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Finished two non-fiction books this week. One was A Planet of Viruses by Carl Zimmer. It was a very readable and sound book of essays, but there was little new to even casual followers of recent biological developments. Perhaps the most interesting segment came toward the close of the book where Zimmer discusses how scientists in the past decade have begun to revisit the old question of whether viruses are truly alive and, by extension, what it means to be alive. Should chemistry and biology be seen as a continuum with no tangible line dividing living from non-living matter?
The other book I read this week was Gracie: A Love Story by George Burns. This was a wonderful, well-written, and fascinating tribute to Gracie Allen written by her greatest fan. I highly recommend this one to anyone who ever enjoyed watching the duo's TV show, movies, or listening to their old radio show. There's not a dull moment in this 300+ page recap of their life together. Unfortunately there is no eBook and it's apparently out of print in paper. I had to buy a used hardcover edition. Hopefully interest will pick up in reading about these two now that Antenna TV is rebroadcasting some of the episodes of The Burns and Allen Show. And you young folks out there who have never seen the show, do yourself a favor and tune in. They're wonderful together; she's a riot.
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