Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Jun 17, 2008

Catherine added it

Intriguing study of the lobster-fishing industry in Maine and of the lobster itself, including lurid details of the lobsters' sex life! Seriously, the male lobster is quite thoughtful and tender, gently stroking the female with his antennae as he goes about wooing. Lively, well written; follows the lives of several lobster fishermen and the efforts (sometimes misguided) of scientists to resolve the problems of the supposedly dwindling supply (of lobsters, and therefore sooner or later of fisherm More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 07, 2008

Kurt rated it:

This is one of the best books I've read in a while and I'd recommend it to just about anyone. I'm not just saying this because of a potential bias with my home-state because I don't even like eating lobsters. The author truly experiences his subject by living and working on a lobster boat for two years while gathering information for this book and it showed. It comes to no surprise that the author is capable of writing on a diverse list of topics that include Buddhism in Japan, the Tiananmen More...

1 comment like

Dec 17, 2009

Anna rated it:

i feel compelled to disclose that lobsters are, in fact, my favorite sea-dwelling creature and definitely in my top five creatures of all time (in no particular order, lobsters, otter, triceratops, my cat oscar, and unicorns). however, that does not mean that my review of this book should be disregarded.

the writing is engaging, and the subject matter contains many a good cocktail party tidbit (the bit about "superlobsters" being particularly interesting). and lobstermen are More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 24, 2009

Becky rated it:

This was a perfect book to read while studying for the bar. Not at all difficult, very quick, and super entertaining, it's a journalistic mix following lobster scientists, Maine lobstermen, and the lobsters themselves as the author describes how various mysteries about the crustaceans have (or haven't) been solved. The best part of the book for me was definitely the bits about lobster behavior. I had no idea lobsters were so hilarious (especially their mating and fighting habits). I also loved t More...

1 comment like

Oct 11, 2010

Bill rated it:

This book tells the story of individual lobstermen, their communities, marine scientists, US regulatory politics, as well as the biology of lobsters in an entertaining way. In addition to finally understanding how lobsters molt, I found some great insights about the interplay between science, evidence, and policy.

Example of one particular insight regarding how far wrong desk science can go in interpreting data. In a nutshell: marine scientists looked at the small size of lobsters be More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 18, 2008

Caroline rated it:

It may seem strange to give a book on lobsters 5 stars, but I loved this! I purchased it on a whim for a plane trip, and spent every available moment with my nose in it until I was done. So very well done! From lobster catching, to lobster science, to lobster politics, it has it all. I look forward to Mr. Corson's next effort - the bar is quite high.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 08, 2011

Tony rated it:

I read this in my continuing attempt to find my inner lobster (my Umwelt), which is necessary for someone who "should have been a pair of ragged claws, scuttling across the floors of silent seas." Plenty of warm, buttery tidbits here about lobster behavior, serving as a metaphor perhaps for the human drama of lobstermen versus the government. The term 'pissing contest' has taken on new meaning.

By coincidence, as I was reading this, I visited one of those new Uber-superm More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 15, 2011

William rated it:

I love lobster. I thought they were getting rare (as in too many being caught). The government thought so too, so they limited the haul. Then the lobstermen (who had a darn good reason to know more about lobster behavior than any government policy wonk) figured out that was not so. In the end, this is mainly a story about how the industry effectively won the right to regulate its catch itself, with a side does of "it's not really necessary." Those lobsters are having a LOT of sex.
More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 26, 2009

Trent rated it:

Before I say my review, I need to get this off my chest: Why do all these animals have such secret lives? Secret Life of Bees, Secret Life of Lobsters...what about their life is so secret? Are they stepping out on their wives or something (apparently, yes, according to the book)? What is it that they need to keep so secret?

With that said, this was a GREAT book. I don't have a great interest in lobsters (not even as food), but this book made me interested in them. They are fascin More...

2 comments like

Sep 28, 2011

Petra X rated it:

Lobsters have the most amazing sex lives, very brutal, the biggest who can beat all the other males up gets sex - the females admire muscles. However, there's always the sly, sleek, attractive one, jack-the-lad who never fights and who gets it on with the ladies when the big one is recovering from his latest fight. Who knew?

The book is written from three perspectives: the fishing business, marine scientists and the lobsters' own extremely complicated and interesting lives. Its as en More...

