Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. An engrossing and slightly horrifying look at how different viruses have spread from animal to human populations and the adaptability some possess when jumping to their “new host”. As a result of reading this book I now periodically check the World Health Organization’s website.
The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars by Paul Collins. A fascinating look at the cut throat completion between New York City’s newspaper moguls Pulitzer and Hearst and the extreme measures they were willing to take to be the city’s top paper. Armed reporters investigating crimes, hiding evidence from the authorities, and creating false clues to insure they broke the story first. Anyone that questions the ethics of today’s journalists needs to read this book to understand just how far the profession has come.
A horrifying yet at times funny exploration of human behavior and why some people act like they do. This book will have you looking twice at the actions of the people around you. Just remember, if you are worried you might be a psychopath then you are not a psychopath.
And on the lighter side…Took a side trip in the form of Keeping the castle : a tale of romance, riches, and real estate by Patrice Kindl and For darkness shows the stars by Diana Peterfreund. Both books give a strong nod to Austin classics.
Set in 19 century England, Keeping the Castle is Austen's Pride and Prejudice distorted by the strength, humor and sarcasm of 17 year old Althea Crawley. The story line follows Althea as she attempts to hold on to her impoverished family's crumbling castle by the only means available--marrying a wealth man. Anyone familiar with Austen's work will recognize Kindl's subtle spoof of the limitations imposed upon women during this time period. I enjoyed Althea's ingenuity as she continued to find ways of keeping up the appearance of wealth-- serving her neighbors reused tea bags as they sat on furniture that literally crumbed underneath them. This book was a quick, fun, slightly familiar read.
The setting of For Darkness Shows the Stars is an island cut off from whatever remains of a world destroyed by a genetically engineered DNA experiment gone horrible wrong. Elliot North is trying desperately to keep her family's farm running despite her father and older sister's selfish acts of cruelty and wastefulness. Four years ago she refused to leave the farm to travel with her best friend Kai, feeling honor bound to stay to protect the farm workers from her father. Now Kai is back and determined to make Elliot regret her decision. This book is Austen's Persuasion in a post-apocalyptic world that argues the benefits of scientific intervention verses allowing nature to take its course.
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