2007-05-15 - 1:18 p.m. Koala twins! I want to squeeze them until their little bulbous noses explode. This physics article is cool, starting with the byline and everything after. Non-fiction round-up! Last night I sat down and plowed through this thoroughly depressing book pretty much non-stop, although I skimmed a couple chapters. It is the highly readable story of a family destroyed by a dysfunctional pattern of insecure women falling for creepy, selfish, and violent men. I kept reading hoping that some sort of prescriptive advice or psychological insights would emerge, and they really don't, but I like the clear-eyed and unsentimental way the author writes (she's a journalist) and I suppose it serves as a cautionary tale. Suze Orman's 9 Steps to Financial Freedom has been sitting on my table for a week. I occasionally pick it up, read a subheading like "Maximizing the Impact of a Roth or Traditional IRA," and quickly shut the book and put it down, tiny beads of sweat collecting on brow. That's my review. The Emotional Lives of Animals clearly has a political (or more accurately moral) agenda, and I'm ok with that--firstly because it is a very interesting collection of information about "greeting rumbles," baboon friendships, elephant burials, and the like. And secondly cuz I have no problem with people sermonizing on behalf of animals. I'm not crazy about animal rights extremists, but exploring the ethics of human/animal relationships seems like a worthwhile endeavor. thoughts? (14 comments so far) previous - next blog archive contact