New nonfiction: Two books, one audio

I've been reading some excellent nonfiction lately. For starts:

The author grew up around China Lake, the military installation that grew up after the Second World War. Her story of the culture and background of the installation and of her family was compelling, as was her story of discovering herself as an English professor! Four stars.

Next up: I'm not finished with this one yet, but its chapters are about one lunch break long:

This is the science writer who's a friend of Radiolab, where I first heard the discussion of CRISPR. I expected to find this book fascinating, and so far it's meeting my expectations.

For example, Zimmer's chapter on the discovery of the disease PKU was focused on Pearl S. Buck, whose daughter had the genetic flaw that causes this. Good stuff!

Finally one of my favorite authors, Michael Lewis ... now out with an audio-only look at weather forecasting and its human element:

Why do people die despite hearing a tornado siren? That's just one of the questions that's addressed in this excellent 2-hour Audible audiobook. (Free with your Audible subscription ...)

Enjoy!

No cold for 2.5 years (or more) ... but why?

I've generally been healthy for most of my life, but I used to get a cold maybe once a year:

For some reason, though, I seem to be in a period where I'm not getting any respiratory infections.

I did start getting flu shots regularly in 1997, and I haven't had the flu since. This one is obviously beneficial.

But a couple of changes I've made the last 3-4 years make me wonder:

• I started taking a boatload of magnesium and potassium to control afib, which I found out I had about 18 months ago
• I stopped using almost all shampoo and soap, except on the palms of my hands, in 2014
• I changed to a low-carb diet in 2015 ... 

Maybe one or some combination of these did the trick ... an improvingly healthy gut biome plus plenty of essential minerals. Could be, I guess.

Whatever the reason(s), I'm very grateful!

Bethany McLean: Fracking just borrows money, doesn't really earn any

I've been a fan of Bethany McLean since reading her books on Enron and the financial crisis:

Both are excellent! Today I just read an excerpt in the New York Times of her new book on fracking:

... supposedly the fracking industry has sold to Wall Street and borrowed since 2008 on the idea of fracking riches, but so far it's mostly just an idea ...

See my previous post on this subject ...

I'm still driving a Nissan Leaf and feeling better about this all the time ...