I rarely borrow astronomy books from the library. I probably wouldn’t have even seen Mike Brown’s How I Killed Pluto–and Why It Had It Coming if it hadn’t been on the new books shelf. And I probably wouldn’t have picked it up without Sandra Tsing-Loh’s recommendation (“Mike Brown is the funniest, smartest, and most surprisingly poetic Caltech astronomer who ever made my daughters cry.” How could I pass that up?). I didn’t think it’d be that good, though. I was wrong.

I’m only about a quarter of the way through the book, and I don’t want to wait until I’m done to recommend it. Mike Brown is personal and poetic without calling attention to himself. He makes the solar system feel like a big city neighborhood–bustling and diverse but also potentially familiar and comfy. It’s a nice antidote to the usual Vastness of Space style of writing–a style I love, but that can be alienating.

It’s December, it’s cold and it gets dark well before I finish work. The perfect time to snuggle in with a cozy book on astronomy.

–Katherine

PS: two days later, I finished the book. So good!

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