If I had the time...

More wonderful new non-fiction I'd read...if I had the time. Each one seems to have an English connection this time:

The Terminal Spy: a True Story of Espionage, Betrayal and Murder by Alan S. Cowell
Cowell, NY Times London Bureau Chief , spins the intriguing and terrifying tale of the fatal poisoning of former KGB agent Alexander Litvenenko in the Millennium Hotel's bar. The former spy drank green tea with honey, lemon and, as it turns out, radioactive polonium. Who was behind the killing? There are competing conspiracy theories, but the finger points eventually back to Putin.

Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret History of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey
The retired senior paleontologist at this world-renowned London museum takes readers on a fascinating and affectionate behind-the-scenes tour of the institution, and tells marvelous and often humorous anecdotes about the staff, the exhibits, and its hidden stores. So enjoyable!

The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
While the words "witty" and "Puritan" seem destined never to co-exist in the same sentence, Sarah Vowell has done it! This is a quote from the Publishers Weekly review which really intrigued me about this book: "While the Puritans who had earlier sailed to Plymouth on the Mayflower were separatists, Winthrop's followers remained loyal to England... Vowell underscores that the seemingly minute differences between the Plymouth Puritans and the Massachusetts Puritans were as meaningful as the current Sunni/Shia Muslim rift."