The Right Stuff can be Scary (and Gross): Packing for Mars

My wonderful sister reviewed Mary Roach's Packing for Mars which I have not had the pleasure of reading yet. After hearing Mary speak at BookExpo in June, I have been singing her praises far and wide as she had the entire audience, incl. host Jon Stewart, gasping and laughing throughout her talk. After reading her book, you too many wonder (as she did) about the wisdom of inviting her to speak at breakfast. Without further ado, the review:


Did you ever wonder why almost every time there is a news story about the International Space Station (ISS), they have a clogged toilet up there? In her latest book, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, Mary Roach will clue you in on that as well as the good, the bad, and the excruciatingly unpleasant aspects of space travel (see chapter 14 for more about the ISS plumbing problems). You may have seen her on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart or heard Craig Finn Of 'The Hold Steady' answer questions about the book on the NPR quiz show, Wait Wait ... Don’t tell me! this past July 24. I first became aware of her books when I saw her on C-SPAN 2’s Book TV talking about her previous book, Stiff: The Curious Life of Cadavers (simultaneously icky and interesting).

Caveat: while her books are certainly educational, they are definitely not for the faint of heart and probably not intended for most pre-adolescent children. It cuts right to the heart of how the US and Soviets ran their space programs, what they did to both humans and animals to get things to work, and what those largely forgotten astronauts and cosmonauts endured to keep us enraptured over 40 years ago. And it’s not a pretty picture, even in the future.

That said, with her tongue-in-cheek style, Mary tackles all of those questions us non-astronauts ask about space travel:
• Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff gave us the American perspective but how do the Japanese select their astronaut candidates?
• How difficult is it to work in zero gravity (and how lousy can it really make you feel)?
• Will personal hygiene become more medieval than metrosexual?
• In order to reduce weight and waste, will future astronauts have to eat their clothes (or worse)?
• What will the impact of long-term space flight (e.g., two years to and from Mars) have on physiology and personal relationships?
These and many other questions are being carefully over-planned, leading to many fraught-filled adventures here on Earth. As the subtitle on one of her chapters notes, “Planning a Moon Expedition is Tough, but Not as Tough as Planning a Simulated One.”

Where Men Win Glory

Jon Krakauer's books never fail to draw me in, although I admit it took a while for this one about Pat Tillman to capture my full attention.

The books starts with Pat's upbringing, the influence of his parents and relationship with his brother, Kevin and wife Marie. Intermingled with Pat's story are chapters on what is happening in the rest of the world which set the scene for the war Pat will be joining. In these early chapters, he grows into someone almost too good to be true. Fortunately Krakauer also shows Pat's intensity and inability to suffer fools (who seem to be plentiful).

When Pat goes to Iraq and later to Afghanistan, that's when the book became engrossing. Even knowing the story of the cover-up regarding the circumstances of his death, the telling does not lose the ability to shock and disillusion us. I applaud the perseverance of Pat's family, friends and others who persisted in knowing the truth and for, as always, Krakauer's excellent research skills.

Things are speeding up for the store

Nice piece in Publishers Weekly about One More Page. It generated a bunch of calls from publishers reps which is wonderful. Things are moving along with the floor plan finalized work on the store will begin soon (hopefully!).

Things are starting to come together!

Jackie's Summer Reads

Another great reviewer, Jackie let me know about some of her favorite books from the summer. Jackie, almost 15, is an avid reader and part of the crew helping me set-up the new store (opening in October!). She caveats her selections as mostly being for girls, although a couple would be enjoyed by boys and girls.

~The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. Her favorite book! First of the series and just fantastic.

~Maximum Ride by James Patterson. Very funny with sarcastic humor; was "if-y" at first, but totally worth it. First of the series. Good for guys also.

~The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. Grabbed the fourth book called Necromancer. Great for that getting over harry potter syndrome that people have :D)  This is one I wanted to read also. Good for guys also.

~Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Stolarz. Completely suspenseful, stayed up so late because could put it down.

~ Oh.My.Gods by Tera Lynn Childs. Very cute; to help get over Percy Jackson syndrome with all the mythology in it too.

Chocolate is good for your heart (in more ways than one)

Not about a book, but since I plan on selling special chocolates in the store, this posting is bookstore related. A brief article in the Washington Post Health Section today discussed a recent study that showed chocolate is good for the heart.

Now, I already knew that chocolate feeds the soul, but this study found women who consumed one or two servings each week of what is considered high-quality chocolate (contains a higher density of cocoa) had a 32 percent lower risk of developing heart failure.

Unfortunately (for people like me), the study also found that "women who treated themselves to at least one serving each day did not appear to benefit."

The message is clear - dark chocolate rules!

My mystery bias coming through loud and clear

Doesn't this sounds like a great book? Read more in Shelf Awareness:

"It sounds like a fictional thriller: great detectives from five continents meet once a month in secret chambers to ponder--and hopefully solve--cold cases over a gourmet lunch. But it's not fiction. In The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold Cases, Michael Capuzzo tells the story of the Philadelphia-based Vidocq Society, a group with 82 members--one for each year of the life of Eugène François Vidocq, the first modern detective--and more than 100 associate members drawn from all over the world."

"...Capuzzo focuses on the three men who formed the Society in 1990: Frank Bender--manic, intuitive, psychic and happily sex-addicted--is the most celebrated forensic artist working today. Richard Walter--tall, melancholy, acerbic, chain-smoking--is a forensic psychologist and eerily brilliant profiler. William Fleisher, head of U.S. Customs enforcement in three states, is the administrator who allows Bender and Walter, "equal parts Reason and Revelation," to function at their best...As they and their colleagues solve the most baffling, often heartbreaking cold cases, we come face to face with terrifying crimes and eccentric and enthralling forensic professionals."

Top 10 Killer Thrillers

Looking for something to curl up with and scare yourself silly? Over 600 books were nominated by NPR's audience and based on over 17,000 voters, the top 10 Killer Thrillers are:

1. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
3. Kiss the Girls by James Patterson
4. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
5. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
6. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
7. The Shining by Stephen King
8. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
9. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
10. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

A few of my votes made the list. Now, I have a few more in queue to read!