![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
What I've been reading
Aug. 29th, 2004 02:26 pm Quinine: Malaria and the quest for a cure that changed the World by Fiammetta Rocco
This is exactly the type of book that I really enjoy. Wide-ranging and engaging, Rocco offers a well-rounded look at a disease that has had an enormous impact upon almost every corner of the globe and the amazing quest for a cure.
Touching upon items as seemingly disparate as the Napoleonic Wars, papal history and Little House on the Prairie, Rocco tells an exciting tale of exploration, scientific catfights and invention. I found this book to be endlessly fascinating, full of all sorts of little tidbits like the possible origin of “gin and tonic”, the accidental discovery of the dyeing agent for the colour mauve and a special guest appearance by Linnaeus. And yet, with all of this detail, I was disappointed that she didn’t see fit to include a picture of the cinchona tree, the source of the above mentioned “cure that changed the world”.
A very entertaining read (assuming you're a nerd like me).
The Murder Room by PD James
Disappointing. I can usually sink into a PD James book and disappear for a few hours. Usually I find her books to be deeply engrossing, interesting and full of well-drawn characters. Not so much this time around.
The murder and suspects were interesting, yet I felt I had encountered them all before. I also found myself becoming very annoyed with Dalgleish. I’ve always felt that he was a little to good to be true, but managed to dismiss the thought out of regard for the woman-mystery-writer-of-a-certain-age tradition (*waves at Dorothy L. Sayers*). ( Spoilers ahead )
Oh, Adam, such a dutiful, poetry-spewing paragon of good taste and breeding.
Barf.
Not one of her best, but still better than most.
This is exactly the type of book that I really enjoy. Wide-ranging and engaging, Rocco offers a well-rounded look at a disease that has had an enormous impact upon almost every corner of the globe and the amazing quest for a cure.
Touching upon items as seemingly disparate as the Napoleonic Wars, papal history and Little House on the Prairie, Rocco tells an exciting tale of exploration, scientific catfights and invention. I found this book to be endlessly fascinating, full of all sorts of little tidbits like the possible origin of “gin and tonic”, the accidental discovery of the dyeing agent for the colour mauve and a special guest appearance by Linnaeus. And yet, with all of this detail, I was disappointed that she didn’t see fit to include a picture of the cinchona tree, the source of the above mentioned “cure that changed the world”.
A very entertaining read (assuming you're a nerd like me).
The Murder Room by PD James
Disappointing. I can usually sink into a PD James book and disappear for a few hours. Usually I find her books to be deeply engrossing, interesting and full of well-drawn characters. Not so much this time around.
The murder and suspects were interesting, yet I felt I had encountered them all before. I also found myself becoming very annoyed with Dalgleish. I’ve always felt that he was a little to good to be true, but managed to dismiss the thought out of regard for the woman-mystery-writer-of-a-certain-age tradition (*waves at Dorothy L. Sayers*). ( Spoilers ahead )
Oh, Adam, such a dutiful, poetry-spewing paragon of good taste and breeding.
Barf.
Not one of her best, but still better than most.
