DVD: Save Me
Not at all what I expected -- a lovely film that sometimes breaks into excellence, mostly thanks to an incredible performance by Judith Light.
Eric Knight: Lassie Come-Home
My favorite rediscovered childhood book? Hands down, "Lassie Come-Home," which is much, much better and more complex than I realized when I read it as a young girl.
Kate Jackson: Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo
Biologist Kate Jackson spent much of 2005 in the flooded forests of the northern Republic of Congo, searching for new species of reptiles and amphibians. While there she faced government hassles, bad weather, disgusting food, and seemingly insurmountable cultural barriers -- and she can't wait to go back. "Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, science, and survival in the Congo" is a fascinating glimpse into the world of a field biologist in one of the least-known ecosystems in the world. Read this book before you tell your little snake-crazy daughter that reptiles are "icky."
The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello): One Man Revolution
My friend Clint from Club Kingsnake turned me onto this CD, and it's dominated my iPod ever since. We saw him, twice, in Austin. This intensely political album brings its rough-edged folk sound to bear on issues of war, racism, poverty, job loss... you know, all the fluffy shit we care about less than whether Obama wears a flag pin. (*****)
DVD: My So-Called Life - The Complete Series (w/ Book)
Best. Television. Show. Ever. It only ran one season, but massively influenced everyone who saw it. Genius. And fun, too.
Nathan J. Winograd: Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America
Nathan Winograd goes back to a place and time I know well, the days when the San Francisco SPCA decided to stop killing animals in the name of saving them, and made San Francisco a place with one of the highest rates of pets who make it out of the shelter system alive today. There are those who might not agree with Winograd's every prescription, but one thing we should (but don't) all agree on: When something's broken, you fix it, not institutionalize it. (*****)
DVD: The Princess Bride
Possibly the best movie of all time, ever. "This is true love, Highness. Do you think this happens every day?" You must watch it immediately. (*****)
DVD: The Laramie Project
This isn't a book, but a DVD, of the HBO film version of Moises Kaufman's play about the town of Laramie, Wyoming in the aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard. It took me about ten minutes to get over the "play-iness" of the film (although it's filmed on location and not on a set), and get drawn into the heart of the story. Highly recommended. (*****)
Robert M. Sapolsky: Monkeyluv: And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals
You know, I could hate this guy much the way I hate Mark Morford.... for being a better writer than I am, for being so much smarter than I am, for saying things I would like to say better than I can and with greater credibility. And, also like Morford, for being so fricking FUNNY while doing it. Get this book ... the essay on People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" is worth the price alone. Then go buy all his other books. This guy's a scream. (*****)
Charles Darwin: From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals)
I saw the editor of this book on Charlie Rose and knew I had to get it. Darwin's classic books in a beautifully bound set with excellent introductory essays by editor E. O. Wilson. (*****)
Stephen J. O'Brien: Tears of the Cheetah : The Genetic Secrets of Our Animal Ancestors
I previously dubbed Robert Sapolsky's Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers as the best recent popular science book, and it is, but this one is a close second. It's not as funny as Sapolsky's book, but it's more broad-ranging, covering the genetic heritage of the human race and all its cousins and ancestors in the animal kingdom. Profound, whistful, clever, and sometimes maybe a bit too technical for a popular audience, this is a remarkable and fascinating book about genetics. Topics include HIV, dog and cat diseases, conservation, cloning, evolution, and of course, cheetahs. (*****)
Robert M. Sapolsky: Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
A really funny guy writing about science in a way that makes you want to go be a stress researcher in the wilderness. Reading this book is better, though, because you can do it sitting on the deck in the shade with a nice glass of iced tea in your hand. Did I mention this book is REALLY funny? But it's science, too. A great combination. (*****)
Vicki Hearne: Bandit: Dossier of a Dangerous Dog
Some people object to Vicki Hearne's writing style (smart girls can be annoying). Others feel her training methods were too harsh. But Vicki Hearne knew a great dog, and how to write about one. Be warned: This book is politically incorrect and may make you do something really stupid, like adopt a pit bull. Vicki Hearne is, after all, the one who said, "It is true that Pit Bulls grab and hold on. But what they most often grab and refuse to let go of is your heart, not your arm." (*****)
Ronald D. Schultz: Veterinary Vaccines and Diagnostics
This gets clicked on a lot from my website, but no one's ever bought it, probably because it's quite expensive. But if you want to know all that there is to know about veterinary vaccines, this is the place to find it. And you might be very surprised at what's between this book's covers! Your local library might be able to order a copy for you. (*****)
M. H. Dutch Salmon: Gazehounds & Coursing - The History, Art and Sport of Hunting With Sighthounds
Sighthounds, you say? What are they? Read this terrific dog book and find out! Better yet, read it and Constance O. Miller's "Gazehounds: The Search for Truth" too. It's not available on Amazon so I didn't include it here, but it's well worth seeking out. (*****)
Robert C. Atkins: Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, New and Revised Edition
There is so much absolute crap about Atkins out there, I ask only one thing: Before you form (or express) an opinion about Atkins, please find out what Dr. Atkins actually said. I got my health back after reading this book - and painlessly lost 115 pounds in 19 months. So you might understand I'm a bit protective of it. (*****)
Sally Fallon: Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats
The "Natural Diet" for humans - or at least, our traditional diets. This cookbook-cum-manifesto would make Julia Child smile, and it just doesn't get much better than that. (*****)
Marcia Angell MD: The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It
Written by a physician who also is the past editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. It simply re-enforces my concerns about how little most practicing physicians know about the drugs they prescribe, and the body systems they are attempting to regulate with those drugs.
(****)
L. David Mech: The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species
I'm not into gurus who tell you what to feed your dog. (In fact, I'm not much of a fan of being told what to do about anything.) If you're looking for facts and information to help you build a nutritional and lifestyle plan for that domesticated wolf we call "the dog," this book is where you should start. (*****)
I blogged a while ago about my pre-interview nervousness, and mentioned I'd interviewed Fox News' Ellen Ratner and her partner Cholene Espinoza, author of an excellent new book on Hurricane Katrina, Through the Eye of the Storm.
"First of all, Ratner rejects that characterization. “I do not consider Fox ‘right wing.' They have an editorial viewpoint, but that's not reflected by the news department,” Ratner insists."
What world is she living in?
Posted by: Gil. | 11 September 2006 at 10:58 PM