You know you're not-so-young when...

you go to visit your old grad school advisor during his West Coast book tour and you find that next to your old grad school advisor, you are easily the most senior alum in the group. Gack. I graduated from the Science Journalism program at Boston University in 1997. There aren't too many BU alums out here on the West Coast. Honestly, I was surprised that there were about a dozen of us and several work for the very same institution that employs me. Still, the oldest of them probably graduated in 2005.But it was so very nice to see Doug Starr again. He's one of those very rare people with an infectious fascination with just about everything. By science journalism standards, I consider my life pretty dull, but he never makes anyone feel dull and even seemed thrilled that one of the grads is now a massage therapist.

His new book The Killer of Little Shepherds has been getting some great reviews. His previous one won an L.A. Times book award. Apparently, his kind of unbridled curiosity, combined with a knack for incredibly detailed and engaging writing, has some advantages!