Spotted: Introduction to Higher Mathematics for the General Reader by Constance Reid

Where: Q-train

Who was reading: An aged man with eyebrows like little lost caterpillars, and a pen in one hand. His copy of the book was yellowed and battered, with notes and cross-outs jotted across each page. The faded cloth binding appeared to be hanging by its last thread, with the pages threatening to slip out en masse. Perhaps an original 1959 edition?

About the Author: Constance Bowman Reid (1918-2010) was a noted writer and builder of B-24 bombers, credited with helping to popularize the subject of mathematics.

A woman? Doing math? When Reid published her first article in Scientific American, readers complained that such articles ought to be written by authorities in the field as opposed to “housewives.”

Because, y’know... authorities in the field of mathematics are all such clear and eloquent writers.

But Constance showed those doubting Thomases... by winning a bunch of cool math prizes, including a Communications Award from the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics for her body of work bringing accurate mathematical information to non-mathematical audiences.

Fantasy Fridays: Cerulean Sins by Laurell K. Hamilton

Book 11… in the “Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter” series.

Where: N-train

Who was reading: A middle-aged woman in a full length red felt coat with a gold maple leaf brooch. She was huddled against the bars at the end of the bench as if to escape from her fellow passengers and delve further into the book.

What’s in a name? (via Wikipedia): “The meaning of the title is not apparent, but may refer at least in part to the sheets in Jean-Claude's bed, which Anita refers to several times as cerulean blue in this novel, and to the activities that occur in that bed.”

Shit, you mean someone’s already named a novel after sheets? So much for my smooth-jazz themed historical romance, Rhapsody in Beige.

Ditto this middle grade fantasy I've had in the pipeline, Bertram Bug’s Bedspread Battle: In which a plucky young bedbug defeats the sinister Subtratrulon, a wizard who uses his evil mind powers (ie. a basic knowledge of mathematics) to reduce the thread counts of unsuspecting snoozers.