Lots of good reads this month. I have a wall of books around the bed that the poor dog keeps trying to scale so he can mooch and wimper at me more effectively. Poor pup.

The Island of the Colorblind - Oliver Sacks

Neurologist Oliver Sacks is probably best known for his book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. With a focus on rare neurological diseases and maladies, Sacks was deeply interested to hear about the Island of Pingelap. Nearly 10% of the population is achromatopic - unable to see colors of any sort. This extremely rare condition is seen in very few places in the world. Sacks travels with an ophthalmologist friend and an achromatope Knut Nordby from another small enclave in of achromatopes in Denmark. The three make a harrowing trip into the heart of Micronesia to meet and study these rare folks. At first shy of the strangers, the Chamorro folks soon welcome when they realize Norby is one of them.

The second half of the book covers Sacks' trip to Guam to study another rare, though much more deadly, disease called lytigo-bodig. Similar in nature to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, large numbers of residents of Guam suffer from palsy, frozen muscles and other bizarre symptoms. Some sufferers sit frozen for hours, staring into space. However, the family and friends know to "wake" them from their torpor they need only sing, talk, toss a ball at or otherwise startle them into movement. Even more bizarre than the afflictions and lack of cause, but no one born after 1952 on the islands currently suffers from the disease.

Blended with Sacks' study of these bizarre afflictions is a fascinating narrative of the history of Micronesia, politics, neurology, folk wisdom and a great deal of botany with particular focus on the ancient cycad, thought though never proven to be the cause of lytico-bodig. The addition of Victorian botanical plates are a wonderful and fantastic touch, making the book seem more like a turn-of-the-century travelogue than a modern book on medicine.

London Sight Unseen by Snowdon

This clever collection of photos showcases strange and outré buildings in London. Originally built as gate houses, gazebos or follies (mock-historical buildings built just for the heck of it) most have now been converted into expensive yuppie dwellings or garden sheds. With everything from mock-churches, tiny Victorian wrought-iron stands, thatched cottages and fake temples this book is full of enough tiny, odd buildings to satisfy an army of Romantics.

London Then and Now - Diane Bursten

I'm not sure what photos surprised me more in London Then and Now - the photos of landmarks virtually unchanged in over 100 years or those that were completely obliviated with not a hint that they ever existed. In both cases, images of massive stone and brick edifices - Victorian and older - seem timeless in their immensity. It doesn't seem possible that structures this large could be removed. Yet, as an American, I found it equally surprising that many buildings which would long have succumb to the wreckers ball here are still being used. Filled with images of both notable landmarks and more mundane scenes, any armchair traveler or historian will enjoy this book.

Making Money - Terry Pratchett

Moist VonLipwig. Spike. Golums, A small dog named Mr. Fusspot. The Patrician. Perfidious minds. Lousy puns. It's all good- it's all Pratchett.

Geniuses, Evil Geniuses and Genius Genii

Thanks to Amazon's tempting "similar books" link I found a trove of excellent YA titles. Don't let the Young Adult category fool you. Like Harry Potter, they are excellent, engaging and full of great characters and rich plots. Plus you know it will all be ok in the end and they all have fantastic cover art. Why can't adult books have such good art?

The Children of the Lamp Series - PB Kerr

The Akhenaten Adventure, The Blue Djinn of Babylon and The Cobra King of Kathmandu.

Upon the removal of their wisdom teeth, twins John and Phillipa Gaunt discover they have strange magical powers. Sent off to their Uncle Nimrod, the Gaunt kids learn to use their djinn powers. With lots of historic background, this series is a cross between Indiana Jones and Harry Potter with touches of Arabian Nights (literally) thrown in. Not usually a fan of flash, I really liked Kerr's site, too: http://www.pbkerr.com

The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart

An ad in the paper looking for exceptional children lures orphan Reynie Muldoon into a strange shadow conspiracy. With a band of other brilliant and bizarre children, they must overthrow an evil mastermind. Inventive and fast-moving, though personally I think a few fires would have solved a lot of problems for them.

Evil Genius - Catherine Jinks

Where do you go to school if you are a genius and your father is an evil genius? Why, the evil genius academy, of course. Learn the fine arts of lying, stealing, poisons, hacking, disguise and other deeply useful skills. The only drawbacks? The matriculation rate is nothing to write home about and leaving really isn't an option. Surprisingly gritty, intense themes for a supposed kids book.