Environomics is a very readable account of what impacts underpin the simplest things in our existence. The author makes most of her focus the environmEnvironomics is a very readable account of what impacts underpin the simplest things in our existence. The author makes most of her focus the environmental side, especially climate change, pollution and land/sea use. But she also raises the social impacts as well, which is vital if transitions are going to be acceptable in our lives.
We start gently, by waking up and turning on the light. Plenty to analyse there. We start with the whole electricity and renewable energy system. While at times it feels like moving a mountain, it is clear that globally, we are making progress to cleaner systems. And cleaner light bulbs. After a diversion into clothing, we get back to the energy sector with our drive, bike or train to work. We are definitely making progress, but with some cautions…and especially when it comes to batteries. That leads into the battery impact of our phones, computers, laptops, etc., and the problem of rare earth metals, which, if you’ve never heard of them, are a Problem: scarce, geographically sparse, and extremely polluting to extract.
Let’s get back to clothes. This is probably the section where I learned most. The fashion industry needs much more attention, because it’s the one the consumer can really influence. In fact the average clothes buyer is probably the only person who can get the industry to change from its wasteful over-consumption of both natural and man-made fibres, all of which damage the environment.
Environomics goes on to examine palm oil, which is worth buying the book for even without the rest of the information. It also covers construction, shipping, the impact of next-day deliveries, and teases out some misconceptions in the process. And banking…payment systems and bitcoin. It’s pretty hard to think of any stone she has left unturned, although I think I found one… entertainment. How do you allocate the carbon emissions of downloading a film? Maybe that’s why she didn’t go there. Maybe the TV and Film industry does not figure that highly in sectoral emissions.
The good news is: most industries, governments and innovators are making great strides towards reducing their impact on our world. The bad news? Not fast enough, not enough investors, and they didn’t start soon enough. Very little in this book was not in prototype 20 years ago. Some of the solutions currently being developed will probably need 20 years to reach commercial status. Unless something even more urgent pushes them forward, we are sunk in our own mess.
The author does not reference her work here, although does give ‘further reading’ which is a tip of the iceberg (melting, obviously). I think for balance, anyone reading this should finish with the last section of David Attenborough’s ‘witness statement’ in which he cites more initiatives and countries who are playing a different, greener game. It makes economic sense to them....more
Space Oddities is modern science at work. It's mostly to do with particle physics, but whilst that highly theoretical realm always leaves me feeling 'Space Oddities is modern science at work. It's mostly to do with particle physics, but whilst that highly theoretical realm always leaves me feeling 'does it matter?' the link between our understanding of the universe and why the only current solution to the missing mass is 'dark matter' are things I find baffling.
No longer.
Harry Cliff discusses the most complex science debates in physics to give us lesser mortals a good chance of understanding it. Even if I could only cope with one chapter at a time, due to brain fatigue. He also writes in a way that turns the search for the elusive anomalies into a thriller - and a highly suspenseful enjoyable one (with nobody under sentence of death or a more gory fate). It would have been good to have the diagram of the Standard Theory earlier, though
I did find myself wondering several times: but why does it matter? Why are we prepared to spend billions of dollars on extremely expensive kit that uses enormous amounts of substances extracted from the ground at huge environmental cost, then send billions of volts through them for years at a time to see what happens? The answer is partly that a huge number of academics are involved, and most governments like to support academics who might add prestige to their faltering political careers. What does it do to help you and me?
And then, you could say much the same about football (any version). Why does it matter? It's the goal, the prize at the end......more
I first 'discovered' Tristan Da Cunha when I was in primary school. It was being evacuated because of its erupting volcano. The tiny island, thousandsI first 'discovered' Tristan Da Cunha when I was in primary school. It was being evacuated because of its erupting volcano. The tiny island, thousands of miles from anywhere else, caught my imagination, as did the fate of the residents. Sixty years on, I get to visit it and the equally legendary (to my mind) St Helena, Ascension and Falkland Islands, courtesy of vet Joe Hollins.
For anyone who enjoys animals, whether pets, wild or livestock, this book is a treasure. The author's experiences cover an enormous range of events, from midwifery to biohazards. But behind the animal tales are the people of the islands, each very distinctive species in themselves. I began to wonder whether I could cope in the isolation of these places. Of course, they are thriving communities, even though they are small. Everyone works exceptionally hard, with and for each other, as often as not.
