History, Medicine, and Science: Nonfiction and Fiction discussion

Hi everyone! Would love for everyone to get to know each other...

How about saying who you are, the last book you read and loved, along with one memorable thing about you?

Me? The last book I loved was Deborah Harkness A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES. And something memorable: I rarely wear matching socks when I'm clunking around the house. Don't know why...they just don't often match.

Hi all! I'm Diane from Brooklyn, NY. I think right I am just entranced with cookbooks. The weather is changing and we are segue-way'ing out of soup season. Looking forward to chatting about the awesome BLOOD WORK!

Hmmm....maybe some Bloody Mary recipes? Ha!

Diane wrote: "Hi all! I'm Diane from Brooklyn, NY. I think right I am just entranced with cookbooks. The weather is changing and we are segue-way'ing out of soup season. Looking forward to chatting about the awe..."

That's funny, I too was thinking it was a little weird for me to be mentioning food and then right on to the topic of blood transfusion! :)

Hi Holly (and Diane),

My name is Yvonne and I'm from California.

Right now I'm reading The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr. I just finished his book The Alienist and loved it!

I love historical forensic science books, both fiction and non-fiction. I read a great book a couple months ago called The Killer of Little Shepherds by Douglas Starr...I highly recommend this book.

I can't wait to read Blood Work!

xoxox,
Yvonne

P.S. One memorable thing about me: I love horsehair pottery. http://pottery.about.com/od/decoratin...

Hi, I'm John, a science librarian in Toronto.

By some cosmic co-incidence I started reading my copy of Blood Work on the bus during my morning commute.

I've never heard of horse hair pottery. That's really gorgeous stuff!

The Killer of Little Shepherds was great. I love Doug Starr's books. He wrote a book about blood as well several years ago. He covers the more modern stuff though (just a few pages on the early transfusion trials that I write about in Blood Work).

I CANNOT WAIT until April. Will be on a panel with Starr and Deborah Blum (The Poisoner's Handbook) at the University of Central Florida Book Festival. Will let you know what Doug Starr is like in real life.

And delighted you're here, Yvonne. Looking forward to getting to know you!

Holly...you are seriously one of the coolest people on the planet! I hope I don't sound like I'm gushing, but it really is an honor to know someone like you. My 19-year-old daughter thinks you "RAWK"!

I wish I could go to the Book Festival in April (I'm going to the LA Times Book Festival this year). I've read The Poisoner's Handbook, too.

It was my love of Douglas's work that led me to you. Again, I absolutely can't wait to read Blood Work!

A quick story about Doug: I ordered a personalized copy of The Killer of Little Shepherds from a bookstore in his neighborhood. He graciously went to the store to sign it for me, DURING A RAGING SNOWSTORM! Boston's been hit by so much bad weather this year, but us Californians sometime forget this. After I found out what he had to go through just to sign the book for me, I felt so guilty, I sent him an email apologizing. He was very nice about it and said it was no problem. :)

xoxox

My reading is dominated by non-fiction although I did recently finish Orson Scott Card's new book The Lost Gate.

I host two podcasts the Brain Science Podcast and Books and Ideas. Both feature interviews with authors and I am proud to announce that and Blood Work will be featured in next month's episode of Books and Ideas.

Books and Ideas doesn't have its own group here on Goodreads, but feel free to post comments inside our Brain Science Podcast group

PS: I have been recommending The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York to my listeners so I look forward adding Holly's book to my list of recommended reading.

Ray Smith here book I am currently reading in The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I read all type of books when I can that is. Being that I am now on a very small fixed income my book buying has declined very much in the last 3 yrs.
When I was in college I fell in love with History took two years worth of all types of History in various forms from Anthropology(Biological)as well as Sociological aspect of Medieval Life.
That is a little about me.

My Question to Holly is; In researching your book what was the top 3 facts that struck you the most?

Hi Ray. Three facts? Just three! ok:

1. The first blood transfusions took place in the 1660s, over 150 years before anesthesia and antisepsis. They were animal-to-human. (True!)
2. Blood transfusions were so frightening for so many different reasons that there was a plot to frame of the first transfusionists for murder.
3. The transfusionist was exonerated--but the physicians who plotted to kill his patient (and who were successful at doing it) were never taken to justice. In fact, the murderers' identities long been lost to history.

That last part was the most stunning to me. I traveled all over, to archives in Paris/Rome/London/Dublin, to dig up the truth. And what a story it is!

(p.s. My folks knew Terry Brooks when he lived in Illinois. I still remember him coming by the house.)

Raymond wrote: "My Question to Holly is; In researching your book what was the top 3 facts that struck you the most?"

