Quick Takes for June

Whoa. The year is half over. Time to wrap up this month with a few odds 'n' ends.

A quirky book. I always look in a bookstore's bargain bin to see if something might catch my eye at a good price. That's how I recently wound up reading "Spook: Science Tackles The Afterlife." I was familiar with the author, Mary Roach, because I knew her previous book, "Stiff," was the basis of the popular HBO series "Six Feet Under," which I thoroughly enjoyed. Plus, I'd seen Mary speak at a workshop in Portland a few years ago on narrative nonfiction writing and she was full of hilarious anecdotes as well as good information.

In "Spook," she brings her characteristically droll approach to the question of whether there is life after death and an examination of scientists' efforts to prove it. She travels widely in search of answers -- from India to Canada to England to rural North Carolina and numerous university labs -- and plumbs the depths of the scientific literature, exploring weird and fascinating topics that include: reincarnation; ectoplasm; mediums; ghosts; "soul-weighing" and "psychoacoustics." It's well reported, with a healthy dose of skepticism, and pretty entertaining -- a nice diversion from my usual fare of contemporary novels and nonfiction/current events.

"Simply put, this is a book for people who would like very much to believe in a soul and in an afterlife for it to hang around in, but who have trouble accepting these things on faith," Roach writes. "It's a giggly, random, utterly earthbound assault on our most ponderous unanswered question. It's spirituality treated like crop science."

She'll be in Portland in August to promote her new book, "Packing for Mars."

A sweet movie. "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" were so well done, so stylish and entertaining, that I was doubtful that yet another sequel could deliver the same quality as its predecessors. Happily, I was proven wrong. Lori and I went to see the new Pixar release on Sunday and came away thinking it just might have been the best of the three. Woody and Buzz are endearing as ever and the script crackles with humor, wit, suspense and redemption. No spoiler alerts here or plot descriptions. Just a strong recommendation that you go see it. And before or after you do, check out this thoughtful essay by David Hajdu, "The toys are us: Watching slow the footsteps of playthings."

New friendships. One of the nice things about spending time on Orcas is that we are gradually expanding our circle of friends on the island. Because we only go up a handful of times each year and because our place is so remote, there aren't a whole lot of opportunities beyond our immediate community in Eagle Lake. Weekend potlucks are hit and miss, so it was nice to spend time again with Jennifer Brennock, a fellow writer who's involved in the arts community and who worked briefly as a reporter for the weekly newspaper serving Orcas.

I actually met Jennifer last year when she led a writing workshop that I attended at the public library. In March, she joined us for dinner before serving as emcee at the Artsmith Salon Series at Doe Bay Cafe. This time, Lori and I met her for lunch at the Olga Cafe, known for its Shaker lemon pie and other treats, and had a wonderful conversation that covered kids, island life and food, specifically organ meats. (You had to be there.)

That same evening we joined our friends Carl and Juliana Capdeville, caretakers at Eagle Lake, and our newest acquaintances, Patty Miller and Ray Chavez, for dinner and dessert. Patty is Juliana's sister (both grew up on the island) and is running unopposed to represent the east end of the island on the county council. Ray is her partner and the least likely island transplant I would have imagined -- a sassy New Yorker of Dominican heritage. Can't wait to get back up to the island in August and water the seeds of these new friendships.

Photograph of Jessie, Buzz and Woody: The Associated Press/Disney Pixar