You Have a Favorite Dinosaur

Are ready for the New York marathon or love trivia

Hi friends,

I hope the end of October is treating you well. I’m dressing my dog — a part dachshund — as a hot dog for Halloween. Don’t worry; I’ll share pictures.

Quick programming note: I’m taking a break next week so I can visit family. Then, the following week is Veteran’s Day, so I’ll be back in your inboxes on Tuesday, November 12.

And, now, what to read if…

You Went Through a Dinosaur Phase

Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party by Edward Dolnick

A surprising number of my neighbors have put up giant dinosaur inflatables to decorate for Halloween. Every time I walk past them I 1) hum the “Jurassic Park” theme and 2) think of Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party, an entertaining history of the people who unearthed dinosaurs and the consequences of their discoveries.

Science writer Edward Dolnick introduces us to the fascinating cast of characters who first found weird things in the dirt and then gradually pieced together the fossil record that gave us the story of dinosaurs we accept today. There’s Mary Anning, a poor, uneducated woman who had a preternatural ability to find dinosaur fossils; William Buckland, a quirky scientist attempting to eat every animal; and Richard Owen, who went from beloved researcher to quack after he rejected Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Most interesting to me is the way the discovery upturned everything the scientists — who thought of themselves foremost as Christians — and the broader population thought they knew about life and death on Earth. It’s comparable to when Galileo showed the Earth rotates around the sun. The concept of extinction was completely new and even more terrifying than the concept of giant dinosaurs roaming the world.

I will be honest: Until I read this book, I never thought about who first found the prehistoric giant lizards and how they did it. Dinosaurs have always just existed in my mind. I’m glad to have closed that gap in my knowledge with this witty and wry book.

Reminder rec: In The Dinosaur Artist, Paige Williams, a National Magazine Award Winner, reports the real-life case of Eric Prokopi, a Floridian accused of smuggling dinosaur bones from Mongolia’s Gobi desert, one of the world’s most fossil-rich areas. 

You’ll Be Watching — or Running — the New York Marathon

Where They Last Saw Her by Marcie Rendon

Roughly 50,000 runners — including at least one subscriber to this newsletter — will compete in the 53^rd New York City marathon on Sunday. If you’re a distance-running aficionado, consider adding Marcie Rendon’s Where They Last Saw Her, a thriller starring Quill, a native woman training for the Boston Marathon.

While out for an early morning run in an isolated forest, Quill hears a heart-pounding scream. Returning to the scene, she finds tire tracks and a single beaded earring. Just days later, after Quill witnesses an attempted kidnapping of another woman on the reservation and learns a third woman was taken, she decides to launch her own investigation with her two running partners, Gaylyn and Punk. As Quill searches for answers, her actions become increasingly reckless, putting her life and those of her friends on the line.

Where They Last Saw Her is a cross between a traditional thriller and a political novel/primal scream about the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Rendon, a citizen of the White Earth Nation, puts a face on the issue, while delivering a tightly plotted mystery.

You’re a Bar Trivia Regular

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

As her bullet journal demonstrates, Nina Hill thrives off routine and structure. Her weeks are essentially the same: working at Knight’s, a charming bookstore, chatting with her cat, spending hours reading and showing off her insane trivia knowledge at a regular competitive game. 

Nina’s routine, though, is thrown into disarray when she learns that the father she never knew has died, leaving behind an inheritance and a huge new family for Nina. Our heroine suddenly has a brother and sister, a nephew who is older than her and a brilliant cousin, among others. Nina’s anxiety goes into overload at the idea of having to meet all these new people.  

As if that wasn’t enough, Knight’s landlord is threatening to shut the store down and Tom, her trivia nemesis, has decided now is the time to pursue Nina. Against her better judgement, Nina slowly starts to come out of her shell and (gasp!) even mix up her routine.

I love Nina so much. I read this book years ago, but still think of her. I hope she, Tom, her friends at Knight’s and her boisterous family are doing well. And, if you are on a trivia team, the facts Nina has running through her brain will help you prep for your next game.

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