2 comments like (19 people liked it)

Jul 23, 2011

Dawn rated it:

I picked this up thinking it would be more similar to David Foster Wallace's "Consider the Lobster" than it was. I wanted the ethical arguments, etc., but alas, no such luck really. Not that it wasn't a good read, but I wasn't thrilled with the lack of concern for the lobsters themselves. He detailed scientific experiments without cringing or even accounting for the reasons people would cringe. I did, however, enjoy the extensive coverage of the lives of the lobstermen in Maine. A More...

0 comments like

Sep 23, 2010

Brian rated it:

This was a great read. The book maintains a good balance of information from the scientists' point of view and from the lobstermen's point of view.

Corson did a good job weaving the narrative of the lives of the fishermen and scientists together with the information about lobster anatomy, behaviour, evolution reproduction, etc.

Two interesting facts I learned:
Lobsters pee at each others faces to communicate.
Lobsters have "handedness." The right and left cla More...

0 comments like

Jan 31, 2012

Joseph rated it:

Once I began to regularly include physical copies of books into what had been an almost exclusively digital reading queue for a couple years, it made sense to explore volumes I personally owned. I’ve had a hardcover copy of The Secret Life of Lobsters idling on a bookshelf for years, originally purchased because I was intrigued by the premise and charmed by the reviews. That said, I do find it important to include non-fiction at regular intervals Read more [...]

FULL REVIEW ON MY BL More...

0 comments like

Apr 23, 2009

Sasha rated it:

What I learned.... I learned that lobsters piss in each others faces to show dominance and share scents. I learned that Maine lobstermen take lobster conservation very seriously. I learned that the lobster view of the world is nothing like mine. I learned that scientists call post-larval lobsters superlobsters. And much else.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable book weaving together the scientific pursuit of the lobster worldview with the communities of Maine lobstermen and fight to ke More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 21, 2011

Melissa rated it:

I can confidently say that, before reading Trevor Corson’s The Secret Life of Lobsters, the only thing I knew about this deep dweller was that it was delicious with butter. Like most ignorant seafood lovers, I had no idea what “lobster life” was all about, nor what has been done—and what continues to be done—by both lobstermen and scientists alike to ensure “our favorite crustacean” continues to satisfy our palates for eons to come.

Just south of Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National More...

0 comments like

Jul 07, 2011

Mike rated it:

This story elevates the profile of your average lobsterperson to a noble steward of the sea. It goes to great lengths to show how much resource management is built in to the process of lobstering.

It relates the story of the US and Canadian laws that were passed in the 70s and 80s and the subsequent backlash from the lobstering community. Together with the work of some of the local marine scientists everybody was able to work together to better figure out what lobsters do all day and More...

0 comments like

Apr 01, 2011

Tippy rated it:

The life of lobsters. Was there any chance this wouldn't be a good book? Well, yes I suppose there was, but fortunately it was. There were lots of little interesting tidbits about lobsters, but the book was mostly about a small lobstering community and scientists working together to learn about these awesome animals and to maintain their sustainability. Their new found knowledge can even be used to guesstimate how favorable a lobster season may or may not be.

I was a little concerned w More...

0 comments like

Jan 24, 2008

Brent rated it:

TSLOL does cover in detail the science of lobsters, but it is much more than just the typical popular science book. I found it to be an engaging read because of Trevor Corson's easy style and the thematic way he presents the material. Most importantly, the book has a very personal focus - it covers the lives of a few lobstermen from a small Maine community and how these lobster fishermen interact and intersect with a group of scientists trying to figure out the mysterious lobster. You really More...

0 comments like

Jan 01, 2008

Laura rated it:

Although it is a relatively random choice, this book proved to be surprisingly engaging.
By imparting amusing and largely unknown facts about the lobster, including the predilection of lobsters for mating in the "missionary position" and the relative insignificance of sight as it pertains to the lobster's sensory experience (smell is the most potent sensation), Corson creates a text in which the lobster becomes a fascinating and compelling focus of study, not only for the scienti More...

0 comments like

Nov 06, 2007

Dale rated it:

This is the eighteenth book I read on my commute, finally breaking a long streak of genre and genre-esque novels and returning to the non-fiction well.

I really do have a great fondness for science, despite being a very typical Area-I oriented English major. And being married to a veterinarian means that plenty of science creeps into everyday conversation anyway, and usually I just enjoy the ride. The Secret Life of Lobsters was definitely the perfect kind of science-oriented book f More...

