Gosh, we are so fortunate to be alive at the same time as someone like Ursula K. Le Guin. Her memoir No Time to Spare is a collection of essays in which she talks about literature, politics, belief, aging, and life. It is absolutely delightful. She's such an interesting person. Even when she's talking about her cat, Pard, there's a deeper layer to her musings. She sees the world with such clarity and wonder, and these essays allow the reader to experience that perspective and benefit from her wisdom. No Time to Spare is an intelligent, feel-good kind of read.

Dear Fahrenheit 451 is a book about books, letters of love (or farewell) to the books on author Annie Spence's shelves. I enjoyed Spence's thoughts on all sorts of books, her bookish matchmaking, as well as hearing about the quirkier tastes of some of her library patrons. Maybe because we're of the same generation, I connected with her musings. But also, there were a number of well-loved books she didn't like that made me feel heard. Sometimes it can be lonely feeling like you're the only one who couldn't get into a popular book. Dear Fahrenheit 451 is full of bookish nostalgia and commentary on books old and new, and oh my word the suggestions (I especially appreciated her "recovery…

My head is spinning! In The Aliens Are Coming! The Exciting and Extraordinary Science Behind Our Search for Life in the Universe, science writer and comedian Ben Miller seems to go off on so many tangents. But he eventually ties them all together, and with no loose ends. This book isn't as much about aliens as it is about all life. Math, science, history...everything around us. It all comes together in this book. I listened to the audiobook and that was a real treat. Ben Miller narrates the book himself, and he's super entertaining. I was hanging on every word!