Mark Your Calendar: Meteor Shower November 17

From the folks at NASA: "This year's Leonid meteor shower peaks on Tuesday, Nov. 17th."

Author Jonathan Safran Does Not Like Factory Farms. I Don't Like Them Either.

"Treat me right."

Everything about factory farming disgusts me. And with respect to factory chickens, it is beyond disgusting (to call them "factory 'raised' chickens" is just a gross misrepresentation). The LA Times talked with author Jonathan Safran about his investigation of factory farms. Check out the interview here.

After you've read the article, check out Safran's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which is an excellent novel about a unique nine-year-old boy, Oskar, searching New York for the lock that matches a key left by his father, who was killed in the September 11 attacks.

And consider eating meat at most once a day, not at every meal. It would be better for everyone. (Check out also this episode of Bones in which a human is murdered at a chicken factory. Details of the factory "experience" are provided.)

It's Sunday . . . Go Back to Sleep.

From the Used Book Stash: "Yellow-Dog Contract" by Ross Thomas.

One genre I enjoy reading is crime fiction. Back in the day, I worked my way through the entire Ross Thomas catalog as fast as I could find them. Thomas, who died in 1995, wrote 25 novels. During his career he won two Edgar Awards and the first Gumshoe Award for Lifetime Achievement.

With brisk plots, witty dialogue, and plenty of suspense, Ross Thomas' books guarantee at a minimum a really good read but more often he delivers something spectacular. I just finished Yellow-Dog Contractwhich was very fun. I think I'll next dig out Chinaman's Chance for a re-read.

If you've never read Ross Thomas, or if it has been a while, check out his work. You are in for a treat.

A Not-So-Happy Meal: Processed Foods Linked to Depression.

Up-Date: You may also want to reconsider the amount of canned foods you consume. According to a new study many name-brand canned products contain BPA, a chemical used in the production of plastic. BPA may be linked to reproductive abnormalities and an increased risk for breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, and heart disease.

So eat more fresh food; and drink your beer from bottles.

________

The BBC reports today about a study linking depression and processed food. According to the report, ". . . people with a diet high in processed food had a 58% higher risk of depression than those who ate very few processed foods." Read the full article here.

Don't know what to do with a vegetable? Check out these books:

New Releases

If you are looking for new works from big-name writers, a few are forthcoming:

• Barbara Kingsolver: The Lacuna. This is a book I'm looking forward to reading. Barbara Kingsolver was a must-read author until Poisonwood Bible, which I did not like at all. But I enjoyed her earlier fiction so much that want I want to believe in her, and thus will definitely give this new book a try.

• John Irving: Last Night in Twisted River. Mr. Irving is an author I've left behind. Loved Garp and enjoyed Hotel New Hampshire. However, after those two I drifted away; probably forever.

• Stephen King: Under the Dome. I haven't read a Steven King book since The Shining frightened the heck out of me. This genre isn't for me. Also, recently I've read a number of disappointing books that had a Stephen King blurb on the jacket. I'm now using quotes from Mr. King as a warning to stay away from a publication. Blurbs: They can help or they can hurt.
  

And finally, from a non-big name author:

• Chris O'Dell: Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They LovedMs. O'Dell's memoir of her 20 years managing rock groups could be a bit of fun to read, and sometimes reading fluff is just what the book doctor ordered.

Publishers Weeky Top 10 Books of 2009

Although a bunch of new titles are still to come in 2009, Publishers Weekly released its top 10 list for the year. Included on PW's list is one of my favorites, Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon.



Here are the rest of their picks:

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science
by Richard Holmes.

Big Machine: A Novel
by Victor LaValle.

Cheever: A Life
by Blake Bailey.

A Fiery Peace in a Cold War: Bernard Schriever and the Ultimate Weapon
by Neil Sheehan.

In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
by Daniyal Mueenuddin.

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi: A Novel
by Geoff Dyer.

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
by David Grann.

Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work
by Matthew B. Crawford.

Stitches: A Memoir
Stitches by David Small (Norton).