0 comments like

Nov 19, 2007

Lindsay rated it:

I heard about this book on NPR, was interested, and promptly forgot about it for about a year before finding it on a random bookseller's table. I could not have been more pleased with Corson's book and have recommended it profusely. He weaves together two strands of lobster fandom: scientists attempting to figure out how lobsters tick and a small lobstering village in Maine more concerned with the economy of the lobster. Skillfully alternating between them, readers get a more comprehensive view More...

0 comments like

Dec 20, 2010

Raina rated it:

Before I review this book, I need to get this off my chest.
Why do all these animals have such secret lives? The Secret Life of Bees, Secret Life of Lobsters, etc...what about their life is so secret? Are they stepping out on their wives or something (apparently, yes, according to the book)? What is it that they need to keep so secret?

That said, this was a GREAT book! I don't have a great interest in lobsters (not even as food), but this book made me very interested in them. The More...

0 comments like

Nov 16, 2009

nicole rated it:

so awesome! writing was really salt of the earth, i wasn't surprised to learn that corson had been on some of the boats that he wrote about in a professional capacity. i found the intertwining of lobstermen and marine biologists to be interesting, though not as interesting as the lobster sex experiments. and reading about lobsters pissing from their faces made me laugh out loud (even if i was then totally fascinated by the science and purpose behind it). curious to go stick my face in front of t More...

0 comments like

Jul 21, 2009

Holly rated it:

Very enjoyable book while being extremely informative. It's a rich blend of learning about Maine lobsters from the perspectives of lobstermen, scientists and the government. It's not easy living the life of a lobsterman...but then again, being a lobster isn't easy either! From their sex life (amazing!) to the negotiations and rulings about their legal catch size, it's a fascinating book that only endears one to this crustacean. Very worthwhile read.

0 comments like

Jan 30, 2008

Kay rated it:

Part biological treatise, part travelogue, part regional history, and part sociological commentary, this is an interesting hybrid of a book.

What I didn't know about lobsters, well, it would fill a book. It has filled this book, in fact. After visiting a lobster hatchery in Maine a few years back and staying a few days in a coastal town whose main industry was lobstering, I felt an urge to learn more about the both the crustacean and those who make their living from it.

More...

0 comments like

Apr 01, 2009

Andrea rated it:

I was so impressed by this book that I would recommend it to anyone! The author writes about the lives of lobstermen and their families, lobsters and their lives, and lobster scientists. The text was accessible and interesting. And with nearly every chapter, I learned something new and fascinating about lobsters. When I was a waitress at a lobster shack on the Cape, I would have LOVED to know about this book.

If you feel like reading a good, non-fiction book, you'll look so much c More...

0 comments like

Jul 29, 2008

Mary rated it:

This book has lots of fun facts about my favorite crustacean: the North American lob-stah. For example, male lobsters are big bullies who march around the ocean floor terrorizing their counterparts. If they were human, we might describe them as the type that are always “up in your face.” In fact, dominant male lobsters are so aggressive that when it comes time to mate the female lobster pees in his face to help sedate his violent tendencies. Then they have sex, the female discards her shell, More...

0 comments like

Aug 23, 2010

Anmiryam rated it:

A fascinating account of the intersection of lobster biological studies, ecology, marine science and the culture of lobstermen. While there at times Corson loses the threads of the vast number of characters he introduces, but he manages most of his vast canvas of including time, history and science with a journalist's clarity and a novelist's ability to bring life to all the participants in this amazing ecological tapestry.

0 comments like

Feb 27, 2011

Bob rated it:

This is a well written book that make the science and ecology of lobsters accessible and understandable to the every day reader. What I enjoyed the most of this book was the lives of the lobstermen and the scientist and how they came together. Most often in these narratives, there is always a clash between what sciences suggests and what tradition preforms; not so in this.

Overall, I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good narrative journalism.

0 comments like

Aug 25, 2009

Peter rated it:

This is a fascinating book so much so that as you bite into that jucy lobster tail, dripping with butter, you'll have pause to reflect on the utter cruelity of what you are doing--but you'll eat it anyway. If you've ever wondered about the activities of our delicious crustacean pals and the ecology of the parts of the ocean they inhabit and, dare I say, their sex lives you'll enjoy this well written book.

0 comments like