The author proves once again that a science background is no barrier to writing wonderful description, and keeping the reader on the edge of the seat. It is both nerve-wracking and uplifting, and I absolutely loved it. Armchair travel at its best!...more
Cat Jarman does a thorough job of research on these chests, and the people whose remains may or may not be in them. She starts with the earliest knownCat Jarman does a thorough job of research on these chests, and the people whose remains may or may not be in them. She starts with the earliest known Wessex king, Cynewulf, and ends with the last one named on the chests: William Rufus (son of William the Conqueror). This is not a period of history I know much about. Frankly most GB school history mentions Egyptians, Romans, Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror, and moves on to the Wars of the Roses. In fact I don’t know whether it does that much, except kids seem to know about Pharoahs, and they spend a lot of time on the history of World War 2.
So a narrative about the kings and politics of pre-1100 has the potential to be interesting. In The Bone Chests, the author takes the supposed contents of one chest at a time, and maps out the who, what, why and wherefore, based on research and records down the ages. The best thing about this book is that it adds in modern science and use of DNA, which is fascinating, revealing as it does where people came from based on their diet and chemical make-up and who they are related to once possible matches have been found in those areas. Like the discovery of Richard III in a Leicester car park, we cannot be 100% certain. But we can be pretty sure that it isn’t anyone else without a huge coincidence involved.
As a result, the book keeps your interest. This is despite some shortcomings, some of which can’t be helped. The number of names that look alike, and in many cases are the same for entirely different people — AEthelstan, AEthelgifu, AElfgifu and all those other Saxon names beginning with AEl…
This was an ARC, so it is possibly not the final version, but I found myself getting confused with the way the author jumped from contemporary to the king under discussion, to contemporary to the Reformation, interspersed with commentary from writers of ages in between. When we were back to later archaeological findings, it seemed fine, but some of the narrative got very confusing. There were also several places where she repeated herself, telling us the same thing twice as if she hadn’t said it before. Some tighter editing would do it the world of good.
There is a good reference section (the last 10%), covering notes as well as extensive bibliography, a list of illustrations (only the drawings of the chests were in my ebook version) and an index, which is pretty redundant in the ebook, but a goldmine for a paper copy–or a reviewer checking name spellings!.
It’s a great hook on which to hang a history of the first millennium in the British Isles, so if you’re remotely interested, take a look. Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the opportunity to expand my knowledge!...more
Laura Jacobs, herself a transgender person, approached a wide range of people she had worked with, or networked with, or were recommended by others, tLaura Jacobs, herself a transgender person, approached a wide range of people she had worked with, or networked with, or were recommended by others, to put this book together. Each person tells their own, very personal, experiences of being transgender.
I could not read more than two of these accounts in any one sitting. They are so raw, so well documented, so human. Some of them are extraordinarily beautifully written. It was an emotional roller coaster.
I don’t understand why people hate so much. I don’t understand why people hate perfectly nice people who just happen to have (or choose) a different look, or different lifestyle. The refugee from Argentina’s dictatorship who found America so abominably different from the haven and luxury she expected — that I understand.
But whether I understand or not, that is the reality of the current USA, and a warning to the rest of us. Right-wing policies are growing, across the globe.
If you, like me, have very little knowledge of the LGBTQ++ world, this will open your eyes. One or two of them will explain in horrible detail some things that you may find useful if you are an author, but are otherwise, well, extreme. It will also show you that these transgender people are, above all, people. They have hopes, dreams, aspirations just like mine. Most of the people in the world want much the same thing. It’s how we get manipulated by those who want control.
I want to thank Laura Jacobs and all those brave enough to stand up and tell their stories, and to come forward to fight for the rights of others. This is an important book. It will hopefully help many trans people stuck in an isolated situation, to know they are not alone. But nobody who hates will read it....more
First off, I made a good decision to read this on my iPad. Don't even attempt to read this on anything as old as a Kindle Paperwhite. The illustrationFirst off, I made a good decision to read this on my iPad. Don't even attempt to read this on anything as old as a Kindle Paperwhite. The illustrations are both beautifying and an integral part of some of the story. Not being able to see the beautiful botanic diagrams and sketches of the life cycle of the plant, the variations in seed casing, or the effect of certain parasitic wasps on the milkweed aphid would be to lose half the content. Best of all, buy the paper copy.
