By Shana

For those who have had just about enough of the news and need to escape the real world (or at least escape the current version of the real world) here are a few lighter-hearted books (all books that I rated at five stars) that should distract and amuse:

By Shana

If folks want to read topically, I can suggest six books about pandemics, all worthy of five stars. Some highlight how government response impacts pandemic results, others how human activity is impacting disease, and one is the story of smallpox vaccination and shows what a boon vaccination is in saving lives.

Author: Mary Roach
Rating: 3 Stars
Review By: Shana

A rare miss (or at least slightly off target) for Mary Roach. Grunt has its high points, moments of genuine humor, and interesting vignettes. But, on the whole, the subject of war is not given to Roach's typical (and usually so effective) irreverent tone. It isn't so much that every topic covered in her book needs grave and solemn treatment - humor naturally bubbles up when talking about issues of body odor and bodily functions, of weapons premised on terrible smells. Instead, some chapters felt like Roach was trying to shoehorn serious topics into her trademark, light-hearted tone. When discussing IED maiming and penile transplants it just feels awkward when the tone is forced jocularity. If Roach had just let humor arise where it came naturally and let a few of the passages go by without forced humor, I think the entire book would have been better. Entertaining and informative, but not her best work.

Author: Mary Norris
Rating: 4 Stars
Review By: Shana

A fun romp through grammar, punctuation, pronunciation, and irreverence. Norris, a New Yorker copy editor, mixes the nitpicking exactitude needed for her job with an eye for humor and a flexibility not stereo-typically associated with those in her line of work. A wonderful ride for grammarians who don't take themselves too seriously and avid readers who'd like a peek into a copy editor's life.

Author: Peter Frankopan
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review By: Shana

A sweeping history told from a perspective all too often lacking - that is, world history where the West is not the central player and its current dominance is not fated. Dr. Frankopan tells the engrossing and intricate history of the world from the vantage point of the vital Silk Road. This shifts the reader's gaze from a Euro-centric (and later American-centric) narrative to a broader vantage point, seeing power and commerce, politics and religion, as it coursed along the all-important trade routes connecting Asia and the Mediterranean. 

Author: Dean Koontz
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Review By: Shana

Dean Koontz knows how to build an interesting premise: we meet Jane Hawk and we know from the beginning that she has suffered a great loss, that she is being pursued, and that all is not right in the world. Hawk is on leave from the FBI, cautious of surveillance, and appears to be skeptical about surviving for a few more months, let alone a few more years. 

Author: John Wyndham
Rating: 4 Stars
Review By: Shana

This science fiction classic has aged remarkably well. It is not quite so groundbreaking or sweeping as George Stewart's "Earth Abides," but like that bellwether and progenitor of post-apocalyptic fiction, Wyndham's slimmer novel has a deep thoughtfulness and an observant eye for human behavior. Likewise, its deconstruction of modern civilization is less bombastic and more realistic than 21st century entertainment likes to project. 

Author: Jonathan Balcombe
Rating: 4 Stars
Review By: Shana

A wonderful book, shaking the reader out of any thoughts of fish as lesser beings and imbuing them with emotion and complexity. Balcombe's writing is energetic, and his synthesis of rigorous science and personal anecdotes makes this book a pleasure to read. While there has been an ever widening sphere of animals that humans recognize as having feelings and being worthy of concern and even respect, fish have stubbornly stayed outside that embracing regard. But Balcombe will jolt the reader out of the centuries old idea that fish are mostly senseless, with poor memories and not much of interest to humans. Just because they cannot emote in the ways most likely to grab our attention (namely, by whines and cries, due to their underwater habitat), this book opens up their world to us and is well worth any curious reader's time.

Author: Deanna Raybourn
Rating: 3 Stars
Review By: Shana

Meet Veronica Speedwell, a lady of mysterious parentage and odd (at least for Victorian England) appetites (read: science, rationality, and the occasional romantic dalliance). Upon the death of her guardian aunt, she is flung into intrigue as some burly and unsavory ruffians appear determined to kidnap her. A rather dapper and avuncular elderly gentleman comes to her aid, whisking her away from the countryside to London, and placing her in the care of his trusted, if surly, friend Stoker. Stoker, of less mysterious but perhaps bastardly parentage and fallen out of aristocratic favor, likewise besotted of science, and ever-honorable takes it upon himself to protect her. What follows is a decidedly cheeky, mildly predictable, tale of uneasy friendship, evasion of ruffians, mystery detanglement, and hints of romance to come (unsurprising, as Raybourn is a noted romance author). Not paradigm changing, but very enjoyable.

Author: Richard A. Clarke & R.P. Eddy
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review By: Shana

Cassandra of Greek myth had the gift of prophecy but the curse of never being believed. In this book, authors Clarke and Eddy turn to modern day Cassandras - those who warn of dire events but whose warnings are unheeded. The book starts with multiple chapters, each dedicated to a different catastrophe. Each catastrophe is explained, with the authors outlining the factors that made each disaster particularly harrowing, followed by an introduction to the individual or individuals who predicted the event, tried to get the powers that be to mitigate it, but were ignored. This ranges from the Madoff scandal to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear calamity, from the rise of ISIS to the formation of Hurricane Katrina and its fallout. In each instance, the authors have interviewed the Cassandra in question, parsed the technical expertise that underpinned the predictions, and examined the impact (short and long term) of failing to take the warnings seriously.