What do we read for fun? Check back often for more updates on what our lab is doing in our lives outside of science-ing!
Simon: "The Wayfinders" by Wade Davis. An examination of traditional knowledge from indigenous cultures around the world and why these world views and knowledge systems matter in the modern world.
Erin: "Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren. Lab Girl is at once a compelling memoir of one woman's journey to become a scientist, a treatise on the miraculous nature of plants, and a stirring portrait of a longtime friendship.
Maggie: "Mort" by Terry Pratchett. In the genre of comic fantasy, a young man becomes an apprentice for Death and accidentally disrupts the space-time continuum when he fails to kill someone who should be dead. Calamity and hilarity unfold.
Sarah: "The Patron Saint of Liars" by Ann Patchett. The story follows a young newlywed as she discovers she is pregnant and promptly runs away from her life. It's unclear what she is searching for, but she winds up at a home for pregnant girls who aren't equipped to deal with motherhood.
Jack: "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyazi. A novel following the descendants of two sisters from 18th century Ghana to present day, one of whom was brought to America during the slave trade and the other remained in Africa.
Shelby: "Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley" by Charlotte Gordon. A biography of the authors Mary Wollstonecraft (The Vindication of the Rights of Women) and Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) that explores their impact on society and their relationship, though Wollstonecraft died shortly after Shelley was born.
David: "Life" by Keith Richards. No holds-barred account for "Keef's" life and the fortunes of the Rolling Stones, which are completely entwined. Fascinating stories from the bands early days in London, tales of famous people caught up with the Stones, insights into his song and music writing process, and of course details on his and others' drug use.
Julia: "Open City" by Teju Cole. This is the story of Julius, a young doctor in the last year of his psychiatry fellowship in New York City. The reader is brought along for Julius's extensive walks around the city, where we hear about memories that are brought to surface as he interacts with different people and places and the way those memories then influence those dialogues and interactions.
Cheers for now!