Title: The Invisible Siege: The Rise of Coronaviruses and the Search for a Cure Author: Dan Werb Source: Library Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads Rating: I’ve already read several books on the recent pandemic and only picked up another because it was for my nonfiction book club. It added a surprising amount of info to what I’d already read due to its much longer term perspective. This story starts in the 1980s, when coronaviruses were something people studied purely for the sake of curiosity. No one ever expected that these viruses that cause the common cold pose a serious threat to ..read more

Title: Exteriors Author: Annie Ernaux Source: Library Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads Rating: Starting in 1985, Annie Ernaux began journaling her observations of daily life to make sense of her new home in the Paris suburbs. This collection contains entries through 1992, was published in ’93, and translated into English in ’96. The author begins by explaining that her intention is to serve as an objective recorder, writing down the plain facts of what she sees. She also immediately acknowledges that she failed to accomplish that. I agree that she didn’t achieve perfect objectivity ..read more

Title: The Good Virus: The Amazing Story and Forgotten Promise of the Phage Author: Tom Ireland Source: from publisher for review Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads Rating: Summary: A delightfully well written book about a fascinating corner of science. “At every moment, within your body and all around you, trillions of microscopic combatants are fighting an invisible war. Countless times per second, ‘good’ viruses known as phages are infecting and destroying bacteria. These phages are the most abundant life form on the planet” (source) and have the potential to be used as treatments ..read more

Title: Circe Author: Madeline Miller Source: Bought Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads Rating: Summary: This was a great combination of unique story with pieces of familiar tales. Rather than retelling The Odyssey, this story plucks Circe from the pages of myth and gives her a complete story of her own. She grows up scorned by her naiad mother and ignored by Helios, her Titan father, because she had neither power nor divine beauty. However, love of a mortal leads Circe to discover that she does have the power of witchcraft. Unbound by the rules of the gods, she is exiled to ..read more

Title: Blight: Fungi and the Coming Pandemic Author: Emily Monosson Source: from publisher for review Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads Rating: Summary: A fascinating book that is both informative and full of great stories. Although humans have most recently experienced a viral pandemic, many of the diseases threatening our world right now are caused by fungi. Some of these fungal diseases have caused enough devastation that you’ve probably heard of them in the news. Victims of these pathogens include: North American bats and elm trees; white pine and bananas; and both salamande ..read more

Title: Meteorite: The Stones from Outer Space That Made Our World Author: Tim Gregory Source: Bought Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads Rating: Summary: An interesting read, but overly dense with specialist terminology. I read this book on the history of the universe through meteorites with my science nonfiction book club. I thought the organization of the book was quite good, moving generally forward in time from the beginning of the universe. It simultaneously moved through the history of our understanding of meteorites. The author also did a good job of shaping the information he s ..read more

Title: Legends & Lattes Author: Travis Baldree Source: Gift Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads Rating: Summary: Too cozy for words! Just jump on the band wagon and read this gem of a novel. I was intrigued by the description of Legends and Lattes as cozy fantasy, but finally picked it up because a friend insisted I borrow his copy. This delightful story of “high fantasy with low stakes” follows retiring bounty hunter, Viv. “The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to ..read more

Title: The Essential Questions Author: Elizabeth Keating, Ph.D. Source: Library Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) Rating: Summary: Following the advice in this book has led to some great conversations and helped me get to know my grandfather better. This slim volume includes two introductory chapters on how to conduct interviews with older family members. The remainder of the book is composed of 13 chapters that begin with a page or two of suggested questions on a particular topic (childhood homes, rituals of growing up, etc). These chapters also give examples of answers to these questions ..read more

Title: Killer in the Kremlin: The Explosive Account of Putin's Reign of Terror Author: John Sweeney Source: Gift Links: Bookshop (affiliate link) |Goodreads Rating: Summary: This was an approachable read, but the tone and lack of citations make me question its credibility. This biography of Putin focuses on the violence he used to claim and maintain power. Author and BBC journalist John Sweeny includes his personal experiences reporting on Russia and with the ongoing war in Ukraine. The personal tone of this book was both a strength and a weakness. It was one of the most approachable books I’v ..read more

In early May, Book Riot contributor Laura Sackton wrote a great article on learning to read slowly. It’s long been a goal of mine to read more thoughtfully. I’m not sure I’ve said this explicitly, but I’ve assumed that will require reading more slowly. I’ve tried some similar approaches to those that Laura mentions. This article also made me think about why I struggle to slow myself down from my natural reading pace, which was a helpful exercise. The main strategy Laura mentions trying is starting to write responses to each essay in a collection. She quickly finds that while this does make he ..read more