In Progress

What am I reading now/next? The Dying Earth Collection by Jack Vance Viruses, Plagues and History by Michael Oldstone What am I waiting for? Harry Potter #5, Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling Game of Thrones #4, A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin What am I waiting for at the library? Q by Sue Grafton Lemon Merangue Pie Murders by Joanna Fluke Joust by Mercedes Lackey Mad Cowboy by ?? Lyman (science) Book and author lists (in progress) Popular Epidemiology (non-fiction) Favorite children's sci-fi Favorite children's books Medical sci-fi and thrillers Popular natural history General Sci-Fi Cooking Mystery General Mystery Romance Popular Epidemiology (non-fiction) Plague Time: The new germ theory of disease by Paul Ewald - An empassioned plea for medical science to examine the possible infectious causation of chronic disease. Describes examples of chronic illnesses now known or suspected to have infectious causation (like peptic ulcers, cervical cancer, etc.) Not quite well-written and somewhat repetitive, but worth the read for it's thought-provoking views. Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer - A well-written but disgusting look at the most common predators on Earth, parasites! The Woman with a Worm in her Head and other true stories of infections disease by Pamela Nagami - Readable anecdotes of human disease The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston - a discussion of bioweapons, focusing on smllpox The Hot Zone by Richard Preston - The bestselling true story of an Ebola outbreak in Virginia The Virus Within: A Coming Epidemic by Nicholas Regush - A discussion of the HHV-6 virus and its possible impact on human disease FLU: The story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it by Gina Kolata Deadly Feasts: The prion controversy and the public's health by Richard Rhodes - a discussion of prion diseases (Mad Cow disese, vCJD, etc) Microbes and Man by John Postgate - An excellent introduction to the world of bacteria and all the ways they can interact with humans, for good and ill. The Outer Reaches of Life by John Postgate - Discusses the versatile lifestyles of microbes, how they can live in the most harsh of conditions, and what that can mean for us Yellow Fever, Black Goddess: The coevolution of people and plagues by Christopher Wills - Discusses various pathogens and their epidemics Who Gave Pinto to the Santa Maria: Tracking the devistating spread of tropical diseases into America by Robert Desowitz - The US is not as safe from tropical disease as we think we are The Malaria Capers: More tales of parasites and people, research and reality by Robert Desowitz - Readable recounting of our attempts to eradicate or control malaria New Guinea Tapeworms and jewish grandmothers: Tales of parasites and people by Robert Desowitz - A well-written series of anecdotes recounting tales of human parasitization The Thorn in the Starfish: The immune system and how it works by Robert Desowitz - A well-written description of the workings of the human immune system Honey, Mud and Maggots: The science behind folk remedies and old wives tales by Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein The Coming Plague: Newly emerging diseases in a world out of balance by Laurie Garret - A compelling and well-written discussion of the epidemiology of infections disease, with a focus on the who, what, how and why of emerging diseases Virus Hunter: Thirty years of battling hot viruses around the world by C.J.Peters and Mark Olshaker - A biography of virolgist/epidemiologist C.J. Peters with lots of great epidemiology as well. The Virus Hunters by Greer Williams - biographies and scientific impact of early biologists and virologists such as Jenner, Pasteur, Beijerinck, Theiler, Salk, etc. Great names and small ones, too The Cholera Years: The United States in 1832, 1849 and 1866 by Charles Rosenberg - A detailed discussion of the medicine and society of the main US cholera epidemics The Columbian Exchange: Biological and cultural consequences of 1492 by Alfred Crosby, Jr. - Contains sections discussing the impact of the introduction of smallpox and syphilis on native americans Favorite children's sci-fi Favorite children's books Medical sci-fi and thrillers The Cobra Event by Richard Preston - New York is attacked by a genetically engineered bioweapon. Contains good science. Scary. Mutant by Peter Clement - Terrorists create genetically engineered plagues to attack the US. The book raises some very interesting questions about the propigation of man-made vectors in the environment. Vector by Robin Cook - A Russian emigre grows weaponized anthrax in his basement and teams up with Right-wing radicals to terrorize New York. See also Robin Cook's other epidemiological thrillers, Outbreak and Contagion. Popular natural history    Edwin Way Teale    John McPhee    Henry David Thoreau *    Ralph Waldo Emerson * *Yes, these gentlemen are more often considered to be philosophers, rather than natural historians. However, you cannot truly observe the natural world and not become something of a philosopher or poet..... Farmers, cowboys, geologists, astronauts, mothers, and more, work hand in hand with the Earth and it's seasons, and become wise. General Sci-Fi Cooking Mystery Diane Mott Davidson's delightful stories of caterer Goldy Bear's struggles as a single mother trying to raise her son and run her business in the midst of murder of all sorts. Many recipes included!(Catering to Nobody, Dying for Chocolate, Chopping Spree, etc.) Joanne Fluke's tales of the cookie-store-owning, crime-solving Hannah Swensen, who solves murders while baking cookies for the town and dealing with her bossy mother and sister. Includes recipes! (Blueberry Muffin Murder, Strawberry Shortcake Murder, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, Lemon Meringue Pie Murder) Nancy Fairbank's stories tell of a middle-aged resturant reviewer and her quirky scientist husband who find themselves all too often in the middle of crime and murder.(Crime Brulee, Truffled Feathers, Death a L'Orange, Chocolate Quake ) Claudia Bishop's Hemlock Falls mystery series chronicles the death and mayhem sisters Meg and Quill encounter while running a small in in the country. (Just Desserts, A Taste for Murder, A Pinch of Poison, etc.) Joanne Pence's stories of cook Angie Amalfi and her encounters with crime. I don't find this series as entertaining as the other's I've listed here, though. Recipes included. (Cooks Overboard, etc.) Second Thyme Around by Katie Fforde - Actually, this is more of a romance than a mystery. General Mystery Sue Grafton's alphabetical series featuring the pragmatic and self-sufficient private investigator, Kinsey Millhone. (A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, C is for Corpse, up to Q is for Quarry) Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon mysteries, set in various national parks. A must read for mystery-loving nature buffs. (Ill Wind, Blind Descent, Flashback, etc.) Robin Paige's Victorian era mystery series is a great deal of fun to read. They touch on the emergence of true criminal science and the forensic technologies we take for granted today. Plus, Kate and Charles are fun protagonists. (Death at Bishop's Keep, Death at Gallows Green, etc.) Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb, writes stories of Eve, a futuristic cop and her roguish (Batman-like) lover, Roarke, who untangle murder and their own dark pasts. Although Roberts is better known for her romances, I like this mystery series quite well. (Vengeance in Death, Naked in Death, Glory in Death, etc.) Elizabeth Peter's stories all focus around archeological themes. She has standalone works, as well as a series following the dangerous ancounters of Egyptologist Amelia Peabody and her family. (Lord of the Silent, The Dead Sea Cipher, etc.) James Doss's mystery series centers around an American Indian police chief, Charlie Moon, and his rather unusual (and very quirky) grandmother. (The Night Visitor, Grandmother Spider, etc.) Romance - Should I admit to reading these?? :)