Book Review of "Wrong Place, Wrong Time"

“But knowing the future is worse than not knowing. Isn’t it?”

I really wanted to like this book. The author, Gillian McAllister, a once full-time lawyer, who converted her weekend hobby of mystery writing into NYT bestseller books when recovering from a serious illness is truly inspirational. 

Plus the premise of this book is super cool. A 40-something woman witnesses her 18-year-old son stab a stranger in front of their house one night and the mother, for some god-forsaken reason, starts living life in reverse - waking up in the past every time she goes to bed. This mixture of time travel and murder mystery coupled with great reviews overall prompted me to dive in with high expectations. Maybe that was the mistake!

The first 20% or so of the book is - for the lack of a better word - awkward. The writing somehow felt unauthentic to me. The second half gets much better and the overall resolution of the mystery is fairly satisfying. There are a few chapters in the second half written beautifully, pulling you in emotionally - only to be met with dry prose in the very next chapter. Overall a lukewarm 3.5 from me - for the innovative idea and for neatly wrapping up all the loose ends.

Book Review of "Starry Messenger"

“Those who are seen dancing are always thought to be insane by those who can not hear the music.”

Even though I am a fanboy of Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s “StarTalk” radio and the “Cosmic Queries” podcasts, I have always found his books to be a bit dense (or maybe I am too dense to understand the physics completely - Lol!). The “Starry Messenger” though, is a welcome exception! It is simple yet profound, somewhat preachy yet insightful. Dr. Tyson’s enthusiasm, his wittiness, and his humor have come out really well here. 

The book is a collection of essays by Dr. Tyson on various subjects ranging from Politics, Sports, History, Healthcare, the Environment, and so on convincing the reader why and how having a Cosmic and universal perspective would help mitigate a plethora of problems and misunderstandings. This is one of the most thought-provoking books I have read in recent times. All in all, a solid read - not too philosophical but also not popcorn-y (that’s not a word!). Just go for it.

“To deny objective truths is to be scientifically illiterate, not to be ideologically principled.”