Wow, RAWK! That's high praise. And what a story about getting your book signed by Doug Starr. That's dedication! Yvonne wrote: "Holly...you are seriously one of the coolest people on the planet! I hope I don't sound like I'm gushing, but it really is an honor to know someone like you. My 19-year-old daughter thinks you "RAW..."

Hello everyone! My name is Marijan (pronounced Mary Jan) and I live in Oklahoma City. I will read absolutely anything and am becoming so overwhelmed with all that is available (but a nice feeling). Finally decided to buy a kindle and received it today. I was reluctant at first because I wanted to hold the book in my hands but I am getting tired of waiting for the ones from the library ;).

I am a mom to an autistic girl so that is a big part of my life. Besides books and school I love movies, food, animals and working out.

Nice to meet everybody!

Holly wrote: "Hi Ray. Three facts? Just three! ok:

1. The first blood transfusions took place in the 1660s, over 150 years before anesthesia and antisepsis. They were animal-to-human. (True!)
2. Blood tr..."

Just shows that those with great minds tend to stick together. Hopefully You will be as prolific a writer as Terry Brooks is and as popular or surpass his popularity! I am out here cheering for you!

hi all - i'm rebecca in brooklyn, ny. i am currently reading 'the discovery of witches' and loving it. i can't read it fast enough. i've not read blood work yet but will do so soon. in reading 'the discovery of witches' i've become very interested in the history of alchemy and the scientific revolution, of which my memory is a little rusty on the facts.

next on my 'to read' list is going to be jane eyre b/c i want to see the new movie but i've also not read it in about five years. it is one of my all time favorites that i like to re-read on a regular basis.

oh, and holly...the socks i wear around my house have holes in them!

Hi Rebecca. I -loved- (LOVED) A Discovery of Witches. Deborah Harkness and I run in the same research circles. In fact, I knew her first through her earlier work on 16th century alchemy (Jewel House). Nonfiction, targeted at historians, but still beautifully written.

Stay tuned: I did an interview with Deb several weeks ago. Am going to post it up here and on the blog soon!

And p.s. that is too funny about the socks!

Rebecca wrote: "hi all - i'm rebecca in brooklyn, ny. i am currently reading 'the discovery of witches' and loving it. i can't read it fast enough. i've not read blood work yet but will do so soon. in reading 'th..."

Hi Ginger. Really enjoyed the interview! Looking forward to hearing it again when it goes live! Ginger wrote: "PS: I have been recommending The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York to my listeners so I look forward adding Holly's book to my list ..."

Thanks, Ray. Book releases are always a little nerve-wracking. So I'll take all the cheerleading I can get!
Raymond wrote: "Holly wrote: "Hi Ray. Three facts? Just three! ok:

1. The first blood transfusions took place in the 1660s, over 150 years before anesthesia and antisepsis. They were animal-to-human. (True!..."

Hi Marijan. How are you liking your Kindle? We just got a Nook for the holidays--I never get to use it. Husband and daughter hogging it.

Marijan wrote: "Hello everyone! My name is Marijan (pronounced Mary Jan) and I live in Oklahoma City. I will read absolutely anything and am becoming so overwhelmed with all that is available (but a nice feeling..."

Hello, Harriet Smart here!
I live in Edinburgh and write historical fiction, including a mystery series set in the 1840's with a young surgeon as one of the principal characters. (The Butchered Man is the first - available on Kindle) Hoping to pick up a few gems for my research for that and hoping to avoid anachronisms/inaccuracies at the same time!

Hi Harriet! So nice to meet you. If you're up to joining us for a group read beginning in May, please add a few title suggestions in the Book Group section below. All best! Holly

Oh my, what a cool group! I'm a pediatric nurse/ YA author/ history of medicine geek. The book I'm currently reading is UNDERTAKER OF THE MIND, John Monro and mad-doctoring in eighteenth century England by Jonathan Andrews and Andrew Scull.

I have a feeling my TBR pile is going to get a lot larger by hanging around here!

Hi Robin. So glad you're here. There's another one I didn't know about. Sounds fascinating.

BTW, my husband is also a nurse. He's just finishing up his MSN.

Looking forward to chatting about all things books! Holly

Hi, I'm Jessica. I teach high school world history and love it. The last book that I read and loved...well, I'm also currently in a master's program for world history, so most of my reading has been for that, but I really liked "The Dead Will Arise: Nongqawuse and the Great Xhosa Cattle-Killing Movement of 1856-7" by J. B. Peires. I also just finished (after many many weeks) the newest C. J. Sansom: "Heartstone". I love his books.

Something memorable about me: in addition to teaching and being in grad school I also play the cello for fun with a regular string quartet.

