reviews

A story that flows as effortlessly as a green silk ballgown Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid Naturally, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will lead many readers to draw comparisons between Taylor Jenkins Reid’s fictional Hollywood star and the real-life, muchly married Elizabeth Taylor. Spoiler alert: Evelyn Hugo comes out on top every time. At age 79, Evelyn’s acting career is behind her, but she is still an icon, perched in her opulent apartment overlooking Central Park. She has made the decision to tell her life story—including the carefully guarded details of her sorrows, regrets and marriages—to a young, unknown reporter named [...]

Writing is in his genes... Author:  Carl Zimmer We’re all different.  It’s our genes that make us so.  With an equal share contributed by each of our parents, our DNA serves as a blueprint determining many of the details in our lives, like eye color and height, even personality.  Although the structure of the DNA molecule has been known for some 65 years now, it’s become increasingly clear that nothing about genetics is as simple as a double helix.  As with everything in the biological sciences, the details are much messier.  In She Has Her Mother’s Laugh, acclaimed science journalist [...]

Whither the whirlwind? Author:  Brantley Hargrove It’s all about the odds.  However you might spend your days – riding a motorcycle in commuter traffic, climbing mountains in remote areas or raising venomous snakes – most us are fortunate enough to beat the odds and live to tell about it.  The risk calculation changes significantly when you chase tornadoes for a hobby.  Pursue enough deadly storms – striving to get as close as possible every time – and you have to figure the odds are going to catch up to you sooner or later.  So it was with a Colorado man [...]