, oddities & other stuff…

·      Math is exercise for your gray matter.  Doing it recircuits certain brain regions that encourage your subconscious to think creatively.

·      “If there is a 50-50 chance that something can go wrong, then 9 times out of 10 it will”

·      Google (aka, the center of the universe) derived its name from the word “googol”, a mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeros.  Which reflects infinity, a fitting analogy for the search capacity don’t you think?

·      “A mathematician is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat which isn’t there.”

·      If you shuffle a deck of cards properly, its more than likely that the exact order of the cards you end up with has never been seen before in the history of the universe.  

·      “Mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.”

·      You can cut a cake into 8 pieces by using only 3 cuts.  I am available for testing this theory out…

·      “Mathematics compares the most diverse phenomena and discovers the secret analogies that unite them.”

·      If you look at the underlying symmetry in any wallpaper pattern, there are only 17 possibilities.

·      “And then Satan said, put the alphabet in math…”

·      A jiffy is an actual unit of time, 1/100th of a second.