Lathe of Heaven

The Lathe Of Heaven: A Novel by Ursula K. Le Guin


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Classic sci-fi from Ursula LeGuin - with her particular voice. A mind-bending tale of the power of dreams, that'ss held up very well since it's writing 25 years ago.

View all my reviews >>

Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time

Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time: My Life Doing Dumb Stuff with Animals by Richard Conniff


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Richard Conniff's live has taken him around the world, reporting on animals and the people who study them. He's had some opportunities to do "dumb stuff" (as he puts it), like allowing himself to be bitten by fire ants or stung by jellyfish. But he also presents his experiences in a way that is not only entertaining, but gives us some of the fascinating science behind the creatures.

View all my reviews >>

Larry's Kidney

Larry's Kidney: (Being the Story of) How I Found Myself in China with My Black Sheep Cousin and His Mail-Order Bride, Breaking Chinese Law to Get Him a Transplant--and Save His Life by Daniel Asa Rose


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Daniel Rose's "black-sheep" cousin is dying of kidney failure, and wants to take advantage of "medical tourism" to jump the long line for one in the U.S. and find a kidney in China. Along the way, they confront the mushy ethics of the situation, some long buried familial issues, and the culture shock that awaits them in China. Interesting but bizarre; moving but confusing.

View all my reviews >>

Odd and the Frost Giants

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Read this out loud on a car trip. Wonderful little story, with Gaiman's characteristic magical storytelling and lovable characters.

View all my reviews >>

The Orange Wire Problem

The Orange Wire Problem and Other Tales from the Doctor's Office by David Watts


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
David Watts is a gastroenterologist with the soul of a poet - well, actually he's a poet as well. In this series of essays, he tells the stories of triumphs and tragedies in his practice, but always with an eye open to the unexpected and the possibilities to learn. Made me respect the job doctors have to to.

View all my reviews >>

Punching In

Punching In: One Man's Undercover Adventures on the Front Lines of America's Best-Known Companies by Alex Frankel


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For some reason, I was expecting a little more humor from this book. There wasn't much there, but what WAS there was a well-thought look into some of the biggest "branded" companies in the country. Alex Frankel spent time working for companies such as UPS, Starbucks, Apple and Gap, and looks at their hiring practices, corporate culture, and other facets of their business. Fascinating, and will affect the way I look at front-line employees of these companies.

View all my reviews >>

The Cello Suites

The Cello Suites: J. S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece by Eric Siblin


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm a bit intrigued by books that model their structure after their subject - like this, which has six chapters of six sections, like Bach's Cello Suites. In this case, Eric Siblin makes it work very well - the sections are short and easily digestible, and follow either the life of Bach, the career of Pablo Casals (the cellist who popularized the Suites,) or the author's own journey of research into the music. No earth-shattering revelations here; just the story of how Bach's music can still affect us and be relevant today.

View all my reviews >>