The Getting Clever Project

A couple of really exceptional books in this post and one that made me tear up.

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert. An exceptional book, highly recommended to anyone who cares about the impact humanity has on the planet. Books like this one are important because they pull together scientific research from many sources, put it in context, and use plain clear English to explain complex concepts. The author does a stellar job with all these tasks. Another excellent part is that she offers competing viewpoints and covers several sides of the questions. Species are becoming extinct before our eyes. Luckily some people are paying attention.

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh. You should really run right out and buy this book. Her stories about her dogs are hilarious, as are some of her descriptions of her childhood. I also need to thank Allie Brosh for writing this book. It is funny and poignant and and so much on target. Her stories and drawings are amazing, as is her honesty. I never thought anyone else could capture my feelings so well.

Harvest: Field Notes from a Far-Flung Pursuit of Real Food by Max Watman. I was rather disappointed. The first eight chapters were disjointed and unfocused. He jumped all over the place. The last three chapters partially redeemed the book. He found his theme, but it was almost too late. It’s a short, thin read.

Circles in the Snow by Patrick F. McManus. I enjoyed this book. It gives a nice sense of place, the characters are interesting, and the murder was clever. The explanation for the snow circles was a little out there. I suspect I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the earlier books in the series. I will definitely look for them, as I think the author is good.

Moving Target by J.A. Jance. I thought this was one of the better entries in the series. We got a look at Leland’s back story. They solved a mystery around the death of Leland’s father. I liked th scenes in England. She blended together two separate plots. There was a very clever plot around a computer program. It was suspenseful and enjoyable. Really 3 1/2 stars. Worth reading.

Second Watch by J.A. Jance.  I'm a big fan of the J.P. Beaumont mysteries. I like how she's had her male character grow and mature as real people would. Here Beau is getting a knee operation. The drugs take him back to one of his first cases and also back to his service in Vietnam. He tries to close some unanswered questions. I teared up at the end of this book when she wrote about the lingering effects of the Vietnam War. I can't help but wonder if we'll see them for Iran and Afghan vets. Very well written.

1. It's a great example of parents encouraging a child's interest in science. Especially because girls are so often discouraged from expressing an interest in science
2. It's a wonderful story of a father/daughter relationship.
3. It's all about the cutting edge of physics and the scientists involved in it, explained in clear, plain language.
4. Physics as philosophy - the subtitle is "the meaning of nothing and the beginning of everything."
5. Figuring out how we know when we are adults is something we've all thought about.
In other words I really liked it and recommend it highly.

Other books read this week included:

Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life by Jane Pauley. The book is very anecdotal. It's essentially a compilation of interviews from her TV show. I did like the stories and found some of them inspirational. I also liked her stories of her life. A good read if you like this sort of inspirational/aspirational book.

The Fire Baby by Jim Kelly. I quite enjoyed this. The setting was unusual, the fens near Ely Cathedral. The author shifts among different points of view and different time periods but handles it quite deftly. The mystery was clever. I thought the main character was interesting. I'll look for more by this author.

NYPD Puzzle: A Puzzle Lady Mystery by Parnell Hall. I have very mixed feelings about the book. On the one hand, the puzzles and mystery were clever. On the other hand, the author's idea of witty dialogue is just painful. It's a quick read. I liked the author's early books and decided to give him another try. I am not enamored of this protagonist.

Rosemary and Crime by Gail Oust. A weak two. It is reminiscent of Diane Davidson's Goldy series, which is not a good thing to me. Divorcee opening food-related business in small town, rat exhusband, cute potential cop boyfriend, spunky eccentric BFF - no, no, no. Susan Wittig Albert handles it much better. Points for the doggie, but that's about it. I won't be looking for more in the series.

The Forgotten by David Baldacci. I hadn't read the earlier books in this series about Puller, but now I'll have to. This book is about human slavery in the U.S. and what the profits from it can buy. The action scenes didn't obscure the underlying horror of modern slavery. I liked the characters and the ending was a surprise. Definitely worth reading.

Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon. I am not sure enjoy is the right word to describe reading this book. It's well written and focuses on Brunetti as he works through several cases. It's not her usual format. There aren't as many family scenes or meal descriptions. There's more of a focus on solid police work. But these are moral crimes more than acts violating laws. The innocent victims will haunt you.

Beer Is Proof God Loves Us: Reaching for the Soul of Beer and Brewing by Charles Bamforth. I enjoyed this book. The title is a humorous misquotation of Ben Franklin. The topics covered are far-ranging and include Thatcher's misguided beer laws, the international history of beer, industry mergers and acquisitions (ever wonder what happened to your favorite brew?), and a section in craft brewing. The endnotes are not quite half the book but are fun to read. He hides some good stories back there. The arguments in favor of the social and health benefits of drinking beer were disingenuous. The history and persons were far more interesting.