The Dirty Life: On Farming, Food and Love by Kristin Kimball (2010)

This is first hand account of starting a farm and marrying a farmer by travel writer, Kristin Kimball.  She can write well, and the story is worth telling and hearing. It is about the transformation of a piece of land, and a life. It's about growing your own food, satisfaction, hard physical work, learning, and a long to do list.  Read it!

Fringe-ology: How I Tried to Explain Away the Unexplainable-And Couldn't by Steve Volk, 2011

Investigative journalist Steve Volk explores the paranormal and provides a personal ghost story and learns to dream lucidly. Other than the chapter on quantum physics, it's pretty easily digestible and interesting.  The main point?  Could have happened, or maybe it was imagined, or maybe it actually happened. Scientists and religious people should work together instead of working against each other.

Church of the Graveyard Saints (2019) by C. Joseph (Chuck) Greaves

This is a book by former Hahn & Hahn lawyer, Chuck Greaves.

It is about gas extraction in the four corners region.  A kid on a ranch comes out to UCLA, and then returns with her professor to try to a put a stop to it.

Lots of interesting information and good description of places-- the beauty and solitude of southwest Coloardo, and good old Pasadena/ Altadena.

Read it!

Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House (2019)

This is one hot of the presses by investigative reporter Tom LoBianco, who had been covering Pence since his Indiana days.

It's a good story of a guy who, although no one but him knows for sure, may have traded his soul for power.  He certainly sacrificed some dignity.

The Indiana background part is interesting, too.

The First Christmas by Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan (2007)

This is a book about Christmas by my favorite theologians, Borg and Crossan. I've read this 2 or 3 times.  They really get to the meaning of Christmas and don't bother much with whether and what parts are factual.  No matter how long you study it, there's always something new to learn about Christmas.  It's good v. evil, underdog v. the power, light v darkness.  Read this one.

Being the Change: How to Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution by Peter Kalmus (2017)

This is a book written by JPL/ Cal Tech Professor and Altadena resident, Peter Kalmus. It is mostly about his personal efforts to combat climate change, which include composting, bicycling, and driving an old mercedes fueled by vegetable oil.

It is interesting to get a local perspective on it. I don't know for sure, but it seems he lives about a mile to the west. It is also interesting to me to see the similarities between his take on things and efforts and frugal living and various strains of Catholicism.

The Education of Brett Kavanaugh, an Investigation by Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly (2019)

Brett Kavanaugh is the Supreme Court Justice who was nominated in 2018 on a close party line vote after a contentious hearing in which a woman accused him of assaulting when he was in high school.  At the hearing, he did not admit the accusation but say it was when he was a kid. He did not say he couldn't remember or he may have blacked out. Instead, he denied it categorically.

I think it was that denial that gave investigative journalists the motivation to search out the truth.  This is the first such book out. 

It's not enitrely clear, as you might expect with an accusation of conduct dating back more than 30 years.  But I came away thinking it's more probable than not that he did it.  And the corollary is he probably lied when he denied it last year.  Also, he no longer conducts himself in a boorish manner. And finally, he is a very ambitious person who will do what it takes to get what he wants, which is a seat on the Supreme Court.

It's a good bit of work and interesting to see how they put it all together.