The books sweeps through the impact of milkweed on the environment. And the farming environment's, especially of middle America and the plains of California, on the milkweed - and the rest of its ecosystem. Anyone sensitive to the pollution and toxic chemicals sprayed over vast areas of the country should wake up to the truth of the matter. Most farmers don't care.
Milkweed is one of the survivors, thanks in part to native plant enthusiasts like the author. He works with like-minded people to cultivate and reintroduce useful native species with a long history of providing health benefits. Hedgerow Farms (near that intensive farming desert of California) is one such organisation. It sounds like an oasis of ecosystem management for healthy and balanced growth.
Since I know very little about the ecosystems of Middle America, I found all this fascinating. I loved the way the author started in the winter, when the ground is mostly snowcovered for months. Who would have thought there was so much life below the blanket? He examined the different animals of all types that depend on this plant, despite its sap being toxic to most. It makes them toxic too, which is a handy way of warning off their predators. Some information he goes into in some detail, like the fate of the milkweed aphid, which is to be eaten from within by the parasitic wasp larva. There are several of examples of this in the UK, too. The approach is much used by gardeners to control slug and snail populations (a nematode, but same result.
The author also goes into detail about the peculiarities of the milkweed pollination system, which is very similar to that of orchids.
I found it a little uneven in its approach to its subjects, though. Some seemed to be dismissed with a mere mention, often when I would have liked to have known more, especially when talking about the Upper Mississippi area. This uneveness also applies to the voice: some is authoritative (and he obviously knows his stuff) but some seems to be addressing high school students. Maybe he is unsure who exactly will read his book?
It is also a quick read. Even though I paused to study most of the illustrations, although not necessarily those with just keys, I finished it in around two hours. Did the publisher think it would not keep our attention longer? I would happily have had a more detailed approach to many other aspects he glossed over. Maybe the publisher is sensitive to the nuances of the middle America reading public. I hope it at least finds a place in their libraries....more
Ben Jacobs starts his book with some very scary (and dangerous, and life-threatening) orchid encounters in tropical places. Having had time to reflectBen Jacobs starts his book with some very scary (and dangerous, and life-threatening) orchid encounters in tropical places. Having had time to reflect, while laid up for months safely in the parental home, he discovers there are orchids in his father’s garden. British orchids. Safe in his parent’s garden. Nobody likely to build houses on them, drain their habitat, trample or pick them. Which, when he starts looking further into the story of British native orchids, is exactly what is happening to most of them, and a fairly good reason why they are in terminal decline, and not even recognised as threatened by the conservation labels (which are hopelessly out of date). More than that, while some people are monitoring them, in the name of conservation, nobody is succeeding in reversing the decline.
By now you are probably working out that Ben Jacobs is covering a lot of ground in this book. Law, science, and simple botany, plus habitat niceties, policy of local government officers and other groundkeepers… and did I say simple botany? Orchids are anything but simple. They are the most amazing, most complicated flowering plants you can imagine, and it turns out they even have their own mycorrhizal fungi they like to cohabit with (like trees).
Plus history. The history of natural philosophers’ and alchemists’ interest in orchids goes back to mediaeval times. Written about and drawn for centuries, with wild imaginings of what they do and can do if used for medicinal purposes. Fact and fiction rolled into one, until a few learned people, including Darwin, put some sense into it all. And they are still being classified and reclassified as botanists study them in more detail. I wish, as does Ben Jacobs, some of them would put more effort into restoring them in the field. More protection from housing estates would go down well, too. Although there are some gains. The undisturbed spoil tip from the Channel Tunnel, now a nature reserve, is a chalk hill with ideal conditions for some of our rarest species (butterflies too).
This is a fascinating book, with a huge amount of information, and lots of references plus further reading. It’s properly put together and on the whole made for good reading. But it does tend to leap about a bit, and I think the editor could have done a better job to help Jacobs make it flow. Despite that, I gave it four stars on Goodreads, which means that the content far outweighs its faults. ...more
This is a charming book. I suspect reading it on a kindle (app) does not do it justice, and as it’s a memoir, I think a few photos would be appropriatThis is a charming book. I suspect reading it on a kindle (app) does not do it justice, and as it’s a memoir, I think a few photos would be appropriate.
