The Living Great Lakes

****
Jerry Dennis
It was a real treat to read this last summer while in Michigan. The combination of human and natural history this author brought to light was genuinely fascinating. Having read Tocqueville in America a few months before, I had a cross referencing experience when reading about the white pine forests of Michigan in this book. The two accounts matched nicely. Also, the use of a voyage to tie the facts together in a memorable whole worked quite well. He followed the lakes all the way past Niagra and down the Erie canal to the Hudson and beyond. That was interesting too.

The Body Has a Mind of Its Own

****
Sandra and Matthew Blakeslee

It was interesting in this read to realize the role of body mapping for placing our sense of self solidly in the world. And it was particularly interesting to note the relationship body mapping has to "paranormal" experience, i.e. "out of body" experiences, "phantom pain" in amputees, the experience of extra limbs, or the brain's ability to develop new maps in virtual reality experiments, in which an experimenter learned to move claws and tail un-self-consciously.

Slan: A Novel

***
A. E. Van Vogt
Imagine science fiction with no computers. With no DNA. Could it be any good? Slan is. Essentially its a story of natural selection as opposed to genetic engineering. It has rocket ships. but with mechanical controls. But essentially its a story about prejudice, and prejudice is universal. It's a quick read and worth taking on.

The Best American Sports Writing 2008

****
Glen Stout , ed.
This is a great collection of well written, interesting stories. It's not a book to keep, but it's worth buying and passing on.