Late to the Ball Gerald Marzorati

Book review: Late to the Ball Gerald Marzorati The title of this book is a fun pun. This chronicles the life of this man who decided to take up tennis relatively last in life, and the age of 45. So late to the ball refers to both tennis and the concept of taking up something late in life, and the troubles with trying to train your body and mind to do something later in life, that may have been relatively easy if you had started early. This is an optimistic book in that the person taking this up later in life has different expectations that a younger person would. No expectation of a scholarship to college or actually being good enough to be a pro or semi-pro. Just taking up something for the challenge and fun of it, and to test yourself. Again, the neuroscience piece is represented here.

Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker

Book review: Cork Dork by Bianca Bosker This very entertaining memoir is the chronicle of Biana’s year spent delving into the world of wine connoisseurs. It does provide interesting insights into the lives of these obsessed people, and once again touches on the neuroscience of the brain and how it adapts and changes. She travels within different circles of the wine world, restaurants, retailers, contestants, vineyards and critics. She does a good job of not only describing these worlds, but also of questioning them and posing the asking how valid or how self manufactured some of this is.

Factory Man by Beth Macy

Book review: Factory Man by Beth Macy This is a surprisingly interesting story of the furniture industry in the US. Mostly based in the South, this is really story of what the globalization of this industry specifically but a map of what the globalization of manufacturing is about. The author uses the story of one man to illustrate how sending the manufacturing of furniture has ruined US based jobs. Of course, in some cases the jobs were not great ones to begin with, and the questions arise about keeping the family based industries at home, while preserving jobs, preserves a hierarchy of a system that is basically bigoted in the first place. I think she does a good job of providing information on the complicated issues that arise around isssues of employment and globalization. The issues that are identified with this book are universal, but I like the specifics of delving into one industry as deeply at the author does to illustrate the points.

Coyote America by Dan Flores

Book review: Coyote America by Dan Flores This history of the Coyote is the history of human interaction and intervention with the animal. In particular the manipulation of the environment and the elimination of other predators that allowed the coyote to flourish. Coyotes are now in every state and in every city in North America, and along with the coyote comes the long folk lore that has followed them. From being spirit animals with special powers to the myth of being a super predator that takes down animals many times their size, which just does not happen. An interesting history also of humans trying to manage the environment by poisoning so many things that results in lots of collateral damage.

Never Out of Season by Rob Dunn

Book review: Never Out of Season by Rob Dunn Maybe unnatural history is more accurate. The author outlines how currently in wealthy countries there are no seasonal foods as you can buy any food year round. He also shows how the trend to breed and grow only a select number of crops is depleting the planets resources, and not leaving much room to get back from a catastrophe. When one time of grain is grown, if a pest arises that attached that particular strain the results can be quickly devastating. He provides extensive information on the history of seed banks and their purpose and uses.

Cooked by Michael Pollan

Book review: Cooked by Michael Pollan Well known food writer Pollan provides a classic narrative of how food is prepared. Pollan is well known for his work on nutrition and where our food comes from, so in this book he takes a slight side step and looks at how we prepare food. It has to be handed to Pollan that he does not shy away from being hands on. In this book he describes his experience of ‘apprenticing’ to different styles of cooking, southern barbecue, baking and really getting his hands dirty immersing himself in the world of cooking.

Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr

Book review: Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr As the title perfectly implies, this is the narrative of a year spent living in Rome. What gives this memoir a twist is that the author and his wife go to Rome with their two small twin boys. He is on a year fellowship in Rome, so has some help in getting set up with housing etc, however, navigating a country where you don’t speak the language while trying to take care of two small children bring unique challenges to say the least. This is a nice story of how you can do something that at first seems impossible, and provides insight into living in Rome and its day to day trials.