Liquid Rules by Mark Miodownik

LIQUID RULES by Mark Miodownik is subtitled “The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives.”  Miodownik’s non-fiction books (he also wrote Stuff Matters) are entertaining glimpses into substances which we generally take for granted. In LIQUID RULES, this science professor at University College London explores various liquids associated with his transatlantic flight. The baker’s dozen of chapters have one word titles like Explosive (aviation fuel, kerosene, whale oil, etc.); Refreshing (tea and coffee); or Cloudy (even answering: why are clouds white?).  The latter chapter is also an example of where he talks about the benefits and potential destructive power of liquids: “as with all liquids, water is very hard to control. … Clouds know no territorial boundaries; one nation’s experiments, disasters or actions can and do affect the rest of the world…” Discussions and explanations are accompanied by photos, drawings and chemical diagrams, plus Miodownik offers an additional twelve titles for further reading. A fun book to dip in and out of, LIQUID RULES received a starred review from Booklist. Enjoy!

Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

DRY by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman is all about the Tap-Out, the result of a major drought in Southern California which has been going on for a while. What makes this novel so vivid and relevant is the absolutely remarkable way that the Shustermans use multiple narrators to relate the events after Arizona and Nevada decide to shut the floodgates on any water supplies to California: “[Mom’s] watching the TV, where a news anchor is blathering about the “flow crisis.” That’s what the media’s been calling the drought, ever since people got tired of hearing the word ‘drought.’ Kind of like the way ‘global warming’ became ‘climate change’ and ‘war’ became ‘conflict.’”

Are you thirsty yet? You will be when reading this dystopian survival story which centers on Alyssa and Garrett, a sister and brother whose parents leave to look for water and don’t return. The siblings team up with Kelton (his Dad is an ex-Marine survivalist) and Jacqui who says, “I’m disappointed by people – how weak they are, how frail their psyches must be to allow a water shortage to turn them into murderous mobs.”  A “compulsively readable and unnerving tale” per the Horn Book review, DRY received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.

Northland by Porter Fox

NORTHLAND by Porter Fox is subtitled “A 4,000 Mile Journey Along America's Forgotten Border” and given all of the recent news about the United States’ Southern border, I was interested in reading more about the Northern one.  In the advance digital copy I have, Fox refers to both Canadian and American cities within 100 miles of that Northern border. A few (particularly those in Ohio) might surprise you; however, Fox also includes Chicago on his list of cities “in the Northland” and that at least feels incorrect – the nearest Canadian city is Windsor which is about 300 miles away – see this map. Sadly, that reference made me wonder about the other historical, political and scientific “facts” and interpretation in this text especially when I noticed that Fox only devotes a few pages of the book to notes (perhaps he includes more in the final print version?). 

Fox does divide the book into five sections (Dawnland, Sweet-Water Seas, Boundary Waters, Seven Fires, and Medicine Life) to wind his way across the continent from East to West. Along the way, he introduces (but does not really develop stories for) local residents like Milton Chute who harvests sea urchins in Maine or Captain Ross, a helmsman on The Great Lakes. Kirkus gave NORTHLAND a starred review, but I would honestly recommend other titles first. For me, the fictional works of Howard Frank Mosher provide a much keener insight into life along the border. And Dan Egan’s award-winning The Death and Life of The Great Lakes is a recent, outstanding piece of scholarship.  For those interested, Egan will be speaking locally at the Bookstall on Wednesday evening, July 18 at 6:30 pm.