Hi everyone -- I'm a former newspaper section editor. I have my MFA in writing, and I'm a full-time lecturer in the English Department at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C. I also write a regular column on beer! Somehow, I bumped into Holly on Twitter. I'm planning to read her book this summer.
Colin

Hi everyone! I'm Jessica (yay, now there's two of us, lol). I'm all the way out in San Francisco, though I will probably be a New Englander fairly soon (I'm heading to law school in the fall, once I actually pick a school!).

I read a lot of basically everything, but if I had to pick something I recently loved, I'd have to go with Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran and Stiff by Mary Roach. I loved Stiff, it was absolutely hilarious. I actually just got to meet Mary Roach at the CA Academy of Sciences in SF a couple of days ago, and picked up her newest book Packing for Mars so I'm hoping to read that soon. And Holly's book is next up in my TBR pile I think too. :) I've found myself in a very science-y and history nonfiction mood lately, so this group sounds like a lot of fun.

Hi! I am Jonathan from Waterloo, south of Toronto, Ontario.

The last book I read (or, at least, finished reading) was Don DeLillo's Underworld. Right now I am on page 56 of The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson.

What I am hoping will be the most memorable thing about me is that I am researching a biography on Sarah Jane Farmer, who founded Green Acre in Eliot, Maine, in 1894, to put the World's Parliament of Religions on a permanent basis. Green Acre is where thousands of New Englanders first encounted the world's cultural, religious and intellectual diversity. I have started a blog about my journey into her story here: www.jmenon.com

My main interest in the history of medicine is with the social constructions of women's health in nineteenth-century America. Sarah Farmer, a determined, unmarried woman who wouldn't allow her work to serve the needs of powerful men, was eventually confined against her will in mental institutions for the last six years of her life. I am interested in the social attitudes that made such a tragic turn of events possible.

Hey all. I'm Pamela Toler in Chicago. I'm a freelance writer specializing in history and the arts. These days I'm reading Nancy Marie Brown's The Abacus and the Cross: The Story of the Pope Who Brought the Light of Science to the Dark Ages, and a pile of books on Tipu Sultan, an Indian ruler who tried to hook up with Napoleon to kick he British out of India.

Ssomething memorable about me? When I'm not reading or writing, I'm dancing. I never met a dance I didn't like.

Looking forward to getting acquainted with y'all.

Pamela! So great to see you here. Here's the book I was telling you about:

Jim Al-Khalili, THE HOUSE OF WISDOM: HOW ARABIC SCIENCE SAVED ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE AND GAVE US THE RENAISSANCE (Penguin). Just out.

Hi EH. It's not everyday I meet someone who is also married to a guy RN. What geekish books have the two of you been reading lately? :)

Colin wrote: "Hi everyone -- I'm a former newspaper section editor. I have my MFA in writing, and I'm a full-time lecturer in the English Department at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C. I also write a ..."

A writer...and a beer specialist! Sounds fantastic. I tried my hand at making beer when I was in grad school. Mis-measured the sugar. Made beerish champagne! Glad you're here!

Jessica wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Jessica (yay, now there's two of us, lol). I'm all the way out in San Francisco, though I will probably be a New Englander fairly soon (I'm heading to law school in the fall, once ..."

So jealous that you met Mary Roach in person! She and I have emailed a bit together--and we have the same wonderful publisher (WW Norton). Maybe we should get one of her titles in the rotation for our book groups! And Michelle Moran's Madame Tussaud looks fascinating. I really liked her Neferiti and Cleopatra cycle. You?

Jonathan wrote: "Hi! I am Jonathan from Waterloo, south of Toronto, Ontario.

The last book I read (or, at least, finished reading) was Don DeLillo's Underworld. Right now I am on page 56 of The Warmth of Other Sun..."

Hi Jonathan. Your research sounds fascinating! Glad you're here.

Jessica wrote: "Hi, I'm Jessica. I teach high school world history and love it. The last book that I read and loved...well, I'm also currently in a master's program for world history, so most of my reading has bee..."

You're one busy person! I know nothing about the great cattle killing movement of the 19th century. What was that about? Inquiring minds...and glad you're here!

Holly wrote: "So jealous that you met Mary Roach in person! She and I have emailed a bit together--and we have the same wonderful publisher (WW Norton). Maybe we should get one of her titles in the rotation for our book groups! And Michelle Moran's Madame Tussaud looks fascinating. I really liked her Neferiti and Cleopatra cycle. You?"

Mary was hysterical and so wonderful! We should definitely read one of hers.

I actually haven't read Michelle Moran's Egyptian books yet (though they're on my bookshelf to read soon), but when I saw that she was releasing a book on Madame Tussaud, I had to read it -- I LOVE wax museums (especially Madame Tussaud's museums) and she has a really interesting story but there aren't really many books about her. I'm definitely looking forward to reading Michelle's other books though, ancient Egypt is just an absolutely fascinating time period. I met Michelle at a signing when Madame Tussaud came out and she had some interesting stories about working on an archeological dig in Egypt.

