Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen

In a nutshell

This book explores the trajectory of a wide range of "spillover" events, where a disease spills over from animals into the human population.  The number of diseases he explores is vast and includes AIDS, SARS, Parrot Fever, Lyme Disease, Herpes B, Ebola and many more.

Did I like it?

I found this book really interesting, though there were definitely some parts that I enjoyed more than others.  The opening chapter on the Hendra virus in Australia was fascinating and I enjoyed learning how the disease was transmitted from an equine to human population.  The chapters on Lyme Disease, SARS, Q Fever, Herpes B, and Parrot Fever were also very good.  I thought that the chapters on AIDS and the Ebola Virus were the weakest and I suspect this is because they were just a bit too long.  They needed to be tighter to hold my interest.

Will you like it?

People who enjoy books about the social history of medicine will be fascinated by Quammen's book.  It's a good fit for those who enjoyed The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.

What else happened while I was reading this book?

Summer arrived!!!!!  Does anything else matter?  Though we did see two great movies: Saving Mr. Banks and 12 Years a Slave.

Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twang Eng

In a nutshell

Told in flashbacks, this book tells the story of a Malay woman who spent 
her early years in a Japanese internment camp.  In addition to exploring the time in the camp, the book also explores her later life where she becomes involved with a Japanese gardener while learning to build a garden to honour her sister.  The conflict between her anger at the Japanese people for what they did to her and her developing devotion to the Japanese gardener pervades the book.

Did I like it?

It was a bit slow, but I enjoyed it on the whole. Eng did a fine job of evoking the atmosphere in the Japanese garden.  The part about the tattoos, however, was a shade creepy (you'll know what I mean if you read the book).  The character of Magnus stands out as the most interesting (to me, he represented someone who had learned to forgive and that his had helped shape and better his life).

Will you like it?

If you like an atmospheric read that delves into a dark part of history, you will likely find this book appealing. 

What else happened while I was reading this book?

Waitangi Day 2014.  Made a great new recipe for sweet and sour fish.  Upped the distances on our runs (between 10 and 12 km) in preparation for Round the Bays.  Wally had eye and dental surgery which he came through like a champ.