But Alba Donati’s words about the view from Lucignana, and her bookshop, should be sufficient. It is a glorious location, and a bookshop with facilities the literati and more avant garde reader will relish, not to mention book tourists!
Written as a daily journal, liberally peppered with the history of her family, and her own adventures prior to setting up the bookshop, each day ends with a list of books sold. These fascinated me. I think the best part of this book is the opportunity to discover new things that you’d like to read or own, or give to a best friend… And there’s this bookshop in Italy you can order them from!
I think the only one I’ve read is What You Can See From Here, which I reviewed summer 2021. If that is typical of the rest, then I really ought to search them out. Many are famous, and most English majors will have read them. Italian, French and German majors who include literature ditto.
As the bookshop opened just before Covid-19 hit us, it gives a good flavour of the numerous set-backs it suffers. Details vary, as priorities change during lockdown, and the family and next-level relatives take precedence. I got a little lost towards the middle of the book, or else my attention waned. But I got interested again a little further on, possibly at the time of the civic vandalism involving trees.
If you like books, Italy or memoirs, you’ll enjoy this. A combination of the three would be even better....more
I am never afraid of making the animal my protagonist, and looking at things from his or her point of view. J R Tiedemann does this with insects, and I am never afraid of making the animal my protagonist, and looking at things from his or her point of view. J R Tiedemann does this with insects, and very well he does it too. I enjoyed the exploration of the insect’s world (or arachnid, or whatever) and felt the scaled-up worlds and differences in senses was well handled.
However it started badly when I tried three different forms of ereader to read this book, and none of them could provide an image (such as the one on the cover) on a single page. It appeared to be loaded in four random parts. As this served as the chapter heading, it took some detective work to determine what bug I was supposed to be. Then the common problem of formatting footnotes came in. Some footnotes were pages from the link, and in the middle of another paragraph entirely. Some were so long it was almost impossble to find the thread of the narrative paragraph you were reading. Those are technical problems. I persevered.
Eventually, however, the sheer monotony of the denouement of each story, either by ignorant human adults or cruel and evil boys wore me down, and I had to speed-read to the end. There I expected a few references to show where this marvellous information had come from. From the internet. And from insect-exterminators’ websites. Not a reference at all from the hundreds of entomologists, coleopterists and others who spend their lives researching insect interaction and ecology.
I hope the last line of the blurb is true. But I wish Mr Tiedemann had a little more gravitas to add to his narrative....more
This is an excellent book, full of interesting evidence, arguments, and food for thought. The writer has an engaging style, although he does tend to jThis is an excellent book, full of interesting evidence, arguments, and food for thought. The writer has an engaging style, although he does tend to jump about from one subject to another. It may be Kindle run-on formatting to a certain extent. Eklöf covers a huge amount of material, all of it of interest to me, from bats his specialism) to LEDs. He covers evolution of sight: I’ve not considered how we got from primordial soup to animals with eyes and other sensory organs developed. There is plenty of delving into geological evidence, often in Sweden, in different types of geology from that I’m used to.
In many ways this was the charm of the book. It is cross-cutting in terms of its scientific disciplines, but in a way that delves further than my scope. The examination of the physics of light blends into the structure of the eye. Yes, we did this school. But what about the development of sight in other ways, and the adaptations of human eyesight to low levels?
We are still speculating about the exact form of sight in other mammals. All we can guess is that their ability to see infrared somehow ‘looks’ like our IR cameras. But we only know they see things differently at night. It made me think more about my own pets, not only what they see, but the light conditions that they need for health. In the Darkness Manifesto, the author devotes a large section to the physical need for changing light. Not just light intensity but hue, for a period of natural darkness. This leads into how light pollution disrupts whole ecologies. The food chain will collapse if we don’t act fast.
Whether it was the translation or something else, there were several phrases that didn’t make sense to me. Some were funny, others just left me wondering what the author meant. ‘Undecayed animals’ in a rock formation confused me. The statue of a scientist where ‘you’ll see a small box with a bat on one knee’ amused me. Is the bat kneeling on the box? Has the box got a knee? Just one thing that could be phrased better.