Holly: in South Africa there was a young girl (about 15) who had a prophecy that basically said that the way to get rid of the British was to kill all the cattle and stop growing crops. It would cleanse the Xhosa and South Africa in general. It was a fascinating episode - the fact that all these people did it basically on the say-so of a 15 year old boggles the mind.

Holly, That book you mentioned by Jim Al-Khalili sounds wonderful. I think that subject contains the biggest untold stories of Western history.

I would love to read that in this group.

It would be double fantastic to read it with Pamela Toler (also a member here). She is a specialist of early Arabic history. And that's one of your areas of deep interest too, no?

(p.s. could you add it to our Book Club title nominations? Want to be sure we don't forget about it!)

Jessica wrote: "Holly wrote: "So jealous that you met Mary Roach in person! She and I have emailed a bit together--and we have the same wonderful publisher (WW Norton). Maybe we should get one of her titles in the..."

I love Mary Roach's books! I am also jealous you met her. And, Madame Tussaud is on my reading list....
Right now I'm reading the Italian Boy by Sarah Wise, in addition to finishing up Blood Work. Both great books, especially to a science major with a penchant for history.

Holly wrote: "Pamela! So great to see you here. Here's the book I was telling you about:

Jim Al-Khalili, THE HOUSE OF WISDOM: HOW ARABIC SCIENCE SAVED ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE AND GAVE US THE RENAISSANCE (Penguin). ..."

I was browsing through that one at my local bookstore today. I didn't pick it up because I was already at my daily book purchasing limit. Tomorrow is another day!

Think I am coming in at the middle of a conversation but I want to introduce myself.

I am looking forward to reading Holly's book. My father was a doctor so i grew up playing with an actually skeleton and gazing at jars of preserved gall stones! He was successful in persuading me not to be a doctor or a nurse but my interest in most things medical is still there. I ended up getting degrees in psychology and counseling and am retired from a job that had nothing to do with my training. So I am a big House fan and love reading about medical subjects.

I am one of those who like to research and often don't know when to stop! Now you know some about me!

Hi Carol. Welcome to the group! And so glad to meet another House fan.

I've worried about my young daughter...who often see all of these 17th century anatomy illustrations on my desk. She comes into my study and groans: "Oh mommy. You're sooo weird."

Sounds like you turned out alright playing with gall stones and all. I'm taking great comfort in that!

All best, Holly

Thank you, Holly. I need to let my husband have a turn at the computer so must leave now. This is a fun start.
I think your daughter will be fine.

Hi I'm new to using Goodreads, but am excited to find a group dedicated to all my favorite subjects (Medicine, History, and science). I started using Kindle, but a negative aspect is that I now jump from download to download (or is it, book to book???).

I just downloaded the book about Harriet Lachs -- which my 28y.o. son loved and recommended. My wife hope that the Kindle will mean fewer books filling the book case, but I don't want to give up any of my old books.

I'm looking forward to this group. Some of what I've read in the past were on the heavy side -- some dry, but interesting information. As I get used to this group, I'll post titles.

Also, on the personal side, I'm early 60's, happily married, and we live in Missouri overlooking a beautiful lake - as the sun sets out our window. AHH!

Hi everyone! I'm a huge science geek who is thrilled to find a whole group devoted to my favorite subjects. I recently finished my Ph.D. in microbiology, which means for the first time in years I have lots of free time to devote to reading! Besides my fun fluff books, my next serious read will be Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. Looking forward to finding out about some great new books here - if anyone has any suggestions for books similar to The Hot Zone (by Richard Preston), etc. I would be very grateful!

Hi there I'm Suzie and I am a freelance writer, researcher and blogger on all manner of subjects from health to history to poetry. I focus particularly on John Keats and am fascinated by the impact his study at Guys Hospital under Astley Cooper had on his poetry.


I am also looking at the development of medicine from the Enlightenment onwards to inform the work I am doing on the treatment of mental health in the 19th and 20th centuries.

I am very much an amateur in many respects and I am so pleased to have found this brilliant group. So many wonderful books to add to my list of 'must reads'. Now I just have to find the time!

I'm Amy, a school teacher and blogger. A Song of Fire and Ice by George R. R. Martin is my latest amazing read. It's a fantasy novel that history buffs can enjoy.

I'm about to crazily move across the country without a job lined up. I also attempted a novel during NANOWRIMO, mostly to bond with my writer husband.

Hi Amy! Welcome, welcome to the group! That's devotion to your spouse, two NANOWRIMOs at the same time. Must have been crazy and fun!