Recent Reads

A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman

I actually finished Senses back when I first moved to New York in July. It was my first book by Diane Ackerman but it certainly won't be my last (and I've already finished my second, see below). Some people complain that her writing is a bit wordy, and I would agree but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Especially in Senses, her wordiness is never boring or repetitive and only helps to create a better sense (SEE WHAT I DID THERE) of the complex issues she's explaining. 

I find the human body endlessly fascinating and I think this is a must-read for anyone that currently inhabits one. Senses are such extraordinary systems and for months after reading this you'll be that annoying person who can't wait to chime in with an interesting tidbit (did you know that smell was the very first of our senses to develop? and it was so successful that in time the small lump of olfactory tissue atop the nerve cord grew into a brain??). I own another one of Ackerman's books, The Moon By Whalelight, that I've yet to read, and A Natural History of Love is also on my list.

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman

Speaking of Ackerman, The Zookeeper's Wife was an entirely different kind of book in style and subject matter but I loved it just as much as Senses. The premise was enough to hook me (and maybe the fact that it's a Norton book so I got it at a heavy discount) but it definitely did not disappoint. 

It covered a viewpoint of WWII and the Holocaust that I had never really read about before, and the real-life characters couldn't have been more interesting if they were invented entirely. It's a pretty long book, but I found myself plowing through it, not wanting to stop reading. I was sad when it was over, which is always the hallmark of a great book.

Dandy Gilver and the Proper Treatment of Bloodstains by Catriona McPherson

Confession: I picked up Dandy Gilver…from the dollar racks at the Strand based solely on the cover art and typography (by Jessica Hische, but of course). I'm no stranger to this method of book selection, and I'm not embarrassed to admit that it usually works out quite well.

Dandy Gilver was a nice change of pace from the nonfiction I'd been reading, and is a fun and light mystery novel, featuring the titular woman detective.  I enjoyed this one so much in fact, that I immediately began another in the series, but Bloodstains was definitely the better of the two. I'm fascinated by servant-life in the early 1900s (thanks Downton Abbey and Gosford Park!), so the combination of murder-mystery, time-period and cast of characters made for a great read. I've placed a hold on the newest Dandy Gilver novel at the library, but until it comes in I'm taking a break from her world for a while so I won't suffer Dandy fatigue, something I came quite close to by the end of the second book.

Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr.

If I had to pick a standout of the four books discussed here (although they really were all great) it would have to be Empty Mansions. I bought it on a whim after reading a New York Times Review that piqued my interest, and I'm so glad I did. The true story of the eccentric and absurdly rich copper heiress Huguette Clark is completely fascinating. The book is entertaining and compassionately sympathetic in how Huguette is portrayed, which I appreciated. The story of the Clarks is so odd and fantastic at times that it could have easily veered into tabloid sensationalism but I never felt as if the authors had anything but respect for the family (maybe because one of them actually is family). Empty Mansions was another hefty read, but it went very quickly and I would have been just as happy to read twice as much on the subject.