I made plenty of notes because I would like to follow them up. This book did not have references in the text, and I really wanted them. I would love to send the relevant research links to our highways department, who recently consulted us on street lighting plans. There is a Reference section at the back, in alphabetical order, but no hint in the text to help you find the one you want. Paper titles are not necessarily obvious. The references and further reading take 10% of the book. A nice chunk.
Usability details aside, this is an important book. It covers the many aspects of light pollution in a pragmatic way, as well as re-examining the human relationship with the dark. And finishes with great examples of countries that are making a difference....more
Sadly, this book has not aged well. Serves me right for not reading a slew of books published in 2009 at an earlier time. Here we are, fourteen years Sadly, this book has not aged well. Serves me right for not reading a slew of books published in 2009 at an earlier time. Here we are, fourteen years later, and most of Lovelock's warnings are either too late, or laughably low key compared with our reality. I also found some of his key issues of the time, particularly how to contain the population of 7 billion in megacities powered by nuclear plants, at odds with other statements about land use. Maybe I misinterpreted his words. Wouldnt it have been nice to keep the population below seven billion. And as for the CO2 ppm... It made me wish for the naivety of 2008. And don't get me started on melting polar ice. He's probably glad he got out before it really falls apart.
This is a good book for historians of climate change and the inactivity of global leaders pandering to the fossil fuel companies and other rich folk.
I find it strange that, when so much of Birdgirl is concerned with how to include people outside the dominant ‘white male’ domain of both extreme birdI find it strange that, when so much of Birdgirl is concerned with how to include people outside the dominant ‘white male’ domain of both extreme bird-watching and environmentalism, that the blurb makes no mention of Mya-Rose’s Bangladeshi heritage, because she certainly does! With ‘diversity’ being a ‘big issue’ it’s good to know that people like Mya are welcomed by nature organisations. But it is down to Mya herself that they realised they actually have to change to involve people of different cultural backgrounds. Mya herself uses VME – visual minority ethnic – as a catch-all term, eschewing BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) as she feels it segments the problem incorrectly.
Like Mya-Rose, birdwatching has always felt part of me. But not like Mya’s family does it! I know people who go everywhere in search of the next bird, who drop everything to see a rarity arrived on a British rock, but that’s not me. You don’t have to be a twitcher to enjoy this book. But it does open your eyes to the immense variety of our avian wildlife, and the threats they are under because of demands on their habitats. Her description of Rwanda is particularly vivid.
I was astounded and enthralled by Mya’s activity and devotion to the cause. Admittedly she was enabled to do some of her community awareness-raising by several dynamic aunties and her parents, but it was her own ideas and passion that got people involved in climate change and wildlife action. All this while trying to keep a low profile among her schoolmates!
The third strand of this extraordinary memoir is the relationship with her parents, and especially the struggle with her mother’s mental health. Eventually diagnosed as bipolar, Mum’s swings from mania to depression sound horrific, as they undoubtedly were.
Birds, and birding, came to the rescue. I already know that when I’m birdwatching, I don’t think of anything else. For this family, going birding – twitching- brought them closer together, dropping all the other stresses apart from how to get the next bird on their list. The British Trust for Ornithology knows how important birds are to our mental health, and encouraged many new people to become birders during lockdown, watching and noting the birds from their windows. I hope more young people, and especially those with a VME background, find connecting with birds and their local wildlife an enjoyable and healing experience, as a result of reading Mya-Rose’s book – or her blog, Birdgirl.
I’m not sure that many readers will enjoy the frenetic chase from country to country after different birds, but I did. The scope of Mya-Rose’s attention to the environmental problems she found and the insight into the role of indigenous people in solving climate change prompted me to give this five stars. She’s inspirational....more
I like boats, and small ships, and sailing, and messing about by and in the sea. But whilst I appreciate Britain’s maritime history, I do not considerI like boats, and small ships, and sailing, and messing about by and in the sea. But whilst I appreciate Britain’s maritime history, I do not consider myself much of a seafarer. And I’ve never been good at British History – enough to tackle quiz questions, is about it.
