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'To All the Boys I've Loved Before' is readable, sweet
To all the boys.KT
"The All the Boys I've Loved Before" is by Jenny Han. She will be at the King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City with Morgan Matson and local author Sara Zarr. - photo by Simon and Schuster
Sharon Haddock
Deseret News National
Updated: May 23, 2014, 12:00 PM
Published: May 22, 2014, 6:14 PM

"TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE," by Jenny Han, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 365 pages (f) (ages 14 and up)
"To All the Boys I've Loved Before" by Jenny Han is an engaging book.
It starts out as if it's going to be a fluffy, inocuous book about teenage crushes, but it's actually a pretty honest look at a teen girl who doesn't know or understand her own power on others.
It includes believable, interesting dialogue between Lara Jean Song, the boys she's had a "fake" romance with, including the boy next door, and her own heart.
She's smart and clueless all at the same time, a girl who pours her heart into a hatbox full of letters — ones that she never intended to send — that somehow end up in the hands of the boys about whom she has had a crush on and eventually realized it was never going to work.
She says somewhat outrageous things while protecting herself from saying what she probably ought to just put out there.
As she deals with the fallout from the letters, she grows up a little and has to sort out her feelings while she keeps life going at home without her big sister, who has gone to a university across the Atlantic in Scotland, and mom, who died several years ago, with her little lost sister and her bereaved dad.
"To All the Boys I've Loved Before" is pleasant and full of tiny surprises. Han has created characters, including Peter the faux boyfriend, Josh the next-door first love, Kitty the little and somewhat spoiled sister and Genevieve, the popular, jealous girlfriend, who are authentic and real.
Han has a gift for making a fairly complicated story move along and making it all matter, whether it's in making six dozen cupcakes for a bake sale or putting up the Christmas decorations.
It's a good story, and the Song sisters are fun to get to know. The story flows nicely.
It's light and flirty with a great grasp of dialogue, particularly of teenage girl/boy exchange.
However, there's frequent mention of teenage sex as an expected part of a relationship, although none is detailed and Lara Jean doesn't participate, and a few swear words.
Sharon Haddock's personal blog is at sharonhaddock.blogspot.com.
Email: haddoc@deseretnews.com
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.