Category Archives: reading

Subversion Junkie

Pathophysiology is about things going wrong.  Every day I focus on things going wrong, from the moment I open feedly and scan my articles to the last student assessment I put down on my desk to the next doctor’s appointment … Continue reading

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Turn your child into a marine biology fanatic

Pagoo by Holling Clancy Holling was one of the best science books I ever read as a kid. As soon as we arrived at our vacation spot I would race to the library, take this book home, and lose myself … Continue reading

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Unfriendly Literature

Umberto Eco had an interview in the Guardian in which he encapsulated a view of literature that is pretty much what I picked up in college lit classes. “I think an author should write what the reader does not expect. … Continue reading

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Cat Valente’s Excellent Idea

The Hugo controversy has died down a lot, and instead of merely being mad at each other people are beginning to come up with interesting ideas. I particularly like Cat Valente’s proposal for a set of awards that specifically reward … Continue reading

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I Hate What I Just Read

Someone I trust recommended I read … I’m not naming it, because I see no point in tarnishing somebody’s work just because it did everything I absolutely hate. Besides, reading it was valuable because I hadn’t recognized that I hated … Continue reading

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Dr. Mutter’s Marvels

When the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society met in Philadelphia, a highlight was our visit to the famous Mutter Museum of anatomical curiosities – not a Ripley’s sort of museum, but a collection of study specimens maintained by the College … Continue reading

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‘So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed’ by Jon Ronson

I preordered this book a while ago, and by the time it was delivered I was having second thoughts. I’d seen so many articles about it and excerpts from it that I wondered if there was anything left to be … Continue reading

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The Martian is just the right mix

I loved The Martian by Andy Weir from the first page to the last. The Martian is Competent Man fiction. This is the good kind of competent man fiction, too; the competent man takes his competence for granted. His moments … Continue reading

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Nature’s Nether Regions

This book is about the evolution of genitalia. In practice, that means it’s largely about penises – as Dr. Schilthuizen readily admits, the field has had a gender disparity problem. That hasn’t prevented scientists from identifying female choice as a … Continue reading

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Bees

First there was Bonsels’  Maya the Bee, which my folks gave me way, way back in the day. I must have been five or thereabouts. I did not notice any of its political subtext. Then there was The Mother Hive … Continue reading

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