So The Ship Asunder, Tom Nancollas’s gallop through several thousand years of Britain’s association with boats, is full of surprises.
The author takes us through the history of ships and British sea-faring by deconstructing boats and identifying the history within them. Who knew that there was a pre-Roman boat discovered in the mud at Dover, carefully preserved in the Ashmolean Museum of all places – about as far from the sea as you can get in Britain. And a large trumpet used for inter-ship (and intra-ship) communication in pre-medieval times, salvaged from the muddy banks of the Thames, and now in the Museum of London?
Starting at the prows of the boats and ending past the propellers and back onto the land that provided the wood, Nancollas strings together a fascinating mix of archaeology, fable and record. He treads paths and describes ancient and modern side by side. I am tempted to try to locate the building in Caithness that uses the hull of a ship as its rafters. He does it by satellite mapping, and street view, and so can any of us, if we look hard enough.
Among the sea souvenirs there are plenty of human stories. Inventors, sailors, rich men, poor men, beggar men, some women. He also gives a clear account of Britain’s rich past in slavery. We got rich on this trade, no doubt about it. Just as we did on exploiting all the rest of the ‘Empire’ countries. We owe them big time.
Sometimes the text jumps about a bit. Abrupt changes of subject when you think it’s a follow-on. This may be the ebook, and the paperback layout may solve the problem. But I did have to stop several times to work out where the thread had gone. Nevertheless, it’s a good read, an artistic piece of delving, and a useful reference work too. For those who like to know how much of the ebook is references – 6%. There are also useful footnotes in the text, too....more
For anyone with a passing interest in fossils, or in earth’s history, or in possible alien lifeforms, Otherlands is a must-read.
I can’t think of anothFor anyone with a passing interest in fossils, or in earth’s history, or in possible alien lifeforms, Otherlands is a must-read.
I can’t think of another book which really sets out the flora and fauna of a past era (or possibly epoch), in an ecosystem way. How does every lifeform depend on each other? What are the predator-prey relationships? Why are certain adaptations made, given the other life around, the climate conditions, and the genetic pathways…
To undertake this sort of detailed analysis for one specific time period would probably provide a doctoral thesis. To do it for several–sixteen–site/age combinations, is remarkable.
And then make it not only readable, but beautifully descriptive, creating an illusion of the world he is describing in breathtaking detail.
I highlighted several passages that make imagery a cliched word. The way the Atlantic poured through the Pillars of Hercules to create the western proto-Mediterranean was breath-taking… but the consequential waterfall, miles high, as the Sicilian ridge was breached so it formed the eastern Med… That was awe-inspiring.
Some of the writing is clunky, and occasionally strays into academic style (much like Stephen Hawking, so Dr Halliday is in good company). Occasionally I found the gist of his argument contradictory. He also has a habit of shifting to a different time and place to compare or contrast with the chapter in question, which confused me. But this can be forgiven. You catch on eventually (possibly faster than with Stephen Hawking).
And for readers concerned about the percent left to read in an ebook, around 25% is devoted to references, further reading, and appendices.
If you would like to know more about the world we live in (and what might happen when we leave it) read Otherlands....more
I think Becky Hall goes right to the heart of our overconsumption and anxieties by her starting point. Are you haunted by not being Enough? What happeI think Becky Hall goes right to the heart of our overconsumption and anxieties by her starting point. Are you haunted by not being Enough? What happened early in your life to make you carry messages about that make you want to always do more – or always hide away?
This is a self-help book. I don’t read many self-help books, but this one is genuinely useful. I have a combination of driving to be perfect, to live up to my older brothers, and an inadequacy that I can never be good enough, so should keep in the shadows. Becky Hall gives you several exercises to help you explore your past and to delve into the things that make you uncomfortable, whether it drives you to excess, or too little.
I found this an easy read, but also a very thought-provoking one. Like Humankind last year, it reinforces the view that most of us are nice, kind and helpful people. And we are likely to take on these ideas of Enough. We want to solve some of the dreadful problems we’ve got our world into.
The big question is, how do we get those leaders, in many countries, who want nothing more than to dominate the world. They are driven to make so much money that they can never ever spend it. Because they are the ones who are wrecking our planet.
Read the Art of Enough – take action. You’ll feel better for it....more
Loading...
