A New Obsession

A few people I work with suggested that I might enjoy the TV program, Lost. That was either a really good idea or a really bad idea. Because I am absolutely hooked! If I could, I would hole up for the next week at this computer and watch every last episode. Alas, that is not possible, but it is certainly cutting into my reading time, I must say. Any fans out there?

I should tell you about a few books that I've read.


First off, is The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson. Now, how to convince you to read a book that at its most basic is about...excrement. The Ghost Map is a nonfiction book that explores the cholera epidemic in London in 1854. It's a bit of a who-done-it or actually a how-done-it, as the author traces the footsteps of the men who discovered what was the ultimate cause of the epidemic and how this discovery affected the future of London and really, all major cities around the world. This is one of those nonfiction books that reads like the best novel and is full of all sorts of interesting facts about topics you perhaps never thought about. For example, what might explain the fact that there is a disproportionate rate of alcoholism in Native American and Aboriginal people? The author suggests that this may be due to the fact that most other people on earth were forced through a 'genetic bottleneck' in which the genes for tolerating alcohol became dominant, due to the fact that drinking alcohol was safer than drinking water years ago. This is fascinating stuff! This is a great read for those who are interested in medicine or the history of medicine, the history of cities, the history of Victorian London and the future of cities on our planet.

Nuts - that's all I have time for, I'm off to ready myself for work.

I hope to post my favorite books of the year tomorrow, if my girl allows me the time.