It’s so much harder to pick a book of the month when you read so many more than thirty because you enjoyed the Dewey’s Readathon just last weekend that definitely added to the read pile. I even toyed with cutting myself some slack and picking a middle grade, YA, and adult outstanding book of the month– but I’m going to stick to it and just pick one. For this bibliophile, this is a tough decision. 

But here it is, even though I thought maybe I’d pick Alexis Coe’s You Never Forget Your First or Kate Murphy’s You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why it Matters. 

I picked Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World by Matt Parker, a former math teacher who uses his comedic skills and keen interest in math to share with laypeople the craziness of math. 

I picked it for several reasons. First, math gets a bad rap as being unreadable in literature and this is just not the case with Parker’s 2020 book. I was fascinated by each section he focused on whether it was finance and taxes to Excel spreadsheets or time. And it left an impression when he said 

“Mathematicians aren’t people who find math easy; they’re people who enjoy how hard it is”

And I can appreciate that. I spend time on hard tasks because I like the accomplishment of overcoming it. For some, it’s math. Likewise, he also includes a statement that we can’t stop pushing the boundaries of math just because mistakes happen and sometimes end lives. 

The infusion of humor and math made it readable. But I also wanted to share the tidbits out loud with whoever was close by. I spent many days following finishing the book adding something into the conversation “about this book I read recently”. And that definitely makes for a good book. It’s useful in conversation. I continue to think about it days after I’ve finished it. I want to read more that Parker has written. And I feel confident in the smallest of mathematical abilities I do have. 

I look forward to what November brings for sure while also recognizing that there were a handful of captivating books from October that also included Poisoned Water by Cooper and Mobituaries by Rocca.