Anca Segall
This book is a lovely, easy-to-read introduction in the exploration of what might be killing coral reefs. The scientists who do the exploring are also brought to life with affectionate, tongue-in-cheek anecdotes. Not surprisingly to this microbiologist, it's the microbes! But it's a little more complicated than that. Dr. Rohwer shows the connection between top predators like sharks and the smallest, seemingly most innocuous denizens of reefs. The lesson, simplified: don't let what you don't know kill you, or destroy nature's beauty.
This anthology is a smorgasbord - it provides a little for every taste. Some of the highlights for me were Steve Williams' mature romance between two people re-finding each other in adulthood after having met as kids and Freya Lange's tale of a young adult coming into her sexuality and the realization that sexual compatibility and romantic passion are absolutely necessary when choosing that “forever” mate. TT Tales, a long time writer of erotica, is at his expert best, regaling us with a sweet but extremely playful tale of achieving marital bliss. And, while I'm not a die-hard fan of F/F stories, Patient Lee's tale is a moving and very realistic story of a straight woman's discovery of passion in a lesbian relationship. But the pièce de résistance, for me at least, in this particular collection was M.S. Tarot's heart-wrenching tale of sweet and passionate but tragic coming together of two young neighbors, one white, the other black - a true Romeo and Juliet kind of tale. This is a great collection with which to enjoy your summer. I'll go back to dip into it again and again - a bit of a guilty pleasure, a little like skinny-dipping in a cool pool.
Love stories come in many flavors. This novella is not only about the love story of two youngsters growing up in the hardships of Appalachian country, but a tender love letter to Appalachia itself, with its hardscrabble life clawing at the characters, keeping them rooted in place. The characters are vividly drawn, and the setting comes alive - I felt I was there on the river, looking on the abandoned trucks that double as a kind of balcony for our Kentuckian Romeo and Juliet. The story made me smile, cringe, laugh and cry. It felt real and immediate, like a snapshot album sitting on the shelf next to the non-fiction writings of Joe Bageant (Deer Hunting with Jesus) and Vance (Hillbilly Elegy). Kudos to Mr. ADAMS for this beautifully written, well-realized novella. I highly recommend it, and look forward to his next books.
Great setting and research into the “backdrop” of the story. Terrific story, interesting and engaging characters. The noir went a little overboard at times, and the lead character, Miranda, had self-control around men that was superhuman. Still, those are relatively minor quibbles - the plot story moved along at a fast clip and kept me engaged and reluctant to put the book down. I look forward to her next one.
I enjoyed this, had been missing a good le Carre read. It isn't my favorite (I've read all his Cold War novels), and doesn't compare to Smiley's People, but I enjoyed the story and characters and the mood. Of course, it had to end in a typical le Carre way...
Insightful, eye-opening, revealing, fascinating. I gained newfound respect for some then-contemporary justices, in particular Sandra Day O'Connor, although at the end, the discussion of the Gore - Bush election decision was nearly shocking and very disappointing, as unworthy of an otherwise pretty laudable institution, in which most of the justices grow into something more than they started. Hopefully this will continue. I understood that the book is very much through Toobin's eyes, but he is quite even-handed and his research seemed impeccable.
I really loved this book - and learned much that was surprising. So much for assumptions, threw a few out...
I enjoyed the writing, the cultural and literary references, and the evocation of the times. I enjoyed the tension between the characters and the lack of their falling easily into cliched expectations. I appreciated the surprises. A very enjoyable, bitter-sweet, jazz-lilting read.
We are just now coming back and taking to heart the lessons Jane Jacobs tried to teach us over 50 years ago; too bad it's taken so long.
I don't normally read this type of book but I really enjoyed Nights in Rodanthe ($1 at a library sale) and wanted a follow-up. This was a good one, a major feel-good love story with sufficient heartbreak and hard decisions to make me think, what would I have done? Plus I love Travis, even he is too good to be true.
Nothing like having a bucket of cold water thrown at your hero. My first Mac was an SE, wrote my PhD dissertation on it, and I've never managed to escape the Mac universe. Not that I expected all to be rosy in wonderland, nor am I big into hero worship, but I had a lot of admiration for Jobs. But wow, too bad he was such an ass. I started reading the book before the Foxconn revelations, and that REALLY disappointed me. But you can't take the marketing genius and vision away from the man, and it remains go be seen if his shoes can be filled. While reading this biography, I also started Wozniak, Steve Wozniak's autobiography - the contrast was enlightening and gave me a much better feel for the context in which the Mac was developed. And what a sweetheart! But it's clear Wozniak would not have put Apple on the map like Jobs did. Does the end justify the means?
I read it on my own, and glad I did. I would not have appreciated it anywhere as much had I read it in high school.
I really enjoyed these essays. Also, I recommend the one on hand-washing to every Microbiology class I teach.
The story is sad and fascinating and maddening, but the writing is repetitive after a while, making it hard to finish. I think everyone even remotely connected to molecular biology should read it.
Read and re-read it so many times between 10 and 12! In Romanian. Imagine my shock when I found out that May never spent any time in the US...
Wonderful books! I wish my daughter could read Romanian. I read them repeatedly, obsessively even, and took them with me to the US when I came, among the very few books I was able to bring with me. They kept me company while I learned English and weathered the storms of puberty in a foreign country and strange new world.