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Who knew trees had such secrets? According to Wohlleben, the trees not only knew, but felt good about it. Many fascinating details here.

Dr. Varady is a scientist who developed this diet and then systematically and patiently collected evidence regarding its effectiveness. I've been on the diet for six weeks and two days and have lost 18 pounds. I kept up a fairly demanding exercise program throughout, so this contributed to the success I've had. Admittedly, the first week required some resolve but after that I found my body adjusted to the every-other-day schedule. I found I had lots of energy on fasting days, which was a surprise. Another surprise was not waking up and over-consuming rampantly on feast days. I've read some disparaging comments about this diet that do not respect either the research findings or the personal stories of successful adherents. My guess is that this diet will eventually become the treatment of choice for weight loss.

These authors have written a fascinating and well documented history of UFOs. It informs the reader of the evidentiary basis for many of the important sightings and the cultural context that prevailed during critical eras. It examines the political and psychological factors that influenced the way UFO's are regarded and the way this has shaped government policy. One of the great misfortunes is that a science of UFO's has never developed. The authors document how we might have had such a science if slightly different outcomes had occurred at selected historical tipping points. Instead we have no evidence-based science, government policies that insist that UFO's are not a national security problem despite evidence consistent with aerial surveillance functions, and a public that is treated like children and intentionally deprived of information to arrive at informed conclusions. It's all documented here.

The author portrays the easy pace of life in rural Spain and how he and his family adapted to it. He recounts both their minor misfortunes and small daily pleasures. The characters are amusing. The bucolic setting makes for a good summer read.

Daniel Peris makes an impressive case for investing in companies that share their profits with stockholders in the form of dividends. He supports his arguments with facts, yet does not go into so much technical detail that the average investor will be alienated. (Readers are called upon to understand the discount rate method of valuing stocks, but Peris explains the mathematics of this clearly, likening it to income from a rental property.) The most compelling point is that historically dividends have dominated shareholder returns, yet the investing media machines ignore this fact and push people to be stock traders, in part because this maximizes corporate profits at the expense of investors. If there were one book I would give to my children about investing this would be it because it is well documented with data, well written, succinct, and does not require a degree in finance to understand and enjoy.

The plot is lively and unpredictable. The dialogue is entertaining, often funny and ironic. Several of the major characters are multidimensional and thrust by circumstance into crime and other risky courses of action. There are several supplementary stories told within the dialogue that are fascinating. The book almost reads itself, if that's possible.