May has been an ambitious month for reading around here. I had a couple of titles carry over from April, and so my reading schedule has been a little more hectic than usual. I’ve got several titles I’m completing this month, and while I won’t write up full reviews on everything I read, I wanted to mention a few of this month’s titles.
How to Survive a Pandemic is bit longer than most of my science reads, and so this was definitely one of my holdovers. But I managed to finish up this past week.
I’ve got a full review coming soon. This book is a great overview of the history of pandemics worldwide, the more recent history of pandemic events and current threats to our country and around the world.
The author is a medical doctor and if have read any of Michael Greger’s books, he always provides a ton of footnotes and references to scientific and medical literature. Greger does a great job making the science of pandemics accessible for readers with little or no science background.
He wrote this book during the COVID pandemic but a significant portion of this book was focused on what he (and others) consider an even bigger threat – avian influenza. This is an un-depth look at how these pandemic influenzas start and gain a foothold. With Bird Flu in the news, this is a great overview to understand what we are facing.
I am currently reading Reality is Not What it Seems by Carlo Rovelli – this is our May/June reading selection for Science Book Club and so I’ll have a full review posted in a few weeks.
In preparation, I read Seven Brief Lessons on Physics as a bit of a primer before starting our book club title. I have written a full review here. This book is a quick read – less than a hundred pages – and I was amazed at how well the author managed to explain complicated concepts.
This little book is meant to be accessible for readers with little to no science background. His ability to describe complex concepts in such a way to make them is refreshing.
Not every reader is interested in being the next Nobel Laureate in Physics, they are just looking for a “big picture” explanation of concepts. Rovelli does just that with this book.
One book that I am currently still reading, and will be a holdover for the month of June, is How to Read Literature Like a Professor.
How to Read Literature Like a Professor is a fascinating exploration into the depths of literature, offering readers a new perspective on how to interpret and appreciate various literary works. The book is a treasure trove of insights, each chapter introducing a unique concept that adds another layer to our understanding of literature.
One of the standout chapters discusses the symbolic representation of supernatural creatures in literature. The author brilliantly illustrates how vampires, demons, werewolves, and other such entities often represent something beyond their literal interpretation. This chapter leaves readers with the intriguing notion that sometimes a vampire is not just a vampire, and yet, sometimes it is.
Another enlightening chapter emphasizes the enduring impact of Shakespeare on literature and popular culture. The author encourages readers to familiarize themselves with Shakespeare’s works, as they continue to influence contemporary books, plays, and movies. The chapter also highlights how many everyday phrases originated from Shakespeare, underscoring his profound influence on language.
I look forward to my new and continuing reads in June.
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If you are active over on Threads – I’d love to connect. I’ve just moved over there recently and have enjoyed the conversations on “Bookthreads” – you can find me posting as @michellehomescholar_books.
Michelle Home Scholar 