Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime

Book 28 of 2018 is Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime by Val McDermid.

She isn't Mary Roach but she does tell her story in a way that makes me want to change professions.

This was an interesting look at crime, rather than the police. That surprised and pleased me. She talks about what they did and how they were spotted. She talks about how they avoided being caught and then were caught. It is VERY cool.

The thing I really liked was that she didn't make it glam. It's a scientific job that I can imagine going in to. That's cool.

4 imperfect crimes out of 5.

Should I read this? Every scientist should.
What did I learn? I need to know more about wet sciences.

Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server

Book 28 of 2017 is Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server by Paul Hartford.

I enjoyed the dirt on celebrities but couldn't find a way to like the main character.

It felt like he knew his wife would be reading it so he didn't tell the whole truth about everything - especially the sex, drugs and whatever else he'd roll.

This was not the book I was hoping for and although I did recommend it to a friend of mine who may enjoy the elitist food and drink attitudes, it isn't one I'd say anyone should read.

One thing I did enjoy was his attitude towards service and the pride he initially took in his job. It is an ethos I share so it was enjoyable to work through as he articulated his learning.

2 Grey Goose and sodas out of 5.

Should I read this? Maybe if you'd worked in the industry in that part of the world but otherwise, no.
What did I learn? I'm too grown up to be impressed with how much someone spends on a bottle of wine.

Island Home

Book 28 of 2016 is Island Home by Tim Winton.

This book made me cry. This book made me homesick. This book made me proud.

Those are not things that I often feel and certainly not from a book. Maybe I read too much fiction or a kind of book that is abstract to me. Island Home was not abstract to me in any way. It was quite the opposite.

The way Winton describes Australia is so vivid that I found myself imagining the Northern Territory were I grew up, even while he was describing Western Australia.

Every part of this book broke me down and built me up simultaneously. I'm not even exactly sure why. It could be the visual he projects or the honesty with which he loves and sometimes doesn't love my home country.

This book confirms for me that we must travel far from home and see other places in order to truly appreciate the beauty of our own place. And for a nomad like me, it is hard to accept that I am so connected to a piece of land that it makes up most of who I am no matter how I sometimes fight it.

A book for all expatriates, even if Australia isn't your piece of dirt.

Five wide open spaces out of five.

Should I read this? If you aren't living where you grew up then yes.
What did I learn? I can fight it some days but Australia will always be my home.