Month: June 2025

The ugliness of beauty

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Let’s talk about beauty magazines for a minute.

I read them when I was a young teenage girl. Specifically, I read Seventeen. (I have heard it said that 14-year-old girls read Seventeen, while 17-year-old girls read Cosmopolitan.) And I learned a lot from reading it.

I learned that you need to use a base coat when you paint your nails. (“Don’t just slick color on bare nails.” Perish the thought.)

I learned that when you get up in the morning, you should do some exercises to “get the juices flowing.” (Sorry. Not before breakfast.)

I learned how difficult it is to start a modeling career.

And I learned what sexual dreams can really mean.

In retrospect, I never liked how reading beauty magazines made me feel when I was a young teen. I felt “less than” because I did not follow the “proper” procedure for doing my nails. I felt inadequate because I had terrible acne that nothing, it seemed, would help. I felt downright ugly because I could not do anything with my hair.

Although I was never unfortunate enough to develop an eating disorder, I could see how such magazines can contribute to that or trigger it. The models on the covers, in the pictures inside, and in the advertisements were so slim, thin, and beautiful, and their bodies were hair-free—waxed to perfection. (The issue of body hair on women is a whole other one that I will not get into right now.)

Suffice it to say that I felt unattractive while reading beauty magazines. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why I read them for several years. Reading them was a mistake; I should have spent the time reading juicy science fiction novels.

If you are the mother of a teen daughter who is drawn to beauty magazines, please sit down with her at some point and tell her she is beautiful, and nothing will change that. Tell her she is just as beautiful to you as the models in her magazines. Then love her like the beautiful person she is.

Putting on my ten-second literary critic hat, part 2

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Today, I would like to talk about a different kind of cookbook: Robin Cook books. *rim shot*

Seriously, though, Robin Cook is one of my favorite novelists. He is a physician, and his brand of medical science fiction is right up my alley, given that I am a scientist who has worked in biochemistry and molecular biology. I may not be a medical doctor, but I definitely enjoy the science in his novels. I also love imagining the characters in my head (what reader doesn’t?).

So, today I am going to write about three of Dr. Cook’s novels which I thoroughly enjoyed.

First, there is Toxin. This book centers on a deadly strain of E.coli bacteria which gets into the food chain and kills the main protagonist’s daughter. Given that the scenario is very realistic and could happen anywhere, this novel is frightening in a non-supernatural kind of way. The main protagonist, Dr. Kim Reggis, is a believable character (my mind casts Goran Visnjic as him, without the accent) and one secondary character, Roger the fast-food manager, really stood out for me for some reason (perhaps because Dr. Reggis belts him one). There is also a scary scene near the end.

Then there is Shock, most of which I read while on vacation years ago in Wildwood, New Jersey. The main story, about women who donate their eggs to a scientific company, is definitely compelling, and I kept turning the pages, wanting to find out what was going to happen next. However, although the two main protagonists, Deborah and Joanna, are well developed in terms of their intelligence and curiosity, they were rather disappointing to me in terms of how they relate to each other. They are supposed to be close friends, but they never cry in each other’s arms, for example. Nor do they stay up late venting to each other about their past boyfriends.

Finally, let’s talk about Vector. I loved this story, which is about bioterrorism. Of course, I read this book before 9/11, so perhaps if I had read it afterwards, I would have been frightened rather than fascinated. It has very interesting characters, especially Yuri, the Russian cab driver, and the two ex-soldiers who are his cohorts. And given the US’s current relations with Russia and the very real threat of bioterrorism, it will probably come off today as scary.

If you have read any of Dr. Cook’s novels, which ones have you read? What did you think of them?

Putting on my ten-second literary critic hat, Part 1

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Let me talk about Michael Crichton for a minute, if I may.

In the 1990s and 2000s, I very much enjoyed the work of this prolific bestselling novelist. So did many other people, and several of his novels were made into movies starring A-list actors. In 1994, he became the co-creator and co-executive producer of the hit TV drama ER, a show to which I was addicted for years. Crichton passed away in 2008, but several of his works will remain etched in my memory forever.

My favorite novel by Crichton is Prey, which was never made into a movie and I’m glad about that, given that I like to use my imagination. The characters are well thought-out and have vivid personalities, especially Jack, who narrates the story. And the story will at least make you curious about nanotechnology if you haven’t already heard of it. It may even scare you if you think about technology revolting against its creator.

I also enjoyed Jurassic Park, although I must confess that I saw the original 1993 film before I read the book, so I was stuck with images of the cast in my head. At the risk of sounding like a complete snob, I have to say that the book was superior to the movie (what book is not?). The novel contained much more detail in terms of the description of the dinosaurs, human characters, and scenery. I especially appreciated the introduction, where Crichton discusses how science today is done “in secret, and for profit” rather than for all the world to discover.

I really liked Sphere, which I remember reading in a laundromat while waiting for my thick bedspread to be washed and dried in the heavy-duty machines. The outer-space concept was fascinating. I never saw its movie adaptation and I’m glad I did not, given (among other things) that Sharon Stone had been cast as Beth, while in my mind, Beth looked like one of my college biology professors.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention Airframe. I absolutely loved this book and its surprise ending. The novel taught me a lot about commercial aircraft and pilots, and made me wonder if I should ever fly again.

If you loved a Michael Crichton novel that I did not mention here, which one was it? If you loved one that I mentioned here, what did you love about it?

Beach booking

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A little over a week ago, I returned from a vacation in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that area, it consists of several beautiful beaches.

I am a beach person. I absolutely love to spread out a blanket and towel, slather myself with sunblock, set up a beach chair, and…READ.

I love to read on the beach, especially a good novel. Granted, I rarely, if ever, read an entire book while on a vacation. However, I cannot be on the beach without a good book. While in the Outer Banks, I read Freeing Yourself from Emotional Dependency by Sara Leone. This is a self-help book, not a novel; however, I find it to be an excellent read.

Some books which I have devoured on the beach include Carrie and Christine, both by Stephen King, High Five by Janet Evanovich, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling, and The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

The beach, although wonderfully calming and peaceful, can become somewhat boring without a good book. Sure, I like to listen to the sound of the waves and lie down and fall asleep on the beach, but sooner or later, all of that gets old. When I read a book on the beach, it feels as if the characters are joining me on the beach while having their escapades. There goes Stephanie Plum, chasing her latest criminal while the seagulls fly and shriek overhead. There’s Christine, the Plymouth Fury, speeding through the streets of Ocean City, Maryland. There’s Gryffindor Tower standing in the sand next to my hotel.

When not too crowded, the beach provides just the right about of sound for recreational reading.* The sound of the waves provides a soothing background. When a reading environment is starkly quiet, things can become creepy.

*I mean recreational reading only. Academic or critical reading should be done in a completely quiet surrounding area.

If you are a “beach bum” like me, do you read on the beach? If so, what kind of material?