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.

Author: Mark Schatzker
Rating: 2 Stars
Review By: Shana

While this book has some good qualities, on the whole it was mediocre. The good is contained in the scientific discussion of flavor and nutrition, and how the modern diet has inadvertently divorced the deep relationship between the two. Also good, in small doses, is the author's personal experience seeking out flavor and good food. Unfortunately, this also contributes to the disappointment I felt reading.  

Author: Jessica Chiarella
Rating: 4 Stars
Review By: Shana

Impressive debut novel, told from the points of view of four individuals. Each of our four narrators are bound together as terminally ill patients in an experimental program called SUBlife. The cutting-edge medical program clones their bodies, but rids those clones of whatever ails the original (brain tumor, lung cancer, paralysis, AIDS). While the story sounds like a science fiction plot, it is more of a character study. The four newly healthy people, given respite from imminent death, meet weekly for a support group and try to adjust to life in their new bodies. Bodies which are free of all blemishes and worry lines, all scars and tattoos, all indicia of a life lived. 

Author: Jennifer Wright
Rating: 1 Star
Review By: Shana

Jennifer Wright has taken an interesting premise and mostly squandered it. In every respect, this book misses wonderful opportunities and the result is a painfully superficial read. Wright has identified thirteen relationships in history that have ended (calling them all breakups is kind of misleading) and discussed what happened. Where each of these stories through history (reaching back into ancient Rome and coming all the way up into 1960s Hollywood) could have offered an interesting vantage point into the times and the concept of love, Wright only does a superficial amount of research and explanation. In fact, she often seems to have opted to put forth the most salacious version of events, or whatever version fits into the moral or lesson she has decided to highlight. She glosses over facts and nuance, and her historical perspective is uncritical and shallow.